County begins budget review
Marion County commissioners heard several budget proposals/requests from various county department heads during their Monday meeting. None are yet set in stone, however, as commissioners will have to weigh various considerations before approving final budgets for 2004, and even 2003.
Meanwhile, the commissioners did talk about cutting their own budget for this year by 10 percent.
Commission Chairman Howard Collett said, "If we can't do it, we can't expect them (department heads) to. It's pretty hard for us to say, 'don't do as I do, do as I say.'"
The county budget will be finalized Aug. 4. It will be published in official newspapers Aug. 6, and a public hearing on the budget will be held Aug. 18.
County Clerk Carol Maggard presented proposals for cutting some, perhaps all, departmental budgets by 4.6 percent. Each department would have a little "carry-over" into 2004 that way, she said.
The carry-over amounts would go into the general fund for 2004. She envisioned a 4.6-percent cut as a realistic possibility for departments in 2004, also.
The county's budgetary shortfall, or lack, now for 2003 is about $286,000, Maggard said, or about $50,000 less than had been thought.
This is because the county had budgeted (planned to spend) $50,000 it expected to get from the State of Kansas, which it did not and will not get.
Also, a transfer of about $56,000 from the vehicle fund back to the general fund "helped out" in driving down the deficit.
Taking the county commission's budget down by 4.6 percent would have meant a reduction of $2,472. Their base budget, if a 2-percent salary hike were added in, would be $54,507.
However, they may bite the bullet and decide to cut their budget by the full 10 percent. A few weeks ago, they asked all Marion County department heads to prepare possible budgets for this year and next showing how much would be needed if cuts of 3, 6, and 10 percent were implemented.
Collett added that "we can negotiate better (with department heads) if we take the full 10-percent cut ourselves." Commissioners Leroy Wetta and Bob Hein agreed.
Wetta said, "It doesn't mean the departments all have to go down by 10 percent."
Collett said, "We'll shoot for a 4.6-percent reduction next year (2004) for everybody."
Maggard presented commissioners a budget for her office that, with a 4.6-percent cut and reflecting the 2-percent hike in salaries (personal services) was $137,844 for 2003. She had also prepared hypothetical budgets showing cuts of 3, 6, and 10 percent.
The county clerk's office budget for 2003 is $135,778 without the 2-percent salary increases.
