The Fayette County Commission could face up to a $3 million shortfall in its budget this year, unless many of the 47 new positions recommended by staff are not funded. More than half the requested new positions are for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

The County Commission got the sobering news Tuesday morning during a budget session on new personnel requests. Finance Director Mary Holland explained the board would only be considering new personnel over the two-day budget session, while new programs would be discussed later this spring as the county works on preparing its maintenance and operation budget.

“Welcome to the board,” said Commissioner Eric Maxwell, as the board started digging into specific personnel requests.

Holland said the board had gotten an estimate of $4.6 billion for this year’s tax digest, which is up just 5 percent over last year’s figure.

“In 2006, we were up about 7 to 8 percent,” she added, indicating that Fayette’s growth is continuing to slow.

Of the $223 million estimated increase in the digest, nearly $124 million comes from growth, while $99 million is due to reassessments. If the board chose not to roll back the millage, the county would receive an estimated $1.8 million in additional revenue, while rolling back the rate would lower the increased revenues to $658,000.

The county is also facing a $180,000 increase in property insurance fees this year, because the insurance policy is being updated to reflect replacement costs of the buildings, instead of the construction cost.

Faced with the daunting figures, the County Commission learned the county’s staff was recommending the hiring of 42 new positions. County Administrator Chris Venice said the departments that report to her had asked for 16 positions, but she had trimmed her hiring recommendations to 11, which is a 30 percent cut over the request.

Of the remaining 31 positions, 23 were requests from constitutional officers, including 22 from the sheriff’s department. The sheriff’s department is requesting one compliance officer, one information systems technician, six investigators, six patrol deputies, one jail maintenance worker, two records clerks at the jail, three jail detention officers and two investigators in the traffic division.

The county’s fire department is also seeking seven firefighter-EMTs, while the permits and inspection division wants to hire a plans examiner. Tax Commissioner George Wingo wants to hire one more part-time position, while Clerk of Superior Court Sheila Studdard also wants to hire a part-time court clerk.

The first person to talk to the County Commission Tuesday morning was the group’s executive assistant Carol Chandler. Chandler was asking for a new deputy clerk and said her department has had the same staffing for the last 25 years.

Chandler said requests for information were on the increase in her department and said she had originally requested a county clerk position at a salary of $58,000 a year, but could survive with a deputy clerk at $32,000 a year.

“We just need another warm body in here to help us with the additional work," she said.

The County Commission is expected to vote on all the personnel requests during this afternoon’s (March 14) session.