County budget focuses on justice center, education, safety
Cleveland County commissioners recently approved a $126,587,508 budget for 2022-23 budget, keeping the tax rate the same and focusing on several upcoming projects.
The county tax rate will remain at 54.75 cents per $100 of property valuation.
Commissioners will focus on capital projects, including the proposed Justice Center Campus, schools, employees and community health and safety, according to a presentation by Cleveland County Manager Brian Epley.
During his May 17 presentation at the commissioners meeting, Epley pointed to cost increases across the nation as a reason for a higher amount of spending than last year's budget of $120.5 million.
He said it's the “increased cost of doing business” and specifically spoke about the rising cost of medical care and fuel.
“We are certainly operating in very trying times,” he said.
Here are some highlights of the approved budget.
New jobs, wage increases
Commissioners approved the creation of 10 new positions. Those include:
4 sheriff’s deputies
2 environmental health officers
1 IT
1 911 call center
1 emergency management
1 animal services officer
The new positions will come with a price tag of $702,000.
The budget also includes an increase of $80,000 per volunteer fire department to provide an increase in hourly wage for paid personnel to $15 per hour and full-time coverage on weekends
The budget provides a 4% cost of living raise for county employees. During the presentation, Epley said the county has 46 employees being paid significantly under the poverty line and that will change.
Capital projects
The budget allocates $161.85 million to renovate, reorganize or construct the following buildings:
Board of Elections
911 Communications Center
Health/DSS co-location
Randolph Road Shell Building
Doran Mill Shell Building
Justice Center Campus
Contributing to education
Cleveland County Schools will receive an allocation of just over $29.6 million. This is a per pupil increase to $2,429 per student. Nearly $350 of per pupil funding will be allocated to an escrow account.
Escrow disbursement will include $1.5 million in July to fund a 2% classroom teacher supplement as well as $1.5 million for capital.
Since 2018, county funding of Cleveland Community College has been increasing. In fiscal year 2021-22, the increase was 17% and this year the increase is 8.9% for a total funding allocation of $3,058,872.
Bringing broadband to many
Commissioners allotted $1 million in matching grant funds (American Recovery Plan dollars) for the expansion of broadband in Cleveland County with a goal to serve 95% of county residents within four years.
Assistant County Manager Kerri Epley said in a presentation earlier this year that the county had received a state grant and would partner with Charter Communications which has gotten federal grant money for the project.
Top priorities
Epley listed the following as commissioners’ top priorities with the adoption of the budget:
Prioritize the creation of the Justice Center Campus
Host a national shooting competition at Foothills Public Shooting Complex
Work with Cleveland County Schools to develop a long-term capital facility plan
Develop a five-year public safety strategic plan
Identify health disparities and partner with community agencies to improve the county’s health rankings
Focus on being an employer of choice by offering competitive pay, modern policies and opportunities for advancement
Prior to commissioners adopting the budget, Epley said the document before them was the outcome of 28 department meetings and seven months of planning. He said the budget was conservative and “recession ready.”
Before the vote, Commissioner Deb Hardin expressed concern for the $400,000 allocated to the American Legion World Series which is held each year in Shelby. She suggested the money could be used for public safety and school security.
After some discussion about the financial benefits of the 10-day event, Hardin was the sole vote against adopting the budget.
The budget goes into effect July 1. It can be found online on the county's website, clevelandcounty.com.
Diane Turbyfill can be reached at 704-669-3334 and dturbyfill@shelbystar.com.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Cleveland County budget focuses on justice center, education, safety
