Commission approves consent agenda of budget transfers, hires and exonerations; pulls one assessor transfer for clarification

The Berkeley County Commission approved a consent agenda that included a series of internal budget transfers, new-hire recommendations, step increases and tax exonerations, while pulling one assessor transfer item because staff said it contained a typographical error.

County finance staff summarized the internal transfers across multiple departments as year‑end adjustments to balance accounts. Examples included requests from the assessor to reclassify small amounts into materials and supplies, a courthouse request to move $100,000 from building maintenance to insurance and bonds, and federal grant fund transfers. Staff advised not approving one assessor transfer because of a typo: the request listed moving $200 from account 210 to 341 but lacked clarification; the commission removed that line from the consent agenda for correction.

Personnel items approved included a part-time process server hire recommended by Sheriff Rob Blair at $17.83 per hour, a transfer clerk hire recommended by Assessor Larry Hess at an annual salary of $35,360, several step-increase salary adjustments for long‑tenured employees and acceptance of two assessor office resignations with effective dates provided.

Assessor Larry Hess also presented tax exonerations: 20 personal-property exonerations totaling $7,974.44, and two real-estate exonerations totaling $2,025.23 for billing and classification corrections. The commission approved the exonerations and the personnel items as presented, with the single assessor transfer held for clarification.

Ending: The pulled $200 transfer will be returned to a future consent agenda once the assessor clarifies the account information; other consent items were approved and staff will implement approved personnel changes and transfers.