A federal grant to pay for police protection runs out in June, and two of the county's 10 deputies may be laid off. McCann says the county may have to lay off four or five people in July. He hates to have to choose between county workers and decent buildings and equipment. It's hard to decide between that and somebody's job, but we felt we had to do it. Five county employees in Clay County could get pink slips because of a decline in coal severance taxes, says County Commissioner Tim Butcher.
Butcher blames the budget crunch on the closing of two mining operations.
The county used to pay the utilities and some insurance costs for community centers and volunteer fire departments, but no more, Butcher said. When we had money, we spread it around the county. Mason County Administrator John Gerlach is hoping he won't have to lay off any county employees. He doesn't think he'll have to, but raises are out of the question, he said. Putnam County is expecting a decline in revenue from last year, the first time that's happened in the growing county in at least a decade.