Next year’s proposed $44 million operating budget for Douglas County looks like it will boost spending by 13 percent during this year.

But revenues are expected to grow by 5 percent or less.

How can that be?

Looks can be deceiving, said Craig Weinaug, county administrator.

One reason: The county will start out $3.7 million ahead.

Before collecting any taxes, cashing any checks or assessing a single fee, the county plans to have $3.7 million more in the bank than it did at the beginning of 2002, Weinaug said.

The extra money comes from two sources: unexpected increases in collections from mortgage and sales taxes, and savings on daily government expenses, such as less expensive food at the county jail and not filling vacant positions on the county payroll.

The increase in the “balance forward”  to $5.2 million from $1.5 million  means the county’s $44 million budget can be balanced without calling for a tax increase or cutting any jobs, although a decline in the state’s economy and state funding have fallen off measurably during the past year.

And because every revenue has to show up in the budget as an expense, Weinaug said, next year’s proposed $44 million budget only looks like a 13 percent increase when compared with this year’s $39 million budget.

Actual spending will increase only 3 percent or 4 percent, he said.

“Kansas budget laws require a municipality to budget most of its funds for expenditure,” he said. “But we don’t have to spend it all. Â We won’t spend it all.”