Lake County commissioners spent most of their meeting day on Tuesday hearing from different departments and local agencies regarding their budget requests from the county for 2013.  When all were completed, County Auditor Bobbi Janke told commissioners that the proposed and requested expenditures exceeded the proposed 2013 budget by just more than 200-thousand dollars. 
Janke said she prepared the budget numbers for commissioners Tuesday based on a step increase and two-percent raise for all county employees.  A few departments requested additional changes in steps or raises for their employees – including the Treasurer’s Office, the Equalization Office, 9-1-1 Communications, and the Sheriff’s Office.  County commissioners are having Todd Kays from First Planning District conduct a wage study with county employees to help determine if or where some changes may need to be made to some department’s wages. 
Commissioners said there weren’t a lot of “big-ticket” items included in the budget requests this year.  A couple of the larger increased budget requests included Highway Department Supervisor Scott Mathison, who asked for a just more than 100-thousand dollar increase in his budget to go toward purchasing some new equipment, and Emergency Management Director Don Thomson, who asked for an additional just more than 50-thousand dollars for the County’s Search and Rescue to build an addition to its current building.  Several departments also included copier or computer purchases, among other items. 
Commission Chair Scott Pedersen said that all of the requests made this year were “reasonable”.  Commissioners will continue discussion on the county’s 2013 budget during their next regular meeting.