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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2010 > June > 10 > Entry
County OMB says delay on budget cuts could be costly
As Butler County commissioners continue wrangling over how to patch a $4 million budget hole, the cost of delaying a decision will soon start adding up.
A report this week from the county’s Office of Management and Budget says the deficit will start growing by $150,000 every two-week pay period commissioners go without making cuts.
Commissioners haven’t acted on the issue since they were presented with five options on May 24, in part because one or another of them was out of town for personal reasons.
“I was prepared to vote from square one,” said Commissioner Charles Furmon, the only one that hasn’t left town. He said he favored the option that included cuts of various percentages from county offices.
The largest cuts under that option would come from the sheriff’s office, which would face a $1.5 million, or roughly 5 percent, cut. The commissioners office would follow with a $270,287 cut.
Commissioners on Thursday, June 10, discussed how to deal with shortfalls expected in future years, and whether to impanel an advisory committee of business leaders to outline a plan.
Commission President Gregory Jolivette suggested using such a group to analyze a quarter percent sales tax increase to get the county back in the black.
But an ad hoc advisory work group — which recently completed its work and offered to serve as commission-appointed committee — just finished a report that said Butler County’s per-resident expenditures are higher than similar counties.
Commissioner Donald Dixon, meanwhile, is considering bringing in an outside consultant to look at contracts, lease space, benefits, workers compensation, and more.
“I think there’s still a lot of issues that need to be looked at…as far as what can be cut other than personnel,” he said. “I’m not going to rush in and start axing personnel departments, when I know I haven’t looked at everything else.’
OMB Director Pete Landrum is suggesting the county cut $3.5 million from its $85 million budget for this year, and pull $500,000 from reserves. It will be nearly impossible to do this without cutting personnel, he said, because that accounts for more than 93 percent of its discretionary budget.
And union contracts require the county give employees 30 days notice before a layoff.
“With the time that is apparently passing by, it is compounding the problem,” Landrum said.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: County budget
Comments
By keeglet
June 12, 2010 11:00 AM | Link to this
Yeah, Dixon. Let’s spend a hundred thousand dollars on a consulting firm that will tell us what we already know. The county is fiscally in trouble and cuts needs to be made. Spend money stupidly in the name of saving money.
By BC Watcher
June 12, 2010 1:05 PM | Link to this
Let the layoffs begin !! As for any tax increases, Furman will be voted out next time in a heartbeat.
By Brianna Blanton
June 12, 2010 10:30 PM | Link to this
What I’m writing about isnt the topic. This is about the boy Brandon Kenndey that got hit by car on Eaton Rd. People are saying he ran across the Road. I know Brandon I was in his Class he would never run across the road with with out looking. He would walk and look both ways and then walk.Brandon is a smart boy he would make sure we could go.People may say they know him but they may not. So If you need 2 talk about e-mail rip_sha13@yahoo.com