Thursday, August 12, 2010

Commissioners propose
slight increase to mill levy

by Dennis Sharkey

County Commissioners are not waving flags and celebrating, but they do think a budget that calls for a 1.076 mill increase to property taxes is reasonable.

Commissioner Lynn Luck said the budget is stagnant except for a 1.5 percent cost of living increase for county employees and insurance rate increases.

“I think we’ve done a good job and I think the department heads have done a good job,” Luck said.

Chairman Richard Malm said the $156,000 the county could not cut from the budget amounts to less than a tenth of a percent of the total budget that amounts to more than $17 million.

The county saved a considerable amount of money by switching to a self-insured health insurance plan rather than stick with current provider Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Early cost estimates have insurance rates rising by about 12 percent next year. With the switch the county will spend about 6.6 percent more next year.

“It’s going to cost us more any way we go,” Malm said.

Some employees have expressed deep concerns for the switch that will see the county using the Cigna network. Malm said if the county did not make the switch, employees could count on not getting the 1.5 percent raise. Last year employees received no cost of living increase.

The debate on whether the Humane Society should receive funding from the county continued on Monday.

Malm said everyone he has spoken with since last week’s meeting has told him that the Humane Society Shelter should not be funded by the county.

Luck said she has heard just the opposite and that people have expressed support of the shelter to her.

Also at issue is the Sheriff’s Department’s relationship, or lack thereof, with the shelter. Herrig said he grows frustrated when he hears a deputy on the radio communicating that the shelter has turned them away from bringing in a dog. Malm said that is also the frustration shared by some in the community as well.

Luck said that she has been told the county can bring in dogs anytime. There is a code on the door to the shelter that Luck says deputies can use to drop off the dogs. She said there is a minimal amount of paperwork that has to be filled out so the shelter knows where the animal came from.

Former Sheriff and current Commissioner Roy Dunnaway said that is the program the department used to be on.