County’s budget gap at $3 million

The digest declined last year by almost four percent and chief appraiser Cecil Highfield has estimated there will be an even steeper decline when the final numbers are released this month.

Highfield recommended that county officials build the FY2011 budget on the assumption that property tax revenues would drop by $1.5 million.

THE $6 MILLION CHALLENGE
A budget committee chaired by Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood met for months to find ways to balance the new budget in the face of the declining economy.

Commissioners Larry Joe Wilburn, Eva Elder, Billy Parks and Worley actively participated in committee meetings along with finance department staff and two local businessmen, Jim Neu and Tommy Sanders.

The initial gap between projected revenues and requested departmental expenditures for FY2011 was more than $6 million.

Steps taken to close about half of that gap included refinancing some bond debt, increasing employee contributions to health care costs, reducing the county’s contribution to the retirement plan, and cutting out most of new spending requests from managers and elected officials.

But that still left a shortfall of nearly $3 million as of last week.

CFO Rose Kisaalita told the Barrow Journal that she has reviewed Worley’s newly recommended cuts, and they look workable on paper.

“He has a valid budget,” she said. “I think we can work with his budget.”

For more on this story, see the August 4 edition of the Barrow Journal or click here to read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition.