Lyon County commissioners avoid layoffs in budget cuts

Lyon commissioners managed to balance the county's tentative budget without laying off any workers.

After three days of budget hearings that ended Friday, the commissioners decided to eliminate vacant positions and slash spending on overtime and supplies.

County Comptroller Josh Foli said more than $600,000 in salaries for unfilled positions were cut.

"We're basically in balance right now," he said.

The county's budget was short about $1.75 million when the hearings for the tentative budget began, partly because of the building slowdown but also because of an expected decrease in Lyon County's share of consolidated taxes from the state.

Foli said he had anticipated $17.2 million in consolidated tax revenue, but the actual share was $172,584 less than that.

Cost-of-living adjustments in salary and merit pay increases were places where cuts were considered, but since they are subject to labor negotiations, no such cuts were made, Foli said.

"Positions that have been filled in the past that are currently vacant have been cut," he said.

Human Resources Manager Steve Englert had given the county a list of options that included the possibility of laying off all positions created in the last three years, except emergency personnel or laying off all positions created in the last two years with no exceptions.

Englert also suggested eliminating temporary help, eliminating dependent health insurance coverage and eliminating pay plan classification studies.

Commissioners did eliminate the classification studies and reduced funding for some of the overtime requested.

Most department heads came up with voluntary reductions in staff and supplies.

Among the savings is $151,196 that District Attorney Bob Auer cut by not filling an approved law clerk position, cutting an unfilled part-time deputy district attorney position, and lowering his supplies request by more than $30,000.

In the Building Department, director Nick Malarchak said he could do without the chief building inspector.

In the Facilities Department, County Engineer Dick Faber slashed six seasonal maintenance positions from his request.

An unfilled planner position was slashed from the Planning Department, which director Rob Loveberg admitted could cause a delay in completion of the master plan. He will be holding workshops to obtain public comments on the master plan this month, with the first workshop from 3-8 p.m. Monday in the Fernley Public Library.

In addition, the commissioners accepted revenue enhancement suggestions by Foli, including transferring funds from the special medical indigent fund and moving it to the general fund; leaving funds in the general fund instead of moving it to the surplus building maintenance fund and reducing funding contingency by 1 percent.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.