More cuts to the Freeborn County budget will have a serious impact on county services, Freeborn County department heads told the commissioners Tuesday.

Reading from a written statement, Court Services Director Tom Jenson said, on the behalf on the county’s department heads,

that &uot;any additional cuts will most certainly have an adverse impact on the quality and quantity of services the various departments provide as well as a reduction in core services that are presently provided to citizens of Freeborn County.&uot;

He said in his department, it would mean people on probation would not receive adequate supervision.

Commissioner Dan Belshan asked if he was implying that the commissioners should not lower its proposed 2003 tax levy increase of 9.9 percent, which must be finalized by the end of the year.

Jenson said that they just wanted commissioners to work closely with department heads when they consider making cuts.

Environmental Services Director Randy Tuchtenhagen explained that, for example, simply telling department heads they must cut a certain percentage could cause arbitrary cuts that could affect grant applications.

By working closely with department heads, he said, commissioners will have a better idea which cuts will have the least impact on the county.

&uot;We might be able to say, it makes more sense to cut money out of this part of the budget,&uot; Tuchtenhagen said.

Chairman Mark Behrends said he believed that was the board’s intention, as well as lowering the tax levy.

In other board news:

&045; The board unanimously approved to switch sponsorship of an application to receive watershed-improvement funding from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Shell Rock River Watershed District.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock@albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)