Budget Work Session

Four Constitutional Officers (CO) attended—Probate, Tax Commissioner, Sheriff, and Clerk of Court.  The Tax Commissioner has held off hiring an employee in a vacant slot which will save 5 months salary and expects about $20,000 in additional “agency” fees.

The Probate Judge cut costs for a new computer and also cut out much of the Elections budget because no elections are scheduled to be held.  The Sheriff and the Clerk of Court both said they couldn’t do anything now and wanted to look at the budget.  They gave no suggestions for budget cuts in their offices.

 
Budget Facts

2008 Budgeted Revenues--$9,031,972
         Collected Revenues--$7,514,390
2008 Shortfall of Revenues --   ($1,517,582)

 2008 Budgeted Expenses--$9,031,972
        Actual Expenditures--$8,913,706
 2008 Expenditures over Revenues Collected  $1,339,316

 2009 Budgeted Revenues --$9,650,543  (remember, the last board set this budget)
Expected Revenues                 ?????    

 I feel certain the County will not collect $2.1 million more in 2009 than it did in 2008.  Therefore, the budget must be cut to equal the expected revenues.  The BOC would not be carrying out their responsibilities if they did not cut now and then wait until they had to raise taxes and/or borrow money.

 Several items in the budget were cut and many cost cutting suggestions were adopted—

• Postage meter in one location for all county mailings rather than individual stamps being purchased for every department.  This will bring control and cost savings
• Consolidate and downsize the number of copiers and copier contracts
• Disconnect unneeded and unnecessary telephone lines
• Personnel cuts in the Planning & Zoning Dep’t due to lack of development and need for full time employees
• Reduced hours for the Registrar—there are no elections scheduled and 3 days a week should be sufficient for people to register to vote
• Reduced hours for the Building Inspector due to lack of building activity
• Cut one position of part time Code Enforcement whose main job was to assist with garbage cans
• Cut out CFO and combine with County Manager for one position

 These cuts and consolidations will bring a good bit of cost savings along with the line item cuts in various department budgets.  Many department heads submitted cuts to the BOC making our job much easier.  Their gesture was very much appreciated.  I am hoping the employees will pull together and help each other as well as the County by taking up any slack created.  Good things can be accomplished when the employees will work with the Commissioners as a team.  Continued rumors and innuendo won’t help any one.