Cass holds line on levy

The Cass County Board set its preliminary 2010 levy Tuesday without increasing it by a penny from 2009.

The 2010 preliminary tax levy was set at $19,585,613 for a zero percent increase. Cass County's budget is $50,875,985. The board will adopt its final levy in December. Tuesday the commissioners met with its five-member Citizen Budget Committee.

Bob Yochum, Cass County administrator, said the board wants to trim a little from the overall budget between now and December in order to have a $500,000 contingency fund for unforeseen events.

Preliminary ideas for trimming include reducing employee hours or staff levels and through limited fee changes. In 2009, the county also had a $500,000 contingency fund and Yochum said board members are looking for a similar target for 2010.

Yochum said he hopes staff reductions can come through attrition but the door isn't closed to future layoffs. Since the summer of 2008, Cass County has reduced its staff by 6.5 percent or 17.5 positions. The county employs about 250 people.

Cass County had the option to increase its levy by 4.9 percent or $971,000 within existing levy limits. But Yochum said with the current economy and changes in Cass County, raising the levy wasn't an option.

Yochum said a study of service indicators in the county - on the market, population, real estate and county department activity - are all down.

With reduced needs for service and not as many people coming through the courthouse doors, Yochum said the staffing needs will be reduced as well.

"Part of the slowing of our budget growth is based on the service indicators," Yochum said, adding Cass County's population is declining for the first time in 20 years based on the state demographer's estimates.

RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.