Decline of forest funds has county officials on alert

WALLACE — Over the last 17 years, Shoshone County has received a chunk of money from the federal government in the form of SRS (Secure Rural Schools) funds that have been vital to the existence of Silver Valley schools and roads.

That era appears to be coming to an end though and the Shoshone Board of County Commissioners is looking to insure that we (the county) get a jump on the problem before we find ourself up to our necks in potholes.

The Secure Rural Schools Act initiated in 2000 provided consistent and reliable funding for more than 775 rural counties and 4,400 schools located near national forests across the United States.

These funds have always been split 60/40 between the county and its schools (in Shoshone County’s case, the three school districts have taken that 40 percent and then split it up between themselves according to size).

The schools have used the money in various ways, but the county has exclusively used their portion of the money to maintain the roads of Shoshone County and ensure that they are up to code.

Earlier this week, the BOCC held a workshop that was open to county department heads and the general public to explain the situation with these goals in mind.

- Advising the community that we are once again in limbo with respect to SRS reauthorization.

- Advising the community that, if SRS is not reauthorized, the county’s funding for roads is in jeopardy.

- Advising the community that, if SRS is authorized, the SRS payment will be late and certain cash flow issues will need attention.

- Providing the BOCC with an opportunity to pre-plan and examine the various available tools to deal with the noted problems.

As of now, the county has already employed a few of their cost-cutting measures in efforts to make up for the decline of the SRS funds, but that may not be enough when the funds are completely gone.

“Over the past three and a half years, the county has been very proactive in reducing costs and increasing operation efficiencies,” BOCC chairman Mike Fitzgerald said. “Implement measures have included maximizing the recovery of ‘earmarked’ county revenue provided for through grants and government programs, downsizing staffing levels through attrition/retirements, maximizing the utilization of seasonal temporary work forces, initiating early materials purchase during periods of surplus and low pricing, and requiring inter-departmental usage of common equipment.”

Even with the potential lack of funds, the BOCC really doesn’t want to see any increase in taxes for the residents of Shoshone County.

“I don’t feel comfortable going to our taxpayers and asking if we can charge them more,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to do that.”

There are some additional measures that the county can take to hopefully save more money or even bring more money in, such as reserve funds to repair roads, freezing non-essential purchases, and other budgeting options.

Even though the loss of the SRS funds could have substantial negative impacts on the county, Fitzgerald is looking at this situation with a glass half full mentality.

“These little funding scares can be healthy for a county like ours,” Fitzgerald said. “It forces you to take a step back and look at how we can be more financially responsible as a county.”

Legislation on the federal level is currently being explored that has been signed off on by 39 different bipartisan representatives, who are looking to get SRS reauthorized, and hopefully retroactive to make up for missed funds in recent years.

“We sat in on a national call last week, and the phrase that sums that call up best is that, ‘we’ve been here before,” Fitzgerald said. “On that call I did not hear a panic, there was actually a hint of optimism.”

The federal representatives will be trying to get the reauthorization approved through the Omnibus Bill.

An omnibus spending bill is a type of bill that packages many smaller regular appropriations bills into one larger single bill that could be passed with only one vote in each house.

There are 12 different regular appropriations bills that need to be passed each year to fund the federal government and avoid a government shutdown; an omnibus spending bill combines one or more of those bills into a single bill.

The deadline for inclusion into the Omnibus Bill however, is just a few days away.

“The deadline is March 23,” Fitzgerald said. “So if we don’t hear anything by March 23, our county will have to take some pretty drastic steps to make sure we come in on budget this year and properly plan our budget next year.”