Wednesday, July 3, 2002
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Wednesday, July 3, 2002 |
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Deficit spending? County says it's not By JOHN THOMPSON
Fayette County's new budget year started with an overall $67.1 million figure after the Fayette County Commission approved it last Thursday. But the measure was not without controversy, as former Fayette County Finance Director Emory McHugh accused the county of deficit spending. McHugh, who now works for the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, delivered a statement to the County Commission and local media about his take on the 2003 budget. McHugh said the government fund budgets call for spending more than $4.3 million above the revenues expected to be collected by the county this year. But current Finance Director Mark Pulliam disputed the claims. "Deficit spending is when you don't have the money and spend it. We have money in the bank and the County Commission has a policy of using it on onetime capital expenditures," he said. Pulliam also dismissed charges the county's budget process would lead to bad problems down the road. "We have the highest bond rating we can get from Moody's and Standard & Poor, and our auditor told us what good shape the county is in fiscally," he said. This year's budget is up just more than 1 percent from last year's and contains expenses for the new jail, including 57 deputies.
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