County Council begins budget plans, talks tax credit

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Clarendon County Council saw a 1.65 percent deficit in its planned budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year during first reading on the issue Monday night. Controller Lynden Anthony told county officials that Clarendon should bring in roughly $21,019,135 in revenue throughout the fiscal year, which begins July 1 and runs through June 30, 2018. "We currently do have a deficit of $88,719, when we look at expenditures over revenue," said Anthony. "We still have some work to do to bring those numbers in line by the time of second reading (in May)." Anthony told council members Monday night that budgeting is an "ongoing and dynamic process, broken down into clear and distinct phases." "Council members, elected officials and administration view all the information we have access to, and we estimate what we consider to be our available resources," he said. "We then establish our priorities, what we absolutely cannot do without. It is these priorities that are then reflected in our budget through the allocation of available resources." He said the resulting budget would be a "tool we use to monitor everything closely during the fiscal year." "We have to continue that feedback loop so we are on a path to successful development," Anthony said. He said that state Act 388 has "effectively capped the increases of millage rate at a local level," meaning that County Council cannot just decide arbitrarily to raise taxes within county lines. "The budget we're submitting this evening for first reading contains a 1.7 percent millage increase for the next fiscal year," Anthony said Monday. "This is a combination of population increase and CPI increase." The figure represents a little bit mroe than $168,000 in ad velorum revenue growth, which comes from real and vehicle property taxes. Anthony added that the current local option sales tax credit amounts to about $2.5 million, which will be given back to residents. Clarendon County Council Chairman Dwight Stewart asked Anthony to explain the local option sales tax (LOST) credit. "Years ago, Clarendon County Council, when the opportunity was presented by the state General Assembly, it voted into place a 1 percent sales tax," Anthony said. "That sales tax is then turned right back around and provided back to the citizens in the form of a tax credit on their property tax bills." Anthony said residents will see "LOST credit" on their tax bills. He said the current budget includes a 2 percent cost of living increase for employees effective July 1. "This is what we are recommended," he said. "We've also met with our elected officials, but we've made no changes or adjustments to their budgets." Anthony also pointed out that general fund support for Weldon Auditorium will end in the next fiscal year. "This is in keeping with County Council's goal to reduce its reliance, for lack of a better term, on the county's funds," said Anthony. Overall, he said the county's future looks good in the coming fiscal year. "We still have work to do and this budget is very much a living, breathing entity," he said.