County board chairman urges department heads to make cuts

In recent months, the chairman of the Fayette County Board asked the county’s department heads to fine-tune their budgets for the coming year.
On Tuesday night, Steve Knebel emphasized that the time has come for the department heads to do some close shaving.
Knebel said that he has asked County Clerk and Recorder Terri Braun to notify all county department heads of a budget meeting on Monday, with plans to finalize a budget draft by next Thursday.
Though only five department heads were present at the meeting – Braun, Circuit Clerk Mary Sue Ruot, Sheriff Aaron Lay, State’s Attorney Stephen Friedel and Highway Engineer Michael Maxey – Knebel spoke of the need for all department heads to trim their budgets closely.
“I implore you to look at your budgets,” Knebel said.
“I can tell you right now – things will be cut. You may not like it, but that’s the way it’s going to have to be.
“I do not foresee us spending $640,000 of the capital improvement money just to balance our budget … and that’s just to balance our budget,” Knebel said.
He was referring to the capital improvement fund the county board established to house the $5.5 million it received in November 2007 for its coal rights on about 160,000 acres.
“If we use $250,000 here, $250,000 there, like we had this past year – that money is not going to last three years at that rate,” Knebel said, noting that the capital improvement fund now has $3.2 million.
“I am begging you to cut out any purchases you can cut out. Function on the necessities you need to function on … and that’s it,” he said.
Knebel said that he and the other county board members can make deeper cuts, if necessary, but, “I would rather you do it, because you know what you need to get by until next year.”
If the county’s financial picture doesn’t improve, he said, the consequences could be more severe.
“I don’t want to lay off people – I do not,” Knebel said.
“But, if we continue at the rate we are right now, in three years, we will be laying people off … and it won’t be just a few,” he said.
For example, Knebel said, the $640,000 budget deficit that the county has right now equals the salaries of about 20 county employees.
“Can we see laying off (close to) a quarter of our people?” he said. The county currently has between 85 and 90 employees.
“We’ve got to make sacrifices. It’s time to make serious sacrifices,” Knebel said.
“I’m not going to say there is waste, but I think there are areas that we can look at. I think we’re running efficiently, but money-wise, we’re not.
“It makes me sick to think we’re going to have to lay somebody off.
“We can function with less – the state does it, everybody does it,” he said. “The extras need to be gone.
“I’ve always said that we (county board) have been fair, and we have been. I’ve pledged to be fair to everybody, and I will do my best to keep that promise.
“It’s going to be hard on everybody, but we’ve got to keep this county running,” Knebel said.
He’s heard people say that the county board should use the capital improvement money to address the budget shortfalls, but he doesn’t agree with that thinking.
“I don’t call this a severe emergency for this money.
“If there’s a fire or tornado, or the air-conditioning breaks down … if something happens and that money’s not there, what will happen? That doesn’t get fixed,” he said.