$34 million county budget clears second reading
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Darlington County Council convened a special meeting Monday, May 23 at the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments and held a public hearing and second reading for the 2016/17 fiscal year budgets.
Ordinance 16-14 proposes a General Fund budget of $24.8 million, an Emergency Telephone Fund of $831,059, a County Library Fund of $1.3 million, an Environmental Services Fund of $3.2 million, a Fire District Fund of $1.9 million, a State Accommodations Tax Fund of $60,525, a Road Maintenance Fund of $1.6 million, and a Hartsville Fire Protection District Fund of $475,000.
The total for these budgets is $34,460,002.
Council member Bobby Kilgo moved for the approval of Ordinance 16-14 and received a second from Dannie Douglas. The balance of council present (chairman Bobby Hudson, vice chair Robbin Brock, David Coker, and Wilhelmina Johnson) voted unanimously for approval.
A public hearing and second reading was held for Ordinance 16-13, which would raise the annual solid waste / recycling service fee from $53 to $60 to increase revenue for the Environmental Services Department. This measure also adds a new $35 returned check fee.
Currently, the $53 yearly fee charged on property tax bills is currently the sole source of revenue for county landfill and garbage / recycling services. Johnson and Hudson voted against Ordinance 16-13, but it passed by a vote of 4 to 2.
Ordinance 16-15, designating Rubicon as the agency of record for alcohol and drug abuse planning and prevention, passed second reading with only Kilgo voting against. The contract authorizes payment of $104,341 to Rubicon for salaries and operational expenses, with funds coming from mini-bottle revenue.
First reading (title only, no voting) was held for Ordinance 16-16, which would execute a lease-purchase agreement of $3.6 million for the purchase of vehicles and equipment for various county departments, including 4 new ambulances for EMS, mowing and heavy equipment for Roads & Bridges, and 15 vehicles for the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
County administrator Terence Arrington noted that several county vehicles have logged over 150,000 miles and routinely break down and are out of service until repaired, so many of these purchases are of an urgent nature.
Ordinance 15-32, proposing a $3.5 million general obligation bond to fund improvements at the landfill and Environmental Services Department, failed to clear third reading. Kilgo said he could not support the bond ordinance due to inadequate information from engineering and planning firm Michael Baker International regarding other funding sources or options, such as outsourcing all garbage and recycling operations to a private vendor.
All present voted against the ordinance and the measure failed 6 to 0.
Council also rejected a proposed contract of $35,000 for Emergency Services Consulting International to evaluate service performance and organizational conditions with the county Fire District and EMS.
Hudson, Kilgo, Johnson, Brock, Douglas, and Coker all voted against this idea, with Coker suggesting that the county should examine any issues internally rather than contracting an outside agency.
A request to add $5,500 to the previously approved purchase of a fire tanker received unanimous approval, with the new total adjusted to $381,569. The purchase will be made with proceeds of the Fire District’s 5 mill bond.