The proposal, requested by Commissioner Patrick Qualls and presented at today's board meeting by County Manager Tony Brown, would provide educational funding at the same level the previous proposal did, with the exception of providing $127,027 in funds for increased utility costs at Halifax Community College.

The proposal provides $748,693 for unfunded county departmental requirements and capital.

It does not, however, provide a competitive market adjustment for employees or an employee performance pay plan.

Instead, it would give employees a one-time, across-the-board bonus of $500.

The proposal discussed today would fund around $320,000 of outside requests.

This afternoon Qualls said the reason he asked for an alternative to the proposal presented last week was because, referring to the new Manning school, “We are mandated to build schools by the state and in this year's budget to meet the debt service requirement it requires a 5-cent tax increase.”

Qualls said, “I did not feel it was fair to ask the citizens for an additional 1 ½ cents tax increase. There's going to be a tax rate tied to all debt service and when that debt service is gone the tax attached to it will retire with it.”

Commissioners did not officially vote on the proposal, but instead took a consensus with Qualls, Rives Manning and Chair Vernon Bryant siding with the new option and Carolyn Johnson and Rachel Hux siding with the original proposal. Marcelle Smith, however, was undecided.

After a break, Hux came out in support of the new proposal.

Qualls told the board under what last year was called a revenue-neutral tax rate adjustment he had two pieces of property where the value went up 48 percent. “We're coming back with a 5-cent tax increase. I don't think this is the year for that.”

Smith said he was concerned about what not having a cost of living increase or the performance pay increase would do for employee recruitment and retention. “Obviously, there's some concern about perception and reality.”