TOLEDO, Ohio — Through layoffs, furloughs, service cuts and relief from the CARES act, the Lucas County Commissioners have stabilized a budget for 2021, which was approved unanimously on Tuesday.
The 2021 General Fund budget is projected to be $152 million of revenue and expenditures, just under the projected total of $153.4 million for 2020.
The pandemic and projected 20-percent loss in county revenue that followed led to the county making cuts to align with the expected loss and keep the budget balanced. Nearly $7 million in reductions in operations and expenses took place, including layoffs, furloughs and service cuts.
Lucas County fell short by 62,000 residents and did not receive automatic economic relief funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Lucas County Commissioners successfully appealed the decision to political officials, receiving $23 million in CARES relief funding.
“The $23 million in CARES funding from the federal government, together with the $7 million in reductions that were made by County departments and offices, allowed us to stabilize our budget, providing a much-needed safety net that will allow us to move forward into 2021,” Commissioner Pete Gerken said in a press release on Tuesday.
