BELLE — Belle Board of Aldermen on Dec. 22 explained to a concerned citizen that the $38,000 deficit in the Maries County Sheriff’s Department Belle Division budget was created in part by “four or five months of no court due to COVID” out of the six-month fiscal year.

Alderman Courtney Abel told citizen Kayla Bray a lot of that number is because of COVID and the fact that the court has been postponed for the last four months, therefore fine revenue is not being brought in or recorded monthly. 

Belle Municipal Court has not been held at the direction of the Missouri Supreme court because of COVID-19. Maries County Belle Division deputies have issued citations that are waiting for a court date before payment may be made.

“Up until last month, the police budget was close to balancing out and then we made our quarterly payment, which put it back in the red again,” Mayor Steve Vogt said.

City Treasurer Theresa Taylor added that the city also made the payment a month earlier than normal to be on a calendar quarter.

“This year we have only brought in a little over $10,000, and it’s been six months (since the beginning of) the fiscal year, even though they took over in February,” said Bray, a former 2020 mayoral candidate. “It could be, but I thought it was a red flag I wanted to bring to you guys’ attention.”

Bray began the discussion with aldermen by asking about their projected fine revenue for the year that is set in the budget.

“In the budget, under Maries County fine revenue, you have projected for them to make $84,834 this year,” Bray said. “I kind of want to ask, Steve (Vogt) how did that number come about? Before I get into anything else.”

Vogt said it was based on previous years’ fine revenue from the police department.

“I’ve got last year, even though they took over at the end, they were only projected to make $6,630.21, but if you add that up — what they projected last year  — and times that by the 12 for the fiscal year, it only comes up to $25, $26, or $27,000 —,” Bray said.

Alderman Courtney Abel interrupted Bray to comment on the lack of citation revenue that the former Belle Police Department, under the direction of Marshal Joe Turnbough, brought in.

“That is because nobody was doing their job,” Abel said. “If you even go back the past 10 years and pull the fine revenue over the last 10 years, the average would be higher than $88,000 — much higher than $84,000.”

Abel said it was projected to be at $25,000 previously.

“Looking at the budget and stuff, I had a question about why you guys projected it so high,” Bray said. “I don’t know how your process works. To me, if I was a police officer, I’d have to look at that and say ‘we as a unit have to write $84,000 worth of tickets.’ You can’t just say that is what we are going to do because you don’t know from day to day who is going to be doing something wrong, who is not going to be doing something wrong. To me, that is a huge number in your budget that is kind of concerning, because you don’t know. Look at now, no one knew COVID was going to hit, but now, look at your budget. You only made $10,000. Of course, things are behind because of COVID, but you don’t know what is going to happen.”

Abel said that is why the city reviews the budget every month.

“That number isn’t there to be a target number, it is a number that reflects an average, and Chris (Heitman, sheriff) had input on that number,” Abel said. “With it being an average, and you meet every month, you review that. So if you have a big purchase every month, you know ‘we have calculated our fine revenue to be this, this is where we are at.’ It is not a target number to get to, it’s the ideal number that is there.”

Abel said the money coming in and money going out has to be counted in a line item. Bray said she understood that, but was alarmed by the number.

“Those are not real numbers, those are guidelines to what is coming in for the year,” 

Abel said. “It doesn’t matter that it is off, it is just a projected number.”

Vogt added that the number is based on previous experience, what it was in the past.

Bray said the city would have to make that up in order to be back in the black again before the end of the fiscal year.

“That is somewhere around $37,000 to makeup and that is going to be hard to do, I think,” she said.

Abel said they already knew this year they would be in the red.

“Yes but I think every year is going to be hard,” Bray said. “That is my opinion, we will see how it plays out in the end.”

Bray said last year the police budget was $188,000 and then brought in $203,000 and some change, but this year the city has so far brought in $80,000 and budgeted $233,000.

“So I guess my question here is where did you get the extra $33,000?” Bray asked. “Did you just tack that on?”

Abel said the money that is extra for this year is because they were switching providers.

“The police department is a black hole, period. You are gonna be in the hole none stop. You cannot predict crime, the training, any of that,” Abel said. “When we made this budget, correct me if I’m wrong, Steve — we knew we were going to be in the hole and that money we have allotted to come out of general revenue.”

Alderman Jeanette Struemph said they had a better idea of how much they would need to budget when they outsourced the police department to Maries County because they knew what they would be paying them every quarter.

“The thing that really threw the monkey wrench in was COVID and not having court,” Vogt said.

Bray asked about paying Maries County half of the ticket revenue.

“That means if they have only written $10,000, then you guys have only brought in $5,000,” Bray said.

“Yes, but that is $5,000 to the good for us,” Struemph said.

Bray argued that they are already $38,000 in the hole. Abel said she isn’t sure if the revenue on the budget sheet is already split or if that is the city’s half so far. She asked the treasurer, Taylor.

“That is the total coming in,” Taylor said. “The fine revenue will show the total amount coming in, and where the expenses are will show the checks going out to Maries County.”

Taylor said from a treasury standpoint they paid the $38,000 a month earlier this time because when she went through the contract it was not being paid right. It was not set up on a calendar quarter since it had started in February.

“So, one last question here to make sure I have this right,” Bray began, “the projection for the year is $84,000. So in order for the city to actually make that, they would have to double that because you pay half to Maries County in your ticket fines. Is that how that works?”

Abel said yes, but to keep in mind that the city’s fiscal year runs from July to July.

“But the budget I have here is from July to December. The budget I have here is until November. You have until the end of June to make up twice the amount,” Bray said.

Graham acknowledged that it is a big number to have to makeup and Vogt said they aren’t sure what COVID will do.

Struemph said they knew this year was going to be a mess and Abel added that the sheriff knew what was going on and had a hand in projecting the number.

No action was taken on the discussion.