Harry Johnston

New County Manager, New Budget

BY HARRY JOHNSTON

We are pleased to welcome our new county manager, Geoff Morton. Geoff replaced longtime County Manager Jerry Cooper on June 1. Geoff is a 19-year veteran of Cherokee County government. Prior to this appointment, he served as chief county engineer, community development director and deputy county manager.

Geoff is inheriting management of a county that is in great shape, but which still has ongoing challenges. We have been able to manage and keep up with our exceptional growth better than most fast-growing counties. Infrastructure and services are mostly excellent, and the tax burden is among the lowest in Georgia. Growth can be a good thing; however, it takes great care to manage it in a way that doesn’t overwhelm us, drive taxes up to pay for it, or destroy the quality of life that makes people want to live here.

Geoff is thoughtful, universally liked and respected. He’s up to the task, but he’ll need the full support of the Board of Commissioners, county employees and all citizens, so that our county continues to prosper.

In the current budget, we committed to increase the number of public safety employees, and raise their pay to match surrounding jurisdictions, in order to meet the needs and demands of county growth. It made that budget a tough one. To avoid an increase in tax rates, we postponed some of those initiatives into the upcoming budget year, so we knew this one also would be tough.

The good news is, the initial numbers indicate we’re on track to meet our challenging goals. The budget

scenario under initial consideration would leave the county maintenance and operations (M&O) and fire tax rates flat, while reducing the park bond tax rate. The school tax is separately set by the Board of Education, but we may have an opportunity for a small reduction in the fire tax rate. We also are on track to meet, or exceed, our targets for reducing and eliminating the use of reserves over the next two years. We’re fortunate to have adequate financial reserves, and we have some unexpected opportunities to add to them, but we only want to draw on them for short periods. Unlike most counties, Cherokee offers homeowners a floating homestead exemption that automatically increases with property value, for as long as you own your home. If the Board of Commissioners doesn’t increase the tax rate, your county M&O tax bill won’t go up. However, the homestead exemption only applies to the county M&O tax. If the other tax New county manager, Geoff Morton. rates stay flat and your assessed value increases, you’ll see an increase in those parts of the tax bill. That’s why we try to reduce rates a little each year. I’m always interested in your thoughts. Email me at hjohnston@cherokeega.com. Harry Johnston is chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners. He's a retired CPA and accounting manager, and a former district commissioner.