Budget amended to reflect grants, spending adjustments
Carbon County commissioners passed a resolution declaring the area under extreme drought conditions during its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday of last week.
The county was already under severe drought conditions.
Because summer conditions have worsened, an elevated classification was reached on July 10, to D3 from D2.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, “The extreme drought category, D3, corresponds to an area where major crop and pasture losses are common, fire risk is extreme, and widespread water shortages can be expected requiring restrictions.”
Commission Chair Jake Mellor said because the county qualifies for the elevated designation, the commission was obligated to pass a resolution.
Commissioner Casey Hopes said the new designation opens up federal assistance to local farmers and ranchers. Who depend on water for their businesses.
“This just opens up avenues for some additional help to our local residents,” he said.
Commissioner Jae Potter said the county previously passed a resolution that was good for 90 days.
“If I remember right, this (the new resolution) would not only be changing the classification, but extending it for a period of six months, or in such time the drought intensifies in the county area,” he said.
According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, large swaths of the Four Corners region are experiencing the highest form of extreme drought, or category D4. Carbon and Emery counties are not far from some of the more extreme conditions.
In other county business from last week’s meeting, commissioners took up proposed budget amendments, held a discussion about changes to the county’s volunteer program, hired a new public defender to replace Don Torgerson, and designated the Care Coalition as the overseer of the county’s intergenerational poverty program.
2018 BUDGET AMENDMENTS
During a discussion preceding passage of 2018 budget amendments, commissioners were excited to announce that mineral lease revenues were more robust than anticipated.
According to budget figures released by the county, an additional $429,966 in mineral lease revenue was anticipated this year. Commissioners had previously budgeted only $180,000 in anticipated revenues.
Among additional monies reflected by the budget amendments included: $50,760 in additional property tax revenue; $96,000 from an indigent defense fund grant; $130,000 from a contract for prosecution services with Price City; $79,000 in state collected assessments; and, $7,374 in additional county assessments that were not part of the previous 2018 budget.
The $96,000 from the indigent defense fund grant the county will receive will go into the county’s budget for public defender services, increasing it from a budgeted $285,000 to an amended $381,000.
As for additional expenses, the county’s clerk/auditor, Seth Oveson, said a $12,000 benefit allocation was made in the Treasurer’s office as well as $2,000 in additional funding for professional and technical services, increasing that department’s budget from $180,480 to an amended $194,480.
In the County Attorney’s office, $196,000, which includes the new Price contract funds, was additionally allocated for permanent employees and benefit allocations as well as another $5,000 for professional and technical services, increasing this department’s budget from $826,920 to an amended $1,027,920.
Two highlighted allocations for permanent employees and benefit allocations in the County Assessor’s office were left blank, though Oveson told commissioners he expected increased costs associated with operations there.
“The way the assessor’s office is currently tracking, they are tracking over budget. That speaks to an employee who is currently employed but who is not budgeted. We do not have any resolution on that. The commission will have to work with the assessor,”Oveson said.
In additional non-departmental spending, Oveson outlined higher than expected insurance and unemployment benefits costs, amounting to a combined $90,000 in additional costs not budgeted for earlier.
The engineering department required another $12,000 in spending for employee benefits. The sheriff’s office required another $30,200 in additional funding for auto and equipment costs. A $2,009 expense was added for travel in the Victim’s Rights fund. Emergency Services was allocated another $235,000 for state contracted services that were not previously budgeted. Travel funds for jail employees was increased by $5,000 and $1,500 was added to that department’s fuel fund. The Recreation fund was allocated an additional $77,500 for technical services and equipment not previously budgeted. The Carbon County airport fund received an additional $26,000.
In a fund for county leisure services, an additional $15,000 was distributed to the Mike Ballard Golf Tournament charity event. These funds will be dispersed to the charity’s recipient, Frank Ori, bringing the total funds raised by that event to $36,400.
According to the amended budget, $37,000 was spent to put on Warrior Days. Those funds were taken out of the budget for the county fair, leaving just $3,000 remaining in that fund.
The largest budget item by far was a $6 million expenditure for watershed improvement projects. That expenditure, however, will be covered by federal money in the future.
Commissioners unanimously passed theses and other 2018 budget amendments. Many expenditures have grants tied to them or are covered by state and federal monies, including costs to the new 7th District Courthouse.
COUNTY VOLUNTEERS
Commissioners held another discussion regarding processes for screening volunteers at county-hosted events or at events taking place in county facilities.
Commissioner Mellor said he was concerned that the county could overreach in its policies and actually discourage people from volunteering because of background checks, drug screens and the like they might be subjected to.
“If someone is willing to volunteer and we put them through a very stringent and cost-restrictive process, having to pay for background checks and physical examinations and such, it makes it difficult to call on them at a moment’s notice,” he said.
Mellor cited discretionary language in Uintah County’s volunteer policy as a model Carbon County may want to adopt.
Commissioner Potter said he would need to see more proper language brought back before a vote was taken on a new policy. He also said some department, office or even the commission should be responsible for determining what volunteer work required what level of background screening.
“I think that is very vital. As we went through this last event (Warrior Days), as we went through this process and it was hurried, we had people that did not qualify to perform the functions that they were wanting to do just based on some of that general background. So I think it’s important to refine it,” Potter said.
The county’s civil attorney, Christian Bryner, reminded commissioners that the current policy in place requires volunteers to meet the same background and physical standards as any county employee who performs the same or similar duties.
Rose Barnes, the county’s head of Human Resources, joined the conversation and reminded commissioners that her office routinely screens volunteers. She noted that had the county not been diligent during Warrior Days, two volunteers whose background checks raised red flags, “could have put the county in a liability position.”
Mellor confirmed during the meeting that he was “scrutinized” for allowing volunteers to work without background checks.
The discussion ended with the matter being tabled for a later discussion.
NEW PUBLIC DEFENDER
A Spanish Fork attorney, Aaron Wise, was hired to replace Don Torgerson as a county public defender. Torgerson was recently named by Gov. Gary Herbert to fill a vacancy on the 7th District Court bench.
Commissioners most recently hired three attorneys to perform indigent defense services for the county after the resignation of longtime public defender David Allred.
INTERGENERATIONAL POVERTY PROGRAMS
County Commissioners designated the Care Coalition as its lead manager of the county’s Intergenerational Poverty Plan. The Care Coalition resides with the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments, which operates a number of programs that fight intergenerational poverty, including the Circles program, which teaches people how to manage their personal finances.