CLEVELAND, Ga. — The White County Board of Commissioners held the first public hearing on a FY 2017 proposed General Fund budget of $16,161,230 Thursday morning. The next public hearing is set for June 30.

The budget is about $127,000 higher than last year’s mid-year amended budget request of $16,034,021.

About 49.2 percent of the proposed spending plan will go to public safety, with 21,3 percent earmarked for general government.

Commissioners have budgeted $3,072,567.54 for the Sheriff’s Office, $2,114,003.53 for the Detention Center and $1,047,373.19 for the Fire Department.

At last week’s meeting, commissioners anticipated the need of a possible one-half mil increase to balance the budget. If they were expecting angry constituents to rise up in protest at Thursday’s meeting, they must have been pleasantly surprised.

“I think when you’re honest with people and do the best you can, they understand,” said Commissioner Terry Goodger.

With about a dozen people in attendance, only two rose to speak. One thanked commissioners for their hard work. The other said, he would not have complained even if the increase had been larger.

Carl Noon, a White County native who returned home to north Georgia recently, is retiring as a police officer in Houston Texas.

Noon said, “I’m concerned that, yes, you do need to be business-like, but there are some things government can do that nobody else can do. If you don’t budget enough, fire is affected, police is affected, ambulance is affected.”

A 35-year law enforcement veteran, Noon added, “I found out there are police officers here making the same salary from their first year on the job through their eighth year, it’s $14 an hour. You can go to Jiffy Lube an get 15 bucks. I don’t see how you can keep them in the future. You’re training people to go to other locations.”

Noon suggested that a grant writer could help the county increase revenue.

“They could go after grants from the Georgia Tourism Board and state highway funds,” he said.

Annette Boswell, who works with Family Connection, said, “I just wanted to say thank you from Family Connection, but most of all thank you from the children we serve. In my first year, we served 400 children. Last year, we served 1,700. I personally thank you for keeping us and I promise we will do our best to do everything we can for the kids.”