County Continues Budget Meetings

The Jasper County Commissioners plan to meet today, June 2, at 5 p.m. to further discuss the 2011-2012 budget. The deadline for setting the budget to meet all the deadlines for tax bills to go out on time is Friday, June 3, said Lorri Smith, Chief Financial Officer for the county.

This year taxpayers will be required to pay their tax bills in two installments—the first due September 20 and the second due December 20. They will receive a perforated bill with one coupon to mail back in September and another for December.

They can be paid all at once in September, but taxpayers cannot choose to wait until December to pay the entire bill.
Commissioners have met several times in recent weeks to set the budget for the coming year, but have reached no accord. At one point they discussed establishing a “special tax district” consisting of every parcel in the county to levy a flat fee for certain services—they were considering hospital, fire and Emergency Medical Services.

Tuesday, at an unannounced meeting, they went through the budget line for line, and cut several thousand dollars, but leaving a deficit between anticipated revenues and expenditures of some $200,000+. After studying the changes made and what remained, Ms. Smith suggested she go back to department heads and constitutional officers and see if they could cut five percent more, as that would achieve the necessary number.

Commissioners planned to meet today, June 2, at 5 p.m. to discuss it in a work session and planned to go into a regular meeting at 6 p.m. to vote on the budget.