County Commission begins budget talks

Greene County officials today are scheduled to conduct a first review on some $200 million in budgetary requests.

The Greene County Commission, along with the budget office, officeholders and department heads, are slated to meet at 3 p.m. at the Greene County Historic Courthouse. Public meetings are scheduled to be held through Jan. 10, which is the statutory deadline for the commission’s budget adoption, according to county documents provided in a news release.

“It takes a great deal of collaboration to provide the services and resources needed in Greene County; that is why we have the detailed, multiphased process that we go through each year to develop the most impactful budget that we can,” said Jeff Scott, the county’s budget officer, in the release. “This is a base-level recommended budget with many items left as commission decision points.”

While various county stakeholders have more than $200 million in requested funds, the budget’s initial base line has been set at $184 million. Commissioners will review more than 5,000 line items, including expenses ranging from training and equipment to software and supplies, after today’s presentation to ultimately make their decision in January.

The county’s 2018 budget estimated 74.9 percent of funds would come from taxes, and that it would use 40.5 percent of the funds to pay employee salaries and benefits.