Vernon budget finished

Members of the Vernon County commission have finished the 2012 Vernon County budget, and by all accounts, the work seemed easier this year. The commission has spent nearly two weeks meeting with all the elected officials and crunching numbers to get the budget done on time. The document will be available for public viewing Tuesday.

Though the yearly budget is always a lot of work, "it was easier" this year, Presiding Commissioner Bonnie McCord said.

"It didn't take as long," she said.

County Clerk Tammi Beach echoed the sentiment that "it was easier to do.

"The county officials did very well -- as they have in the past -- of keeping their needs minimal," Beach said.

Northern Commissioner Neal Gerster said the commission did not have any "off-the-wall requests," and Southern commissioner Kennon Shaw said he thought they did "better than normal" in meeting the needs of the various county departments.

Along with the frugality of the office holders, part of the reason for an easier budget session is an expected increase in tax revenue. The commission anticipates sales tax in the county to put $937,000 into the county coffers. That anticipated figure is well above last year's but still a little conservative.

When all revenue sources are considered and a surplus of $302,866.44 left from 2011 is added in, the total budget for this year comes up to $3,468,883.03 and that figure is also above the total budget for 2011. After paying out all anticipated expenditures for the year, the county should have a surplus of $86,436.22, Beach said.

"We're pretty happy with the way we've ended up," she added.

There are things in this year's budget that have been lacking the last couple of years. All county employees will receive a raise of 25 cents per hour. Elected officials will remain at their current level of pay.

Another new item in the budget is the addition of an office worker in the county assessor's office. Vernon County Assessor Cherie Roberts has been short-handed for the past couple of years, but there was no money to fund another worker.

Hiring another employee can actually save the county money, Shaw said. "Adding a position often eliminates comp time and saves money in the long run," said Shaw. Roberts' office is responsible for assessing the value of all properties in the county. They do not levy or collect taxes, they just determine the value of property.

Individual departmental budgets have been variable this year. County Recorder Doug Shupe said his office expects the same revenue as last year, and he only expected a 1.5 percent increase in his budget for training costs.

The recorder's office receives a $2 fee for recording land transfers of any kind and Shupe said his office handles thousands of documents each year from all over the country.

Vernon County Public Administrator Tammy Bond said "the cost of stuff's going up."

She said having more clients in the community instead of in the Hab Center has "pushed her costs up." She also noted that her clients tend to be younger now than in the past. The county administrator's office manages the day-to-day affairs and finances of people appointed to them by the court system. Bond handles more than 100 clients scattered all over the state. One increase in her budget was for postage, but Bond said she was trying to keep costs down by doing as much as she could electronically.

Beach said, "my budget's pretty cut and dried."

She said her fees were down a bit and this year there were elections to pay for. The August and November elections will cost an anticipated $34,000 each. Beach, whose office handles the day-to-day paperwork and some of the county finances, said she added a new copier to her budget, hoping it could be purchased this year.

County Treasurer Phil Couch said he tried to figure his "revenues a little conservatively." Couch serves as the treasurer and collector ex-officio. He fills only one of 22 similar positions in the state. His title is only found in counties that still have the township system in place. Couch said he added a 5 percent salary increase for his staff and an increase in postage to his budget this year. His office spends about 90 percent of their time collecting county, real estate and personal property taxes.

The circuit court clerk of Vernon County is Vicki Irwin. There was a budget increase in her department this year also. She raised her estimated need from just over $42,000 to 45,500. Much of the money is for microfilming and equipment repairs. Irwin said many of the chairs in her office need replaced and they were considering a new public address system for the circuit courtroom. Irwin's office handles civil and criminal legal filings and other court duties.

Much of the county budget is dedicated to public safety. The biggest portion of that is the Vernon County Sheriff's Office and Jail. When the new jail project was first implemented, officials hoped it would be a source of revenue for the county. But the sheriff's budget has been a struggle the past two years -- a situation that has finally changed.

"I think we've turned that corner with the construction of the new jail and getting bed space filled and to where it's really helping a great deal," McCord said. "It's not a drain," it's more of an asset.

There have been some additions to the sheriff's budget this year. The jail will add one more jailer and another deputy will be hired. The office has also been authorized two new cruisers that have been requested in the past but not funded.

The department's total budget for 2012 is $1,535,570.78. McCord said that the county tries to keep the sheriff's portion of the budget between 35 and 40 percent. It is the largest department in the county government.

The budget was finished and put out for public review on Jan. 13. That's actually a few days early, but since Monday is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday, and the courthouse will be closed, it won't be easily accessible until the official day on Tuesday, Jan 17. The public can view and comment on the budget in the commission's office on the second floor of the courthouse on weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. as late as Monday, Jan 30.

A final public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 31, after which any noted mistakes will be corrected, the approved budget will be signed and a copy sent to the state.