NEWS & COMMENTARY Five commissioners approve largest budget in Beaufort County's history, and largest tax increase in memory



Beaufort County Board of Commissioners approved the FY 2019 Budget last night (6-11-18) in a vote of 5-2. The budget is the largest in Beaufort County's history and will result in the largest tax increase in history, or at least as best we can tell, and certainly in recent memory. This comes at a time when the population of the county has been stagnant and un-employment remains higher than in most counties in the state. We'll spare you the number crunching here, but if you are interested in that you might consider attending a meeting Thursday night at the Mt. Olive University building on U. S. 264 in Washington (west end of the building—parking in rear). Warren Smith will review the numbers you need to know and candidates will explain their position on the budget. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. You can download the spreadsheet of the numbers Warren will be discussing by



The commissioners voting to approve the tax increase were: Jerry Langley, Ed Booth, Jerry Evans (who made the motion to approve it), Ron Buzzeo and Frankie Waters. There are those who believe this budget was the work of Waters and County Manager Brian Alligood and that all of the "workshop sessions" were a charade to make it look like they were trying to develop a good budget. We did not report on those faux sessions because we concluded early on that it was a sham and that what would happened actually did happen. Hood Richardson and Gary Brinn voted against the tax increase.



Before the vote was taken Hood Richardson read the following statement explaining why he would be voting "no" on the budget: Hood Richardson's Statement on the 2018-19 Beaufort County Budget



I cannot vote for this budget for the following reasons:



1. We have the duty as leaders of county government to provide for a prosperous and stable future for all of our citizens.



2. This budget raises taxes more than 10 percent. Even applying the revenue neutral values, this is the largest tax increase in the recent history of Beaufort County.



3. All of this increase comes out of the pockets of our residents and small businesses in our county . That is, millions of dollars, that will not be used to buy clothes and food for children or provide medical insurance or pay mortgages or be used to improve and maintain our homes.



4. The sucking of millions out of our productive economy will cost hundreds or even thousands of jobs because businesses will have less to spend on salaries and benefits.



5. Our population is declining while you commissioners who vote for this budget raise taxes. This means that those of us who are still here must pay more to maintain your bloated county government.



6. Not one commissioner has spent even one minute during the deliberations on this budget to find significant ways to save even one dime. I take issue with your donations to charities under the disguise of calling them government service providers. You have no right to give away the hard-earned money of taxpayers. It is their money, not yours.



7. The concept of a "continuation budget" is proof of just how lazy and irresponsible this board really is. Then, you added insult to your proof of laziness by spending an additional $859,500 and call it an "expansion to the budget".



8. I am particularly annoyed by the ham-fisted approach you have taken to the issue of school safety. You are spending an additional $780,000 dollars to add more police officers to schools without any consideration of much less expensive alternatives. You have applied expensive brawn to a problem that can be solved inexpensively with brains.



9. Your refusal to include in this budget ordinance instructions to stop the appropriation of tax money for the personal benefit of some in the sheriff's office makes you a co-conspirator to fraud.



10. The appropriation of 4.7 million dollars in the water enterprise fund with no financial benefit to water users is irresponsible.



11. The appropriation of the 4.7 million plus the borrowing of 3.5 million and the tax increases of the last two years amounts to over ten million dollars of un-needed an un-necessary expense for the tax paying citizens of Beaufort County.



12. I marvel at how long both the federal government and Beaufort County can continue to increase spending without a financial calamity.



Hood Richardson, Commissioner



June 11, 2018 Beaufort County Board of Commissioners approved the FY 2019 Budget last night (6-11-18) in a vote of 5-2. The budget is the largest in Beaufort County's history and will result in the largest tax increase in history, or at least as best we can tell, and certainly in recent memory. This comes at a time when the population of the county has been stagnant and un-employment remains higher than in most counties in the state. We'll spare you the number crunching here, but if you are interested in that you might consider attending a meeting Thursday night at the Mt. Olive University building on U. S. 264 in Washington (west end of the building—parking in rear). Warren Smith will review the numbers you need to know and candidates will explain their position on the budget. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. You can download the spreadsheet of the numbers Warren will be discussing by clicking here. The commissioners voting to approve the tax increase were: Jerry Langley, Ed Booth, Jerry Evans (who made the motion to approve it), Ron Buzzeo and Frankie Waters. There are those who believe this budget was the work of Waters and County Manager Brian Alligood and that all of the "workshop sessions" were a charade to make it look like they were trying to develop a good budget. We did not report on those faux sessions because we concluded early on that it was a sham and that what would happened actually did happen. Hood Richardson and Gary Brinn voted against the tax increase.Before the vote was taken Hood Richardson read the following statement explaining why he would be voting "no" on the budget:

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