| Work Detail |
At their meeting Tuesday morning, Gregg County Commissioners approved a $46 million operating budget for Fiscal Year 2017. The spending plan is $1.7 million less than last year’s approved budget. The capital budget, on the other hand is a full $17 million less than last year, approved at $7.8 million. While the budget will be lower than last year’s, the tax rate will remain the same at $0.2625 per $100 valuation. “While most counties are raising their rates around us, we have the ability to maintain our rate as it has been,” Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt said. The budget is balanced, and Stoudt thanked the commissioners and department heads for cutting or maintaining their individual budgets to get to that point. Specifically, Stoudt said, the county will postpone $1.7 million in projects to allow for the balanced budget and to enhance the reserve account. Capital projects included in the FY17 budget are the completion of the courthouse roofing project, partnership with Texas Department of Transportation and the City of Longview on the Erickson Road project, renovation of the juvenile detention center, completion of the Tryon Road project, enlarging and enhancing the too-small auditor’s office and beginning the master plan at East Texas Regional Airport. All of the projects taking place in the county are paid, Stoudt said with pride, congratulating the commissioners on being able to continue completing projects without incurring any debt. With the juvenile detention center renovation, Stoudt said, the county will also be looking into partnerships and contracts with surrounding locations where their juvenile detention centers have had to shut down. Those contracts would then become a net revenue stream for the county. After a short public hearing, which did not include get any input from the audience, Pct. 2 Commissioner Darryl Primo moved to approve the budget and Pct. 3 Commissioner Gary Boyd made the motion for the tax rate. The court approved both action items unanimously. |
