WARREN — Trumbull commissioners may have to ask county department heads to consider possible layoffs if the county cannot find ways to reduce requested budgets to fit within the $66.6 million projected 2025 budget.
Budget requests were $6,909,132.94 more than the projected budget for the year as of Thursday.
Commissioners are required to pass a balanced budget by April 1.
Various county departments outlined whether they could reduce their budgets or defended why they could not cut beyond the amount they presented in a meeting held last week.
Sam Lamancusa, Trumbull County treasurer, told the commissioners his office requested $1,258,022.32. Last week, he was urged to make cuts to about $1,200,000.
Lamancusa described being in the middle of his tax collection season. Typically, his office begins doing overtime so it can keep up with required duties.
“I have not started overtime because of budget restraints,” he said. “We do two hours minimum overtime because we are so busy answering phones, taking care of taxpayers and working the windows during the day.”
“The longer it takes us to close our collections, the longer it will cause us to draw out the settlements, which will cause other agencies not to receive their money,” he said. “If you look at the overtime numbers that I’ve used over the last four years, I don’t exceed $21,000 in overtime.”
Lamancusa said departmental employees don’t do anything frivolous, noting he’s used the same office chair during his entire 21 years in the treasurer’s office.
The office has earned record interest in the last three years, helping the county’s budget. However, he warned that the national economy could go to zero interest in the next month.
“Without overtime, I drag out collections for a month,” Lamancusa said.
Lamancusa explained that 91% of his budget is salary costs. A large part of the remaining 9% is postage and printing costs.
Commissioner Tony Bernard expressed support for the treasurer to continue using overtime because it generally brings in additional money in interest to the county.
Last week, the commissioners requested departments to bring budgets that outline the lowest amounts in which they could operate without reducing their staff. They also were to bring in budgets that reflected possible staff cuts that would not affect their abilities to provide service to constituents.
Auditor Martha Yoder presented a $3,766,113.18 request.
Yoder noted the information technology department represents more than 50% of her department’s general fund salary. IT provides computer services for every county department.
“You can’t pay a bill, you can’t get a paycheck and you can’t write an email without the IT department,” Yoder said.
Yoder said anything below the nearly $3.8 million request would require them to do layoffs.
“We bring in about $3.2 million,” she said. “We only have so many people that we can lay off who are not critical.”
Assistant County Prosecutor Bill Danso said the prosecutor’s office cannot reduce its budget request from $4,469,489.
“Our request is based on existing staff and the essential supplies that we believe we will need,” he said. “There are no capital improvements and nothing out of the ordinary. It is hard to see how we can see a reduction in the number without sacrificing staff.”
“If we cut the criminal division, then we would have less staff of criminal prosecutors,” he said. “Our criminal prosecutions would suffer.”
He also noted the civil division is understaffed.
“We have two general civil attorneys handling the legal advice for the entire county,” he said. “Our responses are not nearly as fast as they used to be.”
Commissioner Denny Malloy questioned why the prosecutor’s office is expecting the county to take on the cost of two people who were hired under a grant program two years ago. Malloy suggested the prosecutor should either look for another grant to pay them or let them go.
Danso suggested that two positions — one attorney and one investigator — are helping his office’s budgeting today and are projected to help them attract new people in the future.
“We believe there is a need for these two positions,” he said.
The sheriff department is seeking $20,832,017,99.
Malloy said the previous sheriff operated with a budget of $18.5 million.
Alexandra DeVengency-Bush said the sheriff’s department has a senior workforce, pay increases and other costs.
“Their costs are significantly higher,” she said. “They have a significantly higher workers comp rate.”
Dawn Zina, Trumbull County Recorder’s budget request is $1,175,000, which is lower than previously requested.
“I have a position that is open that I will not fill,” she said. “I thought of a way to bring in about $50,000 by implementing a $5 surcharge.”
Trumbull County coroner Lawrence M. D’Amico’s budget request is $2.25 million. He noted his office could provide a lower budget now, but his budget is based on the number of autopsies that are done during any given year. They may have to come back to the commissioners later in the year, because he does not know.
Trumbull administrative Judge Samuel F. Bludorn requested $7.3 million for the domestic relations and juvenile courts.
“We have four positions we were intending to fill, but are not,” he said. “Part of our salaries come from grants. I moved some of our probation people from grants that I could.”
Trumbull 911 Director Tacy McDonough said they are seeking $2,702,259.
“If we do the $200,000 cut you’re requesting, we will come back for the $200,000 later in the year,” she said.
McDonough described they already are understaffed and need new equipment. She suggested they establish a program to refer the more than 202,000 non-emergency calls away from 911.
“I am willing to make cuts, but we’re already at bare bones,” she said.
Commissioner Rick Hernandez expressed frustration that the budget requests are still $6.9 million more than the county needs.
“We are going to have to make a decision,” he said. “We are going to have to make cuts in these departments. We are going to have to come together and make the hard choices.”
Malloy suggested sales tax receipts may be higher than currently projected because there is expected to be more shopping in the area due to a reduction in shopping opportunities in adjacent counties.
Bush noted the commissioners may have to consider doing a freeze on a moratorium on any capital improvements.
Malloy told the fellow commissioners that next week when the commissioners go to an annual County Commissioner Association meeting, they should question other county commissioners about what they are doing to balance their budgets.
Hernandez suggested they may have to look at a possible .25% sales tax increase to raise additional money.
Bernard emphasized if they take that course, it should be placed before the voters. It should not be imposed by the commissioners.
“We should put it before the people and see what they say,” he said.