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Departments request funding
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County’s general-fund departments collectively have requested $64 million for their 2012 budgets but the county budget commission has certified only $47.9 million in revenues, the county budget director has told the county commissioners.
Barbara J. Sours, who became budget director in September, presented these numbers along with a 2-inch-thick binder of general-fund budget information to the county commissioners in a Thursday staff meeting.
The $47.9 million figure for 2012 contrasts sharply with the $54.5 million in certified general-fund revenue for this year.
Sours said the departmental requests for additional money are starting points for discussions, and it’s unlikely they can be completely fulfilled.
“The certification of resources does not allow for the expenditures that they’ve requested,” Sours said. “We will budget at $47.9” [million].
“I think everybody knows that times are a little lean, and the certification is going down, so there’s going to be cutbacks,” Sours said. “We’re going to work together and do the best we can.”
Carol McFall, chief deputy county auditor, projected a $3 million general fund carry-over from 2011 to 2012, and predicted that amount will be added to the $47.9 million total early next year.
“I believe in being fiscally conservative,” said Paul J. Gains, county prosecutor and a member of the budget commission that certifies the revenue. “I’m concerned about the state funding” to local governments, including the county, being cut, he said.
The other commission members are county Auditor Michael V. Sciortino and county Treasurer Daniel R. Yemma.
Sheriff Randall A. Wellington has requested that his budget be increased from $13.7 million this year to $21.1 million next year so he can recall all 37 laid-off deputies, open all of the main jail and reopen the minimum-security jail for overnight use.
Sours said the commissioners will conduct public budget hearings over the next several weeks for the sheriff’s, prosecutor’s and auditor’s offices, juvenile court, facilities maintenance department, dog warden and the board of elections, which must conduct a presidential election next year.
Sours said she hopes the county commissioners can adopt a full-year 2012 general fund budget by Dec. 15. The general fund is the county’s main operating fund.
The prosecutor’s criminal-division budget for this year is $1.9 million, plus $796,000 for the civil division. For next year, the prosecutor’s office seeks $2.2 million for the criminal division and $810,000 for the civil division.
Gains said he wants the $300,000 increase for the criminal division to enable him to fill three vacant prosecutor positions, a vacant investigator position and a vacant secretarial job.