Bonner County adopts new budget policy

SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners decided on a split vote Tuesday to adopt a new budget policy in an attempt to bring forecasted expenditures in line with anticipated tax revenue for the coming fiscal year.

As it stands, expenditures are expected to exceed tax revenue by about $1.6 million, according to county officials.

“I will not support the budget we created,” said Commissioner Mike Nielsen.

Commission Chairman Cornel Rasor also stated he would not vote in favor of the budget in its current incarnation.

As a result, Nielsen proposed a zero-based budget policy for employee wages and salaries and written justifications for each line item in operational and capital improvements.

Wage increases, meanwhile, can only be granted if budget authority supports them and they’re reviewed by a wage and classification committee.

Prior to this year’s budget workshops, elected officials and department heads were directed by Clerk Marie Scott to hold their spending plans at the 2012 level and add a wish list of potential enhancements.

But Nielsen took exception to the directive because it lacked austerity needed to shrink the budget. He also objected to Scott building wiggle room in her personnel budget to hire additional staff if need be.

“We build in that factor. We’re budgeting a little bit more than we need in case we get an additional staff person that wasn’t contemplated the beginning of the year,” said Scott.

Nielsen said he would rather eliminate funding for potential positions to avoid possible layoffs of current employees.

The county is also anticipating some horse-choking bills in the coming fiscal year, including $250,000 in legal expenses to fend off a lawsuit filed by SilverWing at Sandpoint. The developers of the fly-in residential development accuse the county of bad-faith dealings involving airport access and planning.

There’s also the costly courthouse remodel saga and plans to contribute to a regional mental hold facility in Coeur d’Alene.

The decision to adopt the new budget policy passed on a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Lewis Rich voted against the measure because he needed more time to study the proposal.

Rich also contends the board has a law-enforcement bias and argues if sheriff’s personnel receive wage adjustments, other employees should also get them.

“We’ve got a serious morale issue. They don’t think it’s consistent and fair,” Rich said, referring to employees’ perceptions.

Scott is unfazed by the new budget policy and does not believe it can be implemented before the state-mandated budget deadline hits.

“If Mike wanted this, he needed to be talking with his fellow commissioners in April, not in August,” said Scott.