Scotts Bluff County Commissioners have nearly completed budget deliberations, settling on a levy number below last year’s, but with a property tax asking that will result in a pink postcard public hearing.
Further trimming of requests and the use of about $300,000 in cash reserves would result in a levy of .346, which would be an additional tax asking of about $528,000.
As Commissioners and Management Accountant Lisa Rien looked through the various departments to find additional spending proposals that could be either reduced or eliminated, discussion kept returning to the proposed Assessor’s budget.
A major hurdle acknowledged by the Board was that the county is now overdue for a Commercial/Industrial property re-assessment, which by state law has to take place every six years. With no staffers qualified to handle the task, Assessor Robert Simpson had originally added $400,000 to his spending proposal to pay for an outside company, which was ultimately broken into half for the new budget, and the remainder in the following fiscal year.
Simpson had also been asking for funding to fill two new positions, which would bring office staff to seven, but Rien countered while all other departments had cut many ‘wants’, the Assessor’s office was pressing the staffing issue. That sparked further deliberations, with various board members noting other departments, such as Roads, need staff as well, but have been making do without.
Discussion also moved into the very tight financial situation for the county, which includes a variety of spending mandates based on state law, such as staffing levels at the Detention Center, and pay rates negotiated in prior contract talks. Commissioner Ken Meyer said that really ties the Board’s hands, as it just costs more now to do the same things as in previous years.
“It’s costing everybody more money. It’s costing the suppliers more money, It’s costing us more money, It’s costing each individual on this board more money to live,” said Meyer. “We have employees that we’re looking to give a 3.5% (cost of living) increase, but it’s already costing between two- and four-hundred bucks a month for them.”
Commissioners ultimately agreed on funding one new position in the Assessor’s office, and left intact the 3.5 percent COLA for staff not covered by separate employment contracts. A ‘RIF’, or Reduction in Force, was not anticipated to become part of the County’s plan at this time.
Mark Harris, who was elected as the new Board Chair at the start of the meeting, was the only vote against the proposed levy and spending document a amended. Harris maintained he would have preferred to see more cuts to budget requests in an effort to keep the increase in property tax asking below 2.29%.
The spending document has yet to go through a public hearing, as well as the ‘pink postcard’ Truth in Taxation joint hearing, toward the end of the month.
In other action before the Board, Commissioner Charlie Knapper was selected Vice-Chair. The switch in leadership came after Ken Meyer announced he was stepping down from the top leadership post in August.
