Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Quorum Court okays budget, talks library budget

With almost no public discussion, the Nevada County Quorum Court approved the countys budget for 2008. The Justices of the Peace also approved end-of-year bonuses for county employees amounting to $50 per month worked.

That means that full-time employees will receive $600 and the county will pay out a total of more than $39,000.

JP Susie Key said that the bonuses take the place of raises.

We cant afford to give raises now, she said.

With only about $4,000 surplus expected for 2008, Nevada County Judge Baker Butler said that he isnt certain there will be sufficient money for a raise in the coming year either.

The budget allows expenditures of more than $1.35 million for road and bridge and $1.63 million for county general.

While on the topic of money, the JPs turned their attention to the library fund. The budget for that fund is $59,406. There is an agreement between the City of Prescott and Nevada County that calls for the county to pay money collected from a county tax toward the operation of the library with the city picking up the balance of the librarys operating cost. The city is currently about $28,000 in arrears, according to JP Bob Cummings.

The situation has been ongoing for months with the city typically paying the bill only after a significant debt has accumulated. Cummings suggested billing the city monthly.

We can do it easily, Butler said.

He said the question is whether the city will pay monthly. He said hes had a series of conversations with Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor about the situation but that payments continue to come in well after the operating expenses have been paid by the county, often putting the countys library fund in the red.

In other business, the JPs heard from Nevada County Extension Agent Melissa Beck and Nevada County Consumer Science Agent Amanda Rogers regarding the duties and services of the county extension office.

Beck said the 4H enrollment is up from previous years but said they are still actively recruiting new members. Both Beck and Rogers work with 4H, though both are to devote most of their time to other endeavors, including services for area farmers. Soil testing and workshops on foraging, feeding and crops. Beck said she also works with the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce on the local farmers market and said she would like to see that program grow.

For more information about 4H or other county extension services, call 887-2818.