Etowah County News

(Gadsden, AL - September 9, 2010) The Etowah County School System's required "Five Year Capital Plan" is nothing more than a "wish list," according to new Superintendent Alan Cosby.

He says the report is required by the state so the system can layout their plans for capital improvement "in case the funds are there." But, until the recession ends and state revenue increases, he says, it is very doubtful there will be funds for capital outlay.

According to the report, the Etowah County School Board has plans for projects totaling more than $27.9 million dollars. The largest project listed, addition of auditoriums at Glencoe High, Hokes Bluff High, Gaston High, West End High and Sardis High, is the next to last in the prioritized list.

None of the projects have known funding sources, and range in cost from $250,000 to $10 million.

(Gadsden, AL - September 9, 2010) The Etowah County School Board says more than 1.8 million federal stimulus dollars will be used to pay the local portion of teacher's salaries in the new 2011 Fiscal Year budget.

During Tuesday's budget hearing, new Superintendent, Dr. Alan Cosby informed the board that the stimulus dollars will be used to pay what would normally be considered the "local portion." The remainder of the funds will be reserved until later in the second semester before its planned use is determined. Cosby tells GadsdenMetro that those funds could be used in the 2011 or the 2012 FY budget.

The county school system is the third largest employer in the county, with a $29 million dollar salary budget and another $11 million budgeted for fringe benefits in 2010-2011. The budget reflects more than 600 educator and administrator hiring units, including 535 teachers, 19 principals, 8 assistant principals, 18 counselors, 23 librarians, one career tech director and one career tech counselor.

The system hires more than those numbers, however. Using other state, federal and local funds, the system hires more than 1080 employees, including certified and non-certified support personnel. Those numbers include 589 teachers, 23 librarians, 21 counselors, 37 administrators, 27 certified support personnel and 385 non-certified support personnel. Teachers' annual full-time certified salaries range from $36,146 for a first-year teachers to $60,825 for certified employees with a doctorate degree.

Cosby says he fully expects the state to announce at least a 2% budget pro-ration adjustment sometime after the November elections. Those cuts would amount to approximately $965,000 in budget cuts on top of the reduced budgets from two previous years of pro-ration. That $965,000 is equal to a little more than half of the federal jobs stimulus funds distributed to the system, he says.

Chief Financial Officer Donna Hagedorn informed board members that the central office has worked hard to re-code jobs so that the largest number possible would qualify for federal funds. That effort, she says, "will help us keep the largest number of employees possible in the district."

Hagedorn says the school budget reflects a reduction in financial resources from almost every provider. She described the recession's impact on the school budget between 2008 and 2010. "State revenue is down $9.2 million," she told the board during the budget hearing Tuesday. In addition to state revenue cuts, sales tax revenue has seen a decrease of 4%.

However, she says, with cash reserves and effective planning, the county system can withstand as much as 6.4% in budget cuts this year. Cosby says "our budget is lean, but its as trimmed as it can get. We will use our money wisely to get as far ahead as we can be by springtime [when budget cuts are expected to hit]."

In addition to passing the 2011 FY Budget, the school board:

• Approved the new salary schedules for 2011 FY
• Approved the system's five-year capital plan
• Awarded price bids on 72- and 48- passenger buses to Transportation South
• Awarded bid for installation of Air Conditioning at six schools under the Child Nutrition Program to Coosa Heating and Cooling of Gadsden, AL
  
  • Carlisle Elementary, John Jones Elementary, Southside Elementary, Clencoe Middle/Elementary, Hokes Bluff High and Duck Springs Elementary
• Approved the purchase of five buses
  • Four 72-passenger buses at $74,874.91 each
  • One 48-passenger bus at $88,995.75 each

(Gadsden, AL - September 7, 2010) Etowah County Commissioners are considering complaints from a group of senior citizens who are upset about management and operations of a Senior Adult Center on Lookout Mountain. A representative of the group, Joyce Howell spoke to the commissioners during the public comment section of Tuesday's meeting.

In her prepared statement, Howell explained to the Commission that seniors had been meeting in an old block building behind Highland School for several years before the construction of the new Senior Adult Center in their community. "The reason we even have a community center on Lookout Mountain is because of the seniors... the school needed the use of the building and we needed a new [one] for the seniors to use."

According to Howell, the building was built with funds from the 1% sales tax that was to be used for rural community development. "We tried to get a senior building and were told it had to be a community center, it could not be a senior building." She says at the time, the group did not think it would be a problem.

That building is used by several groups in the community. But, is primarily used by senior citizens in the area. "Seniors participate in a nutrition program at the building," she informed the commission. "We are at the center from 8:30 am till 12:30 Monday through Friday."

However, she says, the senior citizens are having a problem with the current board. "We would like to be able to sue the building for suppers and for games," she says, "the board has refused to let us do this without 'paying rent' on the building." Howell then exclaims "pay rent on our own building?!"

Howell says a board member has said the seniors could come when the board has their regular meeting, and bring supper and play cards while they are there. "Would you want to use the building... while being watched like a bunch of unruly children" she asked the commissioners.

She says the entire board member but one is "ok with the seniors using the building." That member she says, had the motion tabled until the August meeting. "At the August meeting, that board member handed out a paper on what that member wanted to do.... no one else on the board would go against this board member." Howell says the plan presented by the board member "denied the seniors the use of the building any night for senior sponsored events."

Howell concluded asking the commission for "any help you may be able to provide us in resolving this issue so it benefits the seniors and any other interested persons."

(Gadsden, AL - September 7, 2010) Etowah County CEO Patrick Simms says he is "struggling with the budget" this year due to economic pressures and difficulty in getting hard numbers from the Revenue Commissioner.

Simms informed the County Commission during Tuesday's work session that he expects to get at least a partial abstract of expected revenue from the Revenue Department later this week. "But I can tell you, we're in some tough times, the money just isn't there," Simms reported.

The county's executive officer says that while expected revenue increases are expected from ad valorem taxes, the $100,000 projected increase "won't cover our increases in post-employment insurance costs." He says the county operated off of a "deficit budget" for FY 2010 and should expect to do the same for FY 2011.

The county is required, by law, to operated a balanced budget, which means money will have to be taken from discretionary funds, county savings or other sources to cover the financial shortfall.

Simms blames much of the increase in budgetary requirements on personnel costs, primarily, the annual increase in insurance and medical care costs.

In other financial matters before the commission today, Simms says he is recommending that the commission consider filing a lawsuit over what he calls an inequity in a law passed in the 1990's that placed county Circuit Clerks under control of the AOC. "The takeover made the clerk a state employee. That law," he states, "said specifically that it would not increase any county expenditures with the takeover." However, Simms explained, it increased county expenditures in one counte - Etowah County. "The law increased our county's supplement from around $12,000 per year to $25,000 per year."

Simms is suggeting the commission consider a possible lawsuit to see why Etowah County is the only county in the state to pay the increase in supplement. Simms tells GadsdenMetro that he "doesn't see why the county has to pay a man making more than $100,000 a year any amount of money as a salary supplement."

When asked by County Commissioner Larry Payne, County attorney Jim Turnbach says he has not yet looked at the issue, but he would do so and be prepared with information for the commissioners next week.