The county listed the general fund portion of its budget for this year at $58.5 million. The general fund has a projected $53 million in revenue, which is 1.5% more than 2024, and expenditures of $58.1 million, which is 5.3% less than 2024. This decrease is because of reduction in ARPA funds and capital projects planned this year.
County Administrator Jenny Hutchinson’s temporary budget at the end of last year listed the general fund revenue much lower at $49.8 million and expenditures at $57 million.
Hutchinson said the county ended the year with a $5.58 million carryover, and had an additional $2.6 million in interest they used for one-time purchases approved in the 2025 budget.
“The county only budgets $2 million a year in interest income since it is a volatile revenue source. Our investment advisor predicts the county will earn close to $4.6 million in interest revenue this year. The county has elected to use the additional $2.6 million in interest revenue for one-time purchases,” she said.
The general fund covers public safety, public works, courts/judicial, and general administrative costs. Special revenue funds include areas such as the jail, maintenance and housing, capital project funds, and enterprise funds such as water and sewer.
The largest general fund expenditure for the county is the sheriff’s office at $18.1 million. The various court, prosecutor and public defender expenses combined were at about $13.8 million.
The biggest changes from the temporary budget in December to this finalized budget is $2.4 million in additional funding requests for capital improvements, cost of living adjustment and funding for partners, according to county officials.
Cuts possible next year
Rittenhouse said this year’s budget “presented a bit of a challenge” because of economic projects in the county such as new businesses and housing developments, which have not yet been reflected in the county’s sales tax revenues. About 60% of the county’s general fund revenues are attributed to sales tax.
“The county will continue to monitor the general fund budget this year and if sales tax revenues do not rebound, 2026 may be a year in which more cuts are needed,” she said.
General fund offices and departments were also asked to cut their initial requests by 3% because of underperforming revenues, and commissioners authorized the 3% salary/wage increase for all non-collective bargaining unit employees.
“Three percent is good but we can always do more ... I wish we could do more this year,” commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt said at the meeting approving the changes.
The 3% raise for those employees totaled $264,718, which didn’t include the Common Pleas Court or Prosecutor. A merit adjustment/cost of living (COL) included general fund salaries for the Common Pleas Court, 6% to the Prosecutor, 4% to the Treasurer, as well as to Juvenile Court.
Hutchinson said the county has almost 150 special revenue funds generated in different ways, such as fees, state grants, levies and federal funds.
The Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency continues efforts to downsize federal spending through cutting federal workers, eliminating programs and freezing federal funds.
“I think it is way too early to opine on how the funds could be impacted if federal cuts are made,“ she said. ”The county administration and commissioners are monitoring the situation closely and are having internal discussions on a daily basis.”
Paving and projects
The capital project funds total $5.9 million and include $470,000 for bridge replacements and $1.48 million for road resurfacing. The largest expenditure is $2.8 million for other permanent improvements.
Paul DeButy, chief deputy of the Clark County Engineer’s Office, said the 2025 roadway projects including asphalt concrete resurfacing, updating pavement markings and chip seal surface treatment. The bridge projects include replacing the existing bridge decks for St. Paris Pike, Shrine Road and North Hampton Road, and updating bridge load ratings throughout the county to comply with new requirements.
General maintenance work will include annual roadside mowing and weed control, roadway crack sealing and traffic sign upgrades as needed, DeButy said.
Officials said the county is “not anywhere close” to being at risk of a state warning and is “extremely healthy” with an Aa2 bond rating from Moody’s, which is a source for credit ratings, research and risk analysis.
An “Aa2” bond rating indicates a high-quality bond with very low credit risk, which indicates a strong capacity to meet financial obligations, according to Moody’s.
“We currently have $12 million in reserves, but we’re budgeting conservatively in order to use those reserves in case of emergency. We do not want to depend on reserves for day-to-day operations,” officials said.
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