Countyapproves2023-24

LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Board of Commissioners crafted a spending plan that keeps the property tax rate at .99 cents per $100 valuation while adding a 1% cost of living adjustment for Scotland County employees.

The 2023-24 budget, totaling $53,546,672, was unanimously approved by commissioners during a recessed meeting held on Thursday.

Prior to the vote, the commissioners debated at length on how the county would be able to treat employees to the COLA without raising the property tax rates, which compared to other counties, is the highest in the state, according to the NC Department of Revenue. The board also considered pulling funding from departments.

The 1% COLA would cost the county $261,000, according to Tim Ivey, the board’s chair.

“In order to give any money, we have to do one or two things. We have to raise property taxes or take money from some over department that we have already considered funding … that’s exactly where we are,” Commissioner John Alford said, prior to the vote.

“If we don’t use sound business practice then you’re going to raise your taxes because next year, or the year after, you’re not going to have the money and you’re going to look at, then, reducing somebody’s salary and this is the way we’re headed,” Alford warned.

“I don’t think you can continue to increase the budget for salary and benefits and not increase the tax rate,” Commissioner Whit Gibson said.

Commissioner Clarence McPhatter told his fellow board members that the board is there to “see if we can find these folks a COLA.”

“We don’t want our employees to feel as if we don’t think about them from year to year. We have to do our budget with them in mind as well … Retention is important and we can’t take ‘em for granted or some other county will take them,” McPhatter said.

In order to fund the cost of living adjustment, commissioners decided to approve the use of American Rescue Plan Act monies, if they are allowed to do so, in the fund balance to pay for some of the non-reoccurring capital projects and use operational funds initially slated to pay for the capital projects to fund the COLA.

Beth Hobbs, the county’s finance director, said she would check to ensure the ARPA funds can be used for the select projects, if not the funding will come directly from the fund balance.

Capital projects in the coming year’s budget total about $1.2 million and include the purchase of 10 vehicles for the Scotland County Sheriff’s Department, three vehicles for the Health Department and the Department of Social Services, a mobile trailer for the rescue squad, renovations at the Scotland County Memorial Libary, playground equipment, a generator and walk-in cooler/freezer for the Scotland County jail and buses for the Scotland County Area Transit System, SCATS.