By HALEY HUGHES
Aiken County Council approved its fiscal year 2013 budget Tuesday, but not before tacking on a slew of amendments, which, among other things, provides a 2 percent raise to all County employees across the board and provides the Sheriff's Office with nine additional staff positions.
Council passed its roughly $52 million budget unanimously after a more-than-one-hour discussion during which amendments were volleyed back and forth in an attempt to dredge up funds to purchase vehicles, provide employee raises and to meet Sheriff Michael Hunt's requests for new personnel. Councilman Chuck Smith was absent.
The 2 percent raise for all employees assumes that the state passes a budget with an increase in the Local Government Fund, equalling an additional $600,000 for the County.
The General Assembly has again suspended the formula that determines the amount of funding for the Local Government Fund. The Senate has proposed a different funding level, which would equal a roughly $1.2 million increase for the County from last year. However, the House has amended the Senate's version of the budget to reduce the funding level, leaving it at $10 million more than last year. In that case, the County would receive only an additional $300,000 to $400,000.
Councilman Gary Bunker believes that an additional $600,000 is the "most likely" number to be allocated from the state.
Councilman Scott Singer, as he did last year when employee raises were approved, proposed that the raises be addressed as merit raises and tied to employee performance. He offered that as an amendment.
"Across-the-board raises tells high-performing employees not to be high-performing employees, and it tells poor-performing employees not to work harder," he said.
Singer's amendment was struck down by a majority vote. Singer, Bunker and Councilman Sandy Haskell voted for the amendment; Chairman Ronnie Young and Council members Kathy Rawls, LaWana McKenzie, Charles Barton and Willar Hightower were opposed.
A second amendment resulted in adding four dispatchers, four sergeants and one vehicle tax enforcement deputy to the Sheriff's Office, totaling approximately $365,000 including vehicles and equipment. This increase in expenditures was offset by various reductions, including a $20,000 cut in funding to Aiken County Helpline 211, cuts in funds for professional services in the Tax Collector's Office and for the County Attorney, and by reassigning or absorbing through attrition four staff positions: one person in the Tax Collector's Office, one person in Probate Court, and two people in Clerk of Court.
The original recommendation was to cut funding to Helpline 211 by $80,000, but Rawls proposed reducing the cut to only $60,000. Rawls' amendment passed by majority with Haskell voting in opposition.
Another offset is $60,000, which is the salary of a Deputy Auditor. Singer repeated Tuesday that Gov. Nikki Haley's office has advised him it will not appoint a person to fill the unexpired term of County Auditor. Current County Auditor Cyrus Spradley has tendered his resignation. His last day will be June 30, but his term does not end until July 1, 2013.
Should Gov. Haley not appoint someone to serve as auditor, the current deputy auditor would likely be designated as auditor and receive the auditor's salary, according to previous Council discussions. That would free up the deputy auditor's salary.
A total of $500,000 was added to the expenditure fund of the current round of Capital Projects Sales Tax for the purchase of automobiles and light trucks. On the flip side, $500,000 was taken from the road construction fund of Capital Projects Sales Tax, money that would have paid for the paving of dirt roads. The right-of-way to pave those roads has not been granted.
Bunker said the swap plugs a "significant hole" in the budget because there was no money allocated for vehicle replacements.
An amendment was proposed that, should the state's Local Government Fund appropriations equal an additional $1.2 million for the County, $600,000 be added to the general fund for property tax relief.
"There is very little, if any, hope of getting that ($1.2 million)," Rawls said. "If we do, the money could be used elsewhere."
The amendment was not approved. Bunker voted for it while Rawls, McKenzie, Barton, Haskell, Hightower and Young voted in opposition. Singer abstained.
The budget also allocates $500,000 for a "down payment" on the Other Post-Employment Benefits health insurance program. That amount is offset by $100,000 in overages in food and meals at the detention center, $100,000 in revenue from the sales and services of Cablevision right-of-way, and $300,000 in additional funds from the state, should it be allocated.
Haley Hughes is the Aiken County government reporter and has been with the Aiken Standard since February 2007. Hughes, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, hails from Knoxville, Tenn.![]()
Aiken County Council approved its fiscal year 2013 budget Tuesday, but not before tacking on a slew of amendments, which, among other things, provides a 2 percent raise to all County employees across the board and provides the Sheriff's Office with nine additional staff positions.
Council passed its roughly $52 million budget unanimously after a more-than-one-hour discussion during which amendments were volleyed back and forth in an attempt to dredge up funds to purchase vehicles, provide employee raises and to meet Sheriff Michael Hunt's requests for new personnel. Councilman Chuck Smith was absent.
The 2 percent raise for all employees assumes that the state passes a budget with an increase in the Local Government Fund, equalling an additional $600,000 for the County.
The General Assembly has again suspended the formula that determines the amount of funding for the Local Government Fund. The Senate has proposed a different funding level, which would equal a roughly $1.2 million increase for the County from last year. However, the House has amended the Senate's version of the budget to reduce the funding level, leaving it at $10 million more than last year. In that case, the County would receive only an additional $300,000 to $400,000.
Councilman Gary Bunker believes that an additional $600,000 is the "most likely" number to be allocated from the state.
Councilman Scott Singer, as he did last year when employee raises were approved, proposed that the raises be addressed as merit raises and tied to employee performance. He offered that as an amendment.
"Across-the-board raises tells high-performing employees not to be high-performing employees, and it tells poor-performing employees not to work harder," he said.
Singer's amendment was struck down by a majority vote. Singer, Bunker and Councilman Sandy Haskell voted for the amendment; Chairman Ronnie Young and Council members Kathy Rawls, LaWana McKenzie, Charles Barton and Willar Hightower were opposed.
A second amendment resulted in adding four dispatchers, four sergeants and one vehicle tax enforcement deputy to the Sheriff's Office, totaling approximately $365,000 including vehicles and equipment. This increase in expenditures was offset by various reductions, including a $20,000 cut in funding to Aiken County Helpline 211, cuts in funds for professional services in the Tax Collector's Office and for the County Attorney, and by reassigning or absorbing through attrition four staff positions: one person in the Tax Collector's Office, one person in Probate Court, and two people in Clerk of Court.
The original recommendation was to cut funding to Helpline 211 by $80,000, but Rawls proposed reducing the cut to only $60,000. Rawls' amendment passed by majority with Haskell voting in opposition.
Another offset is $60,000, which is the salary of a Deputy Auditor. Singer repeated Tuesday that Gov. Nikki Haley's office has advised him it will not appoint a person to fill the unexpired term of County Auditor. Current County Auditor Cyrus Spradley has tendered his resignation. His last day will be June 30, but his term does not end until July 1, 2013.
Should Gov. Haley not appoint someone to serve as auditor, the current deputy auditor would likely be designated as auditor and receive the auditor's salary, according to previous Council discussions. That would free up the deputy auditor's salary.
A total of $500,000 was added to the expenditure fund of the current round of Capital Projects Sales Tax for the purchase of automobiles and light trucks. On the flip side, $500,000 was taken from the road construction fund of Capital Projects Sales Tax, money that would have paid for the paving of dirt roads. The right-of-way to pave those roads has not been granted.
Bunker said the swap plugs a "significant hole" in the budget because there was no money allocated for vehicle replacements.
An amendment was proposed that, should the state's Local Government Fund appropriations equal an additional $1.2 million for the County, $600,000 be added to the general fund for property tax relief.
"There is very little, if any, hope of getting that ($1.2 million)," Rawls said. "If we do, the money could be used elsewhere."
The amendment was not approved. Bunker voted for it while Rawls, McKenzie, Barton, Haskell, Hightower and Young voted in opposition. Singer abstained.
The budget also allocates $500,000 for a "down payment" on the Other Post-Employment Benefits health insurance program. That amount is offset by $100,000 in overages in food and meals at the detention center, $100,000 in revenue from the sales and services of Cablevision right-of-way, and $300,000 in additional funds from the state, should it be allocated.
Haley Hughes is the Aiken County government reporter and has been with the Aiken Standard since February 2007. Hughes, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, hails from Knoxville, Tenn.