The county’s next public hearing on the budget will be 5 p.m., Monday.

The first reading is scheduled for 6 p.m.. June 18, and the second and final reading scheduled for 5:45 p.m., June 28. FY 2013 begins July 1.

The Spalding County Board of Commissioners are looking at a budget of $87,705,540 for fiscal year 2013, which starts in July. In a letter to the Board of Commissioners, County Manager William Wilson Jr., said the proposed budget is a 6.17 percent increase from the current budget of $82,609,262.

Wilson said proposed budget includes no property tax increase, no reduction in force (layoffs), no furlough days, but continues longevity payments for employees and provides incentives for employees who develop budget cost cutting measures. These items, Wilson said, were high priorities from the commissioners from the retreat earlier this year.

The budget is based on the tax digest remaining constant, Wilson explained, based on the latest projection from the Tax Assessors’ consultant that “it now appears to be unlikely that the tax digest will decline in 2012.”

The proposed budget includes anticipated decreases in the General Fund of 2.45 percent and 1.77 percent in the Fire District Fund, which are based on property taxes. Wilson said the increases are primarily in capital projects funded by the 2005 and 2008 special purpose local option sales taxes as the projects are completed.

The largest percentage change is a 353.27 percent increase in the 2005 SPLOST from $706.250 in 2012 to $3,201,250 in FY 2013, mostly for the completion of the new Senior Center.

Overall, the proposed budge has reductions in most departments with most of the savings attributed to reduction in insurance costs.

The largest single reduction proposed is $423,816 or 41.84 percent in the Sheriff’s Department Warrant Division budget from $1,139,056 this year to $589,095 for 2013, which is attributed to moving court services to the jail. That more also shows up as the largest single increase by dollar amount of $375,106 in the budget and a 5.32 percent increase at the Spalding County Jail.

During the last budget discussion, Wilson said the county will once again have to utilize a portion of the fund balance to balance the FY 2013 budget but noted the amount that was to be used in the current budget will not have to used and will go back into the fund balance.

Monday’s public hearing begins at 5 p.m., prior to the 6 p.m., meeting. Both will be held in Room 108 of the Courthouse Annex, 119 E. Solomon St., Griffin.