County to crunch budget numbers

Published 12:00 am Friday, January 14, 2005

A tight budget may get squeezed a little more this year.

Preliminary figures indicate Lawrence County will have a smaller carryover into this year than it did in 2004.

Lawrence County Commissioner Jason Stephens said Thursday that figures, which have not yet been certified, show the 2004 ending balance in the general fund is approximately $600,000.

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That amount is $300,000 below the carryover from 2003 into 2004.

He said when he and fellow commissioners George Patterson and Doug Malone sit down to hammer out a budget in the coming weeks, fellow officeholders should not expect to get any increases, and may see less money coming in their direction.

"Looking at the numbers, just salaries alone, it's going to be hard to sustain things the way we're going unless there are some changes," Stephens said. "We've got to make the budget balance, but we may have some tough decisions to make."

Patterson agreed but found a silver lining.

"The one thing that will help us this year is no extra pay period," Patterson said. "Still, the carryover is running behind and we're going to have to face that. … Everyone will know what the budget is going to be."

The commission approved a temporary budget late last month to keep operations going until a new spending plan is in place.

Stephens said one thing that makes budgeting difficult, if not downright impossible, are the state mandates commissioners have no control over, but must find money for anyway. By state law, certain elected offices, such as the courts, may mandate the amount of county money set aside for them and the commission must provide it.

Also, the state requires, other policies and programs that cost money and must be provided for regardless of the county's financial condition.

Patterson said other counties have balanced their budgets by layoffs, something Lawrence County has not been forced to do.

Stephens said it is still too early to know exactly what the 2005 permanent budget is going to look like, but he is certain it won't be fancy. There will be no money for frills.

"There's no tree on the courthouse lawn growing money on it," he said.