County looks for how to reduce fund deficits before it becomes a bigger hurt
Two deputy assessor positions open

 

[September 21, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

At the Regular Logan County Board meeting on Tuesday, September 18, one focus of discussion was the budget deficit and raises for county employees. Finance Committee Chairman David Hepler brought forward several motions.

Hepler made a motion to approve a three percent raise for non-union employees.

Board member Gene Rohlfs said with revenues and expenses and the amount for raises added in, it would lower the fund balances further.

At last Tuesday’s Finance meeting, Rohlfs said compounding raises will put the county budget further behind next year. He asked the board members to vote their conscience.

At the Finance meeting, Ruben had said the amount in the budget would be $64,000 lower with the raises.

Board member Kevin Bateman said the union employee pay raises are already added in because they automatically get a pay raise.

Hepler’s motion to approve the three percent raise for non-union employees passed 10-2.

Kevin Bateman, Dave Blankenship, Emily Davenport, Janet Estill, Bob Farmer, David Hepler, Gloria Luster, Chuck Ruben, Bob Sanders and Annette Welch voted yes.

Scott Schaffenacker and Gene Rohlfs voted no.

Updates on Fiscal Year 2018/2019 Budget

Hepler then made a motion to place the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Budget on display. He said it could be amended once off display.

At last week’s Finance Committee meeting, there was discussion about some fund balances and increases.

Ruben said the budget includes additional expenses for the Assessor’s office because next year will be another quadrennial year. The extra amount is about $16,000 because costs are 84 cents per parcel line and there are 18,000 parcels.

Ruben said the Sheriff’s line item increased by $500,000, but all were approved. They will be replacing several vehicles and getting a new communications system. These expenses were approved at the August board meeting. In an update, the maintenance contracts may go down.

Logan County Chief Deputy of Operations Mark Landers said the first [$70,000] payment for the new radios would come out of this year’s budget.

Logan County Highway Engineer Bret Aukamp said he has increased costs and levies, but shows a budget the same as last year.

Aukamp said the County Bridge and Matching Tax Funds help bring in state funds and grants, but he needs more infrastructure funds to help with the local match.

He said with some funds not funded for five years straight, they are still not caught up. The county still has many structurally deficient bridges.

Hepler asked Aukamp what amendment he would like to see.

Aukamp said he wants an increase of county bridge levies to $200,000 and the highway levies to $450,000 (up from $440,000).

Ruben motioned for amendment of these areas in the County Highway Department Budget.

At the Finance Committee meeting, Hepler had asked how much is left of the (Hilltopper) wind farm money that has not been put into the next budget.

On Tuesday, Logan County Treasurer Penny Thomas said $350,000 has already been put in.

Schaffenacker asked about the $450,000 wind tower fees being reduced by $100,000.

Ruben said the amount the county had received for tower permit fees this year was at least $200,000 more than expected and Thomas said the amount received was close to $700,000.

Ruben said the extra amount was carried forward in the fund balance and they adjusted the budget for that extra into this year’s budget, but the budget is still in the hole.

Another wind farm is ramping up to begin west of Lincoln. Ruben said the Sugar Creek Wind Farm project may bring in close to $600,000.

Ruben said the amount of permit fees (Sugar Creek Wind Farm) for next year’s budget is a best guess. If something happens and they do not build, the county may not get the permit fees. He said the county is being bailed out by wind farms and cannot continue this way.

There was further discussion on the budget deficit.

Hepler said the board needs to find either a revenue source in the near future or several hundred thousand dollars in a transfer or a way to savings (cost cuts).

Schaffenacker asked about lowering the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund contribution of $600,000 and wondered if the Finance Committee had discussed lowering it based on the last few years.

Ruben said that fund actually needs to be bigger because they had a deficit in it.

Thomas said it is the county’s portion of IMRF with everything the county pays including tax distributions that go into it. She said for this year without all the tax distributions, it is about $200,000 in the red.

Thomas said a lot of times the county puts $100,000 extra in there, but with a deficit budget, it will not go in this year. This year, the distribution rate is about 10.82 percent and next year, it will probably be 8.45 percent. Leaving the amount at $600,000 will make up some of the difference and the lower percentages may make up some of the deficit.

Ruben said each year they continue to have a deficit, it becomes a problem.

Ruben said a day of reckoning is much harder. He said years ago, the board had to make 13 percent cuts “across the board” and those are substantial cuts to an office. He said some of the departments have not fully recovered.

Ruben said the farther along they go with these deficits, the harder it will be to correct them. He asked everyone on the board to peruse the budget and see where cuts could be made.

Hepler’s motion to put the budget on display passed unanimously.

The board unanimously approved Hepler’s final motion, which was for the Annual Abatement Ordinance. Ruben said this ordinance is to abate our property taxes for the payment of the bond. The bond is backed up by the property taxes. If they default, it would go on the property taxes.

Chairman’s report / positions open

Ruben said there are two positions for Deputy Assessor open. Right now, 19 applications have been sent in for these positions.

Ruben said a recent review of the rules showed that deputy assessors should be chosen with the advice and consent of the board. The county had not followed this policy before, but they plan to in the future.

Ruben will bring a motion for these positions forward at the next Finance Committee meeting.

Other Finance Committee updates and motions

Hepler’s motion to recommend the county no longer support the Joint Solid Waste fees for unincorporated areas after the current fiscal year passed 10-2.

Kevin Bateman, Emily Davenport, Janet Estill, Bob Farmer, David Hepler, Gloria Luster, Chuck Ruben, Bob Sanders, Scott Schaffenacker and Annette Welch voted yes.

Dave Blankenship and Gene Rohlfs voted no.

Bateman asked about the savings to the county with stopping the service.

Ruben said it means the county would no longer collect the $4.50 fee from the unincorporated areas of the county. There would be no savings to the county.

[Angela Reiners]