CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The numbers have basically stayed the same in Kanawha County’s proposed $51.1 million budget for Fiscal Year 2018, according to the county commission.
Commission President Kent Carper said writing a flat budget every year is key.
“We’ve disciplined our budget for the last 6-8 years in a row. We reduced actual spending and cut out programs. That’s made a difference, but you can’t do that forever,” Carper said.
In the current fiscal year’s budget, the commission cut spending by approximately $1 million from the previous year. There will not be a $1 million proposed in the new budget, officials said.
The commission met Tuesday morning to discuss to discuss the spending plan. County office holders presented their budget requests. The breakdown is listed below:
Sheriff’s Office: $16.4 million
Prosecutor’s Office: $3.8 million
Assessor’s Office: $3 million
Circuit Clerk’s Office: $2.3 million
County Clerk’s Office: $2.1 million
Outside agencies have requested the following budgets:
Kanawha Valley Senior Services: $30,000
WVU Extension Service: $40,000
Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health: $160,000
Camp Virgil Tate: $60,000
Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association: $192,000
Kanawha County Parks & Recreation: $135,000
Charleston Area Alliance: $80,000
Chemical Alliance Zone: TBD
County office holders have asked for employee pay raises this year. Carper said handing out those raises is possible, but he’ll have to look at the final numbers.
“At some point in time, you have to appreciate the fact that public employees have families, they have medical bills, their cost of living goes up, and if you can do a modest adjustment from time to time, you ought to try to do it,” he said.
Also, no layoffs will be made this year.
Carper said they take a hard look at every penny they spend throughout the year.
“I’m more careful of your money, then I am with my own money,” he said. “I mean, that’s the philosophy of county government, so I think I’m proud of that.”
The commission is scheduled to vote on the final budget plan at its March 16 meeting. The plan will then be turned into the state Auditor’s Office by March 29.