BROOKINGS – The Brookings County Commission last week passed its 2021 budget of nearly $32 million.

The General Fund, set at more than $14.5 million, has increased by $320,934, which is roughly a 2.5% increase from last year’s budget.

The General Fund levy will be $3.923. The County Building Fund levy and the Jail Expansion Fund levy are at $0.100 and $0.152 respectively.

Together, the levies total to $4.175, which means the county’s property tax levy for 2021 is $4.175 per $1,000 of property valuation. That is down by $0.021 from last year’s $4.196.

The Road and Bridge Fund is set at $8.4 million, an increase of $300,000.

“The jail expansion project is now underway,” Commission Department Director Stacy Steffensen said in an email to The Register. “That has a specific fund dedicated to those costs, the FY21 budget has the bond amount of $7.4 million budgeted. As costs are incurred throughout the year, the Commission may need to move assigned dollars to that fund that they have been saving over the last several years for that project.”

“We have been fortunate to get some of the CARES Act dollars reimbursing the county for COVID-related expenses that we’ve incurred this year,” Steffensen wrote. “Those dollars go directly into the General Fund to be utilized however the Commission sees fit. If there are continued expenses for COVID into 2021, the Commission will be able to use that revenue to help offset those costs.”

For more information on the county budget, visit https://www.brookingscountysd.gov/agendacenter, to watch the meeting visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy6xSPHeMrQ.

Contact Matthew Rhodes at mrhodes@brookingsregister.com.