HERMANN — Not only did the various departments of Gasconade County government do well in the 2021 operating budget, so, too, did the elected heads of those departments. Thanks to the growth in property values, each elected official will be getting a little larger paycheck.

A largely overlooked provision in state law that sets benchmarks in counties’ total assessed valuation will result in each officeholder seeing a little more than $900 added to their salaries this year. County Clerk Lesa Lietzow, the chief budget officer, noted the unexpected increase in her budget message accompanying this year’s funding blueprint.

“During the year of 2020, the assessed valuation of the county surpassed $250,000,000, which automatically triggers an increase to the next level of the salary schedule of each elected official…” she wrote. The next-level pay provision hasn’t been triggered in Gasconade County since 2008.

This increase in assessed valuation wasn’t anticipated when the county’s Salary Commission in 2019 approved a $2,000 pay raise —  $6,000 for the sheriff — for five county officeholders beginning a new term in 2021. The Salary Commission’s action brought the pay raise for those officeholders to the limit allowed by state law. The raise did not apply to the officeholders who were in the middle of a term at the end of 2020.

Two officeholders will be waiting a bit to see their newfound money. While other elected officials received the assessed valuation-related pay boost on Jan. 1, Collector Shawn Schlottach will receive it March 1 and Assessor Paul Schulte will receive it Sept. 1. Those are the dates when those officeholders’ terms formally begin.

The County Commission last week adopted an overall budget with projected available funds of $6,938,764 and estimated total expenses of $6,208,674. 

In the all-important General Revenue Fund, the budget estimates total available money of $2.733 million with projected total expenses of $2.564 million. That leaves a year-end balance of $168,966. There are other net resources available that pushes the General Revenue Fund’s ending balance to $533,526.

The General Revenue Fund provides the money for most of the county government services. The Gasconade County Road Department is funded with its own sales tax. The road agency this year will have estimated total funds available of $3.181 million, about $400,000 more total funds available than the amount projected for the General Revene Fund.

Here are the various departments, their 2021 approved budgets, the amount requested for this year and their actual expenditures in 2020.

• County Commission: $142,489; $136,851; $128,349.

• County Clerk: $87,071; $85,394; $80,686.

• Buildings & Grounds: $97,798; $97,798; $69,885.

• County Collector: $167,873; $166,198; $152,023.

• County Treasurer: $56,043; $54,095; $52,707.

• Circuit Clerk/Recorder of Deeds: $134,235; $134,235; $117,617.

• Prosecuting Attorney: $206,083; $203,846; $188,737.

• County Coroner: $62,515; $68,576; $47,435.

• Sheriff: $799,623; $919,120; $607,126.

• Public Administrator: $57,835; $58,688; $48,622.

• Jail: $204,750; $236,352; $135,453. The bulk of the Jail Fund appropriation, $135,000, is for prisoner board costs paid to Crawford County and Osage County.

• Associate Circuit Court: $3,950; $3,950; $2,275. The salaries and benefits of the Associate Circuit Court are paid by the state. County government is responsible for funding office expenses, such as  telephone, office equipment and supplies.

• Circuit Court: $620; $620; $585.

• County Surveyor: $6,300; $6,300; $3,815. The county surveyor’s position does not have a salary.

• Elections: $79,889; $79,889; $153,449. The difference in this year’s budgeted amount and the 2020 actual expense is reflective that this year has only one regularly scheduled election — the April General Municipal Election. However, the Elections Fund this year contains $20,000 for a special election that county administrators are considering to ask voters again to approve a use tax.

• County Operating Expense: $331,319; $357,649; $310,810. This fund covers a variety of expenses that do not fit neatly within any particular departmental budget. For instance, it includes the money county government allocates to outside agencies such as the University of Missouri Extension Council, the Gasconade County Historical Society, the Gasconade County Soil & Water District and other items such as outside attorney fees and liability and Workers Compensation insurance coverage.