County manager to present further budget cuts to commissioners

This story was updated at 4:54 p.m. Sunday.

 After conducting four budget information sessions for area residents and listening to their feedback, county government is considering further cuts to its proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

"What came out of the sessions is those citizens were voicing their opposition to tax increases," said Angela Cole, deputy county manager. "But to do further reductions in the service level will significantly impact what is provided."

Interim County Manger David Smitherman will present options for further reductions in government spending in an effort to minimize the recommend 8.7-cent tax increase for fiscal year 2009-10 at the Board of Commissioners meeting Monday.

"It is important that county government be responsive to the desires of the taxpayers," Smitherman said in a press release from the county. "We intend to help the commissioners keep Onslow one of the lowest tax burden counties in North Carolina if that is the desire."

Some of the options that will be presented to commissioners will be:

• closing of the Richlands, Swansboro and Sneads Ferry branch libraries,
• reducing of main library hours to four days per week
• closing the Onslow County Museum
• eliminating 20 full-time Sheriff's deputies
• reduction of employee health insurance benefits
• 36-hour, four-day work weeks for county employees
• elimination of all recreation programs
• elimination of mosquito control
• reduction in Board of Education current expense funding
• elimination of Board of Education capital improvement funding

"The financial situation is just this serious," Cole said. "We have to be realistic and we have to adjust our thinking ... ."

Gary Gill has decades of memories at Onslow Pines Park in the Southwest area.

He played baseball there when he was young, and now watches his son and daughter play there.

When he heard about the possible cuts in the park's recreation programs he was "shocked."

"At least six days a week their parents know where these kids are because they're at baseball practice or at the field watching a game. If these kids don't have something positive to do, they're going to find something negative to do," Gill said.

Gill's children will be among more than 500 expected to show up at City Hall Monday night in uniform to protest the cut.

Kristina Radford, 35, will also be there with her husband, who coaches a team at Onslow Pines, and her daughter and son, who both participate in the Parks and Recreation programs.

"You may as well put that money aside and start building some jail houses and criminal facilities because you're going to need them," she said Sunday.

When Radford heard about the possible cut she began collecting names of those against the cut.

"I have hundreds of individuals who are strongly against (it). It's not all just the youth. It's every single program they're looking at cutting or reducing are the things that we need to keep the quality of life up in Onslow County," she said.

If all of the options are exercised and no tax increase is adopted in the budget, it is estimated that an additional 69 county employees will be laid off, the press release said.

Because about 80 percent of county government spending is dedicated programs dictated by state and federal governments, quality of life services are what can be controlled by the local Board of Commissioners.

"That part we're actually able to control is limited," Cole said.

If the commissioners approve further budget cuts to the point that the proposed tax increase is not necessary for the upcoming fiscal year, a tax increase of 4.5 cents will still be necessary in fiscal year 2010-11 due to the increase in debt payments in future years, according to the release.

"There is no escaping it. Even if everything else stayed the same, because of our debt obligations," Cole said.

The commissioners' meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jacksonville City Hall.

Contact Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment.