BELLE — Belle aldermen voted March 19 to transfer $34,604 to balance the former Belle Police Department’s negative budget and start a fresh with the Maries County Sheriff’s Office Belle Division task force.

At the beginning of the special budget meeting, aldermen were informed that the combined budget line of the former Belle Police Department and the Belle Division that has been patrolling the city since Feb. 1, will be in the negative $165,322.19 by the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30. The treasurer said she needed more information to create a more accurate 2020-21 budget from Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman.

“In order for us to balance from the top to the bottom, we have to come up with $165,000,” said Michelle Jones, city treasurer. “As it is right now, the way it is budgeted, we are still talking about expenditures of $320,000 and right now we only have $154,000 coming, but I don’t know what the sheriff’s fines are.”

The total $320,000 in predicted expenditures is a combination of the negative $165,322.19 in expenditures plus $154,000 in expected revenue. The city has already paid Maries County its first installment on the police department contract.

“That’s what we have to have to come up to balance this year,” said Jones. “I played phone tag with Chris (Heitman) and tried to get together, but we couldn’t. I have no idea what the court fines will be for Maries County.”

Jones reminded the board that even if the Belle Division came close to making that total amount in fine revenue, the city will only receive half of the amount. Alderman Courtney Abel said if they look at the year-to-date fine revenue from the Belle Division, they are close to filling the gap already.

“It’s not that far,” Jones agreed. “That’s where that $73,493.54 comes from. That is what you need to make up to balance the budget year-to-date.”

Jones said she is unable to create an accurate budget without an estimate of the Belle Division’s fine estimates for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

“So far this month (March) we have gotten $360 in court fines from just Belle PD, the Belle Division’s fine revenue is $762 so far this month. That’s what was paid, not what went to court, since court was canceled,” Jones clarified.

“So this means we will be sitting $73,000 in the hole?” asked Alderman Jeanette Struemph.

Jones said that is where they are at this moment. Jones said she is estimating that $165,322.19 would balance the end-of-the-year budget between the income and expenditures. The city’s fiscal year ends June 30.

“If I had Maries County collecting $100,000, then I could put $50,000 down here as an income and the (negative) amount would be $50,000 less,” Jones said. “But I don’t know what numbers to put in there.”

City Clerk Frankie Hicks pointed out that there are lots of line items in the current budget for the former police department that the city shouldn’t be paying now that the sheriff’s department has taken over. Alderman Tony Gieck agreed, saying that the transfer should have brought some of the line items to zero.

“Right, a lot of them like your 401K expense, I figured out what it would be from this point on and it will be about $956 at the end of the fiscal year instead of --,” Jones began.

Hicks asked why Workman’s Compensation only went down $100. Jones said that she went off of what she has paid out so far for the year.

“It should go down way more,” Jones added. “The repairs, maintenance of vehicles, I didn’t take that out and I should’ve.”

Jones added that she is waiting for a new quote on liability insurance and adjusted health insurance to come out close to what she already has budgeted. A portion of Jones’ and Marshal Joe Turnbough’s insurance still comes from the former police department’s budget.

Hicks said that the city is still paying for the phone lines, internet and the copy machine lease.

“The internet is in with the phone bill,” Jones said.

Gieck said to cut the oil and fuel, and Jones said they can’t because they have already spent that amount for the year.

“We’ve already spent $4,006?” Gieck asked, and Jones said yes. “Insurance should go down to $1,000 then?”

Jones said no, it is $17,000 a year for Turnbough’s insurance and about 10 percent of hers.

“I didn’t delete anything because we have already spent -- $944.57 has been spent in the prisoner board this year already,” she explained.

Struemph asked about payroll and payroll taxes, which are up to $91,000 already for the year.

“Is that paid already?” Struemph asked Jones.

Jones said yes, they are paid up on that amount. From Feb. 1 on it would only be payroll taxes on Turnbough and a portion of her own income.

“So you are just predicting this is where we will be at the end of this?” Hicks asked.

Jones confirmed that is correct, based on the information she has.

The board discussed cancelling the internet, but then asked what the sheriff’s deputies were supposed to do. Hicks argued that the city is paying the sheriff’s department to take care of their own needs.

Gieck asked how much they have given to the sheriff’s department. Jones said $38,889.50 for one quarter already, according to the contract. Struemph asked about how much they clarified about the contract from the beginning.

“I thought we was going to wipe everything off,” said Alderman Ken Stanfield.

Struemph said that is what she thought as well.

“It is no longer our baby, that is why we were doing it for X amount of dollars,” Struemph said.

“We still have Joe,”Abel said.

Struemph said Turnbough is not performing or doing anything.

“He is not performing, but is he really going to perform if we are taking away the stuff that he needs to perform?” Abel asked and was met with blank looks. “I know, I get it.”

Struemph said all Turnbough really needs is a walkie talkie. Abel said they need to have the internet to use Crime Star. Mayor Josh Seaver said the sheriff’s office doesn’t use the same program.

“They don’t use it, but they need access to it and to update it,” Abel said. “We can back it all up and save it, then just be done with it. But then don’t expect them to keep it up-to-date.”

Stanfield said he thought Heitman told the board that they had internet in their cars and they wouldn’t need internet at the substation. Struemph said Heitman did say that.

“Their IT guy has been working on the internet, so they are using it a lot,” Abel said.

Gieck said for the month of March, the insurance line item should go from around $3,000 to $1,460 and Jones said they would actually go in the red for March because they had to pay for Deputies Brian Brennan and Jerry Colborn because they were still on the bill. However, the city would be reimbursed for those two officers’ insurance on the April bill.

“It should be $1,416.67 not $3,082,” Gieck said.

Jones said there is currently a credit on the insurance bill of $143.65, but she doesn’t know why. In April the bill will be a little less than the $1,460.

“Fuel is going to go down to zero because he (Turnbough) is not doing anything,” Gieck said.

Jones said they still have the copy machine at the police department, which is $174 a year. Retirement will go down to $1,000 a year, less than $100 a month. Taxes and payroll next year are estimated at $37,000 and the 401K will be about $1,000 a year because Turnbough is salary and Jones works less than 40 hours a week, but is considered full time.

“That budget reflects the actual amount so far and what I estimate over the next two months,” Jones said.

Struemph asked how Jones knows what the actual amount will be until they get there. Jones said they are amending the budget now to predict the end-of-the-year budget.

Jones said for sure Workman’s Compensation, liability insurance, and the vehicle insurance would all be removed or go down after March because they no longer insure two officers and two police cars. Also, if they cancel the copy machine lease at the substation, they could do away with the entire equipment line item.

“It is $338 a year for the copy machine,” Jones corrected Abel, who thought it was around a $1,500 bill.

According to the contract with the sheriff’s department, the city is supposed to maintain a municipal court, which includes keeping the judge and prosecuting attorney on payroll. Jones mentioned that with court canceled for the month, the city’s court clerk Barb Schaller is still insisting the judge and attorney be paid even if they did not work.

“I don’t know what the contract was, but Barb seems to think we are supposed to pay him whether he works or not,” Jones said.

Jones said they didn’t do that with the previous city prosecuting attorney and Gieck said he doesn’t think the judge or prosecutor should be paid if they didn’t do anything.

“Well, the difference is it is a Supreme Court ruling that the municipal courts are closed, it’s not him laying out,” Seaver said.

Hicks said they should be getting a relief from the government shortly for that. Struemph asked about law enforcement training.

“That’s $2 per ticket and is considered an income,” Jones said. “We still pay that out of the Maries County fine revenue.”

She added that the sheriff’s retirement and court fees also come out of the fine revenue.

“So the $73,493 is what you’re currently negative,” Gieck asked Jones, who confirmed the number was correct. “We paid Maries County $38,889 and minus those two, that means Joe, actually at the end of February, the police department’s budget was $34,604.”

Gieck said according to his figures, Workman’s Comp, equipment, health insurance, payroll and taxes are all going down, which  results in the city paying out $5,266 a month instead of $14,299 monthly.

“On average we are bringing in between $7,000 and $8,000 a month from our incomes up here, so we are actually going to be gaining about $4,087.11 a month for the next three months, which is roughly $12,000 and some change,” Gieck said. “The $73,493 should not grow any higher -- that’s the difference right now and it is starting to come down.”

Jones said she did a profit and loss analysis for the month of March only, and the Belle Division was $10,979.01 to the good. The Belle Division took over the local department on Feb. 1, so the analysis is only for March.

“Our income was $14,191 and the month is not over,” Jones said.

Gieck said he would make a motion to help clear up the budget in the future, so they could compare the former Belle Police Department to the current Belle Division and see what is working and what is not.

“I make a motion to transfer $34,604 -- the difference between the $73,493 we are in the hole and the $38,889 we paid Maries County,” Gieck said. “So technically, Joe was in the hole $34,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year until early February.”

Struemph said they already knew he was in the hole that much.

–Jones said they would be making a rollover amount from the general fund to the police department’s line item. Gieck said the other line items may go down more. Abel asked if they wanted to cancel the internet at the substation. She added that the deputies have internet in their cars, have access to CRIME STAR and can do their reports there, when they go back to the office, it automatically connects to the Wifi, which syncs to the work computer.

“They don’t need us to pay for the internet, they have their own,” Abel said.

Seaver said he would contact Heitman and Lt. Scott John before they proceeded or canceled anything.