By Gary Nelson / gnelson@crossville-chronicle.com
May 08, 2008 03:17 pm
—
Commissioners serving on the Cumberland County Budget Committee were forced to make more than $50,000 of amendments to cover budget overages in the sheriff's department budget.
"I'll tell you this is a tough year to be having to make these kind of decisions, but we don't have a choice," said 3rd District Commissioner and budget committee Chairman Lynn Tollett.
Commissioners were aware of challenges facing the sheriff's department budget and scheduled Cumberland County Sheriff Butch Burgess to come in and discuss his budget in order to come to a solution.
Overages in vehicle maintenance repair, part-time staff, juvenile services costs, and food costs at the jail were all addressed.
Cumberland County Finance Director Nathan Brock revealed to the budget committee last month that the part-time personnel line at the jail was at an overage of $16,703 for the end of March and had increased by $5,764 over the previous month. He also advised the committee that juvenile services part-time line was overspent.
This week Brock advised the committee that the part-time line was $22,835 over budget and the maintenance vehicle line was at the maximum right now at $40,000. Brock said it would cost approximately another $8,000-$10,000 to cover the maintenance budget for May and June, the remainder of the fiscal year.
"Well, this is why we had you come here today so we can get together and fix these," Tollett said.
Burgess explained there have been a lot of health issues with a few jailers and this year causing him to have to work part-time employees a lot more than usual.
"It's been a rough year. Every time I get someone back, then something else happens. I've had to work the part-timers a lot more than I planned on. That and the juvenile services. It's hard to figure," Cumberland County Sheriff Butch Burgess said.
He also explained two newer deputy vehicles were wrecked and totaled and the department is self-insured. The department has not gotten any return of value for the vehicles and had to bring older vehicles back into service.
"If we could get some of the money back from the insurance on the vehicles that would help out some," Burgess said.
Brock explained that one vehicle was still being negotiated and once a settlement figure was reached they would have a better estimate on how it could work into the budget.
Both Burgess and Brock explained there was $3,700 in the drug fund that could go toward the maintenance line for vehicles and there were two deputy positions that were not hired until half of the year was over. The juvenile services line would need approximately $12,000 to finish out the fiscal year. There is at least $50,000 in the deputy line that could be moved to help cover the part-time overages, Burgess said.
Burgess also said he intended on changing rank in some of the deputies and positions which would result in some salary changes on the pay scale. Commissioners responded in saying changes such as those should wait for the new budget cycle next fiscal year.
In all the committee moved to amend $52,000 from the deputy line to cover the overages or shortages for the remainder of the fiscal year 2007-'08. A motion was made by 9th District Commissioner Carmin Lynch and supported by 7th district Commissioner Mike Harvel. It was approved unanimously.
Before the vote, several comments were made by commissioners.
"I want to go on record saying that as an elected official you shouldn't go over this much without coming back to this committee. It's kind of embarrassing. We meet monthly on this committee. And then you're talking about new positions or changing ranks. That needs to wait until budget time," 5th District Commissioner Sharon York said.
"I have to follow what the law says ... I don't have the luxury and flexibility. If there's someone out they have to be replaced. If there's someone in juvenile then I have to have someone there. I could get sued or the county could get sued. I have to follow that. It's mandated by the state. I have to do it," Burgess replied.
"It shouldn't get to a negative or a zero. If you see it coming, then come to us," Lynch said.
"Well, you can't always see it coming. I tried for a no fluff budget. That's what you get when you try to run things as tight as you can get. You're going to have somewhere where something is going to jump over when something happens," Burgess said.
Commissioner Harvel agreed.
Sixth District Commissioner Wendell Wilson said, "Now Butch did come to us about these projected overages back in the winter. He told us and we said we'd see how it played out. But I do agree with Sharon in that changing corporals to sergeants and other positions should wait until the new budget."
York later said she wanted to go on record that she was not at the meeting where Burgess told the committee about the possible overages.
"I think we need a procedure in place where if Nathan sees a problem in a specific department, then it should be put on the agenda for us to discuss," York said.
"Well, it's not just this. The system is being pinched hard this year. We're going to have to come up with something," Tollett said.
"If you do that, then I would be suppose to come back to you this month and next month and keep coming back?" Burgess asked.
York, Lynch and Harvel all said yes.
"I never expected a year like this. You just don't know about these kind of things and when they're going to come up," Burgess said.
The budget amendments will also be required to be passed by the full county commission in order to solve the budget shortfalls.
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