JEFFERSON — The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners spent much of Thursday looking for pocket change with which to pay for big-ticket items.
Two work sessions dedicated to the 2010 budget failed to produce a consensus that could lead to a permanent budget for the county. The work continues Monday, leaving elected officials without final appropriations as the county enters the fourth pay period of the year.
Departments have been working under temporary appropriations, which are overstated. This could aggravate shortages, which are projected in every department that cannot mandate its budget. The board is faced with the challenge of providing services required by law while cutting staffing in key areas, including the commissioners office and offices of the sheriff, recorder, clerk of courts, treasurer, auditor, and planning and building departments.
“I can’t make these numbers work,” said Commissioner Daniel Claypool as he peered over the top of his laptop computer. “I’m very good with spreadsheets, but I can’t make it work.”
After devoting several hours of work to the effort, commissioners and County Administrator Janet Discher came within about $500,000 of what it would take to keep most departments — except the sheriff’s, whose budget would be cut at least 20 percent — at 2009 spending levels. Getting there, however, would require cleaning out several accounts and spending half of the county’s carryover balance from 2009.
Commissioners also are seeking a concession from Judge Charles Hague, who requested a substantial boost to his 2010 Youth Detention Center budget. The board wants Hague to agree to accept the amount the Ohio Supreme Court told the board it had to fund the YDC at in 2009. Doing so would give the county an additional $200,000 to use for its controllable spending categories.
Commissioner Peggy Carlo talked to Hague about the proposal Thursday and said the judge wanted to see something in writing, signed by all three commissioners, before making a decision.
The board also discussed the possibility of not making an optional $100,000 principal payment on the county’s $7 million lodge loan, in order to free up money for county departments. The loan costs the county about $150,000 annually in interest. The entire loan principal probably would be rolled over another year.
The possibility of increased revenue from a bump in the sales tax was not added to the spreadsheets. The increase goes into effect in April, and commissioners filed with the board of elections on Wednesday to place the issue on the May ballot. The wild card is what effect, if any, a successful separate referendum effort would have upon the county’s ability to start collecting the emergency sales tax in April and place the issue before voters in May.
Sheriff William Johnson, Treasurer Dawn Cragon and Auditor Roger Corlett joined the morning work session.
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No budget yet
Commissioners spend day crunching numbers
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