Washington County finds ‘rainy day’ funds

These funds are labeled as the boards’ “Reserve for Contingency.” After action at the May 23 meeting in Abingdon, Virginia, the board had more than $300,000 in this fund for next year, according to an estimate by Board of Supervisors Chairman Saul Hernandez.

That’s up from about $132,00 that had been set aside for incidental expenses. According to Hernandez, these funds “will allow us to do things through the year.”

A big change came from finding that not as much money was needed from the county to help fund the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon. That meant an additional $392,00 was added to the upcoming budget, said Tammy Sturgill, the county’s director of finance.

But more money was needed elsewhere.

Budget changes on May 23 include paying $80,000 to fund the maintenance and salary for a caretaker on the Mendota Trail, a 12.5-mile-long rail-to-trail project that begins beneath U.S. Highway 58 (I-81) and stretches to Mendota Road near Clinch Mountain.

Also, the board set aside $5,000 for the next year’s operating expenses at the Mendota Community Center, and approved an additional $12,500 for the Barter Theatre in Abingdon.

After much discussion, the board also agreed to place $3,000 in a fund to help patch potholes and fund road repairs in subdivisions where roads are not part of the Virginia Department of Transpiration road system.

In related business, the county has already collected about $30,000 more in machinery and tools taxes for the current fiscal year than anticipated, said Sturgill.

Sales tax collections are also up, Sturgill said.

County officials expect to end the current fiscal year with $1.6 million more in sales tax collections than had been budgeted.