County

to discuss

Pawlenty's

proposal

Brown County cut is $291,000 for this year and $552,722 for

next year

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Brown County is going to have to share the pain of the state's $4.56 billion budget hole.

County officials were well aware of that fact a long time ago but now, the picture is starting to come into focus.

Commissioners are expected to talk about proposed cuts to aid to counties at their board meeting Tuesday.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed a 20 percent cut in aid to counties one week ago, but the specifics on how those cuts would affect Brown County weren't available at that time.

Roughly speaking, the county would loose $291,100 in state aid this year and $552,722 next year if the Legislature passed the governor's proposal. Counties all over the state rely upon the aid in order to keep property taxes low.

County Administrator Chuck Enter once again pointed out that the governor's budget plan is just that. The proposed cuts must make their way through the Legislature before the hard choices are made.

Unlike state grants, which affect a specific department and a specific service, the property tax aids affect the entire system in Brown County. According to the county's 2003 budget, property tax aids make up about $1.45 million of a $21.8 million budget. State and federal aid combined are responsible for about $10.3 million of the budget.

"These are different than a specific cut," said Enter about the general aid reductions. "We're going to look at the whole county as a system, but this is very early in the process. It's just starting the debate with the governor's proposal."

The governor is also proposing changes and cuts to many of the state agencies that provide some counties with grants. The proposal could affect each county department differently.

For example, the governor's proposal would increase the budget for health and human services programs by 8 percent but would cut overall spending by consolidating some welfare programs, changing some program requirements and introducing co-payments for certain services like non-emergency emergency room visits, eyeglasses and name brand drugs.

Human services is one area that seems an exception.

The governor's proposed budget for the Office of Environmental Assistance has a 20 cut in grants and loans, which includes the SCORE grants that counties like Brown use for waste reduction and recycling programs. Pawlenty also proposes a 25 percent cut in grant programs at the state Board of Soil and Water Resources.

Funding for district courts and public defender services is also facing a proposed 20 percent cut.

The governor's budget proposal also seeks 20 percent cuts in grants for county corrections programs and victims services. Pawlenty's plan also asks for counties to house criminal offenders with less than one year of jail time.

In a related matter, commissioners are expected to hear a presentation about a cut in the amount of money available to Brown County for services to adults with developmental disabilities. The county was able to throw open its doors to applicants in 2001 but is now facing a reduction in the amount of money it will get from the Legislature.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Jane Starz is scheduled to give commissioners a report about feedlot program funding later in the day. Gov. Pawlenty unalloted $46,240 of the Natural Resource Block Grant, which was budgeted as revenue in the planning and zoning office's 2003 budget. Some of the unalloted money could come to the county depending upon what the Legislature does this session.