Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveyor Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves modest cuts in surveyor budgets; permanence fund reductions reflect lower revenue
Summary
The county surveyor recommended small reductions in general and perpetuation funds after noting declining instrument‑record revenue; council approved moving several line items and creating an employee clothing line, and reduced travel and professional service spending.
Monroe County’s surveyor presented the office’s general and corner‑perpetuation budgets Aug. 27 and the council approved a set of modest reductions and bookkeeping changes after the surveyor reported lower than anticipated perpetuation fund revenue.
Surveyor (presented as Mr. Randolph) said the office maintains a significant amount of historic surveying work and has been expanding efforts to preserve and document corners and geodetic control points. He explained that corner perpetuation revenue stems from recorded instruments at the recorder’s office and noted the line’s receipts have dipped for the second year in a row; cash on hand and projected receipts showed the office must tighten discretionary spending.
For the general fund presentation the surveyor proposed reducing legacy drainage board postage (a $200 legacy line) to $0; council approved that housekeeping cut unanimously. For the surveyor’s perpetuation fund the office proposed deeper reductions: lowering a field assistant line, part‑time help, field operating supplies and geodetic control services; reducing travel and training to $2,500; and creating a clarified employee clothing/uniforms line at $1,000 while de‑appropriating an older clothing line. The surveyor said he expected substantial reversions in 2025 because several lines would not be fully spent, and warned that sustained low revenue could force elimination of a part‑time position in 2027.
Councilor Iverson offered several amendments to align the perpetuation fund with corrected wage‑benefit math and to create the employee clothing line; those motions and related adjustments were approved by voice and roll‑call votes. The council restated the category totals for the perpetuation fund during the meeting and advanced the revised budgets with unanimous votes for the surveyor’s general and perpetuation funds.
The surveyor noted the office remains active in field work and corner reviews and that the perpetuation program’s long‑term value is in preserving property evidence and reducing future boundary disputes. Councilors requested follow‑up on cash balances and asked the surveyor to return if revenue patterns do not improve.
