Trumbull County commissioners schedule midyear budget review amid shortfall concerns and a circulated auditor-office letter

Trumbull County commissioners on July 16 discussed a midyear budget review after hearing from department leaders that payroll and maintenance accounts are running short and that the county’s requests for funds significantly exceed expected resources.

The conversation followed reports from department heads and the auditor’s office that the total requests submitted for the upcoming budget cycle exceed available funds. “You have $71,000,000 in request and you only have 64,000,000,” a commissioner said during the meeting, underscoring a funding gap commissioners said will require prioritization.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the county cannot appropriate more money than it has and urged departments to cooperate as the board prepares a midyear reallocation of funds. County leaders also faced internal pushback after a flyer attributed to the auditor’s office circulated among staff and around the courthouse urging citizens to contact the commissioners about departmental budgets.

Auditor Martha Yoder told the board the leaflet was produced by employees in her office in their personal time and that she did not author the message. “Union members created this on their own initiative with their own computers, own paper, and ink on their own time. They have a right to free speech,” Yoder said in the meeting. Commissioners objected to the leaflet’s tone, saying it risked pitting departments against one another.

The board agreed to set two meetings to address budget concerns and senior services scheduling. During the workshop commissioners discussed a senior advisory meeting and a separate budget review session; they referenced holding “the 20 ninth” and a budget review on “the thirtieth.” (The transcript records the phrasing used; the board asked staff to confirm calendar dates with stakeholders and with senior-advisory leadership.)

Department leaders reported several specific revenue and expense items that shaped the discussion. The auditor’s office and commissioners said sales-tax receipts in a recent month were roughly $400,000 higher than projected; others reported canceled carryovers and ongoing maintenance costs that have reduced available balances. Facilities staff said payroll shortfalls are expected in about four weeks without adjustments.

Commissioners emphasized they are not seeking to close senior centers and told callers who had contacted county offices this week that programs will remain open. “We had voted not to cut and we had voted not to close,” a commissioner said, noting the senior levy reserve balance and additional funding that the board has authorized for home-health services.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to confirm meeting dates with senior-advisory leadership and the auditor and to prepare midyear budget materials for a formal review. They also asked the auditor and human-resources staff to coordinate expectations about when the board will use reserve funds versus reallocating current-year appropriations.

Ending: County leaders scheduled follow-up meetings to produce midyear figures and directed staff to present options for reallocations; they also asked the auditor’s office to clarify which employees circulated the leaflet and to coordinate communications so departments present a unified view to the public.