Bracing for pending oil price hikes and other business expense increases, the Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved a larger-than-normal transfer and carry over of 2021 unexpended funds. The money is going to the Capital Improvement and Equipment Replacement funds.  

“It is the county’s practice to transfer unexpended funds from one year to the next,” said Operations Director Matt Patzner. “After discussions with the commissioners and in light of uncertainty with the economy, the proposed transfers will better position the County for the future.”

It’s a mixture of a lot of a lot of different funds, Patzner said, explaining from where the money came. “It basically any unanticipated revenue.”

In a nutshell, it is any place where the county received more revenue than they expected or where under budget, he said. This year, it could also include any unspent COVID-19 relief funds.

“So it’s going to be a combination, a kind of a catch-all, of everything,” Patzner said.

Looking at likely increases in operation costs, for such things as oil, “it will be a higher cash-carry-forward total than what then what we generally see because of those very factors,” Patzner said. 

“I think the most important thing is that it is now our money and we can use it as we wish,” District 5 Commissioner Jennifer Schartz said. “There are no strings attached to it.”

The transfers including:

• To Capital Improvement, a total transfer of $1,480,638.48.

General Fund – $1,000,000

Federal Funds Exchange – $190,638.48

Road and Bridge – $100,000

Special Bridge – $190,000

• To Equipment Replacement, a total transfer of $257,361.52.

Road and Bridge – $209,361.52

Noxious Weed – $48,000