ALEXANDER COUNTY, ILL. BOARD IN HOPES OF CUTS

CAIRO, Ill. -- What started as a budget-cutting session between Alexander County Board members and elected officials may wind up costing the county another $80,000 before the fiscal year ends Nov. 31.

Two of the public officeholders submitted plans for cuts in a revised budget, but an additional $86,000 request by the county sheriff's department left the board with an added dilemma.

"At this point I don't know what we're going to do," said Louis Maze, chairman of the board. "We have money problems. We're already spending between $8,000 and $10,000 a month more than we're taking in."

The board met with five county departments Monday in efforts to come up with some budget revisions.

"The circuit clerk's office came up with a revision of about $4,700," said Maze. "That includes the release of one employee. The auditor's office came up with $1,785 in cuts for the remainder of the budget year. But those cuts won't help that much."

The sheriff's department submitted a detailed study of its needs for the remainder of the budget year. "The sheriff's increase is needed," said Maze.

One of the options for the board is to pass a bond issue to pay for excess indebtedness.

"We're looking into that possibility now," said Maze Monday. "We're discussing placing the bond issue on the November ballot, but it may be too late now. We'll know this week."

Another option is a request to the state of Illinois for assistance in planning finances.

"A third option is the payment of ambulance bills and transfer of the remainder to the general fund," said Maze. "But that won't help us this year."

The county receives about $60,000 in ambulance tax funds.

"What we're proposing to do is place $20,000 a year into the general fund for the next five years," said Maze. "The remainder of the funds will then go to the private ambulance service at Cairo to help take care of the county needs."

The Alexander County Ambulance Service disbanded last year because of a lack of operating funds.

Maze said one of the most important things that could happen during this fiscal year would be the lifting of a court order that limits the Alexander County Jail to housing only seven prisoners.

"We have eight cells," said Maze. "Normally we could house two prisoners to each of seven cells, with the eighth one utilized for a holding cell."

But a court order following the complaint of one prisoner in 1980 limits the county to one prisoner per cell.

"We've been under this order about 12 years," said Maze. "We have requested that the order be rescinded. The request process is in the works now, and the order could be rescinded before we enter our new budget year.

"This would not solve all of our money problems, but it certainly would be a big help," said Maze. "It would cut down our costs of housing prisoners."

The Alexander County Jail is full now, and two prisoners are being housed at other facilities.

Prisoner housing costs in Williamson County alone have cost Alexander County more than $42,000. Payment on the fees, which had not been made since December, were made this week when the county borrowed $20,000 on anticipated tax revenues to make a partial payment to Williamson County.

"The remaining balance has been deferred until the next calendar year, but we're on a pay-as-we-go basis now," Said Maze.

The board will be seeking some additional budget revisions when it meets with the three more officeholders Monday.