The Polk County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a Fiscal Year 2024-25 annual budget during its meeting on Monday, June 17. The new budget, which is balanced in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act, goes into effect on July 1, 2024.
The tax rate for the 24-25 fiscal year is .5343 and is the same as last year’s rate, with no increase for general operations of Polk County Government.
“This budget will allow us to maintain and improve services for the citizen,” Polk County Manager Marche Pittman wrote in his summary of the budget. “We wanted to acknowledge the hard work and collaborative spirit of the department heads this year, during the budgeting process. They were above and beyond in working together with us to develop a budget that makes sense and does not include a tax increase on the citizens of Polk County.”
The approved budget continues the Commissioners’ investments in core services and maintains a focus on key elements of the Commissioners’ strategic plan to maintain long-term economic growth and quality of life. Highlights of the budget include:
Education: Polk County Schools is the biggest single department in the budget, comprising of small, community-centered elementary schools, a middle school with a variety of academic courses and extracurricular activities, and, for the upper grades, Polk County High School or the smaller individualized learning at Polk County Early College. The upcoming budget for Education is $6,763,735.
Public Safety: Public Safety includes the Sheriffs Office, Jail, Animal Control, 911 Communications, Emergency Management, Community Development, Emergency Medical Services, and the Rescue Squad. This section represents 33% of our overall budget. This budget is up 9% overall from last year. This is primarily due to capital expenditures within public safety, new positions, as well as a full year of salary adjustments made to improve recruitment.
General Government: General Government consists of several departments including Governing Body, Administration, Finance, Tax Office, Revaluation, Legal, Courts (County Portion), Elections, Register of Deeds, Public Buildings, Information Systems, and Personnel. This section is 15% of our total budget. There is no percentage increase in this amount this year
Economic Development: Economic Development includes Forestry, the Economic Development and Tourism Department, Planning, Cooperative Extension, Soil and Water Conservation, and Agricultural Economic Development. This section makes up approximately 3% of the overall budget, which is unchanged from last year.
Culture and Recreation: Culture and Recreation includes the Senior Centers (Columbus and Saluda), the Library, the Recreation Department, and the Recreation Complex. This section makes up approximately 5% of the overall budget and is unchanged from the prior year.
Compensation: To continue to employee high-quality persons across its departments, the Commissioners approved a 2.5 percent cost of living increase for all staff. Several positions have been approved, too, including an additional dispatcher to handle the increased call volume at the 911 Communications center and four EMT positions.