COLUMBIANA COUNTY Commissioners adopt $17.8M budget

Investment interest and fee revenue are likely to be less next year.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- A 2004 Columbiana County general fund budget is expected to hold the line as much as possible on spending while avoiding layoffs and severe service cutbacks, officials say.
Commissioners adopted next year's spending plan Wednesday.
The new budget designates $17.8 million for spending to run county departments, pay bills and meet contract obligations.
Commissioners allocated about the same amount in 2003.
The amount earmarked for 2004 spending is just shy of what county officials conservatively figure will be available next year. Usually more money is taken in over the year than is estimated when a new budget is adopted.
Actual spending for 2003 will be about $19.7 million. Actual spending in 2002, during which the county was in a fiscal crisis, was about $16.9 million.
Projected carry-over
Next year's spending estimate doesn't factor in a projected $600,000 funding carry-over from 2003 to 2004.
The nearly $17.9 million in estimated 2004 receipts includes about $11.5 million in revenue from the county's 1.5 percent sales tax, which is about the same as the sales tax produced in the past 12 months.
Also included in the 2004 revenue estimate is about $550,000 in interest earnings on county investments. The county estimated $800,000 on investment earnings for 2003. An actual amount of investment earnings wasn't available Wednesday.
Commissioners downsized the 2004 investment earnings projection to account for a weak investment market.
Fewer dollars also will be coming in through county recorder fees because a glut of home refinancing experienced in 2003 is expected to fade, commissioners said. A figure on recorder department revenue was unavailable Wednesday.
Commissioners said departmental spending requests were carefully scrutinized through budget hearings held over the past several weeks. Increases in some departmental budgets are the result of wages and benefits costs.
Most county departments were given more money because there will be 27 pay periods in 2004 instead of the customary 26, commissioners said.
One of the larger increases in the 2004 budget is for the clerk of courts office. The office spent about $296,484 this year. Next year, $553,735 is set aside.
Commissioners referred questions on the increase to Clerk of Courts Anthony Dattilio, who was unavailable.