Let’s start with how the County gets the money it needs to provide services. The chart below shows the major sources of revenue.
As you can see, the Federal and State governments give the County funds for the programs they mandate us to provide, such as foster care and some public safety services.
“Special Funds and Districts” is money that comes through the County but goes directly to a specific operation, such as the Fire Department or Libraries. You may see this broken out on your bill if you pay property taxes.
Local revenues include property and sales taxes.
When the economy is bad, as it has been over the last few years, the money coming in goes down, but the County must still provide the essential services that we all enjoy.
That’s a quick look at the money coming in, now let’s see where it gets distributed.