“My objective is to maintain a structurally balanced operating budget, that will mean reducing department budgets,” Keels said. “I took the first cut when I reduced the budget stabilization fund by $1 million and capital by a half million. That was my first attempt to reduce the budget and I did it with the initial submission.”
RELATED: Butler County services at stake if Medicaid sales tax fix isn’t found
She said those cuts were needed because of a $3 million loss in Medicaid Managed Care Sales Taxes. The federal government ruled Ohio cannot collect the tax anymore and the state legislature has yet to fund a replacement. Legislators did approve some one-time-only money to help counties transition to the lower revenue, but that $2 million can’t be used for operations in the county government offices. It also dries up next year.
The Senate and governor’s office brokered another deal over the summer but the legislature hasn’t acted on it yet. John Fortney, press secretary for Senate Majority Caucus, said talks continue.
“We’ve worked out a plan with county officials that will get them some of the funding they need, and we shared that proposal with the House,” Fortney told the Journal-News. “Those conversations are ongoing.”
Another big hit this year that affects 2018 spending was the need to replace the county’s emergency responder communications system and radios, a project that cost $10 million. Keels said they are exploring financing options for the system. The replacement of the nine-year-old communications system is necessary because Motorola has stopped making the radios and won’t service them beginning in 2019.
MORE: Butler County agrees to $10 million communications system purchase
Another financial issue beyond the county’s control is a new state law — Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison (TCAP) — that curbs judges’ ability to send low-level, non-violent offenders to prison. Keels said they can’t really account for that cost yet because it does not take effect until next summer. However, there is a request in the Common Pleas Court’s budget for money to expand the court’s hours of operation so staff can handle more probation cases due to the state edict. That request is on Keels’ list of possible cuts.
Court Administrator Wayne Gilkison put $245,758 in the budget to take the court’s hours from 35 to 37.5 each week. He said he hopes that will not be cut. He said expanding the hours was a better solution financially than adding staff which includes expensive benefits packages.
“We absolutely believe it is a valid expense. I think 65 percent of the offices in Butler County are on a 40 hour work week,” he said. “We’re not moving to the 40 because we know it would be a huge expense to the county and we think we can provide good customer service to the people that need access to the courts at 37.5,” Gilkison said. “We think by increasing our hours, knowing that TCAP is going to effect us, we can mitigate TCAP without adding full-time employees which I think is the fiscally responsible thing to do.”
Keels is also considering cutting a $300,000 property tax software purchase for the treasurer’s office and some requests for salary increases that go above the commissioners’ performance pay levels. The commissioners have a merit pay program that gives up to a 2 percent increase to employees’ base pay and another lump sum payment of up to 2 percent.
The Veterans Service Commission was one of a handful of offices asking for increases in the 3-to-5 percent range. The board wanted 5 percent because they are surveying their wages paid to staff and that could lead to increases. They wanted to make sure they had enough money if the survey came back showing their staff is underpaid. Next week the veteran’s board members will discuss increasing their pay scales by 2 percent — the cost of living increase equal to what other veterans will get next year.
RELATED: Veterans board wage survey still in the trash
The county commissioners hired Clemans Nelson — the firm they used years ago for a wage survey — again to look at how their departments’ salaries compare to other counties. The results are in but the commissioners haven’t discussed them yet.
County Administrator Charlie Young said the commissioners will be implementing recommendations from Clemans Nelson next year and it shouldn’t have a huge impact.
“You would expect it to be some more (money), it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a huge number of changes…,” Young said. “This study wasn’t intended to be for the purpose of adjusting anyone’s pay. This is to adjust the pay ranges if they need to be adjusted. If someone was at the minimum they would be moved to the new minimum.”
In December Keels will present the commissioners with a final budget for consideration.
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