~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The county supervisors reviewed budget requests from the various county offices at their Jan. 11 meeting.
Sheriff Jack Williams requested funds to cover the compensation board’s 2024 recommendation of a 4 percent increase in wages for employees, chief deputy, captain, investigator, and sheriff. Williams said his budget includes the purchase of two vehicles and equipment costs as well as the addition of a fulltime dispatcher and two fulltime jailers.
Williams described increasing costs for housing inmates in other counties until the new jail is built. He estimated these costs to be $40,000.
The sheriff’s office budget request for FY2025 is $2,307,264, an increase of $296,533. Williams estimated revenues at $261,433.
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph asked at what point dispatch would be in emergency overload in the event of a large emergency.
Williams said the system has the capacity to answer six 911 calls at a time.
“After that, people get a busy signal,” he said.
Recorder Deb McDonald estimated revenues for FY2025 will be $80,825, a decrease of $11,590 from FY2024. She said expenditures are estimated at $169,937, a decrease from the FY2024 budget of $172,314.
McDonald said the decreases are due, in part, to “people using apps to buy licenses” which “reduce fees in general about 4 percent.”
McDonald and the board discussed emergency protocols for her office and the phone system as well as the security committee.
Treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen presented a $13,115 increase to her FY2025 budget with expenditures and wages estimated at $275,581. She estimated revenues of $159,160 for FY2025.
The board reviewed their own budget request of $253,692, an increase of $8,977 over FY2024. The compensation board had recommended across the board increases in wages of 4 percent which applies to the supervisors.
Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins presented the medical examiners budget request of $27,000 for FY2025, the same amount as in FY2024.
Engineer Wade Weiss told the board some employees in his department stayed overnight during the recent snowstorm so they would be sure to be at work to clear roads when needed.
