The Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors has cleared nearly every obstacle for the annual $56.6 million budget, waiting only for a vote of approval on Thursday.

Taxes remain the largest source of revenue for the county, comprising 63 percent of the revenue, which increased by $195,700 from the previous year. No tax increase is planned in the proposed budget. 

The budget includes an increase in spending for E-911, which has been the subject of debate between the city of Meridian and the county over the course of the year. Additionally, the county will add two positions for full-time public defenders while retaining two part-time defenders, rather than four part-time defenders. 

“I’m hoping two full-time public defenders will speed up the judicial process,” Kyle Rutledge, the supervisor for District 5, said. “So they (defendants) will spend less time in our custody.”

Under the plan, no county employees will receive a raise. Chris Lafferty, the county administrator, noted that the county saw decreases in two big expenses: a loan for the Lauderdale County Agri-Center and on some capital projects that are now completed. 

“I think it’s good we stayed within budget with no tax increases for citizens,” Wayman Newell, the board president and District 2 supervisor, said. “Unfortunately we were not able to provide raises.”

Newell noted that the county had applied for a Community Development Block Grant to facilitate in handicap accessibility upgrades at the courthouse. 

“Hopefully we’ll know by Oct. 31 if we got it,” Newell said. 

As for negotiating the purchase of the Federal Courthouse, Newell said the state of the sale remains much the same. 

“If the post office would give us a yay or nay then we could proceed,” Newell said. “We’re still waiting because $6 to $8 million is a lot to save.”

As for the future Children’s Museum, Newell said the board hadn’t specifically budgeted for the project and would re-visit the topic at a later time. The museum is planned at the site of a former Sears store on 22nd Avenue.

“We’re committed to helping tear down the building and to renovating it,” Newell said. 

Josh Todd, the supervisor of District 3, said one of the ways that supervisors had managed to reduce expenses was by rotating vehicles and not relying on older vehicles. 

“We saw a need where we were spending a lot of money on older equipment, Todd said. 

Now, Todd said, the supervisors bought new and got rid of the equipment after three to four years.

“And our repair costs have gone way down,” Todd said. 

In the future, Todd said, road money would be more wisely spent because of a county investment into Civil Link, which made a digital map of all the roads and their conditions in Lauderdale County earlier this year. At some point, that map will be publicly accessible. 

“That will go towards helping our road money go a lot further,” Todd said. 

Todd said that the county could have tried to find more places to cut the budget but that the supervisors didn’t want to make any cuts that would be detrimental to the departments. 

Supervisors said they are satisfied with the proposed budget. 

“I’m pleased,” Jonathan Wells, the supervisor for District 1, said. “I feel like we approached the budget like we would our own house.”

Wells noted that the school budget, which composes nearly 50 percent of the county budget, didn’t increase this year, making it easier for the supervisors to form a budget roughly equal to last year. 

“I just want to keep improving, finding ways to save money,” Wells said. “I want to brag on Chris (Lafferty) and Rush (Mayatt, who oversees the Roads Department). We’re really relying on them to find ways to save money and they’re doing it every day.”

While the budget didn’t significantly increase, cuts had to be made to various departments, including the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department. 

Sheriff Billy Sollie said the funding for the department, one of the largest for the county, would remain flat.

“Historically, the county has given the department eight cars. This year, we only have three new vehicles to replace worn out or damaged vehicles,” Sollie said. “But we’ll make due. We’re a team player.”