St. Joseph County budget clears final hurdle, cutting about 35 jobs

By ERIN BLASKO, South Bend Tribune Staff Writer

eblasko@sbtinfo.com

SOUTH BEND - The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved the 2010 county budget Wednesday morning.

The three-member board voted 2-1 in favor of the bill, with commissioner Andrew Kostielney, a Republican, opposed.

The vote was the final hurdle in the budget process, a long and arduous one for county officials and department heads because of projected revenue shortfalls blamed on the economy and state-enacted property tax cuts.