The Chester County Commission held a special-called meeting Monday to discuss the approval of the 2022-2023 proposed county budget and approve the county’s new budget director.
Before the budget could be approved, the approval for the use of the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to be transferred into the general fund to pay expenses for the General Government Services dating back to March 3, 2021 had to be approved first.
Kelsey Schweitzer of CTAS, County Technical Assistance Service, explained to the commission and the audience how any small governments that were to receive under $10 million could claim their entire amount as loss of revenue even if there was not really a loss of revenue. It was the county’s decision.
Schweitzer and Commissioner Tim Crowe explained how essentially it gets rid of the “red-tape of the federal government” which includes the paperwork and criteria of using the funds for different projects and the timeline having the money obligated by 2024 and spent by 2026.
Commissioner Terry Bell motioned to transfer the funds and that the funds be placed in a reserve account in the general fund. Commissioner Diane Jordan seconded the motion. All commissioners who were present voted in favor. The two commissioners who were absent were Russell Clayton and Joseph Melaro.
All of the budgets were approved but not all of the commissioners voted to approve the county general budget and the Solid Waste Budget.
Commissioner Ann Moore motioned to approve the county general budget and it was seconded by Diane Jordan. The motion passed with a vote of 13-3 with Commissioners Kevin Faulkner, Jackie Butler and Barry Smith voting against it.
They were against doing so since the county general budget reported that the expenditures of the county general budget were close to a million dollars more than the amount of revenue the county had coming in.
The county would be fine for now with the money left from selling the building of the old nursing home at $885,583, plus the money the county is required to have saved by the state which is estimated at $1.9 million and the addition of ARPA funds.
No decisions were made though. Smith repeatedly urged the commissioners that the problem needed to be solved. Otherwise, the issue at hand would be even larger in the future.
With one solution being to increase property taxes, he said that the commissioners went to him earlier and told him that they would not like to increase property taxes this year. When it came to making cuts. Crowe explained how making cuts could lead to the county commission getting sued by the officials that are in the office of the cuts. He said that if anyone on the commission or from the community had cuts they wanted, he wanted them to tell exactly where they would like to see the cuts be.
Brandon Garner of the community suggested that since the public officials were getting the mandated state increases, they should pay 100% of their healthcare.
Crowe and the county attorney explained how the county commission can not tell them how they handle their money.
Garner said that they should step up on their own then.
When it came to the Solid Waste Budget, Commissioners Jackie Butler and Al Mckinnon voted against approving the budget though it passed with a vote of 14-2.
The person who was hired for the budget director position was Gary Irwin. Irwin’s salary will begin at $65,000 and will increase to $67,000 after he gets his CPFO (Certified Public Finance Officer) certification. He was approved by all of the commissioners that were present.
Fixing the tax rate for the 2022-23 fiscal year at 2.0369 was approved 16-0.
Another item on the agenda was for the “Board of Zoning Appeals” to be paid equal to standing committees of the county for future and past meetings. With a motion by Commissioner Mike Alexander and a second by Carolyn Higgins, it passed with a 15-1 vote. Al Mckinnon voted against it.
The following other motions were approved 16-0.
-The motion to approve and adopt the Educational Support Program for the State Department of Health employees to be paid by Chester County, and to be reimbursed by the State of Tennessee
-The motion to approve the general debt service budget and all other budgets
-The motion to approve the resolution for funding Chester County volunteer fire departments
-The motion to approve the resolution for charitable contributions for the year of 2022-23
-The motion to approve a resolution for making appropriations for various funds, departments, institutions, offices and other agencies of Chester County.
