Commissioners talk to officials about future budget ideas

Proposal could reduce courthouse hours to public

EPHRATA — Grant County might soon reduce the hours that employees work with the public, in an effort to increase efficiency in county departments.

Commissioner LeRoy Allison said Wednesday that the commissioners are asking for written feedback from departments on the plan, which he said would not reduce the overall hours that county employees would work.

"We're not shortening the day for the employees," Allison said, saying that employee's access to the public would be shortened instead.

The proposal was one of many discussed during a meeting about the Grant County budget with county department heads and other community representatives. The hour reduction idea also came up during a meeting the group held in October, to find solutions to a county budget shortfall.

The courthouse itself and many departments are currently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Commissioner Deborah Moore said the county is currently talking about dropping public hours at the courthouse by one hour each at the beginning and end of the day. Under the proposed plan, the courthouse would be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Grant County has lost about a dozen employees over the last several months, in response to a county hiring freeze implemented in May.

Moore said the hours reduction is a plan that the commissioners are seriously considering, but is not reflected in the 2005 budget. She added, though, that many county departments were asking for a reduction in hours to the public.

The plan, which Allison said could start as early as next year, would impact positions like the county switchboard during those two hours a day.

"It really shouldn't impact the budget," Allison said.

Grant County Auditor Bill Varney brought up the county licensing department, and said that two hours may be too much to close that department to the public. Varney said that many people work between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

"It'd be nice to have a set hour," Varney said, "So everyone knows the courthouse is open for these hours."

In response to licensing, Allison brought up the possibility of renting a separate space out for the licensing department.

Others in the meeting said that they heard complaints that the county is not open on Saturday mornings.

Brian Meiners proposed having the county stay open late, until 6 p.m. one day a week in an effort to help out hourly workers.

"I think it would be easier to do an extended day during the week," Varney said.

County Treasure Darryl Pheasant said that his department has an hour where it needs to clean up the day's transactions. He said the 4 to 5 p.m. hour would be an opportunity for his department to change some things.

Pheasant suggested using a benchmark, to see how efficient the county is compared to the state's 38 other counties.

Thursday's meeting was also a chance to discuss the county's proposed 2005 budget, and Terry Brewer asked the commission what they are doing to improve the county's financial situation beyond 2005. Brewer is the executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council, and he said the budget looks like it will working 2005 but questioned the

commission about budgets in future years.

"What are you doing long term to address revenue?" Brewer asked the commissioners.

Moore said one idea involves having a budget director, whose sole focus could be looking at trends and finding revenue sources.

"There may be funding sources out there that we're missing," Moore said.

Meeting members also brought up other possible revenue sources such as charging admission to the county's All-Terrain-Vehicle park. Commissioner Tim Snead said, however, that the county is looking into a situation where the county would be liable for accidents if they take admission funds.

The commissioners also proposed bringing in the group at least annually for a discussion to get advice and input from the department heads and business leaders.

The Grant County Commissioners are continuing to finalize the county's proposed budget. The county asked departments to make 4 and 7 percent cuts to their 2005 budgets this past summer. The commissioners have since seen a proposed revenue jump and they have been asking employees during meetings this month for their first priorities to add back to their budgets for next year.

"It's nice to be able to look at putting money back in as opposed to taking money out," Moore said Thursday.

Moore said earlier this week that she was optimistic that a budget would be adopted before Christmas.