County budget to get bump to cover utility costs

Taylor County has been using its savings to keep the courthouse lights on.

In efforts to have budgets that show no operational increases, in the past few years, the county’s buildings and grounds departments have under-budgeted for utility expenses and instead used carryover funds from other areas to make up the short-fall.

Historically, the county has used these carryover funds to go toward longterm improvements such as roof replacements or other major projects. Instead, the county in recent years has been able to tap into COVID-related grant funding from the state and federal government to play catch-up on those major projects.

As county finance director Larry Brandl explained to members of the county’s buildings and grounds committee on Monday, that grant money is essentially gone. The committee reviewed the departmental budget put together by buildings and grounds director Joe Svejda which calls for a 9.8% increase in operational costs and an overall increase of 2.9% when wages and benefits are factored in. Earlier this summer, the county’s finance and personnel committee had instructed department heads to bring in budgets with no operational increases.

Svejda noted the budget he prepared includes the actual operating costs for things like fuel, electricity and utilities. He explained the county has been overspending in those budget areas by about $70,000 a year.

“We are just falling further and further behind,” Svejda said.

“I think we should budget what the actual expenses are,” he said.

Another change included in the budget is for the department to begin budgeting for vehicle replacement. In the past, the buildings and grounds department has gotten hand-me-down vehicles from other county departments when those upgraded. With other departments delaying vehicle replacements for budgetary and supply chain reasons, this left the county’s buildings and grounds department with vehicles that were unfit to be driven and needing to purchase vehicles on their own to use.

Brandl advocated for budgeting for vehicle replacement. He noted that while they bought new vehicles this year they have another two to three that are older and will need to be replaced sooner than later. He suggested budgeting money each year so that they can get on a decent cycle rather than running them into the ground like has been the practice.

Svejda has had to put a halt to projects approved by the buildings and grounds committee in order to ensure he had enough reserves to pay for utility expenses. Committee member Rod Adams has asked about planned upgrades to the maintenance shop located at the fairgrounds. “We discussed that a long time ago,” Adams noted.

Svejda said he had put a stop to making any improvements out there to add heat to it over concerns of rising costs elsewhere in the budget.

“To me it was like buying a brand new truck and not being able to afford the gas to put in it,” Svedja said.

“We have masked it the last couple years,” Brandl said of the shortfalls in the operational budget for the department and said they need to start dealing with it.

Svedja defended the use of grant funds for the major projects in recent years, noting that in many of them without the outside funding, the county would not have been able to do them. Brandl agreed saying the county would have had to wait and borrow money to do the major projects.

Svejda said he considered it a win to be able to buy another 20 to 30 years of life for items like parking lots or roofs versus using grant funds for things that will need to be replaced in five years when there would be no money available.

“If we treat them right, we can maintain them,” Svejda said.

Committee members unanimously approved the budget as presented. It will go to the budget review committee next month.

In other business committee members:

  Approved having the highway department crew rebuild and expand the parking lot at the human services building on College St. at a cost of about $77,750. The actual cost will be based on time and material used. The county had planned to have the lot resurfaced using federal grant funds and has gotten quotes from the highway department and from a local paving company, Jensen and Son. After talking with the highway commissioner, Svejda favored a plan for rebuilding the lot to address long-term issues and eliminate the need for a step into the building. This was significantly different than the basic repaving quote given by the local contractor and committee members felt that in fairness they needed to give the contractor an opportunity to submit a quote on the more extensive project. Svejda said he spoke with Scott Jensen and they declined to submit a bid for the expanded project.

  Approved a new lease with Indianhead Community Action Agency for the HeadStart space at the Taylor County Education Center. This includes an additional 750 square feet of fenced-in playground space for the expanded infant toddler care programs at the center. It was noted the infant and toddler care will be during the same times as the center is currently open so it won’t require additional access hours.

“To me it was like buying a brand new truck and not being able to afford the gas to put in it.”

— Buildings and Grounds Director Joe Svejda