COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton commissioners have received the proposed 2022 county government budget and approved using money from the sale of technology park land to fund some capital needs that would have been included in the same document.

Two public hearings on the 2022 budget are set for Tuesday, June 8, and on June 15, both at 6 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse at 1124 Clark St. in Covington.

As currently scheduled, the Board will vote on adoption of the 2022 budget during its regular meeting June 15 at 7 p.m.

The 2022 spending plan is slightly larger than the 2021 budget and includes 32 new full-time positions — half of which will not be hired until Jan. 1 to staff a new fire station.

The budget totals $119.1 million for all funds, which is 1.6% higher than the current budgeted amount of $117.3 million for 2021.

The General Fund — which makes up the majority of the budget and funds most government operations — totals $78.1 million for 2022 and is a 2.5% increase from the 2021 total of $76.2 million.

The proposed budget calls for $1.3 million for new and re-evaluated positions.

It includes:

• 16 new full-time positions in six departments beginning July 1.

The departments include the Public Works (six); Development Services (four); Board of Commissioners (one), Tax Commissioner (one); Information Services (one); and Elections (one). 

• 16 new full-time positions in the Fire Services department beginning Jan. 1, 2022, to fund the new Station 4 on County Hwy. 213 near Starrsville, finance officials said;

• Two new part-time positions in the Geographic Information System (GIS) department;

• Re-evaluation of seven part-time positions to make them full-time and increase the amount budgeted for them for the District Attorney, Magistrate Court and in the Senior Services department.

Expenditures are proposed to increase at least 5% in some areas, including:

• General Government: Government Buildings and Facilities Maintenance, Risk Management, and Financial Administration.

• Judicial: Clerk of Courts, District Attorney and Magistrate Court.

• Public Safety: Animal Services, the Sheriff’s Office, the Eastside Precinct, Coroner, and Emergency Management.

• Public Works:  Road Department and Fleet Management-Maintenance Shop;

Decreases in expenditures of at least 5% were shown in General Government, the Board of Equalization, Agricultural Resources, and Payments to Outside Agencies.

Also Tuesday, Newton County commissioners voted to use money the county received from the sale of land in the Stanton Springs technology park to reduce funding needed in the 2022 budget for capital needs in 11 areas.

The Board of Commissioners voted to finance budget transfers for GIS, the Tax Commissioner, the Sheriff’s Office, Jail, Fire Services, Animal Services, Public Works, Development Services, Judicial, Facilities Maintenance and Recreation parts of the budget.

The $2.6 million was transferred from the 2021 budget to the 2022 budget for:

• Server and software for the Geographic Information System (GIS), $79,140;

• Software for Tax Commissioner, $44,887;

• Vehicles and miscellaneous equipment for sheriff’s office and jail needs, $750,000; 

• Headquarters and Station 1 renovations, truck and nozzle hose for fire department, $105,500;

• Partial funding for surgery suite for Animal Services, $50,000;

• One-ton truck for Public Works, $49,522;

• Two trucks for Development Services, $70,000;

• Audio for courtrooms, $100,000;

• Painting of Historic Courthouse, generator and carpet replacement for Administration Building, and unforeseen building repairs, $370,000;

• Miscellaneous Recreation projects, $987,201.

Commissioner J.C. Henderson said he believed the money had been earmarked for direct tax relief for county property owners.

However, County Manager Lloyd Kerr said the money is being used to reduce the money needed from taxpayers for items that would have been included in the budget even if the money from the land sale was not available.

“These are projects we need to do, so we won’t have to have as much tax dollars to support the General Fund,” Kerr said.

The Joint Development Authority of Newton, Jasper, Morgan and Walton counties gave the money to Newton County government recently following the sale of land for a project not yet made public in the Stanton Springs Technology Park near Social Circle.