Commissioner: Layoffs Are Counterproductive

DELAWARE, Ohio—Commissioners in a Central Ohio county are paying close attention to their budget after they said several issues have contributed to a significant decrease in funds.

Delaware County may be the fastest growing county in the state, but the revenue stream is anything but, NBC 4‘s Candice Lee reported.

County commissioners plan to spend the next three weeks closely watching where their money goes, hoping to prevent a budget shortfall.

“Basically, we were looking at a proposed budget of over $50 million that was proposed. Obviously, we knew there would be cuts in it anyway,“ said Tommy Thompson, Delaware County Commissioners president.

That number is now closer to $40 million after cuts were made last week.

Thompson said that many factors contributed to county funds coming up short:

• Families are holding onto cash, causing a decrease in sales tax monies.
• With more homes in foreclosure, the county’s real estate tax base is shrinking.
• Fewer cars are being sold, making a dent in conveyance fees.

Most counties in Ohio facing tough economic times turn to layoffs to balance their 2009 budgets. However, Thompson said that putting more people on the unemployment line is counterproductive.

“When you’re in a service business as we are in government, the needs does not go away just because there’s an economic downturn,“ Thompson said.

For now, commissioners are dipping into their rainy day fund, which could run out in December.

Commissioners said they hope to come up with a feasible answer for the budget crisis in the next few weeks.

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