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County manager announces headcount reductions; treasurer reports $3.5M drop in general fund balance
Summary
County Manager Tim Hunt said Lewis County reduced roughly 13.5 full‑time equivalent positions through attrition and careful review, and County Treasurer Eric Virkler reported a $3.5 million decrease in the general fund balance from 2023 to 2024 driven largely by an operational deficit and higher Medicaid supplement payments.
Lewis County officials briefed the Board of Legislators on staffing adjustments and audited financial results.
County Manager Tim Hunt told the board that the county has reduced its full‑time equivalent headcount by about 13.5 positions through attrition and reorganization rather than layoffs. “We are down 13 and a half full time equivalent positions just through that process without terminating anybody,” Hunt said, and listed departments with reductions including highway, forestry and parks, buildings and grounds, county attorney, public health and social services. Hunt also said the county is considering whether to continue operating a countywide assessor position and will likely recommend stepping back from that model while continuing data collection for towns.
County Treasurer Eric Virkler reviewed the semiannual mortgage tax report and a fund balance summary for fiscal year 2024. Virkler told the board the county’s audit is complete and reported a $3.5 million decrease in the general fund balance from 2023 to 2024. “That really is driven by the operational deficit for the year,” Virkler said, adding that a large portion of the deficit was related to higher‑than‑expected IGT Medicaid supplement payments in 2024. Virkler also reported the county pursued stop‑loss insurance proposals through its consultant, GKG, and expects approximately $450,000 in savings on the plan year’s stop‑loss coverage.
Hunt also updated the board on codes office needs: the county will be recruiting for a codes director because the office now handles building codes, zoning for most towns, floodplain management, junkyards, short‑term rentals and will implement new state codes and software. The board discussed whether to fill the position internally to avoid increasing headcount.
Ending: Officials said they will continue recruiting and bring candidates to the board for consideration; the treasurer and manager asked legislators to review the written reports in the meeting packet for further detail.
