Nye asks for voluntary salary cuts to address shortfall

Nye County Commissioner Butch Borasky asked that non-unionized personnel take a 10-percent salary cut to help address the county’s revenue shortfall problems, at a meeting of the commission on March 17.

The request was made just weeks after the county announced proposed spending cuts which included elimination of non-essential programming and subsidies.

Those include funding to the senior nutrition program, animal shelters, the Beatty and Amargosa Valley health clinics, natural resources, animal control, juvenile probation, planning and the agriculture extension office in Pahrump.

The commissioners, who are elected officials, volunteered to take a 10-percent salary cut on March 3 when the proposed budget cuts were announced.

The county, beleaguered with financial problems, also announced a planned employee furlough to help offset this year’s $2.5 million projected budget shortfall.

Left unanswered at the meeting was Borasky’s question as to how many department heads, elected officials and employees not protected by union contracts had volunteered for a similar reduction in salary. “It would be nice to know that all of us in Nye County are working together,” he said, “Not just some of us.”

Revenue shortfalls have also been addressed, in part, by leaving budgeted positions unfilled.

Savings have been realized through non-disbursed salaries and benefit packages.

However, at department head requests on Tuesday, the commission unanimously approved the reorganization of the finance department and authorized the hire of three financial assistants.

A department manager, an account clerk and higher-grade financial assistant position have been reclassified to a lower paying grade. The adjustments reflect an approximate savings of $36,000 in the current fiscal year.

The commission also authorized the filling of a budgeted-for-but-vacant property appraiser position in the assessor’s office and dispatcher position in the sheriff’s office. Leaving those positions vacant for the past several months have resulted in additional savings of $23,970.05.

In other related business, the commission also authorized a corrective action plan in response to deficiencies cited following an audit of the county’s 2013 financial policies and procedures.

The approval of the plan was met with outrage by a member of the public who said the county has been reprimanded consistently over the past few years for the same issues.

Board Chairperson Lorinda Wichman responded saying that she has never seen a year where the county has not been cited for something in an annual audit.