The Miller County Quorum Court approved the 2018 budget Monday, and the chairman of the budget committee, Ernest Pender, warned the county's elected officials to be "frugal" with their spending.
"I want to stress we're not broke. We can pay our bills. If we're not frugal, we will have to make hard decisions," Pender said.
The justices of the peace unanimously approved the annual operating budget for 2018.
The total projected revenue is expected to be $19,006,940.
The total projected budget requests are expected to be $16,706,590.
The county also has a reserve of $1.3 million. Pender expects the county will have to use the reserve funds later in 2018.
During a budget committee meeting last week, Pender said, "The cash is shrinking and we will have to use the reserve funds."
"We predicted two years ago we're starting to go backwards. If we keep spending, there will be a day of reckoning," Pender said.
The committee also suggested having a budget workshop halfway through the year to determine if budget cuts might be needed.
A copy of the budget has been filed in the county clerk's office in the courthouse in Texarkana, Ark., and is available for inspection and copying by any person during normal office hours.