Officials OK $4M for 1st quarter of 2006

Commissioners may have budget hearings to discuss officeholders' spending.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners have appropriated less money for offices for the first quarter of this year than last and hope to squeeze every penny to get through 2006.
The $4 million spending measure approved Friday gives offices money to operate for the first quarter of 2006. Offices received $4.1 million for the first three months of this year.
The commissioners want elected officials to break down the spending and submit figures by Tuesday for approval.
Some offices got slightly more than others for various reasons. The county's Cooperative Extension Service, Soil and the Water Conservation program got nothing. The commissioners also eliminated funding for animal protection and vital statistics record keeping.
Commissioner Sean Logan said the measure was more a planning tool than a budget.
"This is still pretty rough," Logan said. "But it's sufficient to get us through the first quarter."
Logan said commissioners are thinking about having budget hearings with county officials to discuss spending for the rest of the year. Those hearings may take place in March after commissioners have a better idea of county revenue.
Addressing shortfall
A 0.5 percent sales tax that brought in about $4 million a year expired in August. Commissioners said they hope to plug some of that loss in other ways during the year.
Some projections and steps officials have taken:
UCollection of the county's 1 percent sales tax is about 5 percent ahead of last year. The county has been budgeting 3 percent of the revenue, which leaves them a cushion.
UThe county has switched its health insurance to Anthem at a savings of 13 percent a year. The commissioners also said they have two less insurance premium payments because of a scheduling fluke. Figures on the total possible savings weren't available.
UThe county expects to have a $700,000 carry-over after paying all its 2005 bills and covering early 2006 costs. The county won't get revenue from the 1 percent sales tax until late January.
UCommissioners said they will do whatever they can to restrict spending.
Jim Hoppel, the chairman of the commissioners, said he hoped other county officials won't spend money if they don't have to.
Officials expect some costs to increase in the middle of the year, including any raises that are part of current contracts. Collections from the 1-percent sales tax also may drop, they said.
The county in 2000 had to operate without either sales tax, which resulted in some layoffs.
"We got all of our bills paid and still had a carry-over," Hoppel said.
Logan said of the on-again, off-again sales taxes, "That's the way it is around here. We'll try to work around it."
wilkinson@vindy.com