County to hold 2019 operating, projects budgets hearing today

♦ Commissioners also are slated to approve a number of contracts and expenses this morning.

Floyd County Commissioners will hold a public hearing this morning on the proposed 2019 operating and capital projects budgets.

The board also is expected to elect the chair and vice chair for the coming year.

Commissioners are scheduled to caucus at 9 a.m. and start their regular meeting at 10 a.m. in the County Administration Building, 12 E. Fourth Ave. Both sessions are open.

The board normally meets at 6 p.m. but moved today’s meeting to the morning when it looked like the Rome Wolves would be playing in the GHSA state football championship in Atlanta. The Wolves lost in the semi-finals, but it was too late to change the public notice time.

“We were trying to support the community and let them be both places if they wanted to,” County Manager Jamie McCord said.

No property tax increase is planned for 2019, but the general fund budget includes merit raises of up to 4 percent for county employees.

Finance Director Susie Gass is projecting a $1.16 million increase in revenue – much of it due to the state’s new formula for distributing motor vehicle taxes. The tax digest — the value of taxable property in the county — also is expected to rise enough to add another $195,000 to the coffers.

However, expenses in the county’s self-funded employee healthcare program also are expected to rise, along with gas prices. This also will be the first year debt service payments are due on the purchase of the industrial park property off Ga. 140.

Balancing the income and outgo calls for pulling about $3.2 million from savings, but commissioners are hoping to find opportunities to cut that number during the year.

Also on the agenda today are a number of contracts and spending approvals, including more than $37,000 for emergency repairs to the jail control system following a lightning strike earlier this year.

Commissioners also are slated to get a list of roads scheduled for paving next year through a state grant. The county is expecting an influx of about $1.17 million from the Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant program. A required local match of 30 percent will be in the form of labor.