DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Chris Hollifield, managing partner with Rushton and Company, will present the results of the 2016 Dawson County audit when the Dawson County Board of Commissioners meet in a work session at 4 p.m. Thursday.

The audit will show that the county’s General Fund revenue increased by 5.41 percent from 21,054,087 in 2015 to $22,183,220. At the same time expenditures rose by 6.73 percent from $20,186,557 to $21,734,253. Sales tax accounted for 40.86 percent of last year’s revenue while property taxes generated 32.3 percent.

The county has maintained a very healthy fund balance of $5,102,625 or 24.6 percent of expenditures. The Association of County Commissioners Georgia recommends not less than 15 percent.

The county’s aging voting machines are 16 years old and can’t be fixed, so commissioners will consider a request from Elections Supervisor Glenda Ferguson to purchase 65 voting machines from San Diego County at a cost of $39,194.90. The machines were used only once before the county decided to go to paper ballots.

The Board of Commissioners budgeted $35,000 this year for installation of a LED message board at the entrance to Veterans Memorial Park and Senior Services. The project came in under budget and Parks and Recreation is requesting approval of a contract with the low bidder Metro LED in the amount of $29,966.

The Magistrate Court is asking commissioners to add $1,000 to its current budget to pay for federally mandated interpreters. The amount budgeted for this year was expended in June.

Etowah Water and Sewer Authority (EWSA) will seek county approval to renew financing with Bank of the Ozarks for a joint project with the county in 1998 to provide a sanitary sewer facility to serve Georgia 400 retail/outlet. The loan has been paid down to about $1.4 million and the current note is now due. Though the note is in the name of EWSA, the County has indirect liability on the note

There also will be a discussion of the formation of a citizen committee to study commissioners’ compensation. It has been 12 years since the salaries were reviewed.