LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga.- The Lumpkin County Commissioners continued budget talks with County Manager Alan Ours and Finance Director Abby Branan.

The commissioners also heard from the public on the plans for the aquatic center during their work session prior to the regular meeting. They also approved the contract with Flock Flacon Safety Cameras for the sheriff’s office use.

Prior to meeting with Ours and Branan to continue talks about the budget, the commissioners heard the request from Coroner Mark Cox for a pay increase in the new budget. Currently, Cox and the deputy coroners are the lowest-paid in surrounding counties, including Dawson, White, Fannin, and Gilmer. Cox asked for an increase to $30,000 to $35,000 from the current $16,000 half of that would go to the deputy coroners.

The data for the coroner’s salaries, population, and the number of calls per year for all neighboring counties.

Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Chris Dockery did the math on the average salary including Lumpkin in the with the other four and found the average to be $23,518. Lumpkin County’s Coroner is also the busiest coroner out of the five counties and one of the only ones not tied to a funeral home.

“I definitely think the coroner’s salary and the deputy’s salary is low compared to other counties, but jumping almost all the way up to Hall county’s salary I don’t know if that’s visible or realistic,” commented Commissioner District 4 Jeff Moran.

The coroner’s request was added to the budget talks with Ours and Branan. To maintain the same level of service and not raise the millage rate staff and the commissioners have to find an extra 1.9 million dollars in the budget. They are able to use some of the fund balance to meet that number but that is also not an option they like.

Some options like are going to be looking at going forward are freezing currently unfilled positions until the economy is better. They are also going to be talking to other elected officials about policies to save gas in vehicles. Gas and inflation are the biggest increases in the budget.

Heard in the clip above is Dockery explaining how the county’s budget is similar to a household budget. To review the current proposed budget without the coroner’s request visit https://lumpkin.fetchyournews.com/2022/06/08/board-hears-fy23-budget-proposal/. The budget talks will continue and the final budget will be voted on at the Aug. 23 meeting.

The commissioners also took the time to review the communities input on the new aquatic center. There were many people that came out to voice their opinions on the subject. Their comments boiled down to a few items that they believe the commissioners should focus on.

Leah Smith while addressing the board.

Those items are a bubble to cover the pool to give year-round access to it, and accessibility for those with disabilities. The focus needs to be on pools for the elderly and swim teams such as a therapeutic pool and an eight-lane 25-yard competition pool.

Most of those that came forward offered their services in some way or another to help the commissioners get the project going again. One of those that volunteered time to do research was Leah Smith.

Heard in the clip above is Smith speaking to the commissioners about the need for competition swimming. To get a better idea of what a bubble is visit https://blog.intheswim.com/off-season-swimming-pool-enclosure-options/#:~:text=The%20inflatable%20swimming%20pool%20enclosure,that%20sits%20overtop%20your%20pool.

The commissioners encourage the feedback of the community on this project as they continue to find ways to move forward. The best person to contact is the County Manager Alan Ours and his contact information can be found at https://www.lumpkincounty.gov/182/County-Manager.

The commissioners did approve the contract with Flock Falcon Safety Cameras for the use of the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Jarrard presented the request to the commissioners at the Jun. 7 work session. To review that meeting use the link above.

Sheriff Jarrard addresses the community’s concerns with the new camera system.

The sheriff also address the privacy concerns some citizens had at the meeting. He also mentioned that UNG has been using the system since Sep. of 2021. During a 30-day trial with the system, the sheriff’s office was able to solve two major thefts and assist another county in breaking up a car-stealing ring.

“I think I would fail the community if there is a product out there that I can utilize to help victims by not utilizing that, I am mindful of what they say about the 30 days I know I’m having to have trust in that. I know that law enforcement has to have a reason to go into the system to try to research and we have to have knowledge of a crime that took place to try to come up with a suspect,” explained Jarrard.