JONESVILLE, Va. — Budget reductions for Lee County Constitutional Offices was the leading topic at the Lee County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday evening.

On Sept. 21, the Lee County Board of Supervisors received details from the State Compensation Officers regarding budget reimbursement reductions for local constitutional officers for the remainder of the 2009 - 2010 fiscal year. Local office budgets are projected to be reduced by the following amounts: circuit court clerk by $27,460; commonwealth’s attorney by $22,735; sheriff by $85,919; commissioner of the revenue by $19,939; and treasurer by $11,936.

County Administrator Dane Poe provided information about the county’s current budget reduction position.

“This is the result of budget reductions at the state level that the governor imposed last month, and charged various departments of state government to reduce operating budgets. The State Compensation Board provides funding for these local constitutional offices,” said Poe. “After their meeting in late September, they passed on the percentage of cuts that would come down to each local constitutional office, and the dollar amount of how much would have to be cut from that.”

Poe explained that in prior years the State Compensation Board made line item cuts, but this year the Board just made a cut through the total budget. The decision is now being placed upon local officers, and the locality, in order to determine how the bottom-line budget adjustment is going to be negotiated.

“In other words, there has been a whole lot of budget cuts from the state this year that is going to affect everybody,” said Chairman Carl Bailey. “Every office here in the county is going to be affected. We’re still facing about a seven billion dollar deficit at state level, and it’s not going to get any better, not for a while anyway.”

Circuit Court Clerk Beverly Anderson spoke about the current budget situation.

“As you know, our cuts were heavy this time,” said Anderson. “Two years ago, I came before the board and we agreed to supplement. I made a promise that given the opportunity I would cover those cuts. Well, back at the end of February, I did let a position go and covered those cuts, which did produce a savings of $8,400 a year.”

Anderson explained that for the last nine months the Lee Board of Supervisors has not supplemented any money for the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. She said that based upon Compensation Board statistics, the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office should have 8.61 full time employees based on the current workload. She explained that she currently has six employees and cannot afford to lose another one.

“If you do not agree to cover these supplements, I’ll be down to five which makes it hard on the office when we’re shorthanded like that,” said Anderson.

“We do go out of our way to help the public,” Anderson added. “In the last fifteen months, we have generated $163,345 for the county. We have disbursed $22,715 to the town of Pennington, and $10,194 to the town of Jonesville. So we do generate funds for the county.”

Anderson asked the board to supplement the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office in the amount of $12,000, based on her budget proposal. Anderson explained that without the help of Lee County Board of Supervisors, she will be forced to dismiss another needed employee.

“Again, I will make you a promise that when I am able to pick up that supplement I will do so, and I have proven that I have in the past,” stated Anderson.

The General Assembly will reconvene mid January. Poe explained that the General Assembly may take this budget matter up and reduce the percentage of local cuts. The Lee Board of Supervisors will not know the results of the final budget outcome at the state level until April.

“If that’s the case, then it puts these offices on very short notice of being able to recoup these amounts if the Board does not supplement them,” said County Administrator Poe. “It’s a two-edged sword and it cuts both ways.”

Commonwealth Attorney Shawn Hines was in attendance and stated that Constitutional Offices have been directed by the State Compensation Board to formulate a budget reduction plan. He proposed that the Board delay any action, in hopes that the situation will work itself out.

“We can all pray and hope that the General Assembly goes back into session — maybe things will be different and we’ll see a different outcome on the budget, and things will be taken care of,” said Hines. “With that being said, we can all hope for that but in the meantime I guess we have to come up with a plan as Alternative B ... nobody wants to take the cut, but the plan has been submitted and with the delay maybe it will just work itself out.”

County Administrator Dane Poe said that his goal in requesting plans from the local constitutional officers was to get the matter on the table for discussion, and to get these offices busy formulating some type of plan.

Chairman Bailey ended the discussion by contending that the state of Virginia wants services at the local level, but are unwilling to provide the funding for them.

“We are faced with a lot right now and it’s going to be trying times for all of us,” said Bailey. “Hopefully we can get turned around ... if not it’s going to be tough sledding for awhile.”

Adam Young is a Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted by e-mail at ayoung@middlesborodailynews.com.