Despite protests, county passes budget
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Area residents protesting a spending increase by the county did not prevent the Wharton County Commissioners Court from adopting the proposed 2008 county budget during Monday's regular meeting.

The general fund budget calls for the county to spend $13,644,701 during the coming year, up from the $12,290,554 in this year's budget - a difference of $1,354,147. That difference represents an approximate 10 percent increase in general fund spending.

Among those opposed to the budget was Debra Medina, who said the increase in expenditures would mean an increase in the county tax rate.

"I'm guessing that you will need a tax rate just under the rollback rate," she said.

That did not come to pass as the commissioners followed budget approval by adopting a tax rate of 56.343 cents per $100 property valuation. That rate is more than a penny-and-a-half below the effective tax rate of 58.016 cents and lower than last year's 57.358 cent rate.

The effective tax rate is the calculated rate that would generate the same revenue as the previous year based on appraised values.

County Judge John Murrile said the county was able to adopt a lower rate by projecting a higher collection rate than in previous years and anticipating improved revenues in other areas. Examples of the changed projections include anticipating $2.1 million in county sales taxes, up from this year's budgeted figure of $2 million.

Also objecting to the budget was area resident Michael Beard. He said private businesses couldn't afford the spending increases being adopted by the county and asked that the county look at making additional cuts. He also urged commissioners to avoid competing with private businesses by offering the same services.

"We want you to be responsible with our tax dollars," he said.

Harris County resident Robert Young said he was considering buying property in the county, but was also concerned about the 10 percent increase in expenditures.

Those kinds of increases would push low income families out of their homes because of the increased tax burden, he said, and would make the county more reliant on property tax rate increases in the future.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris King countered those claims by pointing out the county generated 70 percent of its general fund revenues from property taxes in 2003 and reduced that margin to 66 percent in the 2008 budget.

"We are finding alternate sources for revenues and reducing our reliance on property taxes," he said. "We are also looking at a lot of one time capital projects in this budget that won't be in future budgets."

Total spending for the county across all budget categories is actually projected to be down during the year, dropping from $23,237,995 to $22,132,182.

Spending in five of the six appropriation categories is actually up including in the area of salaries and wages, which are climbing from $8.4 million to $8.8 million after elected officials were awarded a 5 percent pay increase and employees a 3 percent across the board increase with some receiving additional merit raises.

The one area where spending is projected to be down is in services and charges, which last year include $3.2 million for the drainage project study that is not part of the adopted 2008 budget.

Justice of the Peace Jeanette Krenek raised questions about how the commissioners handled the salaries for JPs. While all received the 5 percent raise, she said judges Cynthia Kubicek and Tim Drapela also received bonuses for what Murrile said was their heavy case loads.

"The county is using case load and money (from fine collections) interchangeably," she said. "That would create a quota system and I don't like those implications. Judges should not be put in a position where they look at defendants and see dollar signs."

She added she was at a disadvantage if the county wanted to use fine revenues as a standard because most traffic cases in her jurisdiction were handled in Wharton Municipal Court rather than at the county level.