Belmont County Auditor Joe Pappano told NEWS9 Wednesday that the area is in a financial crisis, and that countywide layoffs in the immediate future are possible.

"We might not make it, financially, to the end of the year," Pappano said.

Pappano called a meeting Wednesday afternoon at the local courthouse to which he invited all area department heads.

A spreadsheet, which explained the county's financial crisis, was passed out to all in attendance, and in it, the numbers showed that the county's general fund is nowhere near where it has been in years past.

In 2007 the county general fund had a carryover of more than $920,000 in unspent money from the previous year. In 2008, it had more than $950,000 in carryover money. However, this year, Pappano said there's very little carryover at all. And it's a sign, he said, of departments spending too much.

"We have to worry about getting through 2008 before we even think about budgeting 2009. And all of these department heads thinking about asking for more money next year? They can forget it," Pappano said.

Commissioners told NEWS9 before the meeting that all area departments were asking for a total of $5 million to $6 million more for spending next year.

Pappano told NEWS9 there's no way departments can have more money in 2009, and he said they'll be lucky to keep their heads above water.

So far, in comparison to last year, the spreadsheet shows that the county is down in everything. They're minus more than $320,000 from the areas 1 percent sales tax revenue, about another $16,000 in the .05 percent sales tax revenue, and then a minus of more than about $450,000 in interest, about $64,000 in local government assistance, and about $24,000 in local government funding.

It's a total decrease, just seven months into 2008, of more than $1 million. And it's a projected total loss for the whole year of at least least $2 million.

County leaders, like Larry Merry with the Port Authority, said they're hopeful.

"Takes a little bit of balancing to get things back to where they need to be," Merry said.

But, Pappano said without big change, he's fearful.