It took some cuts, but the budget allows a 2 percent pay raise for town employees beginning Aug. 1, thanks in large part to the actions of Commissioner Art Parker. At a Wednesday meeting, Parker found several revenue line items that, based on recent numbers, were underbudgeted.
For example, because the county reported a 4 percent sales tax revenue increase for April, Parker asked if the board could figure those numbers in. By doing that, the board came up with an additional $38,000.
Also, Parker discovered another $15,000 in revenues from Pinebluff and Aberdeen building inspections.
“The difference in revenue gets your raise, 2 percent Aug. 1, across the board,” Parker said.
After Finance Officer Beth Wentland plugged the numbers in from the Wednesday meeting, the commissioners found that they were about $32,000 under budget in the general fund and $31,000 over budget in water and sewer.
The board decided not to buy a new garbage truck this year, which took a $20,000 expenditure out of the general fund.
Parker also suggested that the board make the water and sewer fund pay its own workers’ compensation, something that had previously come from the general fund. After some quick calculations the board found that $10,000 could be taken out of the general fund and placed in water and sewer fund to cover workers’ compensation.
Along with $2,000 from a gas tax refund, the changes suggested by Parker made the budget balance. There was actually a little left over in the water and sewer fund, which the board decided to put in the contingency fund.
The board scheduled a public hearing on the budget for July 25. After the hearing, the board is expected to adopt the budget and set a tax rate, which will remain at 48 cents per $100 valuation.
Thursday, the Moore County Tax Department agreed to mail Aberdeen’s tax bills Tuesday along with the rest of the county’s bills, Town Manager Tony Robertson said, as long as the office gets an official letter from the town stating that the soon-to-be-adopted tax rate won’t change from last year.
By doing that, Aberdeen will save $5,000, which is what it would have cost the town for the county to mail the town’s tax bills separately. If the tax office were to send out bills that didn’t include Aberdeen, the tax office would have to send a letter to Aberdeen residents informing them of the situation.
Having both bills mailed at the same time will also help taxpayers. That’s because the longer it takes for residents to get their tax bills, the less likely it is that they get a discount. There is a 2 percent discount is for people that pay their taxes by August 31. If Aberdeen had to have a separate bill, it would leave residents only a couple weeks to pay time to get the discount.
Wednesday, the board reviewed several options to find more money, which all led to dead ends. Robertson showed the board how they could cut $17,700 from Public Works.
“That worries me,” Mofield said. “I don’t know how they can accommodate these cuts for another year.”
Robertson explained to the board that this budget still did not include the proposed additional half-cent sales tax bill that is being considered in the General Assembly.
“That’s pie in the sky right now,” Commissioner Pat Ann McMur-ray said. “I don’t feel comfortable playing with it.”
But if that bill does pass, the board can always amend the budget, Robertson said. Commission-er Robbie Farrell said that if the half-cent tax is enacted, the town would then be able to buy the garbage truck.
For now, the board seems to have got a budget that it thinks will work.
“Somewhere in all that we ought to be close,” Parker said. “That ought to be real close.”
As the commissioners adjourn-ed the meeting Thursday, Farrell wondered if it was necessary to meet again, just to check the numbers.
“There is no reason this is not going to work,” Robertson said.
