The Marshall County Council reviewed budget requests during a meeting Monday morning, but with the aim of reducing quite a few expenditures for 2016.
Council members reviewed each department’s line items earlier in the year, but were tasked with making about $1-million in cuts. Many of the cuts were identified prior to Monday’s meeting.
Council President Matt Hassel says there are some ideas to enhance the budget process for next year.
“There has been a recommendation of doing a work session next year after budget hearings,” says Hassel. “Be thinking about that, see if you’d like to do that in a public meeting. We’ll sit around the table in the back and kick our ideas out.”
For fiscal year 2016, fuel expenses were reduced by about $200-thousand. Public Employee Retirement Fund and Social Security Benefits were moved to a different line item in the budget in the Marshall County Commissioner’s budget.
Many of the funds were untouched by the Council, but others saw office supplies, wages, and overtime pay. The General Fund budget was lowered to $8.7-million.
Once the fiscal year 2016 budget was in balance, Council President Matt Hassel said the focus had to change a little bit.
“Pointing to discussions of salaries, I think if we are going to give an adjustment, we are going to have to cut a little more out of the budget to make that happen,” says Hassel.
Several thousand additional dollars was eliminated from the Buildings and Grounds fund.
To pay for wage increases, the salary ordinance is used to specify the wage rate for each position. Council members suggested the department heads requesting increases should go before the personnel committee to make their case. Employees received a $500 across the board increase.
Council members voted to leave their compensation untouched.
