HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Towns County Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw announced on Friday, Dec. 21, that a .50 cent pay increase is in store for county employees, to be reflected on paychecks in January, 2019.

The pronouncement was delivered during a public budget hearing held at the Towns County Courthouse. County staff has not seen an income raise since 2016, prior to former Commissioner Bill Kendall leaving office. Bradshaw estimated the total cost at $150,000.

“We’re going to do our best to take care of our employees at any extreme,” Bradshaw said, iterating their importance, and later adding, “I wish we could do more, but it’s a start.”

Towns County Courthouse

One-time, “big ticket” items listed on the 2019 tentative budget include the purchase of an ambulance module, the cost to construct the Young Harris fire station, and the purchase of backhoe equipment.

Reoccurring costs include the across-the-board employee raises, the addition of a second school resource officer, and an increased cost in employee insurance. Bradshaw stated that 2017, in particular, was a “bad year” for insurance claims, with approximately $264,000 absorbed by the county since 2016.

Bradshaw relayed that while the budget is tight, it is manageable. Bradshaw accepted the millage rollback rate in late-August, preventing an increase for county taxpayers.

Towns County maintains a $3.1 million dollar reserve, expected to increase to slightly over $3.2 million dollars should the annual budget proceed as planned. The beginning balance and revenues for 2019 are listed at $13,422,437. Expenditures are estimated at $10,192,045.

The county budget, as a whole, has increased by less than $50,000 between 2016 to 2018, despite the addition of amenities such as the Foster Park recreation and conference center in Young Harris.

An itemized copy of the proposed budget is available to the public at the Town County Courthouse.

The Towns County budget is scheduled for adoption during a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 31, at 10:30 a.m. at the Towns County Courthouse.

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