Harrison County leaders begin fiscal year budget planning with requests under review
HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)- Important budget decisions are on the horizon in Harrison County. Supervisors spent part of the day reviewing department requests, county spending, and future funding needs as they prepare the next fiscal year budget.
The Harrison County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting to review department budgets as part of the county’s ongoing evaluation of funding and priorities, while also approving more than $55,000 in payments, including funding for grants and the Gulfport Courthouse renovation project. Board of Supervisors President Dan Cuevas said, “So, through our e911 budget, we budgeted a new radio system for emergency services, which will encompass all of Gulfport, Biloxi, all of our cities. That’s about a 10-million-dollar investment, which will be a total upgrade of everyone’s system. So, that we can all communicate with the newer technology. Our biggest concern is our pay raises for our employees. It affects the bottom dollar, and we have 960 employees or so. Those raises mean a lot to us because we want to take care of our employees. So, that’s one of the biggest things we will have to decide before the end of the budget.”
Department heads also outlined a range of funding needs, with the election commission seeking an adjustment for a new building. The IT Department and Emergency Management Agency are requesting additional funding for a new position, software, and equipment. The intervention court program also asked for more flexibility in how its funding is used. Board of Supervisors Member District 4 Kent Jones said, “After today’s meeting, we’ll have a few more days to put together more department heads and look at their budget. After that we’ll consolidate some things, go over it, fine tune it, and then we’ll make it public. If there’s not any objections, October 1st everything will take effect.”
The county is projected to remain under budget compared to last year, but supervisors will still have to review department requests before final budget decisions take shape.
