The Mower County board on Tuesday approved roughly $610,000 in cuts for 2009 in response to more than $530,000 in June unallotments from Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

The board ultimately went ahead with a list of 25 budget adjustments they had previously proposed, except for two areas that were not cut and two more that were cut at a lesser rate.

Saved from 2009 cuts was $7,000 to the Parenting Resources Center in Austin for various services, as well as $10,000 for the Michael H. Seibel Family Visitation center, which provides a safe environment for structured family visits and child exchanges.

A proposed cut of $1,400 toward application assistance for people with disabilities was lowered to $700. In addition, the county will reduce its share to particular state-sponsored services for people with mental handicaps by $5,000.

That cut is likely to grow to $30,000 within two years as the county’s human services department makes adjustments.

All told, the cuts were split between 13 permanent adjustments and 10 temporary adjustments.

Among permanent adjustments, eliminating two positions in the highway department saved the most, at $70,000 for 2009. Next highest was eliminating a social worker position through retirement, which will save another $36,000.

Also, the board voted to approve cremation-only burials for county-funded services, which is a permanent adjustment that will save $32,500 this year. However, individuals using county services and wishing to have traditional burials for loved ones may cover the cost difference and have their preferred burial.

The largest temporary adjustment was a $75,000 savings in the county’s 2009 fuel budget.

Maryanne Law, executive director of the PRC, said the board’s decision validates the value and cost effectiveness of the programs she oversees.

“We’re very, very appreciative of having that kind of vote,” she said.

The cuts would have impacted family-based services, which cover cases of court ordered or social worker referred parenting education, and the Crisis Nursery, which gives parents struggling with any number of hardships the option to utilize emergency child care for up to 72 hours.

Law said both programs can ultimately save the county money long-term.

“If we can get families to access the services, kids can stay in their homes or get back in their homes,” she said in a previous interview, adding that keeping just one child out of foster care for six months would make up for the Crisis Nursery contract alone.

Despite the good news Tuesday, Law and others who avoided cuts are only out of hot water for a short time.

Commissioner Ray Tucker, chairman of the board’s finance committee, said the 2010 budget process will get underway soon — and many more cuts could be on the horizon, especially if more unallotments are made.

Tucker told Law and Seibel representatives who were in attendance that he didn’t want them to think the lack of 2009 cuts had “alleviated” their budget concerns.