Freeborn County commissioners are starting their budget discussions by planning for a 9.9 percent tax increase, but it’s not definite and commissioners have said they intend to lower it.

Sept. 15 is the deadline to provide a tentative budget to the state. The commissioners can change the budget as much as they want afterward. The only restriction will be that they can’t increase the levy, so most public bodies set it as high as they can for the moment.

Bill Helfirtz, finance manager for the county, said the state limits the amount a county can levy. He’s figured the county’s maximum levy increase for next year is 9.9 percent.

But he said that may not be the ultimate levy, and that it doesn’t mean property taxes will increase 10 percent, since the county’s tax levy makes up only a portion of each property’s taxes.

The commissioners spent several hours this week discussing what will become of the budget. With a $3.5 million deficit, they must cut services, spend reserves or raise taxes. But a 9.9 percent increase would only account for $1.1 million, leaving a $2.4 million gap.

Highway Department Director Sue Miller removed a $500,000 deficit from her budget partially by projecting money from a possible tax on aggregate hauled into the county. Much of it was done by waiting on bridge-repair projects until 2005. Her budget also removed expenses from sharing the cost of inlets onto county roads with builders.

Miller also proposed reduced maintenance on county roads and swapping county roads with townships roads for more convenient maintenance. The last is a topic she still must discuss with townships. She said they were cuts she is willing to make this year, but she said she wants the $500,000 next year.

Human Services Director Darryl Meyer said he could whittle down his department’s deficit of $1.2 million by using $700,000 of reserves and cutting services. After the meeting, he said he wouldn’t discuss what the cuts would be, pending discussion with care providers in September.

Helfritz said $200,000 was removed from the court administration budget because the state plans on taking over the courts halfway through the year.

He said that leaves about $400,000 that can be taken out of the general fund, which he said probably won’t be necessary, since the county generally budgets for unfilled positions, of which there are several. And people who leave generally don’t get replaced for several months, leaving money unspent.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock @albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)