Landfill Re-Opens; Moratorium Enacted
The Jasper County Landfill is open again, as of Thursday morning April 23, after the County Commissioners agreed in their meeting Monday evening to open it. There will be a tipping fee, but the commissioners promise a free month later in the year.
(April was supposed to be free for Jasperites to clean up around their homes and dump in the landfill. However, with COVID-19 scares, the county closed the landfill some time ago. People have been begging for it to be re-opened.)
The meeting was called initially to discuss the budget, but the commissioners also discussed the landfill and they passed a moratorium on “guest houses” until the use can be re-visited by the Planning and Zoning Board. Commissioners agreed to a 90-day moratorium on guest houses, expressing that they felt that would give P&Z enough time. If the changes are complete in less than 90 days, great, people can again build them.
Commissioners had planned to begin budget planning last month, but COVID-19 stopped them from meeting. Staff, particularly Finance Director Dennis Pate and County Manager Mike Benton, will be working on the budget to present to commissioners in the coming days. Mr. Benton gave commisisoners a breakdown of revenues through March 2020 to help them plan.
However, the commissioners expressed their concerns, during the Facebook live meeting Monday, about how the COVID-19 crisis will affect collections both of sales tax and property tax. Many people are out of work, and if they don’t make their house payment, their escrowed taxes won’t be set aside, commissioners lamented.
Mr. Benton said Tax Commissioner Angela Walsh is working on determining how many taxpayers have their taxes escrowed, and what effect that will likely have on collections. She is also researching how the 2007-2009 economy downturn affected tax collections then, so commissioners can use that in their planning.
After much discussion of agreeing to use fund balance to help balance the budget, and a determination not to raise the millage rate, the commissioners tasked Mr. Benton with determining three scenarios. He is to produce a budget for the same amount as the current year. Also, one budget the commissioners requested would be funded by the rollback rate and fund balance, shooting for a reduction in millage rate, and a budget that is between 2019’s budget and 2020’s budget. Both would be reductions.
Mr. Benton is to email the numbers to the commissioners when he gets them together. They will then determine their next meeting. They may meet next Monday, April 27, and if not the next meeting will be the regular meeting day of May 4.
