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Uncertainty of state revenues affects Stokes County budget
Manager implements tough cuts to avoid raising property taxes
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Published: May 28, 2009
Updated: 05/27/2009 11:05 pm
DANBURY
Expected cuts in state revenues made preparing Stokes County's 2009-10 budget a difficult task for County Manager Bryan Steen.
Among the cost-saving measures in the proposed budget is a mandatory 12-day furlough for all of the county's full-time and permanent part-time employees. It would save the county about $393,000, according to Julia Edwards, the finance director for Stokes County.
About 350 employees would be affected.
At the county commissioners' meeting Tuesday, Steen presented two budgets. The first budget came in at $39.8 million, and included money from a state reimbursement fund. However, Steen said he doesn't anticipate money from that fund being available to Stokes County in the coming fiscal year because of the state budget crunch.
That fund contributed more than $1 million to the county's budget last year.
With the fund's status in doubt, Steen submitted a second budget, for about $38.6 million. He recommended that the second budget be the one that commissioners act on.
Steen recommended the property-tax rate remain at 60 cents for each $100 in property value. That would amount to $600 for a person with a $100,000 home.
He said after the meeting that he had to weigh deep budget cuts versus increasing property taxes.
"As a manager, you have to look at the business side and make a determination, and you have to evaluate the financial condition of your taxpayers and realize that a lot of people are in very difficult circumstances," Steen said.
The proposed budget is about $3.4 million less than 2008-09's budget of $41.9 million
Beyond the mandatory furloughs, the budget also calls for freezing annual pay raises, closing trash sites an extra day a week, eliminating holiday bonuses and continuing a selective hiring freeze for vacant positions.
Steen also cut budgets from various departments to avoid dipping into the county's reserve fund.
For example, Stokes County Schools requested $11.4 million. Steen recommends an appropriation of $10.1 million.
"We are very limited in what we can fund," he said. "We are only looking at things that are extremely important and are likely to break."
Among the most costly purchases are eight patrol cars at $25,000 each for the sheriff's office and two ambulances at $95,000 each.
The public hearing for the proposed budget will be 7 p.m. Monday in Courtroom A of the Government Center in Danbury. There will also be six budget work sessions in June before the commissioners vote on the budget.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo'donnell@wsjournal.com.
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