Giles County Executive Addresses Budget

Giles County Executive Graham Stowe said in a statement regarding the county budget that he has received a lot of good questions and some understandable anger after a previously issued newsletter. He also stated that he has tried to strike a balance between honesty and tact which is no easy matter when it comes to taxes. He also made a campaign commitment to speak plainly about public policy, so he hasn’t sugarcoated the financial challenges the county is facing. With that being said, Executive Stowe would like to clear up some confusion by explaining how the county budget actually comes together.

Step 1: Department Requests

Budget Preparations began in March and April, when Department Heads (DHs) met with the Finance Director. Most DHs are independently elected officials such as the Sheriff, Highway Superintendent, Director of Schools, Assessor and Court officials. Directly elected officials are not accountable to the County Executive and he is typically not involved in their initial budget planning. During these early meetings, DHs assessed their financial needs and prepared budget proposals for the coming fiscal year.

Step 2: Committee Reviews

Once draft budgets are complete, various committees made up of County Commissioners review them line by line. Each Committee focuses on specific departments:

• Emergency Services Committee – Emergency Management and Ambulance
• Law Enforcement Committee – Sheriff’s Department
• Highway Committee – Highway Department
• School Committee – School System

Each committee reviews, questions, and may amend the proposals before signing off. This process allows every one of the 21 commissioners to have a voice whether through their committee assignment or by participating in deliberations.

Step 3: Budget Committee Oversight

After the individual reviews, all department budgets are bundled into one package for the Budget Committee, made up of seven commissioners, one from each district.

This committee conducts another layer of scrutiny. This year, the Budget Committee met across four lengthy sessions. Most department budgets were ultimately approved with minimal changes, but even after these reviews, the numbers didn’t add up. The proposed budget had a $5 million shortfall. After more deliberation, including talk of potential cuts and a possible wheel tax, the Budget Committee voted to impose a property tax increase to close the gap.

Step 4: Final Vote by the Full Commission

The full County Commission must now vote to approve both the budget and the tax rate. That vote is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26 at 5:00 PM at the Giles County Courthouse.

By statute, the Commission may only vote up or down on the proposed budget which cannot be amended at this point. If it passes with a majority vote, then the budget will take effect. If the budget fails, then the Commission will have to go back to the drawing board and expedite a revised budget that would garner majority support.