Jefferson County?s budget to be amended; hearing May 9

A public hearing on amendment of Jefferson County?s current fiscal year budget has been set for 9:30 a.m. May 9.

During this morning?s meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors, supervisor Steve Burgmeier explained budgets are routinely amended to address unforeseen changes during the course of the year.

He noted township trustees have gone over their budgets because more meetings have been needed than in previous years. He also touched on the county attorney?s employment of a part-time person to collect unpaid state fines.

County engineer Tom Goff said it would probably be safe to amend his budget as well because he?s already reached the amount designated for blading. Also, fuel is more than $1 per gallon more than a year ago, and the road department uses around 60,000 gallons of fuel in a year, he said.

County auditor Scott Reneker said his office is receiving paperwork from the various county departments.

In other business, the board approved a resolution requiring the destruction of noxious weeds.

Residents have until May 15 to destroy leafy spurge, hoary cress, curly dock, smooth dock, red sorrel, Canada thistle, Russian knapweed, buckhorn plantain, wild mustard, multiflora rose, teasel, perennial sowthistle, buckthorn, quackgrass, purple loosestrife and poison hemlock.

Residents have until June 15 to destroy field bindweed, wild carrot, wild sunflower, cocklebur, bull thistle, musk thistle, water hemp, horsenettle, puncturevine, velvetleaf and shattercane.

County sanitarian Dan Miller also serves as weed commissioner, and anyone with questions about the ordinance or destruction of noxious weeds can contact him at 472-2561.