Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
The Allendale County Council has unveiled its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024–25 (FY25), which contains multiple changes to county agencies when compared to the Fiscal Year 2023–24 (FY24) budget.
The county is currently operating on the FY24 budget after having voted on June 20 to extend it indefinitely; the FY24 budget would have ended on July 1. Council chair Matthew Connelly said the county hopes to have the FY25 budget completed by the end of July.
Below is a breakdown of the proposed FY25 budget; it has not yet been finalized by the council.
General fund revenue
Under the proposed FY25 budget, the county’s general fund revenue will grow significantly, from $5,837,070 in FY24 to $9,511,773 in FY25. This does not include revenues from fines, fees and permits, as well as intergovernmental and other revenue.
The growth in tax revenues is in part due to millions in new revenue from fees in lieu of tax (FILOT) revenues. In the FY24 budget, $771,894 was budgeted for FILOT revenues, while the FY25 budget anticipates $3,208,213 in FILOT revenues. Fees in lieu of tax agreements allow companies to avoid paying property taxes by compensating the county government for lost tax revenue.
“The Tax revenue increases from FILOT are from West Fraser,” said council chair Matthew Connelly; West Fraser is a wood products company. “When West Fraser bought their facility from Georgia Pacific we were able to renegotiate the old FILOT deal. The new FILOT agreement brings much more money into the county.”
The FY25 budget also anticipates new tax revenue from multiple other sources. Real estate tax revenues will increase from $3,141,882 in FY24 to $3,916,466 in FY25. Watercraft revenues will increase from $25,026 in FY24 to $27,318 in FY25. Motor carrier tax revenues will increase from $70,218 in FY24 to $124,378 in FY25, and manufacturer revenues will increase from $70,549 in FY24 to $158,476 in FY25. Additionally, revenues from property fund 1% sales tax and revenue fund 1% sales tax will increase from $587,846 in FY24 to $657,727 in FY25 and $174,607 in FY24 to $254,509 in FY25, respectively.
Additionally, the FY25 budget also anticipates falling tax revenue from homestead exemptions: $438,555 in FY24 to $369,379 in FY25. Delinquent tax revenues will fall from $51,278 in FY24 to $43,189 in FY25, vehicles revenue will fall from $344,897 in FY24 to $290,495 in FY25, and merchants inventory revenues will fall from $71,819 in FY24 to $5,769.
Administrative salaries and benefits
Salaries for administrative positions are largely staying the same or decreasing. The salary of the county council’s attorney, Walter Sanders, was $42,000 in FY24 and is the same for FY25. The salary of the council’s clerk is also budgeted to be the same as the prior year, $22,760. County council salaries are budgeted to be at $51,200 (divided among the five council members), the same as FY24. The council plans to spend $70,659 on administrative health insurance in FY25, an increase from $61,442 in FY24. Spending on social security and retirement will increase marginally.
The proposed FY25 budget also cuts personnel salaries in the administration department, falling from $395,982 in FY24 to $375,982 in FY25. Spending on part-time personnel services will fall from $33,822 in FY24 to $16,640 in FY25. Budgeted monies for administrative operations and maintenance, such as travel, education and “miscellaneous” will be cut.
General government
The proposed budget will increase funding for auditing services from $135,000 in FY24 to $180,000 in FY25. The budget for the Information Technology (IT) department’s contractual services will be $57,020, substantially higher than the $10,000 that the IT department had requested.
The council has also budgeted $27,000 for the Voter Registration and Elections Office for election expenses, $17,000 more than FY24.
Salaries for the probate and magistrate courts from $51,204 in FY24 to $84,240 in FY25 and $161,456 in FY24 to $232,864, respectively. Chanel Lewis, Allendale chief financial officer, said the increase in budgeting for the magistrate court reflects the salary for the recently hired magistrate judge. Salaries are also increasing for the tax collector, tax assessor and auditor.
Public works
The public works and road maintenance department has requested $500,000 for building maintenance, a substantial increase from the $75,000 it was budgeted for FY24. The proposed budget also includes $75,000 for signs, an increase from the $10,000 budgeted in the FY24 budget.
“I know we’ve got some signs we’ve been talking about for years that hasn’t happened,” said Connelly. The council agreed on the need for replacing old road signs throughout the county.
The public works department also requested $1,685,000 for machinery and equipment, an increase from the proposed $245,000 budgeted by Lewis. For autos and trucks, $650,000 was requested by the department in contrast to the $105,000 budgeted by Lewis. The public works department is facing an equipment shortage, with the county being unable to afford the equipment needed by the county’s public works workers.
“Obviously we have lots of machinery and equipment needed, but obviously we can’t afford $1.7 million,” Connelly said. The council accepted the amounts budgeted by Lewis.
The council has also budgeted for an increase in water revenue for the water and sewer department, rising from $452,049 in FY24 to $565,061 in FY25. Lewis said this increase is in large part to the county’s recent water rate change and new water meters.
“We had the rate change…and with the digital up-to-date meters, there could be a 30-40% increase in revenue,” Lewis said. “We’re just waiting for the numbers [on the meters].”
Law enforcement and emergency services
The county is spending more on law enforcement, with salaries rising from $782,963 in FY24 to $1,064,128 in FY25, and health insurance rising from $132,896 in FY24 to $293,694 in FY25. Police retirement is also rising from $157,592 in FY24 to $241,364 in FY 25. For the sheriff’s department, the county has budgeted $767,977 in salaries for FY 25, an increase from $621,345 in FY24.
Connelly said the increases in monies spent on law enforcement salaries reflect new hires that Allendale County Sheriff James Freeman is making.
Salaries for the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) are increasing slightly from $84,135 in FY24 to $87,500 in FY25, while DEM retirement spending is falling from $25,735 in FY24 to $16,985 in FY25. Emergency medical services salaries are increasing from $486,136 in FY24 to $533,094 in FY25, as well as retirement benefits, from $86,552 in FY24 to $122,453.
The county is also putting more money into the fire department, which will see its budget increase from $538,222 in FY24 to $1,160,616 in FY25. In FY24, the council budgeted $278,250 for fire department salaries; that number is increasing to $663,113 in FY25.
Elijah de Castro is a Report for America corps member who writes about rural communities like Allendale and Barnwell counties for The People-Sentinel. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep Elijah writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.
