The budget committee has received requests from most departments of the County General fund and will begin looking at revenues this week. The committee will meet Thursday, 7 p.m. at the community center in Ducktown. Those present at last week’s meeting were Mark Bishop, John Pippenger, Greg Brooks, Daniel Deal and Buster Lewis.

Department heads are asking for a 5% increase for employees, citing the increasing costs of fuel and food. Elected officials will all get a pay raise mandated by the state.

The biggest requested increase is for jail operations. The current budget, which did not include a full year in the new facility, is for $1.2 million. The request is for $1.57 million. Sheriff Bill Davis said the budget covers the current number of guards, 21. He added it has not been settled on the other three, adding he wants 24 deputies as requested in his offer to settle his lawsuit filed over staffing. That lawsuit has not yet been heard in court. The budget request for guards is $504,416, up from $407,392 this year.

Medical services for the jail will jump from around $113,000 this year to $163,000 to cover a contract to provide for most inmate care. The cost of food will go from $100,000 budgeted for this year to $198,000, based on an inmate population of 142. Davis estimated the cost of utilities at $240,000, up from $138,000 budgeted for this year. He noted the jail was not open in the summer months in the current budget year. There is also an increase in the line items for overtime pay for guards and dispatchers.

On the revenue side, Davis is estimating the county will receive $945,000 from the state for boarding state inmates, up from $223,000 in the current budget, although that is expected to go up by the June 30 end of the budget year.

For the Sheriff’s Department, Davis asked for a 5% pay raise for the 13 deputies, a $10,000 increase in overtime pay, and three investigators rather than two. He said he is using three investigators now, adding it is helping with the workload. He asked for a pay raise for investigators, who do not receive overtime pay.

Davis said the Sheriff’s Department needs at least two new vehicles and urged the commission to set up a rotation system to buy several cars yearly. He said several cars are down and it would cost more to fix them than they are worth.

For the Drug Fund, the sheriff made a plea for the commission to leave 100% of the drug fines and fees in the fund rather than shift 50% to the general fund. He said drugs are the major reason most people are in jail and the drug fund could cover another drug officer if all the money were available.

County Executive Mike Stinnett said the architect recommended budgeting $150,000 to repair the caps and roof on the Courthouse. The building category also includes $72,000 for the two “safe rooms” required for the Courthouse by court order. These rooms will provide a safe place for the disabled in the event of an emergency.

The Road Department is not asking for local money, but Road Superintendent Harold Hood said the Easley Ford Bridge needs to be replaced and there is a 20% local match for funds.

Cindy Hooker asked the committee to provide $12,000 for the Boys & Girls Club, saying it is serving around 45 kids a night. She said she is learning about a lot of problems faced by the youngsters, adding many of them do not have anybody to talk to and the club gives them a chance to get some attention.

Budget Director Rachel Rogers presented the Debt Service budget, saying she has included the bond payment of around $70,000 for Copper Basin Medical Center but did not anticipate getting the revenue to cover that payment. Stinnett said he thought it was risky to anticipate that revenue because of the shaky financial picture at the hospital. This year’s payment did not arrive in time and the county had to cover it, although the hospital has made payment to the county to reimburse the cost.