Questions answered by Lamar Paris, County Commissioner
Q. You have said before that costs have increased for paving and road work. What are some examples of these cost increases?
A. Increased cost of paving materials has drastically impacted the cost of our county road paving. At a time when wages are stagnant, property values are falling and many other costs are going down, almost any product having to do with paving or running a county seems to be going up. For example, in December of 2009, we were paying $1.52 per gallon for emulsion (the “liquid tar” that is sprayed on the roads when the road department is doing surface treatment paving). One tanker load is approximately 5,700 gallons. By May of 2011, we were paying $2.16 per gallon (over 35% increase). To break that down into the cost per tanker load, in December of 2009 it would cost us approximately $8,664, and now it is approximately $12,312.
In 2006 thru 2008 we have averaged 30 tankers per year which would mean nearly a $110,000 increase in cost. However, because of the high prices and the tight budget, we have drastically cut down on paving and only used 12 tankers last year and we should be about the same this year. Even this will cause a cost increase to the county of nearly $45,000. This is ridiculous!!!
Q. You have also mentioned that asphalt prices have increased. How much?
A. Yes, asphalt prices have gone through the roof as well. Just one example: In October of 2009 we were paying $63.20 for 4.75 mm (50) G Mix and in May of this year we paid $83.25 for a difference of $20.05 which is a 31.72% increase. This is only one example. There are other types of mixes and we are paying close to a 30% increase for all of those. This simply means that we are paving fewer roads because of the increased cost. We keep hoping that the weak economy will eventually cause downward pressure on these prices, but so far that has not been the case.
Q. What percentage of our taxes are being collected?
A. According to Tax Commissioner J.W. Payne’s office, records show that as regards to Real Property, 98.8% was collected in 2008, 97.49% in 2009 and 93.81% in 2010. Personal Property taxes: 94.87% was collected in 2008, 94.26% in 2009 and 94.22% in 2010. Considering the economy, these are good numbers.
Q. This came from someone asking a question in a county store and was relayed to me. Why is the county NOT making a profit at the Farmers Market? We must not be charging enough. Isn’t that a lot of taxpayer’s dollars to be spending with little return?
A. Nothing surprises me any more. The sad part is that this person was portrayed to me as being a farmer- the very people we are trying to help with the farmer's market. SPLOST sales tax revenues, as I have said before, are for the purpose of building capital projects that this county could not afford any other way. Government, by definition, is not in the business of making a profit. We have services to provide our citizens and we try to provide as many services as possible at the most reasonable cost. I want our county to not only be one of the best in Georgia, but to constantly improve. My goal is to keep us in a top position so that we can readily take advantage of industry or business or individuals looking for a home. Yes, we charge for services, but can we really make a profit? (See below)
Q. Why can't the county try to make a profit and save the taxpayer’s money?
A. We always try to make as much revenue as practical and set our fees accordingly. But can we make a profit? You decide. Let me give you a few examples. How much do you think we would have to charge you to check out a book or video or pay for computer time to pay for a $ 2.6 million library? How much would we have to charge kids (and parents) to play sports through our recreation program to make a profit and cover the $ 700,000 + budget? How much would we need to charge adults per lap to pay for their walking trails? How much would we have to charge each residence every time we responded to a traffic accident or a fire or a home alarm to cover the public safety budget of over $ 4.5 million? How much should we charge everyone that rides on Pat Colwell Rd. or the Blue Ridge Hwy? How much would we have to charge each group that was trying to raise funds for some charity or needy person at the Civic Center? How much would we have to charge each horse rider or each vendor at the farmers market to pay for a 1/2 million dollar facility? How much would we have to charge for you to look up a deed or survey plat? How much would we have to charge each visitor to the Chamber of Commerce for directions?
The answers to all the above questions are simply that we can not charge enough to make a profit. Union County Government is here to provide great services and a great quality of life at the lowest possible cost, which we do. Do we make a profit - No, but we do charge for most services. We have lowered your property taxes three years in a row. The services and facilities provided in this county are way above average for rural counties throughout this state and our tax rate is way below average. I am proud of what we have in Union County and proud that the vast majority of folks work together to continue to make this a better place to live.
Q. What percent of the revenue that our county must have to survive is provided by property taxes?
A. Because we do charge for many of the county services we provide, it is one of several reasons that we have one of the lowest property tax rates in the state. Our property taxes only pay for slightly less than 50 % of our county general budget. The balance comes from fees, fines, and other sales taxes and grants. That is one reason our property taxes are among the lowest in the state.
Many of the public tend to forget that one purpose of government is to provide services and facilities that can not or will not be provided by individuals and we try to keep that as our focus.