The Dallas County Board of Supervisors presented their fiscal year 2015 budget to the public last night.

Overall the county’s levy will decrease by five cents in the next fiscal year to $3.83 cents per thousand dollars of valuation, including $3.10 for general basic, $0.40 cents for mental health and $0.30 for debt service.  The rural basic levy is $3.95, when combined with the total county wide it’s $7.77 per thousand.

Revenues for the upcoming fiscal year are estimated at $37,257,000, up from $34,286,000 in this fiscal year.

Expenditures are estimated $39,218,000, more than $6 million less in FY 2014, due to the bond issue in August not passing.

Of that money, $8.9 million will be spent on public safety and legal services.  $3.1 million in public health and social service, $2.3 million in mental health, $3.1 million for county environment and education, $6.7 million for roads and transportation, $3.2 million for government services to residents, $1.5 million for administration.

Valuations in Dallas County remain higher than other Iowa counties with similar population totals such as Story, Warren and Cerro Gordo.

Dallas County continues to take the lowest percentage of tax dollars of any county in Iowa, receiving just 13.1%.  In addition,  cities in Dallas County receive 35.1% of tax dollars which 4.9% higher than the state average and schools receive 47.3% or 5.7% more than the state average.

Since the 2011 the total county wide levy has decreased by $.90, while the rural basic levy has remained unchanged since 2012 after just a one penny increase.

After hearing no public comments, the board approved both remaining items on the agenda, the resolution approving elected officials salaries based on the compensation board’s recommendation and the fiscal year 2015 budget as presented.