Official to recall laid-off workers

The commissioners' chairman said officials will have to live within their appropriations.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County Recorder Craig Brown said he will recall two laid-off workers by March 1 now that he's been given the same amount of money he spent in 2006.
Brown had been contemplating filing a lawsuit against the commissioners to get more money for his office.
The recorder had laid off two workers -- half his staff -- when he was given a temporary appropriation for January. He also reduced office hours.
But the commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved appropriations for the remainder of the year for all county offices.
Brown earlier had said he needed an additional 8,971 to recall the two workers and resume full hours for the public.
Jim Hoppel, chairman of the commissioners, said offices were getting what they spent last year.
For the key offices, that meant they got what they spent last year to the penny.
"Everyone has a certain amount they have to live with," Hoppel said. It will be up to the officeholders to live within their means, he added.
Some county agencies that often receive little or nothing from the commissioners received no funding for 2007. Those offices include the Cooperative Extension Service, the Soil and Water Conservation District, and the county airport and fair board.
Shortfall
The county will receive about 2 million this year from a half-percent sales tax that goes into effect April 1. Because voters didn't renew the tax last year, the county is short about 2 million.
Overall spending this year is up. The appropriations total 17.8 million, compared with 17 million in 2006.
The increased spending is for housing prisoners at the county jail, which is run by a private company, health insurance costs and payments to the Multi-County Juvenile Attention System, which provides help for troubled youths.
The county ended 2005 with at least a recent record-breaking balance of 1.8 million. Officials conserved money that year in case voters rejected the sales tax.
The county ended 2006 with a carry-over balance of 759,000. That's about average, said county Auditor Nancy Milliken.
That money went into the 2007 appropriations approved by the commissioners
Hoppel and Milliken said that after the appropriations, the county has a cushion of 150,000.
Milliken said that if the economy is good and sales tax revenue is up, the commissioners can appropriate more money for county offices later in the year.
wilkinson@vindy.com