NEWBERRY COUNTY — Newberry County Council recently held two public hearings related to the Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget.
According to County Administrator Wayne Adams, the general operating budget (the first public hearing) is balanced, inclusive of amendments adopted during second reading, at $26,661,566.
“Staff projects a levy of 119.4 mills (millage rate of 0.1194) for this budget, which is 2.6 mills lower than the previous year’s budget. This decrease offsets a 2.6-mill increase projected for the debt service levy for the upcoming year, preventing an increase in the total millage levied by Newberry County Council,” he said.
The community services levy budget (the second public hearing) is balanced at $1,003,584.
“Staff projects a millage levy of 6.9 mills (millage rate of 0.0069), which is the same as for the previous budget year,” Adams said.
The total millage for all three levies under council’s control is projected at 136.0 mills, the same as for the previous year’s budgets.
“No property tax increase in County Council — determined levies for the upcoming property tax bills. Currently, Newberry County Council’s tax and fee liability total ranks 24th-highest among South Carolina’s 46 counties,” he said.
Residents were invited, by advertisement in the local newspaper, to participate in the public hearing by any of three optional methods: In writing by letter, in writing by email, by telephone at the prescribed time.
While there were no public comments made for the community services levy budget, four public comments were made for the general operating budget.
Les Hipp, of Newberry, made his public comments via phone call. His comments concerned tax relief for some of the small to medium sized industries.
“I know that our large industries are given tax incentives through the fee-in-lieu of taxes, but with the coronavirus having such a negative impact on our small businesses and industries, has council taken any action to provide some kind of property tax relief of this element to our constituency? If so, is it reflected in this year’s budget and if it is, where would it be in that budget,” Hipp asked.
Adams said they would have to have a corresponding revenue source or some other kind, to fill in the gap, otherwise they’d be raising taxes on everyone else.
He did say it was possible the federal government might approve stimulus relief that would offset revenue losses for local government, but they don’t know if the federal government, in the stimulus relief, is going to fill that hole. He said the only other option would be to spend savings.
“Our options are limited for providing that relief, there is a cost to us and everybody to do that,” he said.
Hipp said he understood that there was a cost associated with that and it could result in re-appropriating funds that have been appropriated somewhere else.
The next public comment was from Robbiette Hazel, of Prosperity, via a phone call.
“Are we funding, with the county money, special interest groups or non-governmental groups? I understand we are funding like the Opera House and the museum, but we have roads and stuff that we need fixed and we have departments, I think, in our county that are not getting full funding,” she said.
Adams said that in the county budget there is funding for non-governmental purposes, or what may be called quasi-governmental. One example he provided was Sistercare, an organization he said helps place battered women in shelters.
“We have money for the Literacy Council, which generally public literacy is taken to be a public good and benefit to society,” he said.
The next public comment came from Barbara Miller, of Newberry, which was received via email and read by Adams.
In her email, Miller explained that she is employed as the business consultant at the Newberry Area Small Business Development Center. The Newberry Office was established in 2008, hosted locally by Newberry College and located at 1814 College Street in the Darrow Naval Training House — Adams read.
Miller wrote in support of the line item in the General Fund Appropriations Social and Health section, which is a funding request for $5,000 in support of the Newberry Area SBDC Office.
“Small Business Development Centers are a nationwide network of consultants who provide assistance to small businesses in South Carolina. Our Mission is: ‘To advance South Carolina’s economic development by helping entrepreneurs grow successful businesses.’ Our services include consulting, educational workshops and seminars, and access to resources, financial and otherwise. Virtually all services are provided at no cost to our clients,” Miller wrote.
“Since early March I have focused almost entirely on assisting businesses throughout the county with applications for Federal Disaster Assistance, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without this assistance, local businesses, whether retail, restaurants, small manufacturing or services like salons and landscaping stand to suffer economic stress and potential failure. I have also assisted sole proprietors, 1099-employees and gig workers with their applications for PUA unemployment insurance benefits that heretofore were not available to them,” Miller wrote.
Miller said she helped county businesses to obtain $20,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advances, which do not require repayment, $143,100 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which can be up to 75 percent forgiven, and $53,200 in EIDL loans to support working capital, and repayable at favorable terms, beginning one year from now.
“This total funding to date of $216,300 has also supported 29 jobs retained for these businesses,” she wrote.
Adams said this line item was discussed at second reading, as an amendment, but the amendment to cut the funding did not pass. This means the line item still remains in the 20-21 budget.
Councilman Henry Livingston said that is one of the non-essential items that was previously discussed, but when you look at the numbers Miller previously discussed, it has helped small businesses in Newberry County.
The final public comment came from Jacqueline Riser, of Newberry County, via phone call.
Her comments concerned the deputy coroner’s salaries, and she said she wanted to piggyback off of Hazel’s question.
“Why (does) Newberry County Council give money to non-essential entities when you know the Coroner’s Office is the least funded public office in the county. The office has continuously asked for funding for the deputy coroners,” she said. “As far as I see, they are very essential and Newberry County should treat it as such.”
Following the public comments, Livingston said he agreed with some of the things that were said and that they were all really good questions.
Livingston also addressed roads, he said council does not have the authority to work on a lot of the roads in Newberry County, they can only report the issues to the S.C. Department of Transportation. In regards to the Coroner’s Office, Livingston said that in 2014-15 they had a budget of $122,031, and this year it is $188,858.
Livingston ended by saying he is not discrediting anyone’s public comments, and he appreciated everyone’s comments.