County sets FY25 budget, will fund an IT Director next year
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The Ringgold County Board of Supervisors hired an IT Director for the county, approved 2 percent increases in salary, and set their FY25 budget at their regular meeting on Monday, April 8.
Incoming IT Director Zachary Hague
New IT Director
Zachary Hague will be transitioning the management of IT infrastructure internally beginning April 22.
Hague received his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Information Technology Systems Networking from Southwestern Community College in May of 2022. He has served as an IT Technician for Clarke County Hospital since September of 2022.
The IT Director salary has been set at $75,000 a year, and the new office will be located on the third floor of the courthouse next to County Attorney Clint Spurrier.
Currently, the county outsources IT services to Access Systems, and the supervisors hope to save money in future years by moving the operation in-house.
Some overlap in services is expected until the current Access System contract expires.
Salary Increases
A two percent increase in salary for elected officials was approved for FY25. Non-elected officials will also receive a two percent salary increase in FY25 with the exception of jail dispatchers, who will receive a flat rate increase based on their years of service, as proposed by Sheriff Rob Haley.
FY25 Budget Shifts
Notable shifts in operating expenditures for FY25 include increases in administrative costs and legal services, while county environment and education continues to see an average annual decrease of 22.57%.
The county has budgeted $346,027 in FY25 for information technology (IT) services, an increase of roughly $119,500 over the current fiscal year. IT services for FY24 were estimated at $226,500, and FY23 was budgeted at $246,855. The county has also increased their risk management services budget, adding $95,000 to tort liability in FY25, for a total of $350,000.
In FY23, county environment and education had a total budget of $790,874, which decreased to $503,135 in FY24, with $291,362 pulled from the conservation and recreation services program, and $20,011 taken from historic preservation to offset slight increases in other areas. In FY25, this service area will be further reduced by two additional cuts. Community economic development will see $25,699 less than the prior year, and the fairgrounds will receive $5,000 less than past years.
Physical health and social services is the only other service area that has decreased by an average of 1.48% annually. All other budget areas have remained steady or increased slightly in the past two years.
In order to continue with their current level of service, two Ringgold County Sheriff deputies will be paid out of the rural basic fund in FY25, while the balance of uniformed patrol services will continue to be funded by the general basic fund.
The county will need to cut $450,000 from their general basic fund by 2029 to comply with HF718 changes.
