Budget requests totaling $14.7 million are unveiled

The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners got their first look at budget requests to the county totaling $14,675,608 on Monday night. Last year, the county approved expenditures of $12,209,294, according to budget documents presented by County Manager Don Adams.

All budget requests are subject to approval of the county commission, which does not typically approve all requests. In other words, requests are usually higher than the annual approved budget amounts.

While many departments showed some increases, among the largest request increases, including several new items, were special appropriations and school current expense. The schools’ request from the county totals $2,392,427 this year, up from last year’s approved number of $1,944,225. The schools are also requesting a capital (generally used for building and purchasing) increase, from $439,500 to $728,935.

Special appropriations, which include all requests by non-county operated departments, was $2,774,629, up from $1,897,346.

One major new request came from Alleghany Memorial Hospital, which requested $500,000 from the county. The Alleghany Wellness Center also requested $100,000 in funding, up from last year’s approved amount of $25,000.

Capital Requests

As for capital requests for the county, the biggest request came from the Ambulance Service, which is requesting $86,000 for a new ambulance. In addition, several budget line items deal with equipping the county’s new office building. Following is a list of departments and requests: under governing bodies, $20,141 is requested for chairs, a table and a podium; under administration, $13,813 is requested for desks, bookcases, filing cabinets, chairs and other items; under finance, $10,937 is requested for desks, shredders, storage cabinets, a ladder, tables and side chairs; under planning and recreation, $2,180 is requested for a computer and a copier; under tax administration, $10,500 is requested for a conference table, chairs, a cabinet and five computers; under mapping, $4,053 is requested for a GIS main computer.

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