The Town of Pilot Mountain recently passed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year with an estimated total of $4,645,240 — but that new budget includes the elimination of the town’s school resource officer in a move related to a still-ongoing state probe into the town’s police department.
Revenues in the budget are expected to match expenditures and the town will require no transfers from the general fund to balance the budget.
Notable changes include increases to the water rate that Town Manager Michael Boaz said mirrored the increase in Mount Airy and solid waste fees to match an increase in costs to the town from Waste Management. Some rental fees were to be increased to bring those fees closer into line with neighboring communities.
But town leaders did decide to eliminate funding for the School Resource Office at Pilot Mountain Elementary School which had been funded most recently wholly by the town.
This comes as Surry County recently made the decision to add four officers which would have meant every campus of Surry County Schools would have their own SRO. Previously only Shoals Elementary had a dedicated SRO while all other county elementary schools had their officer splitting time between two campuses.
Mayor Evan Cockerham explained, “Our priority since last year has been rebuilding our police department to be fully staffed and effective, and we have made great strides toward that.”
The mayor was alluding to the charges of long running fraud that led in November to the termination of the Pilot Mountain police chief Robbie Jackson, former chief Darryl Bottoms, and two officers, one of whom was the SRO in question at Pilot Elementary.
“Throughout all of the changes with the Pilot Mountain Police Department since last October, we have prioritized the safety and well-being of our citizens,” he said.
He offered that Pilot Mountain police are making their presence felt. “Chief (Adrian) Tilloston has made sure a uniformed officer is on campus regularly, and not just driving by but visiting the school and spending time there to build relationships and ensure that parents, teachers, and students are as safe as possible.”
“Thanks to the leadership of Chief Tillotson, town manager Michael Boaz, and all of our dedicated officers who have remained or joined our force, we have been able to continually provide a high-level of service to the town without interruption,” he said.
Cockerham explained when the town introduced the idea of having a full-time SRO at Pilot Mountain Elementary, “the school system provided $20,000 the first years and the town covered the majority of the cost. I have reached out to the school system personally to inquire about splitting the cost again, but they have so far declined.”
Surry County Schools Superintendent Dr. Travis Reeves requested of the board of county commissioner the addition of four SROs to round out the county’s compliment of such officers. That move was thought to have been the last word on SROs, as it provided for an officer at every Surry County Schools campus.
However, the request was not mirrored in the Surry County Sheiff’s Office budget request. County manager Chris Knopf said the request would need to originate from sheriff’s office as it would be their personnel. Commissioner Larry Johnson made a strong argument in favor of adding the final four officers and eventually the board agreed to take the hit to the county budget adding more than $400,000 for those four officers.
Pilot Mountain is seeking funding from another source according to Commissioner Donna Kiger, who said officials are eyeing a federal grant to fund their SRO. “We are working to apply for a federal grant in the fall. If we are awarded the grant, we are planning to fund that position.”
Cockerham explained, “In order to do the right thing by our students and the people of Pilot Mountain, we are seeking a federal COPS grant which would fund 75% of the cost of a new officer and we would use that to hire an SRO without assistance from the county or the school system.”
Pilot Mountain Commissioner Scott Needham reiterated, “Our plan for this upcoming fiscal year is to make our police department whole again.”
He is however hopeful that an arrangement can again be reached between all parties. “I would like to see us help fund an SRO with Surry County and Surry County Schools but it’s probably going to be next school year after this one. It is my strong belief that every school in Surry County should have an SRO.”
Dr. Reeves has been getting additional funding from the county and state in recent years to make security enhancements on all campuses. Needham noted that the elementary school is equipped with security such as panic button and it is located in proximity to the police department. “It is the closest school to the police department. I think it would take less than a minute for an officer to be over at the school if there was a situation where an officer was needed.”
The town should get an answer to that grant request sometime during the fall he said so hopefully, if approved, the funding would arrive “in time to help this school year but it will not be until after classes have resumed.”
Sergeant Chad Hutchens, who oversees the School Resource Officer program for Surry County Sheriff’s Office could not offer much insight into the funding decision and referred questions to Pilot Mountain or Surry County Schools.
However, he assured the community, “The Surry County Sherrif’s Office remains supportive of all our schools, including Pilot Mountain Elementary, and will continue to provide our support.”
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