Tryon calls special meeting Monday to adopt budget

Published 10:00 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2015

After holding a public hearing last week, Tryon Town Council is set to adopt its 2015-2016 fiscal year budget with a now two-cent increase in its fire tax.

Council called a special meeting to adopt the budget on Monday, June 29 at 10 a.m. at the Tryon Fire Department.

The Tryon Fire Department originally requested a three-cent tax increase in order to hire a full-time firefighter, replace a 1986 fire truck and to renovate the fire station to expand it and create sleeping quarters for first responders/firefighters.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners only recommended half of Tryon’s requested fire tax increase at 1.5 cents, but during the adoption of the county’s budget, commissioners decided to up the increase to two cents.

Tryon’s latest budget proposal includes a two-cent fire tax increase to match the county’s increase. Polk County adopts all six of its fire departments’ tax rates for the township ratepayers. Tryon adopts the tax rate for town limit ratepayers.

This will be the first fire tax increase Tryon has adopted since the late 1990s.

Tryon is proposing no other increases in tax rates or water/sewer rate increases next fiscal year. The Harmon Field tax, which is paid by both Tryon town limit and Tryon Township property owners, will remain the same.

Tryon Town Manager and Fire Chief Joey Davis said during the new budget year, which begins July 1, the fire department plans to hire a new full-time firefighter and replace the 1986 fire truck with the extra tax revenue.

“However, it will take a few months to design a truck and subsequently get financing rates,” Davis said.

He said the town does not currently know the cost of a new truck so can’t project a payment, but essentially, one cent of the tax increase will go towards the new position and the other cent will go towards the new truck debt service.

Davis said both the new position and the purchase of a new truck should be accomplished in the new fiscal year. He added that drawings for the fire station renovations and improvement have not yet been received.

Tryon plans to add a full-time firefighter to serve the station Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tryon currently has part-time employees, which Davis said is good, but the part-time employees all have jobs elsewhere.

Tryon plans in the future to staff its fire department for 24-hour a day coverage, similar to Columbus and Saluda’s coverage, according to Davis. Davis said that can’t happen all at once, so this is the first step in a much broader staffing plan.

“Prior to having 24-hour coverage, we obviously have to have a place for them to sleep,” Davis said.

Davis also said the town hopes that having a full-time position may help with grant applications to increase staff in the future.

Tryon’s total budget is proposed at just under $4.2 million, which is approximately $200,000 less than the current year. The new budget includes the addition of a community development position, which the town recently hired Paula Kempton to fill.

The new budget also includes funding for a public works position, to be shared between the street department and the water/sewer department. The extra position was a part-time position and will be made full-time July 1.

Davis told commissioners at the town’s June 16 meeting that a two-cent fire tax increase will generate approximately $60,000 next year.

Tryon’s meeting Monday will include the adoption of the budget and tax levy as well as budget amendments for the current year budget. The meeting is open to the public.