Small Town News

Auditor brings preliminary 2010 budget

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The preliminary 2010 Mason County operations budget Tuesday made its way to county commissioners - several million dollars smaller this year than last.

The total request by all departments to be considered by the Board of Mason County Commissioners is $24.5 million. County forecasts and estimates currently expect 2010 cash flow to come in at $23.4 million.

Commissioners have six weeks to take public comment and then cut nearly $1 million from the requests before the budget can be adopted as balanced on October 12. Ultimately, commissioners have until December 31 to balance and adopt the budget.

Mason County Auditor Karen Herr said this year's departmental requests and the $l-million gap were a "dramatic improvement" over the $4.7-million difference faced during the 2009 budget process. Herr called the first draft a "genuine and realistic budget."

Many unknowns, such as the repayment of a $2-mil-lion loan and the coming labor settlement between the county and Mason County Sheriffs deputies, which could reach $1 million, remain to bugger the process.

Chief accountant There-sia Ehrich said only one department budget remained out of balance in the 2010 request. The fairgrounds budget has a $34,000 variance, she said.

The actual 2009 budget remains out of balance by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Status quo or less was the goal and all electeds and department heads were asked to keep budgets at or below the June 2009 level. Departments were to absorb all real cost increases such as rising unemployment insurance and health care costs.

Herr encouraged commissioners to consider a proposed property tax levy, which seeks to bolster the general fund with up to $1 million from the county's road fund.

To meet the 2010 budget goals, several county departments expect to make further layoffs this year Commissioners asked no questions.

The first public hearing on the 2010 budget is scheduled to begin October 5 and could remain open until October 9 allowing citizens to ask direct questions of departments regarding their proposals and requests.



Copyright 2009 Shelton-Mason County Journal, Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2009 Shelton-Mason County Journal Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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