BISBEE - Preliminary budget talks between the county departments and the Board of Supervisors will continue throughout April.

Nearly every department has requested additional staff and reclassification of current employee salaries. Those two totals alone come to $5.270 million. Another $3.823 million in requests for renovations, repairs, equipment, software and vehicles were turned in for consideration.

Many department heads are hoping the supervisors will provide equipment and software upgrades, as well as improvements and repairs to offices.

L.H. Hamilton, facilities/solid waste director, went over some of the repair and remodeling requests from the various departments with the supervisors on Tuesday.

A ramada for adult probation at a cost of $9,872. Four garage doors for the Bisbee heavy fleet facility at $30,000. Even a total courtroom remodeling for Judge Ann R. Litrell with the price tag of $10,000. All requests, whether for repairs, new carpet or pricey computer software had accompanying justification stating the needs.

One rather unusual request came from Patty Lewis, grant administrator, on behalf of the county school superintendent. It concerns removing bat guano and bird droppings from the sub-floor crawl space beneath the school superintendent offices.

Prior to renovations and repairs to the exterior of the building, there were open vents that allowed birds and bats to find safe haven which they obviously did in numbers for an extended period of time.

Lewis explained, "The building went through extensive repairs, but evidentially the crawl space was overlooked. It was not in the renovation project. Now when it rains, the smell is overpowering."

Southwest hazard Control has estimated the job at $24,145. It will include providing HEPA air filtration during removal, vacuuming of all debris and disinfecting the entire area.

In the solid waste department, Hamilton asked for seven additional employees at a cost of $177,878 and loaders and a roll-off truck with trailer totaling more than $370,000.