Wednesday, August 25, 2010

County budget gets closer to approval

HR position still in the plan


By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

The county will fund a new human resources position for 2011, according to the county's newest budget numbers.

Though a final budget will not be approved until Sept. 7, county commissioners convened on Tuesday afternoon to tie up a few budgetary loose ends.

Topics of discussion included a highly contested human resources position, funding for outside organizations and employee compensation.

The human resources position would take over some of the duties of County Administrator Derek Voss. The position, Voss said, would allow him to focus on large projects such as the planned replacement airport and the recycling center rather than on payroll and other issues.

Commissioner Tom Bowman reiterated his opposition to the new hire, saying, "I think we need to show discipline on this."

Bowman pointed to the county's deficit of about $98,000 in tax-supported funds for next fiscal year.

The county also discussed employee compensation adjustments. Commission Chair Larry Schoen said the compensation plan does not include any across-the-board raises.

While the county tentatively approved $80,000 in funding to help adjust salaries to reflect market rates, the current proposal suggests a three-month delay in hiring a new human resources staffer.

The delay would reduce the funding requirements of the position and allow $16,000 in extra funds to be diverted into employee compensation.

The commissioners also proposed reducing funding for the Hunger Coalition from $7,500 to $5,000, an amount equal to its level of funding for 2009. Funding for Mountain Rides dropped from $123,500 to $122,000. These cuts, along with others, will help fund the Blaine County Drug Coalition and Sawtooth Vision 20/20, nonprofit organizations that receive a substantial percentage of their budget from the county.

The commissioners will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to approve a final budget. The meeting will be open to the public.

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com




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