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Burke County budget work session approves pay increase, park and E911 funding and several staffing changes
Summary
In a called meeting Aug. 20, Burke County commissioners approved multiple budget and personnel items, including an assistant county manager pay raise, E911 overtime funding, Citizens Park improvements, a contested recreation custodian hire, and contingency funding rules for the Sheriff’s Department.
At a called meeting and budget work session on Aug. 20, the Burke County Board of Commissioners approved a series of budget and personnel items and set several directions for staff.
Key approvals included a pay increase for Assistant County Manager Adam Flakes from grade 27-9 to 27-14; Commissioner Q. U. “Art” Lively moved the increase with Commissioner Evans Martin seconding. The motion passed 3–2 with Commissioners Lively, Martin, and Lucious Abrams in favor and Chair Terri Lodge Kelly and Commissioner R. Tommy Nix opposed. Manager Merv Waldrop indicated he would encourage Flakes to attain Public Manager certification from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG).
The Board approved $225,000 to fund a parking lot and playground at Citizen’s Park Splash Pad and approved $110,000 for E911 overtime costs based on staff recommendations. The Board approved staff recommendations to absorb certain formerly grant-funded Sheriff’s Department positions (staff cited $585,588 to cover positions not funded by grants) and increased the Sheriff’s overtime budget to $230,000; funding for a grant-funded Crime Analyst position expiring Nov. 30, 2024, was not approved.
On recreation staffing, commissioners approved several reclassifications recommended by staff but split on the proposed recreation custodian hire; Commissioner Lucious Abrams moved to add a full-time recreation custodian (grade 3–8), and Chair Terri Lodge Kelly seconded. That motion passed 3–2 (Abrams, Kelly, Nix yes; Martin, Lively no). The Board approved a Shelter Operation Supervisor position for Animal Services at grade 13-3 ($20.36 per hour) and agreed to place $6,620 requested by Animal Services and $17,180 requested by E911 in contingency until departmental policy updates are completed.
Manager Waldrop reported that funding to operate manned convenience center sites could require about $411,000 to cover buildings, payroll, and hauling; the Board heard the estimate but did not formalize a funding action in the minutes. The Board entered Executive Session to discuss two legal matters and later returned; after Executive Session the Board approved a motion that, upon exhaustion of the Sheriff’s Department budget, general-fund allocations may be used for payroll, vehicle maintenance, and fuel subject to enumerated conditions. Commissioners voted 5–0 on that motion.
Several items were not approved: a full-body scanning x-ray security screening system for the Detention Center and continued funding for a grant-funded Crime Analyst position. The Board asked Facilities Maintenance Director Josh Dailey to identify essential repairs for the new Training Center after declining additional requested repair funding.
The Board did not adopt Juneteenth as an employee holiday during this session. Many of the approved or discussed items will return to staff for implementation details, contingency accounting, or future formal action.
