DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Lumpkin County Government began the difficult task of creating the 2020 budget Friday (June 28) as department directors presented their proposed budgets to commissioners throughout the day.

During the morning session, the Chairman of the Airport Authority along with the Tax Assessor and directors of the Animal Shelter and Elections came forward with their wish lists.

Staff has recommended an additional $92,300 for the 2020 budget to fund an updated layout plan and environmental impact plan for the Airport Authority. The State Aviation Department wants the layout plan, which has not been updated since it was first drafted in 1966. That cost is estimated at $60,000. However, the state has indicated that it may do that plan itself, in which case the maximum cost to the county would be $15,000. The balance would be earmarked for the environmental impact plan.

“I think everything that we’ve done and are doing out there needs to be done,” said Commission Chairman Chris Dockery. ”That update needs to be done from a safety and liability standpoint.”

The requested budget for the Animal Shelter is $1,336,621, a sizeable increase from last year’s $937,257, leading Dockery to request more specific information. “There is too much unknown in here,” he said.

Commissioner Jeff Moran noted there are several construction and renovation projects in the Animal Shelter budget. One of those involved replacement of the roof at the animal shelter.

Animal Control Director Wayne Marshall also pointed to a spike in the number of calls his office responds to daily as well as increased expectations from the public.

The budget recommended for Elections and Registration could increase from $167,130 last year to $274,120 next year. Much of that can be attributed to the fact that 2020 is an election year and the uncertainty about the cost of the new voting machines and scanners approved by the state legislature earlier this year.

Elections and Registration Supervisor Ashley Peck said, “Right now, we’re not getting any answers from the state. We don’t know what system they have chosen so there is no way of telling how much that stuff is going to cost.”

Peck has requested one new full-time position in her office.

The requested budget for Tax Assessor’s Office was not available at press time. The office had initially requested the addition of a new appraiser, but after a discussion with County Manager Stan Kelley modified that request to the purchase of software that would eliminate the need for a new hire.

The first public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Aug. 6. If a tax increase above the rollback rate is anticipated, additional public hearings will be held on Aug. 8 and Aug. 20.

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com