There was a lot of debate about the county employees receiving possible Christmas bonuses this year.

In the end, the Macon County Commissioners decided not to give bonuses to the 353 full-time and 92 part-time employees.

I think it is important for people to remember this. The debate was simply not about employee performance. I believe every commissioner - and rightfully so - believes the county has outstanding employees. Certainly, my own experience with them has been nothing short of excellent and without a doubt they deserve bonuses and raises.

Rather than about employee performances, the multiple votes about the bonuses were about just that - bonuses. And depending on which motion you followed, bonuses would have cost $399,000 on the high end or a total of $129,675 on the low end.

And yes, while the county “found” nearly three-quarters of a million dollars recently, that doesn’t mean that bonuses would have been the responsible choice.

Sadly, though, we do not face “normal” economic times.

Despite some signs and/or claims of a recover, our economy is ailing, and that includes the local economy.

The owners of our Fleetwood plant filed bankruptcy not too long ago and Nestle Waters in Red Boiling Springs “reduced” its workforce. And other than a chicken processing facility, you don’t really see a lot of businesses scrambling to get to Macon County and offer decent paying jobs.

Local unemployment, at over 11 percent, still is beating the national average, not a “victory” we should like to claim.

And trust me, I see the foreclosures in our legal section every week. People are still losing their homes. Homes which have lost value.

On top of that, several commissioners - in a voice backed by a Macon County Times web poll - indicated that a majority of their constituents did not want to see the bonuses given out.

No, with the economy like it is, the prudent responsible decision of no bonuses was reached.

And there is no shame in this. During these difficult economic times, many businesses have tightened the belt a little bit. Many will not give out bonuses or raises until the future is much clearer. My own business here is no different.

And the windfall? Hang on to it. You don’t know what will happen. What if property tax revenues plunge more? What if sales tax revenues continue their decline?

The magazine The Consumerist reports that 1 in 3 lottery winners are broke within five years.

It is easy to look at the “windfall money” and view it as extra money and start spending.

But the responsible thing is to use it as a reserve against unknown times down the road.

For now, the decision to not give bonuses was the very difficult, but responsible one.

You may call Clay at 666-2440 (office) or 670-3658 (cell), or e-mail him at cmorgan@heartlandpublications.com.