County searches for last $220,000 in cuts

Knox County SealThe Knox County Finance Committee has until December 1st to find $220,000 worth of cuts in its general fund.

During last night’s meeting, the committee approved a budget for display that carried a $220,000 shortfall, a number that has to be righted before final approval.
The last item on the meeting’s agenda was a closed session reserved primarily for personnel matters.

When asked where the remaining budget reductions would come from, Chairman Greg Bacon only alluded to personnel cuts in vague terms.

“We’re going to talk to our unions and see if we can’t work something out,” Bacon says, “if not, I don’t know where we’re going. It’s a personnel issue, we’re going to discuss some cost saving measures.”

Earlier in the meeting, Bacon said the finance committee had “scraped the bottom of barrel and then scraped the sides of the barrel” to whittle the deficit down from $1.2 million to where it stands now.

One proposed area that could shave off another $25,000 comes from county-owned vehicles.

The county discussed selling off any non-essential vehicles, a move that would save on fuel costs and bring money from the sales.

Bacon says sheriff’s deputies would get to keep their squad cars as take-home vehicles.

“The patrol is not involved in this at all,” he says. “Patrol takes their cars home at all times. It’s just administrative personnel.”

The committee decided to give department heads a chance to explain why vehicles should be kept before anything is sold.

 

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