by Blake Proctor
Prior to the regular May 17th County Commission meeting, the Board met for a second budget workshop to see how the proposal looks following budget discussions on May 3rd.
At 5:05 pm sharp, Chairman Charles Ray gaveled the meeting to order. Commissioners Ophelia Munn-Goins and Arthur Bullock were in attendance via Zoom. Commissioner Reverend Cameron McGill offered the invocation and County Manager Greg Martin led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Chairman Peterson turned the meeting over to Mr. Martin, who presented a PowerPoint presentation; all Commissioners had the same documents in hard copy to follow along. Seated at the podium with Mr. Martin to provide any needed budget detail or insight was Finance Director Lisa Coleman.
Mr. Martin began his budget overview by reiterating the “guiding principles” for this budget:
- First of course, the budget is developed in accordance with the State’s Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act, the Holy Grail for all government entities in North Carolina.
- The second principle is to provide funding for the core services of public safety, education, and social services, addressing the needs of all Bladen County citizens.
- And lastly, to develop a spending plan that will maintain the existing property tax rate.
He followed up on these principles by summarizing the factors influencing the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-2022 budget preparation: In no particular order, these included the Federal Inmate Program, the uncertainty of Medicaid transformation, employee compensation and benefits, and capital items.
Highlighting the General Fund, Mr. Martin said proposed revenues were $47,608,914, an increase of 5.8%. He assured the Board that the current tax rate of 82¢ per $100 value would not change in the upcoming year. Any use of Fund Balance will be solely for one-time capital items.
He advised that the current tax base is $2,959,508,754, with an anticipated collection rate of 96.17%. Each penny of the tax rate is projected to generate $284,625; total ad valorem taxes are expected to bring in a total of $23,339,274.
The County is allocating $1,805,183 for these capital items, as follows: $1,206,708 for General Capital Needs; $170,000 for Solid Waste Capital Outlays; $105,000 that has been saved up for the Health Department; $212,475 for Facilities Fees; and, $212,475 that has been put aside for the upcoming Revaluation.
Only two additional personnel are requested for FY 2022, and they are both in Emergency Medical Services (EMS); that Department has a need for another Paramedic and one additional Basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for a combined additional personnel cost of $106, 956.
In FY 2020-2021, the County gave no Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA); a 5.0% COLA is therefore now being proposed. The total net additional cost of this COLA, including increases in FICA, retirement, and 401k plans, as well as the actual pay increases, is budgeted at$856, 014.
The County has four items of debt payments totaling $1,201,863 that require servicing: The largest is the new Law Enforcement Center whose annual debt of $947,710 is coming from payments by the Federal government to the County for housing federal inmates.
Qualified School Construction Bond payments of $134,330 are being paid from Sales Tax revenues and from an IRS education payment program.
EMS has budgeted to make annual payments of $39,859 for stretchers and $79,704 for monitors; this amount is appropriated in the operating budget and is paid out annually.
The County budget for the Bladen School System is $6,831,521 for next year, which includes a County Sales Tax appropriation of $1,675,790. The County has also appropriated $1,064, 551 for Bladen Community College, which this year includes a $400,000 capital outlay to meet an ADA compliance audit.
The General Fund also helps fund five smaller related public service agencies in the amount of $295,266
Aside from the General Fund – the 900-pound budget gorilla in the room – the County operates two Enterprise Funds: the Bladen County Water District and the County Solid Waste Fund.
The total Water System budget for FY 2022 is projected at $2,630,289; of this amount, $1,341,225, or 51% of the System’s entire revenue flow, is to pay the annual debt service.
The Solid Waste Fund budget is $3,078,508, which will include $337,300 for capital items.
Mr. Martin summed up his presentation by making three observations:
- This budget includes a large appropriation to fund a 5% COLA and the required increase in employee fringe benefits;
- Financial projections closely reflect anticipated revenue sources with an increasing reliance on ad valorem taxes;
- This budget appropriates available Fund Balance for General Funds capital expenditures only.
All questions evidently having been answered satisfactorily, the meeting adjourned at 6:14 pm in preparation for the regularly scheduled Board meeting. No additional workshops were scheduled prior to adjournment.
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