Lyon County commissioners on Thursday provided parameters for drafting the next look at the fiscal year 2011 budget. They plan to present it for public discussion at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 in the meeting room of the Lyon County annex, Fourth Avenue and Commercial Street.
During discussions with Bobbie Agler and Christie Miller of Agler & Gaeddert, commissioners asked for three things:
- Assume a mill levy that doesn’t change from the 2010 budget;
- Keep the road and bridge budget at its requested $5.534 million; and
- Assume the current 2010 spending will end with $600,000 to carry over to the 2011 budget.
Those parameters will allow commissioners and the public to see what will happen if different changes are made. For instance, if the mill levy is reduced or increased by 1 mill, how much cash would be generated? If funds were cut from one department, where could it be used?
During Thursday’s meeting, Agler presented commissioners with preliminary budgets that tried to take figures either from the actual spending for FY 2009 or “trending,” that is, looking at how spending has gone for the first six months of 2010 and project where those line items would end the year.
But, Agler said, neither approach worked across-the-board. Some departments’ numbers were more accurate when using 2009 figures. Trending provided more useful information for others.
The difference between Thursday’s numbers and those presented just the week before was an increase 17 mills, something all three commissioners found unacceptable.
Commissioners are especially concerned about the budget for the road and bridge department.
“We did cut them back a lot last year,” Chairman Scott Briggs said. “Did that put us behind the eight-ball on these roads that are in dire need of reconstruction.”
Briggs noted that he’s seen many semis driving on the county’s paved roads, including Burlingame Road, Americus Road and Allen Road. The semis may be hauling hay or crops around the county or into Emporia, but also may be carrying commodities out of Emporia. As an example, Briggs said, he passed two trucks on Burlingame Road hauling out of Emporia for Norfolk Iron and Metal.
In other business Thursday, commissioners approved a lengthy consent agenda, which included a number of funding requests:
- Approximately 1,000 feet of used 16-inch steel casing for $18 per foot;
- A computer and monitor to replace a broken unit in the maintenance department, up to $1,000;
- Hiring K-Dub Plumbing to repaire a roof drain at the Lyon County Health Department for up to $2,000;
- Parts required to fix a steamer in the jail kitchen for up to $1,150;
- Fixing the air conditioning in the sheriff’s office tactical armored van for up to $2,000 from a drug forfeiture fund;
- Making the second-half payment for equipment for the Emporia Police Department, $9,000 from the county attorney’s diversion fund;
- Sending Jeramia Linden from the maintenance department to Leadership Emporia at a cost of $300; and
- Paying a $550 invoice from Charter Funerals - Emporia for indigent funeral assistance.