More budget deficits seen in Sedgwick County's future
Sedgwick County's chief financial officer says the county is not facing a budget deficit this year, but there are deficits ahead in 2014 and beyond. Chris Chronis delivered a financial report to county commissioners on Wednesday for the fourth quarter of 2012.
Chronis said the county finished 2012 with a surplus of $1.2 million, mainly because of tough decisions and budget cuts. He said the county has reduced the number of employees from more than 3,000 to just under 2,800, but there is more work to do in the years ahead to make sure the county budget is balanced.
Chronis said one key concern is the state budget, with changes in the tax structure that will lead to a state deficit and less revenues being provided to the county. He said there is also a shift in services from the state level to local government that will put more costs on the county.
Chronis also said the local economy is having slow growth, and there will be an impact with Boeing's departure from Wichita and Hawker Beechcraft's emergence from bankruptcy as a smaller company.
County commissioners are having a retreat on Feb. 12 to talk about budget issues.
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