On Tuesday, March 28, the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners met at the Honey Bowen building to discuss its budget priorities for the upcoming 2024 Fiscal Year. This work session allowed the commissioners to get on the same page regarding the upcoming allocation of fiscal funds. Bulloch County Commission Chairman Roy Thompson called the meeting to order promptly at 11:30am. After his call to order, County Manager Tom Couch facilitated the remainder of the work session.
This work session followed the Commission's budget retreat last week. The retreat took place last Wednesday and Thursday, March 22-23, at Paulson Stadium. The main intention of the retreat was to hear the needs of the Bulloch County department heads and agency chiefs.
After hearing those needs at the retreat, the Tuesday work session picked up where the retreat's conversation left off by putting the needs and concerns of the department heads into a streamlined visual presentation for clear discussion on proposed allocation.
The commissioners divided into 3 groups and listed out the collective short-term and long-term goals of the county moving forward. Some of the short-term goals included more recreational facilities for the county’s outer areas, proposed upgrades to rural fire stations, and securing more property for a multi-purpose judicial facility. Likewise, the long-term goals included newer facilities for local elections and various court services. Furthermore, additional long-term goals included the building of more indoor recreational facilities, as well as public safety centers.
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners will continue to meet for further strategic fiscal planning until the official budget numbers are due on Friday, March 31, 2023. No final totals have been given yet. However, the annual $51 million general fund is expected to increase with overall inflation and projected population growth.
