THE VOTE PUMP

Supervisors cut 37% from allowable growth

In a startling 3-0 vote Van Buren county supervisors voted to approve a 2.5% pay increase for elected officials. This was almost 37% less than the 4% recommended by the compensation board. When asked “given our decline of population and businesses and the states desire to reduce property taxes, what will be the tipping point from allowable growth to austerity”, board chairman Nixon replied “we are not there yet”.

While individual department budgets have yet to be released the supervisors have been asking department heads to keep increases below 2%. Most have been willing to follow that lead with the exception of the County Conservation who requested a 6% increase. The department that runs the ever profitable “Greif store” was asked to go back and work toward the 2% goal. With negotiations still underway with the “collective” bargaining units the final outcome of the budget is still up in the air. An increase in property taxes seems inevitable.

The good news is we are not in debt and most endowments given to the county are not immediately spent but put in trusts to provide annual cash flow to their desired area’s based on interest earned.