By Brandi Watters, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
brandi.watters@heraldbulletin
ANDERSON - Faced with budget deficits, the county has stopped paying its vendors and now owes them more than $500,000.
Madison County Auditor Kathy Stoops-Wright said the county stopped paying claims on Oct. 15.
With an $800,000 deficit for the remainder of 2009, the county has been unable to pay its suppliers.
A county vote to furlough employees and over $500,000 in budget cuts made Monday won't mean that vendors will get paid soon, she said, because the results of such action will show up gradually.
Office supply company Miller Huggins in Anderson is one entity waiting to be paid.
Company President Dave Ward said the county has missed three pays on its bill with him.
The county typically makes a payment on Oct. 15, Nov. 1 and again on Nov. 15.
None of the payments have been made.
Waiting on the county to pay its bill is hard on the company, Ward said. "We've got to pay our bills also, so yeah, it does affect you. We have to monitor it really close."
Despite the overdue amounts, Ward has continued to supply the county with its office materials.
"We're going to watch it really close, so I'm not going to let it hurt us that bad."
For now, the county's debt is manageable for Ward, but his patience will eventually run out. "If it gets too big then yeah, we'll put them on a credit hold."
Stoops-Wright said the county auditors office had to make an arrangement with Lowe's today because the store threatened to stop supplying the county maintenance department if a payment wasn't made.
"I don't really remember it being quite this bad with the county," Ward said. "They're kind of reaching new grounds basically."
Stoops-Wright said the county will likely pay vendors after it receives a tax draw on Dec. 31.