Facing a looming deadline, the DeKalb County Budget Committee has finally approved the 2021-22 budget. The committee worked long hours in many late night sessions to hash out the budget, but the proposals now face a possible battle before the full County Commission.
The new proposed budget includes pay raises for many county and school employees, as well as new equipment and vehicles for various departments, but while it includes new spending, it does not carry any tax increases.
With reappraisals, assessments have changed, but the new certified property tax rate will drop from $2.1235 to $1.7308 per $100 of assessed value. Even with the drop, the revenue is expected to be about the same amount as last year’s revenue.
Distribution of the combined tax rate would be as follows:
· County General: 0.9891 cents
· Highway/Public Works: 0.0326 cents
· General Capital Projects: 0.0734 cents
· General Debt Service: 0.1060 cents
· General Purpose Schools: 0.5298
Total property tax rate: $1.7308
With an August 31 deadline, the budget now goes before the whole County Commission with a summary of the budget to be published in the Smithville Review 10 days before it can be voted on, as required by law. A workshop meeting will be held on August 10 by the commission, followed by a special session of the DeKalb County Commission at 6:30 p.m., on August 17, when it will be voted on. The commission would have a second chance at passing the budget at their regularly scheduled meeting on August 23, should the need arise.
Budget highlights, if approved by the county commission, include the following from the School Budget, County General, Capital Projects, and Non-Profit Charitable contributions:
DeKalb County School System
The Budget Committee approved the DeKalb County School Board’s budget proposal, which includes a historic pay increase for teachers, support staff, and bus drivers. The proposal would raise teacher and certified personnel pay by $5,000, with support staff seeing a $3,000 increase in pay.
Bus drivers would get a starting pay raise from $74 to $100 per day, while drivers with five or more years of service would see $115 per day. Special education bus drivers would get $120 per day. Coaches and assistant coaches would also see a pay hike of $715 in supplement pay, while funding for nine additional assistant coaches has been included for sports that currently do not have an assistant coach.
County Employee Pay Raises
Some county employees, under one of two 13-tiered wage scales, would see increases in the budget. Employees who work for elected and appointed county officials at the courthouse and county complex, which top out at 20 years, while the other is for full-time library staff and senior center directors, which top out at 13 years. Pay increases for the 20-year plan employees could range from $3,744 to $4,896 annually depending on years of service, with the 13-year plan increasing by $2,976 to $4,128.
Custodians
Courthouse and county complex custodians will get at least a $3,000 pay raise according to their wage scale under the proposed budget.
Full Time Solid Waste Employees
Full time solid waste CDL drivers and laborers are to get a pay raise according to their wage scale
Judicial Commissioners
The County’s three Judicial Commissioners will see a $1,000 per year pay raise, increasing from $12,900 to $13,900.
Juvenile Court Youth Service Officer
The Juvenile Court Youth Service Officer is to get a $4,000 pay raise.
DeKalb Animal Coalition
The DeKalb Budget Committee approved a $39,805 contribution to the Animal Coalition to be used to hire an additional full time employee at the animal shelter.
Senior Citizens Assistance Senior Program
The budget includes a $10,000 contribution to the Alexandria Senior Citizens Center for repairs to the facility. The building is owned by the Town of Alexandria, but the facility is used by seniors from across the county.
DeKalb Fire Department
The budget for the fire department includes funds for five percent grant match to purchase 70 new sets of turnout gear, and a five percent grant match to purchase a new Quint fire truck pumper equipped with a short aerial.
Seed money in the amount of $25,000 added to last year’s $25,000 for a future fire station in the Wolf Creek Community.
The budget also includes $10,000 to add restrooms at the Blue Springs and Johnson’s Chapel fire halls, and funding for a 45 percent matching grant ($115,000) for a new fire truck under the USDA Rural Development Facility Grant Program.
Matching funds of $80,000 are carried over from the previous budget, for the purchase of a new tanker under the Community Development Block Grant Program. The grant has been awarded, but the tanker has not been delivered.
An increase from $12 to $15 per hour was approved for the shared county firefighter position. The shared 40-hour a week position is rotated between firefighters with no individual working more that 24 hours per week.
DeKalb Sheriff’s Department
The budget includes $165,000 in funds for four new equipped patrol cars.
DeKalb Assessor of Property
Funds on $30,000 for purchase of new pickup truck.
Emergency Medical Services
The budget committee voted to add three new employees and expand the use of the day truck operation to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Funding of $30,000 was approved for new four wheel drive EMS SUV, and for the Stryker cot loading system on four ambulances at a cost of $25,000 each.
EMS director will get a $2,000 pay raise.
Solid Waste
The committee approved $20,000 in funds for one, possibly two, used pickup trucks, and $75,000, $50,000 of which was held over from last year, to purchase possibly four dumpsters and two compactors. Collection sites will also get $50,000 for improvements, including pavement repair.
Fire Hydrant
Funding of $8,000 was approved for another fire hydrant in the Wolf Creek Community.
Courthouse and E-911 building improvements
Funding of $25,000 for repairs to the E-911 building were approved, while $20,000 was approved for courthouse repairs, outside surveillance cameras at courthouse, and for a camera in the judicial commissioners’ office. Another $40,000 was approved to remodel the first floor courtroom of courthouse.
DeKalb County Complex Digital Sign
A total of $20,000 is budgeted for a new digital sign at the County Complex to promote the DeKalb Farmer’s Market and other events.
Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad
The budget includes an additional contribution of $8,821 for fuel reimbursement to the rescue squad member volunteers, and an additional $3,500 to upkeep swift water rescue equipment. The county has already appropriated $18,000 to equip and train 15 volunteers for a new swift water rescue task force this year.
DeKalb County Emergency Communications District (E-911)
The County will increase its contribution to E-911 from $119,595, to $160,000 to fund another dispatch position. Due to call volume nearly doubling, four new positions will be added, one funded by the County, one by the City of Smithville, and two by E-911.
DeKalb Highway Department
The budget committee approved the proposed DeKalb Highway Department budget, but without funding any additional tax revenue. The budget included plans to add five new full time employees. Road Supervisor Danny Hale said that the department plans on working on a $1.1 million state aid bridge replacement on Big Rock Road, and paving a portion of Lower Helton Road, and will be working on two bridges on Roy Womack Road and two bridges on Dry Creek.
Non-Profit and Charitable Contributions
Fire Prevention and Control-Tennessee Forestry Division: $1,500
Other Public Safety-DeKalb County Rescue Squad: $38,321
Regional Mental Health-Plateau Mental Health: $7,180
Senior Citizens Assistance-Senior Program: $83,179
DeKalb County Soil Conservation District: $38,927
DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce: $25,000
Imagination Library: $8,000
Veterans Honor Guard: $2,000
DeKalb County Fair: $5,000
WCTE: $5,000
UCHRA Assessment-Homemaker Aids, Etc: $9,245
