Commission seeks details before approving lump-sum budgeting

The Cape Girardeau County Commission is prepared to hand over a substantial amount of budget control to two departments, but the commission wants more precise figures before it transfers the power.

Four days before the county has to have a budget in place, the commission met at its regular meeting Monday to discuss the budget at a required public hearing.

No one from the public attended the hearing, which was originally scheduled for last Thursday but postponed because of the weather.

However, the commission, which has the ultimate authority over the budget, did present some minor concerns.

The commission has agreed in principle to allow "lump-sum" budgeting in the sheriff and road and bridge departments. This means that the sheriff and road and bridge superintendent will have the authority to manage their department's salaries as they see fit, as opposed to a standard, across-the-board 3.5 percent raise which has been common practice at the county.

Sheriff John Jordan, who did not attend Monday's meeting, has asked for this authority for a couple of years. He argues that such a salary structure adds incentive to employees.

In the 2005 budget request, the sheriff asked for $1,632,000 in salaries, not including benefits. In 2004, the department spent $1,592,957. The road and bridge department had a payroll, minus benefits, of $753,103. It is asking for $810,774 for 2005.

Setting a precedent

Because the county will set a precedent with lump-sum budgeting this year, the commission is using extra caution.

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said he wanted the 2005 lump-sum budget amount based on "real" estimates, not on year-end amounts. In other words, he wanted County Auditor David Ludwig to figure the amount of money each employee would earn based on his anniversary date.

Some employees, Commissioner Joe Gambill argued, have their evaluations in December. He said it would be wrong to include a year-end salary bump as part of the overall lump-sum base, when the employee would only see the increase for one month out of the year.

Jordan said he based his request as if every position was filled the entire year and then added 3.5 percent to that.

"I figured up the totals with anniversary dates," Jordan said in a telephone interview, "and the biggest difference I came up with was about $12,000 to $13,000. The request is based on 3.5 percent growth."

Highway superintendent Scott Bechtold was out of the office Monday afternoon and could not be reached for comment.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-4465