County budget set for next year

Shawano County Board members Wednesday approved a $51 million budget for 2016 and applauded the efforts of a revamped county finance department that assembled the spending plan.

It was the first budget since the county’s longtime finance director retired and officials decided instead to reassign those duties to other county staff, including Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller.

Some county supervisors said Wednesday they were apprehensive about how the changes would affect the budget-making process, and they were pleasantly surprised at how well Miller and his staff handled it.

“They stepped right in,” said Supervisor Arlyn Tober, chairman of the County Board finance committee. “They did an excellent job.”

After finance director Diane Rusch retired in May following more than 20 years on the job, her duties were reassigned to Miller and accounting supervisor Darcy Smith, in an experimental realignment that will be re-evaluated later this year.

Supervisor Marlin Noffke, another finance committee member, said the changeover did not result in any of the pitfalls that he feared when it came to preparing the county’s 2016 budget.

“Everything went much more smoothly than I expected,” he said.

The new budget reduces county spending by $9 million, primarily in the area of human services as the state’s Family Care program takes over long-term care for disabled and elderly residents in the county.

Property taxes will increase about $500,000, up to $15.4 million, with a tax rate that climbs from $5.20 to $5.28 per $1,000 of equalized value. That means the owner of a typical $100,000 home will pay an extra $8 for county services, up to $528.

The County Board approved the budget on a 22-2 vote, with Supervisors Deb Noffke and Bonnie Olson casting the “no” votes. Both later said they thought property taxes were increasing too much.

“Everything is going up for the people paying taxes,” Noffke said.

The spending plan covers such county government functions as public safety, public health, highway maintenance, conservation and libraries.

The budget shows increased spending next year for airport operations, child support, clerk of courts and technology services, with decreases planned for veteran services, the county fairgrounds, park maintenance, and road and bridges.

The budget for county government this year was $60 million, with property tax collections of $14.8 million.