Budget questioned

The county’s 2011 budget, which includes a 2 percent pay raise for county employees, passed its first reading Wednesday despite one Jay County Council member’s objection that it was not studied enough.
The county council passed the 2011 budget on first reading 4-1, with councilwoman Marilyn Coleman voting against. Councilman Dan Orr was absent and board president Gerald Kirby did not vote.
Coleman, who was absent at the last meeting when the council approved a 2 percent pay increase for county employees and finished reviewing the second half of department budgets, said after the meeting that she feels this budget was not scrutinized enough.
“I’m not as confident that we’re out of the woods financially,” she said.
Coleman said the council’s budget preparation committee, on which she sat with fellow councilman Dan Orr, Jay County Commissioner Faron Parr and county financial consultant Greg Guerrettaz, was created to examine the county’s finances this year but was largely ignored when it came time for discussion.
She said the treatment that Guerrettaz received for his role in helping with the county budget was at times outright hostile.
“He was hired in good faith and he has been ignored,” she said, adding, “He does know what he’s talking about.”
Although a sustainability report prepared by Guerrettaz showed a steadily declining balance for the county over the next couple years, council members said in previous meetings that they feel the county is in sufficient financial shape and didn’t see how those projections fit into the picture.
During the budget process, Guerrettaz did not come before the council to explain his findings and was apparently not invited to do so by the council.
Despite the dissenting vote, the council passed its budget with a general fund total of $6,423,344.85 and highway department budget of $2,447,892.77. Jay County Auditor Nancy Culy said that total is up a little bit from last year, but within the percentage that the Indiana State Board of Accounts allows units to grow budgets.
Councilman Fred Bailey also entered remarks on the record to thank the department heads for their cost-saving measures that allowed the council to grant the 2 percent salary increase this year.
“I want to thank the department heads for their diligence,” he said. “… I think we owe them a thank you.”
Councilman Mike Leonhard agreed that the cutting efforts meant the county is “probably saving $250,000.”
In other business, the council also completed a non-binding review of other governmental taxing units in the county, including cities, towns, townships and libraries. Although the council cannot alter any of those budgets, they are required by state law to review them.[[In-content Ad]]