Mesa County budget poised for 10 percent hit

By {screen_name}
Monday, October 11, 2010

The knife Mesa County used to trim its budget this year will cut deeper across all county departments next year, and finance officials warn they expect revenue to fall further before any rebound emerges on the horizon.

Acting County Administrator Stefani Conley this morning gave county commissioners their first look at a proposed $127.3 million 2011 budget, a spending plan that is 10 percent off last year’s adopted budget and nearly 19 percent down from the 2009 budget.

“The low-hanging fruit was gone a year ago,” Commissioner Craig Meis said of pending spending reductions after the board learned the county must make up for a $9.5 million shortfall in its general fund, which pays for most county services. “We’re doing our best to make lemonade out of the lemons we’ve got.”

Read the full story in Tuesday’s Daily Sentinel.