County facing budget concerns

Budget issues will again soon be facing members of the Lincoln County Board of County Commissioners. Every year, as the budget cycle comes around, and it begins soon, Commissioners have to look very carefully at how to make the money stretch until the end of the fiscal year, June 30, and not have to have any layoffs.

Discussing the matter briefly at their regular meeting Feb. 18, Commissioner Paul Mathews said, ?any cutbacks almost have to be services and supplies related, like people quit buying fuel or something.?

?On any employee said,? Mathews said, ?there is no way to gain any ground. If you lay somebody off, you have to eliminate a position for a long time before you save any cash, because you immediately start paying unemployment insurance. It really has to be just a cutback and conservative effort across the board by everybody to reduce by a certain amount.?

Commissioner Kevin Phillips called upon the County Treasurer and County Recorder to provide the board with as accurate material as they can in estimating the remaining incomes and outflows. ?We need to know how much of the bite out of the apple is going to be, before we can figure out how to do it. We need to see where we?re at,? he said.

Mathews said he had faith in the various county departments to do well at this. ?They recognize where their budgets are just as much as anybody else.?

It was a matter of discussion only with no action being taken, but all knowing it will, as usual, be a time-consuming and difficult matter.