The Forsyth County Commission Thursday passed a 2012 budget that calls for $193 million in spending, about 4 percent more than the current year.
The vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Todd Levent dissenting. He questioned the need for a 4 percent increase in spending by the Sheriff's Office, saying that most neighboring sheriffs are tightening their belts during the economic downturn.
"I was hoping after my comments last time that we could have possibly adjusted the sheriff's budget slightly," Levent said.
The sheriff's budget of $37.5 million drew some criticism earlier this month during a public hearing. Several residents asked county commissioners to examine the office's needs more closely.
Finance officials from the sheriff's office said the majority of the department's $1.4 million increase could be attributed to increased expenses for housing inmates outside the county.
Other factors, they said, are cost of living adjustments and restoration of 10 paid holidays for all county departments.
The 3 percent cost of living increase will impact the budget of a department that is labor intensive, a sheriff's spokesman said.
The sheriff is a constitutionally mandated position. The Sheriff's Office funding comes through the County Commission, but the sheriff is in charge of how the money is spent.
The 2012 county budget calls for $92.4 million in operating expenses, which doesn't include capital projects and other special funds. Commissioners already have voted to keep property taxes the same as the current year.
Like the current budget, the new spending plan carries special provisions to freeze the county's vehicle replacement fund and allows the finance director to amend the budget to receive and spend grant funds only when no local match is required and the expense is the same as the income.
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