Positive financial news continues in Lee County

LEESBURG — As an attorney and the chairman of the Lee County Board of Commissioners, Billy Mathis often takes on different roles.

But cheerleader?

Mathis was indeed leading cheers for Lee County’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Tuesday evening, a budget that the commission chairman says continues to show the fiscal strength of the southwest Georgia county government.

“Things are good in Lee County,” Mathis said. “We’re very fortunate to be in strong financial condition where many governments in the region are not. We try in Lee County to be fiscally responsible.”

Highlights pointed out by Mathis in the $29 million-plus FY ‘23 budget — a slight increase over the current spending plan — include:

♦ A balanced budget;

♦ No tax increases;

♦ No use of reserves;

♦Plans to give each employee a $3,000 raise.

“What we try to do is grow our government as our revenue grows,” Mathis said. “And we think the $3,000 raise per employee is a fair way to reward our people. When salaries are raised by a certain percentage, it benefits the people at the top of the pay scale moreso than those at the lower end.

“But it’s those folks at the lower end of the pay scale who are hardest to recruit. By giving all employees the same amount, it’s much more equitable; it rewards everyone the same. For some on the lower end of the scale, this marks a more-than-13% pay increase.”

Mathis said that in budget discussions, the Lee Commission did not, like many other governments in the region, use its American Rescue Plan funds for recurring capital expenditures.

“A lot of folks used those funds to increase pay or to fund programs that are going to need the same amount of funding year after year,” the Lee Commission chairman said. “We got around $3 million in the first round of funding, and we used it to try and leverage other grants. Getting grant funding is so competitive these days, the more skin you have in the game, the more likely you are to get a grant.

“We used $1.5 million of our (ARP) funding toward a broadband grant, and that landed us a $21 million grant. We also used the other $1.5 million to apply for a sewer and stormwater grant, which we, unfortunately, did not get. But, since we didn’t get that grant, we used that funding to purchase new — and badly needed — radio and communications equipment for all of our first responders … for paramedics, fire personnel, the sheriff’s office. We try very hard to give those folks everything they need.”

Mathis said that, long-term, the commission is looking at adding fire stations in northwest and northeast Lee County.

“We’re in great shape now in that regard,” he said. “Those future stations would meet all our needs.”

Mathis said that with the recent resignation of commissioners Rick Muggridge (immediately because he moved out of his current district) and John Wheaton (who is leaving the board at the end of this year), the board will have two new members in 2023.

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