Last week Chairman J.C. Sanford and Post 2 Commissioner Danny Hall held three full days reviewing the proposed budget for 2014. They concluded their budget meetings this past Tuesday. The four days of meetings ran from 9am to 4pm.FYN attended every budget meeting. The citizens were not represented by a third voice in the meetings due to the empty post one commissioner’s seat. Gilmer county citizens will go to the polls November 5th to choose a post one commissioner.

If the BOC granted all budget requests from each office in the county the 2014 budget would increase 1.4 million from 2013. Hall said

“If everyone gets what they want we will have to go up on taxes.”

What every constitutional officer and department head heard Sanford say,

“Who do I take it away from to give to you?”

and Hall say

“We don’t have it.”

Chief Tony Pritchett requested a new ambulance that would cost $150,000 along with opening two more fire stations. It would cost $150,000 per station per year for a total of $300,000. Pritchett guaranteed,

“We will lose our ISO rating this year.”

When the county received its current ISO rating six fire stations were open full time. Now the county only operates four stations full time. Pritchett said he would like to reopen station 13 on Hwy 5 and station 9 on Yukon. The loss of the ISO rating would mean a property insurance increase. Pritchett did not leave without expressing his need for some equipment upgrades and an increase in compensation for his staff.

Tax Commissioner Becky Marshall stressed her need for new computer terminals. Marshall said she needs everyone on PC’s. Marshall also made a request to add a position. She said she wanted an enforcement officer for mobile home and personal property tax. The county used to have an enforcement officer but the position was eliminated during the last administration. Marshall is currently 7% under budget for the year. She was able to clearly present to the commissioners that what she was requesting would be more then covered by an increase in revenue. Marshall reported that motor vehicle tax revenue collection has gone from $694,860 in 2012 to $922,890 by September 15th 2013. Before leaving Marshall made a request for cameras in the tax commissioner’s office.

Community service budget will be set at $40,000. Chairman Sanford started a Community service program in November 2012 headed up by Larry Buttram. The state value is $10 per hour for community service. Buttram told FYN that in November 2012 they recorded 432 hours. September of this year he recorded 1,254 hours. The total hours recorded in 2013 through September is 7230. Using the $10 per hour value this equals $72,300. The community service program is on track to have a value $96,000 for the year. Buttram also told FYN that a monthly report is sent to Chief Justice of the Superior Court Brenda Weaver, probation officers and the commissioners. Sanford said the program is headed in the right direction but he will not be satisfied until the value reaches three time minimum wage.

One of the more contentious meetings was with chief appraiser Richard Lamb and Tax Assessor board chairman Mitchell Morgan. It only took Lamb three minutes into the meeting to start addressing the reasons he is requesting a $78,606 increase. Before he could get started Sanford stopped him to explain the county’s financial situation. Lamb replied by saying,

“I understand but I have educational needs. People have to be certified.”

Lamb explained to Sanford and Hall why he needed the additional money telling them,

“I lost 3 employees because of compensation.”

Lamb went into great detail concerning the state required training for certification necessary and what it cost the county when they lose an employee and had to start over. Lamb left Sanford and Hall an itemized list detailing the need for the increase. Before leaving Lamb reiterated that he understood but he had to have the increase he was requesting.

James Holloway presented his reasons for requesting an increase for the planning and zoning department. Planning and Zoning requested an increase of $32,000 of which $9,000 was for salaries. Holloway explained that they were not requesting a raise; they just wanted to be brought back to their 2010 level of pay. In 2011 planning and zoning department’s rate of pay was cut along with being moved to part time and loss of benefits. When Brian Jones left the department the commissioner’s decided not to rehire the position and bring employees back full time and restore the benefits. They did not restore the rate of pay. Holloway tried to explain it would be paid for by an increase in revenue. The department is currently ahead of projected revenue for the year. At the current rate the revenue could come in around $169,552 and that is $29,552 over the 2013 revenue projection for the department. Hall told Holloway

“They got a raise when they got back to full time.”

By all indications the county plans to operate the Airport in 2014. A budget will be set at $77,036 for 2014. When asked if a portion of county airport liaison Jim Smith’s salary was being charged to the airport the answer was no, it is charged to the commissioner’s budget.

New District Attorney Alison Sosebee presented a budget with a $19,000 increase. Sosebee has been working off a budget that was established by the former District Attorney Joe Hendricks. Sosebee explained how she has spent a good part of the year re-staffing the office and coming up with a realistic budget she needs to operate the District Attorney’s office. She told the commissioners that she had opened more cases in Gilmer County than any other county this year. Sosebee said she needed to move cases. She does not want to burden the county with the cost of people sitting in jail. A reference was made that the former District Attorneys knew he was on his way out and did not put together a realistic budget to operate the office. When cases don’t move it results in increase cost to the county in other areas.

Sheriff Stacy Nicholson attended two meetings with the commissioners. A meeting last Thursday for two hours and this past Tuesday for another hour and a half. It takes a lot of time to discuss the request of over $350,000 increase to a budget. Sheriff Nicholson explained that he has a salary increase of $71,000 dollars for school resource officers. There are a total of six school resource officers. The Board of Education pays for three. This leaves the county with the cost of three more at an average of $35,000 each. Nicholson said he would not have a school in Gilmer County without a resource officer. He went on to explain how the jail needs a roof. Hall asked what it cost to operate the jail to which Nicholson replied,

“Danny if you’re talking about shutting down the jail, don’t go there.”

Nicholson explained his increase cost due to a new state law regarding restricted records. This is almost a full time job just reviewing records to remove a person or persons name and information. If a person was one of two or more in a case and found innocent or not involved in the crime the new law makes the Sheriff office remove every reference to that individual from the open record. Nicholson also asked for a raise for his deputies. After About three and a half hours of meetings and Sanford discussing anything from tires to computer programs; Sheriff Nicholson told both the commissioners that he understood that the county was in a tough financial position but I will end with

“my deputies deserve a raise.”

After the meeting adjourned Sanford showed FYN where the Sheriff’s office was going to be over budget $157,767. We asked Nicholson to explain why he was running over budget for 2013. He told us overtime, fuel, and maintenance have been under-budgeted for years. The Sheriff office is required to send deputies to training and it can’t be done during the hours they are on duty. The commissioners know this. Nicholson told us

“I have asked for realistic budget numbers for years but when you are working with fairytale budget numbers you’re going to be over budget.”

As for the Golf course the commissioners did not set a budget. Sanford said that after this month he and Sandy Holden , County CFO, would pull the numbers since the county started running the golf course to set a budget. Hall stressed he did not want the county in the golf course business and wanted it put out for bid to which Sanford replied,

“We know how you feel Danny, you have stated that over and over.”

Sanford then went on to say they would set a budget for the golf course. The county is giving every impression it is going to attempt to run the golf course by the amount of equipment they have leased and purchased.

On Tuesday afternoon the commissioners had pretty much denied everyone’s request for their proposed 2014 budget. They said everyone would stay the same as 2013 with the exception of required election cost and state mandates that have increased some cost that they have no choice but to pay.

I attended all four days. I was 20 minutes late for the first meeting on Thursday morning. The reason I tell you that is if you feel its important that the next commissioner (the candidates) attend the budget meetings to better understand the county’s finances maybe you will want to know who was there. Dallas Miller attended approximately 90% of the meetings, Mayra Torres 75%, Jerry Tuso 50%, Martin Wintermantel 15%, Leon Watkins 10%, Howard Green 0%, Jenifer Hendershot 0%. Remember if elected they would have been required to attend and the next commissioner will be making decisions based on the budget that is being set for 2014. This is an estimate and FYN understands that Candidate’s personal schedules may not have permitted them to attend.

Sanford will be going to each office next week to break the news about the budget and explain the reason it must remain the same as 2013.