A proposed 2012 budget for Jefferson County that reflects an increase of less than one percent compared to this year’s budget will be considered when the County Quorum Court meets in committees Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
The total proposed budget is $12,588,040.61, with $9.067,242.61 allocated to county general and another $3,520,798 for the county road department.
County Judge Mike Holcomb said the slight increase was because the county’s contribution to employees’ retirement increased, as did dental insurance contributions.
“Also, we’re not getting the funding for the OEM (Office of Emergency Management) people that we used to get,” Holcomb said. “We lost that and had to pick up their salaries.”
Previously, the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program paid a portion of those salaries, but since the chemical stockpile has been destroyed at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, that money is no longer flowing into the county.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We’re not seeing a big increase in tax money either,” Holcomb said. “With the economy the way it is, people are putting off paying their taxes or paying them later than they did in the past.”
In addition, the county has paid out $1.1 million so far this year to companies who sought a rebate on their sales taxes because of a state law that went into effect earlier.
“That’s a law that needs to be changed,” Holcomb said. “It’s not only hurting us but it’s hurting every city and county in this state.”
In prior years, many county agencies and departments asked for budget adjustments during the course of the year to cover expenses, but Holcomb said this coming year is going to be different.
“We’re trying our best to give them a true budget and are going to ask them to live within that budget,” he said.
Holcomb said several departments and agencies had approached him wanting budget adjustments to help them finish out this year and he had to turn the requests down.
“Right now, we have no money left and if the money is not there, we can’t give it to them,” he said.
Under Arkansas law, the county can only appropriate 90 percent of their projected revenue, leaving the remaining 10 percent in reserve.
While county employees will not receive salary increases next year, at least based on the proposed budget, Holcomb said “we’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to cut any jobs, lay any body off or cut any salaries.”