Panel bends from budget trimming request

A request for Shawano County department heads to trim 5% from their original 2025 budget levy proposals did not go the way county supervisors hoped.

Only two departments made the requested cuts. Two departments – the treasurer’s office and the district attorney’s office – did not even respond to the request. The rest of the departments offered up some cuts but fell short of the 5%.

Shawano County is facing a $2.9 million levy shortfall for 2025, based on all original department requests. After a spirited meeting Sept. 11, members of the executive committee are preparing to borrow up to $2 million while forcing every department head to make some tough choices.

Each department’s original request will be cut by 3%, and department heads have just days to determine which accounts will get slashed. That motion passed 5-2 on a roll call vote: Kevin Conradt, Kathy Luebke, Bill Switalla, Tom Kautza and Randy Young voted in favor, and Ken Capelle and Theresa Serrano voted against.

“I can’t believe that there’s not things that can be cut,” Kautza said.

When supervisors walked into the meeting, about $550,000 had been trimmed of their requested $900,000.

“There is no effort being made,” Kautza said. “We set a number last time. They didn’t meet it. Some of them didn’t even do anything.”

“We can’t be jockeying around here now,” Supervisor Ken Capelle added. “We made our commitment. Here’s our problem. You have to cut 5%. They didn’t.”

Initially, supervisors started going through the county budget one line at a time to make more cuts.

Carrie Buntjer, finance director, asked what number the committee was aiming for and what amount would they be comfortable borrowing.

A motion to borrow the full $2.9 million failed. Motions to require a 2.5% budget cut for all departments and to borrow up to $2 million maximum did not received a second; therefore, no votes were taken.

Kautza initially insisted all of the money could be “found” through cutting the fat out of the budgets and increasing efficiencies.

He said audits in the past few years showed the county with nearly a $1 million surplus each year, which means there’s at least that much that be cut.

“How much were we under budget last year after the audit?” Kautza said. “Close to a million dollars. That’s my whole point. When I wanted to give the first raise, I was very happy to give the first raise, because … from every year we were a million dollars over at the end of the year. So that shows me from a really big picture that we’re obviously giving more money in the budgets than what we need to.”

Several supervisors noted that some costs are out of their control. For example, the cost of food for the county jail has increased $100,000 over the past two years.

Buntjer reminded supervisors that cuts in some long-range plans would result in pushing the successful conclusion of those plans further into the future. For example, cutting the $100,000 Public Land Survey System plan to modernize land records across the county in half would result in not meeting its goal for 20 years instead of 10.

Jim Davel, administrative coordinator, suggested the county begin looking at ways to raise revenues, because any cuts made this year are not sustainable in future years.

“We’ve flipped over every cushion in the living room and pulled out all of the spare change,” he said.

Kautza added, “Now they (department heads) have to start flipping over their own cushions.”

Switalla said he is concerned that more cuts to the Department of Health Services could result in reductions of services. He also said that in some cases, budgets can’t be cut because of mandates from the state government.

“We’ve got to be open to other things. We have to be able to generate more revenue,” Davel said. “When our costs have gone up so significantly (utilities, food, mental health commitments), all these things have gone up, and we have no control over them.”

While budget expense planning begins in April, he suggested the executive committee also look at ways to increase revenue.

“I don’t believe we need new taxes,” Kautza said.

Kautza offered up 5% of his salary at the start of the meeting, but his request was denied. First, members had earlier agreed to not touching wages, benefits or positions. Second, his salary is set by county board rules and cannot be altered at the committee level.

Kautza often expressed his dissatisfaction with department heads who did not trim their budgets as requested.

“Everybody wanted the big pay raises and the big increases, but nobody comes up with how we’re going to pay for them,” Kautza said. “We gave them the increases and big pay raises; now it’s time to earn them.”

It was noted by more than one supervisor that the original 5% cut was a request for department heads to review their budgets. The 3% cut is now a requirement, and their overall budgets will be capped at a certain dollar amount, which will force them to make the cuts.

“They’re going to have to go back to their committees, and they’re going to have to skin the cat,” Davel said. “At the end of the day, this is all they’re getting.”

Regardless of what happens with the budget, department heads always have the option of approaching the full board to request money from the general fund for select expenses.

Supervisor Randy Young noted department heads need to request the funds before they are spent. He said they can’t show up at the end of the year and tell the board they overspent and need money now.

kpasson@newmedia-wi.com