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County Administrator Joe Mareane told the Legislature’s budget committee today it will soon have specific recommendations to consider to fill the County’s budget gap for 2009, caused by an anticipated $2 million shortfall in County sales tax revenue.

As part of a budget update to the Legislature’s Budget, Capital and Finance Committee, Administrator Mareane indicated that by the committee’s next meeting he will present a package of accounting and policy recommendations to bring the budget into balance for 2009.  The recommendations will be based on ongoing analysis of the County’s financial situation conducted by administration and finance over the past two weeks.

The accounting steps will include recommended fund transfers, to shift available funds—such as $1.8 million in federal stimulus funding and available reserves, if needed—to the program areas of greatest need.  Also presented will be recommended policy initiatives to address the County’s financial picture in 2009, which could include limitations in the hiring of new personnel, equipment acquisition and use of departmental rollover dollars to fund personnel.

Mareane cautioned that an additional issue has arisen concerning state aid for the County’s Assigned Counsel Program.  Because of the State’s maintenance-of-effort requirement for assigned counsel services, the County, he said, could lose all of its $415,000 in aid if it cannot document that at least as much is spent on assigned counsel services this year as was in 2008.  Because of differences in caseload volume, the administrator said assigned counsel spending is running significantly below last year’s level.  While the State has in the past provided waivers to counties on a case-by-case basis, Mareane said there must be aggressive statewide effort to change this damaging policy.

The committee will consider the financial recommendations August 10th, which must receive approval of the full Legislature to become final.

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