Fannin County school board officials, as well as city officials in Blue Ridge and McCaysville, would be smart to follow the lead of the Fannin County Board of Commissioners and put a halt to all non-essential spending.
Any penny that can be saved right now is a penny Fannin County taxpayers will not have to come up with when budgets and property tax rates are set later in the year.
The windfall from taxes associated with tourism every year will take a huge hit this year. How big a hit won’t be known for months, but some of the money that has been available to government in the past is going to disappear.
The school board has the first obvious opportunity to put their best foot forward.
The legislation increasing board members salaries from $400 to $1,000 a month has passed both the Georgia House and Senate. The final step is for Governor Brian Kemp to sign the bill into law. I would then become effective July 1.
Turning down those raises would be a $3,000 a month savings that could go to essential, educational items.
For the sake of all Fannin County taxpayers, every part of government should start now to save every possible penny.