Interim budget: County waiting on legislature before adopting final budget

Wayne County commissioners have taken the careful way out of a financial crisis of sorts and decided to adopt an interim budget for 2017-18 in hope that they can prevent having to raise taxes.

Whether the tax hike is necessary depends on the state and what the legislature does with its budget. Commissioners, by law, have to have a spending plan for the county for the coming year in place by the end of the month. Lawmakers in Raleigh have as long as they need to develop their own budget.

To commissioners, it sort of like having the cart before the horse.

Commissioners are waiting to see if the state will allow the county to waive a provision that Wayne has to meet in order to receive low-wealth school funding from the state. If Wayne can get the state money, a property tax increase won't be needed.

We hope legislators can find a way to exempt the county. It would mean the commissioners would not have to raise taxes and still be able to continue improving the public school system here.

Published in Editorials on June 4, 2017 8:41 PM