EATON — Preble County Auditor Lavon Wright presented the Preble County Board of Commissioners her financial report for February during their meeting on Monday, March 8.

According to Wright, during the month, general fund receipts totaled $725,561.99. The county’s general fund began 2021 with a cash balance of $6,777,010.07 and ended February at $6,525,479.05.

Sales tax revenue for February totaled $534,479.47 (collected from December sales.) Local taxation came in at $35,742.50, charges for services $77,372.63, interest $13,176.19 and fines and forfeitures, $612.05.

Wright explained to the board the next casino tax revenue would come in April. The one-mill conveyance fee receipts totaled $11,886.50.

General fund receipts were up ($1,023.18) over last year’s, with sales tax up $9,365.43 and charges for services up $7,524.19. Interest income, however, was down by $29,017.19.

“Interest is definitely down right now,” Wright noted.

On the expenditure side, February’s general fund disbursements were $897,210.30, according to Wright. Salaries, Public Employee Retirement System and Medicare disbursements in February totaled $545,621.17.

Expenditures included $33,461.73 for supplies, $88,239.83 for health insurance, $160,642.38 for contract services, $18,025.07 for utilities, and $13,698.29 total for training/travel, advertising/printing and other expenses.

Total expenditures in February were down $23,362.32 from 2020, Wright noted, with contracted services down $26,081.89, equipment down $3,273.29 and other expenses down $7,490.26, but supplies seeing an increase of $18,533.99.

“Expenditures are a little more than your receipts at this point, but you’ll see that happen throughout the year — that your expenses will be up and then your receipts,” Wright told commissioners. “Now, next month your receipts will be up because you’ll have that real estate in there. So, you know, it evens out throughout the year. We end up balancing at the end of the year once you get your first and second half settlements.”