Richland looking at $1 million in cuts

Richland County can no longer afford to dip into its savings to help pay its bills – and that likely will mean a $1 million cut in county spending.

The effects of half a decade of cuts in state aid are hitting Richland County harder than usual as County Council prepares to approve a $152.8 million budget to pay for most county services in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Transfers from savings have helped cover what the state hasn’t provided since the start of the recession, but that’s not an option this year, county leaders say.

The recommended budget does not include plans to raise property taxes to pay for most county services, although increases could come to help fund schools and other special agencies.

The challenges in crafting this year’s budget have included:

▪ An expected $5 million shortfall in funds provided by the state through the local government fund. “If we were given what we were owed under the (local government fund) statute, we would not have a budget problem,” County Administrator Tony McDonald said.

▪ Reaching a cap on the funds that can be withdrawn from county savings to help balance the budget. The county has used $4.4 million in savings to balance the current year’s budget, on top of $5.3 million and $6.6 million in transfers the previous two years.

▪ Rising costs of providing health care benefits for county employees.

▪ Providing competitive salaries for county employees, who last year received no cost-of-living salary or wage increases and are not likely to this year unless the county raises property taxes.

Highlights from McDonald’s proposed budget include:

▪ A $1.1 million reduction from the current year’s general fund budget, with no money being drawn from savings to help pay for operations.

▪ A 1-percent across-the-board reduction in the operating costs for all county departments. Those cuts wouldn’t come in the form of personnel, but rather, for instance, operating supplies.

▪ A recommended $34.8 million allocation to the sheriff’s department, compared to the $52 million requested. Last year the department received $35.3 million from the county. The sheriff’s department has the largest budget among all county departments.

▪ Emergency Medical Services is recommended to receive half as much – $13.1 million – as the department requested. Last year, EMS received $13.5 million.

At work sessions over the past two weeks, council members have scrutinized funding requests from various departments and other agencies, including Richland 1 and Richland 2, which requested budgets of $197.9 million and $136.2 million for local schools, respectively.

“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to supply your wants,” Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson last week told representatives from the school districts and other agencies, including the library and zoo. “(We’re asking you to) trim your wants.”

“I know you probably think we’re playing hardball this year,” Councilman Greg Pearce told them. “We are in a critically difficult situation this year that we’ve never been in before.”

It was Pearce who, at council’s first budget work session a week earlier, summed up the county’s general feelings toward the looming budget when, as he prepared to leave council chambers, he quietly sang, “Nobody knows the trouble we feel ...”