By Nolan Madden At six months into the 2015-16 fiscal year, Navajo County is off its budget target, according to an update provided by Finance Director James Menlove last week. “Right now we have a projection for a deficit of about $82,000. It is attributable to our county sales tax, which was about 2.5 percent lower at the end of 2015,” he stated. Menlove explained that a portion of capital funds are typically expended at the end of the calendar year, the budget is then reevaluated afterward, and, “We typically wait until the end of the year to see what we have available, and this is just the trend of where we are right now.” The $120 million county budget, approved by officials last July, was evaluated at the time as moderate versus the prior year, with a decrease in the tax levy forecasting no increase in county property taxes for the current fiscal year. According to Menlove, Navajo County began experiencing “difficulties” with its sales tax balance about one year ago. “About a year ago, our sales tax was down, so we are now having to make up for a previous year-over-year decrease,” he said. In May 2015, just prior to the close of fiscal year 2014-15, the county projected revenues of $919,000 more than had been spent by the end of that fiscal year in June. Menlove had explained, however, that the excess funds would be necessary to balance the 2015-16 budget. “The funds are critical to be able to help us meet our obligations and additional challenges handed down by the state. They are critical to our fiscal sustainability,” he said at the time. Continued growth was also expected for county and state shared sales tax revenues, at approximately three percent and two percent above projected levels, respectively. Both taxes are major sources of funding for the county, with Menlove noting last year that then-current trends would generate $229,196 more than the budget predicted for a total of $6.85 million in revenue, while state shared sales tax would bring in $246,560 more than predicted to total $10.97 million. “We are hopeful that (county residents) will all spend locally, and that the trends in year-over-year sales tax deficits will reverse,” he said.