Over the next few months, Cole County commissioners will craft the county budget for 2016.
They are looking at budgets from department heads under their direct supervision.
The ambulance budget includes more than $506,000 in capital improvement requests, with $220,000 of that amount going toward remounting two ambulances and $132,000 to pay for mounts for cots in ambulances. A one-time payment of $75,000 for the county's share of upgrades to the 911 system would also come out of the sales tax that funds the ambulance service.
Upkeep and upgrades at county facilities are also being considered. The greatest cost would be to replace 99 windows at the courthouse due to incorrect installation and leakage. The estimated cost could be as high as $775,000.
Replacing windows at the annex would cost $250,000.
The money to pay for this could come from the county's half-cent capital improvements sales tax or county reserves.
The commission also has $583,000 in a receivership fund that could be used. Former Cole County Circuit Judge Tom Brown transferred the fund to the commission about eight years ago. It consists of money from untraceable owners' utility refunds in PSC rate challenge cases. Targeted for one-time purchases to benefit the community, the costs for just a few of these capital projects would easily wipe that out.
Auditor Kristen Berhorst will present her proposed 2016 budget to the commission this fall, and budget discussions from elected officials' departments will follow.
In November and December, the commission will come up with a final budget that must be approved in January.