CLARKESVILLE — Habersham County Commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday night to approve the Fiscal Year 2019 budget.
The general fund budget totals $22,835,743
“We did approve our budget and approved the county millage rate tonight,” Commission Chairman Victor Anderson said after the meeting. “There were some increases in our budget. A large percentage of that was due to personnel adjustments, additional personnel being hired, and pay raises. The bulk of the pay raises were for our public safety departments – not all of them, but a large majority.”
But the vote at Thursday night’s called meeting didn’t come before more than an hour of discussion with four residents who attended the public hearing.
Ronnie Lovell asked commissioners to explain some of the numbers included in the proposed budget.
Larry Shedd of Clarkesville said he understands the need to pay his fair share of taxes, but said he would have preferred the proposed increases to be phased in over time rather than hitting him to the tune of a 19-percent increase between proposed millage and increased valuation of his property.
Shedd also praised the county’s public safety departments, saying he favors significant raises for all public safety personnel because of the jobs they do for the residents of the county.
Carl Blackburn questioned the wording of a county-issued press release on the budget, and specific line items from his complete copy of the county budget.
After asking numerous questions, Blackburn was stopped for a moment by Commissioner Andrea Harper, who said she wished he would have come to the four days of budget meetings with department heads so he would understand the reasons for commissioners’ budgeting decisions.
“I know you have a full-time job, but if you would please come to our budget hearings when we’re meeting with our departments and understand what we’re doing,” Harper said.
“At 10 o’clock in the morning, I’m at work,” Blackburn replied.
“I understand that,” Harper said. “I’m sorry it doesn’t fit into your schedule, but we meet with every department. We count the number of gravel that’s put on the road. We listen to the sheriff. We listen to every department, and they all want and need more. They’re never asking for more than what they actually need. They’re accepting less because they work with us.”
“And that’s what you’re elected for,” Blackburn told Harper. “As a citizen, I have the right to stand up here and tell you that sometimes I don’t think you should vote for some stuff that I don’t think you need. That’s my prerogative.”
“That is your prerogative, and we appreciate you being here,” Harper told Blackburn.
Also after the meeting, Anderson discussed the process of refining the budget.
“Overall, we have worked hard to try to minimize the total impact on the taxpayers for the revisions that we’ve made,” Anderson said. “It does yield a tax increase due to assessments, reassessments, and also a 0.367 millage increase, a small increase in our EMS rate, and about a 0.2-mill increase in our hospital bond rate.”
The 2018 millage rate, which generates property tax revenue to fund the FY19 budget, was set at 11.543, Habersham Countywide Hospital millage rate of 1.203 at the bond value, and Emergency Medical Services millage rate of 0.447.
Commissioners Natalie Crawford and Ed Nichols were out of town and not in attendance for the meeting.
