Hearing on county's budget proposal set for Sept. 6

The words "budget" and "excitement" are so rarely used in the same breath.

But when it comes to the proposed budget for 2008, Flathead County Commissioner Gary Hall couldn't be more enthusiastic.

"I'm so proud of that document," Hall said of the yet-to-be adopted budget. "It's really exciting."

Hall even wants to encourage the public to take a look at the 226-page document, which outlines the goals and plans for each department in the county. The budget is considered to be one of the most comprehensive in the state.

Flathead County is moving toward "performance budgeting" as an approach to its annual operating budget. That means there is an emphasis on program objectives rather than descriptions of purchases. As a part of this approach, each department is required to outline performance objectives, workload indicators and performance measures. For example, one goal for the road department is "to ensure safety of the motoring public by providing the best quality roads possible with available funding."

Flathead County is still in the early stages of implementing the performance budgeting system. This is the first year with such an in-depth budget.

In broad terms, the county's budget comes down to two numbers.

The estimated figures show the county's revenues will reach $58,496,036 and expenditures to be held at $57,815,790.

The 2006-2007 budget expenditures hit around $60 million. Exact figures are still being calculated by the county as the fiscal year ended on June 30.

According to Flathead County's Finance Director Laurel Raymond, the $2 million decrease from last year's budget comes from "a little bit of this and little bit of that."

But Raymond noted that more than $1 million was spent last year purchasing a new landfill liner for the Solid Waste Department.

Solid Waste Director David Prunty said that new landfill liners are needed every few years as the county grows.

The major item in the 2007-2008 budget is the addition of several full-time employees.

The commissioners approved funding for 8.35 additional full-time employees. Four of those positions will be going to the sheriff's department. Two new deputies will begin this summer and two more will begin in January 2008.

Other departments getting more help will be: Clerk of Court (1), Justice Court (0.5), Finance (0.6), County Attorney (1), and Library (1.25).

The Road Department's budget looks much like it did last year, which may come as a surprise to some who expected to see more road paving.

In February Flathead County was fined by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for poor air quality as a result of gravel road dust, since that time public discontent has been monumental.

But according to Hall, the Road Department won't be able to accommodate any more paving than it did this year.

"We only have so much money to go around," Hall said. "And it's our job to figure out who gets what."

The county has more than $7 million budgeted for county roads in 2008.

Hall said that with increases in the cost of equipment upgrades and fuel, the county only has enough funding to maintain existing roads, and that doesn't mean paving them.

The Flathead County Planning Department may also face a financial crunch this year. Unlike the road department, the planning and zoning office does not get a portion of the gas tax to supplement its expenditures.

The planning department, largely self-sufficient, brings in most of its revenue from charging application fees.

With the recent population boom in the valley the planning office has had plenty of business to handle. But according to Planning Director Jeff Harris, the department brought in 30 percent less revenue in 2007 than it did in 2006. Harris said this drop in revenue has a direct correlation to a drop in subdivision applications, which marks a change for the office, and perhaps for growth in the county.

"We were peaking," Hall said of the application boom in 2006. "And now they are starting to level off."

Hall speculated that in the past year many local developers have rushed to get their proposals in before the new subdivision regulations and growth policy were put in place, with the intention of sidestepping new and perhaps more complicated regulations.

Harris said the department's 2008 budget anticipates a continued drop in applications. To compensate, Harris said a closer look was taken at office expenditure, and cuts were made.

"That doesn't mean we'll be doing less," Harris said. "We won't let anything slide."

A public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 6 in the commissioners meeting room. The commissioners may then consider the adoption of the document.

Copies of the proposed budget are available on the commissioner's Web site, www.co.flathead.mt.us.

Reporter Amy May may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at amay@dailyinterlake.com