Henry County sounds alert for general fund

1/27/2005

NAPOLEON - Henry County is facing a general fund crunch and commissioners told employees this week to delay major purchases until after the winter real estate tax collection is processed.

The county has $1.24 million in its general fund, but officials don't feel comfortable with less than $1.8 million, county operations coordinator Colleen Phillips said. She said, however, she saw a "very minimal" chance of layoffs.

"It isn't that we're out of cash so much as there's a lot encumbered," she said. Of the $1.24 million in the general fund, $753,000 is promised to various programs.

In the last such cash flow problem about 14 years ago, the county pulled money back that it had promised to various departments and then redistributed funds after the crunch was over.

The county's winter real estate tax bills are due Feb. 9. But funds from that collection will not go into the county general fund until mid March.