Approximately six weeks following the events in Long County The chairman and a county supplier have been taken into custody. For embezzling public funds, the county manager states that they are currently facing difficulties in meeting payroll obligations.
The Long County Manager, Chuck Scragg, states that the administration faces a $2.5 million deficit and must implement extreme strategies to ensure the county’s survival. Out of this amount, $815,000 constitutes bond debt incurred for constructing an unutilized new jail.
Subscribe to our NewslettersAccording to reports, Long County finds itself in severe financial distress and will require considerable time to recover from this situation. On Tuesday, Scragg informed the commissioners that they may struggle to meet payroll obligations for April.
When interviewed by 22 News on Thursday, Scragg mentioned that they have secured funds to cover the April payroll, but expressed uncertainty about how they will manage to pay all employees in May.
However, the county is beginning to reduce staff. In two weeks, eight full-time and five part-time workers will lose their jobs. These positions were axed due to an ongoing hiring embargo.
Long County plans to close two out of its four convenience centers, cease all training and travel activities, and prepare for a comprehensive budget cut of 15% in the upcoming fiscal year.
As for that newly built $17 million jail we talked about earlier, it remains unoccupied.
"The jail is currently an underutilized resource," Chuck Scragg said to 22.
Scragg mentions that they require an extra $300,000 to finish the construction. Meanwhile, Long County keeps spending $500,000 each year to accommodate their prisoners at external facilities.
All these distressing disclosures occur roughly a month and a half following the arrest of the ex-county chairman Robert Parker and county vendor Tony "Pee-Wee" Fowler. stealing taxpayer dollars .
News Channel 22’s Andy Cole inquired of Scragg whether they were accountable.
"There isn’t any missing money; it was all used up, even though it might not have been utilized properly. That’s pretty much all I can comment on," stated Scragg.
Although Scragg mentions that there isn't an official schedule as of now, he indicates that it should take roughly one year for the county to regain its financial stability.
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READ THE FULL STORY: Long County finding it difficult to meet payroll obligations as they grapple with millions in debts.
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