Budget cuts would mean loss in aid for counties

In a continued attempt to balance the state budget, Gov. Pawlenty has proposed additional unallotments to County Pro­gram Aid (CPA) totaling $174.3 million for the state.

Chippewa County’s portion of that would be $350,431. Chip­pewa County has already lost $190,451 in CPA cuts from the governor’s previous 2010 unallotments.

If the new proposed cuts go through it will mean a total loss of $540,882 in program aid for Chippewa County, with $142,554 remaining.

County Auditor/Trea­surer Jon Clauson seems confident that the county is able to handle the additional loss.

“We have the potential to deal with those cuts without too much of a noticeable bite on services,” Clauson said.

“We know what the first round of unallotments were ($190,451) and we made arrangements as part of the 2010 budget process. We are basically living off reserve funds.”

Clauson met with Family Services director Betty Christensen and county engineer Steve Kubista on Feb. 24 to discuss where cuts would be made if the additional unallotments pass.

Clauson said they came up with preliminary recommendations which would include surrendering completion of the parcel base map for the county GIS (Geo­graphic Informa­tion Sys­tem). He said they would likely not fill some vacant positions.

A couple of elements that will help compensate for the possible loss of funds, is expenditures budgeted for out of home services and prisoner boarding in adjacent county jails.

Said Clauson when referring to those accounts, “When I look at what we budgeted in 2009, and what we actually spent, then look at 2010, if the trend continues we would have some savings there.”

“We’re taking precautions and are in a proactive mode, but are going to wait until the Legis­lature makes a decision before we react,” he added.

Adjacent counties are seeing similar numbers. Lac qui Parle County is looking at $177,762 in addition to the $103,507 already cut in 2010, for a total of $281,269.

Swift County lost $185,737 in CPA this year. With additional cuts proposed at $346,101 the total would be $531,838.

Yellow Medicine County’s total would amount to $567,785, initially $198,317 and additionally $369,468.

Pawlenty is also proposing cuts to the county share of the 2010 homestead market value credit by $17.7 million or 13.7 percent. No reductions in market value are currently proposed for Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift or Yellow Medicine counties.