Commissioners Agree To Cut Budget

In a called meeting last Wednesday, June 10, the Jasper County commissioners agreed to make current year budget cuts of about $500,000.

All five commissioners were in agreement that the way to make the cuts would be to look at the overall budget, and cut each department by whatever percentage is necessary, probably about 20 percent. This includes cuts already agreed upon as well as new cuts.

Departments which have already made cuts would get credit for the cuts made, meaning some departments will face larger cuts than others. Commissioners commented they did not see where any cuts had been made in judicial or public safety.

Commissioners directed County Manager Greg Williams to figure the amount of cut for each department and send a memo to the department head. The memo would inform the elected official or department head how much must be cut, and ask for recommendations. If the commission did not receive any, it would have to determine where to make the cuts, the commissioners agreed.

The commissioners offered to stop by the office and help Mr. Williams with the figures, but he assured them he could do it. Commissioners Ronnie Payne and Alan Cox were to look over his figures Friday morning, and all five commissioners were to sign the memo, and it was to be distributed.

Other cuts agreed to were to eliminate water coolers throughout the courthouse and to look at getting bids for LP gas and other gas.

Commissioners learned that the digest went down about $6 million, which equated to a $184,000 loss in revenue.

Commissioners also talked about dividing the departments with one or two commissioners serving as a liaison between the board of commissioners and the individual departments, including elected officials. The commissioners felt like they could establish a better rapport with others in county government if they adopted this approach.

Commissioners briefly discussed the recreation department saying that they were signing checks for Cokes at the recreation department, and questioned if they are being reimbursed. One person said that the “concession fund” brought in $32,000 last month, and spent $57,000.

Cooperative Extension Coordinator Kasey Reid who was at the meeting told the commissioners she thought it was a good idea to establish the liaison policy.