---

WALKER - Cass County survived the 2010 state legislative session cuts with money still set aside for future lost state aid, but Administrator Robert Yochum said Tuesday, the county could easily be at least $300,000 short next time around.

Cass has been receiving $1.3 million in state program aid and market value credits. The county lost $382,000 of that in this year's round of cuts, leaving $987,000 still expected to come from the state this year.

However, Chief Financial Officer Larry Wolfe said the state may delay payments this year or could cancel all of that in the next legislative session before delayed payments are paid to the county. If that happens, Cass has only $600,000 set aside to offset anymore state aid losses, so would be short over $300,000 of covering the further loss.

Yochum and Wolfe told the board they expect the state will make more state aid cuts to local governments, because measures to balance this year's state budget essentially shifted to the next state budget cycle a $5 billion state shortfall.[[In-content Ad]]

---