Brantley County State of the County (chairman's corner)

As the County enters the final quarter of 2011 we need to take a look at where we are against our financial and project goals.

The County is in line to finish the year at or under budget. This is that time of year when accounts start getting lean and there is a perception that we have to "start watching every penny". The truth is that the team watching every penny in the first 8 months of the year is what allows the County to get through this last quarter at or under budget.

The annualized revenues are in line with budget when you take an average of $450,000 in monthly revenue and add the $648,000 insurance premium payment that the county will receive in October. Expenses are in line with budget when you back out those one time annual payments that have already been made from the annualized figures. Every month we print and distribute the monthly expense and revenue detail among county officials and department heads. These figures are scrutinized. Every member of the management team, County Commissioners, Constitutional Officers and all department heads are asked to review the numbers and make adjustments in spending where necessary. This summary is posted in the legal organ so that the Brantley County Citizens are able to see the monthly and year to date spending and revenues of the county. When many of us ran one plank in our platform was "Transparency". We vowed to shine the light of day on the county process of revenue and expenses from both budget and collection perspectives. In the last 2.5 years, articles like this, monthly publications, the www.BrantleyCounty.org web site and many other initiatives were undertaken to enlighten the tax payers on the actions of the county. When everyone has the all information and we can have honest, open and civil discussions and debates over the direction, we can make progress. This is one of the primary reasons that Brantley County has made the progress that it has in these last 30 months.

Today we are not borrowing money to make payroll as we were in the Spring of 2009 when we were forced to borrow $3.2 million to operate. We have moved the financial numbers out in front of the public. We have launched capital improvements with the use of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), capital outlay and grant dollars like 13 miles of road paving or resurfacing, the new recreation park near Lulaton, the new boat ramp in Atkinson, the new $8.5 million Sheriff's Office and Detention Facility, improvements at the courthouse and St Illa office complex, the airport, the Waynesville Recreation project and much more. We've worked to support our employees and to hone our staff so that we have a qualified team to serve the citizens of Brantley County. The team has worked with the cities of Hoboken and Nahunta to try and share services and lower costs for the tax payers and hopefully more of that can come to fruition. With the one cent SPLOST extension on the ballot in November voters will have to opportunity to equip the current and next commission to continue the progress that has been made in these last 30 months and to continue to make jail facility capital payments which are $648,000 per year. Otherwise those jail payments would place more burden on the tax payers and nobody wants to see that happen.

I would like to make one correction. In last weeks letter I mistakenly noted an $8000 state homestead tax exemption and that number should have been $2000. There was a bill to increase that last year that I thought passed but I was made aware after the article ran that this did not pass. My apologies for the error.

Take time today to thank the good Lord for His blessing on our County and especially for the rain. Through His continued blessing, Brantley County will continue to make progress.

Ronald E. "Ron" Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission