FAYETTEVILLE -- The proposed Washington County budget for next year will be larger than this year's, even as elected officials try to reorganize positions, increase efficiency in departments and reduce costs for equipment and supplies, county records show.
"We've been living on what I call an anemic, very anemic budget for at least the past five years," Assessor Russell Hill said about his office. "It's run as thin as we can thin it."
Budget meeting
The first meeting on the 2018 Washington County budget is set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the courthouse. Several other days have been set aside this month for tentative Finance and Budget Committee meetings. The budget must be approved by Dec. 31.
Source: Staff report
Hill's budget request is $2 million, a $40,500 increase over the budget approved last year, according to preliminary budget figures.
The Quorum Court is responsible for making and approving the budget.
Hill is among several countywide officials who plan to ask for more money. His office needs a new position and a new vehicle. Unlike most other departments, Hill's request could be covered with surplus property tax money, he said.
Sheriff Tim Helder plans to ask for $1.4 million to pay for 11 new positions and new vehicles. It likely will be the largest increase in a request for money from the general fund.
Call volumes are going up, and the kind of calls deputies go to are becoming more dangerous, Helder said.
"We don't ask for more than we need, but we feel like we have an obligation to the citizenry here to provide them with great service," he said.
The Treasurer's Office and several departments plan reductions or no changes to their budgets, but that won't offset the increases, said Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, Budget Committee chairwoman.
The county's spending continues to grow faster than revenue, said Madison, a Democrat who represents northeast Fayetteville.
The county is expected to spend $4 million more than what it takes in this year, county records show.
"We're kind of working up to a plan," Madison said about next year's budget.
Financial Woes
The county's unrestricted reserves have shrunk to $6.2 million, taking a $10 million plunge since the Quorum Court cut its property tax rate in 2011.
County projects have eaten away at the reserves for years and as cities expand their boundaries, county income from property taxes decreases.
Overall, spending requests for next year are $68 million.
The budget for this year was set at $65 million, but the Quorum Court added $1 million to cover an accounting error in January. They did not officially amend the budget total to reflect the change.
Treasurer Bobby Hill has said spending cannot continue as it has for the long term.
"We are not bringing in enough new revenue to cover our budget, so we have to rely on our reserves," Hill has said previously.
Madison warned other justices of the peace earlier this year the Quorum Court may have to raise or redistribute taxes, make cuts or cut services to stop the shortfall.
Revenue increases in sales and property taxes are not expected to be enough to offset expenditures, Madison said. The 2018 revenue likely will be up next year, Bobby Hill said.
The estimate of increased revenue has not yet been finalized. Departments are still tweaking or submitting their budgets, elected officials said.
Cuts and Shifts
County Judge Joseph Wood plans to cut his budget and has asked other elected officials to follow suit, County Attorney Brian Lester said.
Lester is the spokesman for the county.
Documents show Wood plans to spend $600,000 less for offices he oversees. He plans to reduce overtime, cut costs for supplies and maintenance and shift positions to other departments, county records show.
Helder said his office will take two buildings and grounds employees. Lester said the two positions are dedicated to maintenance at the jail, administration building and grounds. The sheriff oversees about 200,000 square feet of enclosed space.
Helder said discussion about the change began last year.
"It's just cleaner -- the lines of supervision are more direct and hands-on," Helder said. "This is not like a hostile takeover. I think it was just the judge and I looking at it and thinking that it really just made sense."
The shift doesn't change the overall county budget because a sales tax pays for the positions, but it lowers the judge's budget, Helder said.
Russell Hill asked to move an information technology position from the judge's office to the assessor's office. Hill said the move would give him more control for IT needs in his office and his budget can pay for most of the position.
That idea has not been finalized, Lester and Hill said.
Wood also has asked to move three county Environmental Affairs positions to the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District. The change should increase efficiency, county officials have said.
NW News on 09/05/2017