"It's more politically expedient, but we're searching for a better way to do that," Willmore said.

Many agree that the $25 million solid waste fund surplus and $18 million sanitation fund surplus could be drawn down with no ill effect.

There remain many different opinions on how much surplus is too much. County Auditor Sean Thomas, for example, is all for surpluses.

"It keeps the county from having wild swings in our tax rates," he said. "It's one of the primary factors in having our bond rating. . . . Saving is a good thing, so I don't (think the surpluses are too high). And if they are, it's just by a little bit."

The County Council has done things like approve a $75-per-household sanitation refund and schedule a $19 million drawdown of the general fund (which will happen Dec. 31 of this year) to manage surpluses.

Given the surpluses, some inside and outside the county have complained about workers being laid off or other belt-tightening, but Hatch cautions that monies from a fund that happens to be flush can't blithely be transferred to bolster other areas.

"We can't take money from the garbage fund and put it in (the sheriff's budget) to keep deputies from being laid off," he said. "We can't do that. We'd go to jail for that."

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E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com