Commissioners trying to close a $1.5 million deficit
Pierce County Commissioners are considering raising the millage rate by up to two mills to close a $1.569 million deficit in the budget.
Commissioners held their second budget hearing last Wednesday to see where things stand after earlier asking department heads to cut up to 15 percent across the board.
The county is calling for a $17.9 million spending plan for the coming year.
The proposed two mill increase will bring the county's millage rate to 11.397 mills. The value of a mill is $700,015.
The budget deficit is due to increases in the recreation department (up about $368,000) funding a three percent across the board salary increase ($250,000) and increases to group insurance and EMS expenses. Other big ticket spending items include sheriff’s office and public works.
“We have some hard decisions to be made,” said County Chairman Neal Bennett.
County Manager Raphel Maddox asked for guidance, but noted Pierce County is not alone in the financial crunch.
Maddox participated in the meeting by phone from the county manager’s convention in Columbus.
“Governments everywhere are facing the same thing. County and city services are costing more to provide,” he said.
Maddox said the budget already includes $700,000 from the county’s cash reserves to help close the gap. He wants to keep some money in reserve for emergencies.
Several ideas were floated toward balancing the budget.
Commissioners discussed putting in a half-shift (12 hour truck) to cover EMS, eliminating excess spending on salaries and overtime. However, the addition will increase the budget by about $400,000 in the short term to cover the cost of salaries, ambulance expenses and insurance.
Fourth District Commissioner David Lowman suggested cutting the proposal to an eight hour truck to be used during peak times.
In recreation, Lowman asked about assessing the department’s programs and maybe eliminating some that don’t have high participation. The department has added golf, tennis, track and field and swimming in the last year.
Third district commissioner Randy Dixon defended the additional programs.
“Other counties are already offering the programs we just started,” he said. “We are years behind our neighboring counties.”
Bennett noted the increase in the budget did not cover any expenses from the proposed new recreation department.
Maddox
Commissioners agreed to send out notices asking department heads to cut a certain amount from their budgets.
Maddox suggested making the final decisions and voting on the proposed budget at the commission’s monthly meeting Oct. 7.
The millage rate increase will require three public hearings that would then be advertised.
If finalized tax bills would go out Oct. 20 and would be due Dec. 20, just prior to Christmas.
Dixon told his fellow board members to get ready for public feedback.
“We’ll go from being on Santa’s list to nobody’s good list,” Dixon said. “We are going to go from wearing a Santa hat to being dad-gum Scrooge.”
Maddox said it would take up to four mills to balance, but commissioners all agreed they wouldn’t go that high.
“We are already going to be tarred. I don’t want to be feathered, too,” Dixon quipped.
Dixon pointed out that the county had dodged a bullet in recent years and not had to raise the millage.
“We should have raised them a little bit at a time and not had to do it all at once,” said Commissioner Lowman.
