(Douglas County, GA)- On Tuesday night, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an appropriations resolution for the 2022 fiscal year where the budget was balanced with $104,631,524 in revenues and expenditures. There are no increases in the milage rate or any other fees. The FY 2022 budget also reflects Douglas County’s commitment to its 1,111 employees by using the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) as a funding supplement to increase pay.
Vice Chairman Kelly Robinson, Commissioner of District II and most tenured at four terms stated, “I am extremely pleased with this year’s budget outcome specifically it reflected an intentional focus on employee compensation and morale. After a decade, the Board was finally willing and able to address frontline workers as well as the entire workforce with competitive compensation.”
The Board of Commissioners passed policies that ensured frontline workers will receive a 15% increase over two years. The general population will receive a 5% increase next year and other employees were brought up to a $15/hour minimum wage.
Commissioner Robinson further emphasized, “I am personally gratified that my peers supported my advocacy of a Countywide Living Wage bill where over 300 employees were brought up to a $15/hour minimum wage that was affected through the passage of a local ordinance. This was one of several 2020 campaign promises that was fulfilled in the first year of my last term.”
The budget includes funding to maintain the new state-of-the-art, $7.5 million, 30,000 square foot Boundary Waters Activity Center, the 18,000 square foot Lithia Springs Senior Center which boasts a therapy pool, facility HVAC replacement, subdivision resurfacing, mental health expansion and community service provider diversification.
