FY 2023-24 Presents Challenges for County
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County Council’s Finance Committee is searching for ways to fund essential capital improvements in the fiscal year 2023-24 budget, which as a working number of $277 million.
Almost $!5 million is being requested for critical needs, those identified as structural or safety issues.
The county owns 109 structures, which includes buildings, but airport hangers, picnic shelters and other sites. The roof and other issues at the historic courthouse are considered the most urgent, with $3.5 million needed to repair a roof with serious leakage issues. The repairs, which have been put off due to past budget constraints, must be completed in the year ahead or there is a risk of structural damage to the courthouse, which was constructed in 1898 and repaired in the early 1990s to protect the structure. An additional $3 million would be needed to repair other issues with the building, which still serves as the seat of county government, but will likely be put off due to other pressing needs.
At the committee’s first public meeting, a presentation of the need for a new contract for a medical contract for the Anderson County Detention Center highlighted the need for replacing the current provider with a new group which would provide greater coverage – including staffing – at a similar cost. The current provider, Medico, offered a bid of $1.6 million (up form $1.3 million last year), while the new provider, Genisys’ bid of $1.7 million includes “a higher level of care with more staff and equipment.”
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is also seeking $100,000 for new tasers for all officers in the new budget. Currently only 30 percent of officers have tasers and those in use are technology that has aged out to the point that batteries and parts are difficult to find.
The department is also seeking four new positions, a civilian records clerk (due to brining files up to date and protecting the liability of the office), a pair of cold case officers and two rural patrol officers. The Rural Patrol Initiative currently has two officers who service the entire county, but providing a community presence, which Anderson County Chief Deputy Ross Brown says has met with “unbelievably positive” response.
Three other new positions were also mentioned as part of the new budget, an assistant to the parks department (the county’s 41 parks are currently served by a single employee) and two positions to help with urgent needs in the roads and bridges department.
A three percent across the board salary increase for county employees is also on the table for the new budget. Employee salaries and benefits account for 71 percent of the county’s budget.
The working $277 million budget, and increase of $42 million over the current fiscal year budget. Inflation, the cost of goods and materials and growth are all reflected in the increase.
“This budget is a work in progress,” said Anderson County Council Vice Chairman Brett Sanders, who chairs the finance committee. “We had a very good meeting Thursday, but we still have a long way to go.”