Manitowoc County will not spend as much on capital projects as originally budgeted.
The county board voted 24-1 on Tuesday to borrow $2.45 million for highway and other projects.
It was initially around $3.45 million, but County Executive Tyler Martell amended the borrowing because highway projects are less expensive than originally anticipated.
Sales tax revenue also caused a surplus in the county’s general fund. Martell hopes to save around $500,000 on highway projects while projecting $500,000 in county sales tax.
The county’s overall debt will also be reduced by around $385,000.
12th District Supervisor Kevin Behnke said he was worried about the borrowing change, but, “At the end of the day I had a conversation with the county executive. There’s ARPA money that is available if we happen to, God forbid, have a bad November/December snow that we’re overbudget in highway that we have some backup there. Plus our general fund is in good shape as well.”
In a memo to the county board, County Executive Martell says one of his long-term priorities is to eliminate the dependence on borrowing for routine capital and highway projects altogether.
With less money being borrowed, some upgrades to the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office will not happen yet.
