Seeking room to cut or possibly eliminate programs, the county administration has started classifying its programs to deal with an anticipated reduction in state aid.

Administrator Ron Gabrielsen designed a grid, intending to identify the priority level of all county operations.

It would sort the programs out into four different categories: public health and safety, natural resources and lawsuit avoidance, infrastructure maintenance, and quality of life.

It also divides them up into four different funding sources: mandated programs funded by a non-county source over 50 percent; mandated but funded less than 50 percent; optional and funded over 50 percent; and optional and funded less than 50 percent.

Each program will be assigned points from the combination of two classifications, which makes clear the priority.

The administration will provide the data to a recently appointed special budget committee, consisting of commissioners, employees and citizens, which will hold its first meeting as early as next week to make recommendations on cuts.

Besides the cuts in programs, committee vice chairman Dan Belshan has been pushing an austerity plan, including restrictions on new hiring, overtime work, out-of-state travel, seminar enrollment, equipment purchases and mass mailing.