County Budget Contains No Tax Increase

For the eighth year in a row, County Council is set to adopt a county budget that does not raise taxes.

Council passed the first reading of the 2013/2014 budget Monday night. First reading is a cursory reading in name only.

County Administrator Chappell Hurst said the proposed $51.5 million budget will not raise taxes.

“And there's no reassessment of anybody's property, so the tax rates or millage rates aren't going to change this year,” he said. “There's no increase whatsoever in this budget.”

There's difference of $400,000 between this year's budget and last year's budget, Hurst said.

“Last year, we received $600,000 (in revenue) from the state that we did not budget,” he said. “It came in later and we'd already done our budget. This year, we've actually put that money in there. If you compare the two, we're about $161,000 difference – cheaper – than we were last year. We've actually gone down on the actual dollars that are spent.”

The budget provides for a projected increase in health insurance of $150,000, as well as increases in utilities, Hurst said.

“We were mandated by law to add a magistrate and we've added that position,” he said, adding the mandate is based on population numbers. “They tie the amount of magistrates that are needed to the population. This last census triggered that increase in the number of magistrates required by law. It is a state mandate.”

County Councilman Trey Whitehurst asked Hurst if the county was receiving more State Aid to Subdivisions funding this year.

“Aid to Subdivisions is exactly the same as it was last year, no increase, and they've already mandated that it won't increase next year,” Hurst said.

County council members bristled at the thought of more unfunded state mandates.

“This is what we struggle with,” Whitehurst said. “We're being forced to add on more and more people by the state, and they're state positions, but we're not given the funding to do this.”

He said the public needs to be aware that “the funding comes out of your tax dollars.”

The funding level from the state “is not where it should be,” Councilman Tom Ponder said.

“The funding level is back around, what, 1995?” Ponder asked.

“I think it's around 1994,” Hurst replied.

“Here we are in 2013, they're mandating that we create positions and hire people and they're funding us at the 94 level,” Ponder said. “When I say 'they,' I'm talking about our delegation. They all voted in favor of this.

“I like Larry Martin alright and I like Davey Hiott alright, but I'm saying is, who do they represent? Do they represent the people of Pickens County or do they represent themselves and their colleagues in Columbia?”

Previous mandates had been funded by Aid to Subdivision or local government funding or other means, Ponder said.

“They wanted to do away with that,” he said. “They want the county to absorb all costs. As a mandate, we have no choice. We have to do it.”

The budget also adds a tourism position, which will be paid for out of tourism funds, and a 911 technician position funded through 911 funds, Hurst said.

“Those two positions are not really being funded through the general fund,” he said.

The budget provides for increased fire fees in the Dacusville and the Pumpkintown fire districts and adds a fire chief in the Shady Grove fire district, “in preparation for the county and the rural fire district of Pickens going together and sharing that chief,” Hurst said.

“Each one of those would pay half the cost of the fire chief,” he said.

The budget gives a one-time pay adjustment of three percent for all full-time county employees, based upon on their salaries.

“We're trying to use that one-time monies (from the state) prudently and not get hooked into something that's going to obligate us for future years,” Hurst said.

For the first time in 34 years, the county's property values did not go up, he said.

“This is not reassessment,” Hurst said. “It's the fact that we didn't have an increase in assessed value. We have some new stuff that got built and some old stuff that got sold and the price was adjusted according to the state law based on the sale. When you throw all those things together, our revenues are flat. That's why we had to do what we're doing.”

Other projects in the budget include fencing at the jail and replacing the courthouse roof.

The budget does not call for layoffs, furloughs or position eliminations, Hurst said.

“We continue to live within our means and do what we need to do,” Hurst said.

County Council has budget workshop slated for April 15. Two more readings and a public hearing are required before the budget is adopted.