Panel OKs new budget for district

James Island — The Fire Department will be fully funded next year without a tax increase, James Island Public Service District commissioners decided Monday. They also voted to spend up to $30,000 for a part-time internal auditor.

The unanimous first reading on a $2.5 million 2008-09 budget marked the end of a tumultuous three-month long battle, which divided commissioners and brought out hundreds from the community in support of the Fire Department.

Commissioners Rod Welch, Eugene Platt and Donald Hollingsworth previously voted for a budget that funded the department and raised taxes by $11.52 per year on a $200,00 house. Commissioners June Waring, Charles Rhodes, Karen Clark-Thompson and Inez Brown-Crouch had voted for a budget that did not raise taxes but cut more than $200,000 from the department.

The winning budget was a compromise, although some commissioners said the district will have to raise taxes in the future. The internal auditor position was not favored by all the commissioners. Welch, Hollingsworth and Platt said the position was unnecessary and a waste of money. However, the commission voted to fund the position for one year on a trial basis.

The district will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 1739 Signal Point Road.