Northwest Indiana Discussion

County at center of budget storm


CROWN POINT | On his 14th budget cycle, Lake County Councilman Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, said creating the 2009 budget may be the most trying yet and warned that the county and all its taxing units are in the "eye of the hurricane."

"We don't know what we've got coming," said Blanchard as he addressed members of the Crown Point Rotary Club on Wednesday afternoon.

Blanchard discussed the Lake County budget for about an hour, fielding questions about everything from why residents haven't received a tax bill yet to Blanchard's opinion of having a single county executive.

The Lake County Council must reduce the 2009 budget by $15 million because of the reduction in property taxes that will occur next year under the state property tax relief plan passed by the Indiana General Assembly.

"I think it was good legislation, making taxing units do things that might not have been done," he said.

Blanchard said the council is about two-thirds done with its reductions, which include reducing the county payroll by 66 full-time jobs, about $3 million in salaries and benefits.

Earlier this year, the county's finance committee, including Blanchard, offered a list of 44 ways to cut county government spending. Some of the suggestions were to eliminate 45 positions from the Sheriff's Department, cutting the sheriff's Lake Michigan marine patrol and laying off some part-time lawyers representing indigent defendants in court.

On Wednesday, Blanchard passed out a pie chart that showed the 2007 Lake County government tax levy apportionment without welfare. He said "the lion's share," about 73 percent, went to criminal justice.

"It's a serious problem in Lake County and not just at the city level. It's the courts, the prosecutor, the jail, the police. It's never ending and seems to climb every year," he said.

Blanchard said the County Council is responsible for reviewing the budgets of all the taxing units in the county except for the schools. That makes a total of 57 budgets reviewed before the extended budget deadline of Dec. 1.

"It'd be nice for the schools to give their budget to us to review too," he said. "We're all tied together."

http://nwi.com/articles/2008/09/05/news ... 3.txtWaste panel cuts '09 budge, nixes pay raises

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BY BILL DOLAN
bdolan@nwitimes.com
219.662.5328 | Friday, September 05, 2008 | No comments posted.

CROWN POINT | Lake County officials voted Thursday night to reduce their waste recycling budget and turned down raises for the staff ranging from 5 to 35 percent.

However, seven of the district's employees appear likely to get a more modest salary increase when a committee of the Solid Waste Board debates the issue further and returns with recommendations as early as next week.

The normally low-profile Lake County Solid Waste Management District came under sharp criticism this summer for its longtime policy of awarding four take-home cars to its director and staff and having the public pick up the tab for thousands of dollars in business luncheons and other travel expenses.

Executive Director Jeffery Langbehn responded in June by parking those take-home cars and banning business lunches, but the board restored the vehicles last month after Langbehn said using them was cheaper than mileage or cash travel allowances.

Langbehn told 18 members of the board present Thursday that he is proposing a $5.1 million budget for 2009. That is $458,000, or 8 percent, less than this year. One full-time job will be eliminated. The board approved those reductions. (Click on link for the rest....)

That's a crop of crap - restoring vehicles is cheaper than mileage or cash allowances. Why do these people think it's the '70s and they're entitled to company cars? No one gave me a car when my job entailed traveling while working for the gov't. This is outrageous and stupid..

But if it is cheaper than paying mileage, they should give it

The only thing I can't figure out is how paying mileage is more than a vehicle myself, just how many miles are these people driving every day?