Representatives from county government departments made their cases for more funding Monday night at the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners budget workshop.

The 2016-17 Manager’s Recommended Budget came in at $56,320,001 and remains largely the same as the 2015-16 budget, with the exception of the following additions: five new Emergency Medical Dispatch personnel at the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office E-911 Center and a full year’s worth of operating expenses for Beaufort County EMS, which now includes all operations in the Belhaven/Pantego service district.

“This is what it costs to do exactly what you did this year, next year,” county Manager Brian Alligood told commissioners at the first budget workshop, held May 17.

Monday, commissioners went over additional requests from various county departments, which ranged from beaver removal to new employees. The following requests for additional funding are under consideration:

• Public Works Director Christina Smith presented a three-phase plan to repair the Beaufort County Courthouse, the first phase of which would be included in the 2016-17 budget. The $250,000 three-year plan calls for a capital outlay of $100,000 for repairs and an additional 7,500 for engineering fees in 2016-17.
• Another capital outlay project would include a renovation of the Magistrates’ Office in the Beaufort County Courthouse, to allow for another door and free up regularly congested space. The cost is $55,500.
• Public Works is also in need of a maintenance technician, an in-house employee able to respond to small tasks like cleaning, rodent removal and general repairs. The cost is $63,945 for the employee and a small van for transportation.
• The Planning Department has requested the county hire a consulting firm at a cost of $55,000 to develop a long-range CAMA land use plan. The last update was in 2006.
• The Beaufort County Cooperative Extension Agency requested $32,000 from the county to pay for one, 15-passenger van to ferry 4-H participants to and from meetings, as well as to out-of-county events. PotashCorp-Aurora will match the county’s contribution to purchase another 15-passenger van. The vans will also be available for temporary use by other county government departments.
• The Department of Social Services has requested an income maintenance caseworker at a cost of $21,504. DSS Director Sonya Toman explained the fact that Medicaid and food nutrition customers have increased by 12 and 62 percent, respectively, since 2008, in addition to the increase in time, from 10 minutes to an hour, it takes to enter a customer into the NCFAST system has increased the workload for caseworkers. While Beaufort County DSS is meeting the state mandate, it’s doing so through overtime. State and federal dollars contribute $26,792 to this position and necessary hardware and software. DSS is also requesting a reclassification of an Administrative Assistant II to Administrative Assistant III, at a cost of $2,348 to the county, to allow an expansion of duties for the current position holder.
• Beaufort County Soil and Water Conservation is asking for an upgrade in the administrative assistant position to office manager at an increase of $8,390, as well as a $3,000 contribution to the county’s share of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources beaver management program. The program assists county landowners with removal of beavers and dams that damage property.
• Animal Control is requesting $68,865 for an additional animal control officer and vehicle for the new employee, as well as $29,200 for an electronic sign for the animal shelter on U.S. Highway 264 East, to inform passersby of important events and bring more traffic into the shelter.
• Beaufort County Health Department Director James Madson requested funding for a new position of health educator. Madson said he had personally shaved $61,000 from the health department budget in order to account for the new position. Madson said that considering Beaufort County’s ranking of 81 out of 100 counties in terms of good health, health education, especially with regard to obesity, smoking and substance abuse, is a priority for the department.
• A 2-percent Cost of Living Adjustment for county employees is being considered, for a total of $283,777.

The budget currently calls for a 2-cent increase in property tax, from 53 cents per $100 valuation to 55 cents, to which several of the commissioners object. During the May 17 budget workshop, it was said that the board had one of three choices: to raise the tax, cut services or dip into the fund balance, which is the county’s safety net.

“If you want to do significant cuts, you need to tell us what to cut,” Alligood told commissioners during that meeting. “If you cut a department to the point you’re crippling their ability to do their jobs, you’re wasting your money.”

“My thoughts are to hold our budget to what we did last year,” Board Chairman Jerry Langley said. “It’s my thought to pretty much hold the line.”

Commissioners met Tuesday night to discuss outside agency requests and will meet again Thursday night to finalize the budget. The budget discussions are held at the County Administrative Offices at 121 W. Third St., Washington, and are open to the public. A public hearing regarding the 2016-17 budget will take place on June 6.