Under proposal, county taxes would rise $28.80 for the average household
The following press release was issued today by the Habersham County Office of Commissioners:
During the preparation of the FY2019 budget, many budgetary challenges faced in prior years remained, or became more challenging.
Rising wages in the local labor market and pay adjustments made by surrounding counties have resulted in Habersham County’s wage rates falling significantly behind other jurisdictions we compete with for public safety personnel. These economic pressures require us to invest more to recruit and retain public safety personnel including sheriff’s deputies, jailers, fire fighters and public works personnel. Jail staff turnover has increased to 50% in the past year; the sheriff’s law enforcement turnover is 24% for fulltime sheriff’s deputies. Excessive growth of the jail inmate population has created a significant strain on the sheriff’s department’s budget; the inmate population has grown 40% in the past fifteen months. This causes us to house nearly 50 inmates per day out of county at other jails, which increases housing, transportation, food, and medical costs for inmates.
To become more competitive and slow down the rate of turnover in these departments, wage increases are required. Habersham County invests significantly in recruiting and training law enforcement and fire personnel only to have them leave for neighboring jurisdictions with higher wages. We are proposing increases in public safety staffing and wages that would increase the budget by $1.3 million. However, through budget reductions and savings in other areas, the net increase in the millage rate will be approximately $436,000 or .366 mils; which is less than a 3% increase. That translates to an $18 per year increase to the average household to support the County’s General Fund millage rate. The benefits of these changes will be to increase the County’s ability to attract and retain public safety personnel, and to provide better protection to the County in the areas of law enforcement, sheriff’s jail, fire department, public works, and E911 communications. While this is a significant adjustment, these increases will only help make us competitive with the AVERAGE wages for surrounding counties and cities.
In other areas of the County budget: the hospital bond millage rate will increase by .2 mils, which is $10 per household per year for the average resident, and the Emergency Medical Services millage rate will increase by .06 mils.
Comparing Habersham County’s general fund millage rate to the 159 counties in the state, we rank at the 8th percentile; meaning 92% of Counties in Georgia have higher comparable millage rates to support their general fund services.
Any questions or comments can be directed to the County Manager’s Office or the Habersham County Commission.
Click here to view a draft of Habersham County’s proposed FY2019 budget
RELATED County schedules public hearings on proposed budget
