Budget cuts deep
When the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners was presented with a proposed budget on May 31 that called for a 10-cent hike per $100 of valuation in property taxes, most folks expected the commission would figure out a way to reduce that shocking double-digit number. That they did, coming back only two weeks later with expense cuts that brought the increase in the millage rate all the way down to only 3 cents.
The biggest burden of those cuts falls on Cherokee County Schools, which had its appropriation from the county reduced by $600,000. As a result, school officials say they may have to cut 16 teaching jobs, or other positions, in order to make the financial books balance.
Because of the extraordinarily high number of school campuses in Cherokee County compared to other areas, commissioners have in the past funded 24 local teacher positions. That is obviously being reduced, which will make it difficult to fund a teacher for every classroom countywide unless the board of education decides to merge some schools – something the majority of local residents have found unpalatable.
Consolidation may be a four-letter word in some places, but the county’s financial strains – and this property tax increase does not cover any possible settlement concerning the two dozen lawsuits still pending against the Department of Social Services – eventually was going to put the issue back on the front-burner once again. Sad to say, another tax increase is likely on the horizon next year.
Andrews doing good
The Andrews Board of Aldermen continued what has been a turnaround year by approving a $5,216,297 budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year on June 14 that will see the town’s property tax rate remain the same.
Mayor James Reid credited Town Administrator Sandy Dobson and work done by the board of aldermen since 2018 for managing the town’s finances back into the black from a time when the state was in danger of taking over Andrews’ books. And they were able to do it while rebuilding the police and recreation departments at the same time.
The budget also includes improvements to Andrews Recreation Park, plus the water treatment plants, and moving into a new town hall, while the police department takes over all of the current facility. There’s no way to call that anything but a success story. May more good news lie ahead for the prettiest place in Cherokee County.
911 is not a joke
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners voted on June 20 to make the county’s Emergency 911 Communications its own department, which may well turn out to be a good move, but it was done in a baffling way.
Sheriff Derrick Palmer thought 911 should remain under the sheriff’s office, where it has been for more than a decade. Sheriff-elect Dustin Smith campaigned on the idea of putting 911 back under the county’s supervision. Yet, neither of them were consulted about the move before it was made official on June 20.
This is not the first time commissioners have made an important decision before consulting with the people who actually work in those fields and have considerable experience to share; the first attempt to purchase property for Emergency Medical Services Station 1 comes to mind. The best decisions are always made with the best information, but you have to ask for first it in order to receive it.