Newspaper Page Text
County finances
Continued from Page 1
that it will come in between 10% to
15% lower than last year.
Glynn County administrators and
commissioners are struggling with
their budget as well, but one thing
county employees won't have to worry
about for the upcoming fiscal year is a
pay cut through furlough days.
Furlough days have not been dis
cussed dining the several meetings
with the county's finance team and the
commission's finance committee.
The reason furlough days are not on
the budget table is the county govern
ment is on sound financial footing and
has a $41.7 million General Fund fund
balance and is projecting General Fund
expenditures for 2010-2011 to be about
$50 million.
It hasn't always been this way,
according to County Finance Director
Phyllis McNicoll.
In 2003, the General Fund fund bal
ance was at $5.8 million.
By 2004 it had been increased to
$14.8 million.
Today, through conservative fiscal
policies and sound money management
the General Fund fund balance is at
$41.7 million.
This is money that can be used to
keep employees on the job full time if
the Tax Digest takes a dip, which it
likely will.
Current Tax Digest projections are
for a drop of 10% to 15% from last
year.
Part of the fund balance, $20.6 mil-
May Library programs
Tuesday, May 25, 7 p.m. Bruns
wick — Glynn County Library Audito
rium - Book Talk / Almost To Eden by
June Hall McCash. The author dis
cusses her fictional character, Maggie
O’Brien, an employee at the Jekyll
Island Club during the “seasons” of
1912 and 1914.
Wednesday, May 26, 10:30 a.m.
Brunswick — Glynn County Library
Auditorium - The Golden Isles Book
Group. The featured book for this
month’s discussion is The Hunger
Games by Suzanne Collins. To have
a name added to the Book Discus
sion Group’s contact list call 912-580-
4320 or email klarrick@trrl.org and
leave name, phone number and email
address.
Thursday, May 27, 2 p.m. and
6:30 p.m. Brunswick — Glynn Coun
ty Library Auditorium - Fly Away
Home. School is out so celebrate the
first day of summer vacation with a
family movie. The Academy Award
nominated film is about a young girl
and her estranged father. 108 min
utes, Rated PG
On Monday, May 31, the Bruns
wick — Glynn County Library will be
closed today in observance of Memo
rial Day.
Library programs are held at the
Brunswick-Glynn County Library
and are free and open to the public.
Call 912-267-1212 or visit www.
trrl.org for more information.
It is library policy that all chil
dren be accompanied by a parent,
guardian, or adult care giver at every
children’s program sponsored by the
library. □
THE ISLANDER, MAY 17, 2010, PAGE 7
lion, is from the lawsuit settlement
from Honeywell Corp.
Several years ago, Commissioners
Tony Thaw and Don Hogan spent two
days working with former U.S. District
Judge Anthony Alaimo to resolve the
Honeywell suit and the result was an
$18.5 million judgement in favor of the
county.
Since then the county has refrained
from spending any of the Honeywell
money keeping it in reserve.
According to McNicoll, the county
has spent some of the interest that has
accrued on the original amount on road
paving and resurfacing.
Even with the interest that has been
spent, the county still has just over $2
million in interest in the bank now.
The reason the county is in sound
financial shape is due in part to the
conservative spending by the com
mission over the last decade and in
part because of good money manage
ment by the county's financial team
which includes County Administra
tor Charles Stewart, Finance Director
Phyllis McNicoll, Assistant Adminis
trator Becky Rowell and Budget Ana
lyst Denny Chunn.
Year after year, the finance depart
ment receives clean audits and is hon
ored for excellence in accounting.
Recently, the county commission has
received criticism for spending more
than $300,000 on a skateboard park at
the North Glynn recreation complex.
Someone even stated publicly that
they hoped Commissioners Hogan
and Thaw didn't bankrupt the county
Memorial Day at
Ft. King George
Saturday, May 29, 10 a.m. - 4
p.m. A Memorial Day Commemoration
at Ft. King George will feature special
guests for musket and cannon firing
demonstrations in commemoration of
those who have given their lives for the
freedom we enjoy. 912-437-4770. □
before they leave office at the end of
this year.
Several things need to be noted.
First is the county is far from bank
ruptcy.
Second, the skateboard park is a
Special Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax 4 (SPLOST) project and will not
be funded from property taxes in the
General Fund.
Commissioner Tom Sublett told the
Epworth Acres Homeowners Associa
tion that according to Georiga state
SPLOST law the county must complete
every project on the SPLOST list.
The County Recreation Depart
ment, which controls these particular
SPLOST 4 funds, promised the pub
lic two skateboard parks, one on St.
Simons Island that was built a year
ago and one at the North Glynn park.
Like Sublett said, the county is
bound by law to build the recreational
facilities. □
Saturday, May 22
Spring Fun... grab the children , a picnic basket, your
favorite beverage and Join “The O’Really’s” for Rhythm on
the River Saturday, May 22 at 6:00 p.m., Mary Ross Park.
Admission $10.00, children 12 & under free.
Sponsored by:
• City of Brunswick
• The Coastal Bank of Georgia
• Georgia Power
• King and Prince Seafood
• Sheffield Distributing
• Main Street Brunswick
• Oglethorpe Bank
• GA Port Authority
• Southeast Georgia Health System
• Pepsi Cola Bottling Company
Honor a veteran! Honor our nation!
Now, you can honor - or remember - your favorite veteran.
Buy a brick
Robert Jones
Captain U.S. Army
WWII
For Veteran’s Walk in Neptune Park
$75 each for current/former members of
the U.S. Armed Forces.
Call 638-5909.
Show your patriotism.
Buy a U.S. flag.
Call 638-3321.
Honor ALL America’s veterans at
Taps at Twilight!
Memorial Day, 7 p.m.
Neptune Park
St. Simons Island
Featured Speaker
Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn
Guest of Honor
Col. Harvey Barnum, USMC (Ret.)
Medal of Honor winner
Patriotic music,color guard
Sponsored by Rotary Club of St. Simons Island
www. ss i rota ry. org