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946
IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
MINUTES
MAY 12, 1992
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in Regular Adjourned Session on Tuesday, May 12,
1992, 7:30 p.m., County Commissioners Meeting Room, Iredell County Government Center, 200 South
Center Street, Statesville, NC. Those present for the meeting were:
R. B. Sloan Jr., Chairman
Sara K. Haire, Vice Chairman
Doug Madison
Frank Mitchell
Alice M. Stewart
Staff present: Joel Mashburn, County Manager
Alice Fortner, Clerk to the Board
Susan Goodman, Finance Director
CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Sloan
INVOCATION: Chairman Sloan
INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPER: The board welcomed Mr. Jeff McKay, recently
hired industrial developer for the Greater Statesville Development Corporation. Chairman Sloan
welcomed him to Statesville and Iredell County.
PRESENTATION OF THE 1992-93 PROPOSED BUDGET: Mr. Joel Mashburn, County Manager and Budget
Officer, presented his budget message with the presentation of the 92-93 FY budget. He said Iredell
County already has one of the lowest tax rates in the State for a county of its size. He also said
Iredell County has less debt than almost any county in the state. (This may not be a positive, he
said.) Iredell County operates with fewer county employees than any other county of comparable size
in the state. Yet in many of our service delivery areas, we are setting the standard that others
want to follow.
Mr. Mashburn added that if we always listen to the "naysayers" and those with an "axe to
grind," then we may not think we are doing a good job. "I challenge others to do as well with the
same constraints that we are obligated to operate under," he said. Some think that county
government should be operated like a business. In order to accomplish this, Mashburn said we would
have to choose to ignore human suffering, the increased crime rate, and the greater demand for a
better public educational system. Mashburn challenged the critics to operate a business with the
same state mandates for service and with the same obligations to provide a service regardless of a
person's ability to pay. "No smart business person would enter into a business under those condi-
tions," he said.
The budget proposed for FY 92-93 is a plan to meet the minimum human needs of the people of
Iredell County. He believes this budget offers an efficient and economical manner to accomplish
this. There are no frills, no fancy programs, and no high-priced giveaways. Even with this plan,
not all needs can be met, Mr. Mashburn said.
The budget does not have any merit or cost of living increase for any employee.
In discussing the revenues, Mr. Mashburn said the proposed budget shows very little increase.
The economy inidcates it will be unwise to be too optimistic until we start seeing a little more
definite turnaround.
Mr. Mashburn then proceeded to outline each department's budget, beginning with the county
commissioners and addressing the amount of overall reduction and line item deductions. County
Commissioners' budget shows an overall reduction of 6%, he said. The County Manager's budget shows
a 5% overall reduction. Some budgets show a slight increase and others show decreases greater than
the 6%.
In conclusion, Mr. Mashburn said the General Fund budget for 92-93 shows a 3% increase. Almost
all of this increase is as a result of increased funding for the Department of Social Services, and
the remainder is for education.
The recommended tax rate is 42t per $100 valuation and a special school tax levy of three cents
per $100 in the Iredell-Statesville School district. This three cents would be for School Capital
Construction. The 42¢ tax rate is based on a valuation of $4,721,553,661 and a tax collection of
95%.
Following his presentation the following dates were set for budget hearings.
May 20, 1992 5:30 p.m.
May 21, 1992 5:30 p.m.
May 26, 1992 5:30 p.m. - Social Services and Health
May 28, 1992 5:30 p.m. - Schools
All of these will be held in the South Wing Conference Room of the Iredell County Government
' Center.
The Public Hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 2, 1992, 7:30 p.m., County Commissioners
Meeting Room, Iredell County Government Center, 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC.
FUND BALANCE DISCUSSED: In answer to an inquiry from the board, it was stated that the Fund