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July 8, 2008

County officials begin budget talks

Commissioners, judge won’t pay to house inmates elsewhere, but fuel costs could be headache

By Rich Flowers News Editor

Henderson County Commissioners began a series of budget sessions Monday with one big advantage over last year — the 2009 budget will not include the cost of housing jail inmates outside the county.

Commissioners will be juggling the expected positive impact from the completion of the jail project with the increasing cost of things like personnel, fuel and road materials. Commissioners did not get very far down that road Monday, but will have several meetings over the next few days in which department heads will appear before the court to discuss their needs.

“We hope to have this wrapped up with the departments over the next two weeks.” Henderson County Judge David Holstein said.

Holstein said he had budget requests in hand from most of the smaller county departments.

“Some of the smaller entities I’ve worked with one on one,” Holstein said. “I don’t see any need for them to come before the Commissioners Court. I think we got them what they needed.”

Holstein said representatives of the sheriff’s department, district clerk, county tax assessor/collector, justices of the peace and others will appear during the round of budget sessions.

The county justices of the peace had been expected to appear before commissioners Monday. A scheduling problem led to a postponement of their appearance.

“Four of the JPs had wanted to discuss their travel allowance,” Holstein said.

He said the JPs are hoping to state their case at a workshop Wednesday. Additional budget sessions have been set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the County Courtroom on the first floor of the Henderson County Courthouse.

Pct. 3 Commissioner Ronny Lawrence said he would like the county to give an across-the-board raise for employees.

“I noticed, thumbing through these (budget requests) that a lot of the departments have already included one for their employees,” he said.

“I think everyone has asked for a raise,” Holstein said.

“They need one, with the price of fuel and the cost of living skyrocketing,” Lawrence replied.

In the 2008 budget, approved last September, commissioners added a three percent raise for most county employees.

Another need the county is likely to address in the budget process is setting aside funds for a code enforcement officer, Holstein said. In a June meeting, Lawrence mentioned the need to create a position for someone to enforce county regulations for things such as water and sewer lines and laying underground cable in county right-of-way.

“The complaint is that the county has no one who enforces these rules and regulations that we sit here and make at this court,” Lawrence said.”

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