County holds first budget session

By Jennifer Harris, The Warren Record

May 21, 2008

In their first budget work session held last week, county commissioners seemed to have reached agreement on additional budget expenditures after hearing requests from several county department heads. When the meeting was over, those expenses reflected almost 3 additional cents on the tax rate, which the county manager had already proposed to increase by 10 cents. Commissioners gave a directive, however, that department heads voluntarily cut their budgets by 5 percent.

The largest request that seems likely to make it into the budget was from Sheriff Johnny Williams, for four new deputy positions and related vehicles in the amount of $307,714.

Currently, the Sheriff's Office patrols the county in three zones. Williams said additional deputies would allow him to reduce the size of those zones and create a fourth zone for better coverage and quicker response time. He noted this would also produce better coverage for the Lake Gaston area, and chided commissioners for not giving him the extra employees he asked for in the last budget cycle.

"I told you last year crime was coming to Lake Gaston," Williams said. "Since then there've been three robberies and ... break-ins. It's there."

Williams said the extra positions would also allow him to have five deputies working per shift instead of the current four.

"I think it's time for us to back up our talk with some action," Commissioner Barry Richardson said. "I don't see how we can sit here ... and not give the sheriff any additional deputies."

Chairman Clinton "T-Bone" Alston said that several months ago he talked with some Warren County deputies who were accepting employment elsewhere and learned that their reason for leaving was because they were able to get better benefits somewhere else.

Williams said that an employee advancement or incentives package would help. Other department heads that appeared during the work session echoed that sentiment.

Additional requests from department heads were an incentive program for tax administration employees upon completion of training or certification; an additional maintenance worker in the buildings and grounds department; salary increases for two Register of Deeds employees; reinstatement of travel and other expenses for the Department of Social Services; restoration of a clerk's position and pay increases for two employees at the library.

The board's next budget work session is scheduled for Monday, June 2 after their regular monthly meeting. Remaining department heads are expected to make their requests at that time.