By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
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DELHI _ The Delaware County Board of Supervisors Budget Oversight Committee has begun work on the county's 2011 budget, but it is still too early to have any hard numbers available, budget Director Bob Homovich said Monday.
"We are going to try to keep any increase in the tax levy as low as we can," Homovich said. "We have kept the increases low, and we hope to continue, but it takes money to run everything."
He said budget request forms have gone out to department heads with a request to reduce their expenditures by 5 percent and more if possible.
"The department heads know the situation," Homovich said. "They have the first opportunity to cut costs, and we have the last opportunity if the cuts aren't deep enough."
Following a salary freeze this year, he said an across-the-board salary increase is planned for non-union workers and department heads, but it won't be a percentage increase.
"It will be a certain amount, but that amount has not been determined," he said.
Homovich said the hiring freeze will continue.
"We are being hit hard by an increase on retirement costs, and of course health insurance is going up again," he said.
Homovich said Delaware County, just like every other county, is faced with the state continuing to mandate programs but attempting to cut back or end reimbursements.
"The state owes the county and towns large amounts of money for services from last year and this year," Homovich said. "I never thought in my lifetime I would see the state in a situation where it couldn't meet its financial obligations.
"When the state can't pay its bills we all need to worry."
Homovich said business indicators showed a positive uptick in August that has raised hopes that sales taxes will be up.
"Our sales tax revenue is gaining at this point," he said. "But we are not going to get back to the 2007 sales tax levels in just one month; we needed 12 months of good business."
Homovich said the Delaware County Fair was a real boon to the economy, with businesses reporting a lot of additional traffic during fair week.
He said property taxes came in better than expected, and that Treasurer Beverly Shields and her department worked hard to help people find ways to keep their property out of the county's tax auction.
"The tax sale seemed to draw people who had personal interests in the properties and not just speculators," Homovich said. "We had fewer properties than we thought we would and only one property was pulled."
Homovich said increased job opportunities are the only answer to the financial woes.
"We need about 2,000 jobs, and I don't know where we are going to get them," he said. "The welfare roles are at an unsustainable level. People have got to stop saying no to every opportunity that comes along that might generate jobs. We have to be flexible and adapt to situations."
