Bit by bit.

Department by department.

Council member by council member.

Union County Supervisor Tommy Sinclair has spent the last month working out the details of the county’s fiscal year 2010-11 budget with everyone and every option at the table.

“We’ve spent a lot of time trying to match the budget to our needs,” he told county council members during a meeting of their committee on county administration and finance Tuesday afternoon.

But the process is not complete.

The budget has gone through a few more changes in the last several weeks — including notice of a 10.5 percent increase in the cost for county employee insurance that will be effective Jan. 1, 2011, instead of the original 9.5 increase previously quoted and an increase of 11.3 percent in law enforcement retirement benefits effective July 1 instead of an expected 10.65 percent.

“As you go through this thing, you’ll see a reflection of some changes,” the supervisor said.

Sinclair updated council members on where the county is as of this week concerning the budget during Tuesday’s committee meeting. It’s a work in progress right now, but council members approved the second reading of the county FY 2011 budget — in title only — during their regular meeting following the committee’s gathering.

The county is bracing for a nearly $1 million shortfall in the next fiscal year which begins July 1. That number could change depending on how the county comes in on its FY 2010 budget and expenditures at the Timken Sports Complex and monetary committments to the Advanced Technology Center — totaling more than $500,000 — must be paid yet this year.

Numbers Sinclair presented to council Tuesday painted a better, but just slightly, picture for the fiscal state of the county heading into the next budget year. Projected county revenues as of May 6 for the next fiscal year of 2010-11 were at $11.13 million with expenditures expected to come in at just over $11 million — “about $100,000 to the good,” Sinclair said.

If that holds true, the county will begin FY 2011 with a smaller deficit than previously expected.

But Sinclair warned even though the budget scene for the coming year is looking somewhat better, there is a possibility the county could be handed down another cut from the state and council members need to begin planning for the future.

“What we need to do is look down the road because this isn’t going to get better,” he said.

Sinclair, however, added the county can make it in the next fiscal year. Cuts are being discussed and every option — including taking all county department capital expenditure funds and placing them into a single fund and giving council the final say in what capital improvements should be made — is on the table.

The figures the supervisor presented to council Tuesday were a second final draft of the next budget. Sinclair and council members will meet again for another budget work session to flip the pages and go line by line before a budget is set for FY 2011.

“We certainly need to flip the pages and make sure we’re all in agreement,” he said.

Sinclair did have good news for everyone who attended the regular council meeting Tuesday night.

“I’m happy to report at this time we’re under budget,” he said.

The next budget work session will be set soon.

In other business at Tuesday’s regular meeting, council members:

• Approved the third and final reading of the amended ordinance changing the make up of the Union Hospital District Board of Trustees to include seven voting members who are residents of the county and not employed by the hospital district appointed by council and three non-voting members from the hospital district medical community. Council, however, did not make any decisions on who will fill the four seats on the hospital district board currently up for reappointment as the county is waiting for an additional opinion from the state attorney general on an issue.

• Voted to reject an appeal by Jimmy Greer, owner of Union Auto Salvage, concerning his compliance with the county’s junk yard zoning ordinance. Greer’s neighbor, Steven Broadbent, addressed council during the meeting and renewed his complaint and objection to the salvage operation according to the county ordinance in place and urged members to take action as, in his opinion, Greer had been given ample enough time to comply and appeal.

• Appointed Howard Trotter, plant manager for Timken, to fill a vacancy on the Union County Development Board.

• Appointed Chastity Crawford, Chris Scott and Bobbie D. Hart to the Bonham Fire District Board of Trustees to fill three vacancies.

• Approved advertising for people interested in filling upcoming vacancies on the Union County Carnegie Library Board of Trustees.