The millage rate cut Effingham County commissioners are proposing could become a little larger.

Commissioners have asked county staff to look into adding $1 million from the county’s reserves for the proposed fiscal year 2010 budget. Doing so would reduce the proposed millage rate of 8.687 to 8.15.

“We could afford it,” County Administrator David Crawley said. “But that weakens your position if the economy continues to remain poor or if there is a project with a significant cost overrun.”

Commissioner Myra Lewis said it’s the county’s task to find ways to save money, not spend money.

“It’s not a time to do projects we can’t afford,” she said.

County officials still don’t have a complete picture of what the tax digest will be. Timber property is being re-evaluated and county officials speculate the tax digest will hold its value from last year.

The net digest is expected to be around $1.8 billion, and at 8.687 mills, the revenue generated for the county would be $15.73 million.

Commissioners are expected to approve a budget that is the same as last year’s $30 million plan, which was based on a millage rate of 8.854.

But the planned merit pay increases and cost-of-living adjustment increases for county personnel to bring their compensation closer to that of the average for similar-sized counties. Commissioner Reggie Loper reiterated his opposition to the increases.

“This year is an exception,” he said. “We have 8 percent unemployment. Everybody’s losing their job. It’s a hard time for everybody.”
Commissioner Verna Phillips defended the commissioners’ desire to increase the county personnel pay.

“We have been successful in decreasing the millage rate and to take away their rewards for doing that isn’t fair. If they weren’t doing a good job, we would be raising the millage rate.”

Said Loper: “That’s what we pay them for. I think the county employees have a good job. I think they’re well paid. I think they have better benefits than anybody else.”

Loper added that there is a difference between bonuses and merit increases — bonuses are a one-time payment but merit increases are a continuing expense.

“But if somebody is going a good job and doing it without any help, I feel they should be compensated,” Phillips said.

“We’re also 7 percent behind other counties that are same size,” Commissioner Bob Brantley added of the county’s pay scale.

Commissioners also voiced their concerns about losing key people once the economy turns around, should they be able to find better-paying jobs.

“When the next hiring wave starts, they’ll go work somewhere else,” Chairman Dusty Zeigler said.

The cost of turnover in a position is 1.5 times that position’s salary, according to county human resources director Rushe Hudzinski-Sero. The current turnover ratio is between 11 percent and 13 percent.

“And that’s a lot of money,” Phillips said.

Commissioners said they have addressed the turnover that plagued many departments in recent years, particularly in the sheriff’s department.

“Why would we ever want to go back?” Phillips said.