Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Seward County commissioners press departments for cuts as reserves shrink
Summary
At a budget work session, Seward County commissioners reviewed transfers, ARPA carryover and a falling revenue base and asked department heads to submit concrete spending-reduction plans by an early-Friday meeting to avoid a larger mill levy increase.
Seward County commissioners spent a multi-hour budget work session reviewing reserve transfers, ARPA balances and projections of declining assessed value and told department heads to return with concrete spending‑reduction proposals by an 8:30 a.m. Friday meeting.
Commissioners and staff discussed tentative transfers and carryover numbers: a $500,000 transfer had been tentatively placed in the capital plan earlier in the discussion before staff proposed reducing that transfer to $250,000. County staff reported about $533,005 remained unspent in ARPA projects, with roughly $73,012.95 still allocated to the courthouse remodel and about $19,003.50 assigned to EMS exterior work, leaving limited one‑time funds for other projects.
The commissioners emphasized that continued reliance on cash carryovers was not sustainable. Commissioners referenced a growing gap between ongoing expenditures (notably employee benefits and personnel costs) and recurring revenue, and discussed mill‑levy scenarios ranging in discussion from roughly 8 to 14 mills as ways to close the structural deficit. Multiple commissioners said cutting recurring expenses would be necessary if the county wished to avoid a larger long‑term tax increase.
The panel directed county staff to convene department heads, asking each department to identify options — from spending cuts and service reductions to scheduling or staffing adjustments — that would reduce budget pressure. Commissioners discussed options such as freezing vacant positions rather than immediate layoffs and reviewing nonessential activities first.
Next steps: department heads were asked to produce proposals and return to the commission at an 8:30 a.m. Friday meeting. Commissioners also noted the statutory timeline around tax certification and indicated a revenue‑neutral/hearing process could be required by July 20 if a mill‑levy change is pursued.
