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Schley County officials review budget updates, consider reserve fund as Mt. Zion Road needs full rebuild
Summary
County finance staff told commissioners a $400,000 rise in projected expenses next year, citing new certificates of occupancy and road repair needs; commissioners discussed shifting salaries, repaying an LMIG loan, and building a reserve to avoid borrowing.
Douglas Jamieson, Schley County’s finance presenter, told commissioners at the May 20 working session that the county expects higher expenses next year and a likely increase in property-tax revenue after "ten new certificates of occupancy" were issued this year. Jamieson confirmed the draft budget shows about $400,000 in additional expenses for the coming year.
Jamieson said the Insurance Premium Tax has been directed to the Schley County Water fund to offset water‑fund expenses. He also told the board that projections for proceeds from a TAN are low because some of those proceeds were taken in the current fiscal year and will not be repaid until 2025–2026. Jamieson said the Tax Assessor is still finalizing revenue figures.
Commissioners questioned departments about expense reductions. Jamieson said there is no "fluff" in the projected expenses and that the finance department has intentionally budgeted conservatively on revenues. They discussed restoring Schley County Road Department salaries from the TSPLOST account to the General Fund and noted an outstanding repayment to LMIG (Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant) that Barineau said must be repaid during the current year; Jamieson said it will be.
An engineer’s assessment of Mt. Zion Road prompted a separate cost concern: Jamieson said the paved portion "is not eligible for resurfacing and would have to be completely rebuilt and repaved," which would be considerably more expensive than a routine resurfacing.
Commissioners also discussed creating a reserve fund to reduce future borrowing. The board conducted line‑by‑line review of the draft 2025–2026 budget and identified areas where budgeted amounts appear lower than 2024–2025 actual spending, a discrepancy staff attributed to conservative revenue assumptions.
The budget work remains in progress: staff will continue to refine revenue estimates and return to the board with updated figures; several items noted during the session—TSPLOST salary shifts, LMIG repayment timing, and the Mt. Zion rebuild—will affect final appropriations.
