Rock Island County Board Chairman Ken Maranda released Thursday, Feb. 11, that the unaudited general fund numbers for 2015 show an increase instead of the expected $1.3 million deficit.
“Not only were we able to eliminate an estimated $1.3 million general fund budget deficit for fiscal year 2015, but the unaudited numbers show a surplus of approximately $74,000. I anticipate the audit will be very close to this amount, and given all of the financial issues facing our County, this is a very positive step in the right direction,” said County Administrator Dave Ross in Thursday’s press release.
County Auditor April Palmer credits the surplus to department heads reducing spending. Palmer also said that the board is still owed money from the state of Illinois.
A board reform package is moving forward and will be discussed at a public meeting at the county board meeting on Feb. 17, 2016. The package would cut out pensions and health care benefits for Rock Island County Board members and also reduce the board size from 25 to 15.
Although the board reduction couldn’t take effect until 2020, proponents of the plan say it’s time to start the process.
Related article: Reform package for Rock Island County passes in a tiebreaker
(Editor’s note: Our original headline mistakenly referred to a $1.3 billion deficit when the rest of our story correctly referred to a $1.3 million deficit. We apologize for the error.)
