Commissioners continue with budget review
By Steve Herring
Published in News on June 18, 2018 7:36 AM
Wayne County commissioners will continue their budget deliberations when they meet Tuesday morning and could adopt the budget as well.
The board is expected to look at possible budget cuts, as well as how much of a tax increase -- if any -- will be needed.
The meeting will get underway with an 8 a.m. agenda briefing, followed by the formal session at 9 a.m. Both will be held in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
It will include a workshop on the overall $192,291,163 budget that initially recommended a 2.65-cent property tax increase for fiscal year 2018-19.
That would increase the rate from 66.35 to 69 cents per $100 worth of appraised value and 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.
However, during the board's June 5 session meeting a possible increase of 1.25 cents was mentioned.
However, the state budget not only fully restores the county's low-wealth school funding, it increases it by nearly $700,000 in recurring dollars over the current level. That could impact the amount of any tax increase.
Commissioner Joe Gurley has argued against the tax increase, saying that he favors a quarter-cent sales tax. Gurley has said he views the sales tax as fair, since everyone would pay it. The sales tax would raise more money, as well.
A penny on the county tax rate equates to about $800,000, while a quarter-cent sales tax would generate more than $2.4 million annually.
No one from the public commented on the budget proposal at the June 5 public hearing.
The budget includes several other increases and the addition of an inspection department insulation permit fee of $50 and a new specialty care transport fee of $1,063.55 for WayneNET -- the county's non-emergency transport service.
WayneNET is also increasing its advanced life support system non-emergency fee from $335.37 to $392.70 and its basic life support non-emergency fee from $279.49 to $327.24.
Wayne County EMS is increasing its advanced life support level 2 comprehensive transport fee from $768.57 to $899.93; its advanced life support emergency fee from $531.01 to $621.77; and its basic life support emergency fee from $447.17 to $523.59.
The fees for both departments are billable in half-hour increments.
Major capital improvement plans in the proposal include $120,900 for a sewer evaluation; $200,000 to start renovations on the Will Sullivan building; $385,000 for two new ambulances; and $400,000 for vehicle replacements in the Sheriff's Office.
The budget includes an 8 percent increase in sewer fees.
It also assumes that all full-time employees will be formally evaluated in July and August and be eligible for a 1 percent cost-of-living salary increase. Also in the budget is $377,000 for merit pay increases of 1 percent.
A copy of the budget is posted on the county website, www.waynegov.com.
Also on the Tuesday agenda is a public hearing at 9:15 a.m. on leasing space at the Wayne Executive Jetport for at least 20 years, with options to renew for additional years.
In other business, the board will consider a motion to approve the 2018 County Summer Learning Day Proclamation and hear presentations by Finance Director Allison Speight on the county's quarterly financial statement and for the Wayne County Tourism Development Authority for fiscal year 2017-2018 through April 30.
Items on the consent agenda include: budget amendments' motion to approve uniform guidance conflict of interest policy; motion to approve the internal control policy as recommended by Finance Director Allison Speight; motion to approve purchasing policy and procedures manual; motion to approve East Coast Pyrotechnics to use pyrotechnics on July 4 at Berkeley Mall; and a motion to approve donating property jointly owned by the county and city of Goldsboro to Habitat for Humanity.
Public comments will start at 9:05 a.m. Speakers will have four minutes to comment on their topic of choice.