Lancaster County hears budgets for clerk, records, weed control and risk management

Officials from multiple county offices presented budget summaries and projections to the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners on May 21.

Matt Hansen, Lancaster County Clerk, said the office expects to end the current fiscal year without issues and attributed a projected 95% increase in revenues next year largely to legislative fee changes: marriage license fees rose from $25 to $50 and certified copy fees from $9 to $16. He said projected expenses for his office would increase about 6.8% to reflect a fully staffed team, step increases and planned technology purchases, and he proposed adding a Records Division Manager to reduce supervisory load.

Austin Rhodes, Records Management Director, said his office expects modest revenue growth from storage and scanning services and projected expenses to rise roughly 6.5% driven by salaries and software support. Rhodes noted microfilm supply costs are increasing and said the office is discussing whether statutory changes could allow durable digital media to replace microfilm for some records.

Brent Meyer, Weed Control Superintendent, said fuel and vehicle repair costs are rising as older vehicles remain in service and that projected revenue for his department could rise about 7% next year because higher contract expenses produce higher collections; he said the department is building toward a roughly $40,000 truck purchase and will consider selling or trading a 2018 vehicle to help fund it.

Presenters for Risk Management (including Bob Robles, Risk Management Director) reviewed Fund 13 and said balances remain healthy but that two known claims will affect future balances. Robles and presenters said the county may need to transfer between $600,000 and $800,000 next fiscal year to maintain the self-insurance model if new major claims arise. Robles requested an additional full-time position to support workers' compensation, ADA and FMLA administration, safety training and onsite department support; members expressed support pending further analysis.

Board members asked clarifying questions about staffing, software costs and funding sources; no formal votes were recorded on the budget requests during the staff meeting.

What happens next: commissioners will continue to review reclassification requests and complete remaining budget hearings before final decisions are made during formal budget adoption processes.