Commissioners Discuss Budget
The Jasper County Commissioners spent considerable time at their regular meeting Monday discussing the 2021 budget, and the discussion got quite heated at times.
After they reviewed the revenues, and discussed how much fund balance is available and how much they should use, they looked at several scenarios with a budget very similar to that of 2020 with the bottom line being $11,184,435.
That amount is holding the line on virtually all departments, and does not address any of the additional needs that department heads, constitutional officers or component units have brought to them.
District 5 Commissioner Doug Luke encouraged the group to go ahead and adopt the budget as presented, and said amendments can be made whenever they see revenues have exceeded projections, as all five commissioners are in agreement that additional fund balance will be used to fund the needs. They agree not to raise taxes to cover the additional needs presented.
District 1 Commissioner Carl Pennamon said that it would be misleading and that the total budget number needs to be set, and not changed, as Mr. Luke was suggesting. He said perhaps rather than doling out the additional monies, the commissioners would put a certain amount in contingency now to fund some of the requests.
The commissioners were in agreement there would not be a tax increase, and have determined they will accept the roll-back rate. That keeps the tax revenues the same as last year, and “rolls back” the gains made by increases in value. The commissioners also looked at collection rates for the tax commissioner. Angela Walsh said she has looked back at 2008, and at all the information available to her, and she believes she can still have a 95 percent collection rate. Commissioners, especially District 4 Commissioner Gerald Stunkel are not so sure. They feel like the current economic situation may prevent a number of taxpayers from being able to pay their taxes. He is more comfortable with a lower collection rate.
Commissioner Pennamon said that the tax commissioner said she can collect 95 percent, and the commission should depend on her expertise and budget that amount of money.
After much discussion, commissioners agreed to have County Manager Mike Benton go back to the departments and ask them to submit their very lowest possible budget they can live with. He is to come back with those numbers next Monday, June 8, at 6 p.m. when the commissioners meet again to hopefully set the budget so they can advertise it, and have it prepared in time for tax bills to go out on time.
In other action at Monday’s meeting, commissioners approved a temporary moratorium on subdivisions, so they can clarify the ordinance, which has some ambiguity. The conservation subdivision requires about 40-45 percent greenspace. Commissioners agreed that was too much, and suggested that the Planning & Zoning Board look at the ordinance and change it to lower the green space requirement to 20 percent.
Commissioners also approved a beer and wine license application from Shehzad Hamini for Shane’s One Stop, a convenience store on Hwy. 142 that has been closed for several years.
Commissioners re-appointed Joan Bell to the Department of Family & Children Services Board, and also appointed Latoya Johnson, and Dr. Christine Talmadge to serve on the board.
Commissioners also approved the purchase of a new dump truck, as one was recently wrecked. Staff was able to find an identical truck and after insurance proceeds, the county only has to pay an additional $3,800.
