After several weeks of budget negotiations with various departments, the county board has approved a preliminary budget with a levy of $6,035,189 for 2010. This represents an increase of $411, 560, or 7.32%, over the 2009 levy. The Minnesota Department of Revenue will review the request, which includes $356,575 in special levies.
The proposed budget calls for using up $286,683 of the fund balance for general revenue ($117,000), the Highway Department ($117,000), Public Health & Human Services ($37,948), and the airport ($14,735). It includes step increases but no cost of living increases.
Special levies being requested would cover Public Health & Human Services matching fund requirements and federal grant reductions; Public Employees Retirement Association employer contribution increases; Sheriff ‘s Office wages and benefits; and 2008 and 2009 unallotment of aids.
At the Tuesday, September 15, 2009 county board meeting, Commissioner Bruce Martinson recommended taking a grant of $100,000 for Chik-Wauk Museum out of the 2010 county budget. Martinson said he thought the museum could access the same amount from the state’s 3/8% Clean Water, Land, and Legacy tax.
At the same meeting, the board unanimously approved a $10,424 contract with Crawford Excavating for the installation of a rain garden to catch runoff from the courthouse parking lot. The cost of plants will add $4,200 to the cost of the project, but the county will only pay 25% of the total cost, or $3,656.
On behalf of the county safety committee, Personnel Director Janet Simonen requested $2,000 for employee fire extinguisher training. The board approved the request unanimously.
At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Jan Hall requested that the board set up a closed meeting to discuss Highway Department issues. Janet Simonen stated that the meeting would need to be closed if they were to talk about specific employees but would need to be open if they were talking about departmental issues in general.
Commissioner Hall said that issues were being brought to her by Highway Department personnel.
Simonen recommended that Hall and Highway Department liaison Fritz Sobanja talk to County Attorney Tim Scannell to determine if the issue in question should be discussed in an open meeting or a closed meeting. Both commissioners agreed to do so.
A public discussion of the proposed budget will be held with the county board at 6:01 p.m. Tuesday, December 15 in the courthouse commissioners’ room.
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