Council tweaks 2019 budget

The budget is almost ready.

Jay County Council made some tweaks to finances Wednesday during its review of the 2019 budget, but still has a few more questions to cover at its meeting next week.

The initial budget estimate for 2019 was $18,122,321.52, which is up about $1.5 million — about 9.1 percent — from the current year. That includes $7.98 million in the general fund, which is up from $7.65 million in 2018.

The county is projected to have an assessed value of just over $981 million, which is down about $6 million from 2018. The drop is predominantly because of a change to the way agricultural land is assessed.

The biggest changes in the county’s budget from the current year to 2019 are for the highway department, insurance and raises.

The highway department’s budget includes increases of $125,000 — $200,000 from the previous $75,000 — for highway equipment, $75,000 for stone, gravel and aggregates, $50,000 for office equipment and $37,000 for equipment rental. Overall, the department’s budget will jump to about $4.275 million from the previous $3.55 million.

“We’re looking at … new software,” said highway department superintendent Ken Wellman, noting that it would track vehicle maintenance, daily activity, payroll and other details. “With all the new procedures and policies that the state board of accounts is trying to instill in the highway department, we have to upgrade some of our filing system. …

“We are excited … about what we may be able to expand into as far as chip and seal and the possibility of road conversions.”

He also said the department is likely to have to start contracting to remove dead ash trees that are in the county’s right of way because they are becoming dangerous.

County commissioners budgeted $1 million for group health insurance for 2019, up from $709,500 for this year.

Claims this year are running 23 percent higher than premiums, including one employee whose total has eclipsed $400,000. For that reason, costs are expected to take a significant jump in 2019, though commissioners do not have solid numbers yet. They are in the process of looking at both new insurance consultants and companies.

“We’re going through a more extensive process this year,” said commissioner Chuck Huffman. “I don’t know what that will lead to.”

Commissioners made some other increases as well, including a $14,000 grant for Arts Place’s Arts in the Parks program that had previously been part of the Jay County Solid Waste Management District budget.

The county’s personnel recommended last month that the county give raises in 2019 between 1 and 5 percent, depending on job classification. Those represent a budget increase of about $110,000.

Gary Barnett, one of the supervisors for Jay Emergency Medical Service, said those raises are a step in the right direction and encouraged council members Jeanne Houchins, Ted Champ, Gary Theurer, Cindy Newton, Mike Rockwell, Faron Parr and Amy Runyon-Barrett to continue on that path.

“It’s very difficult to keep paramedics here, because they can just go another 10 miles and make four more bucks an hour,” he said.

Council members made a few adjustments to the budget Wednesday, including an increase for the health department for the purchase of vaccines and a decrease to the sheriff’s office budget for training.

The health department has regularly needed additional appropriations to get the necessary vaccines, and employees pointed out that new vaccines are now being required for students. Council decided to add $15,000, raising the vaccine budget to $65,000, in order to allow the department more flexibility.

Sheriff Dwane Ford had sought to double his training budget — to $10,000 from $5,000 — in part because of the expense of training Jay School Corporation employees who would have access to guns in the case of an active shooter. That training has been halted because of liability issues, Houchins said, so the additional $5,000 was removed from the budget.

Council members also had questions about changes to the budget for the coroner’s office for autopsy and phone expenses and the retirement center for meals, but the heads of those departments were not in attendance at the meeting. They will be asked to attend council’s regular meeting Wednesday to discuss their numbers.

The budget is scheduled for first reading Sept. 19 and then adoption at the regular Oct. 10 meeting.