Budget Committee Battles Over EDOC Funding
Budget Committee member took a deep swipe at a proposed $2.3 million dollar deficit earlier this week, as the County departments presented their funding requests. The Committee was also faced with EDOC and Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce funding requests that failed to find a consensus during the previous budgeting session. Despite the additional time, the Committee struggled to find six votes for a multitude of motions that were presented for EDOC funding. A $280,000 funding request was presented by the organization, which is a $100,000 increase over the current fiscal year. Board Members from EDOC plead the case for the additional dollars, citing a drive to promote retail business and the need to add additional staff as reasons for the $280,000 request. EDOC and Chamber funding comes from the same pot, the Hotel/Motel Tax, and the revenue from that tax has been budgeted at $345,000 for the 2016/17 fiscal year. The Chamber of Commerce, which received $165,000 in funding this fiscal year, requested only $65,000 for the 2016/17 budget cycle. However, they also requested any funds from the Hotel/ Motel Tax that are in excess of the Chamber and EDOC funding requests, should the actual numbers exceed the budget projections which, according to the Jefferson County Finance Office, is a strong possibility.
The Budget Committee was able to dispense with the Chamber funding request fairly easily, with only two failed motions-one to table and one, offered by Committee Member Tucker and 2nd by Committee Member Beeler, that would have funded the Chamber at the requested $65,000 with the potential for up to another $35,000 should the funds be available. The motion also included a stipulation that the Chamber present a more detailed breakdown of their expenditures and revenues, including salaries but did not require a breakdown that included receipts. The Tucker/Beeler motion failed in a tie vote with Committee Members Turner, Eslinger, Seal, Kesterson and Gaut voting No. A very similar motion, which had like funding but no detailed breakdown attached, was offered by Commissioner Gaut and it was approved 9-1 with Seal voting No.
The question of EDOC funding brought more than a dozen motions and, in the interest of not holding department heads that were on hand to support their budget requests, the item was eventually tabled to late in the meeting. Various Committee Members tried and failed with motions that had funding for EDOC at the requested $280,000-$280,000 with receipt accounting-$250,000-$222,000-$223,000-$230,000-$275,000 and some that died for lack of 2nd.Twice the Budget Committee Chair voiced his intent to move the item to the full body and both times was overturned by the Committee following an appeal of the Chair’s decision. Ultimately, despite heated exchanges among committee members, a late night, Hail Mary motion offered by Committee Member Musick for funding at $279,999 and 2nd by Turner narrowly passed 6-4 with Committee Members Seal, Beeler, Solomon and Tucker voting No.
Though EDOC funding was the most contentious item on the agenda, it did not represent the largest increase that was requested. All totaled, the Sheriff’s Department and associated categories had around $1.3 million dollars in increases, largely in personnel and vehicles. Sheriff McCoig was on hand to address the request. He informed the Committee that cuts from previous years had pushed back the replacement of Sheriff’s Department vehicles and many had too many miles to be safely utilized by the Sheriff’s Department. Following discussion and appropriate motions, the increase to the Sheriff’s Department and associated categories was cut down $423,000, which represented an additional four vehicles and additional personnel in the Deputy line item and gasoline increase. The Ambulance and Emergency Services requested an increase of $361,588 for ambulances and the addition of a weekend shift. Committee Member Kesterson made a motion for $270,000 in vehicles and another $10,000 for a three year recovery contract. He was 2nd by Musick and the motion passed 8-2. A replacement vehicle was approved for the Office of the Mayor. However, the funding level was nearly $10,000 less than the $26,000 request at $16,231. A vehicle replacement request for the County Zoning Office was denied, as was the reinstatement of the salary of the Director of the Environmental Office, which was cut in the current budget and is in litigation.
At the end of more than four hours of meeting, the Budget Committee still faces a $1.2 million dollar deficit and the Department of Education budget has not, yet, been presented. Estimated rollover from the current budget year is expected to be around $750,000 which will leave around a half a million dollar hole for the budget committee to fill. At the current worth of a penny, the tab would run between 4 to five pennies on the property tax rate. The Budget Committee will meet in May to address the DOE budget requests and make additional adjustments, if needed, to the County side of the budget proposal.
