PORTSMOUTH- The Scioto County Commissioners have approved a $79 million budget for county government through December 2024.

The general fund is approximately $20 million, while $59 million in various grants, outside money, and taxes make up the rest for a total of $79 million. The county’s largest expense is in the form of payroll and benefits in its public-facing offices.

“These are all important functions that have to happen,” said Commissioner Bryan Davis.

The courts have to be able to function and serve the public, as do the treasurer’s office, the auditor’s office and so on. But there are sometimes outside influences, such as inflation and decisions, at the state level to do with budgeting for local government county officials have little or no control over.

“Whenever we see cuts from decisions made at the state level, it does hurt us and we have to be cognizant of that. Whenever you are trying to run bare bones and you’re already doing that and you go to cut there’s not a whole lot of meat there to cut.”

Commissioner Scottie Powell said the county’s officeholders requested a total of $27 million in their budgets and the commissioners asked them to pare it down by $7 million. The increase in requested funds is largely due to inflation costs.

He said there are retirements expected to and for officeholders to: “See where you can combine. Now that technology is on board, do we need that extra person. Some of the officeholders are already doing this.”

Powell said it’s difficult to ask officeholders to tighten budgets when the projects throughout the county are so numerous.

“It’s a big ask,” he said. “And I think there’s probably a big misconception, there’s a lot of projects going on right now.”

Those projects, however, are based in generating income for the county and are funded through grants and other monies outside local tax dollars.

“That money is grant money and once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Powell said.

The commissioners are looking to officeholders, urging frugality. There will also be more time needed for them to consider requests as the commissioners wait for the results of the state budget and determine what it means for Scioto County.

“To the officeholders, we’re relying on you as well, to make sure the offices are healthy and efficient because that’s where, primarily, the cost is. It’s in labor costs and fixed costs,” Powell said. “We’re keeping an eye on it. Once again, there’s going to be a lot of wait and see when we get requests.”