Proposed Paulding Budget Includes Cuts in County Services

Paulding residents will see reductions in several county services should a proposed budget plan receive approval from the Board of Commissioners.

County officials Tuesday released to the public a copy of Commission Chairman David Austin’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget. In it are an estimated $2.3 million in spending cuts when compared with the current FY2011 budget. The cuts come on the heels of an 8.81 percent decline in property tax revenues and a more than 10 percent drop in other revenue sources.

The cuts, wrote Austin in his budget message attached to the proposed budget, are an alternative to raising the current property tax millage rate of 7.6 mills. About a third of the cuts were proposed in Austin’s initial budget proposal released June 1; an additional $1.56 million in slashed spending followed after .

Some of the notable proposed cuts include:

• An increase in the number of employee furlough days from five to seven. These days, unlike those of past years, would see the closing of government facilities on seven pre-selected days. While this change would represent a $153,250 cut, an estimated savings of an additional $21,000 would come as a result of unused utilities.

• A reduction in library staff and operating hours. Library branches would be closed on Wednesdays, while hours of operation would begin at 11 a.m. The move, which would reduce the operating time for the libraries by 57 hours a week, would predominately impact part-time staffers hours and would save an estimated $23,000.

• A reduction in Paulding County Animal Control shelter hours of operations. ; it is also now closing on Sundays. Those changes and the elimination of a kennel technician position are slated to reduce county costs by $41,000.

• The elimination of a part-time recycling position, which is currently vacant. Such an action would require the county’s recycling facility to be closed to the public one day per week—likely Mondays.

• A reduction in or elimination of funding of several areas and projects of the Parks and Recreation department. Among them—the cancellation of the annual July 4 fireworks and pre-fireworks concert at Taylor Farm, reduction of late hours of operation at Mount Tabor and Burnt Hickory parks, a cut to the funding for the annual egg hunt and reduction in funding for the Trick or Treat Village.

A copy of Austin’s proposed budget, including the entire list of cuts on the table, can be found attached to this article.

Those wishing to share their ideas on the budget—and Austin’s message includes an invitation for the public to do so—may attend one of two public hearings on Tuesday, June 28. The hearings will be held during the commissioners’ regularly scheduled meetings at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The Board of Commissioners has also called a meeting for Monday, June 27, to further discuss the budget.