Crawford County officials talk about budget shortfalls

The Crawford County Quorum Court worked Thursday (Oct. 30) for the second night in a week on reducing requests of the county's general fund by more than $400,000 as it attempts to balance the fiscal year 2015 budget.

In documents distributed to the court and media Thursday, the county judge's office detailed requests across all county departments of $7.226 million. The problem with the requests, according to County Treasurer Beverly Pyle, is that anticipated revenues for the county are only $6.817 million.

The cash situation, she noted, has required the county to recently cash in a $200,000 certificate of deposit.

According to Pyle, the county was hit with decreases in anticipated revenues following the financial crisis of 2008 and has only recently began to rebound. But in order to pay bills and balance budgets in the last few years, it has required action similar to the action taken in recent months like cashing in the six figure CD.

County Judge John Hall has also noted during numerous meetings that pay raises have been frozen for county employees and would continue to stay frozen for the foreseeable future.

Hall said the goal from the first budget meeting Monday (Oct. 27), the Thursday meeting and any subsequent meetings needed to balance the budget is to reduce requests for funds in each department by 5%.

Unlike the city of Fort Smith, where the city administration has contemplated staff reductions among other budget cuts to balance the budget and meet obligations, Hall and other Crawford County officials have not suggested layoffs in order to balance the budget.