Vermilion County government’s new fiscal year does not begin until December but work is already advancing on a proposed new budget. The County Board’s Finance and Personnel Committee approved eight budget proposals for various offices this (Monday) evening. Committee chairman Jerry Hawker says there’s more work to do, though….
{Audio: “This is the first set of departments that have moved through their parent committees. So, we approved those now. We have about another 50-percent of the departments that still have to go through their parent committees and then will come back to Finance for approval.”}
Hawker says some officeholders have helped a lot by reducing their reserve funds…
{AUDIO: “The General Fund is what we had to really, really look close at, because the General Fund was not getting – not what I would consider low – but we had to watch it. And this budget is going to help that out a lot.”}
Vermilion County Coroner Jane McFadden noted she has no idea what fuel and postage costs will run in the next fiscal year. She also noted she hopes to get some opioid funds channeled into her office. “We do deal with a lot of opioid deaths,” said McFadden.
Sheriff Pat Hartshorn noted personnel costs are just one area where expenses have risen for his department…
{AUDIO: “For the Sheriff’s Department we have, you know, in recent years developed a lot of technology. And with that comes licensing fees and other things. So this year there’s some increases for our body cameras and our dash cameras in the cars for licensing fees. And, of course, food for prisoners and prisoner supplies, and health insurance.”}
You might think that fuel costs would be one area where the Sheriff’s Department budget was increased but Hartshorn noted that’s not the case…
{AUDIO: “Over the years we’ve seen the ups and downs of the gas market. And so we’ve pretty much budgeted a steady figure for the last few years – and it’s held up. It’s been okay when it went down, and it’s covered us when it went up.”}
Other budget proposals approved by the committee are for the Vermilion County Juvenile Detention Center, County Highway Department, County Animal Shelter, Sheriff’s Department, and Merit Commission.
The budgets will be incorporated into the full budget proposal that will be considered by the Vermilion County Board later this fall.
