COMMITTEE APPROVES LEAN 2014-15 PROPOSED CLATSOP COUNTY BUDGET

  

The Clatsop County Budget Committee on Wednesday approved a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that furthers the push for long-term financial stability.

The Fiscal Year 2014-15 budget totals $52,425,220, an increase of 0.5 percent over the current year.

A public hearing on the budget before the Board of Commissioners will be held June 11, with final adoption set for June 25.

Budgets for four districts administered by the county – 4-H and Extension Service District, Road District #1, Rural Law Enforcement District and Westport Sewer Service District – were approved on Tuesday. They also go to the board for public hearings and adoption in June.

County Manager Scott Somers told the committee that the document represents an effort by all county departments to control spending as much as possible.

“This is a great reflection of finding efficiencies wherever we can, and simply doing more with less,” he said.

Overall personnel costs drop by 7.7 percent from 2013-14 due to a net reduction of six and a half staff positions, five of which were eliminated with the closure of the county’s juvenile detention center in January. Savings from the new lower-cost employee health insurance plan adopted in January and lower-than-expected obligations to the state Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) also reduced overall costs.

The county’s workforce totals 199.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, down from 226 just four years ago, Somers noted.

The materials and services budget increases by 21 percent to $2,215,300, mostly to account for the reconstruction of the Wahkiakum Ferry terminal at Westport. The project, set for work later this year, will be funded primarily by the $2.3 million federal transportation grant. The budget also includes funding for the planned remodel of the Parole and Probation facility in Warrenton to accommodate Sheriff’s Office personnel.

Somers said the projected savings, coupled with revenue projections showing state monies increasing 11.5 percent to $4,141,630, makes for a “marginally more optimistic” outlook for the county’s General Fund, through which most county functions are funded. The 2014-15 budget includes only $140,000 from the ending fund balance to match the gap between projected revenue and spending, where that figure exceeded $1 million just two years ago.

The ending fund balance includes unappropriated funds, contingency and reserve dollars left over at the end of each budget year. The county’s goal is to achieve an unrestricted fund balance that totals 20 percent of the total General Fund budget in order to have a sufficient reserve for unexpected events and expenses, Somers said – the balance for 2014-15 is 19.7 percent.

The complete proposed budget, as well as a condensed budget presentation, can be viewed at www.co.clatsop.or.us or at the County Manager’s Office, 800 Exchange St., Suite, 410, Astoria.