The Liberty County Board of Commissioners started their June 7 meeting by awarding several businesses and organizations American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The breakdown of the ARPA funds are as follows:
Small businesses
• Fran’s Home Day Care — $1,825
• Lil Angel’s Childcare — $1,098
• Megan Family Daycare — $15,000
• Salon Eloquence — $14,048
• VIP Promotional Products — $15,000
• Voice 4 Vets — $6,035
Non-profits
• Tri-County Protective Agency, $5,000
• Hinesville Area Art Council — $5,000
• Liberty County CVB — $5,000
• JC Vision — $5,000
• Another Chance Outreach Ministries — $5,000
The board also recognized First Preparatory Christian Academy boys’ varsity soccer team for winning the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) Class A State Championship, and Ajani Richardson was recognized by the board for winning the 1,600-meter race in the 12-year-old boys’ division at the State Track Meet.
The board then went into a public hearing period for their first discussion on the fiscal year 2023 budget. County Financial Officer Kim Mc-Glothlin said the original budget was for $58.5 million, but they have since made roughly $10.4 million in cuts, setting the proposed budget at $48,125,227 for the general fund. That’s a 13 percent increase from this year’s current budget of $42,531,456.
General property taxes make up 60 percent of the county’s total revenue, and it’s expected to increase by 10 percent. The county is expected to see an 18.68 percent increase in their expenditures for salaries and wages. “That is a combination of several things,” McGlothlin said. “This will be the first full year — 2023 will be the first full year — of budgeting for EMS operations, which has more than 50 employees. This is also the first year that you’re going to have the full force of what we’ve stood up for the county-wide fire (services).”
She explained that public safety accounts for 50 percent of the general funds and includes fire, EMS, law enforcement, emergency management and the coroner’s office. Mandated services — those required by law — make up 54 percent of the budget and include the court system, the tax commissioner and assessors, the county administration and governing body, public health and others.
Essential services are 45 percent of the budget, and discretionary services are 1 percent. In addition to first responders, essential services include building and zoning, recreational, municipal and juvenile court, and various other services. Youth, senior and community programs fall under discretionary services.
In the proposed budget, $2.6 million will be used to cover additional personnel and benefits and $612,900 for proposed capital projects.
The board then approved a memorandum of agreement between the Liberty County Emergency Management Agency and the United Way of the Coastal Empire in order to coordinate responses after a disaster. Agreements have already been signed with Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties.