COLUMBIANA CO. Officials work on balancing budget

Bids were opened for a project intended to alleviate flooding in a part of Middleton Township.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners have concluded their annual round of budget hearings with department heads. Now comes the hard part.
In the next few weeks, the three-man panel must decide how to trim nearly $2 million from about $19 million worth of 2003 spending requests submitted earlier this year by county department heads.
The county must craft a balanced budget. Doing so means limiting spending to match anticipated revenue, which is expected to be about $17 million next year.
Commissioner President Jim Hoppel said Wednesday that commissioners are likely to adopt a first-quarter 2003 budget in the next few weeks.
First-quarter plan
Commissioners have the option of adopting a budget for all of next year, but Hoppel said the first-quarter plan will give them additional time to more accurately project sales tax revenue in 2003.
If a first-quarter budget is adopted, commissioners will have until April to pass a spending plan for the remainder of the year.
A key consideration in planning 2003 spending is what to do with the estimated $3 million in annual revenue from the 0.5 percent sales tax increase enacted by commissioners in June, making the county sales tax 1.5 percent.
Hoppel said commissioners are likely to earmark much of the 0.5 percent to reduce county debt.
County departments will have to closely watch spending in 2003 because the county won't have a lot of funds available to allocate to them, Hoppel said.
"I don't know if it will create layoffs," he said of next year's spending plan. Departments may, however, be forced to freeze hiring, he said.
Flooding
During the commissioners' meeting Wednesday, the panel accepted bids for a project intended to alleviate flooding in parts of Negley, a small community in Middleton Township.
Federal funds are available to install about 1,300 feet of storm sewer lines in a section of the community north of state Route 154.
Work could begin as early as this winter, Hoppel said.
Seven bids were submitted for the project, the lowest being $44,900 by J.D. Martin Construction Corp., Poland.