There are two ways to increase funds for local government. You can tax more, or you can encourage investment and grow the local economy. I don’t think we need a poll to figure out which one hardworking families prefer.

Back before I took over as Judge/Executive, the county was in some dire straits.

The two coal mines in Henderson County had closed by 2015, and revenue from the coal severance tax dried up. Even worse, the county’s leadership continued to spend money like it was still getting it, nearly $2 million a year.

From July of 2012 to July of 2015, the county’s General Fund reserves had fallen from $4.2 million to $2.2 million. Considering the county needs about $2 million of operating capital in the bank to keep the doors open in the first quarter of every fiscal year (because the bulk of the county’s tax revenue comes in the second quarter and the months after), that means the General Fund had a cash cushion of only around $200,000 at that time. Plus, with the continued spending, that $2 million didn’t go very far.

In the late summer of 2015, the county was nearly bankrupt. As notices of insufficient funds from banks hit the Treasurer’s office, employees were furloughed without pay, drastic cuts were made across the board, Fiscal Court borrowed $500,000 from the Jail’s reserve just to make payroll.

The Fiscal Court was forced to consider ways to raise revenue. That’s why the occupational tax was passed. The Fiscal Court had no other realistic choice.

When I came into office, I knew we had to find a better way.

Working with every elected official, department head and magistrate, we mapped out a plan that first fiscal year to stop the bleeding. We filled in the holes and restored employee salaries, and we also made a collective decision to rein in spending so that we wouldn’t squander the new revenue. We set a goal to bolster the rainy day fund to the point we’d never have to worry about funding government at ANY time of the year and so that we could actually handle whatever was thrown at us without having to raise taxes again any time soon.

And that is what we have done. Six years of discipline later Henderson County government is in the best fiscal and strategic shape it’s ever been in. We have restored department budgets, especially the road department. We have consistently increased wages for our team members so we can keep our best and brightest. We put money back in our rainy day fund so that we could handle immediately any disaster, unexpected expense or economic development opportunity.

We’ve done all that without raising a penny of taxes on Henderson County families.

Now, with better management and a thoughtful, experienced team, we’re not just trying to avert disaster. We’re planning for Henderson County’s bright future.

I’m running for reelection to keep the momentum going. I hope I’ve earned your support.

-Brad