Knox County to go after unclaimed money

Local leaders are touting a popular adage: Every little bit helps.

Or in this case, according to county finance minister John Troyer: “Every $9,000 matters.”

OK, here's the deal:

Each year the county writes a lot of checks. About $650 million worth, I suppose. But not everyone cashes the thing. So, after a year, the unclaimed money goes into a state account where it sits for another year.

Then Knox County can go after it. It's all pretty much a rubber stamp deal, but – hey – I promised ya some boring inside baseball every now and then.

This year, the county's finance department will ask the County Commission to give it permission to claim $8,810.31.

As Mayor Tim “Cheapskate” Burchett says: “I'd rather us get it than have it go to the state or federal government for them to waste.”

Heh.

Last year the county got back $8,910. 31 (this was monies from fiscal year 2009); and in 2010 it got back $10,120.72.

In 2009, the county nabbed $10,155.83 and in 2008 it collected $13,108.99.

In 2007 – the last numbers I have – the county collected $18,584.24 in monies from fiscal year 2005.