By Tim Gardner
During its regular monthly meeting on February 5, the Avery Board of Commissioners approved levying a Room Occupancy Tax of up to six cents.
All commissioners—Chairman Tim Phillips, Vice-Chairman Dennis Aldridge, Martha Hicks, Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr., and Robert Burleson—were present for the meeting. County Manager Phillip Barrier, Jr., Assistant County Manager and Clerk to the Board Cindy Turbyfill, County Finance Officer Caleb Hogan, and County Attorney Michaelle Poore were also in attendance.
The commissioners unanimously (5-0) approved the Room Occupancy Tax following a public hearing during the meeting.
Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 153A-155, the commissioners held a public hearing during the meeting to receive public comment regarding the consideration of a resolution levying a room occupancy tax of up to six percent under the authority conferred by North Carolina Session Law 2023- 144 as enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly, effective October 25, 2023. North Carolina Session Law 2023-144 established the Avery County Board of Commissioners as the governing body of “Avery County District A,” a special taxing district consisting of those parts of Avery County which are located outside of the incorporated areas of the County, and the Board of Commissioners is authorized to adopt a resolution levying a room occupancy tax in District A.
As the resolution was adopted levying the tax, the same applies to the gross receipts derived from the rental of any room, lodging, or accommodation furnished by a hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp, or similar place withing District A that is subject to the sales tax imposed by the State of North Carolina under NC General Statutes 105-164.4 (a) and (3), and is effective on the first day of the second calendar month (April) after the date the resolution was adopted.
No one spoke in opposition to the occupancy tax during the public hearing and only a few asked county officials to further explain some of the details of the occupancy tax.
Additionally, the commissioners adopted a resolution changing the usual starting times of their regular monthly meetings from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. by a unanimous vote. Poore had advised the commissioners that they would need to have a resolution made and presented at their regular February monthly meeting, in order to then vote to approve or reject such a time change. The vote to change the regular monthly meeting time had to be either by a unanimous (5-0) or majority votes of 4-1 or 3-2. Poore added that the meeting time change can take effect at the March 4 meeting or in whichever other month the Board designates it to do so. The Board members then by consensus agreed to start the meetings at 6:00 p.m. beginning on March 4. An adopted time change will remain in effect until current or future Board members vote to make another such change.
The commissioners also unanimously adopted another resolution as requested by Carson Fisher of the North Carolina Department of Transportation for abandonment of a short section from the State-Maintained Secondary Road System on Harris Mining Road in the Ingalls Community. The resolution reads that the section of the road meets the minimum standard and criteria by the Division of Highways of the North Carolina Department of Transportation for deletion from its system.
Fisher said that the reason for the abandonment road request is because Harris Mining Company had built a portion of its guard building on the state’s right-of-way or maintained limits.
During the meeting’s public comment session, Reverend Kathy Campbell of Crossnore Presbyterian Church asked the commissioners to find additional funds to use for the county’s citizens who need heating kerosene and cannot afford it as the previously allocated federal and state funds for such have ran out and no more are currently available for the Avery Department of Social Services to use for such.
The commissioners agreed to explore options to get additional needed funding for heating.
Also, County Coroner John Millan told the commissioners that he has been in contact with Mayland Community College officials about hiring an armed security guard to work in the evening hours there in addition to the other security guards employed at the college. Millan said he will be meeting with the college’s Board of Trustees soon concerning the matter. The commissioners said they will consider helping fund another security guard position for the college as they compile the county’s budget for the upcoming 2024-2025 fiscal year, which starts on July 1.
WAMY (Watauga-Avery-Mitchell-Yancey) Community Action spokesperson Lisa O’Mara gave the commissioners the following update about the organization’s work from the last reporting period into its new fiscal year time frame, specifically its Family Development Program, which includes the following details and specifics:
2022 Community Needs Assessment and the Program-
1) Housing
2) Childcare
3) Transportation
4) Employment
5) Lack of Food
WAMY is undergoing a shift in programming for fiscal year 2023-2024, which includes-
1) Alignment with community needs
2) Efficient use of funds
3) Streamlining of services
4) Greater Impact
5) Expansion of Agency Capacity
Five programs under its Family Development-
1) Total Family Development
2) Limited Financial Assistance-Bridges Program
3) Resource and Referral
4) Volunteerism
5) Youth Program
Total Family Development:
Multifaceted Approach to Self-Sufficiency (Part 1)-
*10 families working toward better employment and self-sufficiency
*Intensive case management
*Focus on the family
*Financial assistance when needed
*Essentially the same as what we are doing but on a smaller more intense scale
Bridges (Limited Financial Assistance)-
*40-50 people who have limited financial barriers to self-sufficiency
*Financial needs in categories related to housing, childcare, transportation, etc.
-Example: someone has a job and is making ends meet, they do not have a lot of savings yet, their car breaks down, and they cannot afford the repair. WAMY would pay for the car repair so they can maintain employment and self-sufficiency.
Multifaceted Approach to Self-Sufficiency (Part 2) of Resource and Referral (Central Intake)-
*40 individuals who contacted WAMY for assistance
*Many people have more than one need
*They would receive assistance filling out WAMY application and receive full needs assessment
*Referrals for services (internal and external)
*More needs met – Greater self-sufficiency
Volunteerism-
*5-10 individuals who have needs that they are unable to meet on their own and current programs are not in place
*Needs are central to quality of life, self-sufficiency, and aging in place
*Examples include yard maintenance, household maintenance, and trash removal.
*Volunteer coordinator matches volunteers with appropriate projects based on availability, skills, and interests
Multifaceted Approach to Self-Sufficiency (Part 3)-
Youth Program-
*Scholarships for Summer Youth Camps
*To Serve Youth (12 years and under) in Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties by helping with childcare to assist families to maintain employment and self-sufficiency
Family Development Funding Sources-
1) The Primary funding source-The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a federally funded block grant in the Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services that provide funds to states, territories, and tribes to administer to support services that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in under-resourced communities. Its details include:
*Available to eligible entities – Community Action Agencies
*Requires Community Needs Assessment (every 3 years)
*Application happens each year
2) Other Grants
3) Private Donors
Dustin Burleson, Community Relations Regional Director with Vaya Health, provided the commissioners updates around the North Carolina state budget passed last fall.
The General Assembly budget bill directed the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to reduce the number of LME/MCOs. Accordingly, Secretary Kody Kinsley directed the dissolution of Sandhills Center MCO and assigned Rockingham County to Vaya Health. Sec. Kinsley also approved the consolidation of Eastpointe and Trillium MCOs. Tailored Plan “Go Live” is still scheduled to launch on July 1, 2024.
NCDHHS rescheduled the February 1, 2024 launch of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot program. The agency is working on a new launch timeline and will provide more information in the coming weeks. Avery County is one of the 18 Western North Carolina counties that was chosen for the first phase of the pilot. This is a $650 million project that focuses on four key non-medical intervention areas: Housing Instability, Food Insecurity, Lack of Transportation, and Interpersonal Violence.
Some highlights from the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget provisions: 350 new Innovations Slots across the state with each county in Vaya’s catchment getting at least one of those slots. There was $30 million (from Fiscal Year 2024) and $50 million (from Fiscal Year 2025) put into the Crisis System, and Behavioral Health Rate Increases of $165 million (from Fiscal Year 2024) and $220 million (from Fiscal Year 2025).
Vaya Heath has also launched an Adventure Awaits foster care parent recruitment campaign in hopes of increasing the interest in becoming a foster care parent. Its officials have asked counties to partner with it in sharing the information on their social media and any other possible ways.
The commissioners also unanimously approved the January 2024 Tax Report from Tax Administrator Andrea Turbyfill of $2,898,347.19 collected in taxes due the county by her and her tax collections staff on Day 2 through 31 of that month. Day 1 of January was on New Year’s Day, and the tax office was closed because it was a federal holiday and no collections are ever made on that day, any year.
As she did at their January meeting, Turbyfill told the commissioners that $23,421,974.13 was collected from January 2 through December 29, 2023, for a collections rate of 93.48 percent. She noted that 2023 tax payments are still being accepted until April, although those paying will be accessed a late fee. Turbyfill added that as of January 31, the amount of still unpaid taxes due the County is $1,849,875.64. A total collections amount for 2023 and a percentage of collections made for that year will be tabulated in April by the Tax Administrator. Turbyfill declared that she expects a collection rate well above 90 percent and closer to 100 percent once the 2023 tax deadline ends.
The commissions also unanimously adopted yet another resolution—this one as requested by Turbyfill concerning the qualifications for applicants to serve on the County’s Board of Equalization and Review. Those qualifications include being a citizen or resident of the county, at least 18 years of age, and an owner of property in the county, which also makes him or her a property taxpayer in Avery.
Turbyfill concluded that taxpayers can file complaints involving the amounts of the taxes they owe with the Board of Equalization and Review and if still not satisfied with the any ruling it makes, can then file an appeal with the North Carolina Tax Commission.
The commissioners also unanimously approved the following budget amendments as requested by Hogan that includes their respective details and monetary amounts:
*Accepting a grant for the Sheriff’s Office from the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk in the amount of $2,000.00 fund expenses related to the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program.
*An insurance reimbursement in the amount of $5,135.51 for supplies for a 2021 Dodge Ram used by the Sheriff’s Office.
*An insurance reimbursement in the amount of $3,903.22 for supplies for a 2022 Dodge Durango used by the Sheriff’s Office.
*The Sheriff’s Office receiving $2,000.00 in civil process money to initiate the sale of properties. That amount will include $100.00 for civil process expenses and $1,000.00 in civil process fees. Any unused portion of this fund for either the expenses or fees will be returned.
*Appropriating $172,000.00 to the Avery County School System-Board of Education in Capital Outlay Funds to pay the Wolf Train Engineering Company of Monroe, NC for its architect fees for the renovation of the Avery High School kitchen and dining room facility.
In other business, the commissioners made the following service board appointments by a unanimous vote:
*Morrison Library and AMY (Avery-Mitchell-Yancey) Library Boards-Frank Patton Hughes, III
*Planning Board-Jason Gwyn
*Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee-(after a vote among the commissioners to narrow the field of those who applied from 13 to the appointed seven committee members)-Greg Andrews, Brittany Beam, Robert Brinkley, Amy Greene, William Lance Ware, Linda Webb, and Todd Coombs.
The commissioners also went into closed session to discuss County business and took no further action upon returning to open session.
The commissioners will hold their next regular monthly meeting on March 4 in their Board Room, located on the second floor of the County Administration Building, at 175 Linville Street, in Newland.
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