Council adopts $16 million budget with a 4-mil increase

After this past Thursday’s public hearing, Marion County Council members adopted the 2009-10 fiscal year budget, which includes a four-mil increase for property owners.

County Administrator Tim Harper reported on the overview of the budget. One mil in Marion County equates to $65,500, Harper said. “Many of our revenues are down this year,” Harper said, adding that spending has been cut over $500,000 and a local government fund reduction of $368,000.

With a number of economic issues up in the air, Harper said he submitted a tight budget. The budget includes no increase in solid waste fees, fire fees, salary or cost of living increase for employees.
Projected revenue and expenses will total $16,292,450, he said, a 3.13 percent decrease from this past year.

“Yes, we have tightened our belts and this is a very tight budget,” Chairman John Q. Atkinson said. Council member Alan Floyd commended Harper on his work on the budget and said he felt good about the proposal.

“I know the county has to have money to operate, but I still got to go by my political promise and not vote for mil increases,” Council member Eloise Rogers said before casting the lone vote against the budget.

“In order to maintain the same type services that we have available now, we do have to make some adjustments,” Council member Elista Smith said, adding that the budget was done extremely well for the upcoming year.

Council members received a visit from members of the Canaan Land Revival Temple. Evangelist Dessie McKelvy told council members about the church’s plans to build a sanctuary on American Legion Road in Marion. The 4,000 square foot facility will offer after school tutoring, adult daycare, food bank and emergency shelter, she said. “We’re hoping to start construction in November,” she said.

County Council members also voted to terminate prior approval to the county’s agreement with the City of Marion regarding plans to provide the city with $36,000 over four years for a county EMS crew to be stationed within the city’s soon-to-be-built fire substation.

County officials will, instead, seek to renovate the county administration building to house the crew and the county’s Emergency Operations Center. Both are in the Beeson Multipurpose Building on Airport Road of U.S. Highway 76.