Chair Randy Burton was the sole supporting vote for the $82 million budget proposal, which would keep the county tax rate at 73.75 cents per $100 of property. The other four commissioners disagreed on some of the proposal's key provisions.
Leadership changes
Interim county manager Meg Blue told WHQR in an interview earlier this month that this year's budget negotiations had been "a little more delayed" than usual. Typically, the county hashes out its budget during the first meeting in June.
The delays come on the heels of some major county leadership changes. Former commissioner Jimmy Tate was reappointed to the board in early April following the departure of Ken Smith. Shortly after he rejoined the board, the commission fired county manager Michael Silverman. Blue now serves as both the finance director and the interim county manager.
"There were a few adjustments that we had to make, because ultimately, the budget presentation, or proposed budget, comes from the county manager," she told WHQR.
She also said that the change meant a shift in budget priorities.
"There's been a lot of very good questions [from the board]," she told WHQR. "Which, I always welcome questions, because it means everyone's trying to understand more about the process, because it's a lot to understand at once."
Disagreements
The dispute centered around pay for county employees. During the meeting, Tate called Blue's proposed 3% cost of living adjustment for county employees — the only recorded raise for the fiscal year — an "embarrassment."
Tate said there were employees who "work every day and night that have never been given a raise before," he said.
The budget does reclassify numerous positions throughout the county in an effort to increase the base salaries. Detention officers, for example, would be reclassified to Grade 7, which would bump their pay to $49,658. (Current job listings show the job's base pay to be under $45,000.)
Still, Commissioner Brad George chimed in, saying the raises weren't enough to recruit and retain county employees.
"I do not think that we're taking care of our own. Charity starts at home, and we don't seem to do that a lot here," he said.
The two commissioners also contested the amount of funding going towards Pender County Schools. This year, public school funding makes up approximately 31% of the budget, or roughly $35 million. That's a downgrade from last year's budget, which gave 41%, or $43 million.
Blue told WHQR that the 9% going towards the county's debt service was part of the reason the figure skewed lower this year — much of the debt service was going towards constructing the county's new K-8 schools in Hampstead. That debt service will also cover the costs of a new law enforcement center and a new Department of Health and Human Services building.
George said the debt service wasn't enough.
"The school board requested capital," he said. "I challenge any of you to walk the halls of Pender High School. It should be a disgrace to Pender County for those students that have to go to that facility every day. But until we fund it, that's what they have. They do the best they can with what they got."
Earlier that night, Commissioner Brent Springer asked whether it was possible to pull the school side of the budget out for further discussion down the line.
"I think they got money there, but I think there's a lot of waste there that could be cut. Lot of fat could be trimmed," he said.
"I didn't know all this waste was going on in the public schools," Tate responded.
More to come
There were more quibbles with the budget that night. During the public hearing, for example, Miles Bielec of the Pender County Tourism Development Authority told the commissioners that he hadn't seen any money allocated towards the tourism board in the budget. Blue confirmed that the tourism department's funding had been eliminated.
"Might I ask why it's been decided to eliminate the tourism department?" he asked.
"I don't think it's appropriate to go back and forth with you, sir," Burton answered.
Bielec said during the meeting that he hadn't heard any information about how county tourism development would proceed, and asked whether the county would give them instructions on how to do so by July. Blue said they would.
It's unclear at this point when the county budget will go through. State law requires all counties to pass their budgets by July 1. (Under certain circumstances, the state does allow counties to operate under interim budgets, but it can also take punitive measures, like withholding the return of sales tax collected in the county.)
This latest commission meeting was the last scheduled for June, and Pender County has not yet given a date for the next commission meeting. WHQR reached out to county officials and has not heard back.
At the end of the budget discussions, commissioners asked Blue to bring back another version of the budget.
"Bring us one back that rewards the people," said Tate.
"And doesn't raise taxes," said Burton. "Because I will be voting against that."
