Logan County Board: Annual budgeting process sees changes

[July 15, 2016]  LINCOLN - On Tuesday, July 12, 2016, the Logan County Board Finance Committee held their monthly meeting. Committee Chairman Chuck Ruben briefly discussed the budget for Fiscal Year 2016/2017. Ruben also said they need to reauthorize Board Chairman David Hepler signing the Electric Aggregation bid.

Ruben said there is a change in the way the budget is done. In the past, people from various departments attended either a morning or evening meeting to discuss the budget. He said there will no longer be the meetings where everyone will attend. Ruben said it is unneccessary to speak to all the department heads.

Ruben said Amy Kuhlman has budget sheets ready to be given to county departments. Once the budget sheets are returned, he will make a draft of the budget to submit to the committee. Ruben said he will send changes to the departments and if they do not like the changes, they can come to meetings to discuss it.

Ruben said the Finance Committee does budgets for a few areas like the major criminal cases fund. This fund had $161,000 at the beginning of the year. Ruben said around $16,000 of the fund was used to buy audiovisual equipment that has been set up in one of the courtrooms. He said, "I took $25,000 off the line item for it and just stuck it in again with some numbers so we got something in the budget."

Ruben said the committee also budgets the aid to county programs fund, which will be the same as last year.

Ruben said he has filled in some of the line items on the general account for the county board. He said the line items for the secretarial pay will go to the Executive Committee.

Ruben said they are still finalizing the number for health insurance. He said when that number comes in, they take it times two and insert it in the insurance line.

Ruben said, "I am concerned because of last year's budget using some of the wind farm money even though we are not transferring it if it doesn't come in. It still made up a deficit and that deficit is going to have to come from someplace." Ruben said, "It sure isn't going to come from wind farms this year."

Other updates

Ruben said that on Thursday he plans to authorize the chairman to sign the electrical aggregation bid. He said they have extended the time and have run out of extensions, so it needs to be authorized again. Ruben said they have been waiting for where they thought the bids would make the most money.

Ruben said the committee has received the remainder of a bill for the virtual server used for all the offices in the courthouse. County Clerk and Recorder Sally Turner paid the first bill out of her document storage fund. Ruben said the other part will come out of the major criminal cases fund.

Ruben said Turner sent a letter stating the county needs some new election equipment. Ruben said when they got equipment in 2003, a Help America Vote Grant was used for funding. He said there may be some grant money out there, but it is not likely with the state's temporary budget.

Ruben said committee member Gene Rohlfs suggested they take it out of the early voting systems line item one year and the polling places the next. Ruben said he will have Turner submit a request for some extra money as part of her budget. The committee can determine if they have the funding.

The finance committee will continue discussions on the 2016/2017 budget in upcoming months.

The next finance committee meeting is Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.

[Angela Reiners]