Beaufort County commissioners’ new budget calls for no tax increases and no fee increases, without reducing services for the public.
Beaufort County Manager Randell Woodruff presented the manager’s recommended budget for 2015 to commissioners at Monday night’s meeting. The new budget total runs at $54,131,752 — $69,689 less than the budget passed for 2014.
Highlights of the proposed budget include a 1.5 percent cost of living adjustment for all 300-plus county employees; two new employment positions in county offices; a $499,000 increase for Beaufort County Schools and $201,000 for Beaufort County Community College; as well as a request to set aside more money to ensure the county has some flexibility in the event of another catastrophic weather event or emergency.
One of the new positions the manager’s office has recommended is that of a planning director, a position that was left vacant, and eventually eliminated after the national economic downturn in 2008. According to Woodruff, if Beaufort County wants to keep up with the limited growth it’s seen since, a planning director is a necessity.
“As the economy gets stronger, you’re going to have more growth in the county, so you’ll have more planning work going on,” Woodruff said.
He went on to explain that a planning director would oversee Beaufort County’s new GIS (geographic information system), a system that captures, manages and analyzes geographical data for use by variety of county services — EMS and fire services, included.
The EMS/fire services director’s position the manager’s office has recommended is new, and a first step in moving Beaufort County forward with regard to paramedic-level service in the county.
“Beaufort is one of the few remaining counties that has not gone to a paramedic level for its EMS program,” Woodruff said. “I think it’s time to get that together and fill that position. … We’re hoping to recruit someone that’s accomplished in this field, that already has experience and knowledge in the EMS field, to guide our program in a very positive way.”
Beaufort County’s current EMS situation includes volunteer and paid organizations, with White Oak Transports currently the only paramedic-level operating in the county. White Oak has been operating at the paramedic level since last March, in preparation for the potential closure of Vidant Pungo Hospital in Belhaven. During last month’s Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners voted to allow Chocowinity to move up to paramedic level, which will happen July 1.
Woodruff said the EMS/fire services director would be the link between all active organizations, and would work under the Beaufort County Emergency Management office, but hand in hand with individual departments and the EMS and Fire Associations — bringing continuity to the county in a gradual way.
“Filling this position will give us the knowledge that we don’t have now,” Woodruff said. “We’re not trying to take over those (volunteer) units or put them out of business, we’re just trying to lift the level of service to the citizens here — whatever we can do to enhance it make it strong will be positive for the county.”
Commissioners will meet for three budget workshops later this month to iron out the details of the 2015 budget that must be passed by July 1.