Highland County Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Being Reconsidered Due to Clerical Errors

Last week we reported on the finalized and approved budget for Highland County’s fiscal year 2025, but new information put out by the interim county administrator now sets two new meetings with hearings to re-examine the budget. The statement reads:

“As a result of the clerical errors in the budget/levies the Highland County Board of Supervisors will need to hold additional meetings.   The clerical errors were due, in part, to the reassessment, which only happens once every 6 years.  The Chairman has asked for the budget to be readvertised for one week as required and to add the following meetings to the Board of Supervisors scheduled meetings.”

The meetings will be held Friday, May 10 at 5pm and Monday, May 20 at 5 p.m. Both will be held in the Highland Modular Conference Center. The May 10 meeting will be a Public Hearing on the proposed tax levy, enterprise fee, and Emergency Medical Service fee, all of which the supervisors voted to raise in the April 23 work session.

The May 20 meeting will be a Public hearing on the tax due date extension and a meeting to adopt the fiscal year 2025 budget. 

Recall petitions started circulating after the April 11 meeting of the Board of Supervisors which nullified the Highland County Rescue Squad’s (or volunteer squad’s) ability to operate in the county. The petitions seek to remove Highland County supervisors Henry Budzinski and Harry Sponaugle from office.

Volunteers from the rescue squad call still run calls, but they must do so by signing up to be a volunteer through Highland EMS. Highland EMS and Bolar Volunteer Rescue Squad are currently running all calls in Highland County, but put out the call for volunteers to apply. 

The Highland County Volunteer Rescue Squad filed a lawsuit in the Highland County Circuit Court against The Highland County Board of Supervisors on April 23. A hearing on the preliminary injunction is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on May 8 in the Highland County Courthouse. HCVRS requested the preliminary injunction “to temporarily enjoin enforcement of unlawful action by the Highland County Board of Supervisors,” further stating that the citizens in Highland County were at risk without HCVRS service.

So far, Highland EMS and Bolar have been able to cover all calls in the absence of HCVRS and are highly encouraging those who want to volunteer to sign up under either Highland EMS or Bolar Volunteer Rescue Squad to apply, as there is still a large volunteer component to the work that both are doing. Forms can be found online and volunteers can be approved to work for more than one agency at a time.