Potential budget cuts could affect roadways
According to Sanders County clerk and recorder Jennine Robbins the federal budget sequestration is likely to bring some serious repercussions for county residents. The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding was not attached to the latest Farm Bill resulting in a potential loss of $1.3 million dollars to the county road maintenance fund.
SRS funding is part of a federal program that provides money to counties that have National Forests. The funding was intended to replace the revenue generated from timber harvested on National Forest land.
When the timber industry collapsed, SRS funding was seen as a way to replace the timber money in order to continue support for schools and roads in places like Sanders County.
With the deadline passed for county agencies to deliver their financial estimates to the recorder office, Robbins and her staff are now faced with the challenge of developing a budget without knowing if the SRS money will come through.
“We have to do our budget and we don’t really know how much we have to work with yet. If we don’t get that SRS money, the road fund will lose around $1.3 million dollars,” said Robbins.
Robbins in the clerk and recorder office will plug the financial information into a computer where it will be analyzed by special software. From there the clerk and recorder will generate estimates for the proposed budget.
According to Robbins, the county may receive some funding if the SRS money falls through. The federal government will likely revert back to the old system whereby 25 percent of revenue generated from the timber industry will be paid back to the county.
However, that funding would only be about $368,000 still a loss of $1.3 million. In 2012, Sanders County received $1.97 million dollars from the SRS program. By law the money from either SRS or the 25 percent formula is split between funding for road maintenance and schools. Two-thirds goes to roads while the remaining third goes to schools.
While the officials in Sanders County are preparing for the worst, Robbins is still concerned about the future.
“We’ve suspected this was going to happen. It doesn’t make it easier. We are trying to be forward thinking but if the SRS money doesn’t come in, everybody will have to cut their budgets,” said Robbins.
The budget outlook is already affecting some aspects of road maintenance. Concerned citizens near Hot Springs met with Commissioner Glen Magera regarding their concerns about some county roads that according to citizens have been causing an inordinate amount of damage to tires. The damage they say is the result of gravel that is too large and causes flats.
Magera told about ten citizens that the county would have to wait for the new fiscal year before they could reassess the situation with the roads in question. He explained the county has examined several solutions to the issue with the roads and will attempt to rectify the situation when funds are available.