At a county budget meeting, staff said the county’s proposed budget remains largely the same as the prior year and that $372,804.25 remains to be cut to balance the books. "Left to cut $372,804.25," a budget presenter said during the meeting.
The discussion focused on where to make reductions and which reserves to draw on. A presenter said a bond-fund detail “makes up the 1.645” and that “that plus the 61 that wasn't originally in this,” noting those figures as parts of the funding picture (units were not specified in the transcript). The presenter also said the county has $327,000 in reserves currently not being used and suggested it could cover potential law-enforcement expenses.
Why it matters: remaining cuts and reserve use determine which services and projects proceed and which may be reduced or delayed.
Budget presenters said they made no change to the public defender allocation during this session. "We did not make any change for the public defender amount," a presenter said. Staff also reported no changes to the justice budget overall at that time.
Meeting participants repeatedly noted variability in some line items and uncertainty about exactly what expenses will materialize. "That's the hard part of this budget. Right? You can never anticipate what may come," one participant said.
No formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript for the items summarized here; presenters and other participants discussed options and adjustments but did not adopt a final balanced budget in the passages provided.
Less immediate items discussed included an equipment reserve to finish phase two of audio upgrades and small, line-item adjustments, while larger unresolved matters — including the remaining cuts and precise bond transfers — were identified for further work.
Forward look: staff indicated they will continue to reconcile prorations and line-item formulas and return with updated figures; the transcript contains requests to confirm whether salary lines had been hard-coded or formula-driven.