July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
No cuts needed in county budget (8/10/05)
Council pleased with 'good news'
By By Mike Snyder-
For the last several years, budget time has meant budget cuts for the Jay County Council.
Not this time.
Members of the council were told Tuesday that budget requests for the coming year are within the maximum amount the county will be allowed to raise through property taxes.
But while cuts aren’t required, a lowered value of taxable property and real estate in the county combined with an increase in the total amount of dollars the county can raise, will mean the county’s property tax rates will rise — likely in the neighborhood of 10 to 14 percent.
Shortly after the first of consecutive nights of budget hearings opened, council member Gerald Kirby asked Jay County auditor Freda Corwin for a financial report.
“Really, you don’t have to cut anything ... unless you want to add to your operating balance (cash reserves),” Corwin told the council.
“That is good news,” said Kirby.
Estimates completed this morning by Corwin show the total county rate (comprised of six different funds), not including a welfare rate, increasing to about 60 cents for 2006 tax bills, up from 53 cents this year — an increase of about 12 percent.
With no pressure to find hundreds of thousands of dollars in cuts as in past years, Tuesday night’s session had a mostly relaxed atmosphere, with only a few items in a handful of budgets coming under intense scrutiny.
Although they made no firm decision on salaries for county workers on Tuesday, council members Marilyn Coleman, Jim Zimmerman, Judy LeMaster, George Meehan, Jack Houck and Kirby appeared to be favoring allowing an increase in the range of 3 percent. Councilman Todd Wickey did not attend Tuesday’s council session.
A motion to approve that raise for all full-time county workers was rescinded after LeMaster pointed out that she expects township trustees and trustee/assessors to ask for a larger increase during tonight’s session, which begins at 6 p.m.
In another salary-related matter, the council asked Corwin to make modifications to the county’s 11-step pay scale after Corwin and Coleman pointed out that there are small differences in the percentage increases between some of the steps.
Corwin was asked to start at the beginning pay for each pay grade, and make each increase between steps 2.44 percent.
In another pay plan matter, the council agreed to ask their contract pay plan consultant to review pay levels at the county highway department — especially those of the truck drivers.
Ken Wellman, superintendent of the county highway department, said that the starting hourly rate for truck drivers in Jay County ($9.89) is more than $3 per hour less than the average starting hourly rate in Blackford, Wells and Adams counties.
“I need the flexibility to go out and hire somebody that I feel confident can do the job. The starting wage, quite honestly, is not up to snuff,” Wellman said.
“And if we make an exception for you, there’ll be four more people here next month” asking for review, said Kirby, who voted along with his fellow council members to ask Jonna Reece to review the pay situation at the highway department.
Most questions council members had on specific budgets were answered quickly.
Several members of the council did express concern about a $2,500 line item for office equipment in the budget of Jay/Portland Building and Planning. The department, which has costs split between the city and county, spent more than $5,300 earlier this year to buy new furniture and equipment when it moved from the Jay County Courthouse to the Community Resource Center in downtown Portland.
Robert McCreery, chairman of a joint board which oversees operations of building and planning, said he was not sure if the request was targeted for specific items.
Several other 400 accounts, or those to be used for purchase of capital assets, also received close scrutiny from the council.
During review of the commissioners’ budget, which increased slightly to just over $2 million, the council heard presentations from Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, and officials from the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Quadrozzi also introduced Ami Davidson, the new Jay County Community Developer, to the council. Davidson is expected to begin work on Monday.[[In-content Ad]]
Not this time.
Members of the council were told Tuesday that budget requests for the coming year are within the maximum amount the county will be allowed to raise through property taxes.
But while cuts aren’t required, a lowered value of taxable property and real estate in the county combined with an increase in the total amount of dollars the county can raise, will mean the county’s property tax rates will rise — likely in the neighborhood of 10 to 14 percent.
Shortly after the first of consecutive nights of budget hearings opened, council member Gerald Kirby asked Jay County auditor Freda Corwin for a financial report.
“Really, you don’t have to cut anything ... unless you want to add to your operating balance (cash reserves),” Corwin told the council.
“That is good news,” said Kirby.
Estimates completed this morning by Corwin show the total county rate (comprised of six different funds), not including a welfare rate, increasing to about 60 cents for 2006 tax bills, up from 53 cents this year — an increase of about 12 percent.
With no pressure to find hundreds of thousands of dollars in cuts as in past years, Tuesday night’s session had a mostly relaxed atmosphere, with only a few items in a handful of budgets coming under intense scrutiny.
Although they made no firm decision on salaries for county workers on Tuesday, council members Marilyn Coleman, Jim Zimmerman, Judy LeMaster, George Meehan, Jack Houck and Kirby appeared to be favoring allowing an increase in the range of 3 percent. Councilman Todd Wickey did not attend Tuesday’s council session.
A motion to approve that raise for all full-time county workers was rescinded after LeMaster pointed out that she expects township trustees and trustee/assessors to ask for a larger increase during tonight’s session, which begins at 6 p.m.
In another salary-related matter, the council asked Corwin to make modifications to the county’s 11-step pay scale after Corwin and Coleman pointed out that there are small differences in the percentage increases between some of the steps.
Corwin was asked to start at the beginning pay for each pay grade, and make each increase between steps 2.44 percent.
In another pay plan matter, the council agreed to ask their contract pay plan consultant to review pay levels at the county highway department — especially those of the truck drivers.
Ken Wellman, superintendent of the county highway department, said that the starting hourly rate for truck drivers in Jay County ($9.89) is more than $3 per hour less than the average starting hourly rate in Blackford, Wells and Adams counties.
“I need the flexibility to go out and hire somebody that I feel confident can do the job. The starting wage, quite honestly, is not up to snuff,” Wellman said.
“And if we make an exception for you, there’ll be four more people here next month” asking for review, said Kirby, who voted along with his fellow council members to ask Jonna Reece to review the pay situation at the highway department.
Most questions council members had on specific budgets were answered quickly.
Several members of the council did express concern about a $2,500 line item for office equipment in the budget of Jay/Portland Building and Planning. The department, which has costs split between the city and county, spent more than $5,300 earlier this year to buy new furniture and equipment when it moved from the Jay County Courthouse to the Community Resource Center in downtown Portland.
Robert McCreery, chairman of a joint board which oversees operations of building and planning, said he was not sure if the request was targeted for specific items.
Several other 400 accounts, or those to be used for purchase of capital assets, also received close scrutiny from the council.
During review of the commissioners’ budget, which increased slightly to just over $2 million, the council heard presentations from Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, and officials from the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Quadrozzi also introduced Ami Davidson, the new Jay County Community Developer, to the council. Davidson is expected to begin work on Monday.[[In-content Ad]]
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