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May 7, 2004
BUDGET BLUES County fails to act on budgetCOMMISSIONERS WRESTLE WITH $1.5 MILLION AUGMENTATION
By HEIDI J. BERTOLINO The $1.5 million augmentation request for transfer from the contingency fund was set up in November with PETT money needed to meet expected budget shortfalls. Departments also took a five percent cut in November with direction from the board to come back if they could not live within the new requirements. Updated figures were handed out for discussion but the board ultimately decided to table the item until a legal opinion and possible solutions could be obtained. During discussion Chairman Henry Neth said he did not support augmenting the bulk of requests because it was obvious from figures the wishes of the board presented in November had fallen on deaf ears in some departments. Trummell suggested augmenting up to $25,000 in necessary departments but figures above that signaled a problem within the departments' themselves and the ability of department heads to control spending. The Nye County Sheriff's Office is nearly $1 million over budget with salaries and overtime being the major drivers. Rodewald said that actual overtime far exceeded the budgeted amounts and the recent central Nevada manhunt attributed to the bulk of that overtime spending. Rodewald said some figures presented in November were wrong to begin with and that is why the augmentation was necessary in some of the other departments. He also said some of the departments had little control on how much they spend over the year because of special circumstances that were impossible to plan for. Over budget departments are: commissioners, $9,573; information services, $65,918; planning $33,266; general services, $167,611; Sheriff's office $941,985; emergency management $1,248; district attorney $65,124; justice courts $193,807; and other judicial $69,482. Ultimately the commissioners made no decision on the item, but requested the district attorney's office to research what impact the shortfalls would have, and if government would come to a halt if the various department budgets were not augmented. |
