Supervisors looking for cuts in next fiscal budget

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR MONTROSE - As Lee County supervisors grapple with the next fiscal year budget, several departments including secondary roads, the sheriff's department, and county employee hours were on the table on Tuesday. At a workshop following Tuesday's regular meeting of the Lee County Board of Supervisors, County Engineer Ben Hull tried to find ways to cut into $1.2 million of deficit spending. Hull pointed out to the supervisors, that the secondary roads department One of the items under scrutiny is a new maintenance building for the secondary roads department that was cut from the budget last year. Hull had included $280,000 for the new building, but said he could possibly cut $100,000 out of that project and then spread the remaining cost of the building over the two years to help ease the strain. He said Secondary Roads budgets for long winters and $4/gallon diesel which helps them come in under budget if seasons are mild and prices stay low.
"For the past several years we've been hundreds of thousands of dollars under budget and we have a strong fund balance right now. So I respect this process and recognize the important of sharpening our pencils, but we consistently come in under budget."
In the most updated budget numbers, Secondary Roads had deficit spending of $1.26 million and is projected to have $2.33 million in its fund balance at the start of the 2019/20 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019. The board also pushed Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber to find ways to cut from his budget. Weber said the department might be able to winnow some money from fuel and inmate food but that might amount to roughly $148,000. Board Chair Gary Folluo asked how important it was to backfill an 18th deputy that Weber had moved 3/4 time to Central Lee Community Schools.
"It's pretty important. I view it as kind of a bargain as Central Lee is picking up the lion's share of his salary. I discussed with Gary, I think as long as you're okay with that if they were to pull out of the 28E agreement with us because they pass a bond and decide they don't need armed security, I would be willing to attrition that position away," Weber said. "I was elected sheriff and my kids go to that school and I listened that they were the only school around that didn't have an SRO (School Resource Officer). I just think it's a symptom of a problem. The county attorney's office is growing as well. To me, I saw this coming 10 years ago."
Weber said he did see light at the end of the tunnel as far as equipment because things are getting replaced, but last year he cut out two replacement vehicles.
"You either pay for these on the front end, or on the back end with repairs. It was not unusual when I was a deputy to drive a car with more than 250,000 miles on it. But as sheriff, I'm not going to do that. Not going to put people behind a vehicle that old and I'd hope you wouldn't want me to."
Supervisors also reviewed their own budget and discussed pulling $50,000 from contributions to Lee County Economic Development Group. Folluo started the conversation at asking to pull $100,000 from the budget and moving $50,000 into county economic stimulation funds. Folluo said the LCEDG is on their second five-year funding campaign and set a five year goal of $1.5 million.
"That funding comes in over five years and, quite frankly, some people don't always pay. And I think Lee County should always be involved in economic development, but to what level is my only question," Folluo said.
Matt Pflug said originally that the LCEDG was at some point supposed to be self-sustaining. He also noted that the group recently parted ways with former executive director Joe Steil.
"I'd like to know more about why he's no longer with the group," Pflug said. If they cut $130,000 in salary, maybe we should cut our contribution that much."
Supervisor Rick Larkin said he thought the elimination was a budget issue and a cost savings. He said the contribution should remain the same because the LCEDG is doing good work.
"If they cut that for cost savings and we cut the budget, they didn't save anything," Larkin said. " I think we should leave it the same. This organization is working well and if you do it this year and then again next year, pretty soon you've got it down to nothing."
Supervisors Rich Harlow and Ron Fedler both agreed that the current contributions should be left in the budget. With three of the five thinking it should stay the same, Pflug and Folluo agreed to leave it in the preliminary budget. Also in the budget is county staff salaries. Lee County Auditor Denise Fraise and Recorder Nancy Booten both advocated for their staffs to go from 35 hours to 40 hours. Currently the Mental Health, County Attorney and Secondary Roads departments' staffs all work 40 hours, but the rest of the staffs work 35 hours. Booten said the employee classifications between those departments and hers are the exact same, but the employees in the other departments make more money.
"That's not fair. It's just not fair. We have the work to do and my staff will work 40 hours. If you're not going to do that, then everyone should go back to 35 hours across the board," Booten said.
Another budget strategy session was set for Monday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m.. The budget has to go through a public hearing and certification by mid March.
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