Knox County, Ill. may use some financial maneuvering to balance a critical part of its next budget.
The county's general fund appears to be running a deficit of around $668,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.
The finance committee has discussed to transfer money from the county’s contingency fund to close the gap.
Treasurer Robin Davis said the contingency fund has enough money that it would still carry a surplus of around $18,000 after the six-figure transfer.
She added that that is not a lot for a fund like that and the short-term solution is not sustainable in the long run.
“We can’t continue to constantly be taking from reserves because obviously reserves, as you utilize them, there’s not always going to be as much reserves,” said Davis.
Davis said that expenses continue to climb, while revenues remain the same.
“The county’s limited on revenue. You can’t just increase the price of a product, because we don’t have a product. And the fees are pretty much set by statute, as well as taxes,” she said.
The finance committee will meet again next week to further review Knox County's upcoming budget.
