The Troup County Board of Commissioners plans to pass the county budget on Tuesday. 

According to the proposed Troup County budget, the county expects to receive $40,403,340 in revenue during Fiscal Year 2019. Comparatively, the county will have received approximately $38,491,770 in Fiscal Year 2017. The majority of Troup County’s income is from real estate taxes, which is expected to make up 42.34 percent of county revenue.

“We are still proposing that the budget be $40,403,340,” Finance Officer Buddy Cashwell said. “There have been a couple of changes between the departments. We have worked with the sheriff’s office and have reduced their budget by $91,700.”

County Manager Tod Tentler thanked Sheriff James Woodruff for working with the county on the amount and his use of drug fund money to supplement TCSO’s budget.

The budget proposal showed public safety making up 46.77 percent of fund use in the budget for Fiscal Year 2019, with $13,606,356 budgeted for sheriff and jail operations and $4,584,695 budgeted for fire and rescue and fire administration. Other expenses were judicial at 15.57 percent of the budget, general government at 13.9 percent, culture and recreation at 8.92 percent, public works at 8.05 percent, housing and development at 2.31 percent, health and welfare at 1.36 percent and other financing sources and uses at 3.12 percent. Tentler said healthcare costs had risen by about $1 million, and the merit based raises to employees accounted for where additional revenue went.

Other changes to the budget included an addition of $18,000 for software for the clerk of court’s office. County Manager Tod Tentler said that buying the software, which enables the department to e-file documents for criminal cases, would actually save the county money because it would eliminate the need to hire an additional staff person.

Other proposed additions listed during the Thursday work session were:

4Hiring a community engagement specialist at a cost of $65,698 including benefits.

4An increase to libraries of $5,000 to $15,000.

4An increase of $5,000 to the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper contingent on the Troup County Board of Education matching that amount.

The commissioners did discuss increasing funding for both the public defender and district attorney, but they agreed to hold off on the increase until midway through the budget cycle after they know the results of a renewed request that the state split the court circuit.

“We really need our legislators, our board and even our city councils to back this because it is obvious that there is a need,” Tentler said. “We are the second largest circuit [by caseload], as small as this population is — there is definitely a need for a split of the circuit.”

The budget lists $40,403,340 in expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2018, but other financing sources and uses are listed as expenses on the budget, so the county budget is typically shown as a balanced amount even when revenue will be placed in a contingency fund.

“Then there are $73,700 that we have applied toward the contingency, which now stands at $280,958,” Cashwell said.

To view the Troup County budget for Fiscal Year 2019, visit Troupcountyga.org/media/FY19%20Proposed%20Report%205%208%2018%203.pdf.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet on Tuesday at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Avenue.