GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The county commission approved a new budget Tuesday night that won’t reflect a rate change compared to last year.

The BCC approved the final millage rate of 8.101. It was approved with a unanimous vote, while the final budget of $357,672,699 was approved 4-1, with commissioner Wayne Bolla dissenting because it reflects a deficit of nearly $1 million.

“So it was about $4 million (deficit) talked about at the last board meeting,” County Manager Howard Wanamaker said. “(A) $1.5 million in loss of revenue for the general fund. With that, we also had a $2.5 million cut in reserves. But after all of that, we were able to cut it down to $986,000.”

Wanamaker was happy while cutting the deficit from $4 million to $986,000, there were no cuts to county services, like fire and police. The county cannot survive with the budget since it will deplete the reserves that covered shortages, Wanamaker said.

Bolla was thankful for the work Wanamaker and staff put in to decrease the deficit, but he couldn’t approve a budget with a deficit in reserves.

“I’ve got to put a stake in the ground and say I’m going to have a hard time voting for a budget with a deficit of $1 million,” Bolla said.

The other commissioners voted to approve the budget but had concerns with future budgets and deficits. Commissioner Diane Hutchings said she wouldn’t vote for a budget with a deficit next year. Instead, she’d like to see the county work together to create a fair and fiscally sound budget with untouched reserves.

The deficit won’t wipe out the reserves. It simply will reduce the amount budgeted for the fund.

Part of that deficit can be attributed to what commissioner Gavin Rollins called the largest increase requested by the sheriff’s office. That increase was originally pitched at more than $10 million, but sheriff Daryl Daniels and Wanamaker negotiated a final increase of $4,939,978.

With the budget behind them now, the BCC hopes to see their finances return to form next year. Hutchings said a team effort needs to be made to make that happen.

“Now next year, the state has already forecasted that we’re going to see a shortfall and that we’re not going to see as much revenue as this year,” Hutchings said. “For next year, we need to be thinking ahead. There are not going to be any surprises. If you’re looking at what you got this year, the goal should be to try to live with that next year because we’re not going to have more money. We’re going to have less.

“That would be my caution. I fully support this budget and I give you all kinds of accolades (Wanamaker) – what a way to get baptized by fire coming in – and I, too, am not happy about digging into the reserves and my goal next year is that I will not support it. Everyone needs to work together to balance our county budget and live within our needs.”