Public hearing on FY2020 budget held

The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on their proposed budget for FY 2020. The general fund budget is currently set at $18,328,270, a proposed increase of approximately $453,000 as shown below.

During discussion on the budget, Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison asked the board to move $50,000 of his budget from the Jail to his Sheriff Admin account. Allison said this move will allow him to give raises to both his employees in the jail complex and the Sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Allison (pictured) said the census of the jail has been dropping the last year and after having meetings and discussions on the number of prisoners (around 140 according to Allison) and other related costs with his jail staff, they will be able to eliminate two positions which will save approximately $100,000 in the jail.

Sheriff Allison said he will take the $50,000 left in the jail from the savings and the $50,000 moved to the Sheriff’s Admin budge, to give the employees a small pay increase. Without moving the funds, Sheriff Allison said he would not have had money in the Sheriff’s Admin budget approved by the board to give the pay increase, but he will now.

The proposed budget for FY2020 is shown below.