County Board eyes agencies’ staff numbers

BY SUSAN GIBBS Record Reporter
Published: April 9, 2008

Greene’s Board of Supervisors set its tone for the coming budget season at its workshop Monday, March 31, when it decided against paying $500 for a new podium in the County’s meeting room.

Instead, it will opt to have students at the Greene County Technical Center build one for the cost of supplies – about $100.

It’s this apparently no frills approach that could keep the Board from having to raise taxes this year, which Board Chairman Steve Catalano says he doesn’t want to do. 

Reached after the workshop, Catalano said: “I am dedicated to shrinking government rather than raising taxes in such a difficult year. The Board seems to be in agreement to this point that our core responsibility is to our citizens who financially cannot take much more.”

A total of $1,877,000 in local funding is being requested by all Greene agencies. With projected revenue of $1,478,533, the Board is facing a $398,467 shortfall off the top, if all agency requests are funded. 

Given the challenges, Catalano announced that the Board aims to keep the county payroll from over-swelling.

“We are not looking to add staff in the new budget year,” Catalano said, “only to replace certain staff members if they leave.”

As a result, Board members, at this point, are discussing all operations, including the number of deputies at the Sheriff’s Office and a personnel request by Commonwealth Attorney Ronald Morris.

At the March 31 workshop, Board Member Carl Schmitt remarked: “We’ve got an over-staffed Sheriff’s Office, compared to others.”

Board Vice-chair Buggs Peyton agreed.

“For the last several years, we, the County, have supported three more deputies than the population justifies,” Peyton said. “We agreed to that hoping that the population would catch up to it, but it has not. I would certainly hope that we as a Board would take that into consideration.”

Board Member Jeri Allen commented: “The Sheriff’s Office, among all the budget requests we get, is the second highest. They are asking for a 35 percent increase.”

Major Randall Snead made the Sheriff’s Office’s request for $85,000 in local funds at the Board’s March 19 workshop, noting that his agency suffered from a high attrition rate due to low pay. He also reminded the Board that for two years, he has been working on a three-year plan, approved by the Board, to bring deputies’ salaries up to a competitive level.

Referring to that three-year plan at the March 19 workshop, Snead told the Board: “Our biggest increase … is going to be in salary.”

But at the March 31 workshop, Catalano said, “The last year of (the salary program) might need to be bumped up four or five years.”

Reached this week after the March 31 workshop, Snead declined comment for this article.

The Commonwealth Attorney’s office has requested that a part-time assistant’s salary be picked up by the County and that the position be shifted from part-time to full-time.

The position is currently paid for by a state grant, but the grant may not be funded after the end of the year, says Greene’s Finance Director and Assistant County Administrator Tracy Morris.

Speaking at the workshop, Peyton said: My philosophy is so goes the grant money, so goes the program. The County can’t keep picking up programs.”

Allen said, “I can’t remember a single instance where this board has committed to continuation of a grant.”

Ronald Morris, who was out of town at press time, could not be reached for comment, but he will have time to do so, given that no decisions have been reached at this stage of the process.

“The discussions that are going on now are workshops,” notes Tracy Morris. “Nothing has been finalized.”

The Board has scheduled special meetings with the Sheriff’s Office and the School Board – which has requested $662,553 in local funds – Tuesday, April 8, but results of that workshop were not available at press time.

The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. at William Monroe High School.