There are some common sense ways to rein in the budget
Editor, The Times:
I love Pierce County. I've lived here nearly my entire life. My extended family is here. My kids are here. The newest addition to my family, my granddaughter is here. I want to ensure Pierce County remains both the best place to live in South Georgia, but also an affordable place to live. The proposed budget, with the accompanying millage increase, puts that in jeopardy.
I might be a little old-fashioned, but I believe that every taxpayer dollar spent should be justified. I believe that a budget is a budget for a reason, and that there should be accountability when that budget is not followed.
I believe that leaders, whether they are supervisors, department heads, appointed or elected officials, are responsible for setting that tone. Leaders should be the first to hold themselves accountable for their own budget, and strive to ensure they do not exceed their budget outside of justifiable, extenuating circumstances.
From my review of the Pierce County’s FY2024 budget (the last completed FY budget on record), this is not happening in Pierce County.
In the first public hearing, a common theme shared by both the commissioners and the county manager was for us, the taxpayers, to give you ideas for ways to reduce the budget. For those of us who are not a part of the day-to-day operations of the county, and only have numbers on a spreadsheet to go by, that is a very difficult task. It seems to me, and my understanding of local government, this is what we elected you to do. This is in turn what you appointed and pay a very, very good salary to the county manager to do. Manage. The. Budget.
I've spent the last week reviewing the FY2024 budget, comparing budgeted amounts versus actual amounts from the conclusion of the fiscal year. Last week, I sent the county manager a report of my findings with literal highlighted concerns and red flags. Those notes and concerns are available to anyone in this meeting via scanning a QR code I have made. Unfortunately, my scheduled meeting with the county manager where we were supposed to discuss my findings was cut short due to a scheduling conflict with Mr. Maddox, so I was not able to get full clarity. Many of my concerns remain unanswered.
Pierce County is growing. There are new homes and new subdivisions popping up all over the county. Near my home the country club is starting its third expansion, full of lots at more than $50,000 an acre, and homes well over $500,000 being constructed. By default, this means additional tax revenue for the county. Does the recent digest reflect these changes?
While none of us can escape the effects of inflation, there are some common sense ways to rein in the county budget and prevent further taxation on our community. Developing a “wants” and “needs” list for each department and if funds are available at the end of the year those purchases can be decided on by the commissioners if the budget allows, rather than include all these wish list items in the budget at the start of the year. Instead of leasing new vehicles for county employees to drive around in, purchase vehicles for the “essential services” and pass these down to the county employees for the remainder of their service life. Simple oversight and not allowing cost centers to go over budget on non-essential purchases such as: office supplies, meals, travel, computer repair/purchases and schools and seminars would save taxpayers tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The board has a fairly accurate account for what the county will bring in based on the digest (assuming the recent spike in new homes has been added). Just like every one of us in this room, it is the commissioners’ job to create a budget that can fit within this amount, without the need to use emergency savings and without increasing the millage rate. This is nothing more than what every taxpayer is having to do; make it work with what we got. It seems we keep hearing that the only options are increasing the millage rate or pulling from County savings. I strongly encourage a third option, which is reduce the county budget!
I have three pages of questions regarding the budget from my research. I offered to both review my concerns of the FY2024 and ask these questions regarding the FY2026 budget with the county manager in a video podcast that can be recorded and distributed online, however as of this writing he has not responded to this request.
After our initial meeting was cut short due to a “scheduling conflict”, I hope to meet with the county manager in the near future to ask these questions and report back to taxpayers of the county.
Blake Edwards Blackshear
