By Holly Roeder
Senior Staff Writer
The Chester County Commission voted in the 2024-2025 budget at the Monday, Aug. 6, special called meeting, with all commissioners present. The resolution to approve the tax rate at 2.1869 was approved on a 17-to-1 roll call vote with Commissioner Ricky Hardy voting no. See page 9-A of this edition to review the budget.
With a roll call vote on each item, the following budgets were approved unanimously: school system, highway department, library, general debt services and all other budgets, solid waste department and the drug fund.
In discussion of the county general budget, Budget Director Gary Irwin advised the commission that the library budget lacked $1,100 in county taxes to meet maintenance of effort, which could affect the county general if the funds are moved from county general to library. Mayor Barry Hutcherson said he is to have a meeting on the maintenance of effort and had asked each department to reduce budgets by 10%. He continued to say he expects to have a further meeting on this, which had not yet been scheduled.
Commissioner Tim Crowe requested clarification on an increase in salary for Emergency Management Agency Director Brandon Connor. Crowe asked if the increase was related to Connor’s opting out of county insurance and presented county policy and TCA law concerning county employees who opt out of county insurance.
Connor stated his salary and benefits are turned into the state for reimbursement through a grant program with a portion paid by both the city and the county. Connor further stated he had been promised the increase upon completion of training and had underspent on last year’s budget, expecting to underspend this year as well.
The county general budget passed 17-to-1 with Hardy opposed.
A resolution passed unanimously to fund the Chester County Volunteer Fire Department and a resolution to appropriate funds passed 17-to-1 with Commissioner Renee Phelps voting against.
Having been approved by the commission, the 2024-2025 budget now goes to the state auditor to be approved in coming weeks.
There was some confusion following the recent county budget committee article in the Chester County Independent in reference to funding for the local veterans’ services office. According to members of the budget committee, the office’s funding was discussed by the committee following a non-committee member’s suggestion to cut the program. The committee opted to reject the suggestion and instead voted to hire a part-time employee for the veteran’s office. This position will support director Russell Clayton and was included in the recommended budget which was approved Monday.
