Jefferson County commissioners reported a $1.2 million surplus in their budget this week for the 2013 fiscal year. It comes at a time when several towns in the county are struggling with their operations.



Commissioner Tom Graham said it's a result of "people spending more, the economic development in terms of the gas and shale industry, revenues coming in, property transfer. Those are all up." The carry-over of funds is larger than commissioners anticipated, Graham said. He explained how they saved so much.



"One of the reasons is that we've not been replacing people through attrition. We've cut down staff where appropriate. We made hard decisions in terms of hospitalization insurance over the years," said Graham.



The staff cuts included layoffs over the past 10 years and not replacing retirees' positions, Graham said.



Officials with the City of Steubenville and the Village of Mingo Junction are dealing with money problems and how to continue operating. Graham said county commissioners already met with the Steubenville city manager and finance director to go over where they can cut back.



"We're willing to help where we can, talk to them, including with our own auditor's office. We're looking for how we can consolidate services that can save costs," said Graham. "We have recreation money that we can give out to Steubenville, Mingo and other entities in Jefferson County when they submit a written request …which they will be asked to do shortly."



Graham said the county commissioners aren't experts and have experienced surprises in past budgets. He said they try to be aware of spending, essentially through "hospitalization, the budget situation, how departments are spending on a month-by-month basis, what needs to be notified in regard to their budget."