For over two and a half hours Monday night, the Bradley County Quorum Court met and discussed matters of budgetary concern. The first portion of the meeting consisted of a series of presentations from companies that specialize in computer software. During the second portion of the meeting, the county general fund budget was the focus of a sometimes intense and often emotional discussion.
Quorum Court members asked several questions and listened intently to each presentation. Justice Jim Anders questioned whether all parcels of property are being personally visited, and Judge Neely indicated that inaccuracies have been found. No action was taken. Two of the companies currently provide services to Bradley County and the other two desire to.
Business then turned to the state of the county general fund budget. There have been indications that the county has barely made payroll recently and that the budget cannot be made for the remainder of the 2013 year without changes.
There was discussion concerning the possibility of combining the Collector and Treasurer into one office. Currently the sheriff also serves as collector. The J.P's discussed various options and whether or not money could be saved.
Judge Neely informed the court that the general fund is the budget that is in trouble and that immediate action is needed. Justice Bobby Hargrave asked for a breakdown of contract labor the county is paying. This relates to the appraisal and property tax issues previously discussed by the software firms. It also includes the 911 system.
A good amount of the discussion revolved around expenses of the circuit court and ways to reduce the cost of handling prisoners. Judge Neely and Justice Anders discussed the possible need to layoff some county employees on a temporary basis to reduce expenses for the rest of 2013. Justice Pat Morman stated that hard choices had to be made. Justice Melvin Mills asked more questions about 911 expenses and Justice Hargrave asked if closing the county park one day per week would help.
Sheriff and collector Rick Anders addressed the court. He stated that the court members knew in January that the budget for 2013 would be short. He told the JP's they need to make decisions so all the offices and employees know what to expect. He told them his budget was reduced last year, and he was not aware of it until after the fact.
County Assessor Linda Hollingsworth told the court that an assistant had been hired in her office to work on the GIS system, but another individual is doing the work for the county. There was considerable talk back and forth among the JP's, Judge Neely, and several county-elected officials.
Justice Pat Morman suggested the court sit down with each elected official and discuss their individual office needs. He stated their input is needed prior to making any decision on layoffs or changes.
A debate arose about who has authority to layoff employees. Several of the Justices stated only the individual elected officials could make those decisions while questions were asked as to who controls the budget and what happens when payroll can not be met. There was no resolution to the questions.
As the meeting came to a conclusion, a motion was made and seconded to hold a special meeting Tuesday, September 17, at 5:30 p.m. The discussion became somewhat chaotic, and no vote was taken. The court then adjourned. No action on the budget was taken. At this time, there is no meeting planned prior to the October Quorum Court meeting.
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