HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93010_0749 (2)Johnson said some city officials had also called him. He said that if the City of Statesville
agreed to financially contribute to the library's construction, then perhaps some of his concerns
could be addressed. He said the Eastside Drive property would require practically no grading,
and the Support Services Director had advised there was enough dirt on the site to level it -- none
would have to be hauled in. Johnson said the site had easy access from Eastside Drive, and
there would be plenty of space for parking and expansion.
Commissioner Bowles said the county had decided to build a $5.6 million library and if
Statesville wanted to participate in the cost, he would be willing to listen. Mr. Bowles asked the
county manager if waiting 30 days would delay the construction schedule.
Mashburn said 30 days would be workable, but anything after this would affect the
schedule.
VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0.
COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT
Presentation of the FY 2002-2003 Iredell County Budget: The county manager read
Budget Message
FY 2002-2003
(Submitted in accordance with the North Carolina Local Government Fiscal Control Act)
The budget, as submitted, complies with the laws of the state of North Carolina, as well as the stipulations as
presented by the board of commissioners at the Winter Planning Conference on January 25, 2002. The stipulations
made by the board were that the proposed budget should:
1. Maintain a fund balance of at least 10.5%;
2. Maintain the tax rate at the current level;
3. Maintain the same level of services.
The FY 2001-2002 original budget was approved by the board of commissioners in the amount of $99,967,360
(excluding Solid Waste). The budget as proposed shows a .6% increase. This is probably the smallest increase ever.
Does this budget have in it everything needed to provide quality services to the citizens of Iredell County? Not in
my opinion. Are there areas that are at risk of providing reduced services to the point of being detrimental to citizen
safety and welfare? Again, not in my opinion. Is this budget the very best that can be done within the parameters
established by the board and considering available funding? I think so; however, if there had been more time to
develop the plan, a more settled economy, a more stable state government, and a greater willingness to do what is
necessary today to insure for provisions tomorrow, maybe the proposed budget plan would be amore reliable
document.
In January, the Finance Director was estimating revenues of $100,949,982. By April, that estimate was reduced to
$100,570,450, and this included $3.1 million in reimbursements from the state.
One area where our revenue is negatively impacted is in property taxes. We are finishing out FY 2001-2002 with
about $500,000 less than we budgeted and almost $600,000 less in earnings on investments. The slump in the
economy that started last year has carried over into this year, and all indications are that it will continue on into FY
2002.2003. For FY 2002-2003, the Director of Tax Administration estimates only a 3.45% increase in the tax base.
A factor, however, that diminishes this number even further is the tax collection rate that has dropped from 96.35%
to 96.08%. This accounts for $140,000 less in revenue.
It probably needs to be stated again that property tax only accounts for about 49% of our revenue. Over 24% is
received from the local sales tax. In past years we have seen a healthy growth in this revenue item. During the
current year, budgeted sales taxes were reduced over $1 million due to decreased retail sales. Because of this, our,
projection for FY 2002-2003 has been held to a 5.5% increase in one -cent sales tax and a 3.5% increase in the two
one-half cent sales taxes over estimated actual collections for FY 2001.02. We should keep our fingers crossed that
it does not become worse.
The only bright spot in the revenue picture is the Register of Deeds' recording fees. The General Assembly has
nearly doubled the fee for recording documents, and it is anticipated this will bring in over $200,000 more for this
fiscal year and as much as $600,000 more for the next year. In addition, the county should receive over $100,000 to
help with technology and preservation improvements in Iredell County. All in all, revenues for next year are
projected to stay almost flat, but many of our expenses are increasing.
As a percentage of total expenditures, appropriations have gone up for schools, social services, and jail, but have
gone down for health, EMS, and tax administration. Everything else has remained about the same.