Habersham County Commissioners passed their budget for fiscal year 2016 on Monday. They’ll spend $19 million from their general fund which covers just about everything you would think of as a “county service” including public safety and administration costs.
The budget creates nine new jobs within the Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department, E911 and Animal Control. It also includes a 3.5% pay raise for all county employees and manages to keep the millage steady meaning the county’s portion of the tax rate for property owners won’t increase.
“We spent hours and hours on this budget to make sure that we didn’t raise taxes,” says Commissioner Sonny James. “We have cut everything we could possibly cut without hindering the operations for the people in the county.”
At least one citizen thinks they should have done more, specifically in the form of granting an even higher pay raise for county employees.
Roger Dale Green, a bus driver with the Habersham County School Board, addressed the budget hearing on Monday. He says all county employees should be making at least $15 per hour ($31,200 annually) and that commissioners should be willing to raise property taxes in order to pay. “Whatever you do, remember, everybody’s got to live.”
Currently, employee costs make up 59% of expenditures from the General Fund with more than $11 million going to salaries and benefits. Leaders admit their pay scale lags about 12% behind other local governments but say they can’t afford to raise salaries very much.
“I commend them for the 3.5% increase,” Green says, “I’m sure there’s somebody making $20,000 and that extra $700 is going to mean something to them but it’s still not enough.”
Commissioners agree with Green’s intent but say his demand is not realistic in the county’s current economic situation. “I think I speak for all five of us,” says Commissioner James, “we wish we could go right to the $31 thousand. Unfortunately we can’t.”
In addition to the new hires and increase in salaries, the budget includes $418 thousand for “Capital Improvements” including a new roof at the senior center, new air conditioning units for the jail as well as improvements at the aquatic center, the airport and the county’s tennis courts.
Click here for the full text of the Habersham County 2015-2016 budget.
