Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis told the Bradley County Commission on Monday he was able to put together a budget without a tax increase that still allowed most agencies to get their requests.
"When you have a growing community, you can budget based on growth without raising taxes," he said.
The increases in the $35.1 million budget include jumping the SPCA that operates the county animal shelter from $80,000 to $120,000. Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber expressed alarm at the increase, saying, "In five years we are going to be right back where we were - just for housing the animals, not picking them up."
He said Sheriff Eric Watson has expressed an interest in getting involved in animal pickup, citing similar success with the sheriff's office in Sullivan County. He said the litter grant may also be turned over to the sheriff, saying he has volunteered to help clean up a cemetery that he said the highway department was not taking care of.
"We are next going to turn parks and recreation over to the sheriff," laughed the vice chairman.
The budget includes using $210,000 in growth in the property tax collections for raises for county firefighters. .
The breakdown would be $3,000 for each of the 30 firefighters, $2,000 for engineers, $1,000 for lieutenants and captains and two percent for upper-level staff.
County Mayor Davis said he knows the fire proposal "is not going to fly" since the commission earlier voted higher raises. The commission since has been reconsidering and sent the matter back to the finance committee. It meets later this week.
The county mayor said any higher fire raises would mean a tax increase.
Commissioner Charlotte Peak-Jones said, "If I got a $3,000 raise, I would be patting myself on the back."
Other employees would get two percent pay increases.
County Mayor Davis said the Bradley County Schools are getting just what they asked for, though the department based its budget on a four percent growth in revenue - more than the two percent "conservative" approach of the county mayor. "I think they'll make it," he said.
Dr. Linda Cash, the new county school director, was at the meeting along with six of the county school board members.
County Mayor Davis said the budget includes $150,000 for an architect to begin drawing plans for a new workhouse facility.
.He said the budget pays the county debt down another $4.3 million.
The county mayor said by 2016-2017, the county will have paid off the industrial park and Exit 20 interchange debt along with the Wacker incentives and the Veterans Home. He said, "Then we can begin working on some new projects."
The commission voted down a bid award for reroofing the Eureka fire hall. County Mayor Davis said the two low bidders did not meet the criteria. He said the third lowest bidder, High Point Construction, was approved by county staff and the fire board.
Its bid was $19,416, and $20,000 was budgeted for the project. The next bid was $30,000.
Commissioner Peak-Jones had problems with some of the bidders and asked for a rebid.
Finally, there was a vote on High Point that failed.
County Mayor Davis said, "Now you've left yourself with a fire hall with a leaking roof."