Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

County commission reviews 2016 expenses

MANAGING EDITOR

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Roosevelt County commissioners held their first workshop Wednesday to review projected expenses for departments for the 2016 fiscal year.

County commissioners agreed with County Manager Amber Hamilton that the county is not in a position to make its usual contributions to community entities, such as the Hartley House, the library and the Clean & Beautiful project.

The projected savings from withdrawing local contributions in the 2016 year is more than $23,000.

A change to the upcoming fiscal year budget, highlighted by Hamilton numerous times during the meeting, was the budget is being more broken down and separated to more accurately represent which expenses belong where and to what department.

Hamilton said many budgetary items were “lumped together” in the past, making it unclear which department or funds the expenses should be taken from. Thus, county administration is narrowing down its line items by creating more of them.

“They’re going to be held accountable for this budget,” Hamilton said of department heads. “But at the same time, until now, this budget has been unclear and has not been theirs.”

Hamilton said utility costs for previous fiscal years have been underestimated, so she is having each department be more cautious and research more heavily for projecting anticipated costs for this year’s utilities.

The sheriff’s office recently began shutting off all power to their facilities Friday through Sunday to conserve electricity because there was not enough in their budget to cover utilities for the remainder of the 2015 fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The following were preliminary projected expenses for county departments which appeared before the commission Wednesday:

• The treasurer’s office anticipates a 5 percent increase in printing and publishing costs due to costs rising for materials and services.

The treasurer’s office anticipates $218,033 in expenses for the fiscal year.

• Extension office officials said their budget mostly goes toward programs benefiting the community and children, such as 4-H and STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), such as the embryology program that teaches students about the process of a chicken’s conception and birth.

The department said to help the county, they cut their annual cost for the next fiscal year from $126,420 to $106,433.

Hamilton said the department has been doing their own janitorial and landscaping work to save money.

• Supervisor for Rural Addressing and Flood Plain Management Johnny Montiel said with commissioners approving his organizational chart Tuesday, he will now be a one-man department due to the rural addressing position not being refilled.

“I seem to be comfortable with what I’m doing,” Montiel said, adding that he’s “good” with being a one-man show.

Hamilton said since Montiel has to regularly drive out to the site of a new wind farm, she negotiated for project officials to pay Montiel’s department some compensation for mileage.

The department’s annual costs include maintenance for vehicles and equipment, computer software, mileage and per diem for travel and training, protective equipment and phone costs.

The anticipated expenses for the department for the next fiscal year are $94,297.

• The clerk’s office anticipates annual expenses to be $330,002 with expenses including online functions, fuel and mileage, per diem for training trips, equipment maintenance, office supplies, advertising (such as legal notices) and microfilming records.

Clerk DeAun Searl said she estimated higher costs for per diem and mileage due to employees in her office having to receive additional training in the next fiscal year for new software that will be coming in.

Searl and Hamilton said clerk user fees also have to be paid by the clerk’s office.

The fees are estimated to be an additional $20,000 in expenses, but Hamilton said that particular budget should balance out due to an expected $20,000 in revenue for mailed copies of documents.

Bureau of Election fees are another $18,250 in expenses for the clerk’s office.

• Hamilton said things like insurance and life insurance are factored into the commissioners’ budget as well as IT work, maintenance, professional services to the county and deductibles on auto accidents and lawsuits.

Hamilton said there was a large reduction in expenses for professional services because many things were placed under that budget in previous years that should have been placed in a different budget. She said expenses for that budget are estimated at $1.6 million for the next fiscal year.

Officials said state government will reimburse the rural addressing department and the clerk’s office for certain things, such as some mileage and training, so the county will see some of the expenses come back later in the fiscal year.

Hamilton said all expenses and savings are preliminary and nothing is yet final.

 
 
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