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Iron County supervisors outline multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar shortfall, consider staff cuts and referendum
Summary
Finance chair told the board the county has seen a nine‑year cash decline and a projected 2025 deficit north of $1.2 million; supervisors discussed furloughs, 1.5 FTE reductions, health‑insurance changes, using one‑time dollars for debt reduction and possible future referendum.
Iron County supervisors received an extended budget briefing from the finance committee that described a multi‑year erosion in general fund cash and a projected budget shortfall for 2025.
Finance committee members said the county's general fund cash dropped from roughly $5.7 million at the end of 2015 to a projected $2 million at the end of 2024 after accounting for one‑time receipts such as an Enbridge payment and COVID‑era federal funds. Phase‑one corrective actions reduced an earlier $2.6 million imbalance to about $850,000 in the current year, but the committee projected a 2025 shortfall “north of $1.2 million” once all numbers are entered.
The briefing noted statutory limits on the county levy (base and debt portions), constraining the county’s ability to close the gap through levy increases alone. Supervisors discussed several cost‑saving options, including a target of roughly 1.5 full‑time equivalent staff reductions (estimated savings ≈ $125,000), short furloughs (the example given: furloughing 40 employees two hours a week to save roughly $125,000), health‑insurance redesign (higher employee cost‑sharing), consolidating underused county buildings, and prioritizing one‑time receipts to pay down existing debt (e.g., Saxon Harbor obligations).
Board members emphasized the need to identify non‑mandated services for potential cuts and to consider strategic capital investments (finance system replacement, IT upgrades) that could yield operational savings. Several supervisors urged internal cost reductions before pursuing a referendum to increase taxes. The finance committee said it will create a menu of expense‑reduction options and follow up with department chairs for additional review.
The board did not take final action during the meeting; finance committee staff and department heads were directed to return with detailed options and numbers in coming weeks.
