The Clark County Budget and Finance Committee approved the proposed 2009 budget Tuesday for the Economic Development Corp. of Clark County. It will be passed on to the Quorum Court for final passage.

The collected money is expected to surpass the projected tax revenue for 2008 by $180,000, according to a summary that was prepared for the budget committee. While collections of $1.35 million were forecast, the county may have collected $1.53 million by the end of the year.

So far, Clark County has collected $1.27 million ($180,000 more than what County Treasurer Judy Beth Hutcherson projected) from the half-cent sales tax that is funneled to the EDCCC. The county has collected an average of $127,502 per month, for 10 months. “I like to project lower to keep the county safe,” she said.

Hutcherson projected the county to receive $1.4 million in 2009, giving the EDCCC more room for spending its money. Depending on the economy, however, that projection may have to be lowered. Hutcherson said she projected more for 2009 because history shows that sales tax continue to increase an entity’s revenue each year. “We’ve gotten more (tax money this year than projected), so I felt comfortable projecting more.”

Her 2009 projection was based on the average income received so far in 2008, and is $180,000 more than this year’s. Even with a higher estimate than the 2008 projection, Hutcherson said she still projected less than what is to be expected.

The EDCCC will allocate its money in accordance with a resolution passed by the Quorum Court in 2007.

Phil Baldwin, EDCCC board member, presented the committee with the board’s proposal. Of the projected $1.4 million, 30.04 percent ($420,560) will be used for management contracts; 31.07 percent ($434,980) will be used for incentive payments; 18.52 percent ($259,280) will be used for development costs, and 20.37 percent ($285,180) will be used for acquisitions.

Last year, the management contracts category was further divided into personnel service, operations and administrations, professional and legal and marketing. The percentages were divided up, respectively, as 15.88 percent ($214,321); 3.79 percent ($51,179); 1.48 percent ($20,000) and 8.89 percent ($120,000) budgeted for the EDCCC. Also last year, incentive payments, development costs and acquisitions were budgeted, respectively, thus: 20.37 percent ($275,000); 18.52 percent ($250,000) and 31.07 percent ($419,500).

The motion to approve the 2009 budget carried unanimously, and will go to the justices of the peace Monday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., in the District Courtroom of the Clark County Courthouse.

“We’ll let the court vote,” County Judge Ron Daniell said. “If they’ve got any questions about the budget, we’ll try to answer them.”

The public is invited to the meeting.