Hear request for Dreyfus funds for GJ ambulance
The Greene County supervisors at their Jan. 22 meeting heard a request from Terry Hoefle of the Grand Junction fire and rescue squad for funding toward replacing an aging ambulance. Total cost of the ambulance is $400,000, Hoefle said. He requested $10,000 from the Dreyfus fund, payable over two years. The remaining portion of the cost will be covered by grants, fundraising, and donations, according to Hoefle. The supervisors tabled the request until the Jan. 26 meeting.
The supervisors heard FY27 budget requests from several departments within the courthouse.
The board of supervisors are requesting $282,694 in the upcoming budget, an increase of $18,914. The supervisors plan to increase their own wage from $37,390 to $38,792. Their salaries account for $193,960 of the total. They plan to spend more for expert help with HR issues, and the cost of publishing legal notices has increased. The supervisors plan to trim line items in education/training and dues & memberships.
Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins is requesting $355,291 to cover the auditor’s office and elections. She discussed with the supervisors increasing wages for poll workers from $175 to $200 per day for full days and from $11 to $13 per hour for partial days. Poll workers’ wages have not increased since 2022. The board also discussed taking a portion of the IT director’s salary from the elections budget as part of his work is election-related. The auditor’s and deputy auditor’s wages are also increasing by 3.25 percent, setting the auditor’s salary at $86,991.
County recorder Deb McDonald reviewed her proposed budget, showing expenditures totaling $181,672, an increase of 3.78 percent. She projects an increase of $5,400 in revenues. McDonald’s salary will be $82,526.
Treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen did not review her budget.
The supervisors reviewed the public health department budget that was presented by public health director Shelby Cooklin earlier this month. The budget includes pass through funds for grants to Greene County Public Health, the county’s share of public health expense, indigent care, and funding to New Opportunities in Carroll. The total for FY 27 is $379,560, the same as the current year.
The medical examiner’s budget will increase $13,000 over the current year, up to $40,000. The additional cost is due to increased costs related to deaths within the county that require an autopsy.
The drainage department budget is considerable less than in the current year due to a restructuring that was done with the departure of IT/drainage clerk Michelle Fields. Total budget for FY27 is estimated at $12,450, a decrease of $31,647.
Environmental health/zoning coordinator Chuck Wenthold estimates a decrease in revenue of $7,750 and an increase of expenditures of $1,103. The increase in expenditures is primarily his salary increase. The supervisors took no action on the budget items.
