Double Mountain Chronicle Editor
The Fisher County Commissioners Court met on Monday for its final meeting before the deadline to approve the proposed budget with salary increases for elected officials and set a proposed tax rate. While salary and tax increases included in the budget were passed unanimously, the nearly $6 million proposed county budget was approved by a narrow 3-2 vote.
Commissioners have been engaged in often heated discussions and debates with officials and department representatives for weeks as Monday’s deadline for making final decisions grew closer. The court met only a week ago, carving deeply into other areas of the budget to free funds to approve a 5% across-the-board salary increase for staff and elected officials while working to keep the county jail operational.
In his proposed budget filed on August 8, Fisher County Judge Ken Holt proposed closing the county’s jail, which he calculated would save the county over $400,000 in operational costs and create a near $350,000 surplus at year’s end. Although the opposition said the plan was not without financial merit, officials said they felt obligated to taxpayers to keep the jail open.
Working with the auditor and treasurer’s office, commissioners spent the better part of two days last week pouring over the budget, cutting and reallocating funds to balance expenses and revenues. Fisher County Auditor Becky Mauldin said she made a few adjustments to correct discovered errors since then, bringing the bottom line to a $215 surplus.
Commissioners were unanimous in their agreement for a salary increase for officials and staff as well as a proposed tax increase to fund the $5.89 million budget. The tax proposition of .648338 per $100 valuation is an increase over last year’s rate, which also raised taxes by almost 0.7%.
The court was less agreeable when it came to the county budget as a whole, with commissioner Gordon Pippin voting in opposition. “I’m voting against it because it's as good as deficient being that close to zero,” said Commissioner Gordon Pippin, explaining that a margin of error of only a couple hundred dollars was not wise budgeting.
“I’m opposed to this budget also,” said Judge Ken Holt, whose original proposition has been eviscerated in efforts to maintain the substantial law enforcement budget, to what he predicts will be to the county’s detriment long-term. As a county’s chief budget officer, it is unusual for a county judge to vote against a proposed budget.
Despite the opposition from Pippin and Holt for the second year in a row regarding the narrow budget, the proposed budget earned the majority vote. However, with a few weeks left before next month’s deadline for adopting a final budget, there is still much left for the commissioners to consider.
Along with what the court approved on Monday, commissioners also tabled a vote to fund several law enforcement-related requests the court approved in recent months but now held up pending funding. It is anticipated that budget discussions will continue through the upcoming weeks, leading up to the public hearing on September 12.