The State Comptroller’s Office estimated Van Buren County could face a $70 million shortfall at the end of next fiscal year.
Van Buren County Commissioner Henry Seamons said he believes the county can make the hard choices necessary to balance the budget. Seamons is the Vice Chair of Van Buren’s Committee A, which oversees the county budget. He said recovery will require financial discipline.
“Maybe as a committee we have not said ‘No’ enough to things,” Seamons said. “That’s something I, myself, need to work on, and us as a court need to work on. But we need to stay in this together.”
As one of the smallest counties in the state, Seamons said Van Buren County’s financial troubles are nothing new and a solution will not come easily.
“This is not something that happened overnight,” Seamons said. “And this is not going to get solved overnight. We’re going to work closely with the state and the Comptroller’s Office. Hopefully we’ll come out on the other side of this a better county for it.”
Seamons said one of the things that has hurt the county this year was the closure of the Inn at Fall Creek Falls. The Inn brings visitors to the county increasing sales tax revenue.
“The biggest, and maybe only, money maker for the county is Fall Creek Falls State Park,” Seamons said. “The state shut it down, so there was a lot of lost revenue from that, and with the (Fall Creek Falls) Inn being closed, as well. That’s under construction, so they’re building it back. Once it opens back up, that will open us up to some more revenue. But right now, it’s some tough times.
The Inn at Fall Creek Falls was closed in 2018 so the state could build a new facility. It is slated to be completed in Fall of 2021.
The Comptroller’s Office has worked closely with Van Buren County since financial irregularities were discovered in paperwork submitted to the state. Seamons said that close relationship has continued through the budget process.
“The Comptroller’s Office has been very helpful,” Seamons said. “In fact, they are going to be at our (County Commission) meeting on Tuesday. We have been working with them the last couple of weeks and look forward to working with them into the future.”
Seamons said despite his county’s financial struggles, he still believes in Van Buren County and wants to help secure its future.
“I was born and raised in Van Buren County,” Seamons said. “I went to school here. I went off to college, but I decided to stay in this area. I want to see Van Buren County succeed.”
The Van Buren County Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Seamons one thing that will be considered is a budget continuation. He said continuing the budget until the end of July will give county officials more time to gather all revenue numbers in order to help create an accurate budget.
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