Declining sales tax revenues have prompted the Fremont County Commissioners to order more cost cutting measures to deal with the county's budget crisis in an effort to balance the budget by the end of the year. County Manager George Sugars notified elected officials and department heads in a memo last Wednesday that the commissioners have directed that employees take another 38 unpaid furlough hours in addition to the ten furlough hours announced last May.
Sugars said after a meeting with all of the elected officials the commissioners decided to establish furlough days of Tuesday, September 8th; Monday, October 12th; Thursday, December 10th; plus a non-paid holiday on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th. That schedule will allow the county to close all Fremont County offices on two days when state offices will also be closed. State employees will also take a furlough day on September 8th and a county furlough day on October 12th will align with the state's observance of Columbus Day. The commissioners say aligning furlough days with the state's schedule will allow the county to save a few more dollars by closing Social Services Offices as well as the County Administration Building.
The ten hours of furlough time announced in May already targets holidays. For employees working 4 days/10 hour weeks the ten furlough hours are being computed from five holidays in which they would get 8 hours of holiday pay instead of 10 hours. And there will be no holiday pay for employees for the day after Thanksgiving and for the half-day on Christmas Eve.
Sugars said the steps the county took in May is estimated to have cut costs by $520,000 plus yielded about $25,000 in additional revenues. But it wasn't enough to bridge the gap between declining sales tax revenue and increasing costs at the Sheriff's Department including the cost of fighting the Newlin Creek wildfire south of Florence in July.
The urgency to make more budget cuts came as Fremont County Finance Director Dana Angel provided mid-year estimates still showing a $600,000 budget deficit by the end of the year if further cost cutting measures were not taken. Angel said the reality is that sales tax collections have actually worsened since May. When the first round of budget cuts were announced sales tax collections for January through April were down $113,000 or 7.7 percent from a year ago. Angel says through the end of July Fremont County sales tax collections for 2009 are down $307,000 or 11.1 percent below a year ago. Angel is now predicting that the county will close out 2009 with a $408,000 sales tax shortfall.
Commission Chairman Mike Stiehl said the board regrets having to make deeper budget cuts that affect employees but to deal with that significant of a revenue shortfall it's bound to affect personnel. He said the commissioners also recognize that requiring more furlough time will affect services to the public. However, until revenues improve the commissioners say diminished services are also part of the reality during these tough economic times.
The commissioners add that it is anticipated that the elected county officials will equally share the burden with all other employees of the forced furlough hours by personally and voluntarily reimbursing the county for the same furlough time.
Sugars said after a meeting with all of the elected officials the commissioners decided to establish furlough days of Tuesday, September 8th; Monday, October 12th; Thursday, December 10th; plus a non-paid holiday on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th. That schedule will allow the county to close all Fremont County offices on two days when state offices will also be closed. State employees will also take a furlough day on September 8th and a county furlough day on October 12th will align with the state's observance of Columbus Day. The commissioners say aligning furlough days with the state's schedule will allow the county to save a few more dollars by closing Social Services Offices as well as the County Administration Building.
The ten hours of furlough time announced in May already targets holidays. For employees working 4 days/10 hour weeks the ten furlough hours are being computed from five holidays in which they would get 8 hours of holiday pay instead of 10 hours. And there will be no holiday pay for employees for the day after Thanksgiving and for the half-day on Christmas Eve.
Sugars said the steps the county took in May is estimated to have cut costs by $520,000 plus yielded about $25,000 in additional revenues. But it wasn't enough to bridge the gap between declining sales tax revenue and increasing costs at the Sheriff's Department including the cost of fighting the Newlin Creek wildfire south of Florence in July.
The urgency to make more budget cuts came as Fremont County Finance Director Dana Angel provided mid-year estimates still showing a $600,000 budget deficit by the end of the year if further cost cutting measures were not taken. Angel said the reality is that sales tax collections have actually worsened since May. When the first round of budget cuts were announced sales tax collections for January through April were down $113,000 or 7.7 percent from a year ago. Angel says through the end of July Fremont County sales tax collections for 2009 are down $307,000 or 11.1 percent below a year ago. Angel is now predicting that the county will close out 2009 with a $408,000 sales tax shortfall.
Commission Chairman Mike Stiehl said the board regrets having to make deeper budget cuts that affect employees but to deal with that significant of a revenue shortfall it's bound to affect personnel. He said the commissioners also recognize that requiring more furlough time will affect services to the public. However, until revenues improve the commissioners say diminished services are also part of the reality during these tough economic times.
The commissioners add that it is anticipated that the elected county officials will equally share the burden with all other employees of the forced furlough hours by personally and voluntarily reimbursing the county for the same furlough time.