By Tim Gardner
Avery County Government’s “By The Numbers” service from the most recent yearly reporting period have been released. They are the total numbers from county agencies of their respective services provided during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier, Jr. said the numbers aptly and accurately reflect the county’s “commitment to its citizens to ensure continued excellent service and a high quality of life to them as well as provide quality, needed services to our visitors.”
The service numbers via their respective agency include:
General Services
18,035 County Population (Census 2020)
$3,410,000 American Rescue Grant Received
$2,646,740 Broad Band Great Grant Received
$750,000 Community Development Block Grant
Agriculture Extension Office
3,100 Plants Sold to Start Fruit and Vegetable Gardens
20 Participants in the 4-H Saddle Club
470 Individuals Reached Through Nutrition Program
1.25 million Christmas Trees Sold from Avery Farmers
19,000 Individuals Used the Community Center
50 Youth Served Through the Summer WOW Program
Sheriff’s Office
7,804 Calls for Service
811 Reports and Investigations
59 Drug Arrests
Drugs Seized:
5 dose units Amphetamine
50 grams Fentanyl
20 dose units Gabapentin
127 dose units Klonopin
42 pounds Marijuana
46 grams Marijuana Wax
145 grams Meth
1 ounce Mushrooms
3 dose units Oxycodone
308 dose units Suboxone
Elections
12,518 Registered Voters
4,543 Votes Cast in the 2022 Primary Election
6,884 Votes Cast in the 2022 General Election
54.49 percent Voter Turnout For 2022 General Election
Senior Services
6,364 Senior Center Congregate Meals Served
17,141 Senior Center Home Delivered Meals
5,736 In-Home Aide Hours Provided
87 Medicare Counseling Appointments
738 Shopping and Non-Emergency Medical Trips Provided
250 Hours of Respite Care Provided
Solid Waste
301 Tons of Recycling Collected by Solid Waste
20,221.37 Tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)-Households Waste
177 Tons of Tires Recycled
14 Tons of Household Hazardous Waste Collected
315 Tons of Metals Recycled
35 Tons of Televisions Recycled
Register of Deeds
2,254 Deeds Recorded
294 Marriage License Issued
Social Services (Department of Social Services-DSS)
2,928 Walk-In Visits to Social Services
4 Adoptions Through Social Services
1 Guardianship Placement
70 Children per month Daycare Service Provided
5,424 Individuals served through Income Support Programs
Soil and Water
126 Soil and Water Quality Services Provided
7,562 Feet of Trout Stream Restoration
553 Acres Agriculture Land Quality Enhancements
212 Tons of Soil Saved from Entering Trout Streams
$4,140,036 Funding Through State and Federal Programs
Transportation
360,085 Total Miles Driven
645 Veterans Served with Transportation
3,426 Senior’s Served with Transportation
2,004 Employment Trips with Transportation
7,278 Trips for Human Services Agencies
392 Education
23,345 Total Trips Served
Emergency Management
238 Fire Inspections including new construction
9 Emergency Preparedness Meetings
17 SAR/Incident Command Centers Setup
4 Emergency Operation Center Activated
4 Assisted Other Agencies (County/State)
12 Special Operations
Investigations:
61 Structure Fires
33 Outside Fires
11 Vehicle Fires
10 Gas Leaks
4 Hazardous Materials
Communications
58,586 Total Calls into Center
13,073 Emergency 911 Calls into Center
Inspections
237 New Construction Plans Permitted
260 New Renovation Permits
536 Electrical/Mechanical/Plumbing Permits
3,198 Total Inspections Conducted
$308,680.18 Total Intake of Fees
$215,989,247.72 Total Estimated Project Value
Tax Office
98.44 percent Collection Rate For 2022 – 23
99.55 percent Collection Rate for The Past 10 Years
$22,176,719 Total Property Taxes Collected
Parks and Recreation
53,101 Total Attendance
16,109 Pool Participants
1,336 Youth Sports Participants
3,960 MANNA Food Bank Participants
160 Mountain/Special Olympics Activities
Ambulance Service / Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
3,469 Emergency Calls / Transports
79 Community Paramedic Service Visits
In a closing statement to High Country Press, Barrier, Jr. declared that he, the Board of Commissioners, and other County of Avery officials are especially proud of those statistical service numbers. “The numbers provide evidence of the hard work and dedication of all county employees to the citizens and visitors of Avery County in addition to the excellent services the county government agencies provide. They truly exemplify Avery County at its best. The efforts of our employees keep getting better and better and our services provided keep expanding. It’s deeply satisfying that the services given to our citizens and visitors by an excellent group of employees are so good.”