NORWICH – For the past few years, the Chenango County Department of Social Services has kept taxpayers from digging deeper into their pockets by handing over surplus revenues to the general fund.

The money is left over from overbudgeted line items across a handful of programs.

But lawmakers can’t count on that happening again in 2008. In her annual report on Monday, DSS Commissioner Bette Osborne told members of the Board of Supervisors that she was worried about breaking even.

“As we try to plan for 2009, will there be any unspent surplus we can count on from DSS as we have in the past?” Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown asked.

“I’m hoping that we’ll break even, and worried about some increases,” Osborne replied.

The county lost just shy of $40,000 during the state budgeting process, including a 2 percent allocation cut from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Osborne said she expected to shift costs around in order to absorb most of that, however.

She said there could be some retroactive revenues coming into DSS from 2007, but the county will see only 98 percent of what it is normally reimbursed. State officials have indicated that reimbursements in some programs could be further cut in 2009.