J

The Coffee County budget for 2023-24 was postponed during the June 27 meeting, causing the county to revert to its current budget starting July 1 until a new budget can be approved.

At the meeting a series of amendment to the budget were proposed to cut out some pay increases to certain employees above the 4% across the board that is included in the proposed $26 million budget.

“I believe we will hammer out a budget.  Everyone has had an opportunity to see the budget and make any changes,” County Mayor Judd Matheny. “I am at the will of the Commission.  I’m not sure if everyone understands we are correcting pay based on underpaid supervisors and general very low hourly wages.” 

At the meeting, Commissioner Claude Morse said there was a lot of angst about the pay raises.

“The employees are getting 4% percent (raise), but some are getting more. I understand those are adjustments, but they weren’t explained to us.”

Morse made a motion (that was eventually superseded by the one to postpone the matter), seconded by Commissioner Jackie Duncan, to pull the pay adjustments out and then address those at the Budget and Finance Committee meetings in the next fiscal year.

Budget and Finance recommended the budget to the full commission with the $187,000 in salary adjustments at the June 20 meeting with a 4-2 vote.

These adjustments included convenience center worker pay increases, librarian pay increases, and what the mayor called an effort to correct pay based on underpaid supervisors.

Commissioner Tim Morris said that the long-time finance director Marianna Edinger, Coffee County Director of Accounts & Budgets, was offered a salary adjustment to retain her with the county rather than accept a job offer from an outside agency.

Additional supervisor adjustments were also applied to the Maintenance Director and Codes Director, the Personnel and Benefits Coordinator and the Mayor’s Chief of Staff who was budgeted an $18,000 salary supplement.   

According to an early budget proposal, the adjustments averaged between $2,700 and $3,800 on top of the 4%. 

Budget and Finance member Commissioner Tim Stubblefield said that these adjustments are “being done to be competitive with surrounding counties to keep key employees with us.”

Matheny said the budget reflects the concerns that commissioners shared when he took office

“This budget takes us a long way to solving those payroll problems. This is not a socialist county and I don’t believe in giving everybody the same thing all the time. We need to make adjustments where we’re visibly low,” he said.

Budget and Finance member Commissioner Joey Hobbs, who questioned the sustainability of the budget’s $2.1 million deficit, said that he supports employee pay. His concerns are that “there are more departments with more than 4% than there are departments who stayed at 4%.”

“It’s not about money; it’s not about what each person makes. It’s about the plan we have to fix it,” Hobbs said.     

In the end Commissioner Dwight Miller suggested that all the back and forth with amendments (and amendments to the amendments) had muddied the waters.

“What I’d really like to see us do – I think there’s enough confusion now, is not vote this budget through today,” Miller said, motioning to postpone the budget approval vote until July 11.

“A lot of things were said by word of mouth … I did not hear the $2.2 (million) deficit; that would be big factor for me.”

Miller suggested, “We can have another caucus meeting like we did last night, and settle this thing up.”

Matheny replied to questions about the required announcement of a Caucus work session-type meeting by saying that the mayor’s office does not recognize the caucuses as official political bodies for the purpose of scheduling. 

“Caucuses meet organically so I have no idea what type of notice they put out or what they are discussing, he said.

Commissioner Dennis Hunt said that the work session Monday was conducted much like those in previous years.

“The agendas for the full body (County Commission) are reviewed line by line to allow questions to be asked/answered to save time during the meetings of the full Legislative Body of Coffee County. Department heads were available to answer specific questions.”

“Prior to any discussion at the work session, it was made perfectly clear that absolutely no decisions, polling, votes would be allowed and there were none.”

Hunt said that state code does not apply in this instance.

The amendment to postpone the budget vote passed 11-6 with Commissioners Holly Jones, Laura Nettles, Missy DeFord, Dennis Hunt, Tina Reed and Tim Stubblefield voting no. Commissioner Lynn Sebourn was absent.