From the Evansville Courier-Press:
Most of Vanderburgh County's eight townships plan to use the $170,000 coming to them in unexpected tax revenue because of a state accounting error to bolster township assistance funds.
"We just put it in our poor-relief fund," said Perry Township Trustee
Rick Riney of the $20,400 the West Side township saw after the state announced an accounting error last month.
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"It'll keep that going so it doesn't run out," said Riney, who says the township assists about 200 to 300 residents a month. Perry Township started the year with $219,143 in its township assistance fund, the highest among its five funds.
The revenue Vanderburgh County townships received in mid-April represents 2.5 percent of the $6.6 million Vanderburgh County received after the Indiana Department of Revenue announced the $206 million error on April 5.
City and county governments got 86 percent of that $6.6 million, and the remaining $908,000 was split among the townships and four other local taxing units, including the library.
To several township officials, the unexpected county option income tax — or COIT — revenue wasn't seen as game changer for their accounts. A few of them said the money essentially made up for cuts in recent years.
"We used to get $1,900 a month," said Center Township Trustee Jim "Tiger" Ritter about COIT distributions from the state. "In 2011, that was cut down to $1,600 (a month)."
"It's not really a windfall for us," said Mary Hart, Pigeon Township Trustee of 17 years, "because we were cut almost $40,000 from last year's COIT budget."
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In Knight Township — which officials said is still recovering from the mismanagement of about $75,000 by former Trustee Linda Durham — the $23,700 it got is also going to public aid.
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Other than township assistance, the only other expenditures townships generally have are for fire and medical service, salaries and rent. Some officials have directed the special COIT distribution to these areas.
Ritter said of the $41,800 for Center Township, about $23,000 will be split among the general fund and the funds that pay for McCutchanville Fire Department service and its trucks and equipment. The township assistance fund will still see the biggest chunk, however, at $19,000.
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In Scott Township — which covers the northeastern half of the county — officials have different plans.
Trustee Bob Harris said the $28,600 his office received will probably go toward the funds for the Scott Township Fire Department, which runs a 24-7 paramedic service to Armstrong and Scott townships and the town of Darmstadt.
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http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/may/04/no-headline---ev_coit/
