County seeks public input on budget
By Steve Herring
Published in News on June 6, 2016 1:46 PM
The public will have an opportunity Tuesday morning to comment on Wayne County's proposed $148,292,780 budget that reduces the tax rate from 66.50 to 66.35 cents per $100 of property value.
There are no fee increases in the proposal that is slightly down from the current budget of $152,863,773.
There is only one change in the fire district tax rates. Saulston has asked to increase from 5.48 cents to 6 cents for office space expansion.
The draft budget increases funding for public schools, adds new county employees and retains funding for some nonprofit organizations.
The public hearing before Wayne County commissioners will get underway at 9:30 a.m. in their meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
A copy of the budget is available for public inspection in the clerk to the board's office on the fourth floor of the annex and at the Wayne County Public Library at1001 E. Ash St.
It is also posted online at the county's official website, www.waynegov.com.
The hearing is part of the board's normal first-of-the-month meeting that will begin with an agenda briefing at 8 a.m. followed by the formal session at 9 a.m. Both will be held in the commissioners' meeting room.
No action will be taken following the public hearing. That is not expected until June 21 or June 28.
But before that happens the board will hold two budget work sessions.
The first, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, will focus on internal county departments. The second, at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, will look at funding for outside agencies.
The sessions are open to the public and will be held in the commissioners' meeting room.
Bonuses and merit pay increases for county employees are included in the budget proposal.
All full-time employees working at least 40 hours a week will receive a $500 bonus. All part-time employees will receive pro-rated bonuses.
All employees will be evaluated in July and August and be eligible for merit increase.
The budget draft includes $600,000 to cover those increases. Another $300,000 will be used to adjust some underpaid positions in the Department of Social Services.
Employees who achieve certain work-relation certification will be eligible for 2.5 percent salary increase.
There is no increase in insurance premiums for employees.
It provides additional personnel including 10 detention officers for the new Carey Winders Detention Center scheduled to open in the fall.
Also, instead of budgeting nearly $1 million to pay to house inmates in other county jails because of jail overcrowding the proposal has $900,000 in revenue.
Once the new jail opens the county will have more than 400 jail beds. That means instead of sending inmates to other counties that Wayne County can now house inmates from other counties at a cost of $50 per inmate per day.
Other additions include a staff attorney and paralegal to handle the county increasing legal workload and a communication director that would be shared with Goldsboro.
There was little discussion about those positions when County Manager George Wood presented the budget proposal to commissioners last month.
But under the public affairs budget the salary line item would increase from $77,000 to $118,000 and overall the department's budget would increase from $147,350 to $251,326.
In the county attorney department, salaries would more than double from $100,550 to $213,708 and the total budget would grow from $206,975 to $354,494.
The proposal increases funding for the county's public schools, including $600,000 to jump start the system's new technology plan,
It also shares in the economic growth in the budget's general fund by providing an additional $387,395 for the school system's current expenses. Of that total $150,000 is earmarked for the technology plan. The promise is to continue the $150,000 in new funding annually for up to four years.
It allocates $20,357,123, including a supplemental appropriation of $131,734, for current expenses for Wayne County Public Schools.
Wood said all county departments had been asked to make three percent reductions from last year.
Outside agencies requesting funding were required to make the cut as well.
Those outside agencies funded through the budget include:
* WATCH had requested $220,000, but the draft budget retains the current funding level of $110,000. WATCH had received $220,000 as recently as the 204-15 budget.
* Literacy Connections is actually getting an increase from $221,150 to $225,664. The increase includes $17,784 for salaries and wages for extra help -- an increase of $1,584 over the current budget. For the most part the additional $4,500 overall is tied to salaries and benefits.
* Old Waynesborough Commission, $58,950 up from $35,000, but less than the $65,000 requested.
* Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield, $10,000, the same as 2015-16.
* Wayne County Historical Association, $20,000 (no change although $25,000 had been requested).
* Arts Council of Wayne County, $24,250, down from $25,000 ($30,000 was requested).