Hart BOC Passes FY15 Budget, Adds EMS Millage

Hart County has a new FY15 budget, but it is coming in with a $613,000 deficit.

At Tuesday night’s Hart County Commission meeting, the board voted to pass the FY15 budget, knowing it was short.

For FY15, the county  is anticipating total expenses of $10.622,922 and expected revenue of $10,009,462,  leaving a deficit of $613,460.

The shortage, according to County Administrator Jon Caime is due to depleted fund balances, rising health insurance costs, the new EMS station and related equipment, as well as lower revenue and reimbursements.

Once passed, the board then discussed how best to cover that shortfall and EMS expense.

County Commission chair Joey Dorsey offered two options: increase the current M&O millage, which is currently 5.301 mils or adding a special EMS millage.

Caime said the county needs and extra 1.7 mils just to cover the cost of EMS.

“It’s at the point where the revenues that we bring in for EMS services are about 1.7 mils shy of covering the cost of that service,” Caime told the Board. “And the gap gets wider each year. Just like everything else with healthcare, it’s something that is crippling this nation and it’s something that is crippling this county with these funds.”

After more discussion, Dorsey then recommended the county institute a new EMS millage separate from the current maintenance and operation millage.

“My recommendation would be to keep the rollback rate at 5.301 and then we need a half mil and that should get us where we need to be, which would be incremental. Those are my thoughts,” Dorsey said.

The new EMS millage would be a half mil, which would add $444,000 to the county revenue and works out to about a $20 increase on people’s property taxes.

Dorsey said the rest of the funding could come from other funds, such as court fees, where the county hopes to take in more than anticipated.

Commissioner Jimmy Carey motioned to add the EMS millage and the motion passed 4-0 with commissioner RC Oglesby absent.

The County will now advertise the proposed millage and the Board will then meet on December 2nd to formally pass both millage rates.