Jefferson County officials unveiled a preliminary 2003 budget Monday that largely maintains mid-year cuts.
The $11.04 million general fund budget would largely stay the fiscal conservancy course after more than 10 vacant positions remain unfilled and belt-tightening measures limit everything from travel to equipment purchases.
Last year, the county began cutting expenses in anticipation of declining state and federal funding by 2003.
Jefferson County officials said they were happy they had previously broached the issues.
In July, the county redrafted its $12.1 million 2002 budget and reduced spending by around $800,000.
“If we hadn’t gone through that process last year, we’d probably be at each other’s throats now,” Deputy Administrator Gary Rowe said Monday.
“There was very good cooperation between elected officials” in building the 2003 budget, he said.
———————
The rest of the story appears in the Tuesday Peninsula Daily News Jefferson County edition. Click on SUSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.