At least one commissioner is publicly concerned with how the budget commission certified revenue for next year.

Last month the budget commission made its annual revenue projections and certifications for each funding source for the three parts of the general fund.

However Lawrence County Commissioner Les Boggs wants a higher certification of revenue in the emergency services fund that gets its funding from the sales tax.

“Of the one and half percent sales tax, one percent goes to the operating expenses to pay the bills and one-half percent goes to the emergency services fund,” Boggs said. “I am a little perplexed.”

Right now the budget commission certified $4,930,000 for the operating budget but $2,350,000 for the emergency fund or $115,000 less than half of the one percent.

“Shouldn’t the one percent be double of the half percent?” Boggs questioned. “If you would double the half percent that would be $4.7 million (for the operating budget).”

However the operating budget certification is $230,000 more than double the current emergency fund amount.

“In my opinion the half percent should be raised to better make that accurate,” Boggs said. “I think it directly affects the EMS and the sheriff’s services. I feel by their lowering the half-percent, it has strapped the commission’s ability to fund those two agencies as well as we should.”

Earlier this year, Boggs made a motion to increase the EMS’ budget for 2014 to $1.3 million or $300,000 more than it currently gets from the general fund. This appropriation supplements the EMS’ revenue that comes from patient runs. All three commissioners voted for the motion.

“I am not accusing anybody of anything when Freddie and I voted to give the $1.3 million to make sure it was funded accurately,” Boggs said. “I am not saying anyone lowered it to keep us from doing that. It is not right and needs to be fixed.”

County Auditor Jason Stephens, one of three members of the budget commission, said the lower certification was deliberate so there would be a large enough carryover to cover bills in January of 2015.

“I explained this two weeks ago at the commission meeting exactly why the budget commission certified what it did,” Stephens said. “In the emergency services fund the monthly expenses for January are over $300,000. So keeping that in mind, going on what our estimated revenue will be in 2014, in order to have $300,000 for 2015, that is reason for the certification for the half-percent sales tax.”

Right now the projected carryover into 2013 going into 2014 is $265,000. That is the year where there will be three pay periods in January with two coming before the sales tax comes in.

“I feel like the budget commission studied the issue very thoroughly,” Stephens said. “We have provided the best and most accurate estimate that we could.”

However Boggs said the three January pay periods will affect all county employees.

“Everybody will have three pay periods, not just the half-percent,” he said. “You tell me what the logic of that answer is. It appears the half-percent is not right and needs to be adjusted up at least $115,000.”

In the next two weeks the commissioners hope to have a budget in place. This year’s total increased cost will be about $250,000 more than last year, partly because of $140,000 more in insurance costs and increases in debt service.

Commission President Bill Pratt said if the EMS has a greater carryover in their budget this year over last that service may not need as much of a supplement as the commission originally considered.

“The $300,000 might be a possibility but they may not need that,” he said.