Commissioner wants to boost county's allotment to schools

Apr. 18—Lee County Commissioner Bill Carver's motion to increase the county's allocation to Lee County Schools wasn't approved, but it sparked a discussion on finding ways to do so in the FY 2024-25 budget.

"I move to request the county manager to review the proposed county budget for 2024-25 to determine if significant funding for the Lee County Schools 2024-25 budget request can be allocated without increasing the tax rate," Carver said in his motion.

Two commissioners — Carver and Cameron Sharpe — voted in favor of the request. Voting against the proposal were commissioners Mark Lovick, Andre Knecht, Taylor Vorbeck, Robert Reives and Chair Kirk Smith.

"What I'm trying to do is establish a greater priority on the part of (county) staff to look at how much we're going to propose to be allocated to the Lee County Schools," Carver said. "It's important that we rightfully wanted to hold the line on the tax rate.

But, he continued, there were ways that it could be possible.

"I'm saying that maybe we need to tighten the belt in the county in some areas, and when we started taking a look at what we might want to do, that's where I need the creativity of the departments and the county manager to kind of look at and say where that could [happen]," Carver said.

One suggestion he made was to limit the participation of commissioners and county staff at conferences for a year because "that's a big-ticket item."

Others were putting off the purchase of new vehicles unless there was a safety concern and looking at the hiring of new staff members. Another possibility was cost-of-living adjustments.

Carver said he primarily wants County Manager Lisa Minter look at ways local funding for the schools could be increased.

"I really want ... the departments look really seriously at how we can shift some dollars from what we need in the county budget toward the schools," Carver said.

"I'm quite confident that our county manager is going to look at it," Lovick said. "I think as a board, if we see that we don't have to raise taxes and they need funding, then we'll do so. I'm sure there's a lot of other departments that are going to be asking (for increases) also."

Lovick said he didn't have a problem with beginning to look for areas where allocations could be reduced, but noted that work on the budget is beginning in earnest now.

"As commissioners, there's a lot of money for different needs that we've heard and I'm good with (Minter) looking at the budget. I think she's going to tighten the belt where it needs."

The proposal, Knecht said, is part of the budget planning process.

"To figure out what we can do, you give the county manager any requests you have and (Minter) looks at all the feasibilities and gives us the option of which way we want to move," he said.

A request should be made to the state, which provides most of Lee County Schools' funds.

"You're requesting we fund people that aren't our employees. I'm not saying I'm against it. All I'm saying is we need to make the state do their job, too, which is to take care of their employees," Knecht said.

Vorbeck agreed with Knecht's summation, nothing that the county is looking at costly building projects "coming down the pipe."

Reives echoed the sentiments of Knecht and Vorbeck, that Carver's motion would be "double work to me. I want to hear what (Minter) presents. I want to hear what the department heads feel like they actually need," Rieves said. "Then we can address your concern."

Sharpe, a former member of the Lee County Board of Education, took the middle ground, saying he believed Carver's motion was a "good faith" effort to look at the funding.

"I want to do everything we can to help the school system, but I'm not willing to commit tonight, but I do want to help," he said.