The Town of Winnsboro is looking at a very difficult financial year starting July 1, 2010, the beginning of the new fiscal year. Major industries have departed and those that are remaining are operating at low capacity utilization rates, which mean significantly lower revenue for the Town of Winnsboro. The Town is funded by the sale of electricity, natural gas, water and sewer. With this revenue, the services provided are: public safety (police and fire), electricity, gas, water, sewer, street maintenance, parks, etc. With the decrease in revenue caused by the economic environment we are now experiencing, the Town has to significantly reduce spending to obtain a balanced budget, which is mandated by state law.

The Town of Winnsboro’s finance committee has worked hard to put together a combination of revenue increases and cost reductions to develop a balanced budget. The revenue increases include:

• Increase in business license fees

• Increase in electricity rates

• Increase in water and sewer rates

• Increase in weekly dumpster pickup rates

The cost reductions include:

• Freeze on hiring

• All employees being forced to accept 40 hours of time off without pay

• No pay increases

• Elimination of all travel and related expenses

• Elimination of discretionary council expense items (Crime Prevention fund)

• Elimination of all grants to local non-profit groups

• Elimination of all summer work jobs

I have attended most of the finance committee meetings, which some council members missed, and can verify that almost everything has been looked at to make the best of a bad situation. However, there is one issue that needs to be addressed. Our costs for utilities are going up. The Town’s employees are being forced to take 40 hours of unpaid time off. Yet Town Council has maintained their pay at existing rates. The mayor is paid $4,000.00 per year and each council person is paid $2,500 per year. While this is not a large sum of money, the Town’s employees are being forced to take what is, in affect, a pay cut and council is not. In my opinion this is unfair.

The budget is now set, and was read for the first time at the June 1 meeting. The public hearing, and the second reading, is scheduled for the normal Town Council meeting to be held on June 15. If, like I, you feel this lack of pay cut for council is unfair, and sends a very bad message to the Town’s employees, then you need to make your comments directly to your council person.

Richard Driscoll

Winnsboro