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Commissioners vote to spend less in 2009
The county hasn’t stopped spending for the year.
LISBON — Columbiana County commissioners have approved spending for 2009.
The commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday to set spending next year at $18.3 million.
The county was expected to spend $18.8 million this year.
Auditor Nancy Milliken said the projected decrease next year reflects a drop in fees paid to her office and the recorder’s office.
Because of the bad economy, she said, “No one is buying homes.” A large chunk of county revenue comes from property taxes paid by homeowners.
The appropriations do not provide any funds for the county’s Cooperative Extension Service, which runs the 4-H program, or the county’s Soil and Water Conservation District. The commissioners added funds to those programs this year to support the county’s strong agricultural community.
But the overall figures are expected to change soon.
Milliken said she has told all offices to submit any purchase orders by next week. That will help determine the county’s remaining debts for 2008.
Much of the county’s spending comes from a 1 percent sales tax and a half-percent sales tax that bring in, respectively, $8 million and $4 million, each year.
Milliken said she hoped the county will meet its revenue estimate.
If it doesn’t, any final 2009 appropriations will have to be made at the end of this year.
Milliken said the county has come close at times to not meeting its estimate of resources, which would result in cuts.
Commissioner Dan Bing said of other county officeholders, “Everybody has been pretty frugal.”
Commissioner Penny Traina added, “This is the most frustrating, difficult part of the job.”
Commissioner Jim Hoppel said the appropriations were fair.
The 2009 spending does not include a settlement with four former jail deputies at the county jail for $464,837.
They had worked at the jail as county employees when a private company took over operations. They were paid less by the private company, and argued that they were entitled to their higher pay and benefits as deputies. The commissioners finally agreed to pay the workers back.
Milliken said the county judges signed a court order to allow the commissioners to use money from the county’s general obligation debt fund to pay the settlement. That fund is paying for, among other things, long-needed repairs and renovations at the courthouse.
wilkinson@vindy.com