AtlantaCitizensJournal.com

Commissioners okay $32K deficit budget

By ANGELA GUILLORY

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During several weeks of budget workshops commissioners whittled away at a $425,000 budget shortfall in the county’s proposed general fund budget. At the final workshop held Aug. 16 commissioners had a remaining shortfall of approximately $32,000.

Now commissioners will discuss a proposed tax rate and take a record vote and schedule public hearings on the matter.

The estimated tax revenue for the general fund is $5.2 million and the remainder will go to the jury fund and the right-of-way fund. County Auditor TammyWells said this is an estimated collection of 98 percent on the tax rate.

Departments with budgets of $200,000 or more were required to cut their budgets a total of 8 percent, while departments with budgets below $200,000 had to reduce their budgets by 5 percent.

Wells said some officials had to cut more due to increased fringe benefit costs for fiscal year 2011. A few department heads cut more than was requested by the court.

The following breakdown of information represents the percentage cuts for each department, as requested by commissioners.

– The county judge’s budget for FY 2010 was $131,810; with a 5 percent cut of $6,590.50 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $125,219.50.

– The Indigent Health Care office budget for FY 2010 was $44,242.53; with a required 5 percent cut $2,212.13 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $42,030.40.

– The County Clerk’s budget for FY 2010 was $244,770.60; with an 8 percent cut of $19,581.65 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $225,188.95.

– The District Clerk’s budget for FY 2010 was $244,656.48; with an 8 percent cut of $19,572.52 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $225,083.96.

– The Collector/Tax Assessor budget for FY 2010 was $322,391.31; with an 8 percent cut of $25,791.30 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $296,600.01.

– The Sheriff’s Department budget for FY 2010 was $1,026,188.72; with an 8 percent cut of $82,095.10 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $944,093.62.

– The Drug Enforcement budget for FY 2010 was $139,588.94; with a 5 percent cut of $6,979.45 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $132,609.49.

– The Cass County Jail budget for FY 2010 was $1,559,304.09; with an 8 percent cut of $124,744.33 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $1,434,559.76.

– The District Attorney’s budget for FY 2010 was $459,934.90; with an 8 percent cut of $36,794.79 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $423,140.11.

– The Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 budget for FY 2010 was $124,713.96; with a 5 percent cut of $118,478.26 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $118,478.26.

– The Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 budget for FY 2010 was $67,634.37; with a 5 percent cut of $3,381.72 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $64,252.65.

– The Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 budget for FY 2010 was $124,902.57; with a 5 percent cut of $6,245.13 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $118,657.44.

– The Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 budget for FY 2010 was $83,301.03; with a 5 percent cut of $4,165.05 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $79,135.98.

– The Treasurer’s office budget for FY 2010 was $133,783.65; with a 5 percent cut of $6,689.18 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $127,094.47.

– The County Court at Law budget for FY 2010 was $158,950.14; with a 5 percent cut of $7,947.51 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $151,002.63.

– The Auditor’s office budget for FY 2010 was $147,039.63; with a 5 percent cut of $7,351.98 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $139,687.65.

– The Extension Office budget for FY 2010 was $74,113.66; with a 5 percent cut of $3,705.68 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $70,407.98.

– The Highway Patrol budget for FY 2010 was $41,837.77; with a 5 percent cut of $2,091.89 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $39,745.88.

– The Aid to Other Governments budget for FY 2010 was $82,300; with a 5 percent cut of $4,115.00 it has a proposed FY 2011 budget of $78,185.00.

Departments that were not asked to cut their budgets were constables for all precincts, the Veterans Service Office, election expense, indigent health, office equipment and computers, and other miscellaneous expenses. All other funds, with the exception of the road and bridge, were not requested to cut budgets.

Commissioners operate from the Road and Bridge Fund, and a percentage is given to each precint. Any funds left over at the end of the year can be rolled over into a surplus fund accdount. The commissioners surplus fund has a total balance of $1,061,950.66. Once funds are transferred into a surplus account, they can then be allocated to other funds of the county.

Currently there is a surplus of Road and Bridge funds for Precinct 1 of $476,302.67; Precinct 2, $107,395.54; Precinct 3, $107,429.39; and Precinct 4, $370,823.06.

Due to all of the damage to roads and bridges from flooding and heavy rains the county has endured during the past year, many of the precincts are operating out of their surplus accounts until the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. All four commissioners are taking money from their surplus accounts to help fund their FY 2011 budgets.

Commissioners agreed to cut 8 percent from their proposed budgets during the budget workshops. The breakdown for each precinct is as follows:

– Precinct 1 Commissioner Brett Fitts’ Road and Bridge budget for FY 2010 was $635,389.04. He cut 8 percent from his budget, which totals $50,831.12, reducing his budget to $584,557.92. Fitts added $57,024.06 from his surplus fund to his proposed budget, giving his precinct a proposed FY 2011 budget of $641,581.98.

– Precinct 2 Commissioner Danny Shaddix’s budget for FY 2010 was $555,947.94. An 8 percent cut of $44,475.84 left his department with $511,472.10. He added $27,797.40 from his surplus to give his department a total proposed FY 2011 budget of $539,269.50.

– Precinct 3 Commissioner Paul Cothren’s budget for FY 2010 was $406,699.10. An 8 percent reduction of $32,535.93 left his department with $374,163.17. He moved $37,540.97 from surplus funds to give his department a total proposed FY 2011 budget of $411,704.14.

– Precinct 4 Commissioner Darrell Godwin’s budget for FY 2010 was $347,820.49. An 8 percent decrease of $27,825.64 left a proposed balance of $319,994.85. With a need to replace equipment, Godwin is moving $131,723.99 from his surplus fund to give his department a total proposed FY 2011 budget of $451,718.84.

Currently the county has a departmental budget where financial statement items are grouped by departments.

At the end of the budget workshop County Auditor Tammy Wells made a suggestion to the court to consider a line item budget, but the county judge rejected the idea for the 2011 budget, saying he didn’t see a need.

In a line item budget, the financial report shows the actual amount budgeted for each line item in the department’s budget and how much has been spent and what the remaining balance is to date.

Library gets $22K grant for new computers

AUSTIN – Atlanta area residents will join thousands of Texans who will gain access to new educational and economic opportunities through a major federal grant awarded to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The nearly $8 million grant, from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, will be matched by nearly $3.7 million from the commission and its partners in an initiative to provide public computing capabilities to underserved people throughout the state.

From the grant, Atlanta Public Library will receive $25,608 which is matched by $22,852 for a total of $48,460 in funding for the project to enhance learning and job opportunities.

With these funds, Atlanta Public Library will add 20 computer work stations to the seven it has now, allowing staff to help many more patrons with job searches, resume-writing and online applications so they won’t have to travel to the nearest job center, 25 miles away in the next county.

The Technology Expertise, Access and Learning for All Texans project – TEAL – will fund new or upgraded computer centers at 38 libraries and branches, plus community colleges, public schools, recreation centers and health facilities, as well as three mobile learning labs that will be used to provide computer training wherever it’s needed.

With more than 1 million unemployed Texans, a 16.3 percent poverty level and the lowest percentage of high school graduates per capita of any state, Texas desperately needs to close the digital divide so all its residents can learn, work and prosper. The federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant will fund upgrades at 125 public computer centers and create 30 new ones, including 2,200 new and 480 upgraded work stations, enabling an additional 76,000 users a week to obtain computer access while increasing average connection speeds by 5Mbps. For the 67 percent of Texans whose local library provides their only means of computer access – and only resource for online learning, job hunting, social networking and other pursuits essential to productive participation in society – these funds will foster life-changing opportunities.

"Libraries are first-responders to the needs of the community," said Sandra Pickett, chairwoman of the state library and archives commission. "It’s not just about computers and wiring. It’s about helping people connect to ways to improve their lives."