A public hearing date has been set for the Madison County budget and tax levy. Shelton Vance, county administrator, recently requested the board approve his request to set the date for September 5.
“I would like to ask you to authorize advertising and set the budget hearing for the first Tuesday in September, which is our first September meeting date.”
Vance said the only current item expected to generate a tax increase is the Southwest Madison fire district, which had just been approved by the county for a millage increase from 1.62 to 5.62 mills.
The increase is meant to help the fire district board design and maintain a second fire station in the district.
Last month, the board held multiple budget hearings from all of the county departments, helping the supervisors draft a proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year.
For the 2017 fiscal year, officials have had to reach into reserves to cover an extra $4 million on top of the $80.1 million budget.
In light of this, District 2 Supervisor Trey Baxter, board president, has created a budget proposal for next year.
The Madison County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) was one of the organizations that would not receive a budget increase if Baxter’s proposal is approved. Baxter also cut the budget for the road department and increased the paving budget from $450,000 to $2 million.
“But every county employee’s getting a 3 percent cost-of-living raise.”
Last month, Baxter proposed that with the fantastic growth of Madison County (4.3 percent growth and $70 million increase in assessed value over the past year), one mill, or approximately $1.2 million, could be cut from county tax collections.
“This is my budget that (District 1 Supervisor Sheila Jones) and I worked on together,” he said. “The other supervisors may be working on their own budget.”
Baxter said that along with employee raises and an increased paving budget, law enforcement also received an increased budget for next year in his proposed budget.
During the county budget hearings, department budget increases for next year include the county tax assessor, county administrator, county court, youth services, justice court, the county attorney, emergency management, libraries, and sheriff administration, among others.
Decreases include the chancery clerk, circuit clerk, county comptroller, mental health court, elections, mosquito control, welfare administration, planning and zoning, and medical services, among others.
Some department budgets will remain level next year. Baxter’s proposed budget and the hearing requests can be found at www.northsidesun.com.
The board unanimously approved Vance’s recommendation.
