Murphy – Cherokee County commissioners added several expenditures to the upcoming fiscal year budget.
During a work session May 26, commissioners unanimously voted to increase the county’s insurance coverage limit by 200 percent. Cherokee County is insured through the N.C. Association of County Commissioners’ Risk Management Pools, with a coverage limit of $2 million per occurrence. Commissioners voted to increase that limit to $6 million per occurrence.
Officials say the county’s insurance premium was scheduled to increase about $36,000 before the increase in coverage limit. With the increased coverage, the county will pay an additional $66,550 annually to maintain its insurance policy.
Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of spending about $965,000 on requests made by the Cherokee County Board of Education. The money will be used to pay for bus driver raises and benefits, a 3 percent supplement to teachers, a nutrition building, cyber liability insurance and a 5 percent appropriation (of the newly approved expenses) to the charter school.
Commissioners Jan Griggs and Cal Stiles both opposed each of the school board’s requests.
County lawmakers also voted 3-2 in favor of providing the Cherokee County Arts Council $4,500 to pay for various expenses. Commissioners Dan Eichenbaum and Gary “Hippie” Westmoreland opposed those expenditures.
Commissioners unanimously voted to hire two new sheriff’s deputies and spend $147,823 on a full-body security screening system for the Cherokee County Detention Center. Law enforcement officials say the body scanner will save the county millions of dollars in legal fees by detecting drugs and other contraband that is being smuggled into the jail through body cavities.
At one point during the meeting, Griggs asked whether the board would have to raise the millage rate to cover these additional expenses. County finance director Candy Anderson said there’s enough money in fund balance to cover them for the upcoming fiscal year. However, a property tax increase may be needed in the future to cover the new recurring expenses, such as the teacher supplement, bus driver raises and additional deputies.
“There’s also the possibility that income will increase [to cover the expenses],” Eichenbaum said in response.