Tax increase still on the table
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 31, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Wayne County Commissioner Joe Daughtery, right, asks Sheriff Larry Pierce about his budget during a Wednesday budget workshop. At left is Chairman Bill Pate.
"We are not having a good day," Wayne County Commissioner Wayne Aycock joked. "We ain't able to get money from anybody. There ain't nothing here today."
Aycock made his jest about not finding any budget cuts Wednesday morning as commissioners began two days of budget deliberations.
Commissioner John Bell suggested the board just go ahead, cut the budget by 2 percent and be done.
Commissioners, particularly Joe Daughtery, had plenty of questions for county department heads.
However, the questioning lacked the rancor and the budget-axe wielding tactics of previous budget workshops over the past several years.
Rather, the questions focused in on explanations of line items ranging from overtime, to vehicle maintenance to technology, but no cuts were suggested.
The proposed overall $192,291,163 budget includes a $158,762,454 general fund and a 2.65-cent property tax increase for fiscal year 2018-19.
The increase, which would take the rate from 66.35 to 69 cents per $100 worth of appraised value, would be effective July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
The increase is needed primarily to cover the loss of low-wealth school funding, additional school resource officers, an increase in teacher supplements and to ease the demand on the budget's fund balance.
The amount of the tax increase, or even the need for one at all, could change because the proposed state budget restores the low-wealth school funding.
Commissioners did not mention the tax rate during the daylong Wednesday discussion.
Chairman Bill Pate said he thinks there are a lot of differences between this year and past years when there were excesses in the budget.
"But as time has gone by, this board has been educated to know what to look for, and I think the department directors know what we are going to be looking for," Pate said.
Pate commended the department heads saying they had given commissioners great budgets overall.
"Overall I am pleased even though we couldn't find any money for Joe Daughtery," Pate joked.
As for the proposed tax increase, Pate said he did not want the board to dip into the fund balance but so often.
"So there probably needs to be a slight increase anyway," he said. "I mean the cost of business continues to go up. Health insurance has gone up the last few years a lot.
"You have to give some raises, and we have been busy on a lot of capital projects that had been left sitting there for many, many years. You just can't continue to do all that and be effective without a revenue stream."
The fate of the tax increase will hinge in part on what the state does, he said.
Pate said he has been told that the state budget would be approved prior to the county budget, thereby giving commissioners time to make changes if needed.
"We have to budget on what we know what is in front of us today," he said.
Commissioners will reconvene today at 10 a.m. in their meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex. The meeting is open to the public.
Pate said he anticipates today's session will be similar to the first one.
There is very little difference in what departments received this year and what they are asking for 2018-19, he said.
A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 5 after which the commissioners can approve it, prior to July 1.
Also on Wednesday, commissioners were presented a revised $48 million capital improvements plan. The plan was not discussed.
The budget proposal includes an 8 percent increase in the sewer fee charged by the county and assumes there will be no increases in the three local option sales taxes.
County employees will be eligible for a 1 percent cost of living increase and a merit pay increase of another 1 percent.
The county will draw $4.4 million from the general fund balance to help balance the budget.
Copies of the budget are available for public inspection in the county clerk's office on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
It also is available online at waynegov.com.