Is the County Spending Our Money Wisely?

• Population growth from 2003 to 2006 was 6.3%. Inflation (CPI) was 10.0%. Therefore, we should have expected spending increases over the period of 16.3%
• The school budget went up by 17% over this period, reflecting good expense budget control in the past.
• However, we are spending money to build new, $15 million schools, while some are operating at less than 50% of capacity.
• The highway budget went up by 17%, also reflecting good expense control.
• Unfortunately, the County General Fund budget increased by more than 24% over the period from 2003 to 2006, exceeding the combined total of population growth and inflation by nearly 50%!
• To be fair, some County departments appear to be well run.  Those who kept their budget increases over the last three years to approximately 17% were: Register of Deeds, Elections Commission, County Buildings, County Clerk, Information Technology, Juvenile Court, Clerk and Master, Communications Center, Risk Mgt, and the Highway Dept.
  
• But other departments were major contributors to this runaway County budget, from 2003 to 2006. For example:
• Building Commissioner - up 530%
• Records Management – up 87%
• Stormwater – up 82%
• Human Resources – up 69%
• Health Center – up 67%
• General Sessions Court – up 59%
• Tourism – up 59%
• Accounting and Budgeting – up 54% (Shouldn’t this department be setting an example of fiscal discipline?)
• Purchasing – up 45% (See explanation of this increase)
  
• Field Line Inspection – up 40%
• Circuit Court – up 37%
• Property Assessor – up 34%
• “Other” – up 29%
• Parks and Fair Board – up 26%
• Sheriff’s Department – up 24% (The Sheriff controls more than 1/2 the County budget)
• Planning – up 23%
• There may be good reasons for a few of these increases, but the overall effect has been to drive the budget out of control.
• The Commissioners aggravated the budget problem by paying $785,000, more than 2.2 times the new full value assessment, for the Smoky Mountain race track. They added to the taxpayer risk by voting NOT to hold the owner responsible for any pollution found at the site! (The site was an auto race track for 40 years.)
• The School Board is about to vote on paying 2.7 times the new full value assessment for land for a school. Look at your new assessment. Multiply by 2.2 or 2.7. See what a great deal this is - for the seller! Only the taxpayers get hurt.
• County debt has increased by more than 70% between 2003 and the new budget year. Nearly 25% of our taxes go to making the payments on the County debt!
• Over the last three years most of us have been trying to get by on total increases of 10%, or less. We are struggling, trying to do more with less. Blount County wants to do less, with more!

If the budget is not brought under control, quickly, Blount County residents may face years of double digit tax increases.