By Jessie Burchette
Salisbury Post
Low-dollar projects won the endorsement of the Rowan County Board of Commission-ers at the end of their annual retreat.
Commissioners gave the top rating to improvements at the county parks and fairgrounds, allowing the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission to take over marketing of Summit Corporate Center, and going ahead with a new Social Services building at the original $5.1 million budget. The board also endorsed updating all the software on county computers, most of which is now five years or older.
Four members of the board, Chairman Arnold Chamber-lain, Vice Chairman Chad Mitchell, Commissioners Jim Sides and Tina Hall, spent two days listening to needs of various departments and others funded by the county. Commissioner Jon Barber opted not to attend after his arrest last weekend on a driving while impaired charge. In a phone call to county staff, he indicated he plans to attend the board meeting Monday night.
Commissioners heard requests from a dozen presenters that, combined, easily exceeded $200 million in new spending.
At times commissioners grimaced at the needs and expectations versus the money available. While acknowledging needs, they showed no indication they are willing to increase taxes, add new taxes or borrow millions of dollars given the current slowdown in the economy.
Chamberlain, who announced earlier that he is not seeking re-election, turned to his fellow board members and took great pleasure in pointing out he had made a great decision. “I’m out of here Dec. 1.”
As with previous retreats, facilitator Larry Parks put each request or issue on the board and asked commissioners to rate them either 1, 2 or 3.A rating of 1 equates to being done this year; 2 equated to being done in the next 1 to 2 years; 3 equated to not anytime soon.
The single biggest ticket item, a new $35 million jail, was near the bottom of the list. Commissioners voiced support for Chamberlain and Mitchell’s position, that the county will do it when ordered to by the state or a judge.
Commissioners showed no enthusiasm for raising taxes to build a jail.
But commissioners indicated they are willing to spend up to $3 million for some type of temporary jail.
Projects that rate a 2 include:
– Adding a peak time shift or a new shift to Emergency Medical Services to improve working conditions and services;
– Funding $250,000 a year four years to adjust employee salaries;
– Going forward with plans for a runway extension at the Rowan County Airport as federal and state funds are available. No additional funds are expected until 2009. The county plans to build one corporate hangar in the next few months and possibly others as the demand dictates.
– New EMS station in west Rowan to provide faster response times;
– New radios and communication towers for the law enforcement and emergency operations; preliminary cost estimate $12 million; must be up and running by 2013.
– The $114 million list of new or replacement schools for the Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
At the end of the session on Thursday afternoon, Chamberlain reminisced briefly about his two terms on the board and the annual retreats.
He called it a good retreat with good discussion, going on to recall his first retreat at Pinehurst. “It was very uncomfortable,” said Chamberlain, citing the presence of Dave Rowland and Steve Blount, who had almost totally opposite views on most issues.
Several candidates who hope to be on the board at next year’s retreat attended much of the session. The candidates included Raymond Coltrain, Carl Ford and Donna Peeler.