Christmas bonuses, an increasingly rare benefit in a lot of work places.
Yet, this year county workers in Carter County just learned they will get a year-end bonus.
We found out that some think it's a luxury the county can't afford.
This month, Commission Chairman Yogi Bowers proposed a Christmas bonus: $200 for full-time employees; $100 for part-time. In sum, it will cost the county more than $46,000.
"This money has already been appropriated,” Bowers said.
The measure passed 17-to-1, with Commissioner John Lewis against. He says county employees got a bonus last year.
Mayor Leon Humphrey says he's tried to be a good steward of the taxpayer dollar. Tonight, he urged commissioners to stop the practice of deficit spending.
"Carter County does not have a printing press like the one in Washington D.C.," Humphrey said.
In the first five months of this fiscal year, Humphrey said the county spent nearly $358,000 more than they took in.
"In consideration of the added expenses that the county has committed to in order to occupy the new jail,” he said, “we could easily incur costs over a million dollars outside the budget this year."
Mayor Leon Humphrey says all of that deficit spending could force another property tax increase next year, on top of the 14-cent property tax increase this year.
Commissioner Ken Arney's point is that this bonus is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money the county is spending on other things - like the new jail. The roof alone will cost taxpayers about $400,000 dollars.
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