LOCAL
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
COUNTY from Page A1 members in a budget workshop Tuesday, Mixon said county staff was almost within $11,000 of balancing the 2013-14 budget as of April 23. But a proposed change to the state’s local government fund recently approved by the Senate Finance Committee would, if approved by the General Assembly, leave Sumter County with less funding than originally expected, a loss of $386,916. “It’s a shocking reduction,� Mixon told council. “I’ve talked to my colleagues in other counties in the region, and they all see it as a difficult issue to manage.� The county’s deficit now stands at $450,057 just two weeks before council will have to take the first of three readings necessary to pass the budget in time for the new fiscal year. Projected rev-
enues were listed at $41,492,664 Tuesday, and expenditures were at $41,942,721. The funding previously approved by the House of Representatives for the 2014 fiscal year would give Sumter County $4,059,833 in local government funding, but the bill now before the Senate proposes to cut that number to $3,672,892. Mixon said any reductions in local government funding could have an even bigger impact on neighboring counties that depend even more on state funding to balance their books. “Smaller counties will have the biggest problem because they will have the most difficulty making adjustments,� he said. “People need to know the impact that decisions made in Columbia have.�
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Even before the latest reductions advanced in the Senate, Sumter County’s administrator said numbers for the local government fund approved last year were “significantly below where they should have been.� “It’s like we’re arguing over the crumbs instead of the whole loaf of bread,� Mixon said. Finance staff also updated council on staffing requests from county departments presented at the last budget workshop three weeks prior. In the largest request, Mixon said the county will be able to cover 18 new staff positions in Emergency Medical Services that will allow for a change from 24-hour shifts to 12 hours. The county won’t fill the new positions until January and expect the $389,294 cost to be covered by extra revenue generated by the calls the new staff will respond to.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office will pick up a new information technology person and two full-time clerks at a total cost of $107,025. Those positions won’t generate any new costs because of savings from the “joint share� funds with the city for operations at the Law Enforcement Center on East Hampton Street, which sheriff’s personnel recently moved out of. The county won’t pay for four full-time deputies who would be placed in area schools. Mixon said he would ask the schools to cover the estimated cost of $174,797. Councilman Charles Edens asked that the sheriff also justify maintaining the drug secretary as a full-time position since the secretary will no longer handle city cases after the move from the Law Enforcement Center. “What’s she going to do with the other half of her time now, twiddle her thumbs?�
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he asked. Other departments will not be seeing any new personnel next year. Mixon said funding would not be available for 12 new firefighter positions, and four part-time and one fulltime position in the voter registration office also will not be filled, saving $48,000. Sumter County will pay for a part-time position at the new Salterstown Community Center (cost: $20,300), a facility manager and three janitorial positions at the new Judicial Center ($132,000), and a part-time janitor for the South Sumter Resource Center ($9,609). Finance Director Pamela Craven said staff would also like to increase the pay for about 10 county employees currently making less than $18,000 a year up to that amount. Reach Bristow Marchant at (803) 774-1272.
POLICE BLOTTER CHARGES:
Blaze McKenzie Brown, 20, of 5360 Ray Lane, Dalzell, was charged with possession of marijuana under 28 grams and possession of beer or wine by a minor; Roderick O’Neal Ford, 25, of 5 B County Squire Court, Dalzell, was charged with alcohol/ open container of beer or wine in a motor vehicle; Oliver Lamar Peterson, 22, of 3025 Joyce St., was charged with alcohol/open container of beer or wine in a motor vehicle; and Terrence Jamal Sims, 21, was charged with driving under suspension for DUI, third or subsequent offense; possession of marijua-
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na 28 grams or under; and public and disorderly conduct during a traffic stop that occurred about 5:02 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Broad and Market streets. Jordan Chandler Cannon, 21, of 3585 Wedgefield Road, and Aaron Falin, 21, of 91 Tradd St. in Charleston, were arrested Saturday and Monday, respectively, and each was charged with third-degree arson and malicious injury to property greater than $10,000. According to reports, the owner of a field on St. Pauls Church Road told deputies that he found his yellow 924G Caterpillar wheel loader damaged with the air
filter torn apart and thrown into his field about 6:30 a.m. Saturday after securing the property at 6 p.m. Friday. The owner said his yellow DG3 Caterpillar bulldozer had been set on fire and the entire crew station was destroyed by the fire. Damage to the bulldozer was estimated at $40,000, while damage to the wheel loader was estimated at $100,000. Troy Lyndon Abraham, 32, of 255 Bethea Drive, Darlington, was charged about 10:47 a.m. Friday at the 136
mile marker on Interstate 95 with possession of 28 grams or less of marijuana, possession of cocaine and unlawful to advertise drugs for sale, manufacture or possession after a traffic stop. According to reports, deputies stopped Abraham’s 2002 Toyota 4-Runner after spotting the vehicle swerve in and out of traffic and then slam on its brakes and nearly causing a collision. A search of the vehicle produced two grams of marijuana in the center console.
VANDALISM:
EMS CALLS:
A glass door was reportedly broken at the South Sumter Gym in the 600 block of South Sumter Street between 9:15 and 10 p.m. Tuesday. The damage is estimated at $2,000.
On Tuesday, Sumter County Emergency Medical Services responded to 57 calls. Forty-six were medical calls, eight were motor vehicle wrecks, and three were listed as “other trauma.�
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