Sussex County is reporting another budget surplus. An audit approved by the County Council Tuesday finds in 2012 the county netted an extra 854 thousand in taxpayer dollars.
County Finance Director Susan Webb says the third straight year with a surplus is a welcome trend.
“Compared to last year which was $3.8 million, this was much smaller than that, but still positive. [Before the string of surpluses] we had three years when the economy really went south, three years when we were in a deficit,” said Webb.
Webb adds the surpluses are largely due to improving home sales and the real estate transfer taxes that provide the county a significant portion of its budget. She says that suggests an end to the economic recession’s toll on the county.
“It’s kind of holding its own; it’s kind of flat; it’s not getting any worse and it’s not back to where it was three years ago. So, we're just kind of waiting for something to take off. It’s just slowly getting better,” said Webb.
Web says more than a third of this year’s surplus will pay for four additional State troopers. The remainder will return to the County’s general fund.
Sussex County’s annual budget is roughly 46 million dollars.
