York County Press Release
Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series about the county’s budget, after the commissioners went through each department and line item, looking for savings and cuts, in an effort to remove $2.6 million in tax asking
YORK – After the commissioners met with the county attorney and the York County Sheriff’s Office regarding their proposed budgets, the county board members then went through each and every budget for each department in an effort to find ways to cut spending.
The budgets for the county board, county clerk, treasurer and registrar of deeds were found to be pretty flat with very little increases if any.
When it came to the county assessor’s budget, Commissioner Chairman Daniel Grotz noted they had received a revised recommended budget from the assessor. “And we have asked everyone to stay as flat as possible, we are trying to find cuts, but now he sends us another budget with higher spending than even before. And he wants a $2 raise for his deputy which would be the second highest pay increase in the county if allowed. I guess we will just have to set the numbers where they need to be (the bottom lines, the total maximum of spending each department is allowed) and they will just have to make it work.”
York County Clerk Mary Melby said she included expenses for the 2026 General Election in the election budget, but she did not include any expenses for special elections in the next year.
“When it comes to data processing, the requests for hardware are up this year,” Grotz said. “We could cut that and just tell our people they have to use what they have got, that’s one option. The maintenance and licensing agreements are up, and that has a lot to do with the Vanguard situation through the assessor’s office.”
“But some of that, we already agreed to,” Commissioner Randy Obermier said.
“When it comes to insurance, well, that figure is just a shot in the dark,” Grotz told the board. “But I don’t think the amount can be any lower.
When you run a business, you have certain expenses.”
It was noted how the clerk of the district court kept her budget low with a 3% increase in spending, as requested.
“With the county court, we are already in $200,000 now and that’s half of the $400,000 budget for this fiscal year, and we are only four months into the fiscal year. Unfortunately, it is what it is,” Grotz said, noting these large amounts of money are being paid to outside attorneys who have been appointed to represent indigent defendants.
“Well, but if the new public defender gets a deputy, the court-appointed attorney fees might get better,” Obermier offered.
There was little discussion about the budgets for the public defender’s office, child support, building and grounds, extension and the jail which has a “fairly flat budget with an increase of only about 1.85%,” as the commissioners found those budgets acceptable after earlier meetings with department heads.
For the county surveyor, there was a very slight increase in salary and it was determined a vehicle for the weeds department would be purchased out of the inheritance fund.
Regarding the roads department, there was considerable discussion about different options for buying or leasing motorgraders to keep up with the rotation and save money at the same time (due to discounted rates from buying multiple machines at once and having less repair bills). At least $350,000 will be transferred from the inheritance tax fund to pay for a motorgrader this year.
