By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon County Council passed their 2015-2016 budget recently.
The total general operating budget is $18,101,133. This is a reduction of 2.7 percent from last year’s budget of $18,573,113.
The reduction in the budget is due to the non-inclusion of $446,790 which was taken out of the fund balance/cash reserves last year for a one-time contribution to Harbor Freight Tools and other projects and an approximately $400,000 decrease in the revenue received for federal inmates. The budget shows a gain of approximately $200,000 in Local Option Sales Tax Funds. The budget is similar to those of past years with a resistance in this year’s budget to expand spending.
The Capital Projects Fund 45 has $2,035,877.20 appropriated with non-operating revenue and expenditures for capital acquisitions and projects for fiscal year 2015-2016.
The budget includes a millage increase of two mills. The millage increase will primarily fund a $500 bonus to be given in a lump sum for full-time county employees. This is in addition to the $700 Christmas bonus that full-time county employees already receive. Part-time employees will receive a $250 bonus and already receive a $350 Christmas bonus. The millage rate has not been raised for the past six years.
How will the millage increase affect citizens?
The following are some examples:
—On a $25,000 vehicle, the increase will be $3.00 per year.
—On a $65,000 owner-occupied home, the increase will be $5.20 per year.
—On a $100,000 owner-occupied home, the increase will be $8.00 per year.
—On a $125,000 owner-occupied home, the increase will be $10.00 per year.
—On a $340,000 owner-occupied home, the increase will be $40.80 per year.
—On a $6,000,000 industrial building and equipment, the increase will be $1,260.00 per year.
The millage increase will not affect the following who pay a fee-in-lieu of taxes:
—Harbor Freight Landlord (SC) LLC
—LMJ Associates LP – Franco
—Dillon Furniture Manufacturing Company (limited payment)
—Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc.
—Wyman-Gordon (will pay a fee-in-lieu of taxes)
The budget includes the following fees:
—Road Maintenance Fee of $40.00 per vehicle licensed in Dillon County after July 1, 2015, collected at the same time vehicle taxes are paid and is used for the maintenance of county roads. This is the same fee as in previous years.
—Mobile Home License Fee of $25 per mobile home. This is the same fee as last year.
—Marriage License Fee of $50.00 for those issued by the Dillon County Probate Court.
—A $35 Fire Protection Service Fee for each residence located in the unincorporated area of Dillon County. This is the same fee as last year.
—A $90 Household Solid Waste Fee. This is the same fee as last year. Other solid waste rates can be obtained from the Dillon County Council Office.
—The following Dillon County EMS Fees:
• Basic Life Support – $450
• Advanced Life Support – $500
• Advanced Life Support – Level 2 – $600
• Mileage Rate – $11/Mile from Point of Pick Up
• Treat/No Transport – $100
• No Transport – DOA – $325.00
The Basic Life Support and the Advanced Life Support were increased upon a recommendation from Lowcountry Billing Service. The Advanced Life Support – Level 2 fee was added, and the treat/no transport fees and no transport – DOA fees remained the same upon the recommendation of Lowcountry Billong Service. According to a letter from Lowcountry Billing Services, “These recommendations will allow Dillon County to not only receive the maximum reimbursements for Medicare transports, but also capture additional revenue from other insurance companies.”
—The following Dillon County Recreation fees:
• Baseball Sign-Up Fee – $20 per participant
• Football Sign-Up Fee –  $20 per participant
• Cheerleader Sign-Up Fee – $20.00 per participant
• Accident Insurance (Optional) – $5 per participant
• No Gate Fees (for Regular Season Only)
—The following Dillon County Animal Shelter animal control fees and fines:
Adoption Fees
• Adults or Puppies – $110.00; fee includes vaccination and rabies (if old enough), deworming, microchip, and spaying/neutering
•  Adults (6 months of age and older) – using your own veterinarian – $40; fee includes first set of vaccinations, deworming, and microchip
• Puppies (under 6 months of age – using your own veterinarian – $25; fee includes first set of vaccination (if old enough), deworming, and microchip
• Cats – $65 – fee includes vaccination and rabies shots, deworming, and spaying/neutering
• Kittens – $20 – fee includes vaccination and rabies shots (if old enough) and deworming
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Service Prices: 7 way Distemper vaccine – $5 each shot; Deworming – $5.00; Heartworm Testing – $25; Spays or Neuters – $70; and Rabies vaccine – $10.
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Reclaiming Fees: Incoming processing charge – $25; $3 a day for every day here until hold time is met.
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Fines: Starting at $25 for offense not to exceed $200; If fee is to exceed $200 then case will be taken to magistrate animal confiscated and proceed in court, owner will have to cover cost of fine as well as court cost.
—Dillon County Code Enforcement/Planning and Zoning Department Fees. A Fee Schedule can be obtained from the Dillon County Council Office or the Dillon County Code Enforcement Office. Permit fees for construction were approved by ordinance dated April 22, 2015 along with some other fee changes.
Over the course of several budget workshops, some of which can be viewed on www.thedillonherald.com, several items were considered. Among some of the major items that were discussed and MADE the 2015-2016 budget were the following;
—The funding for Northeastern Technical College of $114,000 remained the same.
—The funding for the Public Defender’s Office of $54,000 remained the same.
—A one-time $25,000 contribution to the Dillon County Public-Private Partnership Board funded by money the county received from Marlboro Electric Cooperative.
—A $44,675 increase for the Council on Aging. The Council on Aging received a reduction in funds from the State of South Carolina, and the county helped make up the shortfall. In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the Council on Aging provided the following services and unites: Title III-B Assessments on clients: 282; Title C-1 Congregate Meals served in nutrition site: 9,120 meals; Title III-B Hot Home Delivered Meals: 9,939 meals; Title III-D Aerobic Arthritis Exercise classes: 910 hours; Home & Community Based Client Transportation: 9,414 miles; Title III-B Client Transportation: 16,330 client miles; Home & Community Based Blast Frozen Meals: 5,850 meals; Title III-C2 Blast Frozen Meals: 810 meals; Community Long Term Care Hot Home Delivered Meals: 4,483 meals; Private Pay Hot Home Delivered Meals: 124 meals; Title III-C2 Shelf Emergency Meals: 237 meals; Title III-C1 Nutrition Education for congregate clients at site: 470 hours; EFSP Nutritional Supplement: 290 Clients received 5 cases each; and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Vouchers: 700 seniors applied and received $25 in vouchers to be redeemed at certified farmers’ markets for fruit/vegetables.
—The employee bonuses as previously discussed in this article.
— Funding was continued for the School Resource Officers
—The County Council recreation funds for each councilman were raised from $1,000 to $2,000.
Proposals that were discussed or mentioned that DID NOT make the budget included:
—Adding a full-time engineer to Fire Station 5 and adding a full-time engineer to Fire Station 6 did not make the budget. This was a total of $64,000 ($32,000 per engineer for the full-time position yearly plus benefits). Fire Station 5 currently has two full-time engineers, who both reside in North Carolina, and who are on duty from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Fire Station 6 currently has no engineer and no volunteers and will likely serve as a substation so residents in the area will still see insurance savings.
—A raise for the Dillon County Economic Development director did not make the budget.
—An increase in the fire fee did not make the budget. Each $1 added would have generated approximately $8,000.
The final reading of the county budget was approved on Monday, June 29th at a called meeting held at 6 p.m. Voting in favor of the budget were Council Chairman T.F. “Buzzy” Finklea, Jr., Councilman Randy Goings, Councilman Bobby Moody, and Councilman Harold Moody. Voting against the budget were Councilman Robbie Coward, Councilman Stevie Grice, and Councilman Archie Scott. This meeting can be viewed on www.thedillonherald.com.
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By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon County Council passed the final reading of their 2015-2016 fiscal year budget at a called meeting on June 29th.
Prior to the called meeting, a nearly hour-long full council budget workshop was held.
The meeting began with a public hearing. Only one citizen, Charles Scott, appeared to speak to council. He based his comments on the two-mill increase. He talked about millage in other counties. He then spoke about the employee raise. He said based on $500 annually this was about $9.62 a week gross or $7.70 net or about .20 cents per hour. He said in his experience .20 cents per hour would have been an insult. He said he enjoyed a raise when it was something one could feel.  He said some may feel that if they have not given a raise in “x” number of years that anything would be appreciated, but he felt raises should be based on merit when one was getting it out of appreciation not just a basic routine.
Scott recommended to council that they think about the two mills. He spoke about the coming reassessment next year. He said the value increase from reassessment will give more income for the county. Scott said that if they really were concerned about the county employees that  they should give them whatever the increase in property values. He said he thought that would be more appreciated next year than two mills this year.
Scott then made one last point. He said in 1987 in the presidential election George Bush 41 said “read my lips, no new taxes.” He said history tells us that Bill Clinton won in 1992 because Bush 41 raised taxes. He said he was not going to be sarcastic with council about this, but if a president can lose by raising taxes then the council should be careful if they are running next year. (Note: Scott’s comments can be seen in their entirety on the meeting video on www.thedillonherald. com.)
When the item about the final reading of the budget ordinance came up on the agenda,  Councilman Archie Scott made a motion to pass the third reading of the budget without raising taxes, but giving the employees a $500 bonus to be done without raising taxes. This was seconded by Councilman Robbie Coward. The motion failed.
Councilman Randy Goings made the motion to approve the budget with a two mill tax increase, $25,000 for the Public-Private Partnership, the funding for the Council On Aging, and the employee bonus.
County Administrator Clay Young asked Goings about the the fire engineers for Stations 5 and 6. Coward asked Young how they could take it out. Young said he was asking Goings if he wanted to leave the engineers in or take them out.
Coward said they voted on the engineers at another budget reading two weeks prior, and they were in the budget now.
Goings repeated that he wanted to take them out.
A. Scott then made several comments. He said that looking at the budget, he had to go scriptural. He said that he that ruleth over man must be just. He said that one of the things that he thought they needed to consider was “Is this just what we’re doing?.”  He asked if it was right to impose a tax to satisfy a few when they represented Dillon County as a whole. He asked if it was just to take the fire departments out of the budget when there are people in those districts who need extra fire coverage. He said the thought they needed to do what’s right. He said they don’t rule just over a few people in Dillon County, but over Dillon County itself, and they must do what is right before the people. He said the bottom line is what’s right. He said that they wanted to give an impressionable raise. He said it was not just and not right to give someone $5 up front and then raise their property taxes $10 tomorrow. He said it was not just, not right, and not impressionable. He said this could put some employees in a higher tax bracket and cause them to have to spend more money.
During the time when A. Scott was making his comments, Coward began a separate conversation addressing both Chairman T.F. “Buzzy” Finklea and Councilman Harold Moody. While all comments were not audible, he said in a nutshell, that if they voted against the engineers for the fire departments that he would work against them.
When A. Scott was finished, County Attorney Ken Dubose told Coward that on the second reading that the two fire positions were in the budget no and would stay in the budget unless Administrator Young then stated unless Goings amends it and took it out.
Goings said he wanted to take the engineers out of the budget.
Coward told Goings that he was hurting him, Councilman Moody, and Chairman Finklea.
Finklea then said if there was no more discussion that he would call for the vote. He asked Coward if he had anything else to say, and he said no.
Council then voted on Goings’ motion to approve the budget with the two mill increase, the $25,000 for the Public-Private Partnership, and the funding for the Council on Aging, but with the deletion of the two fire engineers. Voting for the motion were Council Chairman T.F. “Buzzy” Finklea, Jr., Councilman Randy Goings, Councilman Bobby Moody, and Councilman Harold Moody. Voting against the motion were Councilman Robbie Coward, Councilman Stevie Grice, and Councilman Archie Scott. This meeting can be viewed on www.thedillonherald.com.