A public hearing on the Vance County 2007-2008 budget was held during its regular meeting yesterday evening.
Before the public hearing commenced, Vance County Board of Commissioners Chair Deborah Brown stated the rules for speaking to the Board.
She advised the public that to speak one must be a resident of Vance County, a property owner within Vance County, or a duly appointed representative of a property owner. She advised the audience that remarks must be addressed to commissioners, and that “order and decorum” must be maintained at all times.
Speakers were limited to three minutes each.
Seven residents signed up to speak at the meeting. Six made remarks during the course of the public hearing.
First to speak was Bob Miller of Kittrell. Miller addressed what he characterized as “excessive budget growth” in the County budget.
Miller said that he was aware of the unfunded mandates with which the County must contend. He said that tax payers and business owners must also contend with unfunded mandates and cannot use them as an excuse to take money.
“We have to cut costs,” Miller said.
Miller noted that the budget has grown 25% over inflation. He asked the Commission how it would reverse the trend and how it would measure the reversal.
Arthur Brown spoke concerning the outsourcing of County needs. He said that the County could save money by outsourcing County jobs, something that he claimed has proven successful “elsewhere”.
Brown said that outsource employees do not have as much of a “lackadaisical” attitude.
Brown asked Commissioners if they did consider outsourcing how they would implement it.
Wayne Dickerson told Commissioners that since March, Vance County tax payers have asked to be part of the budget process. He noted that the budget was not made available until May 24.
“Why have you waited until the last minute?” Dickerson asked.
“This will not work in private enterprise,” Dickerson said.
Jamie Harris said that Vance County tax payers have reviewed the County’s audit, but the audit does not tell if money is being spent efficiently.
Harris asked if an efficiency audit has been budgeted.
“If not, why?” Harris asked. She also asked if the County would use the results to lower taxes.
Robert Duke confessed that he had not seen the budget, but theorized that the 25% rise in the cost of the budget over inflation was related to the population growth of Vance County and the “caliber” of people coming in.
“If we were drawing in college professors, this would not be happening,” Duke said.
John Yount paraphrased a June 22, 2005 article from The Daily Dispatch. According to Yount, the article reported that then-Commissioner Deborah Brown had told County staff to start preparing several years ahead for the budgets. He also stated that the Dispatch article quoted Brown as saying that taxes are especially hard on the elderly.
Yount commented that the current budget was not prepared several years ahead of time. Noting that since the article Brown had become chair of the Commission, he asked what she had done to prepare in advance.
After the hearing was concluded, Brown thanked the speakers.
“Board members have heard and we need to take heed of your comments,” Brown said.
She told the audience that the Board would be able to take some comments into consideration, but she did not know how many would be incorporated into the budget.
Responding to Yount’s comments, Brown said that it takes a majority of Board members to take action on any item.
“I’m one person and one vote,” Brown said.