Top Stories

HUNTSVILLE — Following two meetings here last week, Scott County Commission appears to have reached a consensus on a budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, and will formally vote on that budget when it meets in regular session Monday.

The budget proposed by County Commission’s Budget Committee calls for no tax increase this year, while tapping a $2.8 million fund balance to help make the budget as presented possible.

Most of the approximately three hours Tuesday (Sept. 4) and 75 minutes Thursday commissioners spent discussing the budget dealt with proposed pay raises for county employees, including a much-debated pay raise for personnel at the Sheriff’s Department.

Budget Committee Chairman Jeff Watson presented the proposed budget Tuesday at County Commission’s monthly work session, calling it “a good budget.”

“To me, it’s pretty impressive that we can build over a $10 million jail and not increase the property tax,” Watson said.

The budget would increase the pay of clerical employees in county offices by $1,000 across the board, with more substantial pay increases at the Sheriff’s Department. Under the new budget, the annual salary for certified deputies will increase from $19,500 to $23,500. Non-certified employees in the Scott County School System will receive a 5% pay increase through additional funding requested by the school system. The school system had requested $250,000 in new funding; the Budget Committee has proposed $119,000 in new funding. The new budget would also implement a state-mandated 5.4% pay raise for most of the county’s elected officials.

New funding is being made possible by dipping into the $2.8 million reserve account made up of Attentus Healthcare’s prepaid rent on the hospital. Additionally, $671,000 will be drawn from reserves to make the first payment on the Justice Center, and another $500,000 will be transferred from the Ambulance Service fund to the General Fund to help balance the current budget.

Sheriff Anthony Lay was present at Tuesday’s meeting, and protested the Budget Committee’s recommendations.

“I want you to know I appreciate the pay adjustment, but I’m not going to settle for it,” said Lay, who had requested $500 per employee in raises above what the new budget recommends. Lay had also requested a six-year pay scale that would provide a 50-cent per hour pay raise for each year of employment, a request that the budget does not address. The sheriff also expressed his disagreement with the Budget Committee not meeting his requests for additional equipment.

“I have asked for a fair amount . . . I’m not trying to be unreasonable,” Lay said.

Lay said the proposed pay increase still does not bring Scott County’s salary for sheriff’s deputies in line with the salary of surrounding counties.

“As the body of the Budget Committee and myself as fiscal officer, we have to make some tough decisions,” County Mayor Rick Keeton said. “Sometimes we have to ask the department heads to give a little to get a little.”

Watson added that “Not everybody is happy. Probably none of the office holders are 100% happy with what we’re doing.”

Commissioner Gerry Garrett said he felt that the increases proposed for the Sheriff’s Department is “a pretty good improvement.”

“I just want you to understand that it’s hard for me to give you professionalism if I don’t have the money to do it,” Lay said. “I can’t conquer mountains and make things better if I don’t have funding to do it with.”

The subject arose again at Thursday’s continued work session. Sheriff Lay did not attend the second meeting, but Watson pointed out that the sheriff had made some concessions since an earlier meeting with commissioners and had written a letter to the Budget Committee.

Before the conclusion of Thursday’s meeting, Watson asked for a show of hands from commissioners who would were in favor of the five-year pay scale requested by the sheriff. No hands were raised. Several hands were raised when Watson asked for a show of hands from commissioners who would be in favor of the Budget Committee’s recommendations for the department. The only commissioner to state his opposition to the proposal was Ron Blevins, while commissioners Clyde Zachary and Joel Newport declined to publicly state their thoughts on the proposal until the formal vote Sept. 17.

Several commissioners expressed concern about using the fund balance to fund pay raises. Commissioner Paul Strunk said that by using fund balances to fund salaries and operational expenses, “eventually, it’s going to wind up on tax revenue.” Commissioner Ernest Phillips and Commissioner Alan Reed also expressed concern.

“I think tapping the fund balance is the wrong way to go at this,” Reed said.

Watson pointed out that if the consensus is to not raise taxes — which it appeared to be — the alternative was to tap the fund balance.

Watson went on to point out that the Budget Committee had cut some $450,000 in new revenue requests from the various county departments, including the approximately $130,000 cut from the school system’s requests.

Pay raises were a point of contention in areas other than the Sheriff’s Department as well. Circuit Court Clerk Donnie Phillips was on hand to say that he’d like to see his employees receive more than $1,000 per year.

“I’m not disputing any other department employees getting a raise; I’m glad that they are,” Phillips said. “[But] I’m here for my employees and saying I’d like to see them get more than $1,000 per year. $15,500 is tough to live on. When I sit in my office and see a girl balance out her checkbook and she’s only got $40 to live on for the next two weeks, that’s sad.”

Commissioner Zachary appeared to agree, stating, “We’ve got good county employees. I hope we don’t start breaking department morale when we start giving some big raises and others different raises.”

Several commissioners also expressed concern that school system employees would receive less than county employees.

By the end of the two meetings on the budget, it appeared that a consensus had been reached to move forward with a budget that will, in a nutshell, provide for $500,000 in new expenditures while not increasing the tax rate.

“What I like is that you’re presenting a budget that we can halfway agree on and you did it without a tax increase,” Commissioner Garrett said. “That’s impressive.”