Tuesday was the deadline for departments under the Cole County Commission to have their budgets turned in as the annual budget process for the county is beginning.
The Public Works Department is asking for $100,000 for building repairs for its facility on Monticello Road, primarily to its garage doors in the area where they house the county salt and plow trucks.
The ambulance budget includes more than $506,000 in capital improvement requests, with $220,000 of that amount going toward remounting two ambulances and $132,000 to pay for mounts for cots in ambulances. A one-time payment of $75,000 for the county's share of upgrades to the 911 system would also come out of the sales tax that funds the ambulance service.
Requests for personnel are also included. In the health department, there is a request for two full-time personnel and it appears the county auditor will also be looking to add a part-time person to help during times when staff vacations are taking place.
Auditor Kristen Berhorst will present her proposed 2016 budget to the commission in November, and budget discussions from elected officials' departments will follow.
In November and December, the commission will come up with a final budget that must be approved in January.
On a related note, the commission decided to go to a bi-weekly payroll beginning in January.