By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Fayette County commissioners will get down to the more serious issues in the proposed 2001 budget in a work session June 19.

After breezing through 34 sections of the three-inch-thick budget document in a session last week, commissioners decided to cancel today's previously scheduled session and take on the remaining sections Monday.

Starting at 9 a.m., commissioners will deal with budgets for the Sheriff's Department, fire services, the marshall's office, E-911, roads, buildings and grounds, the water system and solid waste.

The group also will deal with requests for additional personnel from all the departments as a issue separate from the departments' operating budgets. The proposed budget includes departmental requests for 44 more people. County Manager Billy Beckett is recommending 29. The county now has about 580 authorized positions.

During last week's meeting, the only slow-down came as commissioners questioned a $25,000 budget for Fayette Clean and Beautiful.

Marie Short, recently appointed director of the program, said the county support is needed, but she also is going to be working hard to find other sources of funding.

“We have a lot of opportunity to grow this program into a much more powerful community program,” Short told commissioners.

In budget discussions in previous years, commissioners have asked the group to solicit funding from local cities to increase its scope, rather than looking to the county to increase that funding. The cities have not agreed to do that, but Short said there are plenty of other sources.

“The money is out there,” she said, explaining that many corporate sponsors provide money for community recycling and clean-up programs. She also promised to give the county quarterly reports of the organization's activities.

Commissioners responded to a request for an increase in the compensation of members of the county Board of Elections by giving less than half what the group had asked for.

Board members had asked for an increase from $9.40 an hour, which averages around $600 a year for the members, to a flat $350 a month. Commissioners agreed to pay the board members $100 a month and pay for any required training.