During the next two weeks, the Lake County Council will schedule four meetings to finalize a 2009 cost-cutting budget.
Budget workshop sessions are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, November 21, 10 a.m. Saturday, November 22, and 5:30 p.m. Monday, November 24. The final meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25 and will be for the second and final reading of the 2009 budget.
County council members said they are only two-thirds of the way to cutting $15 million from current spending levels. This amount must be cut from the budget in response to declining property tax revenues imposed by the tax caps of House Bill 1001. A reduction of 66 full-time jobs has already been pledged by county officials.
Christine Cid, Lake County Council President, said she will make new public recommendations shortly regarding the sheriff, coroner and assessor offices.
In September, Sheriff Roy Domingues announced 48 payroll positions would be lifted from the
county tax levy. This would be achieved through job elimination, privatization and a new eviction fee landlords must now pay resulting in a savings of $2 million.
In her opinion, Cid said the sheriff's cost-cutting measures weren't enough. Cid has already said if certain county departments don't make the required budget cuts, the county council will do it for them.