County reviews budget proposal
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 31, 2015 1:50 AM
Wayne County's proposed 2015-16 budget of $177,854,151 reduces the property tax rate from 66.65 cents to 66.5 cents per $100 of property value, eliminates several positions but then adds 28 employees for the new jail.
It provides for 2 percent merit pay increases and additional money to make sub-par salaries more competitive.
There are no fee increases, but there are two changes in fire district tax rates.
Elroy's rate will drop from 6.5 cents to 6.25 cent per $100 of property, while Patetown's will increase from 5 to 6.25 cents.
County Manager George Wood took the wraps off the budget during a nearly six-hour special board session Thursday.
The proposed general fund is $142,679,555, compared to the amended current year general fund of $172,885,480.
"(The general fund) is less, but if you remember this current year, we transferred a lot of money for capital," Wood said. "The schools are using a lot of money down for capital projects. We also had $10 million in a capital projects fund for the new jail. Another $2 million over for the agriculture center. So there is another $12 million.
"So the number this year is inflated from a normal year."
The total amount set aside in the current budget general fund for capital projects is $20,993,397.
The budget proposal will be back before commissioners Tuesday when they hold a public hearing on the proposal at 9:15 a.m. They will follow up with a budget work session that afternoon. Both meetings will be held in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex.
Additional work sessions may be held. The sessions are open to the public.
Commissioners have set a new ground rule for people who want to speak during the public hearing -- they will be limited to four minutes.
The time limit was suggested by Chairman Wayne Aycock.
"I am not concerned about the four minutes with the different agencies presenting," he said. "But if it is a public hearing, anybody can speak."
Aycock said he and other commissioners have had phone calls that have gone on and on for hours.
"That is what I am trying to avoid," he said. "I don't want to keep anybody from saying what they want to say, but some of them sometime say too much too long."
Commissioner Ray Mayo agreed and said the time limit would help keep speakers on subject.
Commissioners said that while the comments would be limited to four minutes, they would have the option of extending the allotted time by asking questions.
"The county faces a number of added expenses in fiscal year 2016, which exceeds the overall growth in our general fund revenues," Wood said. "Consequently, cutbacks had to be made where possible. Each department head was instructed to save 2.5 percent from the current budget if possible."
Some of the added costs include slightly more than $1 million for debt payment on the Grantham and Spring Creek middle schools, $900,000 in salary increases, $472,000 to replace old ambulances, $234,552 for equipment for the Sheriff's Office and $450,000 for the 28 detention center officers.
The budget proposal assumes that all full-time employees would be formally evaluated in July and August as part of the county's new merit-based pay plan, Wood said. The proposal includes $600,000 to cover a 2 percent merit increase pool for merit increases.
Another $300,000 would be used to adjust underpaid positions as determined by salary studies. The studies will be conducted by the human resources department and reviewed by Wood and his staff.
Wood also is recommending that employees who achieve certain work-related certifications be eligible for a 2.5 percent pay increase.
Members of the Sheriff's Office SWAT team would receive a 2.5 percent increase.
Wood said the increases are a way to help keep employees from leaving for higher-paying jobs in other counties.
Also, employees who work 40 hours a week would receive a $500 bonus. Employees working less than 40 hours a week would receive a pro-rated one, he said.
Last year, the county was able to lower what employees pay in insurance premiums by 6 percent. But an increased demand on the county-funded plan is forcing a 6.4 increase for next year, Wood said.
Wood is recommending the elimination of several positions -- public information and marketing manager, one environmental health inspector, Department of Social Services deputy director, one DSS social worker II and one social worker III.
But he is recommending 33 new jobs, including 28 detention officers for the new satellite jail the county is nearly ready to build. The budget includes $450,000 for those 28 jobs.
The other slots are an information technology analyst assigned to the Sheriff's Office, two call takers for the E-911 Center, one part-time to full-time administrative assistant I in the Veterans Services Office and one recycling materials handler in the Solid Waste Department.
"The sheriff believes it will take at least six months of training and experience in detention work before they are ready to man the new jail," Wood said. "He plans to send a mixture of experienced and new officers to the new facility."
The cost for the 28 new officers is a one-time cost in 2016 without any savings to offset it, he said.
In future years, the county will be saving the $900,000 now being spent annually to house inmates in other counties.
Also, Wood said he believes the county will be able to make money by renting out excess jail space. Both measures will help ease the cost of the new officers, he said.
The estimated opening for the jail is July 2016.
"If that gets backed up, then we would employ these new personnel later in the year," Wood said. "Four construction companies have been pre-qualified to bid on the new jail, and the bids should be back for your consideration in late June to early July."