Commissioners want money restored – most of it for county nursing home

LACONIA — The Belknap County Commissioners are asking the County Delegation’s Executive Committee to restore a quarter of the money it cut from the commission’s budget, saying without those funds some county services will suffer.

More than half of the $444,824 the commission wants restored are earmarked for the operation of the County Nursing Home.

Failure to put that money back into the budget is “certain to interfere with the provision of county services” the commissioners said in letter they unanimously voted Thursday to send to the Executive Committee. The commission is comprised of Chairman Peter Spanos of Laconia, Glen Waring of Gilmanton and Hunter Taylor of Alton.

The delegation's committee voted Monday to recommend a budget that reduced the commissioners’ proposed $31.9 spending package by $1.7 million. The committee’s recommendation further cut $3.5 million from the amount to be raised by taxes, resulting in an 11 percent reduction in the tax levy passed on to the 11 municipalities in the county.

The full 18-member delegation is scheduled to meet Tuesday and could vote to approve the county budget at that time.

The commissioners said in their letter that the delegation committee in many cases was fixated on cutting taxes with too little regard for how those cuts would affect the work performed by the nursing home, the Corrections, Sheriff’s, and Maintenance departments, and other parts of county government.

“In many other cases line items were cut knowing that the operation required more, but simply determined to reduce taxes,” the commissioners stated. “Our department heads were reminded repeatedly to tighten their belts to save taxpayer expense. Line items where department heads were able to conserve last year, were not appreciated, but penalized by further reductions for the upcoming year.”

Committee Chairman Ray Howard declined to comment on the commissioners’ request, saying an article in Wednesday’s Daily Sun about the committee’s recommended cuts inaccurately reported what he told the reporter.

“A lot of information was twisted up,” he said.

In addition to asking for the restoration of $444,824,  commissioners are asking the committee to reduce the amount to be placed in the fund balance from $3 million to $2 million — the amount sought by the commissioners.

The commissioners said their latest recommendation would result in a 1 percent decrease from last year’s county tax levy. Their original budget recommendation would have meant a 12 percent increase in the county tax.

The largest line item the commissioners want restored is $150,000 for food service at the nursing home. Food service, which is provided by a private firm, cost $1.1 million last year. The commissioners noted the nursing home has been operating below capacity because of COVID, but that the number of residents is expected to increase this year as vaccinations and other steps start to bring the pandemic under control.

“This will not be less (than $1.1 million) in 2021,” the commissioners said. “The contract cost has increased 1.6 percent.

County Facilities Manager Dustin Muzzey asked for an additional $3,000 to cover water and sewer expenses to offset a scheduled 3 percent rate increase for those services. The committee is recommending the same amount as last year.

In the Corrections Department, the commissioners are asking that $40,000 be put back in the budget for medically assisted treatment for inmates with certain kinds of substance abuse.

Executive Committee Chairman Ray Howard said Tuesday the money was eliminated because the program amounted to an unfunded state mandate, and therefore was unconstitutional.

But the commissioners said the Corrections Department will still be required to provide the treatment.

“Regardless of personal opinion, this is a required medical protocol,” the commissioners’ letter states. “Cutting the budget does not eliminate the need to provide the treatment.“

Other funds which the commissioners are asking to be restored include money for part-time officers in the Sheriff’s Department, a full-time position in the Corrections Department, computer and software upgrades at the Nursing Home, and an additional $30,000 which the commissioners say is needed to fully cover the so-called bed tax, which county nursing homes are required to pay to the state.