The Burleigh County Commission did some fine-tuning of the county's 2006 budget on the next-to-final day of August.

Commissioners approved the preliminary budget Thursday, starting out the day .53 of a mill below last year's levy and ending with a further reduction of 2.25 mills. Auditor Kevin Glatt said that at the present proposed levy, the county portion of property taxes on a $130,000 home will increase $7. That includes an average property-value increase of about 5 percent.

With adoption of the preliminary budget, commissioners can still cut the budget, but can no longer add to it. Final adoption of the 2006 budget is required by Oct. 1. A hearing and adoption of the final budget is scheduled for Sept. 29 at 5 p.m.

Most of the commission's work Thursday came in the form of slashing requests, except in the case of the Abused Adult Resource Center, where it restored about $7,500 that commissioners recommended be removed earlier in budget talks.

Originally, the water resource district asked for about 2.36 mills, or $403,000 - an increase of 1.71 mills from the .65 it received last year. The commission asked the district to reduce its request to 1.65 mills, or about $282,000, in 2006.

District Chairman Ken Royse detailed a number of cuts the district is willing to make in order to meet the commission's request. The Jackman Coulee project was reduced from $25,000 to $12,000; McDowell Dam capital improvements from $57,100 to $6,000; McDowell Dam platting from $16,000 to nothing; $26,000 was totally eliminated from the Hay Creek greenway project; and city-county watershed planning was reduced from $25,000 to $12,000.

Commissioner Doug Schonert, who holds the Sheriff's Department and Detention Center portfolios, explained that Sheriff Steve Berg was willing to reduce his requests for four new detention staff and two additional sheriff deputies to two detention staff and one deputy.

Schonert said the sheriff is asking that the department be allowed to reclassify the detox officer to a sergeant in the jail.

"The sheriff isn't going to rehire the detox officer, and tells me all those services provided by the position will be available through other areas at no cost," Schonert said. "My feeling is we allow the reclassification and it will actually reduce the budget."

The sheriff's mill levy has been reduced by 1.4 mills, and commissioners are hoping to find areas to reduce it .37 of a mill more.

The commission also reduced what it pays to the Bismarck Planning Department for services to the county. This year's request from planning department head Karl Hokenstad was $40,000. He noted that based on the number of hours put in by the department's staff, the county should have paid only $32,000 in 2004 and is on track to provide just under $30,000 in services this year; but in 2003, it provided $54,000 in services.

Schonert advised the commission to keep the payment at $40,000 in 2006, with expectations of revising the county's comprehensive plan, which could mean many more additional hours by the planning department.

The commission, however, decided to reduce the payment by $10,000, to $30,000.

One area of contention involved disbursement of the state-legislated $25 victim-witness fee, which is charged to all criminal cases. The fund, kept by the clerk of court, brings in about $30,000 annually, and the county gives half to the state attorney's victim-witness advocate fund and the rest to the Abused Adult Resource Center, which is a private, nonprofit organization.

At an earlier meeting, commissioners suggested reducing the amount contributed to the AARC, to about $7,500.

Diane Zainhofsky, AARC executive director, made a strong case to restore the organization's funding to the $15,000 annual contribution from the county.

On a 4-to-1 vote, commissioners agreed to restore the money, with Commissioner Scott Johnson indicating they could still cut it before finalizing the budget at the end of September.

Zainhofsky said that the AARC's annual budget is about $1.54 million, noting that it receives grant funding from 15 agencies and organizations.

It delivers 14 programs, including shelter, food services and education. She said that the county's contribution is an important part and would be difficult to replace.

Zainhofsky also offered to help the state's attorney's office to apply for additional grants, since the office currently only has three grant sources.

About 57 percent of the AARC's budget comes from grants, 20 percent from the thrift-gift shop, 7 percent from United Way, 5 percent from contributions, 4 percent from fees and the remainder from special events and other sources. It spends 82 percent of the funding on programs, 13 percent on administration and 5 percent on raising funds.

The state's attorney's office would not face any reductions in funding, though the lost revenue from the victim-witness fund will be made up by the general fund.

Commissioner Marlan Haakenson, participating via a conference call, defended the reduction in the county's contribution to AARC, questioning whether the county should be contributing to a private organization.

Zainhofsky pointed to language in state law allowing the contribution, claiming legislative intent was to provide programs for victims of domestic assault and rape.

Lori Steele, victim-witness program advocate, explained how the funds were used for communication and notification of crime victims along with providing an advocate to join the victim at hearings.

A roll call vote was held to determine whether to restore the funding with Haakenson providing the only no vote.

(Contact staff writer Gordon Weixel at 701-250-8255 or at gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com)