Some Franklin Co. Elected Officials Express Budget Concerns

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Some Franklin County elected officials are not happy with their proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget.

Franklin County taxpayers and elected officials got a look at the proposed FY 17 budget earlier this month at a required public hearing before a vote on it this week.

According to Franklin County Manager Beth Thomas, the General Fund budget for FY 2017 is down about $908,000 from FY 2016 because of a reduction in Franklin County’s revenue stream.

However, Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas was not pleased that his budget was lower then he anticipated.

Thomas said he was looking for $4.1 million in his FY 17 budget, but was given $3.7 million – 4 percent less than last year.

He said he needs to able to keep quality employees.

“My supervisors are training new people everyday because we cannot keep the people we have trained,” said Thomas. “All that does is break down our system. The people that we’re training are going somewhere else for more money and I can’t blame them for that.”

The county manager said, however, she had not received any budget numbers from the Sheriff for FY 2017.

Meanwhile, Franklin County Clerk of Superior Court Missy Holbrook was also not pleased.

Holbrook’s budget for FY 17 is $335,000, a one percent decrease from this fiscal year.

She had also requested one additional employee in FY 17 at cost of $48,000, but that request was denied.

Holbrook said she wants what she wants.

“I asked for what I need and I’m going to have to have what I need,” she insisted. “Now if that causes a shortfall, I’m sorry. We give you a true and correct budget that we have to work with; that we need to work with. I hate it, but the figures I proposed are the figures I need. So don’t come to me next year and tell me I’ve gone over budget, because I gave you the figures I need.”

Franklin County Commissioner Jeff Jacques said he was sympathetic with both Holbrook and Thomas, but questioned where the money would come from to cover these requests.

“My question to you is, you see the state we’re in,” Jacques told Thomas and Holbrooks. You see a tax digest that’s yielding the same or less revenue. You see with the reduced gas prices, it’s generating less sales tax. You see the mandated raises for elected officials, the additional excise tax mandated by the state for the county. My question to you is, how do you propose we pay for the increases you’re suggesting?”

Franklin County Commissioners are expected to vote on their Fiscal Year 2017 budget Tuesday.