At its Dec. 2 meeting, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners heard a financial review from Finance Director Alicia Searcy, who said county revenues through Oct. 31 were $24,690,906, up from $23,422,589 the prior year, and that the county’s general fund cash on hand totaled about $39,000,000 compared with $25,000,000 a year earlier.

Searcy said the county is roughly one-third through the fiscal year and that property tax collections in November drove much of the recent revenue increase. “November was a big month for that,” she said, noting the county expects further revenue increases as collections continue.

The presentation also summarized special-project (SPLOST-like) spending and investments, including a new fire pumper purchase and public-works projects. Searcy detailed proposed year-end budget amendment items the board will advertise this week: transfers among five general-fund departments (no net increase in the overall general-fund budget), an opioid settlement fund adjustment (+$12,000 to fines/forfeitures and +$12,000 to public-safety expenses), and an American Rescue Plan Act reallocation of $1,392,000 from general government to judicial to fund a judicial ARPA grant.

Searcy outlined several other line-item adjustments in special funds: increases in revenue and expenses for the sheriff’s narcotics account (+$456,500), juvenile court supervision (+$9,200), jailhouse store (+$551,000), CI commissary (+$182,000), and sheriff’s special projects (+$48,000). She said these changes reflect updated audit numbers and internal reallocations rather than new recurring spending.

The county will run the required advertisement in the Times-Georgian and vote on the final year-end budget amendment at a special-called meeting later in the month.

What happens next: the board authorized advertising the amendment; staff will return with the formal amendment for a vote at a later special meeting.