| Show COUNTY F FACES AGES LEGAL TROUBLE ON BUDGET CUT GUT Department Heads Willing to Cooperate but Shy at Results of Action Problems confronting count county of officials of- of of-I of seeking to cut from the current budget of are arc arel likely to be set upon by le legal al entanglements en en- it lt appeared Wednesday at a meeting of county count commissioners commission commission- i ers with more than 20 department I heads Generally the Hie department heads expressed willingness ness to cooperate on the economic program forced by a heavy drop in tax revenues However However However How How- ever many of them told the commission commission commis sion that it will be impossible to absorb the reduction they have been asked to make and still perform statutory statutory statutory stat stat- requirements o of their departments depart depart- men ments ts DUTIES REGULATE ATE MOVE IOVE That the commission is powerless to cut budgets wherever the statutory duties of the department will be impaired impaired impaired im im- im- im paired was stated by H. H H. H Halliday Hallida I deputy county attorney and le legal al advisor advisor advisor ad ad- visor to the commiss commission on I The commission will likewise open itself to litigation if the cuts force salary reductions in one department while another department is not forced to cut salaries said Mr Halliday Hal Hal- liday This might result in any department department department de de- de- de heads head's demanding that the commission apportion the cut within the department and again confront the commission with deciding whether er cr salaries or statutory duties shall suffer Out of or the twenty-four twenty department heads represented at the meeting seventeen unqualifiedly agreed to ac accept accept accept ac- ac the cuts five expressed full willingness to cooperate on an economic economic eco ceo program m but protested the amount of cuts assigned to their departments departments departments de de- de- de by the commission two accepted the cuts in part and two departments were not MACKAY Y FILES LETTER County Clerk Alonzo Mackay filed fileda a letter with the c commission It stated stated stated stat stat- ed in part I do not understand the attitude of the commission with respect to tomy tomy tomy my department After receiving a recommendation from the factfinding find fact ing committee suggesting a cut of 1100 the commission ignores it and recommends a cut o of 2593 with an additional 1575 cut from the elections elections elections elec elec- account The elections account can be cut if the commission will follow the statute literally in fixing wages of registration agents and election judges Heretofore these officials have collected 3 3 per diem and 1 2 1 cents per name for copying voters' voters names Their pay ranges from 38 to 50 whereas under the statute it might be possible to reduce it to about 24 David K Moffat county treasurer said in view of the prospective in increase increase increase in- in crease in postage which will add 1500 to his budget budet and delay in turning over tax rolls it will be impossible ble for his department to accept the cut recommended YOUNG RAISES OBJECTION Sheriff Sher ff S. S Grant Young said it would be impossible for his department department depart depart- ment to accept the cut recommended recommended rec rec- and shoulder responsibility responsibility of law enforcement in the county He said he was willing willingto to adopt a n un uniform orm wage cut by 15 day vacations without pay Others who protested the cut as suggested Included Joseph Blickens- Blickens derfer county surveyor or and Dr J JH H H. Paul head of ot old age pensions B. B F. F Quinn chairman of or the commission commission commission com com- mission who presided at the meeting meeting meeting meet meet- ing said his department had ar arranged arranged arranged ar- ar ranged to absorb the cut by adjustments in m salaries and vacations vacations vacations vaca vaca- without pay Nurses' Nurses pa pay at atthe atthe atthe the training school will be reduced from 15 to 10 per month There are arc 60 of them The commissioners decided to deIny delay de de- lay Iny final inal action on the budget cuts until further urther conferences with County Coun Coun- ty Auditor Samuel F F. Nicholls and andRa andRay andRay Ra Ray G. G Wood d special auditor tor |
