 The process of developing the budget began with two mornings of
budget hearings. The committee then began the task of reviewing
anticipated revenues, projected expenses, special requests and how
to make those ends meet.This year's budget process, begun in
early August, went into extra innings with a number of special
finance meetings and dozens of extra hours spent sorting out how to
fit increasing costs into lesser revenues.
Voting yes to approve the proposed budget were Rick Aylesworth,
Terry Carlton, Bob Farmer, Gloria Luster, Bill Martin, Chuck Ruben,
Jan Schumacher and T.W. Werth.
Voting no were John Stewart, Kevin Bateman, David Hepler and Pat
O'Neill.
All of the tax levy funds were
approved, with the following votes:
-
General fund,
$810,237
10-2; Hepler and O'Neill voted no.
-
Liability
insurance, $170,000
12-0
-
Health department,
$370,870
12-0
-
Illinois Municipal
Retirement, $812,500
12-0
-
County highway,
$379,145
12-0
-
County bridge,
$100,000
7-5; Stewart, Werth, Bateman, Hepler and O'Neill voted no.
(See discussion below.)
-
Highway matching
tax, $199,000
12-0
-
Ambulance service,
$150,000
12-0
-
Tuberculosis,
$55,398
12-0
-
Senior citizens
tax, $80,000
12-0
-
Cooperative Extension Service, $103,000
9-3; Stewart, Bateman, Hepler voted no.
Ruben thanked the finance committee for their hard work in
developing the budget. He then reminded the board that due to the
tax cap, this set of figures is fixed to the total levy. "So, if you
want to raise one, you've got to pick another one to drop," he said.
"That's the only way it works unless we can change the PTEL law."
During the evening a motion to remove the GIS coordinator from
the budget was made by Pat O'Neill and seconded by David Hepler.
O'Neill said that last week he had had phone calls opposing this
expense.
Bill Martin said that the reason the position was placed in the
budget right now was in case the work that is being done on GIS
comes to the point that we can look at having a person to do our
GIS. It would be important to have this in place, rather than to
come back and try to do this in the middle of the year, he said.
John Stewart said that this week he called county engineer Bret
Aukamp, who has carried the work on the GIS to this point. "It's not
in his job description to be doing this," Stewart said. "He's gone
above and beyond."
Stewart said that he hoped the GIS position could be combined
with a planning and zoning position.
"We've already put about $200,000 in this system," Stewart said.
From his own experience building wind farms, where the technology is
used heavily, he could see it would have many other uses. "It's
something that is going to be needed in the near future if we're
going to move forward," he said.
The motion to remove the GIS position failed with a vote of 10-2.
Another area of concern to board members was
the reduction of funding to the bridge fund. If fully funded, the
bridge fund would have been at $200,000 this year. While intended as
a temporary measure to cover general fund operating costs, this is
the seventh year of taking from that levy. It began with the
2003-2004 budget, when $0 was levied. A total of $1.2 million has
been diverted in the past six years.
The matching tax fund, which is also used by the highway
department for infrastructure projects, was reduced during recent
years for the same purpose. That fund has been restored.
The health department was also reduced during past years, but
their funding has been fully restored this year.
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Aukamp was able to make up for some of the losses to the highway department in a
number of ways, including searching for and receiving outside funding for a
number of projects. However, in September he wrote the finance committee to
remind the committee: "If the infrastructure funds are routinely used to balance
an annual operating budget, we will quickly be outpaced by the deferred cost of
repair to our bridges and roadways."
He detailed the current conditions of the county bridges and
projected into the future. Five bridges are now on a special
inspection list, two inspected monthly. Four bridges have been
targeted for replacement or closure in the next few years; nine have
significant issues that cannot be economically repaired.
Basic maintenance is valuable in prolonging the lifespan of
bridges. "For example, it is much cheaper to prevent rust by
painting steel beams than it is to ignore the problem until the
beams need to be fully replaced," he said.
In addition to the annual $100,000 to $200,000 needed for
projects, which includes culverts, there is $500,000 worth of
specialized projects in the next five years involving bridge
painting and overlays.
The result of postponing repairs has its price. Each year the
weight limit postings are adjusted on various bridges, and one
bridge has already been closed in Sheridan Township; some others are
down to 3-ton limits. "Without adequate funding, we will simply not
have the money to repair or replace these bridges," he said.
Stewart credited Aukamp for his efforts on covering for the funds
taken away temporarily but said that it is time to come up with a
plan to return those funds.
Ruben has said the same.
At the close of the meeting, board chairman Carlton discussed a
new initiative that would continue to look for ways to cut costs and
increase revenues. The Tax Reduction Task Force is a short-term,
six-month task force being formed with the aim to reduce taxes.
"One of its targets, Mr. Stewart, is (to look for) how to reduce
taxes, change our levies and fill that road and bridge fund back up,
but also how to maintain or lower our tax rate for Logan County,"
Carlton said. "The task force would gather and provide data to
substantiate their findings. I think we really need to have a good
grip on this."
This could be done by identifying ways to increase revenues or by
reducing operational costs. That should be our goal, Carlton said.
Some of these things we're already doing in part. Ideas could
include but are not limited to: co-payment on health insurance,
opt-out insurance program, variable part-time work force, outsource
services, voluntary severance incentive program, and creating an
administrative services group that would include IT, GIS (maybe
putting together GIS and zoning), central purchasing and payroll, he
said.
Options include increasing the public safety tax and reducing the
property tax by the equivalent.
A comprehensive overview of county-owned equipment and contracts
would be performed. All existing office equipment and related
contracts would need to be evaluated, including the phone system.
The information would be compiled in a report and evaluated.
"This report with recommendations would need to be done before we
establish our tax rate next spring," Carlton said.
He appointed Rick Aylesworth as chair, Chuck Ruben, Dave Hepler,
Jan Schumacher, and Kevin Bateman and himself to the task force.
A special note to the public, government entities and county
agencies:
On Thursday, beginning at noon, a special lunch-hour presentation
of the Logan County GIS has been scheduled to show some of its many
uses and how it might help you. The presentation will take place in
the boardroom on the first floor at the Logan County Courthouse.
[By
JAN YOUNGQUIST]
Past related article
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