Both Marshall County Solid Waste Management and the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau presented their 2022 budgets to the Marshall County Council on Monday due to the fact that their boards are not elected, and they have their own tax rates.
Marianne Peters, Executive Director of Solid Waste presented a total budget request of $396,582. The budget includes the director, two hazardous material specialists, a full-time education coordinator with a new salary of $42,000 and a part-time office assistant.
Peters included a 4% raise for herself and her employees in next year’s budget. Peters said they didn’t give a raise last year due to COVID. The Board of Directors questioned the director’s salary request at $65,975. Commissioner Klotz said he questioned the salary amount in comparison to other county department heads last year, noting it was much higher. The Board of Directors recommended approving the 2022 Solid Waste Budget request with a 3% salary increase for all employees and retaining the current salary for the director for next year at $64,170.
Cori Humes from the Visitors Bureau presented a total budget request of $295,615 which is $1,700 less than this year’s budget.
Humes told the County Council they are working hard to bring visitors to the county, and they have seen an increase in 2021 from 2020. She said they do give away grants and so far, this year they have given away about $18,500 of the $30,000 they budget. The funds can be used for marketing upcoming events and there are still funds available. The idea is to bring more people to the county.
Funding for the Convention and Visitors Bureau comes from the Innkeepers Tax that visitors pay when they stay in local hotels. The rate was established in 1991at 3% and remained at 3% until it was increased in 2011 to 5%. In 2020 $273,607.59 was collected in Marshall County.
