Commissioners consider rescue plan funding

Online retailers saw a huge jump in sales in Douglas County compared to the month before the lockdown in 2020.

Online retailers saw a huge jump in sales in Douglas County compared to the month before the lockdown in 2020.
Photo: Kurt Hildebrand / The Record Courier

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 With only half a month before Douglas County cuts its sales tax umbilical cord to the state, taxable sales are running ahead of projections, but behind last year.

Chief Financial Officer Terri Willoughby reported that at the end of the third quarter, the county’s actual revenues are 79 percent of projections while expenditures are at 61 percent.

“As Douglas County will no longer be a guaranteed county for fiscal year 2022-23, the finance department will be monitoring taxable sales and consolidated tax activity,” she said. “Revenues are $450,000, or 1 percent less than the prior year at the same time while expenditures are roughly the same.”

Salary savings across the departments in the general fund contributed to the reduction in expenditures.

“The primary variance in revenues is due to greater than anticipated development revenues, short-term rental permits, fine and penalty revenues and franchise and utility operator fee revenues,” Willoughby said in her quarterly report.

On Thursday, county commissioners are scheduled to discuss funding requests for the $9.5 million the county is allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act. 

Commissioners meet 10 a.m. Thursday at the CVIC Hall in Minden.

In April, county commissioners approved $2.258 million in expenditures for the jail, East Fork Fire Protection District, community development and the Town of Gardnerville’s Main Street Station Storm Drain project.

With the previous expenditure of $248,951, that leaves a balance of $6.99 million.

Commissioners will have to sort through 50 requests amounting to $44.7 million for what’s left over. 

The Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District is seeking $14 million in water line replacement and a Gardnerville resident is asking the county to spend $12 million to repave Chichester Estates.

The county is seeking $5 million toward a new judicial center, which would cover the cost of purchasing three 19-acre parcels from Park Ranch Holdings approved last month.