By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
County commissioners are set to take final votes on the 2009 budget that totals more than $131 million.
As proposed, the budget keeps the current tax rate of 59 1/2-cents per $100 valuation.
The county is setting aside money to buy gas and diesel fuel to keep operations going, but there’s no total available on how much is budgeted for fuel costs. It is a lot more than this year.
Almost every department has large increases for gas or diesel.
The budget includes $340,000 for fuel for the Rowan Sheriff’s Office ó an increase of $70,000 over what was originally budgeted for this year.
And the fuel costs for the county’s landfill are also expected to increase sharply from $110,000 originally budgeted for this year to $180,000 for 2009.
Property owners in three fire tax districts ó Bostian Heights, Franklin and Locke ó will see an increase of up to 1 cent if commissioners approve requests.
The county’s 30-plus fire districts will receive a combined $3.5 million if the budget is approved as proposed.
The overall budget has five other funds: airport, landfill, baseball stadium, risk man-
agement and emergency telephone system.
All of the funds combined puts the county’s total budget at $141 million.
In other matters the board will hear information or consider the following:
– Consider recommendations on the county’s lease of Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium to Smith Family Baseball.
– Consider a resolution endorsing the a proposed new I-85 interchange north of Old Beauty Ford Road. Developers are pushing the project which would provide hundreds of acres for business, residential and industrial development.
The proposed interchange would located between Old Beauty Ford and Daugherty Road.
– Consider appointments to several boards including: Tourism Development Authority, Economic Development Commission, Social Services Board; Board of Health and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustees.
– Conduct a public hearing and consider approval of text amendments to various county ordinances. Staff seeks to fix various discrepancies within the ordinances that are in conflict.
– Hear a report on changes to the county’s sedimentation and erosion control plan; also scheduled a public hearing at the July 7 meeting.
– Consider a three-year lease renewal for the N.C. Rotar & Wing the Rowan County Airport.
The Rowan County Board of Commissioners meets at 7 p.m. Monday in the Cohen Administration Building, 130 W. Innes St.