Agencies ask for increased funding from Limestone County Commission

Aug. 7—ATHENS — Limestone County commissioners face sharply higher requests for public appropriations in the next fiscal year, with Pryor Field Regional Airport seeking an extra $220,000 and the library asking for an additional $30,000 to restore it to full funding.

The airport, Athens-Limestone Public Library and three other agencies that recently made presentations to the commission wanted a combined $271,000 more in fiscal 2023 than they are now receiving.

Just to fund those five agencies' additional amounts would require a 40.6% increase on the $666,905 the commission appropriated for public agencies in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. The fiscal 2023 requests from the other 17 agencies receiving appropriations this year weren't available from county officials last week.

Pryor Field received an appropriation of $30,000 for fiscal 2022. Adam Fox, airport manager since February, spoke at the commission work session Monday and asked the commission for $250,000 in the fiscal 2023 budget.

Fox said the airport plans to develop 85 acres in its southeastern area for aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) businesses and 22 acres on its north side for additional hangars.

"We need some infrastructure," Fox told commissioners. "This appropriation request will jump-start some development that will bring about some self-sufficiency."

Fox said the airport will also ask for appropriations of $250,000 each from the Athens City Council, Decatur City Council and Morgan County Commission. For fiscal '22, the airport was allocated $30,000 from Athens, $30,000 from Decatur and $40,000 from Morgan County.

He said the airport needs the appropriation from all four entities to provide necessary infrastructure such as water, sewer and a taxiway, all a part of the projects.

The appropriation could also bring up to 500 jobs to the airport, Fox said.

"We've got a lot of expansion going on, a lot of different projects in all different directions."

The commission cut funding for the Athens-Limestone Public Library in fiscal 2020 from $80,000 to $50,000. Three years of audits were required by commissioners before they would agree to restore level funding.

Jen Baxter, library director, spoke to the commission at a work session last month.

"I was hired in December 2020. Since that time, we've worked really hard on doing transparent operations. We provided the three years of audits," she said. "This year we are asking for the full $80,000."

Baxter said the restoration of the $30,000 would help pay for several things. For one, she said, the library plans to replace old carpet in the its meeting room with vinyl flooring.

The library also wants to upgrade its integral software program that Baxter said would increase patron's access to community and digital resources. The money will also help with increased outreach through site visits and pop-up libraries.

Athens Main Street was allotted $10,000 in fiscal 2022. For fiscal '23, Executive Director Tere Richardson said they are asking the commission for an additional $8,000 for a total of $18,000.

Athens Main Street has been running the Saturdays at the Limestone County Farmer's Market program but also took over Tuesdays in May at the request of the commission. "In doing so, we will need to increase our appropriation to be able to cover that day," Richardson said.

Richardson said the additional funding will help with operations such as the salary for the market manager who now must be at the market more days.

"It's a longer season than our Saturday market," she said. "We also have expenses that we need to cover for promotion of the market, for signage, etc."

In fiscal 2022, the Athens-Limestone County Family Resource Center was allotted $20,000 plus utilities. The agency is asking for an additional $5,000 this year to bring its total to $25,000 plus utilities. Tina Cook, executive director of the center, said their center has grown.

"We have stretched ourselves as far as we can go without additional administrative staff to help with operations. Plus, to retain program staff, we must think about cost-of-living adjustment raises or our employees will continue to leave us for better job opportunities," she said. "The constant cycle of staff turnover and training greatly hinders productivity."

Cook said they will be starting a workforce development program in October with a grant they were awarded.

"The assurance of the extra $5,000 would help to firm up our infrastructure and allow us to begin seeking a case manager to operate the workforce development program so we are on 'go' when Oct. 1 arrives," she said.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program received $2,500 in fiscal 2022 but is asking for an additional $8,000 for a total of $10,500 in fiscal '23. Betty Ruth, executive director for RSVP, said the funds are needed to help with their programs. Two of the programs include free tax preparation and tutoring in schools.

Ruth said the extra allotment would help with computers and paper for the tax preparation program. "Just to run one tax return, it's just the amount of paper it takes," Ruth said. "We need it for supplies, we need it for equipment."

The added funding would also help buy supplies to assist the tutors when they visit schools, Ruth said.

RSVP also receives a $140,000 federal grant annually, but they must match 30%.

"It's tough to make it work and that's why I had gone to the County Commission, and I had asked, if you could help me financially," Ruth said. "It's hard to come up with the 30% match."

The commission's total budget for fiscal 2022 is $45,373,578. At the end of the first nine fiscal months through June 30, the county's total expenditures were $33,277,712.39.

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.