SIDNEY — The Shelby County Board of Commissions has approved budgets for 2019 totalling just under $73 million. That’s a 2.1 percent decrease from 2018’s budget.

The decrease, for the most part, comes from changes in appropriations for major construction projects. In 2018, significant amounts were budgeted for the addition to Fair Haven and the construction of the new Sargeant Family Animal Shelter and the STAR house.

The appropriation budget for Fair Haven dropped from more than $7.5 million to $900,000. Funds in the county budget for the animal shelter and the STAR house are pass-through funds. Donors write checks to the county in support of those projects and the county pays the construction bills from those donations. In 2019, $10,000 is budgeted for the animal shelter. In 2018, it was $500,000. The STAR House allocation is 72.7 percent less than last year: $800,000 was budgeted in 2018. $218,023 is budgeted for 2019.

Julie Ehemann, who was elected president of the commissioners for 2019, said that a 26 percent increase in the line item for the probate court — from $169,926 to $213,928 — was due in part to the addition of a staff member in that department. The sheriff’s office will also add an employee, a dispatcher, she said.

The largest single line increase is in the Cops in Schools grant. The $128,226 2018 number ballooned by 66 percent to $212,943 for 2019.

“That’s money the sheriff got in grants to support resource officers in the schools,” Ehemann said.

The Care and Custody line item also went way up, reflecting a 52.5 percent increase.

That line item, Ehemann said, covers expenses of kinship care and foster care of children in the care and custody of the county.

“The number of kids in the care of the county has exploded because of the drug crisis, and kids stay in care longer,” she said. Budgeted for 2019 is $147,100. In 2018, it was $96, 405.

Some of the increased funds in the Buildings and Grounds line reflect planned expenditures to celebrate Shelby County’s bicentennial.

The commissioners appropriated funds for departments whose budgets come from the general fund. In addition, they appropriated amounts of other funds for departments that don’t fall under the general fund appropriations. The monies are appropriated based on projected budgets submitted by department heads annually.

Almost 44 percent of the revenue to support the general fund is budgeted to come from the 1.25 percent sales tax. Property tax accounts for just under $2.6 million. State government appropriations to the county and casino revenue add up to about $1.25 million.

Fees to be collected by the sheriff’s office are budgeted at $1,169,200, including $800,000 for housing federal prisoners in the county jail. Auditor’s office fees are projected to bring in $808,100; court fees, $797,075; and treasurer’s fees, $725,100.

Total revenue, including carry-over funds from last year, is projected to be $17,805,232.48.

The general fund total expense budget, $17,804,972.21, is 4.6 percent higher than 2018’s.

The appropriations of other funds for 2019 are budgeted at $55,022,432.36. The expense total is $72,827,404.57. The highest amount, more than $11 million, is designated for the engineer’s auto and gas fund. That line item is $11,759,481.17. The smallest amount, $693, is for the jury commission.

Other expense amounts were designated as follows:

General fund: Commissioners, $406,217; Building Department, $60,000; sales tax, $3,030,300; auditor, $253,869 treasurer, $190,988; prosecuting attorney, $633,401.44; Bureau of Inspection, $70,000; Regional Planning Commission, $27,777.85; Court of Appeals, $15,676; Common Pleas Court, $306,805.94; domestic relations referee, $145303; adult probation, $112,912; Juvenile Court, $746,278; Juvenile Court Title IV-E, $11,420.79.

Also, clerk of court, $346,741; coroner, $128,014; Municipal Court, $118,119; Board of Elections, $313,467; Building and Grounds, $680,253; courthouse security, $38,186; sheriff’s Sex Offender Registration Network, $3,600; Sheriff’s Office, $5,025,789; recorder, $174,259; emergency management, $60,000; public defender, $401,570; various grants, $346,200; medical mandated, $119,845.72.

Also, veterans relief donation fund, $2,472.52; soldier’s relief, $587,902.01; welfare grants, $115,000; sanitary engineer, $17,620; insurance, pensions and taxes, $2,261,025; miscellaneous, $620,739; unanticipated emergency, $218,600.

Other funds: Sheriff-Intelipay, $280,000; dog and kennel, $210,852; DUI enforcement, $25,000; tax ease administration fund, $5,000; Ohio Pet Fund grant, $14,000; Shelby County Drug Taskforce fund, $2,400; DETAC-treasurer, $26,046.75; DETAC-prosecutor, $27,645; title administrator/clerk of courts, $293,258.02; computer fund-courts, $36,000; computerized legal research, $32,000; common pleas special projects, $80,000; recorder-supplement equipment, $46,500.

Also, roads and bridges, $143,613.36; adult day care, $140,274.75; Job and Family Services, $4,123,288.89; WIA grant fund, $196,053.37; Children’s Services, $1,257,729.92; child support enforcement, $925,938.46; Juvenile Court United Way impact, $30,000; real estate assessment, $587,719; justice reinvestment grant, $127,810.88; federal exchange grant, $2,687,954.67; soil conservation, $399,759.98; law library, $97,486.89; Regional Planning Commission, $65,546.85.

Also, permanent improvements, $1,118,000; capital improvements, $1,492,200; Nutrition Services of Shelby County, $213,341,913.50; bond retirement, $74,406.42; probation services, $46,000; juvenile probation services, $700; Fair Haven Shelby County Home, $8,627,993.96; McCartyville debt service, $36,775.90; sewer district, $1,107,036.04; Mill Creek debt service, $24,670.52; Kettlersville sewer project, $52,138.75.

Also, Newport sewer project, $24,490.65; Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities capital improvements, $25,000; ditch maintenance, $682,463.88; Probate Court conduct/business, $1,200; probate special projects, $20,000; probate dispute resolution, $2,000; juvenile special projects, $25,000; United Way special project grant, $1,259.25; VOCA/VAA grant, $233,716.97; SCBDD severance benefit fund, $40,600; SCBDD board, $8,727,096.42; MRS day care, $210,968.26; Parks and Recreation, $10,000; CASA/GAL Association grant, $61,600.

Also, OPOTA, sheriff, $15,000; Board of Developmental Disabilities match fund, $1,390,080; Ohio Department of Education grants, $38,934.83; DARE/DARE abuse resist, $146,740; Ohio Department of Education grants SCBDD, $37,500; ADA grant, $10,333; SVAA grant federal, $139,765.88; CDBG block grant, $150,000; Home Revolving Loan, $40,479.40; CCA grant, $31,454.81; 911 wireless, $109,800; trust funds, $11,500; emergency management, $169,536.85; EMPG grant FY18, $44,445; HMEP grant, $10,000; LEPC, $34,000; EMPG grant FY17, $2,825.21; domestic violence, $12,000; Sheriff Rotary Fund, $290,951.17; Sheriff’s Concealed Handgun, $111,500; employee health, $4,249,000; indigent guardianship, $8,000.