WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
An update on the fiscal health of St. Joseph County was provided during Wednesday’s board of commissioners executive committee meeting, and finance director Angie Steinman provided a small dose of good news.
She said the county’s 2020 budget, approved in December, would require a $414,000 use of fund balance based on projections. She explained, however, that through various money-saving measures, the projected $414,000 difference has been decreased to $165,000.
That lower-than projected, revised figure was reached through measures such as employee furloughs, savings from planned travel costs and hiring new employees at a lower pay level than who they replaced.
County administrator Teresa Doehring said a number of options to reel in expenses are being considered. They include looking at a 35-hour work week, one-day-a-month furloughs for all county employees through the end of the year and not providing a cost-of-living increase to salaried employees in 2021 and 2022.
In other action, commissioners agreed to cancel their regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday next week.
