Clinton Fiscal Court began the new year similar to the way 2012 ended–with a special call meeting. The very brief session was held last Friday morning in the judge/executive’s office with only three members present, along with Judge/Executive Lyle Huff, which barely constituted a quorum to conduct business.

There was only one item of business on the agenda, along with the possibility of personnel, but the latter item didn’t take place as there were no personnel issues to discuss or act upon.

The court members present–Ricky Craig, Terry Buster and Hershell Key–voted unanimously to approve two fund transfers, one in the amount of $60,000 to the jail and another in the amount of $40,000 to the ambulance fund. The meeting was then adjourned.

Judge Huff said after the meeting, that the transfers into the aforementioned accounts had come from the road fund, noting those funds–which are earmarked–will have to be restored to that fund prior to the end of the fiscal year at the end of June.

Although fiscal court will hold its regular meeting this week, the judge said the special meeting was held six days earlier because the transfers made into the jail and ambulance account had to be made to meet payroll.

The judge further added that the funds were transferred from the road fund because there simply wasn’t enough revenue at the time in the Occupational Tax Fund to meet the necessary $100,000 in total transfers.

“It’s been this way (a shortage in revenues) since November,” he said, adding, “it’s going to be tough between now and June 30,” which is the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year.

Huff said that revenues didn’t pick up late last year or the first few days of this month and that there wasn’t enough OTF to cover both transfers. “The only other option we would have had is to borrow the money…then we would have had to pay interest,” he said.

The judge/executive noted that more revenue must be found somewhere and said he expected the financial status to be a topic of discussion at this Thursday, January 17 regular meeting, which will be at 5 p.m. at the courthouse. The meeting is open to the general public and details on the meeting will be published in next week’s Clinton County News.