The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors heard budget requests from the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk and Circuit Clerk’s offices on Wednesday.
As part of the budgeting process, the Board is considering requests from each department for the next fiscal year.
The chancery clerk’s office is requesting $665,636 for 2017, an increase from last year’s budget of $533,000.
“When I took office, it was already over budget for first three months of the fiscal year,” Pearl River County Chancery Clerk Melinda Bowman said.
Also under her direction is the chancery court budget, which she is requesting $225,830 for 2017, up from $190,000.
Bowman said her proposed budget was based upon what had been spent in the previous year.
The lunacy court, also under the direction of Bowman, needs an increase of $30,900, for a total $200,900, she said.
Bowman said her office now employs 12 people whose salaries total $351,509. She said that expense will be reimbursed to the county through fees, and is included in the projected revenue.
Two of those employees staff the Picayune office, which in the past only had one employee with irregular hours, Bowman said.
“We really need to provide adequate services to the public. She can’t provide them if you don’t fund them,” Board Attorney Joe Montgomery said.
The Circuit Clerk also presented her budget request on Wednesday. Circuit Clerk Nance Stokes is requesting an increase from last year’s budget of $415,000 to $564,500 to operate the office.
Stokes also oversees the Circuit Court budget. She is asking for an increase from $415,000 to $619,500 to fund its operation.
County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin said some of those increases stem from the new Circuit Court Judge that took office in January.
Just because a department head asked for an increase, does not mean it will be approved by the Board.
“It’s like a kid turning in a Christmas list,” Lumpkin said. “They know they’re only going to get half of what they asked for.”
The requests from department heads, which would come from the general fund, total $18,268,766, a 12 percent increase from the previous year’s budget. Yet, with the increased revenue that would be generated from leaving the current millage rate the same, the projected revenue for next year is $16,766,000, a three percent increase from the 2015-2016 budget of $16,299,278.
If the Board voted to keep the current millage rate of 37.05 mills for the general fund, revenue would increase by $466,722, not enough to cover the additional request of $1,969,488 to the general fund.
“You can only divide the one pie up,” Lumpkin said. “With fifty-something departments you have to cut that pie into fifty-something pieces, it’s just a matter of how big of a piece because you don’t have another pie.”
The Board is scheduled to hold additional budget workshops on Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. and Aug. 29 at 9 a.m.
The Board will also hold its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 17 at 9 a.m.