Overton Budget Focus Projected To Be On Employee Benefits

Overton County Budget Committee set to focus efforts on employee pay and benefits.

County Executive Steven Barlow said he has specifically working on getting better benefits for county employees. He said he has been meeting with the state insurance commission to try and find a more affordable insurance program.

“If the county tries to put more money, that even if we double the $600 and went to $1200, it would still be unaffordable,” Barlow said. “So we’re working with them to try to do things that can get more people covered.”

Barlow said the county is also working through the numbers to try and fund a one percent salary increase. He said last year the commission had approved a $2 raise across the board, and this year’s raise would supplement.

As for capital projects, Barlow said the county had received some $2.8 million in state grant funding for road improvements which they would like to allocate next year. He said other projects they hope to get underway in the coming fiscal year include the health department upgrades and the proposed Monroe Community Center.

“We’re going to talk about what the capital projects are going to look like, what we can use it on, and of course, we’re meeting with TDEC about the water grant we received for that project that will get water to two places it had never been before,” Barlow said. “And with our new health department, we’re looking for a piece of property right now where it can be better utilized and the best fit for everybody around to get in and out of.”