County residents can expect a bit of an increase on their annual tax bill as the millage rate increases from 108 mills to 110.18.
According to County Administrator Rhuel Dickinson, the increase is directly attributable to the school district’s requested increase of 4 percent and the shortfall of just less than $50,000 from this year’s requested budget.
The county budgeted for an across the board raise of 3 percent for employees. The board has previously budgeted for raises for themselves but have not taken the approved increases in pay. These raises also impact Board Attorney Danny Welch’s salary in addition to that of the two justice court judges, Charles Savelle and Ted Blakeney. County Prosecutor Wesley Broadhead’s salary is also tied by statute to that of the supervisors.
The Board of Supervisors plans to purchase two new garbage trucks, down from the initial proposal of four.
The new value of a mill is approximately $238,000. The amount is connected to the increased value in the county, not reappraisal. Last year a mill was valued at $231,500, which is an increase of almost $7,000 in growth.
One of the biggest financial hurdles for the county is the current cost of fuel. It is especially a big factor in the Solid Waste Department’s budget with the actual cost of diesel fuel still over $5 a gallon. While gasoline prices have dropped, the price of diesel, which powers all the county’s big machinery, has not. In some cases the cost doubled this year in budgeted amount versus actual costs. Fuel costs, despite falling in the last few weeks, are hard to predict and have a major impact on the budget.
The Sheriff’s Department also has a large gasoline bill with all the vehicles that are on call during each shift. The other department, and perhaps the largest, affected by fuel cost is the Road Department. In addition to having to buy more costly fuel, many of the actual paving materials have a petroleum base as well.
Another problem for the county is limited supplies of many required items and the delivery cost for those items.
The board also anticipates cost increases for the operations of the 9-11 Emergency Services. Replacing the county’s recorder, which is obsolete, is estimated to cost $19,000. The console, which is the heart of the emergency call operation, is also obsolete and needs to be replaced. Its cost has yet to be determined. The 9-11 call center is responsible for dispatching emergency calls for the county.
According to County Administrator Rhuel Dickinson, no new personnel are being added to this year’s budget. The cost of health insurance had increased but the carrier, Insurance Associates, was able to quote the policy through a different company, United Health, and get a better rate.
