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Fairfield County advances $41.95 million budget in second reading; public hearing set
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Summary
County Administrator Kit Carpenter presented the second reading of a $41,949,218 budget emphasizing public safety, infrastructure and a 3% employee pay raise; council voted 7-0 to advance the budget and scheduled a public hearing before third reading.
Fairfield County Council advanced the county’s fiscal-year budget in a second-reading vote on an unspecified meeting date, approving the ordinance on second reading by a 7-0 vote and scheduling a public hearing and anticipated third reading for June 26.
County Administrator Kit Carpenter said the second-reading budget totals $41,949,218 and prioritizes public safety, infrastructure and employee retention. “This budget will support our public safety, supports it through, pay raises as well as vehicles and equipment,” Carpenter told the council during his summary.
Carpenter outlined major revenue and expenditure assumptions: property taxes account for about 78% of the budget; state and federal aid about 8.4%; fees and permits 4%; and other revenue sources about 8.8%. He said the budget includes a countywide 3% pay raise for employees and proposes creation of a capital replacement fund funded by an 8-mill dedicated capital millage to finance vehicles and facility needs in the future.
On the expenditure side Carpenter said public safety and judicial services compose roughly 45.8% of the budget (about $19,235,332). Line items called out in the presentation include the sheriff’s office ($6,100,000), emergency medical services ($4,600,000), the detention center ($2,600,000) and fire services ($1,600,000). Public works total about $5,300,000 with solid waste as the largest public-works component; administration and internal services are about $8,800,000; and community and human services total roughly $8,500,000.
Carpenter also presented capital and special revenue fund details: $11,000,000 in special revenue funds (grants and project-specific funds), a proposed vehicle replacement fund and capital projects including 14 public safety vehicles, paving courthouse parking lots, animal shelter repairs and work on the Winnsboro connector wastewater line and preliminary design for a new wastewater treatment plant. Carpenter said implementation of the annual budget would begin July 1 if adopted on third reading.
Council members asked for additional comparatives and details. When a council member asked whether the 3% raise applied across the board, Carpenter replied, “Yes, sir.” On outside-agency funding, Carpenter said he plans to ask recipients to report the percentage of their operating budgets that come from county funds to inform future decisions.
The council voted to advance the ordinance on second reading, with the record showing a 7-0 vote in favor. A public hearing and anticipated third reading are scheduled for June 26 (a special meeting day noted by the county administrator). The budget remains subject to final adoption at that third reading.
