Butler County salary board members say they will review whether to cut any jobs for the 2015 county budget now that Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is privatized.

Part of the nursing home’s annual deficit were indirect costs that the county assessed to Sunnyview.

Among those indirect costs were hours spent by government center employees on Sunnyview issues.

For 2013, the county assessed Sunnyview $351,014 in indirect costs. Of that total, $295,609 was for employees’ hours.

County Controller Ben Holland, who is on the salary board with the three county commissioners, said the cost allocation report issued by the firm Maximus illustrates the need to cut posts.

“I think we owe it to the taxpayers,” Holland said.

He said the Sunnyview sale was supposed to not only save the county money spent subsidizing the deficit, but also costs due to hours used dealing with the nursing home.

“That’s the way it was presented to the taxpayers,” Holland said.

The Maximus report lists costs due to employee hours spent by the personnel, now called human resources, office; the treasurer’s office; the controller’s office; information services (IT); the solicitor and the commissioners’ office.

Personnel has the highest amount at $152,709.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said the problem with the Maximus report is it’s an estimate, not actual costs and hours.

According to county officials, Maximus bases its reports on the number of workers in each office or department and Sunnyview.

McCarrier cited the example of IT at $55,961 as being too high. He said the department reported it only spent a few hours a week on Sunnyview.

However, McCarrier conceded job cuts may be warranted even if a department such as human resources spent less time than estimated.

He said human resources staff, which number six, could be reduced.

“We are looking at that,” McCarrier said.

Lori Altman, director of county human resources, said she couldn’t comment on the Maximus report because she doesn’t know exactly how it’s derived.

Altman stressed the company never sought input from individual departments or row offices about the time previously spent on Sunnyview.

“We know nothing about it,” she said.

Altman said no one has discussed possible changes to her staffing for 2015.

“We really haven’t talked about it yet,” she said.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton agreed some areas of county government would be assessed for possible cuts.

“I do believe we’ll reduce a little bit,” Pinkerton said.

The treasurer’s office had the lowest allocation at $9,734.

Holland pointed out the controller’s office already cut a post in 2014 anticipating the Sunnyview sale.

But Pinkerton stressed that move was done before the sale so further review of that office is possible.

“That position was cut before we sold Sunnyview,” he said.

Holland said the actual savings this year from cutting the post was at least $40,000, which is significantly higher than the $26,760 allocated by Maximus.

According to Holland, the controller’s office cut more than was necessary.

He said that difference leaves some leeway so other areas don’t have to necessarily cut 100 percent of their allocations.

However, Holland said every affected office or department should reduce as much as it can.

“There needs to be some consolidations,” he said.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein agreed: “We got to cut some staff.”

Along with job eliminations, Eckstein wants to keep the salaries of some nonunion employees the same.

“I think we ought to do some pay freezes,” he said.

While the salary board intends to review cutting posts, some county officials are requesting more positions.

District Attorney Richard Goldinger is seeking county funding for a detective to handle strictly child abuse cases, working with county Children and Youth Services.

His proposed budget increases detectives’ salaries from $181,391 this year to $249,109 for 2015, a 37 percent jump.

Goldinger said having one detective dedicated to investigating abuse claims would provide continuity.

Even if the post is added for 2015, Goldinger’s staffing of four detectives may not increase.

State grant funding for the auto theft task force initially dried up for next year. One detective post is funded by that grant.

Goldinger said that funding source now is going to extend six months longer.

He said it’s premature to know whether the detective handling auto theft would transition to child abuse.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” Goldinger said.

Chief Public Defender Kevin Flaherty is asking for a new assistant public defender post, jumping his staff budget by nearly 11 percent, or $412,730 to $457,898. Counting Flaherty, there are five attorneys in his office.

Flaherty could not be reached for comment.

Eckstein questions both requests, saying the commissioners were given no statistics to prove the new detective and attorney are needed.

“We don’t have anything,” he said.

Goldinger said he would provide information to the commissioners and the controller before making any official request at a future salary board meeting.

Eckstein said Flaherty should continue using private lawyers to supplement his staff of five attorneys.

“We ought to delegate some of that out,” Eckstein said.

Both Goldinger and Flaherty get a vote on salary board issues affecting their respective staffs.

Pinkerton said in some cases, there will be no choice but to add workers.

“We are a growing county,” he said. “If it gets to the place where people can’t do their jobs and do them properly, that’s a problem.”

Pinkerton pointed out there are 15 new state initiatives for Children and Youth Services alone.