By using $2,000,000 from a BWCA fund the county maintains from U.S. Forest Service payments and by chipping away at proposed expenses in numerous departments, the county board was able to set its preliminary 2012 levy at $6,266,458, or 2.75% over this year’s levy. The levy could be reduced but not increased before the final budget is set in December.
The budget requests from Cook County department heads this summer totaled $6,918,930, 17.53% over this year’s levy amount.
The county board labored on September 9 and again on September 12 over how to cut corners to keep the levy increase down. The first day, commissioners, who each act as liaison to several county departments, presented options they had discussed with department heads for increasing revenue or decreasing costs. The second day, department heads came to the meeting one by one and discussed these ideas with the entire board.
Cuts from the proposed 2012 budget include:
. Postponing by six
months the hiring of a
communications specialist
in the Information
Technology Department to
coordinate communication
tower agreements and
implementation of the Allied
Radio Matrix for Emergency
Response (ARMER) agency
interoperability system
($32,000);
. Deferring repairs and
upgrades to the Hovland and
Tofte Highway Department
shops ($20,000);
. Undesignating $10,800
previously set aside for
improvements to the Search
& Rescue building.
Methods of increasing revenue in 2012 include:
. Increasing the cost of plat books from $30 to $35 ($5,000);
. Extending the Curling Club’s use of the Community Center ($2,750);
. Tapping into the Extension Service’s reserve fund ($5,000).
Public Health & Human Services
Public Health & Human Services (PHHS) liaison Sue Hakes said removing anything from that department’s proposed budget would require input from the county board because services would need to be cut. “They took such big hits from the state,” Hakes said, “and their work is mandated.”
At the September 12 meeting, PHHS Director Sue Futterer said the 2012 budget included continuing a public health nurse position with county dollars while waiting for grant funding to be renewed. They will be using department reserve funds to keep the 2012 levy down, however.
Highway Department
Commissioner Bruce Martinson and County Engineer David Betts talked about tradeoffs when expenses are whittled down. The department had planned to increase its gravel reserves in various locations around the county to reduce the amount of gravel hauling that would be needed (and some of their trucks only get a couple of miles per gallon of gas when hauling, Betts said). They could also get better rates if they bought larger quantities of gravel.
Martinson suggested putting off some planned equipment replacements. Betts said that plow trucks, loaders, and survey equipment were the last things he would put off buying. “I think those things are the most needed,” he said. “I think it’s important to stay on the schedule with those trucks.”
Martinson suggested not putting $70,000 into the Highway Department reserve fund as planned. Betts reminded Martinson that the department was trying to become more self-sufficient by putting aside money in its own reserve fund. Over the years, deferred capital improvements resulted in the department having a huge backlog of equipment replacement needs. One of their trucks needs to be repaired every couple of times they use it, Betts said. If they had to cut, however, the first thing he would cut would be $75,000 that had been planned for the capital reserve fund, he said.
County attorney’s office
The board discussed whether the attorney’s office could move to an online law library instead of continually buying updated law books. Counties are required to have law libraries for use by the public, County Attorney Tim Scannell said, and because technology is still difficult for some people to use, he recommended that they continue to make the books available.
Outside requests
The Schroeder Area Historical Society put in a grant request to the county this year. The board talked about the society’s success in raising funds. “I see Schroeder as a good example of how a nonprofit should operate,” Commissioner Fritz Sobanja said.
Sheriff’s office
Sheriff Mark Falk said he has talked to his staff about minimizing the amount of time their squad cars idle. They need to avoid turning the cars off for too long in the wintertime, however, he said, because the equipment inside them starts running the car batteries down if the cars are not on.
Planning & Zoning
Commissioner Bruce Martinson noted that requests for land use permits have been decreasing. In 2007, 245 applications were submitted, and two years later, the department received only 115 applications. He wondered if staff should be reduced.
The department could have used more help in 2007, Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson responded. With more staff, they could have provided more oversight and re-checked projects. Having more staff would have allowed them to be more thorough. Their office is still busy, he said.
EDA
The board discussed Cook County/ Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) budget requests for things like housing, small business development, and Superior National at Lutsen golf course. “They need to come talk to the board,” Commissioner Jan Hall said.
The BWCA fund will have $25,000 left after the other $2,000,000 is used in the 2012 budget.
Commissioner Jim Johnson said he believed the board made “common sense” cuts the department heads would agree with. “I think we’ve gone about as far as we could go,” he said, “without it starting to hurt.”
Individual property taxes could go up more than the 2.75% maximum increase set by the county board in its preliminary budget, which will be finalized in December. The hospital could increase its levy, and the county will no longer be getting compensation from the state for homestead credits after the state replaced the homestead exemption with a different formula for reducing taxes on homesteaded properties.
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