MAYVILLE - More than just belt-tightening will be required of Chautauqua County in addressing next year's anticipated budget deficit.
From the looks of a document released to legislators this week, it appears the county is actually going to have to shed some weight.
In an attempt to "start a dialogue with the legislature," County Executive Greg Edwards issued a "2011 Deficit Reduction Plan" on Monday.
"It is imperative that we take action now to lay the foundation for an even more streamlined and potentially downsized government," Edwards writes in the plan.
Facing an $18.5 million deficit in the coming year, Edwards says he is expecting all departments to do " more with less" in order to close the gap.
For many legislators, the plan was likely a first look at specific cuts which could be a part of the 2011 budget.
After opening the plan with a list of accomplishments achieved in the last five years, Edwards reiterates several of the belt-tightening measures he proposed in his State of the County address last month. The plan then goes on to detail $10.6 million in cuts to programs - including the elimination of 65 full-time employees.
Edwards is hesitant in presenting the cuts, following each with a description of how services will be affected. For example, Edwards says a $933,000 cut to emergency services will eliminate the county's "ability to properly manage disasters." He then cites the summer flooding in Silver Creek, implying that the disaster might not have been "properly managed" had it come after such a cut.
Moreover, the proposed $10.6 million in cuts translates to only $5.1 million toward the projected deficit.
Cutting programs and services means also eliminating the revenues associated with them, Edwards explains in the plan. Similarly, eliminating staff members means having to pay unemployment.
"I will be considering reducing programs and services," Edwards writes. "However, it is important to note that even with the wholesale elimination of the programs in the attached chart, the budget deficit will still be over $13 million. If these programs were outright eliminated, $10.6 million would be pulled out of the economy, along with all the services. With the federal government extending unemployment benefits, every layoff could potentially cost the county $20,000."
BELT-TIGHTENING
An increase to the county's sales tax could have helped close the $18.5 million deficit expected next year. For each quarter of a percent on the sales tax, the county sees $3.25 million in revenue, according to Edwards.
State officials, however, were opposed to taking the rate from 7.75 percent to 8.25 percent, as Edwards proposed. As it stands, the local rate is set to drop from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent on Dec. 1 - though Edwards would like to see it stay at 7.75 percent.
Still, an increase to the sales tax was only one of several measures outlined by Edwards in his State of the County address. Now, maybe more so than before, the directive to "do more with less" will have to become a mantra to department heads in the coming year. Edwards is asking all department heads to review their operations and determine what is essential to their department's function, in preparation for potential downsizing. Additionally, Edwards is considering a hiring freeze for non-essential positions, an overtime reduction plan and a "One Meeting Day" concept which would reduce travel through the use of teleconferences.
Edwards said in his March address that he will be asking union leaders to re-open their contracts to assist with cost-saving efforts. Additionally, salaries will be frozen at their current rates for department heads and managers.
Rather than wait for the fall, Edwards is beginning to prepare for the budget process now and would like the official work on the budget to begin a month early this year.
WEIGHT LOSS
In terms of cuts, Edwards provided 10 options in his plan - parks, Youth Bureau, emergency services, Office for the Aging, veterans, planning, economic development, road patrol, navigation and snowmobiling.
According to Edwards, a $222,000 cut to parks would result in a $114,000 local share toward the deficit - as well as the closing of county overlooks and the elimination of maintenance for hiking and waterway trails.
The nine other proposed cuts were as follows:
Youth Bureau - A $443,000 cut resulting in a $208,000 local share and the elimination of all youth programs.
Emergency Services - A $933,000 cut resulting in a $587,000 local share and the elimination of the ability to "properly manage disasters."
Office For The Aging - A $3,911,112 cut resulting in a $768,572 local share and the elimination of all senior programs.
Veterans - A $264,000 resulting in a $250,000 local share and the elimination of county outreach programs which assist veterans in attaining federal benefits.
Planning - A $435,997 cut resulting in a $289,447 local share and the elimination of the county's ability to apply and manage community development grants.
Economic Development - A $1,000,000 cut resulting in a $1,000,000 local share and the elimination of job development, training and promotion programs.
Road Patrol - A $3,000,000 cut resulting in a $3,000,000 local share and the elimination of police coverage in most communities.
Navigation - A $300,000 cut resulting in a $127,000 local share and the elimination of police coverage for county lakes as well as reduced coverage for Lake Erie.
Snowmobiling - A $101,000 cut resulting in a $88,500 local share and no police coverage for more than 500 miles of trails.