Delaware County millions short of funding for proposed 2024 budget

MUNCIE, Ind. − Delaware County Council is now searching for ways to afford the same level of government it funded in 2023, let alone accept the bigger 2024 budgets initially offered up by county department heads during budget hearings this past week.

County revenue has not kept up with the spending, and according to figures from County Auditor Ed Carroll, the 2024 budget requests arrived from department heads at $6.7 million more than projected county revenue, causing council to call on department heads to dramatically trim their budget requests.

The council will continue discussing the budget Thursday, Sept. 14, as the possibility of raising taxes has also become part of the conversation.

Revenue for the county general fund was up $700,000 through June compared to the first half of last year, said Tonya Dunsmore, settlement clerk with the Delaware County Auditor's office. The estimated fall tax collection is also up $451,000 this year. But Dunsmore said July through December expenditures were up about $2 million compared with the final six months of last year. The estimated Dec 31 year ending balance is expected be $1.3 million less that last year.

Dunsmore said that County spending is rising this year. County council made $404,000 additional appropriations in 2022. So far this year, council has more than doubled additional appropriations, approving $817,519 in appropriations during the first eight months.

And Dunsmore said that more than $600,000 of the appropriations this year are continuing appropriations, meaning they were for ongoing expenditures rather than one time expenditures.

Jessica Piper, president of the county council, said officials were looking at 2023 as a baseline with many departments returning unspent 2023 to pitch it into the 2024 budget year.

Sheriff Tony Skinner said that if the council is compelled to eliminate pay raises for his employees in 2024, he will not take a $12,000 raise mandated by the state.

"He was the only one who came forward, like a man" said Ryan Webb, at large County Council member.

At this point, a relative few county employees are now in line for a raise for 2024. Webb estimated that about 90 to 95 percent of county employees will be without a raise in 2024.

The week of budget hearings ended about 1 p.m. Friday, Piper said the council still had about $1.7 million to cut from the 2024 budget offered by department heads. The auditor's office estimated the county budget should be about $34.9 million. which was less that the $35.5 adopted budget last year.

Webb said his own figures still showed the council still had more than $3 million to cut.

Meanwhile, some people are getting a raise.

The county's judges aren't bothering with any budgeting give and take this year. The five judges together issued a court order demanding the county council raise the salary of its court administrator to $80,000. Two years ago the position paid $55,000. Last year the administrator position was raised to $69,000 after the five judges then each pitched in part of their annual stipends from the county to make the raise possible.

This year the judges presented an order which said the current court administrator, Emily Anderson, has the experience and qualifications to earn $80,000 annually in comparison with salaries for similar positions at similar sized counties in Indiana. The order also noted that her duties required her to work in excess of 40 hours a week.

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Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. discussed the matter at council this week. The court order stated the county should be able to pay the increased salary due to increased property tax assessments in 2023 and with an additional Local income tax or LIT that the Indiana General Assembly passed this year. Senate Bill 417 allows counties to impose a tax increase through LIT to provide for court staff expenses.

Piper said she thought the deadline to make a decision on such tax increase was August to have it implemented the following year. But she also discussed with Carroll the possibly a deadline might be in October for implementing a LIT tax increase Jan. 1. Carrol said he wasn't sure yet if that was the deadline.

Webb spoke up and said he was opposed to any tax increase, regardless of the deadline.

"I'm not voting to raise any tax .. LIT Tax, wheel tax, income tax," Webb said. "I'm not doing it. Especially not to increase salaries."

Anderson, who was speaking at the podium along with Judge Cannon about the budget for the courts, asked Webb how could make that work.

"How do you run a government without taxes," she asked. "How are we suppose to run our government. Because you can't keep bringing people in, Ryan, at these wages and expect people to work for that. I'm Sorry, I disagree with that totally."

Piper said another part of the problem was recently adopted property tax relief by the state is has hurt revenue for counties.

"We're in a pickle because of the ramifications of these adjustments," she said.

Most county employees discovered they were not going to be in line for a pay increase in 2024. Now they are finding out that one employee for one employee, said Delaware County Clerk Rick Spangler about the court administrator salary.

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He said the judicial branch was telling the fiscal body to raise taxes and that was not their job.

"People talk about the swamp in Washington." Spangler said. "We've got a swamp growing right here."

The county clerk said most elected officials found cuts when asked but the council is still short of what it needs to make the budget work.

David Penticuff is a reporter for The Star Press. He can be reached at dpenticuff@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: As spending rises, proposed '24 county budget falls millions short