Pierce County residents oppose proposed millage increase, urge cuts to recreation spending

Pierce County residents told the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 6 that they oppose a proposed millage and tax increase and urged officials to find savings in county operations instead.

"The school board receives 69% of the tax money brought in," Chairman Neal Bennett said during the meeting, framing several public commenters' concerns about how property tax dollars are allocated. Speakers at the public hearing—held at 705 College Avenue in Blackshear—pressed the board to cut spending, increase transparency and explore cost-saving measures before raising the millage.

Several residents focused on the county's recreation spending. Vince Jackson of Sundell Circle, who said he provided the board with an emailed executive summary, urged department-wide 5% budget cuts, employee furloughs and limits on overtime. Jackson also recommended charging nonlocal travel teams to use county fields, annually bidding insurance, and hiring a part-time grant writer paid a percentage of grants procured. Jackson told the board he believed property tax revenue had risen from 16% to 26% in recent years and said recreation spending had increased about 63%; those figures were reported by the commenter during public remarks and are presented here as his statements.

Other speakers urged alternatives to raising taxes. Dawn Thompson questioned why new housing growth had not yielded more county revenue and suggested programs to help renters become homeowners; she also proposed exempting Pierce County seniors from school taxes. Sharon Taylor suggested more volunteerism and small-scale fundraising—car washes and bake sales—to support recreation programs. One attendee summarized the sentiment about recreation spending with a metaphor, calling the recreation department "like a chocolate cake" that would be cut first when trimming nonessential expenditures.

Several residents raised process and transparency concerns. Linda Taylor asked why the county could not operate on the 2025 budget, proposed phasing in any millage increase over time, and recommended publishing quarterly budget reports so the public could track changes. Victor Ballageer urged stronger enforcement by Codes and Health departments and recommended pausing construction of a new recreation facility until the budget is finalized. Glenn Deibert asked the board to commission a community study aimed at keeping the millage rate low.

County Manager Raphel Maddox acknowledged that overtime is an ongoing issue but explained it results in part from having multiple shift structures—eight-, twelve- and twenty-four-hour schedules—so positions on longer shifts will necessarily incur overtime. Maddox said that differences in shift schedules and staffing needs limit how much overtime can be reduced without changing service coverage.

Several commenters also questioned contracting decisions; one asked why the county pays Wrights Lawn Care for Rec Department mowing and whether inmate labor or volunteers might be used instead.

No formal vote on the proposed millage is recorded in the meeting transcript. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 a.m. after a motion to adjourn by Commissioner David Lowman and a second from Commissioner Troy Mattox. Further action or scheduling on the millage was not recorded in the provided transcript.