JOHNSTON COUNTY — After weeks of wrangling, five of the seven County Commissioners said yes last week to a spending plan for the fiscal year that began today (Wednesday).

Commissioners Allen Mims and Jeff Carver voted against the $171.7 million budget, saying it dipped too far into the county’s cash reserves.

The commissioners’ final budget totaled about $3 million more than County Manager Rick Hester recommended, and it gave about $3.7 million more to Johnston County schools.

The school system had said any funding shortfall could delay the openings of high schools in the Cleveland and Corinth-Holders communities. Last week, school leaders said the county appropriation was enough to open the schools in 2010 with at least grades 9-10. “County Commissioners have done what they can do,” said Superintendent Ed Croom. “We’re going to be as frugal as we can be.”

Overall, the budget comes in at about $8 million less than the 2008-2009 budget.

“This is the first time that the total budget has decreased; in all prior years it had increased,” Chairman Wade Stewart said in a phone interview. “So, it was an extremely conservative budget.”

Mims and Carver, the two “nay” votes, said they felt the budget was irresponsible because it would leave cash reserves at just 13.4 percent of the operating budget. County policy calls for 15 but does allow commissioners to go below that threshold.

“Our policy is 15 percent, and only to be dropped below that for a fiscal emergency,” Mims said. “To me, this is putting our long-term fiscal security at peril.”

Commissioner Ray Woodall, who made the motion to approve the budget, said the school system’s needs justified the extra spending. “I’ve been bombarded by citizens out there wanting those two schools open,” Woodall said. “If they don’t get the additional money they need, there’s no way they can open it.”

Mims responded that commissioners had broken the 15-percent policy “just to balance the budget” and said that a physical or economic disaster could deplete reserves.

“What ya’ll are doing scares me,” he said. “I would never run my finances this close, and I can’t vote for the county to run its this close.”

Carver also said he would not vote for the budget because it broke the policy. “Fifteen percent was a condition that we decided upon ourselves with our financial advisors,” he said. “To me, its about fiscal responsibility and accountability.”

He also raised questions about commissioners’ decision to project $400,000 more in lottery revenue. “If they took the lottery proceeds once, they’ll do it again,” he said.

Commissioner Tony Braswell acknowledged Mims and Carver’s position, saying they were stalwarts of strong financial policies. But he said funding the schools was crucial.

County policy requires commissioners to create a three-year plan to return the end-of-year cash balance to 15 percent; they must make the plan within the year.

Stewart said dipping into savings was a reasonable move. “My reasoning behind 15 percent not being such a sacred cow... is that we consider this a severe economic downturn period,” he said. “If ever we’re going to dip below 15 percent ... now would be one of those times.”

Though commissioners found points of contention this year, a split vote on the budget is not uncommon. Last year’s vote was unanimous, while the 2007-2008 budget also passed with a 5-2 split. The 2006-2007 budget passed unanimously, while the 2005-2006 vote was 5-1.

The final budget made these changes to Hester’s proposal:

* $3.8 million more for Johnston County schools, for a total of $56.2 million * $87,000 more for the Department of Social Services * Cut $360,000 for Sheriff’s Department vehicles * About $183,000 for recreation grants, down from $305,000 * County employees’ 401K match reduced to 5 percent, saving $375,000 * Added $400,000 in projected lottery funds, $50,000 in property-tax revenue and $150,000 in bond-interest revenue