Projection comes after requests presented
The magic number for Polk County commissioners to balance projected revenues with expense requests from county departments is $370,000.
That “cut number” for the 2020-21 budget was rounded from the exact amount needed, $368,875, that commissioners learned from Catrice Lowe, the county’s director of accounts and budgets.
The number does not include any adjustments to the current contract with American Medical Response. (See related story).
Meeting in Benton Thursday, May 28, the commission’s budget committee heard requests from several department representatives and received written requests from several others.
County library representatives asked for pay hikes of $1.00 and 50 cents per hour, additional hours, and increased funds to buy books.
Road Superintendent Roy Gene Thomason Jr., asked the county to contribute $535,957 to offset revenue the county is losing due to lost gas and motor fuel tax this year. It was not considered part of the county’s cut number and commissioners voiced little hope of being able to consider the request.
Sheriff Steve Ross asked commissioners to fund the $92,000 they cut from the jail budget last year. He pointed out the jail is expected to hit its revenue projection of $1.5 million this year. The money is needed to return a full staff to the detention center.
General Sessions Judge Brooklyn Townsend said there would be “no changes from last year” in the court budget. The Juvenile Court budget reflected an increase due to an employee joining the insurance program.
The budget for the Copper Basin Community Center in Ducktown remained unchanged.
While the requests were not in the budget, Commissioner John Pippenger said department heads had asked for 75 cents-per-hour increases across the board for employees.
Commissioners agreed the pay scale for part time employees, now a standard $7.97/hour, needed to be updated. The rate is the same no matter the length of an employee’s service. The handbook committee is to consider changes at a June 4 meeting at the Copper Basin Community Center. That meeting starts at 7 p.m.
The sanitation budget includes opening the South Polk Convenience Center four days a week and adding a part-time employee at Benton.
The May 28 meeting was the second round of budget meetings. Previously, commissioners heard from the following who did not request additional funding over the previous year: county executive, register of deeds, assessor of property, and the extension service.
Nathan Hitson, election superintendent, did not ask for added funding, but said a lot of uncertainty exists as officials wait for state officials to announce this year’s policies.
Tim Woody, Veterans Affairs officer, asked to be made full time, which would increase that budget $19,000.
County Attorney Eric Brooks has also asked for more money.
Bryan Todd, who has taken over for Tim Worley at the East Polk Fire Department, asked for help preparing a budget, and Lowe agreed to help.
The commissioners will meet again to begin working toward the cut number at a meeting Tuesday, June 9, starting at 7 p.m. at the community center in Ducktown.