While a 1.5 percent spending increase for Chatham County is proposed in county manager Charlie Horne’s 2006-07 budget plan, no increase in the current tax rate is suggested.

Horne presented his proposed budget to the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, May 4.

"This budget moves us forward not at great speed, but we are addressing needs of the public in a multifaceted way," Horne writes in the introduction to the 144-page county budget proposal. "With this budget we recommend expansions in law enforcement, telecommunications, planning, information technology, environmental health, and social services."

Horne said the in planning for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, county staff has "worked long and hard to make this $65,427,982 General Fund budget fit the service requirements of a growing county."

The budget proposes the tax rate remain 59.7 cents per $100 of valued property.

One penny of ad valorem tax generates approximately $62,295 for county government operations in Chatham. The total estimate for general fund property tax is $38,375,052 based on a 98.2 percent collection for real property, which would be a 6.3 percent increase in revenues over the current fiscal year.

County staff anticipates slightly more than $11 million from sales taxes and recommend using $1,706,075 from fund balance "to make this budget work," said Horne.

The proposed budget recommends $19,891,055 for schools, a proposal which falls short of the school system’s request of $23.1 million.

Chatham County’s board of commissioners Monday night got their first look at a school system budget request for next year that totals approximately $23.1 million, up $4.1 million, or more than 25 per cent, from last year’s $18.3 million.

Commissioners and board of education members met in a joint work session at Northwood High School to hear school superintendent Ann Hart present a budget she said represents a "substantial" request but is also one that will help "meet our goal of being a district of excellence in all we do."

Board of education members had approved the request following a public hearing several weeks ago and scheduled this week’s joint work session with commissioners. At the school board public hearing, there was no public comment for or against the proposal. The only change from the document superintendent Hart first presented was a request by the board that the school system ask for a second additional school nurse instead of only one. That proposal would add about $55,000 in salary and benefits to the budget.

Hart told board members she thought the requests were "appropriate for what we’re doing."