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SEP 9 1987 BOOK ' PAGE -334" <br />Mr. Menendez continued to stress that the budget must be <br />looked at item by item to see what can be done to get the <br />increase down to 8%, for instance, instead of 13%. <br />Chairman Scurlock noted that is exactly the process the <br />10 <br />Board spent two weeks going through. He then proceeded to go <br />line item by line item through the Board's budget, pointing out <br />the part of the operating expense that is caused by state <br />mandate. For instance, the increase in salaries is $10,828, and <br />over $9,000 of that is mandated by the state, and when salaries <br />are raised, you then have to raise Social Security, as well as <br />retirement, which is also state mandated because we are on the <br />state retirement system. The state expanded their audit <br />requirements and increased the auditor's scope of services which <br />resulted in an increase of $24,144. Of the $46,000 increase in <br />the Commission budget, about $24,000 is mandated by the state <br />just on the audit item, and almost $10,000 mandated in terms of <br />salaries, and that amounts to $32,000 of the $46,000 increase. <br />This leaves about $14,000. Actually what is required by the <br />state compromises most of the -increase. <br />Mr. Menendez continued to demand at length that the Board <br />find a way to cut any increase down to 10%; that is the way <br />business is run. <br />Chairman Scurlock noted that the Board must act in a <br />responsible manner. He stated that if Mr. Menendez wished, we <br />would continue to go through the entire budget line item by line <br />item, which is just what the Board did 8 hours a day for two <br />weeks. For example, the outside printing item of $15,000 <br />reflects the state mandate to recodify and print the County Code <br />Book, and, therefore, just from state mandate, we are $1,000 up <br />from the remaining $14,000. <br />Mr. Menendez noted that it seems everything is mandated by <br />the state, and if that is so, why do we need local government. <br />Chairman Scurlock agreed that sometimes that seems to be the <br />question because they take our local authority away from us. He <br />10 <br />