By BRADEN LAMMERS
Following the realization that the Clark County Council would be unable to fund the 2010 budget at the same level as 2009, it passed along some difficult choices to county department heads.
Each department in the county has been asked to cut 30 percent out of its budget for the next year. While some county department heads have thanked the council for allowing them to determine where the cuts would be made, in nearly every office, it has come down to reducing personnel.
The cuts made to five offices housed in the Clark County government building are examined below.
Auditor
The county auditor’s office budget has been reduced from an approved amount of $636,109 for 2009 to a submitted amount to the state of $445,276 for 2010.
“I’m going to lose two part-time and one full-time employee,” said Auditor Keith Groth.
He said personnel was the only area in which he was able to cut, but considered other options — including reducing hours and merging salaries instead of laying workers off. How the cuts will affect the services provided by the office is something that remains to be seen.
“[The] impact will really begin Jan. 1,” Groth said. “That’s when a lot of offices are going to have to operate with reduced personnel.”
Assessor
The assessor’s office will have to operate down six employees, according to Assessor Vicky Kent-Haire.
Kent-Haire cut about $220,000 out of her personal services budget, a place where she already was operating understaffed.
One employee in the office volunteered to retire, but the remaining positions will be lost, in an area Kent-Haire said already was a problem.
According to the Indiana Association of Assessing Officers, the Clark County office was 12 employees short before the cuts were made, she said.
Some funding was left in the submitted 2010 budget — $399,105, down from $570,150 in 2009 — to account for overtime hours and state-required training for employees.
Other cuts were made to supplies, but were limited because the office will be doing extra work that was formerly bid out and it will still need the supplies to file documents with the state.
“I couldn’t cut my supplies anymore,” Kent-Haire said. “I’ll be lucky to get through on what I’ve got.”
Clerk
Office supplies weren’t a major source for cuts in the County Clerk’s office, as they were eliminated during a previous officeholder’s tenure.
“The only thing in the office I was able to cut was people,” said Clerk Barbara Bratcher-Haas.
Eight positions have been cut from last year.
Six full-time employees were cut — one volunteered to retire and another retiree’s position was not filled — and two part-time employees were let go.
Not included in the clerk’s 2010 budget — $358,950, down from $512,787 in 2009 — was an election office employee that also was let go.
The cuts will cause a reorganization in the courts, where there will no longer be two people in each court office; instead it has been reduced to one employee.
The clerk’s office also will be closed in 2010 between noon and 1 p.m. when it was formerly open, and all courtesy services will be stopped.
“We will be doing mandated services only,” Bratcher-Haas said.
The cuts already have started to affect the level of services in the office, as Bratcher-Haas has employees out that are using up any vacation, personal or sick days before they are laid off.
“I am short-staffed already,” she said. “It hit the clerk’s office pretty deep.”
Recorder
Although the recorder’s office is not exempt from feeling the squeeze of the budget cuts — $201,819 in 2009, reduced to $141,273 submitted for 2010 — it was able to avoid any layoffs by shifting salaries around.
The recorder’s office only has three full-time employees and one employee’s salary was shifted to draw from the I.D. Security Protection Fund. Costs for office supplies also were shifted from the general fund to the Recorder’s Perpetuation Fund.
Both funds are self-generating through paying for services to maintain records as required by Indiana state law, according to Recorder Dick Jones.
Despite being able to keep all of its employees, the recorder’s office is still short one person and is wary of the future.
“We were not able to replace the people we’ve lost in previous years,” Jones said. “These funds cannot continue to support this office.”
Jones added that he does not know how long he will be able to continue to operate at current levels.
Treasurer
Operations likely will be hampered in the treasurer’s office, as well.
“There’s going to be long[er] lines,” said Treasurer Janet Hurst.
With the county tax bills being due this past week, lines formed outside of the office in the Clark County Government Building. Those waiting were in line for about 10 to 15 minutes, Hurst said.
After the first of the year, expect the wait to increase and the hours of the treasurer’s office will change, as it will no longer be open between noon and 1 p.m.
“That definitely will change,” she said. “When you reduce your staff, it’s going to affect services.”
Hurst had to cut her staff by two part-time, seasonal positions and one full-time employee. She also has asked the employees she retained to make a sacrifice. They will be furloughed one day per week.
“The only way I can try and keep the office going … is to ask the other full-time employees to do [a furlough],” Hurst said.
Without furloughing the workers, Hurst said she would have had to cut the number of people in her office down to three full-time employees; currently there are five full-time employees.
“I can’t run that office with three employees,” she said.
Not only is Hurst down on employees, but she also has no money to furnish her office with supplies.
“It’s just going to be rough there and I hope people understand that,” she said.
CLARK COUNTY GOVERNMENT LAYOFFS
• Auditor’s office — two part-time; one full-time
• Assessor’s office — six full-time (one opting for early retirement)
• Clerk’s office — six full-time; two part-time (one opting for early retirement and another retirees position remaining vacant)
• Recorder’s office — no employees laid off, but one position left vacant
• Treasurer’s office — two part-time and one full-time.
• 21 jobs cut or not restaffed in the five selected departments
OFFICE BUDGETS
• Assessor: 2009 — $570,150; 2010 — $399,105; Down — $171,045
• Auditor: 2009 — $636,109; 2010 — $445,276 Down — $190,833
• Clerk: 2009 — $512,787; 2010 — $358,950 Down — $153,837
• Recorder: 2009 — $201,819; 2010 — $141,273 Down — $60,546
• Treasurer: 2009 — $273,523; 2010 — $191,466; Down — $82,057
— Note the 2010 budget has not been approved by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance
