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County passes budget with a few fires burning.

The Saline County board passed a budget for the current year by reallocating monies, which required changes to a county ordinance.

In a meeting held Tuesday, the budget committee came together along with Assistant State's Attorney, Jayson Clark, to redistribute fees that are collected by the Saline County Clerk, Kim Buchanan. Those changes were brought before the board Thursday in the form of an amendment to ordinance #128.

"As for the amendment of ordinance No. 128, as an elected office holder I object to the reassigning of these fees," Buchanan said. "The cost studies are done to represent state statute."

Bellwether LLC performed the cost study in the fall. The company works specifically with county office holders throughout Illinois to help balance fees distributed and help county office holders charge fees that are current with financial trends throughout the state.

Bruce DeLashmit with Bellwether was called to speak with the board about the cost study that was done prior to the discovery of the large amount of money, found to be held in an automation and recording fund, that would greatly benefit the budget issues that are delaying decisions toward a passed budget.

"The cost study followed state statute and state guidelines," DeLashmit said. "I think the risk in doing this could be significant to the county."

DeLashmit, also requested that they make sure to note on the amended ordinance that the proposed percentage changes are contrary to his findings.

The redistribution of the money from the fund would allow them to raise the state's attorney's budget as requested in a meeting held at the beginning of January.

The amendment to the ordinance will change the percentages coming from the office that is going in to the county's general fund, to help pay the salary of a new public defender. The new public defender would work part time two days a month in a third court room located at the Saline County Detention Center in order to push more revenue back on to the books.

The percentage going to the county general fund before the amendment was about 25 to 30 percent of the fees charged. The amendment would allocate closer to 60 to 70 percent of the fees to the fund.

Buchanan said before the vote, "I had no authority or say in the changing of these fees."

The motion went out and was passed by a unanimous vote from the board.

After the amendment to ordinance #128 passed in the form of ordinance #131, Joe Jackson, head of the budget committee, presented the updated budget for the current fiscal year for board review.

Bruce Tolley, judicial and law committee chairman, found an error that was shortly after corrected, in which $25,000 had been placed in a line item area that had not been required.

"I have gotten phone calls about concerns with law enforcement, " Tolley said. "I don't want to see us have to loose a deputy."

The motion was placed on the floor to have the $25,000 moved from the un-necessary line item to the budget for the Sheriff's Department. The motion passed along with the budget.

Though Saline County finally has a budget, some on the board are still concerned about coming years.

"Are we going to be in this same predicament next year?" Alan Porter asked.

The outcome is uncertain at the present moment, but Harbison has already put the 2016-2017 budget in the forefront of his mind.

"We will be starting the budget process much earlier this next year," Harbison said.