Supervisors adopt $132M budget

Madison County plans to spend more than $132 million in the new fiscal year, according to the annual budget and tax levies passed by the Board of Supervisors last Tuesday. 

Next year's budget is up over $12 million from the current year due in part to a number of short-term road projects.

There is no tax increase.

Supervisors spent some time last week debating two separate budget options before a 5-0 vote passed to adopt the new budget. The option approved appropriates nearly $500,000 to the bridge and culvert fund in an attempt to tackle sinkhole issues throughout the county.

The option that failed in a 3-2 vote would have increased personnel costs by $630,000 through the creation of new jobs and raises. 

District 4 Supervisor Karl Banks and District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin supported the failed motion, with District 1 Supervisor Sheila Jones, District 2 Supervisor Trey Baxter and District 3 Supervisor Gerald Steen voting against.

Jones, Baxter and Steen supported shifting the monies from raises to road work.

The budget passed includes $31.5 million in road and bridge projects for the next fiscal year. Sheriff’s Department employees will also receive a 10-percent raise across the board and the District Attorney’s Office will hire a new investigator for the county.

Griffin asked why the deputies were being singled out for a raise when the minimum wage was raised to $15 per hour in 2017. He said county employees only received a four-percent raise in 2019 after no raise in 2018. 

Chief Deputy Jeremy Williams told Griffin the 2019 across-the-board raise did not include sheriff’s deputies and they had not received a raise since 2017. 

Griffin said he was a staunch supporter of law enforcement, but he felt it was hard to justify raises for one department and not all. 

Madison County’s budget has increased from $86 million for 2018-2019 to $132 million for 2020-2021.