County’s financial future takes ominous turn

The Lee County Board continues to approve deficit budgets, and board members continue to grant raises to employees. Board members have failed to deal with financial reality.

The Lee County Board’s first significant vote of its new term has set a pattern for several years to come.

That pattern is one of financial irresponsibility.

In recent years, the county has spent more money than it takes in. The county’s current budget has a general fund deficit of $876,000. Budget deficits have been covered partly by carryover funds from previous years. A big financial crutch, though, has been the county’s questionable practice of using money from its capital projects fund ($600,000 in the current budget) to cover the deficit in its general fund.

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