CARTHAGE, Mo. — Richard Webster, Jasper County auditor, made it official on Tuesday when he told members of the county commission that the 2010 budget will include no funding to boost the wages of county workers.
There also was no allocation for salary hikes for workers in the current year’s budget.
Webster has cited a revenue shortfall in budget for several weeks in budget discussions with the panel. During a public hearing Tuesday on the preliminary spending plan, he said he currently is estimating that revenues in the county’s general fund will fall $1.2 million below projected expenditures. He said county sales tax collections are down and expenditures are up due to state cutbacks and costs for insurance and county retirement.
Webster and the commission will be meeting in coming weeks to look for areas where expenditures can be trimmed. A final budget must be adopted by Jan. 10.
