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Hawkins leaders project budget deficit near $500,000

Published May 28th, 2008 | 1 Comments

ROGERSVILLE — Hawkins County department heads know to approach the County Commission’s Budget Committee this week with a “bare bones” spending proposal, County Mayor Crockett Lee said Wednesday.

That also goes for county contribution requests that will be heard by the Budget Committee Friday, Lee added.

It’s too early to begin talking about a Hawkins County property tax rate for 2008-09, but Lee said Wednesday the general fund is currently facing a deficit in the vicinity of a half million dollars. A more concrete deficit figure is pending completion of budget hearings at the end of this week.

But Lee said real work on the 2008-09 Hawkins County budget isn’t likely to begin until early July, when the county school system is expected to submit its 2008-09 budget proposal.

That’s why the County Commission approved a continuing budget resolution when it met in regular session last week. The continuing budget resolution will keep the county operating on 2007-08 figures for a couple of months until the new budget is approved.

The Hawkins County Commission has approved property tax increases in the past four consecutive years.

“Right now we’re just listening to the departments’ budget proposals, and we’re not going to take any action until we’ve heard everybody,” Lee said. “It’s going to be tight — about like it has in the past. The proposed budget, without asking for any new spending, does have a negative deficit.

“That’s going to have to change, and everybody is well aware of the fact that we’re having hard times. The numbers that most officeholders are giving us are pretty bare bones.”

Lee added that the projected deficit at this time is “close to half a million” although he was reluctant to state a specific number. It’s too early for that, he said.

Lee said the biggest spending increases in Hawkins County are in the employee health benefit cost, and of course gasoline.

“We’re going to whittle away what we can, but whether or not we can whittle all the way (to a balanced budget) is yet to be determined,” Lee said. “Everybody wants to look at making ends meet rather than go back to ask for more tax dollars. It’s too premature to talk about that yet.”

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The county simply can not keep raising taxes every single year. They are going to have to cut spending. Unfortunately, budgets are going to pet projects that are improperly scoped such as the jail project. The economy is going into a tailspin. People are suffering. Food pantries and soup kitchens are seeing more and more people who are desperate for help even to eat. And yet the county employees feel entitled to continue with their premium benefits and salaries. It is time to start looking at these and seeing what can be cut. Those dissatisfied with this would be free to look for work in some other county.

Jeremiah Jones | 5/29/2008 - 5:04 AM - ( Comment

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