Five in Five Interview with Budget Committee Chairman John Neal Scarlett

The Jefferson County Post recently interviewed returning Jefferson County Commission Budget Committee Chairman John Neal Scarlett. The interview was in a five questions in five minute format.

JCP-As of this week, you are the returning Chair of the Budget Committee, a position that you have held for several years. Your district counterpart, Randy Bales, decided to remain on the Nominating Committee rather than rotate onto the Budget Committee. Your fellow County Commissioners have placed a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders and they appear confident in your ability to lead the Budget Committee. Are you ready for another budget season?

JNS-This will be my third consecutive year as the Budget Committee Chair and my fifth year total. I really am humbled by the faith that the committee members have placed in me and appreciate their trust. As for being ready for budget season, it will come before you know it.

JCP-The Department of Education is looking for the release of some funds that were left over from various building projects. The County Commission, largely led by the Budget Committee, requested a Capital Projects Plan and an approval from the School Board of an offer from the Commission on the release of those and other funds, which would allow the County to recoup some of the money that it has put into the school building programs. The first Capital Projects Plan that you received came in at around $29 million dollars and it was sent back to be revised. The second plan, which was a point of controversy at the most recent School Board meeting, was a shorter term plan that came in around the $5 million dollar range and that was the plan that was presented to the Budget Committee this week. As you may know, there was another plan that was up for consideration that was $30 million dollars over 23 years. Has the School Board now given the Commission what they requested or are you still waiting?

JNS-The plan that was initially presented, I am sure that it took time and work, but we were looking for something that would be more a working list of priorities and needs. The larger list has several duplicates. We didn’t need the instructions to build a tractor, we just needed to know if the keys were in it and where it was headed. The streamlined priorities list was sufficient for what we need. We are still waiting on the School Board to agree to the terms on the distribution of various money. That was part of the motion that was passed and the distribution cannot happen unless all of the parts of the motion are completed.

JCP-It has been suggested that the Department of Education may come back to the County Commission and request another $800,000 to complete the phase I drawings for White Pine School. That request would come first to the Budget Committee. What is your expectation of the Committee’s reaction, should the request be made?

JNS-I cannot speak for the Committee, I can only speak for myself. We, the County, only have a little over $1 million dollars above our reserve. The Department of Education has a heftier amount of money to tap into. As a County Commissioner, I would encourage the School Board to consider where the needs are in the schools. Before obligating a large amount of funds toward paving, which was identified on the Capital Projects Plan that was submitted, I would hope that they would consider other needs, such as those at White Pine School. Just like I can’t speak for the Budget Committee, I can’t speak for the School Board but I think that prioritizing is necessary.

JCP-I know that you have just completed the last budget season but I am sure that you are already looking ahead. What do you anticipate as your biggest challenge for the upcoming budget season?

JNS-The biggest challenge is getting it done. We are going to have to take a look at the Department of Education Building, (not currently occupied due to repair issues) and we have to consider the needs of the whole County. This year we restored the ambulances and Sheriff’s patrol cars in the budget and that was a good step. We have to be careful to not overspend. We need to look at our revenue increases but be mindful of the needs. Steps have been taken to solidify in the long run, like the hybrid benefit plan, but we won’t see immediate relief from that. I have seen our account get down as low as $50,000 above the reserve and that is a place that we don’t want to go again. There is no need to build a war chest but we have to have enough to cover emergencies. Our County Departments have been working well with Langdon Potts (Jefferson County Finance Director) and most of the requests that were made this year were needs rather than wants. Anytime that we can stay on that course it helps the budget and the Budget Committee. Department Heads cooperation is really appreciated and has made a huge difference in what we can do.

JCP-During this week’s County Commission Work Session, it was apparent that some citizens are concerned that the Jefferson County Industrial Development Board and EDOC are interested in acquiring the land that was purchased by Norfolk Southern. The intent of the IDB would be to develop an Industrial or Business Park. The property in question is in the New Market, Rush Strong area, which is, at least partially, your district. What are your concerns and are you in favor of the IDB’s prospective purchase?

JNS-It is my understanding that a letter has been written and it asks two questions. Do you want to sell and how much? My level of interest and favor is directly impacted by the price, should Norfolk Southern be inclined to sell. I believe that something will develop on that property and it might be a good opportunity for Jefferson County but we do not need to go out on a financial limb to purchase it. It doesn’t cost anything to ask but my interest is directly tied to cost. When I first heard about the inquiry I thought that it might be a good situation for both Jefferson County and the citizens that have concerns about Norfolk Southern. Right now, it is just questions. There are a lot of steps to go through if NS has interest in selling and the IDB has interest in buying.

Thanks to Budget Chairman Scarlett for the interview.