The Douglas County Board of Commissioners adjusted the 2022/23 county budget Tuesday to account for wage increases and other expenses. The initial budget was approved in July, 2022.
The budget adjustments required nearly $13 million in newly appropriated funds, bringing the revised budget to $533 million.
Douglas County Finance Director Joe Lorenz said market forces required the county to allocate $5.2 million for salary adjustments, including $3 million of new funds. He said new contracts for corrections officers and sheriff department employees made up the bulk of the increase.
Commissioner Jim Cavanaugh said budget adjustments happen every year, but this year’s adjustment was higher than usual. Lorenz said the wage increases contributed to that high number, but a “record amount of high-cost medical claims” for employees was the major driver.
The county had to cover the employee medical insurance budget by dipping into inheritance tax proceeds, Lorenz said. On Tuesday, the county appropriated $6 million to reimburse the fund. As state legislators consider a bill to bar the inheritance tax, Lorenz said proceeds from the tax are at a record high for the county.
“That just shows you the importance of the inheritance tax to the county,” Lorenz said. “That really is our rainy day fund.”
The Douglas County Youth Center budget was increased by $700,000 because of high population numbers, Lorenz said. The new facility was designed to have a capacity of 64, but officials reported earlier this year that daily population numbers have been running over 80.
The Omaha World-Herald reported that Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson sent a letter to county commissioners last week raising concerns about the new facility’s capacity