Inflation. Cost of living increases. Both speak to the upward shift in prices and costs across national and local governments.
Oglethorpe County’s Board of Commissioners recently approved the county’s 2024 operating budget of $9.55 million, which was an 8.6% increase from this year’s total. Inflation in the U.S. reached a high of 9.1% in June 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and had dropped to 3.7% at the end of August.
“From a county government's perspective, we are fighting the same inflationary war created by the national government that everyone else is,” Commission Chair Jay Paul said.
While inflation and the rise in the cost of living help explain the $755,000 increase in Oglethorpe County, County Administrator Josh Hawkins said “it’s not as clean of an answer as it probably should be.”
Hawkins explained using the example of a $1,000 tax bill. Most of the tax bill, 75%, or $750, goes toward the school system, while the other 25%, or $250, goes to the county government.
Hawkins said the county evaluates its spending based on each department every year. This year, all departments received funding increases, with the exception of clerk of the court, tax commissioner, volunteer fire service, wildfire, board of equalization, Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS) and board of health.
The most notable increases included the board of elections, which had a $77,000 increase (55.4%); the jail, which had a $229,300 increase (21.2%) and E-911 with a $182,000 increase (64.5%).
The board of elections’ funding increased to accommodate the multiple elections in 2024, Hawkins said.
As The Echo previously reported, the E-911 department will receive several system updates this year, adding two new dispatcher positions, which was “an unfunded mandate from the state legislation,” Sheriff David Gabriel said.
Gabriel mentioned several components to the jail budget.
First, the jail has added a triage medical service to its booking area.
“Even though we house our inmates out (Greene County), we still have to deal with them for up to 48 hours,” he said. “With the prevalence of fentanyl, that 48 hours can be a dangerous time medically.”
Gabriel said the highest cost for his department is payroll.
“When I became sheriff, the jailers made around $17,000 a year. We have increased salaries to keep up with the market,” he said. “Even paying competitive salaries it is still difficult to find qualified candidates.”
This salary increase doesn’t only affect the Sheriff’s Office.
The Board of Commissioners and several other positions in other departments will receive salary increases in accordance with a state law that begins Jan. 1, 2024. According to Association County Commissioners of Georgia and its "Computing County Official Salaries for 2024" guidebook, the state gave a $2,000 cost-of-living adjustment to employees. This applies to:
- county commissioners
- constitutional officers
- magistrate judges
- coroners
While Paul confirmed these increases, he also emphasized a national influence.
“I do believe the cost of living over the last 2½ years has been exacerbated by national policies stemming from Washington, D.C.,” he said.
So, why does the distribution of tax dollars matter? For one thing, Paul said he values transparency.
“I am a firm believer in giving the public facts on how their money is being utilized,” he said. “And it is equally important to note that correct information dispels misinformation.”
Hawkins added most taxpayers are unsure of how their money is allocated.
“Well, a lot of folks, when they pay (Tax Commissioner Sheila Arnold) upstairs, they think they're paying for roads,” Hawkins said.
He said, “out of that $1,000, $17 is going (to roads). And most folks don't know that. They feel like they're paying for gravel on their dirt road or potholes to be fixed, and it's not what they're paying for.”