County wraps first budget hearing

The Hamilton County Commission wrapped up the first of three days of budget hearings Monday, and commissioners said they were pleased with what they didn't see: multiple requests for large funding increases.

The commission breezed through more than a dozen departmental presentations and had few questions for most of the employees and officials presenting their funding requests.

"It's perfect when you don't have any money," Chairman Curtis Adams said. "All of our budget hearings will be like this one today."

County Mayor Claude Ramsey had suggested people keep requests level with funding in the current $627 million budget. Presenters took him at his word.

"I'm very pleased many of the officeholders took that seriously," he said. "It's a very tight year."

The commission did receive specific requests from departments for buildings and equipment, including:

* Two vacuum collectors for autopsy saws for the medical examiner, valued at $2,500 a piece.

* $400,000 to build a new office for the Register of Deeds. Commissioner John Allen Brooks said the money is generated from a countywide data processing fee and said Register of Deeds Pam Hurst does not need a new building.

Ms. Hurst said the register's office is already leasing a satellite office in Bonny Oaks and it makes more economic sense to build a building and pay it off instead of leasing.

"If we'd put that (lease money) on a building, we'd already own it," she said.

* The Hamilton County Election Commission requested $9,500 in office equipment and computer hardware, but the commission's budget request for the next fiscal year dropped by $46,874.

* The district public defender's office requested $20,000 for a new vehicle, $1,000 for furniture for a potential increase in the number of employees and $5,000 for computer hardware.

* The Juvenile Court judge's office is requesting $24,000 to buy a new X-ray machine to check for weapons and $15,000 for new computer hardware.

The budget hearings will continue today and conclude Thursday.

The hearing for the Department of Education budget, which comprises a large chunk of the county's expenditures, was scheduled for Wednesday, but has been postponed. This year's education budget is $359 million.

The county is required to pass a budget by June 30 but can pass a continuation budget, which holds the county over until a final budget is approved.

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