BY JUSTIN SABATA
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Discussions on next year\u2019s budget started about an hour into the February 17 Ellis County Commissioners meeting, and lasted for about an hour itself. The deliberation began with a spreadsheet presentation from interim county administrator Darin Myers that displayed projections for the county budget in the following years.
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The spreadsheet explained the current economic situation of Ellis County, projecting the general fund to be in the red by the year 2025 based on current spending and previous trends in health care and commission budgeting.
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\u201cWe\u2019re about $325,000 short,\u201d Myers said. \u201cSo, we can start making different changes to this (spreadsheet) and, in all reality, that\u2019s not that far out.\u201d
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Myers also explained the importance of acting now and the value of decreasing current general fund spending.
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\u201cIf we were to decrease these numbers within the general fund expenditures if we decrease them by about 450,000 (dollars) this year,\u201d Myers said. \u201cOnce we get out to 2025, that 400,000 (dollars) that we save now equates to about 1.3 million (dollars) then.\u201d
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The interim administrator and three commissioners further discussed the details of the spreadsheet, plugging in certain numbers to show the effects it would have on the county budget. After the presentation and into further deliberation by the commissioners, it was determined county departments could most likely face cuts and possible layoffs by next year in order to relieve the projected budget. However, the commission also said that shorter workweeks were also a possibility.
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There was one department, though, that should not be in consideration for decreases according to Commissioner Dean Haselhorst, as he spoke out against any cuts to the road and bridge department.
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\u201cWe have chiseled that department every year since I\u2019ve been a commissioner,\u201d Haselhorst said. \u201cIt\u2019s time to put money back into road and bridge or we don\u2019t have to worry about EMS going anywhere cause they can\u2019t get there.\u201d
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The Ellis County Commission will discuss possible budget scenarios with department heads before making any further decisions. The commission is scheduled to meet again this Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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