A preliminary budget was presented to the Lancaster County Council during its meeting Monday night, and most of the new budget items directly impact the Panhandle.

The $30 million county budget includes funding for personnel and operations at three new facilities in Indian Land: the Del Webb Library at Indian Land, the Edenmoor EMS station and the new recreation facility planned for Edenmoor.

Each of these facilities will open during the upcoming fiscal year that begins in July. County officials estimate they will account for about $600,000 of the total budget.

The proposed budget, County Administrator Steve Willis stressed, is "bare bones." It includes information on projected expenditures only, with no information on projected revenues. Projected revenues are typically presented to the council during the first reading of the budget, he added, but because of a bill currently in the state Senate, projecting revenues is difficult.

House Bill 4942 would allow property, upon being sold, to be valued at its previous value until the next countywide reassessment.

That would keep the county from assessing the property at its fair market value until the next reassessment, Willis said.

The bill could mean a significant loss of revenue for the county, he added.

"Cutting back" are the two most important words during this year's budget discussions, said Councilman Wayne Kersey.

Funding for non-county agencies are cut from this preliminary budget. Palmetto Citizens Against Sexual Assault, the Arts Council, Communities in Schools and the Council on Aging's Meals on Wheels program were just a few of the county agencies that received funding from the county last year, but under the current budget would not receive funding.

Willis said he expects the budget to change significantly before it passes a third reading and hopes funding for some non-county agencies can be added back into the budget.

He also hopes that before the budget is final, additional revenue will be found to fund cost-of-living raises for county employees.

The council may also choose to change the budget and fund other priorities, he added. Instead of funding additional personnel at the Del Webb Library at Indian Land, the council could choose to reduce the hours of operation for all library branches and have the library shift resources as needed.

The personnel costs saved could be used to hire additional deputies or fund other budget priorities, he said.

"This budget leaves many needs unmet and forced us to make some unpleasant choices," Willis said.

The first reading of the budget passed 5-2, with Fred Thomas and Wayne Kersey opposed.

The council will have a special meeting to discuss the budget on May 22.