A packed house of White County residents cheered Monday night after the County Commission voted to reject a proposed budget that featured a $1.57 tax rate.
One of the major reasons for the property tax increase, a 15 percent pay raise for county employees. County Commissioner Roger Mason said with the budget being voted down, the county will have to cut from the pay raises originally proposed.
“We are either gonna have to decide that we’re gonna pay these first responders and EMS guys and people that take care of us in the county or we’re not,” Mason said. “And that’s really where it’s gonna come down to because in order to move that $1.57 anywhere else, it’s gonna take that to do it.”
The budget failed on a 12-2 vote. The Budget Committee will go back to work next Tuesday. Chairman Derrick Hutchings said one thing he has learned throughout the budget process this year is transparency. Hutchins also said that moving forward, department heads should participate in budget meetings to help put together the budget.
“If you guys are advocating for raises and equipment that you desperately need, we need the support from you guys so the county understands why we are asking for those items and why we are doing this,” Hutchings said. “This responsibility cannot fall on the 14 commissioners who work part-time.”
Commissioner Chris Brewington said the county needs to cut wasteful spending. County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson and Commissioner T.K. Austin confronted Brewington on exactly what he deemed wasteful spending. Brewington said $40,000 for an additional assistant was wasteful spending.
“That’s just wasteful money right there,” Brewington said. “You know this parks and recs right here, a full-time? Come on, let’s get someone part-time before we get in it full-time right there. We’ve got to make sure that it’s gonna work right there. Just stuff like that right there is wasteful spending.”
“You said we are doing wasteful spending, but those are future expenditures,” Robinson said. “What’s happening now? I want examples of wasteful spending. You’ve called it out, I wanna hear it. Because you don’t have any, thank you.”
State Representative Paul Sherrell asked how the county is getting the money for selling the landfill to Waste Management. Robinson said the county will get approximately $40 million spread out over the next 20 years. Sherrell said many constituents had reached out to him asking about the landfill.
“Sounds like a pretty good chunk of money, and I know there’s people here tonight that’s unhappy about raising taxes, and nobody wants to raise the taxes, but I understand the taxes are raised, and that’s just part of life,” Sherrell said. “But if there’s gonna be this much money that he is talking about coming from the landfill, how much do we need to raise property taxes?”
The commission passed a resolution to purchase an ambulance using funds in the current fiscal budget rather than including it in next year’s budget. The estimated price of the ambulance is $210,000.
In other business, commissioners approved a resolution to add Jersey Pike Road to the county road list.
A resolution to authorize a fee to be collected by the circuit court clerk was approved. Mason said the fee would be $12.50 to collect on behalf of the state and for the district attorney’s office.
The commission approved appointing George Daniels to the Sparta-White County Senior Activity Board.
