TORRINGTON – After 11 intense work sessions to hammer out all of the details, the Goshen County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a balanced budget on Tuesday. 

The budget for fiscal year 2019-2020 started out with a negative balance of around $700,00, but the commission, clerk Cindy Kenyon and the county’s department heads worked together to make the numbers work. In the budget, the county isn’t anticipating potential energy revenues or restitution for funds allegedly embezzled by former court clerk Kathi Rickard, but Commission Chairman Wally Wolski said the county department heads made sacrifices to make the numbers work. 

“The people in this, room, you are Goshen County’s team,” Wolski told the assembled department heads. “You’re the team leaders. I was thinking on how I could make some remarks to talk about how the three of us appreciate the sacrifices and everything you go through in the budget process.

“It has been tough this year. It’s time to do a little reflection, and say thank you.”

The total operating budget for Goshen County will be $9,762,370, and the commission is expecting the county to bring in exactly that much revenue. The GCC had to tap into its reserves for $325,663, and hopes to utilize $297,593 of county road fund reserves to rebound from an abnormally wet spring. 

Goshen County Clerk Cindy Kenyon broke down the budget and explained in detail how the county will operate for the next year. 

“Overall, revenue has increased for Goshen County for this fiscal year,” she said. 

Kenyon said the three biggest budgets in the county are for employee compensation, public safety and public works. This year, the county paid its employees a total of $5,306,623, including an extra $75,000 to cover health insurance hikes. 

“Employment compensation is 54 percent of general fund expenses,” Kenyon said. “Employee health insurance continues to increase yearly. This fiscal year held nearly a 9.8 percent increase, which was mostly absorbed by the county.”

Overall, Kenyon said, the budget will be lean, and that departments have taken the initiative to help by pursuing grant funds. The county is expected to bring in $773,236 in grant funds that will be used for a variety of purposes including diabetes prevention, personal protection equipment for the Goshen County Sheriff’s Department, to name a few.

“The budget of the upcoming fiscal year will be lean,” Kenyon said. “The past few years reflect a shift to maintain core statutory services and do the best with what is left.”

The largest departmental budget belongs to the Goshen County Detention Center. The GCDC was allocated $1,419,503 and is expected to bring in $43,000 in income. The facility currently holds 34 total inmates. Of those, 18 are local, 15 are Wyoming Department of Corrections inmates, and one is from Scottsbluff County, Neb. The facility was recently audited so it be in compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which would open the door for federal inmates – and more income. 

The second largest department budget is the Goshen County Road and Bridge Department. The department is currently in the process of an overhaul as a result of the GCC’s five-point plan to improve county roads and road maintenance. The road and bridge budget is $1,253,703, and the department’s expected income is $585,059. 

The county treasurer department is the only department that will bring in more income than it is expected to spend. The treasurer’s expected expenses are $326,544 and the expected income is $6,403,087. 

Commission vice-chairman John Ellis told the county department heads that he appreciated their input in helping balance the budget. 

“I appreciate what you folks do and the fact that you brought your budgets in at the level you did from the very start,” Ellis said. “We all live in Goshen County. It is a very good place to live. Some of these other places that have the money, they don’t have what we have here. It’s not only the money, it’s the quality of life and the place we live and the way we communicate. It makes for a good place. Thank you again for what you do and how you don’t try to be greedy.”