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Claiborne County budget committee advances FY2025 draft, sets public hearings
Summary
The Claiborne County Public Budget Committee advanced a draft FY2025 budget, approved line‑item amendments and set public hearing dates in March–May 2024; members also elected a new chair and vice chair and identified major cost drivers including ambulance services and ADA building work.
The Claiborne County Public Budget Committee voted in February and March to advance a draft fiscal year 2025 budget, approve line‑item amendments for multiple departments and set public hearing and publication dates ahead of a final county commission adoption.
At the Feb. 15 meeting the committee elected Mitchell Cosby as chair and Sherry McCreary as vice chair. The committee approved the meeting agenda and prior minutes and accepted a spreadsheet of line‑item amendments that Eric Pearson presented as adjustments to cover higher medical insurance costs, increased dues and memberships, and additional travel expenses.
The committee approved a schedule of public meetings and publication deadlines to support the FY2025 process: review meetings March 4, March 7, March 19 (public input), March 26 (public input), and a final committee meeting April 9 to forward the approved budget to the County Commission. Deadlines for advertising the proposed budget in the newspaper were set for April 19 (submit), April 24 (publish) and May 1 (publish).
Pearson told the committee Fund 101 is the county’s largest fund and the draft includes several primary increases: ADA building improvements ($1,000,000), ambulance services ($365,000), replacement sheriff patrol vehicles (about $300,000 for 9–10 vehicles), higher medical insurance costs ($98,544), and a new permit inspector position ($55,109). He presented a projected property tax levy for Fund 101 of $8,270,213, an increase of $600,927 (7.8%). The draft estimated the value of one penny at $67,680 and listed a preliminary property tax rate figure noted in the draft as “2.404 cents.”
The committee moved through departmental reviews in March. During a Circuit Court budget review (draft $497,790), Jackie Rosenbalm and Diana Arnwine answered committee questions; a motion to approve that court budget without salary raises passed on a 5–3 roll call. Other departmental and fund reviews were advanced (see related article for departmental votes and line‑item outcomes).
The committee heard additional budget considerations: Mr. Brooks and staff flagged upcoming ADA compliance work and the need to bid ADA improvements; the $25 wheel tax used to pay jail debt can end after Dec. 2024 because the Debt Service Fund is expected to hold sufficient balance; and ambulance service costs will require General Fund support when an escrow account is exhausted at the end of June 2024. The committee set a March–April public schedule to solicit input before forwarding the budget to the County Commission.
The committee adjourned the March 4 meeting at 8:01 p.m. The committee’s next formal step is the scheduled public input sessions in March and the April 9 committee meeting to finalize the budget recommendation for the County Commission.
