Paulding Commissioners table funding for Admin positions, updated on FY 2017 budget

Paulding’s Board of Commissioners will spend an additional month considering how or if Commission Chairman David Carmichael will have the aide of a County Administrator and Assistant, or continue without.
Paulding commissioners decided to table an agenda item until next month to approve a budget amendment that would add $75,000 to fund the County Administrator position. Also considered was an administrative assistant at an annual cost of about $215,000 for the two positions.
In August of 2015 the BoC voted in favor of removing funding from the county's budget for the county administrator, government services director and the assistant to the county administrator. The 2015 move to remove funding for the positions was passed after a plea from former Chairman David Austin no to do so and seemed mostly to serve the purpose of underscoring the shifted balance of power at the time on the board.
Previously the county administrator position was held by Michael Jones, who upon leaving the job was not replaced. Carmichael last week urged commissioners to approve the funding and add the two positions, and noted that about 120 of the 159 counties in the state employ the services of a County Administrator. According to Carmichael the Commission Chairman cannot successfully do the job of representing the county in the way it needs to be done when left without a County Administrator to provide day-to- day co-ordination and continuity among department heads in carrying out county projects.
“[And] coordination at the state level regionally...you open yourself up to a greater possibility of funding and grants when you’re able to represent yourself at the proper places. At the state to be involved at the Economic Development department, and Department of Community Affairs and Department of Transportation...we’re not going to progress and be effective and efficient unless we’re able to represent ourselves...we’re going to lose out on opportunities...” Carmichael said.
Carmichael said that the grants and funding gained through adding the two positions would “...pay these salaries and more,” and added that the citizen’s access to the Chairman is also hindered with no administrator.
Post commissioners collectively agreed some type of County Administrator and assistant were needed, but voted to table the agenda item until next month in order to further consider the move. BUDGET UPDATE
Finance Director Tabitha Pollard updated Paulding Commissioners on budget affairs during last week’s morning session. Ms. Pollard said the county finished the FY2016 year with a favorable fund balance of $1.4 million, up from the previous year. Pollard said that is due to growth slowly coming back. FY2017 revenues were projected to increase by about $1,792,500 and projected expenditures by the end of the year were under budget by about $1,029,665, but subject she change, she said. Pollard characterized the fund balance as “fairly large with a little bit of room and not stressed,” with revenues expected to exceed the original budget. The county’s budget update can be viewed at its website, www.paulding.gov.

Paulding's Board of Commissioners at the Watson Complex in Dallas. (Photo: R. Grant)