County uses reserves to balance 2013 budget

Adams County Commissioners approved the 2013 budget with minimal cuts to departments, but with $748,500 deficit. Chairman Roger Hartwig and vice-chairman Jeffrey Stevens shared the concern with the deficit, but are insistent to remain within the budget during the coming year.

The commissioners approved the 2013 budget after two public hearings in the month of December. The final budget was approved by the commissioners and reviewed by the auditor on Dec. 18.

In the current expense fund, the cash carryover revenue for 2012 was $7,716,369, the appropriation is $7,064,769 and the ending cash for 2013 is $651,600. The grand total for the budget is $39,416,734 for cash carryover in 2012, and $29,030,065 in appropriation for a total of $10,386,669 in 2013.

Stevens explained the commissioners had to dip into the cash-carry over account this year, and have to be careful over the course of the next year with expenses. He continued on to explain that the cash-carry over is at its minimum desired level this year.

“The revenues don’t increase, and that’s what is hard,” Hartwig explained.

“We did not want to affect layoffs, but next year it’s a possibility,” Stevens said. “We didn’t want any personnel layoffs.”

There were no personnel layoffs because of the budget this year, and the only department incurring a dramatic decrease in funding was the care and custody fund. Originally, $90,000 was budgeted for the confinement costs, reimbursing Lincoln County for housing inmates from Adams County.

The commissioners unanimously agreed to reduce the fund by $60,000 because of the low amount of criminals being housed in the county. Due to the reduction in funding, confinement costs for 2013 were reduced to $30,000.

Stevens and Hartwig explained that the constant increase in benefits contributes heavily to the amount of money budgeted for personnel salaries. While many individuals do not typically relate the two, the commissioners explained benefits are now up to 30-32 percent, a drastic increase since they began their terms as commissioners.

“We try to maintain personnel and continue to provide the same services already provided,” Hartwig stated.

The commissioners did not make cuts to departments that would result in the layoff of a staff member or leave the department without the proper amount of funding. The commissioners explained they did decrease funding for the Adams County Fair by $19,600 compared to last year. The commissioners explained the fair is becoming more self-sufficient and does not require as much funding as it has in previous years.

In other departments, such as the police department, there had been a desire to offer more jobs. Stevens said every year the sheriff asks for another deputy, and while the request is not extreme, the commissioners did not believe they could afford the position and continue the current funding.

Current expense continues to be an issue for the commissioners, as neither commissioner is completely comfortable with the amount left in current expense, as it has to fund a variety of departments. Planning for the next budget is a priority for the commissioners to stay within the current expense amount and to not increase the deficit.