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County Board announces preliminary FY 2015 budget

Posted November 06, 2014 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler The Herald Tribune

CHESTER -- The Randolph County Board of Commissioners had some good news on Friday, as the county's preliminary fiscal year 2015 budget was announced.

With savings in salary, insurance and reduced staff, Board Chairman Dave Holder said the figures show close to a balanced budget for the fiscal year beginning Dec. 1 and ending November 30, 2015.

"(The budget) is guaranteed to change, but it won't change significantly to run a deficit for the next fiscal year," he said. "That is very good news."

Holder said from September 2013 to January 2015, there will be 15 less people working in Randolph County offices. That is due to retirements, resignations and the four layoffs that were announced in May.

"At this time last year, we were spending $13,000 more a week than we were taking in," Holder said. "You can't keep that up."

One of the big savings comes in health insurance, as the Randolph County Care Center was split off from the county and became its own entity.

"We'll see what happens when Jim Schmersahl weighs in on what we've done," Holder said.

Schmersahl, a certified public accountant with Schorb and Schmersahl, LLC., prepared the county's annual financial report for FY 2013.

That report showed a decrease of $541,793 for the fiscal year that ended November 30, 2013.

The budget figures released to the media on Friday show potential savings in the offices of circuit clerk ($14,176), coroner ($3,482), county clerk ($108,479), county board ($20,879), animal control ($35,051), courthouse and jail ($33,429), general county ($626,454), ESDA ($13,667), sheriff ($215,522), state's attorney ($2,809) and treasurer ($37,604).

Total expenditures for FY 2015 are predicted to be more than $1.16 million less than they were this fiscal year, which ends Nov. 30.

"We are required, by law, to pass a budget prior to Dec. 1 or on Dec. 1 in order to spend money," said Commissioner Marc Kiehna.

Additional savings could potentially be made in courtroom security, office supplies and equipment maintenance, land management and postage.

"I'm not anticipating at this time we'll have to use any savings to make this (budget) work," Holder said.

After the meeting, Holder announced he will not run for board chairman when the newly-elected officials are sworn in on Dec. 1. Commissioner-elect Ronnie White, who attended Friday's meeting, will replace outgoing Commissioner Terry Moore.

It is expected that Kiehna will take the chairman's position.

"We typically rotate that around the table," Holder said.

Holder also announced that outgoing Sheriff Mike Hoelscher, who was defeated by Shannon Wolff in Tuesday's general election, will retire on Dec. 31.

Holder said contract negotiations between the county and the two unions - the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) - who represent Randolph County Sheriff's Office employees are on hold.

The FOP represents the jailers, while AFSCME represents the sheriff's deputies.

"The unions wanted to wait until the new sheriff took office to start negotiations," Holder said.

In other news, the board approved several new appointments, including two to the Randolph County Board of Health. Dr. David Chung and Dr. Scott Hinze were appointed to three-year terms expiring July 1, 2017.

"I think we are very fortunate to have at least three doctors on the Board of Health," Kiehna said.

General assistance claims for the period were $3,088.94. The Randolph County Care Center was reported to have 62 residents.

ICIT PRESENTATION:

Mark Behan, of the Illinois County Insurance Trust (ICIT), gave a report to the board on worker's compensation.

ICIT, which is a mutual insurance trust, is made up of five counties (Christian, Clinton, Edwards, Jersey and Randolph) that issue debt to join ICIT and ICIT then invests deposits and pays claims, excess insurance and administration out of those deposits.

"Claims have escalated more than anything in the past 20 years due to the cost of medical care," Behan said.

According to Behan, Randolph County's workers' compensation claims from 2009 to 2014 totaled $930,311, with an average of $186,062 per year. That was the highest of the five counties, with Edwards County ($4,236 total and $847 per year) being the lowest.

Kiehna asked why Edwards County's claims were so low.

"They have 28 employees and no jail," Behan said. "The county also does not have healthcare for its employees."

ICIT recommended the county remain self-insured, with savings of more than $300,000 when compared to a public risk fund.

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