The Spalding County Board of Commissioners received a proposed budget containing substantial cuts for the 2010 fiscal year at its meeting Monday night.

According to a memorandum from County Manager William Wilson Jr., his proposed fiscal year 2010 budget is $79,8970,076, a decrease of 6.81 percent from the current fiscal year’s budget of $85,705,402. He formulated the budget after sitting down with Administrative Services Director Jinna Garrison, Assistant to the City Manager Paul Van Haute and every elected official and department head from mid-March until the end of April.

The county’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

Each official was asked to submit a budget request that included a 9 percent cut from the current year’s budget and a majority of officials did so, with some even submitting a more severely pared budget.

As a result, the general fund has decreased 11.34 percent and the fire district fund 22.83 percent. The law library’s budget was cut 30.67 percent. The community services block grant was cut 41.86 percent, while assistance to the victims of crimes was cut 20.9 percent and the workers compensation trust was cut 14.64 percent.

Wilson also anticipates that expenditures will exceed general fund revenues due to shortfalls in fines and forfeitures, licenses and permits, sales tax revenues and interest income. In order to keep the budget balanced, $3,306,389 from the reserve fund has been set aside to balance the general fund. Wilson estimates more than $1,000,000 of the transferred funds will be used this year.

A hiring freeze began in March 2008 and will continue into fiscal year 2010. In addition to this, an increase in the cost of county health insurance led the county to institute a one-day-per-month furlough for all employees, as well as a $20-per-pay-period charge for employee insurance. Elected officials have agreed to contribute 4.6 percent of their salaries in order to avoid being furloughed themselves.

“Needless to say, this is going to be a tight budget,” Spalding County Board of Commissioners Chairman Eddie Goss said.

He said there are many proposed cuts and the commissioners will meet to discuss them beginning May 26 at 4:30 p.m.

“We’re going to be looking at alternatives for some of the cuts,” he said. In particular, he is looking at alternatives to employee furloughs and alternatives to charging employees $20 per pay period for health insurance.

He said Commissioner Eddie Freeman will be in charge of looking for these alternatives.