State Comptroller Jason Mumpower warned the White County Commissioners Monday night prior to the Budget Committee’s deliberations, come to an agreement on a budget.
Mumpower spoke to the Committee via Zoom. Mumpower said the County Commission’s primary function is to produce a budget every year. Mumpower said if the Commissioners could not do it, he would make major cuts in their place.
“Any discretionary expense that exists, an expense that is not required by law, that’s the easiest thing to do,” Mumpower said. “And that’s the choice you’re making if you choose to have me craft your budget.”
Mumpower said to balance a budget, he would have to either increase revenue or cut expenses. As a fiscal conservative, Mumpower said he would never raise revenues, meaning cuts would be his solution to balance the budget.
Mumpower said cuts could come to volunteer fire departments, employee raises and benefits, veterans services, and the animal shelter if he were to pass a budget for the county. Mumpower said he has never had to do this for a county before, despite many similar conversations with local governments in the past.
Mumpower left after opening the floor for Commissioner questions, offering to help in any way possible, and offering a bid of encouragement to the Budget Committee.
The budget sent to full court later in the evening included a $1.41 property tax rate and $4,500 raises for most employees. The full Commission will vote on it at an August 18 meeting.
