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| November 22, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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Budget
Continued from page A-1
over from its 2012 budget.
The commission took
such drastic cuts off the
table, and discussed more
precise budget cuts within
departments.
County elected officials
and department heads
on Thursday once again
voiced concerns about
across the board cuts, pro-
posed earlier in the week
by the commissioners.
Mason County Auditor
Karen Herr objected to any
across-the-board cuts, say-
ing the individual depart-
ments did not have time to
revise their budgets before
the Friday deadline. The
budget was made available
for members of the public
to view on Nov. 19, to allow
for a two-week public com-
ment period.
"We've waited two and
a half months to make
these decisions," she said.
"If it's across-the-board
and 4 percent it's going to
be jobs. All we have left is
staffing."
The commission agreed
to ask for eliminations
of $35,000 from the Ma-
son County Jail nurs-
ing contract, $19,612 for
MACECOM fee increases,
$11,000 of courthouse
security overtime and
$75,000 of travel budgets
Journal photo by Natalie Johnson
Mason County Commissioners Steve
Bloomfield, left, and Tim Sheldon, with Lynda
Ring Erickson on speakerphone, found a
solution Thursday to avoid making drastic cuts
to fix a $1.9 million shortfall in the 2013 budget.
in all county departments
and funds, $10,000 from
the Mason County Clerk's
Office and $5,000 from the
Human Resources depart-
ment, amounting to cuts of
$155,612.
The commission is also
considering cutting $5,000
from the probation services
budget.
The commission also
considered cutting $9,600,
or membership dues, for
Washington Association of
County Officials, member-
ship dues of $10,000 from
the Washington State As-
sociation of Counties and
National Association of
Counties and $30,238 in
commissioner benefits, but
decided against those cuts.
The commission also
agreed to adjust payment
rates to the
Rental and
(ER&R) fund,
to $700,000.
The ER&R
separate fund
county, which
Equipment
Revolving
amounting
fund is a
within the
purchases
and owns county equip-
ment, such as public works
equipment, cars, phones
and computers. The coun-
ty, through the general
fund, pays ER&R for the
rental of this equipment.
That money goes toward
maintaining older, and
buying new equipment.
ER&R Director Dave
Loser said the county could
save $700,000 a year by not
making payments on cur-
rent expense items, such
as $500,000 for vehicles,
$71,000 for phones and
$119,000 for computers.
"Because of this, we'll
have to pull $360,000 out
of ER&R reserves to buy
eight new police cars," he
said.
ER&R reserves will
absorb the brunt of that
$700,000 cut, Loser said.
Together, that accounts
for about $850,000. The
county plans to take an ad-
ditional $1 million from its
ending fund to balance the
$1.9 million shortfall in the
2013 budget.
The Washington State
Auditor's Office has rec-
ommended that counties
should have at least 60
days of operating reserves.
For the county, which goes
through $2 million to $3
million per month, that
means having $5 million
to $6 million in reserves at
any time.
County finance manager
Theresia Ehrich estimated
the county could have as
much as $6.9 million in re-
serves at the end of 2012.
However, the county
has a separate resolution,
which requires it to have 9
percent to 12 percent of its
previous year's budget in
reserves -- which puts the
reserve limit at closer to $3
million.
Commissioners reach
$2-million settlement
with Teamsters union
County will cover expense out of reserves
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nata/ie@masoncounty.com
A settlement with the Teamsters Local 252
union, as well as the International Union of Op-
erating Engineers Local 302, over a complaint
of unfair bargaining practices will cost Mason
County $2 million.
On Nov. 15, the Mason County Commission de-
cided to pay that settlement as soon as possible,
from county reserves.
"Our ending fund balance is pretty good," Com-
missioner Tim Sheldon said.
County finance manager Theresia Ehrich has
estimated that the county's ending fund balance,
or reserve funds, could top out at $6.9 million at
the end of 2012.
This summer, a Thurston County judge up-
held a three-year-old complaint from the Team-
sters, alleging that the county commission had
engaged in unfair bargaining practices when it
voted against a proposed contract with the group
in 2009.
For the past few months, the county commis-
sion has been in mediation with the union to
come to an agreement.
The groups agreed to a $2-million cash settle-
ment rather than implementation of the original
agreement.
"They're not going to get those benefits --
They're going to get the cash instead," Sheldon
said.
The county is currently in talks with° the
unions to create a new contract for 2013 for-
ward.
This affects about 50 of the county's more than
300 staff members.
Old You Know'/
In 2011, over 379,i83 pour~b of fcod w~ bmugld tn ~1 ~1 to ll~um~d~ d ~ Ifl ~ ~
Will1 M~UterL.
is famtlie$ are now ~le to leverage their limited retm~xcx as riley gel ~ on traOt, & ~ ate
tO focus better in t~hcol when their lummIN are foil.
Live United by trlvutlng ifl what m~e today, file united way; bdnglng ~ & r~ ~ 11o
~vance the common good right here in Ma, on County,
HOUDAY MAGIC
)WNTOWN $|IUJ N
NOV, 30 & DEC, |. 2012
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FR |.DAY N OV E M B E R 30T l |
4th & Railroad • 426-8615
Neil'SPHARM.ACYI
Merchants open until 8pro fi)r
Shopping, many with in-store
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• Also check out our artwalk!
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KRISTMAS T()I N KIWANIS PRESENI
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i~' ': 403 . Railroad
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628
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Cola
St.
427-3858 • ,t32-2641 iI a ~1~ p.m. W~aeSd~y-Saturday
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Drop of pair of pj's, 3-6 roths - 16/18 String Ensemble playing Christmas Carols in shop. Maly K. - q pr or
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SAFORDA~ DE(EMBER 3rd
Game card and holiday
shopping continue
i
• Missle Toe Mile (4pro) •
"sh¢ltonharriers cam tbr more into
Enter To Win Free Diamond Jewelry/ ~ ~O ]~l C 0 U~
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360-~26-58tl
1st & Railroad, Suite 108 MASON COUNTY IYEI GIFTS
0pe~ Ho#se Fnday ~ Saturday. ~ov, ~h & Oec 15t
rated PG stun9 Peter Billingsley .~ ,~e~ 1~ 1-800-281-578a
Moviestartsat4~Op.m. ~. @~ J ~ 421 S. 1st Street * Shelton sO. ~ /"O . (Ih~h~¢n.ls~.2012) ~.
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healthv. . # C
benefits
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Shelton
426-1918
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(360) 427-2625
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321 $1st Street * 360-790-3976 J
Offering Sewing lessons, I
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~~~~,,~~~m~r
ire the Gift of Sewing!
SHELTON MASON COUNTY
Serving Mason Coun/.y since 1922
sheltonchamber.org (360) 426-2021
& ¢sale CMdr¢ s r
Tue-Fri ll:CO a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sot"urday 11:00 o.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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CAS|NO RESOR~ , Penihi dla
KeyBank
Pa'ge A-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Nov. 22,2012