County still considering 6-percent budget cut
Marion County commissioners have budgetary problems, as do most if not all county governing bodies in Kansas.
Commissioners hope to be able to cut this year's budget by 6 percent, and next year's by at least an equal amount.
Commission chairman Howard Collett said during Monday's commission meeting, "I hate to cut benefits for mental health and social (developmentally disabled) services."
At least, he said, he hopes to leave the county's commitment to those areas at the 2002 level.
Northview Developmental Services, Prairie View, Inc., Soil Conservation Service, the Extension Council, Special Fair Building, and Community College Tuition funds are consolidated in the county's general fund.
The six can, however, be individually cut or increased.
But commissioners don't want to cut any of those, "period," said commissioner Leroy Wetta. Nor does he want to cut funding for the county's ambulance service.
Commissioner Bob Hein said he thought it necessary to cut all budgets by 6 percent for the current year, 2003.
Wetta said the three-person commission would probably be unable to trim budgets for all of 2003 by 6 percent. "Perhaps it'll be 4 percent," he said.
Collett reiterated, "I sure don't want to cut mental health and developmental disability services funding. They perform a service we have to have!"
A 6-percent cut in the county's total budget of about $7.5 million would lower it by about $459,000, Scot Loyd, CPA, told commissioners Monday.
Wetta said, "I don't want to reward and punish department heads. Punish those who wrecked their budgets to comply and reward those who didn't do it."
The compliance he referred to was from department heads who submitted budget proposals cutting their budgets for 2003 and 2004 by 3, 6, and 10 percent.
The county appraiser's office submitted a budget representing cuts of 11.6 percent.
"I don't want to do that," Wetta said. "This is a decision process, not a gutting process."
Commissioner Hein said, "Three percent ain't gonna do it." He said a 6-percent cut will be needed.
Collett wondered aloud if some cutbacks on personnel would be necessary. "An across-the-board cut for all departments is about the only fair way to do it," he said, "so as not to discriminate among departments."
"I'm not sure some of them can stand it," said Wetta.
"Yes, they can," said Collett and Hein.
Loyd said there are no Kansas attorney general's opinions that say the department heads have to accept the 2003 cuts. They could say, "If it was budgeted for me (last August), I'm gonna spend it."
Or, they could play for the "good of the team," he said.
Commissioners will have control over it (budget) for 2004, though, he said.
Wetta said costs of various departments are up over the past five years. The sheriff's department's costs have risen 70 percent in those five years, he said. The road and bridge department is "up" a lot, too, he said.
"We have to do something to get the results that are needed," he said.
Hein said, "We're gonna have to stay with six (percent), that's for sure."
Collett said cutting the budget for next year will be a little easier than this, "since we've already whittled some things down." Hein agreed.
Collett told Wetta, "You've dug deeply and you've dug hard. You've become something of a budgetary authority."
He added that he was not going to let Wetta "have his way" about all things budgetary, however.
"I know that," Wetta responded.
County commissioners will meet with Loyd again at 8 a.m. Monday in commission chambers as the first segment of their regular Monday meeting.
A week later, on Aug. 4, the budget for 2004 is to be finalized and approved. It will be published Aug. 6, and a public hearing on the budget will be held at 9 a.m. Aug. 18.
