By Erin Smith
The Bladen County Board of Commissioners held a second budget meeting on Wednesday evening. The Commissioners reviewed Capital projects and personnel requests.
Bladen County Manager Greg Martin told the board county staff still have not received the preliminary budget requests from the Bladen County Board of Education and Bladen Community College. He said they typically submit those requests to the county in May.
Martin once again began the evening by reviewing the 2017 audited fund balance with the board. Martin said as of Wednesday, the county will need to use $682,000 from fund balance to complete the fiscal year. That is down from an earlier estimate of $803,000.
He attributed the additional funds needed to unexpected which have come up throughout the year such as the Joseph Sledge case. The total fund balance is estimated to be $24,239,379 by June 30th, 2018, according to Martin. He stressed these are estimates at this time.
“As far as the upcoming budget plan, we want to ensure recurring revenue equal or exceed operating expenses and consider the use of fund balance for capital or non-inventoriable items,” said Martin.
He explained that non-invetoriable items are any items purchased that fall below a $5,000 threshold.
After reviewing the fund balance, Martin discussed personnel and additional positions, capital items, and education contained within the draft budget.
“Our recurring revenues, as you know, are limited in growth from year to year whereas it seems like expenditures can easily grow at a faster rate. So, we are bumping up to the point that our recurring expenditures are nearing our recurring revenue and so we’ve got to be mindful of containing those,” said Martin.
Next, Martin reminded personnel requests and other issues with the board. Requested personnel for the upcoming budget year include:
an Environmental Assistant which is projected to be shared by both Housekeeping and Emergency Services;
The Bladen County Sheriff’s Department has requested three Sheriff’s Deputies, six School Resource Officers, four detention officers, and two telecommunicators;
a shelter attendant was requested for the Animal Control;
a part-time Emergency Planner for Emergency Services;
reclassification of a part-time nutrition coordinator to a full-time position;
a Health Educator I for the Health Department;
DSS has requested a Human Services Evaluator and a Computer Support Technician II, and
Cooperative Extension has requested a part-time office support position.
Total salary for all of the requested positions is projected to be $956,453.
Commissioner Charles Ray Peterson asked if the salary for the School Resource Officers should be funded in the Board of Education’s budget rather than the Sheriff’s Office budget.
Martin replied, “There is a one time cost to the county. It shows up twice as an expense to the county in the appropriation to the school system and in the appropriation to the Sheriff’s Office, but we have a revenue coming back in from the school system (to cover the SROs). So it’s a net one time cost.”
Martin also briefly discussed the misdemeanant program. The proposal calls for housing misdemeanants from other counties in the Bladen County Jail. The county has allotted 40 beds to house inmates from other counties. The costs to those counties will be $40 per day per inmate. This will cover meals and medical care.
Commissioner Michael Cogdell asked about the four additional jailers which are being requested. Sheriff Jim McVicker said the additional jailers are being requested because they are currently understaffed not because of the misdemeanant program.
“Why we need additional staffing? It’s because we started too low and we knew that when we did that and we wanted to get in. Remember I told everybody we’d try it. We did and we need at this time four additional detention officers,” said Sheriff McVicker.
Martin went to discuss the proposed capital projects and non-inventoriable items. Proposed items in the capital budget include but are not limited to a plotter for the Geographic Information System, building maintenance items for the health department, building maintenance items for the Powell-Melvin Agricultural Center, purchase of ten patrol cars and a K-9, and work at the Sheriff Training building at White Lake.
Martin also discussed employee compensation. He noted that the draft budget document addresses the employee step system and holiday bonus pay. Currently, the draft budget does not offer a cost of living adjustment. Several board members expressed concerns regarding the lack of a cost of living adjustment.
Other items discussed included a need for additional parking at the County Park located on US 701 South.
No votes were taken during Wednesday’s meeting. The Commissioners meet again Monday, April 30, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Meeting Room at the Bladen County Courthouse to continue work on the budget.
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