Anthony presents budget figures to County Council

Posted
A slight millage increase for the 2015-16 fiscal year will allow Clarendon County to bring in about $322,000 in new revenue, according to County Controller Lynden Anthony. Anthony said state law - specifically Act 388 - caps what local governments can do with millage increases based on population grown and other factors. "We are basing our 2015-16 budget on an increase of about 1.26 mills," Anthony told members of Clarendon County Council Monday night during the group's regular monthly meeting. "We've dealt with Act 388 for many years, as you all know, and for first reading purposes, this is the increase we've gone with." Anthony said the state Budget and Control Board actually "determined a slight decrease in population for Clarendon County in the previous year." Overall, the county expects to bring in about $19,751,286 in revenues to its general fund in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2016. This is compared to $19,057,084 from the current budget year, which ends June 30. Fiscal year 2013-14 saw the county bring in about $18,277,207 in revenue, while the preceding year saw $17,778,480 in revenue. Anthony said the budget currently sits with a $615,822 deficit. "So, our expenditures are exceeding our revenues currently, as they typically do at this time in the budget process for the next fiscal year," Anthony noted. "We will bring these figures in line and cut where we need to to balance by second reading (which will be held in May)." Anthony said the county can expect no help from the "state in aid, or local government fund from the state." "That is flat, with no growth," he said. "This will be the third consecutive year we've not seen an increase in state aid, according to the House-approved version of the state's budget." Anthony said while the budget process "really continues throughout the year, with no real beginning or ending," he gets with department heads at the start of each calendar year to talk about wants and needs. "We identify our resources and the funding available and try to establish priority for our needs," Anthony said. "We then try to find the allocation for those resources. Everything is about prioritizing the needs." Manninglive.com will have further budget information from the county's department heads and elected officials throughout the day Thursday.