It took the Marshall County Council less than 2 hours to cut $444,420 out of the 2018 budget requests.
Monday morning the County Council conducted budget hearings and took the necessary steps to cut next year’s budget low enough to allow for 3% raises for all full time employees, department heads and elected officials. They council also approved a $.25 cent per hour raise for part time positions.
Council members reviewed each department’s budget request and put their red pens to work. The commissioners were first, and they made it easy on the council offering up cuts of $35,000 in the Group Health Insurance and $40,000 in the Liability Insurance. A cut of $8,060 was made in the Cumulative Capital Development fund when County recorder Marlene Mahler offered to pay a software maintenance cost out of her security Program fund.
The county council denied the request of a couple of new positions. Building and Grounds asked for an additional custodian, replacing one they had a few years ago. The council cut $29,526 for their budget and another $25,480 for an additional secretary for the Plan Commission. Another cut was $17,620 for a part-time building inspector along with the annual cuts of $5,000 requested by Superior Court I & II for additional wage compensation for the department head.
Cuts ranges from as little as $500 out of the coroner’s budget for fuel and $700 for training up to $49,087 from the Superior Court II budget including a full time law clerk, court reporter, office furniture and repair of furniture and equipment.
The County Council also cut $90,000 from the Cum Bridge Fund from the Hickory Road Bridge project and $40,000 from the Cum Bridge machinery and equipment line because they approved a transfer for the purchase of a truck yet this year.
A question of a sever revenue shortfall in the 911 fund next year lead the County Council to reduce the Group Health Insurance line item by $8,000 and a computer equipment line by $8,000. While the sheriff did say he received an extra installment of $37,000..he said he doesn’t know when or how much the additional installments by bring.
While the County Council is concerned, they decided to keep a watchful eye on the budget next year, and may need to move an employee or two out of the 911 budget and into the LIT budget in the future.66,666. The total budget for 2018 is $25,064,087.
The final budget in the general fund was $12,798.016 under their goal of $12,8
The Council will finalize the 2018 budget at their October 9th meeting with the budget adoption.
