Faced with a $2.2 million revenue shortfall for FY2010, the Barrow County Board of Commissioners declined to make any decision this week on how to balance the county budget.
Instead, the board decided to ask the public to decide between raising taxes, or making cuts in services – cuts likely to come in the sheriff’s office and jail operations.
Accountant Beverly Dunbar and internal auditor Marilyn Golightly presented the budget to the BOC Tuesday, saying, “The budget is not in balance at this time.”
The BOC must adopt a balanced FY2010 budget before the start of the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. If the board decides to raise taxes, three public hearings would be required, all of which puts the budget adoption on a tight schedule.
For his part, BOC Chairman Danny Yearwood appears ready to have the county’s industrial building authority levy a 1-mill tax to cover the annual debt payment on $15 million in land the group purchased in 2006 on Hwy. 316. That would resolve $900,000 of the $2.2 million gap.
For the remainder, Yearwood told the Barrow Journal after Tuesday night’s meeting that he thinks the county should cut $1 million from the sheriff’s office and another $1 million from the jail operations.
But sheriff Jud Smith has said he's prepared to litigate against the BOC to defend his department's needs.
For the full story, see the August 12 issue of the Barrow Journal.
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