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Budget committee trims line items, forgoes 3.3% increase and approves a raft of staffing adjustments
Summary
The Budget and Finance Committee approved multiple amendments to the county budget on May 13, including reducing a $60,000 line to $45,000, foregoing a 3.3% general increase, raising data‑processing to $50,000, and converting one director post to a $61,000 salaried position while cutting overtime.
The Budget and Finance Committee met May 13 to review departmental budgets and approved several targeted adjustments intended to lower projected spending while preserving essential services.
Commissioner Chris Gregory moved to reduce line item 191 from $60,000 to $45,000 and to forego a proposed 3.3% increase. The motion, seconded by Will Dennis, passed after staff walked members through the Social Security, retirement and Medicare recalculations that flowed from the change. The chair noted the reductions will lower the overall bottom line by roughly $24,380.
The committee also approved raising the data‑processing services line to $50,000 while keeping consultant support at $30,000. Miss Amy, a county staff member who provided line‑item clarifications, told the committee that the data line includes items such as grant‑writer fees and software support and that last year’s unspent fund balances would help absorb shortfalls.
On personnel, members approved making a director position a salaried role at $61,000 and cutting the overtime line to $5,000. The motion to make the director a salary position (moved by Commissioner Chris Gregory, seconded by Bubba Gregory) reflected discussion about parity for long‑serving staff and a desire to reduce recurring overtime costs.
The committee addressed several other elected‑official budgets. For the mayor’s budget, members agreed not to change the statutory mayoral salary and approved clerical‑personnel corrections. The property assessor’s office received a step increase for the deputy in lieu of adding a new part‑time hire; the committee voted to remove the proposed part‑time position and to move the deputy up a step to reflect the pay adjustment.
Most motions concluded with favorable votes and the chair read the revised totals into the record before advancing to the next agenda item. No formal roll‑call tallies were recorded in the transcript; where a motion was put and seconded the chair announced it was “favorable.”
What happens next: the changes approved tonight will be incorporated into the budget packet for the broader hearing process on May 13, with any further amendments possible when the full body reviews the conditional budget proposals.
