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Cocke County budget proposals
When the Cocke Coutny Legislative Body(CLB) meets in special session Monday evening, the members will be presented with two options for a 2016/17 county budget. Neither proposal includes a property tax increase. The Finance Committee going into a Thursday evening meeting, had planned on a six cent increase on the tax rate, however during the meeting Highway Superintendent Kenneth Ford asked that $400,000 in his budget for paving of county roads be removed. Ford pointed out the money would be adequate for paving just a few miles of the 900 miles of roadway in the county road system. Option A which will be presented to the CLB would leave an anticipated ending General Fund balance of about $100,000. It provides for $217,000 for step raises in the sheriff's department and jail for low paid employees, provide funding for a new deputy, jailer and two firefighters, and would also give General Fund employees a four percent raise. Option B, proposed by Commissioner Clayton"Skip" Ellison, a county firefighter, would provide for a four percent raise and provide funding for a new deputy, jailer and one new firefighter. It would however exclude the $217,000 for raises in the sheriff's department and jail. Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes has been asking for additional money for those employees at the bottom of the pay scale. He says he cannot keep good employees and it is difficult to hire good officers at a starting pay of $22,000 to $24,000 annually. Following the motion by Ellison, the sheriff told the committee his concern is not an employee raise issue, but rather an employee retention issue. "It's a way to attract good employees, to do what we must do to raise the base salary so that people will quit leaving and that we will be able to attract good people. .If I can't get this budget passed, I have no option other than to follow what the law says; If a county government fails to budget salaries necessary for the discharge of the sheriff's office duties, the sheriff must seek a writ of mandamus." He said under this proposed pay plan the 15 highest paid employees in his department would see no pay increase. The sheriff says if he files a lawsuit the county will be required to pay his employees back overtime pay for a number of years. He also is expected to seek additional funding for salaries and other costs. However the sheriff pledged that if his proposal is approved his employees will not demand the back overtime pay. Cocke County Mayor Crystal Ottinger had earlier told the committee that the last time a sheriff filed a lawsuit, the result was a property tax increase of 46 cents.
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Return to Today's News Stories - Front PageThursday, April 29, 2021
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