Despite the worry over an uncertain flow of sales tax dollars this year, which comes on the heels of a drop in the revenue in 2019, the various Gasconade County government offices will see a slight increase in their portions of the $2.442 million General Revenue Fund operating budget for 2020.

Here’s a look at who gets what in this year’s operating budget beginning with this year’s appropriation, this year’s requested amount, and the actual amount spent in 2019:

• County Commission: $132,360; $133,090; $127,089.

• County Clerk: $85,452; $87,212; $83,478.

• Buildings & Grounds: $71,090; $81,090; $90 577.

• County Collector: $163,277; $165,389; $161,114.

• County Treasurer: $52,981; 53,261; $52,709.

• Circuit Clerk/Recorder of Deeds: $131,500; $131,442; $112,447.

• Prosecuting Attorney: $191,542; $197,198; $189,192.

• County Coroner: $42,162; $46,976; $41,792.

• Sheriff’s Department: $668,890; $746,658; $763,219.

• Public Administrator: $54,709; $56,773; $51,258.

• Jail operations: $241,809; $243,609; $230,347.

• Division 4 Associate Circuit Court: $3,900; $6,700; $2,210. Because the employees of the Associate Circuit Court are state employees, there is minimal cost for county taxpayers to fund the office — telephone service, equipment and furniture and mileage and meals.

• Division 1 and Division 2 Circuit Courts: $560; $550; $521. This appropriation covers the cost of telephone service for the two Circuit Court judges when they are holding sessions in Gasconade County.

• Family Court/Juvenile Office: $38,300; $38,300; $36,846. Gasconade, Osage and Franklin counties divide the funding for the 20th Circuit’s Family Court and Juvenile Office. The bulk of the funding provided by Gasconade County ($27,500) will be used to reimburse legal and professional services.

• County Surveyor: $4,925; $7,350; $4,690. While an elected position, the county surveyor’s office does not include a salary or benefits.

• Elections: $154,698; $157,078; $70,672. The large appropriation for elections is necessary because of the four elections scheduled this year — Presidential Primary in March, General Municipal in April, Primary Election in August and General Election in November. There is reimbursement from the state for a portion of election costs incurred by a county.

• County Operating Expense: $325,417; $366,623; $363,162. This fund is somewhat of a catch-all fund, covering items that don’t fit neatly into any of the various departments. For instance, it includes appropriations for Gasconade County Historical Society ($16,500), liability insurance coverage ($90,000), the Missouri University Extension Council ($57,000) and the payments on the loan that was obtained to finance the courthouse roof replacement two years ago ($79,260).

• Assessor: $384,706; $384,706; $256,710. Every other year during a reassessment period, county assessor’s offices receive $3 for every parcel from the state, half of what state law authorizes for reimbursements.

This year’s budget contains an Emergency Fund of $70,180, compared with the $69,890 budgeted for 2019. County officials cautioned that because of the uncertain course of the sales tax revenue this could be the first year administrators have to dip into the Emergency Fund to keep the overall budget balanced by year’s end.

The budget shows a year-end balance of less than $19,000.

The $2,442,642 appropriated for use this year is $155,000 less than the total request for funding by the various departments and compares to the $2,564,749 budgeted for 2019.

Gasconade County Commission members will not meet Thursday due to a state training conference for county commissioners.