Fayette County passes FY2019 budget

After discussing some last-minute line items for its FY2019 budget, the Fayette County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0-1 (with Chairman Eric Maxwell absent) on June 28 to approve a combined operating and capital improvements budget of $94.7 million, without any increase in property taxes.

The plan includes grants to the DUI and drug court programs as well as merit raises for employees, but the board voted against funding for additional court clerks or for grants to nonprofit organizations that provide services not offered by the county. Regarding the latter, Commissioner Charles Rousseau said he considered the nonprofit grants “an investment in our community and our people,” but Commissioner Charles Oddo said he’d “rather the citizens step up and help where they can.”