Harney County budget committee tentatively approves operating budget after debates over library cuts, payroll and roads

The Harney County Budget Committee reconvened April 29 to continue detailed review of the county's 2024'025 proposed budget and tentatively approved the general fund and department budgets after a series of motions and voice votes.

The votes followed several hours of line-by-line discussion that focused on a handful of high-priority issues: a controversial reduction in library staffing and county support, concerns about payroll and fringe calculations (including PERS and health plan choices), how to handle uncertain federal Secure Rural Schools (SRS) receipts that fund roads, and a reorganization to make the county's building and environmental health services more self-supporting.

Why it matters: Tentative approval moves the county closer to adoption but does not finalize spending. Departments will continue to revise line items before the final adoption; several items the committee flagged (SRS, FEMA flood reimbursements, and unspent grant carryovers) can materially change the county's beginning fund balance and affect reserves and contingency.

Votes at a glance - Committee members voted to tentatively approve the general fund budget and a long list of department budgets by recorded motion and voice votes; those motions carried. - Departments explicitly moved and carried (tentative approval): Sheriff's Office (general fund), District Attorney, County Court, Juvenile Department, Courthouse Maintenance, Justice Court, Veteran Services, Watermaster, Treasurer, Co-op Extension Service, Senior Center, Public Library (tentative approval despite objections), Planning & Community Development, GIS, Building program (including Environmental Health), Road Department and Road Weed Fund, multiple landfill/disposal funds, Community Corrections, multiple grant funds (including FEMA/EM and other state/federal grants). Each motion was seconded and carried by voice vote as recorded in the meeting transcript; individual vote tallies were not called.

Key discussion points and committee direction - Library funding and staffing: Committee members pressed the library director's decision to reduce the library's full-time equivalent staffing (a move that reduced the county contribution). Several committee members and commissioners said residents and volunteers had expressed strong concern about reduced hours and services; the committee retained the tentative approval but logged the public concern and asked staff to track longer-term operating impacts and grant-writing options.

- Building department and environmental health: Committee members approved a restructuring that shifts several duties out of the general fund and enlarges the building fund's role as a fee-supported enterprise. The budget reflects start-up transfers (a one-time $50,000 transfer to environmental health was recorded) and projected inter-county contracts (the building/environmental-health program is pursuing plan-review and inspection contracts with neighboring counties). The committee emphasized that these funds must remain dedicated to the enterprise programs.

- Payroll, PERS and health-insurance calculations: Budget staff (Diana, Budget Officer) told the committee the payroll system and fringe benefit percentages produced unexpected variances in the proposed budget. Committee members pressed for follow-up: staff agreed to re-run reports, investigate why some PERS/fringe lines rose even where base salaries were flat or down, and look for system fixes before final adoption. The committee also discussed a pending staff decision on health plan choices and the calendar for selecting the 2026 plan year.

- Roads and SRS funding: Members discussed uncertainty about Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding. Staff warned that SRS payments for the current federal fiscal year were not yet confirmed and that the county could receive little or none of the projected SRS payment in time for the 2024-25 budget. Road department staff presented two work plans (one if SRS arrives, one if it does not) and the committee asked staff to prioritize critical work and identify reserve-dependent projects.

- Jail / Sheriff matters and flood reimbursement: The Sheriff's Office budget was tentatively approved. Committee members discussed vehicle replacements and vehicle maintenance funding for the sheriff's fleet and noted that overtime and FEMA reimbursement for flood responses depend on federal declarations. The jail budget discussion flagged a medical examiner contract and a higher-than-expected jail health-services actual for 2023'024; staff said one outlying case drove the spike and the department had increased its estimate accordingly.

- Landfills and disposal funds: Several small county landfill funds remain thin. Staff warned that new DEQ permitting requirements, engineering and post-closure assurance estimates will increase costs. The committee tentatively approved disposal budgets but directed staff and local landfill trustees to examine fee structures that will cover increased permitting, monitoring and closure liabilities.

- Grants, courthouse generator and Brownsville cleanup: The grants fund includes multiple state and federal awards. The committee approved tentative grant budgets that include a courthouse continuity-of-operations generator (discussed as a capital outlay item around $300,000 in the grant award) and Brownsville property cleanup phases managed through DEQ. Staff said timing and phases of grant expenditures will be tracked separately.

What the committee asked staff to follow up on - Re-run payroll/fringe calculations and explain PERS/fringe variances before final adoption. - Provide a clearer explanation of planned road projects under two SRS scenarios (with and without SRS receipts) and the effect on road reserves. - Provide documentation of the library's foundation and grant activities and revenue timing (foundation contributions often arrive late in the fiscal year). - Confirm the status and timing of inter-county building/environmental-health contracts and whether additional GIS or mapping work will be required. - Collect up-to-date estimates on landfill permitting and the estimated post-closure assurance amount required by DEQ.

Next steps and timeline - The committee's votes on April 29 were tentative approvals; staff said there is usually a short window before formal adoption for final adjustments and for departments to incorporate newly known revenues or carryovers. The budget officer reported a revised estimated beginning general fund balance (recalculated in mid-April) and said staff will return any requested clarifying reports before the county adopts the budget.

Ending - The committee recessed for the evening and planned to continue remaining funds and several larger enterprise budgets at the next scheduled session. The committee recorded its tentative approvals by motion and voice vote throughout the meeting; staff will post modified budget pages reflecting follow-up changes before final adoption.