Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones recently filed his budget adjustments of $1.5 million with the county finance director.
The sheriff’s department budget consumes the largest slice of the general fund at around $40 million. During the Great Recession, Jones had to lay off more than 20 deputies. Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said the department has taken multiple steps this time to meet needed cuts.
“We had a hiring freeze so we’re losing positions, and we have completely ended any paid overtime and put a bunch of other fiscal constraints in to meet those demands,” Dwyer said. “We’re not laying people off at this point in time."
He said there are 15 to 20 people who have left and not been replaced. Personnel cuts amounted to $1.17 million for salaries, insurance, retirement and Medicare. Another $218,786 was cute for vehicles, and the rest was for travel and training.
County Administrator Judi Boyko cut $689,638 out of commissioners' budget. The bulk of that, $563,075 was for salary-related items. The commissioners budgeted for an assistant county administrator and a director of assets and procurement this year but will not be filling those positions. The county was also without a finance director for three-and-a-half months after Tawana Keels resigned in January, and Finance Director Angel Burton was hired in May.
She said the assistant county administrator will remain vacant for now, but she is planning to ask the commissioners to approve a half-year’s salary for the asset and procurement job next year.
Butler County Juvenile Court Administrator Rob Clevenger has cut $273,959, also largely for personnel. He said his office eliminated three clerks through attrition and a part-time administrative assistant. A part-time magistrate left and has not been replaced.
Boyko had predicted a potential $20 million shortfall in the county’s general fund early on in the pandemic when the economy shut down. The budget hole was largely due to an anticipated 30% drop in sales tax, which makes up about 40% of the general fund.
The sales tax drop has been only 2.34% compared to the same time last year. Officials credit the one-time federal stimulus money and extra $600 per week unemployment stipend that has expired for the nearly normal spending habits.
“This is one time that we’re glad that we’re really wrong,” Commissioner Don Dixon said recently. “But the unknown question is between now and first of the year. So we’ll continue to watch that and we’ll be adjusting the budget.”
The commissioners asked other elected officials departments to cut another 3.3% out of the budgets for next year. The Journal-News has been reporting the monthly sales tax and other revenue collections since the crisis hit. Property tax collections ended up slightly higher than 2019.
Clevenger said the court is well aware that the revenue picture isn’t as bleak as predicted and are taking that into consideration as they finalize the 2021 budget, which is due Sept. 18. He said they are still working out whether an additional 3.3% reduction is feasible.
“We’ve still got to do our job and whether we are going to be able to respond at the level they are wanting us to, we definitely are going to try and been a team player,” Clevenger said. “But we also have to realize we have a role as a court.”
Likewise, Dwyer said they have a unique dynamic in that the jail also generates roughly $8 million annually for boarding out-of-county prisoners, money that supports the general fund.
“When they talked about the original numbers I couldn’t meet those numbers and maintain my prisoner count,” Dwyer said. “So you cut your nose off to spite your face because of revenue so you have to take that into consideration.”
Boyko said the budget picture is still very fluid.
“The more the year progresses the better handle we have on what our revenues situation is,” she said. “At that point we can take the requests for expenses, plus the forecast for revenues and be in a better position I think to make some of these other decisions about how will the commissioners address increased income or revenues versus cuts.”
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