Salaries make up majority of county budget cuts

MT. PLEASANT — Henry County Board of Supervisors spoke with department heads from the conservation, IT, treasurer, public health, and the recorder offices about specific budget cuts that primarily came from downsizing personnel as they continue attempting to bring their general basic levy down.

According to Gov. Kim Reynolds, lawmakers estimate that House File 718 would save taxpayers $100 million by requiring Henry County cuts their general basic levy from $4.83 per $1,000 taxable valuation to $3.50 per $1,000 per taxable valuation by 2029, however, Henry County’s department heads are finding the necessary cuts hard to make.

As Conservation Director Caleb Waters met with the Henry County Board of Supervisors Thursday to discuss his department’s budget cuts, he walked away with a choice

While the conservation department had considered sending one of their employees through a program to get them certified as a ranger to take care of issues that arise at the county park and take some of that responsibility off the Sheriff’s department, that decision is now uncertain.

If the conservation department continues with certifying the employee, they will need to consider downsizing naturalists, which Waters says creates considerations for how they will adequately staff the conservation department office.

“What’s your guys’ thoughts, you know, based on the information, is it worth sending Dalton through to take a load off the sheriff’s department?” Waters asked the Board of Supervisors. “Regardless, it's not going to be an easy decision and you’re going to make somebody mad, but that’s beyond my control at this point.”

While Supervisor Greg Moeller said his personal preference would be to downsize the naturalists from two to one, he did not feel that was his decision to make.

“We make the dollar decision at the bottom line,” Moeller said. “Wherever we come in on your budget, then you have to figure out where it’s gonna go.”

“We’re here for the dollars and your board and you have to make the other decisions,” Supervisor Marc Lindeen said. “I’m not trying to pass the buck. You and your board know what you need more than we do.”

IT Director Derek Wellington told the Board of Supervisors there was not much room for budget cuts in his department, but he did go through the county and try to limit the number of computers used to help limit the number of licenses then needed to upkeep those.

The board the suggested that some of the IT budget may actually be cut through different payment methods for equipment.

“9-1-1 should be purchasing their own consoles and their own equipment,” County Auditor Shelly Barber said.

According to Barber 9-1-1 services have their own funds that come in from the state that can take on some of the expenses of equipment and even part of Wellington’s salary, though, the percentages for this are still being looked into.

This could specifically cut at least $25,000 from the county IT budget if 9-1-1 services take over the cost of needed equipment replacement this next fiscal year.

Supervisor Chad White agreed to talk with the 9-1-1 services and Emergency Management board about these types of reimbursements.

The supervisors will discuss approval of a 28E Agreement for funding Henry Countywide Communication Services at their Tuesday, Jan. 16 meeting.

“It’s an ugly time, right now,” General Assistance Director Sarah Berndt commented as she spoke about her department’s budget with the Board of Supervisors. “It’s an ugly time for the region and decision they have to make. It’s an ugly time for the counties and the decisions they have to make. It’s been ugly for mental health.”

Barber says that Berndt has cut $10,992 from her department’s budget with cuts to line items such as direct cremation.

“I don’t want to do anything with rent payment,” Berndt told the board. “I don’t want to do anything with utility payments because last fiscal year you upped your income guideline to 50% of the federal poverty and so we’ve only been in this a year, not even a full year, about six months. So, I don’t want to adjust that. The other thing is, you have your direct cremation that you pay for right now. You have been earmarking $20,000 for the last, quite a while.”

Berndt reminded the board that they are not obligated to provide the direct cremation service which helps cover cremation expenses for those that cannot afford them. The county pays up to $1,000 per cremation.

According to Berndt, if the county does not cover these costs, the funeral homes must then take care of them.

In the last four to five years, Berndt says the county has only used approximately $10,000 of the allocated funds.

With this in mind, the Board of Supervisors agreed to reduce the county’s contribution to direct cremation from $20,000 to $10,000 for the next fiscal year.

“I’m fine with $10,000,” Moeller concluded. “Then next year we can look at it again. We have to cut wherever we can.”

With one employee leaving the county’s treasurer’s office, and Treasurer Kellie Sloan not replacing that position, her department was able to cut over $40,000 from their budget in one large cut.

As Director of Public Health Shelley Van Dorin spoke budget with the supervisors, the future for public health remained uncertain as the state considers possible consolidation or reorganization.

“I’m thinking this will take at least a year, but I’m not thinking it’ll probably take a year a half,” she said. “But there’s no way we can even prepare for it because we don’t know what it’s gonna look like right now.”

Even with uncertainty, Van Dorin presented an 8.8% cut to budget equally over $60,000 in cuts including $40,000 in wages. Other cuts came as a domino effect of not having these employees with the Homemaker Program.

“Employee mileage meals and lodging, we went down $7,500 because we no longer have to pay homemakers mileage,” Van Dorin said.

The Homemaker Program is a program which public health currently offers to assist seniors residing in Henry County to remain living independently in their own homes by helping with personal care and homemaking tasks such as bathing, dressing, hair and nail care, light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, grocery shopping, and laundry.

The cost of this program to the recipients is based on a sliding fee scale.

Recorder Lynnae Buffington informed the board that her department budget would also be cut primarily in the salary line item.

“The one salary was $43,684.60, the other expenses came to $2,000 for the grand total of $45,604.60,” Buffington said in a short presentation to the board.

Scheduled upcoming budget discussions include Sheriff Rich McNamee Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com