Clayton County supervisors pass $17 million budget
By Pat McTaggart
Freelance Journalist
The Clayton County Board of Supervisors has approved a budget for the coming fiscal year with total expenditures of $16.986 million, which is a one percent increase over this year’s budget.
It also includes a rural tax levy of 9.68% per $1,000 of assessed value, which is lower than this year’s 10.38% and an urban levy of 6.30%, compared to this year’s 7.02%.
The new levy means that the owner of a $100,000 home in rural areas will pay $551 in the county’s share of property taxes after the state mandated 56.93% rollback, compared to this year’s $577 with a rollback of 55.62%. In urban areas, a $100,000 home owner will pay $358, compared to this year’s $390.
Included in the budget is $6 million for road maintenance and $2 million for road construction. A health insurance increase of 6% placed the total cost at $1,117,224, and a worker’s compensation increase of 32% put that cost at $226,500.
Other big items in the budget are $2,791,575 for law enforcement, $1,100,235 for conservation, $274,727 for public health, $81,145 for veteran’s affairs, $89,203 for general relief and Scenic Acres, $75,000 for economic development and $150,000 for a courthouse parking lot project which will be done this summer.
The Supervisors also approved a 1% salary increase for county elected officials. The County Compensation Board had recommended a 3% increase.
“Our goal was to utilize the increase in valuations for tax relief,” Supervisor Chairman Ron McCartney said. “This is a positive budget for the public this year.”