SHOALS — Faced with the task of trimming more than a million dollars from last year’s budget, members of the Martin County Council sharpened their pencils and got down to work Monday morning.

During budget hearings that continued through Tuesday, the seven council members interviewed one county official after another, asked tough questions of those officials and of each other, voiced their opinions, made recommendations, and slashed or adjusted specific line items.

On Tuesday, the council voted to approve 1 percent across -the-board pay raises.  

While the federal government routinely spends more than it takes in and borrows the shortfall, local governments don’t have that luxury. They must live within their means. If they don’t, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance can refuse to approve their budgets and send them back to the cutting table.   

Deep cuts are needed in Martin County because revenues are anticipated to be significantly less than last year. The council knows that, as does Martin County Auditor Nancy Steiner. Steiner cited a number of reasons for the drop in income including decreased property tax dollars due to caps imposed at the state level, and reductions in economic development income taxes (EDIT) and county option income taxes (COIT).

The county is also entitled to a portion of the revenue generated from timber cutting at NSWC Crane, a revenue source that effectively bailed out the county last year, but neither Steiner nor the council members can be certain what that amount might be this year, or if anything at all will be generated from timber.

Despite concerns about decreased revenue, many county employees sought pay increases nevertheless, the amounts varying from department to department. For example, Clerk Julie Fithian sought a 5.7-percent increase. The recorder, treasurer and assessor all sought 10-percent increases while Auditor Steiner sought a 24-percent increase. Sheriff Tony Dant requested roughly a 5-percent increase for his chief deputy and other subordinate officers. Prosecutor Mike Steiner requested a 3 percent raise for his legal assistant/administrator. Highway Superintendent Jim Williams did not seek any increase for himself but asked for a 5-percent increase in the category of “administrative assistance.”   

Steiner acknowledged early in the process on Monday that her request had little chance of being granted. Still, she wanted the council to know that the duties and responsibilities of her office have increased with the advent of property tax reform and a corresponding increase in compensation was warranted.   

The Martin County Solid Waste Management District was the focus of a lengthy discussion during Monday’s hearing and to a lesser extent again on Tuesday. Some council members felt the budget submitted by Waste District Manager Laura Albertson requesting a 5percent across-the-board increase, was not itemized as specifically as those submitted by other county officials, and Councilman John Stoll wondered why, for example, the district could sell a truck without having to come to the council to seek approval. Albertson explained that the solid waste district is a separate taxing unit operated by its own seven member board.

According to Albertson, the district, which generates income not only from a tax levy, but also from the sale of recycling products is self sufficient and returns $5 to the county for every $1 it receives. While praising the district for its success, the council went on to question whether the 4-cent tax levy the district receives is still necessary since the district was functioning so well.

Ultimately the council decided to cut the waste district’s budget back to 2010 levels with the understanding that the waste district board can increase it if they so chose. The council also advised the district it would like to see the 4 cent tax levy cut in half and asked that measures be initiated to make that a reality.

The sheriff’s salary, among others, was discussed at length on Tuesday. Outgoing Sheriff Dant currently is paid $85,000 per year and requested that same amount for the new sheriff next year. The council reviewed its options and voted to reduce the pay for the new sheriff to $68,000 thus making the sheriff’s office among those hardest hit by the cuts. Including the reduction in the sheriff’s salary, the Sheriff’s Department as a whole was reduced by more than $50,000.

Also hard hit were the jail, nearly $49,000 in cuts, and the Commissioners, almost $50,000 in cuts.

When all was said and done, the council cut a total of $581,900 from the requested budgets. The council will meet again in September to formally adopt them and from there the budgets will be sent to DLGF for final approval.