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Itinerary of Watauga County Board of Commissioners Two-Day Annual Retreat, Starts Friday at Noon

Watauga_county_NC_sealFeb. 22, 2013. Watauga County Board of Commissioners annual retreat takes place today and tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23, and the agenda is packed to the brim.

Below is a Feb. 15 memo from County Manager Deron Geouque introducing the retreat agenda to the board. Underneath the memo is the agenda topics and itinerary of the two-day retreat. 


Memo from County Manager:
The County continues to recover from the downturn in the national economy. The  County recently received its audit in which significant  gains in the County’s financial status were recognized.  Tax revaluation of all County property is scheduled for 2014 with values effective as of January 1, 2014.  The revaluation process is well underway and the Board will be provided an update during the retreat.   Collection of property taxes continues to remain high with a collection rate of  97.71% while sales tax revenues  continue to be slightly above projections. Planning and Inspections and Register of Deeds revenues continue to see small increases.

The General Assembly is considering the elimination of the state’s corporate and individual income taxes in exchange for raising the sales tax and providing a broader base for the tax to apply to.  It is unclear as to how this change would affect the portion of corporate income tax that is utilized for school funding.  Also, the County receives a hold harmless for sales tax that was lost due to the Medicaid swap.  These are just a few issues that will need to be reviewed and analyzed to determine how the potential change could impact County revenues.   Staff will continue to monitor as the General Assembly progresses through its session.

The Board’s Retreat on Friday and Saturday will provide a framework for the upcoming budget.  Staff will  disseminate  information on various topics and issues that will assist the Board in determining budgetary levels for departments and outside agencies.   The Board will hear requests from different groups and  organizations  during the Retreat.  The Retreat enables  the Board to receive a snapshot of County resources and current expenditures in order to prioritize needs in the upcoming budget. 

As Budget Officer, I will prepare a balanced budget by direction of the Board and based on the most up-to-date information available at the time. 

Upon completion of the Retreat, you may wish to schedule budget  work sessions or request additional information or clarification.   Staff stands ready to assist the Board in any manner possible.  Should you require additional information please contact me. 

Thank you for your time and  input as County staff begins to formulate the Fiscal Year 2014 budget.


Here’s What’s Going To Be Talked About:

Friday, Feb. 22

  • 12:00 p.m. Lunch and Opening Remarks by Deron Geouque
  • 12:30 p.m. FY 2013 Review and Discussion of 2014 Budget by Margaret Pierce
    1.             Revenues  
    2.             Expenditures  
    3.             Funding of Non-County Departments  
    4.             Debt Service Report  1
    5.             Budget Calendar  
  • 1:00 p.m. Break
  • 1:15 p.m.  School Board Funding Issues
    1. Schools’ Capital Improvement Plan  15
    2. FY 2014 Funding Needs 
  • 2:00 p.m. YMCA Discussion by Mr. Bob Conklin
  • 2:30  p.m. Tourism Development Authority by Matt Vicent and Wright Tilley
  • 3:00 p.m. Health Department Matters by Beth Lovette 
  • 3:30 p.m. Landfill Energy Projects Discussion
    1. Report on Recycling and Methane to Electricity Project by Lisa Doty
    2. Review of Solar Energy Project Ged Moody  
  • 4:00 p.m. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute by Kenneth Boham 
  • 4:15 p.m. Tax Matters by Larry Warren  
    1. Revaluation Update 
    2. Motor Vehicle Billing
  • 5:00 p.m. Review of Current Capital Improvement Plan by Deron Geouque
    1.  Current CIP Status Report & MR. ROBERT MARSH
    2.  Pool Status Report
    3.  Future Projects for Consideration

 5:30 p.m.  Wrap Up, Goals and Adjectives, Board Directives 

6:00 p.m. Recess Until Saturday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m.


Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013

  • 9:00 a.m. Watauga Community Housing Trust Report by Scott Eggers
  • 9:05 a.m. Economic Development Matters by Keith Honeycutt
    1. Economic Development Commission (EDC) Report/Discussion w/ Joe Furman
    2. Appalachian Enterprise Center (AEC)
  • 9:30 a.m. Planning and Inspections Matters by Joe Furman
    1. A. Watershed Regulations
    2. B. Update on Greenway Projects
  • 10:00 a.m. EMS Report/Discussion by Craig Sullivan 
  • 10:45 a.m. Consolidated Dispatch by Jeff Virginia
  • 11:30 a.m. Miscellaneous and Commissioner Matters by Deron Geouque
    1. A Policy to Provide Preference to Local Vendors in Purchasing of Equipment and Supplies 
    2. A Policy for Naming County Facilities 137
    3. Consolidated Department of Social Services (DSS) Board 143
    4. State Issues 
    5. Commissioners Matters 

11:45 a.m. Wrap Up, Goals and Objectives, Board Directives
12:00 p.m. Adjourn