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Miami County faces tough budget decisions

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By Nancy Bowman, Staff Writer 6:16 PM Thursday, June 25, 2009

TROY — Tough decisions will have to be made in the next few weeks as Miami County officials look for ways to make “some very difficult cuts,” County Commission President John “Bud” O’Brien said Thursday, June 25.

The commissioners, who held their first hearing Thursday on the 2010 tax — or planning — budget, said they’ll meet again with department heads and elected officials to find a way to narrow the gap between $28.5 million in requests for spending from the county general fund and projected income of $21.4 million. There often is a gap between projected income and spending because of traditional conservative income estimates, but this gap is larger and cuts will be harder to find because of tight budget the past several years, commissioners said.

Commissioners are trying to put together the planning budget, which will be followed in December by appropriations for spending next year.

The planning comes at a time when sales tax and interest income are down and the county, like other entities across the state, waits to see how local government funding will be affected by the next state budget. In addition, income from the sheriff’s office for lease of jail beds is expected this year at around $400,000, compared to up to $1.4 million in the past.

Commissioner Ron Widener said the commission will need to “drastically cut our costs” in the next few weeks. He declined to elaborate, adding only, “We’re going to have to do things we’ve never had to do before.”

O’Brien said commissioners told elected officials and department heads on Thursday that they’re looking for suggestions on how to deal with cuts. “We have to put our heads together,” he said.

The commissioners credited a team management approach emphasized by commissioners for years with helping the county deal with tight budgets the past few years. They said they are confident that spirt will continue.

The county last year dipped into a reserve fund for $1.8 million to balance the budget. The fund now is at about $11.3 million.

In the general fund, more than 60 percent of spending is for criminal justice and law enforcement. The sheriff’s department in late May laid off five deputies and five correction officers in response to the commission’s request cuts before the 2010 budget requests were submitted.

“It is a nerve racking time for us, for cities, for state government, for everybody,” Commissioner Jack Evans said.

The general fund contains money for most day-to-day operations. Budget requests for all other funds in 2010 total $61.4 million with revenue projected at $58.8 million. The commission will vote on the 2010 tax budget on July 14.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2292 or nbowman@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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