Anderson County Sheriff Paul White, left, presents his budget request to Budget Committee and county staff members Tuesday. Also pictured from center are Anderson County commissioners Tim Isbel, Dusty Irwin, Buzz Patrick, Mayor Myron Iwanski, and county budget staff members Connie Aytes and Chris Phillips.
CLINTON — The sheriff wants an extra $2 million in his budget, but the county mayor opposes his request.
For now, it seems the mayor has prevailed.
On Tuesday afternoon, the five-member Anderson County Budget Committee voted 4-1 to have the County Commission consider Mayor Myron Iwanski’s proposed budget, which does not include the 20 percent funding increase sought by Sheriff Paul White.
However, the full commission could still approve White’s request, which includes $500,000 for 12 new cars and about $550,000 for 15 jailers to staff a 128-bed minimum security jail dormitory expected to open by June. Iwanski said extra money has been requested for higher fuel, medical, radio, and contract costs, and fully funding the sheriff’s 166 authorized employees.
He said the sheriff’s budget, which is now up to $10 million, has already doubled during the past six years.
“That trend can’t be sustained,” said Iwanski, who is also budget committee chairman. “We can’t continue to do that without a tax increase.”
Budget committee members said they don’t support another property tax rate increase—they raised the rate by up to 16.2 cents last year—and they instead discussed potential reductions.
“We do have a commitment with the staffing of the jail, and we’ve got some serious cuts to make somewhere,” said committee member Chuck Fritts, who cast the only vote against Tuesday’s resolution sending the mayor’s budget to the full Anderson County Commission. “There’s cuts that everyone could make.”
But Iwanski said county departments have already been cut as much as possible.
“If we’re going to make cuts, we’re going to have to eliminate services,” he said.
Countering White’s request for 15 jailers, the mayor said the new dormitory could be staffed with five new jailers who would be helped by existing support staff, a move that would cost about $200,000.
Besides Iwanski, those who voted in favor of forwarding the mayor’s budget proposal to the full commission were budget committee members Tim Isbel, Dusty Irwin, and Buzz Patrick.
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