Commission holds the line on spending

The preliminary budget proposals from Hill County department heads for the fiscal year that starts July 1 are nearly identical to last year's budgets, with the exception of a 2.3 percent wage increase for many county employees.

Over the past several weeks, the Hill County commissioners have approved proposed budgets from the majority of the county's department heads. The county's final budget will be set in September.

When the department heads drafted their budget proposals for fiscal year 2005, they were asked not to request any budget increases, said Hill County Commissioner Doug Kaercher.

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