Pickett Budget Includes Raises For Sheriff, EMS

The Pickett County Commission approved its budget for the 24-25 fiscal year Monday on first reading.

The budget includes a 50-cent pay raise across the board for county employees. The Ambulance Service, EMS, and Sheriff’s Department will receive larger raises. Pickett County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said they surveyed other counties this past year to see where those salaries needed to be, to compete with other counties and retain emergency staffers.

“I guess we will see at the end of the year if this passes how close we come to the numbers,” Bilbrey said. “But I know that with the Sheriff’s Department and Ambulance Service both, we have had quite a bit of overtime this year just because peoples leaving going to other departments that’s paying more money.”

The starting wage for deputies will increase from $14.03 to $17.03. Commissioner Tony Beaty said this raise could potentially be better for the county in the long run.

“Really if this works out in our favor the way that we hope it did this would actually be cheaper on us than what we’ve been doing in the past,” Beaty said. “Less overtime.”

The county tax rate will increase slightly from 1.7065 to 1.71.

“Of course, last year’s tax rate was 1.7065,” Bilbrey said. “Which is aggravating to fool with as far as figuring the penny and figuring the rates, so we did round it up to 1.71 just to make it easier to fool with.”

Bilbrey said last year’s budget finished $188,000 to the positive. He said he expects this year’s budget to come out to a similar result.

The Sheriff’s Department will receive $150,000 to pay School Resource officers and to buy equipment. The Elections Commission received an increased budget due to two elections this fiscal year instead of one.

“In this budget here we will have two elections,” Bilbrey said. “We will have an election in August and will have an election in November, and you got to pay those election workers to come and help.”

The Pickett County School System did not ask for an increase in spending despite a $1.00 per hour raise for all non-teaching employees and a $2,500 raise for certified teacher employees. The raise is to build toward the required $50,000 certified teacher salary required by the state.

Bilbrey said the county does not have any debt but plans to add to the debt fund.

“We kind of add a little bit each year to that fund just to build it up,” Bilbrey said. “Because you know eventually we are going to have debt, I mean it’s inevitable.”

The county will give $2,000 to the Good Neighbors Theatre and $2,500 to the Taylors Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department.