County Auditor reduces office hours to four days per week due to budget cuts

ELYRIA — With more than 30 percent of his budget slashed by the county Board of Commissioners for 2026, Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass is reducing his office hours from five days a week to four days a week. Starting Feb. 6, the auditor's office on the second floor of the County Administration Building on Middle Avenue in Elyria will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday only. It will close on Fridays, Snodgrass said. Snodgrass has 60 employees. Their hours will be reduced, and they will be paid only for the four days a week that they work, he said. "We're trying to avoid layoffs," Snodgrass said. He said the union that represents some of his employees, United Steelworkers Local 8845, is meeting today to discuss its options. A sign outside Snodgrass' offices on Thursday read: "Due to a recent and unprecedented budget reduction enacted by the Lorain County Board of Commissioners, the Lorain County Auditor's Office will be CLOSED on Fridays beginning Friday February 6, 2026." "We appreciate your understanding as we work to continue providing essential services with reduced resources," the sign read. The reduction in hours is "absolutely" linked to recent budget cuts announced when the county Board of Commissioners adopted its 2026 budget, Snodgrass said Thursday. His budget has been reduced to 1996 levels and "that's tough to make" payroll on, he said. The county auditor serves as the county's chief elected financial officer, property tax appraiser and assessor and oversees weights and measures. Auditor staff process payroll for more than 2,000 county employees, pay the county's bills, track spending and distribute tax dollars voted on by the public. It also collects revenue from real estate sales, transfers and assessments but state law limits how that can be spent, Snodgrass said. The county Board of Commissioners is the county's fiscal authority under law, and sets the county budget. The commissioners have set an $89.9 million budget for 2026, about $7 million less than their fellow elected officials and department heads requested. Messages seeking comment on the reduced hours at the auditor's office were left for commissioners David Moore, Jeff Riddell and Marty Gallagher. Snodgrass, who called the budget cuts in his office "draconian," said he's working with the county Prosecutor's Office on possible solutions. As for the commissioners, "that's up to them" to give him enough money to run his office, he said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com