TIFTON — The Tift County Board of Commissioners adopted a tentative 2009-2010 budget, that won’t require a property tax increase Monday night during its regular session. The millage rate will remain the same as set for the 2008-2009 budget at 10.39 for property in the incorporated areas of the county plus 2.103 for the county’s special tax districts.
A hiring freeze set in the current budget will hold in the new budget, which begins July 1. The only department that will be able to hire replacements for open positions will be the Tift County Sheriff’s Office. The proposed 2009-2010 general fund budget, proposed at $25.6 million, is a 1.3 percent reduction from the year before. The county hasn’t raised the millage rate for taxpayers from the current 10.39 since the 2006-2007 fiscal year.
Law enforcement takes the biggest bite of the county’s budget at 29 percent, followed by public safety at 22 percent; general government at 19 percent; roads and public works at 13 percent; culture and recreation at six percent; and health and welfare at one percent.
The county government receives the largest portion of its revenue from property taxes (62.42 percent). Other revenue resources include charges for services (22.29 percent); fines and forfeitures (7.43 percent); intergovernmental revenue (4.75 percent); rents and royalties (1.64 percent); miscellaneous revenue (.58 percent); licenses and permits (.5 percent); and interest income (.39 percent).
In special tax district funds, animal control took the largest budget cut with a reduction of 9.84 percent. Mosquito control’s budget increased by 25.23 percent.
A phase-out process for outside agencies qualified to receive taxpayer dollars in the county continues in the proposed budget. The amount of funding allotted to the outside agencies represents 60 percent of the amount those agencies were funded by the county in the 2008-2009 budget.
County Manager Jim Carter instructed all departments to decrease their operating budgets by either two, three or five percent. Carter met with each department head and the finance director to compile the budget.
The county is expected to formally adopt the 2009-2010 budget on June 22.
In other business Monday, commissioners:
• Denied the request of Michael and Molinda Wise for a special exception to locate a manufactured home in R-8 zoning at 35 Pecan St.
• Approved the re-appointment of Laverne Land to the Tift County Board of Elections and Registration.
• Approved the re-appointment of Jo Griffeth, Dotty Royal and Eunice Mixon to the Tifton-Tift County Library Board.
• Approved the re-appointment of H.C. Medford to the Tift County Board of Family and Children Services.
• Appointed Tony McBrayer to the Tifton-Tift County Planning & Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Authorized the purchase of a bush hog mower from Stafford in the low bid amount of $12,485.
• Authorized the purchase of a John Deere 410J backhoe from Stafford Equipment in the low bid amount of $71,516 and the trade in of the 1994 John Deere 410D currently in inventory.
• Authorized the purchase of six sets of five-row, 27-foot bleachers and installation of them for the recreation department in the low bid of $25,478 from Outdoor Aluminum.
• Accepted the proposal of Bowen, Phillips, Carmichael, Davis and Sims to perform the county’s financial auditing service for 2009-2010 at $50,500.
• Authorized the purchase of a new water heater and installation for the jail in the low bid amount of $8,779.27 from Ken Clary & Company and installed by Central Plumbing to be paid out of the jail construction fund.
• Passed a motion authorizing Chairman Grady Thompson to sign the annual renewal leases for state agencies that lease property from the county, including the Department of Juvenile Justice, Veteran Affairs and the Department of Public Safety.
• Authorized filing of the application be filed for the Weather Radio Grant for E-911 and EMA for weather radios. The grant requires a $13,324 local match.
• Passed a motion authorizing Thompson to sign the annual renewal lease with the Department of Corrections for detail work in the county in the amount of $39,500.
To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.
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