A DeKalb County commissioner resigned from the budget committee last week in apparent frustration with the committee’s decisions and the time spent working on the budget. Fifth District Commissioner Jerry Adcock announced during last week’s County Commission regular meeting that he was stepping down from the committee.
“I want to resign from the budget committee,” Adcock told the commission. “I have been on this [committee] for about eight or nine years. I haven’t had a break, I haven’t had a real vacation in so long because these things take more time than we need to worry about, so I don’t want to do it anymore,”
The committee is made up of seven commissioners from each district, including Julie Young, Sabrina Farler, Jenny Trapp, Dr. Scott Little, Jerry Adcock, Jeff Barnes (Chairman), and Beth Pafford.
Adcock has voiced his frustration about several 2021-22 budget items, including a contribution to the Animal Coalition to fund another position at the Animal Shelter. The budget committee voted to recommend a contribution of $39,805 to the coalition for the position, a sum that Adcock said is too high compared to other county employee positions.
“The budget committee has approved to put somebody, over at the dog pound to shovel dog poop for $39,000 a year total, that’s with insurance and everything. The people that work in this building (County Complex), the people that work at the courthouse, spend 20 years to make that, and the only reason they make that now is because they just got a raise,” Adcock told the commission.
“I think we need to vote the budget down on that (Animal Coalition funding), and I know the budget comes up next month, but I believe we need to vote that down and just give them $10 an hour like we do the people at the (solid waste) convenience centers,” Adcock continued. “We’ve got people that work on our fire trucks that don’t make that much money.”
Adcock also takes issue with the funding of two new vehicles for county officials. The committee recommended funding $30,000 for each vehicle, one to the EMS Director and the other for the Assessor of Property for official business.
EMS Director Hoyte Hale had asked for funding for a new four wheel drive EMS SUV to replace a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria, which has approximately 160,000 miles. Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell requested funds to replace a 2006 truck with 180,000 miles. Both vehicles would be funded through the county’s Capital Projects Fund.
During a budget committee meeting, the committee went round and round over funding for the vehicles. First, Adcock made a motion to strip the $30,000 expenditures from the budget, arguing that used vehicles or maybe county surplus vehicles could be used. The vote passed 4-3.
Then, committee member Sabrina Farler made a motion that $15,000 each be budgeted for the purchase of used vehicles, but that motion failed 5-2, with some arguing that used vehicle at that price would have just as many, if not more miles that the vehicles already in use. The argument was made that new vehicles could be purchased for around $30,000, with no mileage and under warranty.
Afterwards, budget committee member Julie Young moved that the $30,000 for each vehicle be restored and the motion passed 4 -3, when Adcock decided to vote “Yes.”
Later in the meeting, Adcock again changed his mind, and made a motion to remove the $30,000 funds from the budget, but the motion died with the lack of a second.
With a looming August 31 deadline for the proposed 2021-22 budget, the county commission will hold a workshop meeting on August 10, at 6:00 p.m., then hold a special meeting on August 17 at 6:30 p.m. to hopefully adopt it. Should the budget not pass at that meeting, it could be voted on during the regular monthly meeting scheduled for August 23, at 6:30 p.m.
