Habersham County, much like many businesses and governments across the nation, is experiencing staffing shortages and employee turnover. The solution to that shortage, according to county officials, could lie in a property tax increase.
There are currently 35 open positions in Habersham County, 18 of which are public safety positions in the detention center, E-911 dispatch, sheriff’s office and emergency services departments. Of those open positions, only one is new. County Manager Alicia Vaughn says the rest are open due to staff turnover.
Low interest and employee turnover
“Out of the open positions, the longest standing listings are all in public safety and emergency services,” Vaughn tells Now Habersham. “Efforts to increase pay in our public safety fields have been successful in boosting current morale, but we are still facing a lack of applicants.”
Vaughn says that according to county department heads, low pay is the main reason for the lack of interest in those positions, as well as employee turnover. Habersham County Commission Chairman Bruce Palmer says that while pay is an issue, the county is also seeing turnover for other reasons.
“There are many reasons for someone to leave,” Palmer says. “Pay is a big reason, others include benefits such as retirement, working hours/conditions, vacation/sick leave accrual. Some change professions or relocate to another area.”
He says that even with those other factors, pay is still the biggest reason people leave the county. And when the county trains new personnel, especially in public safety, only for them to go somewhere they can receive better pay, Palmer says it ends up costing the taxpayers.
“The county makes an investment in training employees only to have them go somewhere else once they are trained and have some experience,” Palmer says. “This is costly to the taxpayers.”
Now Habersham reached out to all five county commissioners on the issues surrounding county employment, but Palmer was the only commissioner to provide comment.
MORE: County discusses tax revenue, county funds and employee pay at State of the County
Some sources tell Now Habersham that employees have left the county due to poor management, but Palmer says he hasn’t heard such a thing.
“I have yet to have anyone share with me that management is the reason they left,” Palmer tells Now Habersham. “However, I have heard from many leaving the county due to low pay. Those seeking higher pay are not only leaving the county but also often are leaving to work in a different field in the private sector.”
Vaughn says that she has been working with an outside consultant to help with leadership training for the county’s department heads since becoming interim county manager, but did not address receiving complaints regarding management.
“During my time as interim [county manager], I worked with an outside consultant, LeaderGov, to hold a workshop for the department heads in the county,” she says. “I believe these core public servant values trickle down from upper management to middle management and to all our front-line staff. I believe in supporting and taking care of our employees; our employees are our largest asset.”
Vaughn says that the county needs to conduct a pay study to further understand how to better pay their employees in comparison to other counties. Right now, she says the county can afford to increase pay for employees.
“In the short-term, our county will be able to move towards fair pay for our employees due to our healthy fund balance,” Vaughn says. “In the long-term, economic development and diversification must be the solution to fund further advancements in Habersham County. More than ever before, economic development and job creation here at home must be the top priority to continue to fund our well-rounded government.”
A possible tax increase
That long-term funding relies heavily on diversification of the county’s tax base. Palmer says that if that doesn’t change, property taxes may very well have to go up to support county services.
“I know it [increasing the millage rate] is not popular, however, to provide services to our growing community, it may be the reality,” Palmer says. He says the best-case scenario would mean bringing more business and industry to the county to offset the county’s reliance on property taxes for revenue. Worst case scenario, citizens could see an increase in the millage rate.
This isn’t the first time Palmer has discussed the possibility of a tax increase to support the pay needs of county employees. In December of 2020 at his public safety town hall meeting, he brought up the lack of staffing in the county’s sheriff’s, E-911 and emergency services departments.
“Where do we draw the line on not only employee safety but on the safety of our citizens?” Palmer asked at the December town hall meeting. “What would it be worth if your loved one perished because somebody couldn’t get to them in time? There’s not a price tag for that.”
Better services for taxpayers
Palmer says that while the county needs to bring in more staff, he hopes citizens will realize how much harder the county’s employees have had to work with their current pay and less staff and resources.
“They [county employees] have been asked to do more with less personnel and other needed resources,” Palmer says. “A prime example was during the recent snow, our public works and public safety did an amazing job even though they are all short-staffed.”
County officials maintain that county employees have to receive better pay, benefits and work environments to keep them and bring more in. Vaughn says increased for them benefits Habersham’s citizens, too.
“Raises in pay for Habersham County positions mean better services for our taxpayers,” Vaughn says. “Currently, we are lacking staff in one of the most critical departments, public safety. Lack of staff means longer 911 response times and lack of necessary personnel on the roads and responding to emergencies.”
