Wabash County commissioners met at 8:15 a.m. today (Tuesday) to formally approve a budget for its new fiscal year, which starts Dec. 1.

County officials agreed to the morning meeting Monday night during their regular session - a decision that gave the public the full 14 days to review the $1.89 million budget proposal on display.

County Board Chairman Charles Sanders said the only difference between the draft proposal and the final budget is in the section dealing with Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and Social Security accounts: Officials "broke it out," Sanders said, to separate the funds and create better understanding of what is involved within those budget items.

County officials are "playing everything close to the belt" financially, encouraging department heads not to hand out pay raises during the new budget period, which is projected to leave an approximately $9,300 deficit come Nov. 30, 2010.

In October, officials projected the county would be short about $55,000 in income this fiscal year, which concludes at the end of the month.

County board members Gary Stuessel and Craig Racster, along with Chairman Sanders, unanimously approved the new budget this morning.

In another spending matter Monday night, the board unanimously agreed to renew the county's insurance policy. Property, causality and liability insurance from Illinois County Risk Management Trust will cost nearly $69,500, and worker's compensation insurance will cost just over $76,000.

Commissioners said total cost is about $2,000 less than the last renewal.

IN OTHER BUSINESS...

• Crews are making progress on construction of a bridge in Road District 6, County Engineer Dustin Bunting told commissioners. Abutments have been poured, and workers plan to set beams today. Bunting said the bridge will likely stay closed through the end of the year while work is being completed.

Meanwhile, "tractor trouble" has delayed completion of mowing county right-of-ways. That work, Bunting said, will likely be finished in another week.

• Howell Paving company was the low bidder for the project entailing the resurfacing of Goodson Orchard Road in the county, Bunting said. The bid, opened Nov. 6, totaled over $948,000, and was about 1.8 percent below estimates.

Stabilization work was completed on portions of the county highway in advance of the planned paving work.

• Over $7 million - about 75 percent - in property taxes has been collected so far, said Beverly McBride, who was filling in for Treasurer Larry Briggs Monday night. Those residents still needing to pay their second installment have until Friday, Nov. 20, to do so, and postmarks do count, McBride reminded. If the payment is postmarked Nov. 20, it will be considered on time by the treasurer's office.

McBride said a 1 1/2 percent penalty has already been applied to delinquent first installments. That number will climb to 3 percent after the second installment deadline has passed.

Certified notices of delinquent taxes will be mailed Dec. 11, McBride said, and Jan. 13, 2010 is the last day to get those delinquent taxes paid to avoid being published in the Register.

• Also on the subject of delinquent taxes, the county board accepted sealed bids and sold two parcels that had been secured by County Trustee Joseph Meyer for non-payment of taxes.

Janet Will, filling in for County Clerk Marie Kolb, said Meyer, of Edwardsville, is the county's tax agent, and serves as trustee at tax sales.

• Wabash County Health Department Administrator Cindy Brown described "more building issues" during her report to the board Monday night. She said her office will be meeting with a consultant Thursday regarding the need to create better access to the Behavioral Health Division, located in the health department office's basement. An employee uses a cane to walk, and needs to travel a set of stairs.

Brown also said the health department replaced a floor in the ladies room on the main floor of the building. The floor had been damaged, and water was leaking into the basement.

The restroom's subfloor was OK, she said.

• County commissioners hosted a brief executive session Monday night with Sheriff Joe Keeling regarding a "union issue," Keeling said. No votes on the matter were taken when the open meeting resumed.