Advisory board's overspending has no effect on Shoshone taxpayers

WALLACE –– The Shoshone Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) held a hearing recently to discuss reopening their budget to approve funds that were spent by the Shoshone County Snowmobile Groomers Advisory Board (SGAB). 

Similarly to the Shoshone County Ambulance Service District, the SGAB is an independently governed entity that Shoshone County manages the budget for. 

The county’s budget reflects the SGAB’s annual monetary needs, but unlike the ambulance service district, none of the funds budgeted for the SGAB is levied from local taxpayers. 

In 2022/23, the County originally budgeted $30,890 for the SGAB – the same dollar amount that they had proposed in prior years. However, they spent more than double that amount throughout the year. Equipment repairs, supplies, as well as the purchase of a new pickup truck took them $39,106.91 over what they had been allotted to spend. 

The good news is that this overage comes at no cost to the taxpayers of Shoshone County. Through grants and funds generated through the SGAB’s licensing and sticker fees, the money needed to pay for all of their expenses was available, it just needed approval from the BOCC. 

Commissioner Tracy Casady has been working closely with the SGAB and told the News-Press that she and the advisory board anticipate that they will have to increase their annual proposed budget in the coming years to keep up with the rising costs and inflation. 

The Shoshone County Snowmobile Groomer Board meets monthly, their next meeting is scheduled for February 7, at 7 p.m. at the Shoshone County Public Safety Building.