SCOTT UPS ITS BUDGET THIS YEAR; COUNTY'S FIGURE AT $3.45 MILLION

BENTON -- Scott County will operate on a $3.45 million budget this year, up only slightly from last year.

Last year the county operated on a $3.41 million budget.

"We are marking time trying to find some revenues," said County Clerk Bob Kielhofner. "We are just trying to meet expenses."

There are no general pay raises in this year's budget, he said.

Kielhofner said the county will have to dip into cash reserves to make ends meet. "We are not into deficit spending, but we are reducing our cash balance. We're not fat, but we have a few dollars on hand," he said.

County sales tax revenue declined last year and is expected to decline slightly this year. The budget projects sales tax revenue of $1 million, down from the $1.11 million in actual revenue the county received two years ago.

"I think that we are still in the midst of a recession despite what the president says," Presiding Commissioner Durward Dover said. "I can't see that our financial situation has improved at all."

The new budget, approved late last week by the County Commission, includes about $12,000 for relocating the sheriff's office to temporary quarters until a more permanent facility can be planned and built.

But no final decision has been made on moving the sheriff's office to temporary quarters.

Kielhofner said county officials are considering the possibility of leasing a building on Highway 61 near the junction with Highway 77. The building was formerly the office of the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service.

The budget figure includes not only moving costs but the cost of renovating and leasing the 1,800-square-foot brick-and-concrete-

block building, Kielhofner said.

In the county budget message accompanying the budget document, Kielhofner said the commission has been looking at the possibility of entering into a two-year lease on the building.

Kielhofner estimated the building is about a quarter of a mile from the county jail. The sheriff's office is adjacent to the jail.

But he said that relocating the sheriff's office would allow time for the old sheriff's office to be razed and plans made for a new facility.

"Last year's grand jury recommended a new sheriff's office building and the commission agrees this is a priority," Kielhofner wrote in the budget message. "The judgment is that, to remodel the old house is a waste of money."

The existing sheriff's office is a 60-year-old house, which for years served as the sheriff's residence. It used to be common practice for counties to furnish living quarters for the sheriff and his family.

The house continued to serve as the sheriff's home until the end of 1976. At that time the sheriff's office was moved out of the courthouse and into the old brick house.

County officials have pointed out that the house is in poor condition. The mortar between the bricks is crumbling, the flooring in the house has sagged and the basement is unusable because storm water often covers the floor. The house is also inadequate in terms of space, with some office files being stored in the bathtub, county officials have said.

The 1992 budget includes projected expenses of $2.43 million from the general revenue fund, $659,236 from the road and bridge fund, $252,481 from the assessment fund, and $65,437 from the landfill fund.

The landfill budget deals with maintenance of ground cover and drainage expenses associated with the permanent closing of the county landfill.

Projected expenditures from the road and bridge fund are about $48,000 below last year's budgeted expenses. "This area of operation will strictly be forced to hold its own with no new equipment purchases nor any new major bridge projects planned," Kielhofner said in the budget message.

The general revenue fund budget is $134,000 more than in last year's approved budget.

Kielhofner said that's partly because of the $60,000 budgeted for elections. The primary and general elections are expected to cost the county about $50,000. On top of that, he said, the budget includes some money in the event other special elections are held.

"This budget also carries the first full year of employee health insurance premiums, estimated to add about $30,000 to the general revenue expenses," said Kielhofner. The county started providing health benefits to employees last July.

Another $44,000 in increased costs this year is expected to come in law enforcement and prosecuting attorney expenditures, the county clerk said. About $21,000 of that is earmarked for the hiring of a special investigator for the prosecuting attorney's office, Kielhofner said.

Dover said that the special prosecutor position is expected to pay for itself with revenue brought in from fines paid by those convicted of crimes and money generated by a bad-check collection program.

A crime reduction fund was established last year. For the nine months it was in place last year, it generated about $9,000 in fines paid by law breakers, Dover said.

"If that program can support itself, we will continue it," Dover said in reference to earmarking money for a special investigator. "If it doesn't, it will have to go."