BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
27 MAY 2025
The Chair Commissioner Matt Rubelsky opened the meeting thanking everyone for the Memorial Day activities and asking Commissioner Roger Reedy to offer a prayer and lead the pledge. The Chair noted the minutes of 22 May 2025 would not be approved at this meeting due to limited availability. He asked if there were any public comments and there were none at this time. The public was invited to comment before each vote but will only show in these minutes when the public chose to speak. Four new packets were provided by the Financial Management Office to replace previously provided 25-26 proposed budget; i.e., the “penny” page, Highway Department, General Fund, and 171 Capital Projects. Commissioner Joyce Woodard also provided a handout summarizing several specific budget lines, e.g., contracted services, supplies and material, among others, to show budget lines that might be or sound more ambiguous. Financial Manager (FM) Beth Moore-Sumners said her office could have provided the summarized information, and she explained the state gives account names to be used and sometimes those names are not quite inclusive of actual data. She further said they have data in their office that gives more detailed information by budget line. Commissioner Woodard said the data was not indicative of any “cuts” to the proposed budget but was more curious as to the sum totals.
Rabies and Animal Control Budget Line Item (BLI) 55120, page 15 of County General Fund – Motion to approve was made by Commissioner Evan Baddour, seconded by Commissioner Shelly Goolsby. Commissioner Matthew Hopkins in gathering information on potential areas that could be cut asked if this is a statutory requirement and was told no. Commissioner Shelly Goolsby asked about the adoption fee ($50) and was that offsetting some of the shelter cost with Director Jaclyn Payne saying a little bit, and Commissioner Goolsby asked if anybody was walking away because of that fee and was told no. The FM mentioned this is the only department that gets donations and the budget is amended after receiving those funds. Commissioner Terry Jones asked if this included the 3% pay increase and Ms. Payne said since she works 24/7 she does not charge hourly. Ms. Payne also discussed vaccinations three given to new admissions and how 250 vaccines had been given through grants. Commissioner Hopkins talked to potential cuts to the budget per available revenue and he is looking where to make those cuts given several have MoEs which are generally protected from reductions. Since this one is “not required” this is one that could be cut (although he was not saying to cut this at this time.) Commissioner Evan Baddour noted many are against any new taxes, but he also noted there are just as many who want Animal Shelter service, and while the shelter needs more space and a better facility per Commissioner Baddour, he noted this budget is just bare bones. Commissioner Terry Jones asked does the city partially fund this service and the FM said once the city paid in excess of $100K and the cost to the county considering cost vs all revenue if about $95K after all donations. Commissioner Gayle Jones asked about donations from 24-25 budget year and that was around $7K for the animal shelter. When a vote was taken after the following general discussion, the vote was a 5 -2 approval with Commissioners Matthew Hopkins and David Adams voting no on the 55120 BLI.
The General discussion centered on the status of the 25-26 budget and what changes had occurred that left revenue unable to cover the mostly bare bones budget. The FM discussed several changes such as a difference in revenue, capital projects pursued, a 3% raise across the county employees. The FM said reducing the raise from 3% to 2% would only amount to approximately $99K (doesn’t include mandated raises for elected officials). The number also includes EMS but not at the 8-10% raise. Commissioner David Wamble asked how many full-time employees, with that being about 200, and he suggested rather than providing a raise that a bonus in the range of $250 – $500 might be considered. Commissioner Shelly Goolsby mentioned her experience, while teaching, of a $500 bonus that all including the public thought all teachers were receiving. She said instead the bonus was taxed at a different rate and with retirement and Medicare as well reducing the $500 down to less than one-half. Commissioner Gayle Jones mentioned a bill passed by the house that includes no tax on over-time and what that might mean to employees that typically work considerable overtime. The FM said that would be difficult to compute since individuals would have different individual rates. Later general discussion along same line, Commissioner Evan Baddour said local government is squeezed by Federal funding cuts, state did not approve a Revenue Resolution to return more tax funds to local government, so most other avenues are dry. The Chair said he had talked to the state representative and asked for any help, with Commissioner Terry Jones stating he had sent an e-mail requesting help.
Local Health Center 55110, and Other Public Health and Welfare 55900 Pages 15 and 18 – A motion to combine the two was made by Terry Jones, seconded by Evan Baddour, and was approved. Commissioner Matthew Hopkins asked if these BLI are required and the FM said yes. A Motion by Commissioner Shelly Goolsby was made to approve the two-line items, and with Commissioner Terry Jones providing the second, the motion was approved unanimously.
American Rescue Plan Act Grant #1 – Per the FM that grant was nullified.
American Rescue Plan Act Grant #2 – The FM said this is a grant with a 25% match required from county. The grant was to cover the roof and the HVAC. Commissioner Evan Baddour asked about a previously approved amount and was told the bids were significantly over with the FM discussing past history where the county had considered sufficient funding for other projects and due to increased costs the funding was not sufficient. A motion to approve was made by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, seconded by Commissioner Terry Jones, and was approved unanimously.
Soil Conservation BLI 57500 page 20 – Motion to approve by Commissioner Terry Jones, seconded by Commissioner Evan Baddour, and was approved unanimously.
Libraries BLI 56500 Page 18 – Motion to approve was made by Commissioner Shelly Goolsby, seconded by Commissioner Evan Baddour. Proposed budget showed an increase of $3740 and Commissioner Matthew Hopkins noted the libraries are considered to have an MoE and this would be increasing that MoE. Commissioner Caleb Savage said he would support the minimum MoE, limit this BLI to 24-25 amount of $191,891 and a motion to support the minimum MoE by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, seconded by James Lathrop, passed 5-2 with Commissioners Evan Baddour and Shelly Goolsby voting no. A motion to approve the budget of $191,891 was approved unanimously.
Agriculture Extension Service 57100 Page 20 – Motion to approve by Commissioner James Lathrop, seconded by Commissioner Evan Baddour, and was approved unanimously. The FM noted while not our employees, the county provides 28% of their salaries and per the CE operate out of a county building.
Rescue Squad BLI 54420 page 14 – Motion to approve by Commissioner Evan Baddour, seconded by Commissioner James Lathrop, was made. Commissioner Caleb Savage asked about a $12K increase and Mr. Shane Armstrong of the Rescue Squad said the training is specialized training for use of ropes and while the state provides some training specialized training has to be paid from the Squad. Commissioner Terry Jones moved that this BLI keep same amount as previous year, but motion failed due to lack of second. Commissioner Gayle Jones stated normally get a breakdown of cost with the CE saying they as a non-profit did turn in a detailed application. The FM said it had already been agreed upon to present this BLI here rather than with non-profit where the Senior Center and the Chamber of Commerce remained within the non-profits. Commissioner David Wamble asked if Fire and Rescue are billing insurance companies and Mr. Armstrong said they are working on that. That this budget is just their basic needs and they depend a lot on grants, saying they had received a grant recently for fire hose. Commissioner Erin Curry asked Mr. Armstrong to describe in more detail the rope training which he did, e.g., using a secondary rope when one fails, other catches. The FM mentioned paying their insurance in July so if no funding they couldn’t pay insurance on their vehicles for example. Commissioner Shelly Goolsby asked how many total vehicles do they have with Mr. Armstrong answering with 28 vehicles 2 boats. He said three of those vehicles are used daily while others like fire trucks may not be. Motion was approved unanimously.
Discussion returned to American Rescue Plan Act Grant #2 specifically the bids for roof repair. The FM said there had been 4 bids with one being unacceptable since didn’t meet bid requirements. The lowest of the other three was significantly higher than expected. Commissioner David Wamble asked if that would get the roof done, with both the CE and the FM saying they are trying to relook at the specifics. Commissioner Judy Pruett said it is our job to try to educate the public on some of these issues, and that has been put off for years.
General Sessions Court, BLI 53300 Page 10 – A motion by Commissioner Evan Baddour, seconded by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins was made to approve and was approved unanimously. Commissioner Caleb Savage asked why insurance had doubled with the FM noting insurance reflects actual choices by individuals whether to do individual, family or no insurance and in this case a new employee chose insurance where previous employee did not.
Mr. Scott Bailey, public, said he understood costs going up, so don’t want to cut spending, but without any spending cuts, e.g., discretionary spending, you may have to increase taxes and force the public to pay. He suggested doing a 10% cut across all departments and/or looking at donations and letting the public decide what they want to fund. The CE said with the term “discretionary spending” is that modification to the courthouse, how many miles should the highway pave since a lot of the shortfall is in the highway budget so as Mr. Bailey had suggested an across the board 10% cut would hit other departments unfairly. Mr. Bailey also admitted that voluntary donations would be unlikely to raise as much as tax would.
Juvenile Services BLI 54240 Page 13 – Personnel on call 24/7 and proposed budget is to add some additional part-time hours to relieve personnel especially on week-ends. Commissioner Evan Baddour mentioned a previous employee who due to stress “burned out” in the job. The CE asked if there is still a budgeted line to cover an over night stay for juveniles with Judge Richardson saying they didn’t use that the year before but the CE recommended adding back $1K for contingencies. A motion by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins and seconded by Commissioner Evan Baddour, was made to add the $1K and approve the budget at a revised amount of $99,311. Motion approved unanimously.
Other Social, Cultural and Rec BLI 56900 Page 19 – Discussion centered on a 32-hour work week or 40-hour work week at $18 per hour and does that provide benefits such as holiday with 32 hours. A motion by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, seconded by Commissioner Evan Baddour, was to approve the budget as presented, i.e., $121,733. Commissioner Matthew Hopkins said this service has to be done to support the courts with Commissioner James Lathrop noting while approved as written, this can be amended later if the additional hours are approved.
Planning BLI 51720 Page 7 – FM noted this has been pulled as a separate BLI to provide transparency on cost of the Planning Commission. A motion by Commissioner Terry Jones, seconded by Commissioner Evan Baddour, was made to approve. The CE noted that county commissioners on this committee get paid and some of the public members do as well. The CE did note however that several have refused the pay and consider it a civic duty and the FM said she needs to look into who gets paid. Commissioner Terry Jones asked about changes based on future elections with the FM saying she didn’t know at this time what the “public” pay would be. The next Planning Meeting will be on the 10th June at the County Courthouse.
County Buildings BLI 51800 Page 7 – The FM noted the salaries of custodial employees being low compared to surrounding counties and the hourly rate being increased, e.g., work, in the schools, salaries last year were in the low 20’s. For the maintenance agreement, all HVACs will semiannually be checked for $17K. The FM noted that there was a bid from a state legislator which is legal. The CE noted the consultant line has been zeroed out since it is not a recurring cost. A motion by Commissioner Evan Baddour, seconded by Commissioner Shelly Goolsby to approve this budget was made and was approved unanimously. A question was asked about an alternative to the state legislator bid and but in most cases it was noted that specialized equipment would be required which prevented many local contractors from bidding. Commissioner Joseph Sutton asked about the courthouse doors with the CE saying one set will be installed this week, then two more, then the east doors will be last.
Traffic Control BLI 54130 Page 12 – These are lights in the county (3 or 4), and with a motion to approve by Commissioner Shelly Goolsby, seconded by Commissioner James Lathrop, motion was approved.
Medical Examiner BLI 54610 Page 14 – The FM noted that the $90K in budget may not be enough for autopsies. A motion by Commissioner Terry Jones, seconded by Commissioner James Lathrop, was made to approve and was approved unanimously. Commissioner Matthew Hopkins noted there is no option on this one. When are autopsies required was posed to Sheriff Joe Purvis who said any death that is suspicious and/or is determined by the coroner and law enforcement. He noted that the county pays for all including Ardmore. Commissioner Caleb Savage asked if the death occurs in the city can they be made to pay and the CE said he would ask. Commissioner Hopkins asked if you could make the wrong doer pay with Sheriff Purvis saying most go to prison and generally lack funding.
Alcohol and Drug Programs BLI 55170 Page 16 The FM said this will be put back in at July timeframe.
Other Local Welfare Services BLI 55590 Page 17 – This addresses pauper burials and with a motion by Commissioner James Lathrop, seconded by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, motion was approved unanimously. The FM noted the permit shown is for waste water and is used to keep permit active.
The CE said there needs to be a work session to look at potential changes, possibly as early as Thursday. The FM said do you have ideas you would want to relook so we can have department heads here at a particular time. Commissioner Evan Baddour said he would like the department heads to say what could be cut, e.g., with a 10% cut or perhaps a 2% raise rather than 3%.
Park and Fair Boards BLI 56700 Page 19 – The CE noted there is now a contract with Jerry Farmer and a job description. A motion from Commissioner James Lathrop, seconded by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, was made to approve as presented and was approved 5-2 with Commissioners Matthew Hopkins and David Adams voting no. Commissioner Terry Jones discussed the varied contributions of the service clubs.
Forest Service BLI 57300, Page 20 – A motion to approve was made and rescinded while waiting for documentation from the FM. Concerns were raised as to whether this service was still being provided. Later the FM said there is a cooperative agreement dated in 1957 generally covering fire control and wildlife. It was noted that the state won’t come to forest fires, although later Ambulance Director Willow Chavez said they do come, but we have to call them. A motion by Commissioner James Lathrop, seconded by Matthew Hopkins, passed 4-3 with Commissioner Terry Jones, David Adams and Evan Baddour voting no.
Industrial Development BLI 58120 was postponed for the CE to bring additional data.
Other Economic & Comm Development BLI 58190 The CE said this covers SCTDD and SCHRA which helps the county with grants and the “membership” is the county. A motion to approve by Commissioner Evan Baddour, seconded by Commissioner Shelly Goolsby, was made and was approved unanimously.
Airport BLI 58220 page 21 – the CE noted with the airport we have historically funded and we are liable but have little say. The cost is split between city of Pulaski and the county. A motion by Commissioner Evan Baddour, seconded by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, was made to zero out this budget. The Chair noted the county would be losing a future need and he thinks we have to fund. Commissioner Baddour said in zeroing out the budget we are trying to shift the burden back to the city and may have the effect on the city providing documentation. The CE said the city has been transparent. Commissioner David Wamble said are you ready to force a restructure? Commissioner Erin Curry said she is not ready to force now, she would like to continue to have discussions and keep this budget. Commissioner Judy Pruett said the airport benefits every tax payer by corporate use which enables our workforce. Commissioner Roger Reedy also said from an agriculture standpoint we benefit from spraying crops. Commissioner Terry Jones said if we decide to not fund, we are doing an injustice to the city, however he would like to see if the airport is self-sustainable. Commissioner Evan Baddour said we can do this after the budget cycle and he pulled his motion. The CE said he would discuss with the city.
With no old or new business, the Chair said the next meeting would be Thursday 29 May 2025 at 9:00 and would finish all the budget proposed and then go into a work session.
Motion to adjourn by Commissioner Matthew Hopkins, seconded by Commissioner Terry Jones and was approved unanimously.
ATTENDEES: Members of the committee – Chair Commissioner Matt Rubelsky and other commissioners Evan Baddour, Matthew Hopkins, James Lathrop, Terry Jones, Shelly Goolsby, and David Adams / Other commissioners in attendance Joyce Woodard, Gayle Jones, David Wamble, Erin Curry, Judy Pruett, Rose Brown, Caleb Savage, Carman Brown, Joseph Sutton, Annelle Guthrie, Roger Reedy/ Others in attendance County Executive Graham Stowe, Financial Manager Beth Moore-Sumners and Shana Woodard, Sheriff Joe Purvis, Department Heads for their individual LIs, member of the Public