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[Budget Public Hearing on May 29, 2024. ]
WE WILL THEREFORE CALL THE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING MAY 29, 2024 TO ORDER AND WE'LL START OUT WITH THE PLEDGE TO ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE.ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
ONCE AGAIN, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.
IF WE ALL COULD BOW YOUR HEADS.
HEAVENLY FATHER, TODAY IS ONCE AGAIN A FEW OF YOUR SERVANTS HAS COME HERE JUST TO SAY THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, LORD, FOR WAKING US UP THIS MORNING AND CARRYING US THROUGH THIS DAY.
LORD, THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US SAFE ON THE DANGEROUS HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS.
TONIGHT THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE FOR YEAR 25.
AND BEFORE WE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING MR. THROWER, YOU OR MS. LOWE, HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE BUDGET? YES, WELL THANK YOU CHAIRMAN EDWARDS JUST AS A RECAP TONIGHT IS THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.
AND WE'VE INCLUDED SOME ATTACHMENTS TO YOUR AGENDA TONIGHT.
AS YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ADVERTISE THIS, THE RATE AT THAT TIME, YOU OUGHT TO CUT IT DOWN TO THE 76 RATE, BUT THROUGH SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS AS IT STANDS NOW, YOU HAVE IT AT 71, THE REAL ESTATE RATE AT $0.71 PER HUNDRED.
WE DID INCLUDE THE MOST UPDATED VERSION OF THE BUDGET IN FRONT OF YOU.
AND THE TOTAL BUDGET AS IT STANDS, THAT Y'ALL PRELIMINARILY STRAW VOTED ON IS 83 MILLION 660 THOUSAND AND 702 DOLLARS.
YOU ALSO DO HAVE THE BUDGET TIMELINE.
SO AFTER TONIGHT, THE ONLY REMAINING MEETING WE HAVE LEFT IS BUDGET ADOPTION FOR JUNE 4TH.
AND, LYNETTE, IF YOU HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS? SO THE RATE SHEET THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU SHOWS THE REAL ESTATE TAX RATE AT $0.71 PER 100.
AT THE LAST MEETING, THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX WAS MOVED BACK TO THE TRADITIONAL $5 PER 100 THAT IT HAD BEEN FOR SOME TIME BEFORE COVID.
WHEN WE WERE AT OUR LAST MEETING, ONE OF THE BIGGER CHANGES WAS WE TOOK $633,000 FROM THE SCHOOLS.
AND AS I WAS COMPUTING ITEMS THIS PAST WEEK AND LOOKING AT THE STATE BUDGET THERE WAS ONE PIECE OF THE LOCAL REQUIRED MATCH THAT WAS NOT CALCULATED WITHIN THAT.
SO WE NEEDED ANOTHER $175,045 IN ORDER TO KEEP FROM LOSING APPROXIMATELY $330,000 IN STATE FUNDS.
AND WHAT WE LEARNED IS THERE IS A BASIC THERE IS A LOCAL MATCH FOR BASIC AID, AND THERE IS A LOCAL MATCH FOR INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. AND THOSE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS INCLUDE THINGS LIKE PRE-K AND THEN THE K THROUGH 3.
IT'S A REDUCTION IN CLASSROOM SIZE TO GIVE THE YOUNGER ONES MORE INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION.
THOSE TYPE PROGRAMS ARE IN THE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THIS YEAR.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE HAVE NOT INCREASED THE BUDGET FROM WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT AT THE LAST BUDGET MEETING, BUT WE DID MOVE SOME ITEMS AROUND A LITTLE BIT.
THE MAIN THING IS, SO WE PUT THE ADDITIONAL $175,045 INTO THE SCHOOL BUDGET,
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AND WE TOOK OUT SOME MONEY FROM THE STABILIZATION FUND, AND WE DID NOT HAVE TO TAKE OUT THE FULL $175,000, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN EXTRA $49,000 THAT WAS PRODUCED BY CHANGING THE WATER AND SEWER RATES AS WAS REQUESTED AT THE LAST BUDGET MEETING.SO THOSE ARE ALL THE CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
SO IN EFFECT, ALL YOUR RATES ARE STILL THE SAME AS YOU.
AS YOU ASKED FOR. AS YOU ASKED FOR AT THE LAST MEETING.
OKAY. ANY COMMENTS FOR THE BOARD BEFORE WE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING? ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD OR SUBTRACT.
OKAY. THIS IS WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ISSUE.
ANYBODY LIKE TO SPEAK EITHER PRO OR CON OR PLUS OR MINUS.
GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS? EVERYBODY HAPPY WITH WHAT WE GOT.
[LAUGHTER] WELL, I'LL HESITATE TO BE FIRST.
GOOD EVENING AGAIN. ONCE AGAIN, BOARD.
THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE.
THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS TO ADD? YOU? WELL, THE ONLY COMMENT THAT I WOULD ADD IS THE SAME THING ABOUT THE SOLID WASTE THAT YOU ALL ARE GOING TO DO AWAY WITH, AND IT'S ONLY GOING TO BE FOR A YEAR, AND AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED.
AND I'M HEARING IT EVERY DAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND I SAY, COME TO THE MEETING.
AND OF COURSE, THEY DON'T COME TO MEETINGS BECAUSE THEY SAY, YOU KNOW, NO NEED.
WELL COLLECTING $4.3 MILLION IN DELINQUENT TAXES MIGHT HELP THAT.
YES, IT MIGHT. AND I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN DO TO COLLECT THOSE TAXES.
AND I DON'T THINK YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF WHAT I INHERITED THAT WAS PAST DUE FOR AND THE STUFF THAT I HAVE COLLECTED THAT WAS SITTING OUT THERE FOR SOME TIME.
SO I THINK YOU ALL NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT.
AND IT'S MIGHTY STRANGE, YOU KNOW.
WHERE WERE YOU ALL WHEN THE PREVIOUS TREASURERS? SOME OF THEM DIDN'T EVEN GIVE A MONTHLY REPORT AND TELL YOU WHERE THE COUNTY STOOD, WHICH I'M DOING IT EVERY MONTH, AND THEIR RATES WERE NOT ANYWHERE AS NEAR AS AND NOW THAT YOU ARE DESPERATE FOR MONEY, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO KNOW WELL I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN DO.
PROCESSES THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
SO I DON'T THINK YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF WHAT THE PROCESS IS AND WHAT IT TAKES TO DO THE JOB.
YOU GIVE US A RUNDOWN ON WHAT'S THAT PROCESS SO WE BETTER UNDERSTAND IT.
YOU KNOW, I LOOK AROUND AND I SEE THIS DELINQUENT TAX LIST.
THERE'S PEOPLE THAT OWE $50,000 IN THIS COUNTY.
RIGHT? SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ALL HAVE MENTIONED, IF YOU LOOKING AT THE PAPER, SOME OF THE PROPERTY THAT YOU ALL WERE LOOKING AT IS BEING SOLD, BUT IT'S THE PROCESS THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO DO THAT.
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IT HAS TO BE SURVEYED.THERE ARE A LOT OF STEPS BEFORE IT GETS TO BE INSTALLED.
ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE? WELL, JUST SO THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT WOULD KNOW, I DID MEET WITH CYNTHIA WEEK BEFORE LAST, I THINK OR MAYBE A WEEK AGO. AND SHE'S AGREED TO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT CATEGORICALLY BACK FOR FIVE YEARS.
WHAT'S IN ARREARS THIS YEAR? LAST YEAR.
AND THE STATUS OF THOSE OUTSTANDING DEBTS THAT MIGHT GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE AS TO WHAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO MOVE TO THE REVENUE SIDE THIS YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE PUBLIC WOULD CARE TO SEE THAT INFORMATION? BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT 4 MILLION, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ACCUMULATIVE VALUE OF DEBT OVER FIVE YEARS WHEN IT'S BROKEN DOWN YEAR BY YEAR.
SO IT WOULD HELP ME TO KNOW YEAR TO YEAR WHAT'S OUTSTANDING AND WHERE THE WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THIS PARTICULAR DEFICIT.
AND I REALIZE SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON PAYMENT PLANS.
I THINK CINDY'S TALKED ABOUT THAT IN THE PAST.
BUT IT WOULD HELP TO KNOW WHAT'S BEING WHITTLED DOWN IF AT ANY AND WHERE WE ARE.
IT WOULD ALSO BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTIES ARE CARRYING.
WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE IF IN THE BUDGET THAT WE'VE JUST BEEN OVER, THERE'S A PERCENTAGE OF THAT FIGURED INTO THIS BUDGET THAT WE HAVE TO SET? IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHAT OTHER COUNTIES ARE CARRYING AS A PERCENTAGE OF OUTSTANDING DEBT WHEN THEY PREPARE THE BUDGET FOR THE COMING YEAR.
THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW, I THINK.
AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WHENEVER YOU CAN PULL THAT TOGETHER.
AND AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, I CAN ONLY COLLECT THE LAST THREE YEARS OF SOLID THAT'S ANOTHER REASON I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET YOU ALL TO PUT THAT TO PERSONAL PROPERTY, BECAUSE I CAN COLLECT THAT FOR FIVE YEARS, SO THAT GIVES ME TWO MORE YEARS.
AND YOU KNOW, I AM ITEMS. THE PERSONAL PROPERTY IS TOO HIGH NOW.
SO I THINK I THINK WE NEED TO QUIT TALKING ABOUT THAT AVENUE AND LOOK FOR OTHER AVENUES.
YEAH. BUT YOU SAID YOU COULDN'T VOTE FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY TO GO UP AND YOU DID.
NO, IT WENT DOWN TO 71 THAT WAS FEASIBLE.
QUIT? CENTERING AND RUNNING THIS DEAD HORSE OVER AND OVER ABOUT INCREASING THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TO RAISE TO MAKE UP THAT $1.2 MILLION THERE.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN TO THIS MEETING SO MANY TIMES, YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT FEASIBLE.
I MEAN, WE'RE NUMBER SIX IN THE STATE RIGHT NOW, OKAY? WE'RE TIED FOR NUMBER SIX AND THE HIGHEST PERSONAL PROPERTY.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GO UP AND GO UP IN THE FIRST 2 OR 3.
I MEAN IS THAT WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
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WELL, PLEASE COME IN WITH SOME OTHER IDEAS.SOME OTHER IDEAS WAS BEEN WHEN LIKE WHERE MONEY WAS BEING SPENT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE, NOW YOU'RE TRYING TO RUN BEHIND THE HORSE, YOU KNOW, AND CATCH UP.
AND THAT'S FROM A PERSONAL STANDPOINT, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
LOOK HOW DEEP THIS COUNTRY IS IN DEBT.
IF IT EVER GETS OUT OF DEBT, IT'LL BE A MIRACLE FROM GOD, BECAUSE THERE'S NO OTHER WAY.
OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE WHILE WE HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN? ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
SO WE ARE SET TO MOVE THIS TO THE FOURTH.
THE SAME ON JUNE THE 4TH, TUESDAY, THE FOURTH NEXT TUESDAY.
AND WE'LL FINALIZE EVERYTHING THEN.
AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND LET YOU HAVE A SAY THEN, IF YOU WANT TO ALSO.
SO ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS UP HERE.
[INAUDIBLE] SEE YOU FOLKS TONIGHT.
SHERIFF, THANK YOU FOR THE PRAYER TONIGHT.
AND ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER FURTHER BUSINESS? NOPE. I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO THANK LYNETTE AND CHRISTY IS NOT HERE, BUT THOSE TWO AS WELL AS THE OTHER STAFF PUT IN A LOT OF HOURS, A LOT OF HOURS, AND WE PUT YOU UNDER A LOT OF STRESS THIS YEAR.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVE.
WE'RE ADJOURNED. SEE EVERYBODY JUNE THE 4TH, NEXT TUESDAY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.