County picks law firm for financing

By Scott Nicholson

nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

The Watauga County commissioners selected a law firm to oversee its school financing during Monday’s regular meeting.

Finance director Doris Isaacs presented qualifications of four law firms to provide legal counsel for high school financing.

Two of the firms have worked with the county before, but Isaacs said all four had experience with bond counseling and underwriting and she was comfortable working with any of them.

“We will have quality representation with any of these firms,” commission chairman Jim Deal said.

The commissioners expressed interest in choosing one of the three firms from North Carolina to reduce travel expenses. Isaacs said it was beneficial to have the selected firm visit the county and that the counsel could serve for whatever form of financing the county uses.

The commissioners voted to engage Parker Poe Adams & Berns of Charlotte, whose proposal stated the firm’s expenses would be determined on a per-bond basis, “with consideration to the complexity of work and risk associated,” with an up-front fee negotiated. Miscellaneous costs for copies and postage are also added, usually between $500 and $700.

Isaacs said the county had an application due to the Local Government Commission on Oct. 10.

Requests for proposals for financing of school land purchases are due back on Oct. 6, with a public hearing on Oct. 16 for the financing plan.

In September, the commissioners approved a resolution to apply to the LGC to borrow up to $7 million for the planned purchase of 75 acres in Perkinsville. The county plans to use “certificates of participation instead of bonds, and the borrowing authority would also extend to soil tests, architectural fees and other surveying and site testing.

The commissioners amended the county vehicle policy, giving employees who live out of the county the option of taking the vehicle home at a charge of $3 per day in accordance with Internal Revenue Service guidelines or using their own vehicles while on call and getting a reimbursement. The reimbursement follows IRS guidelines of 44.5 cents per miles and would only apply if the employee were called in for extra duty beyond the regularly scheduled working hours.

Watauga County Sheriff Mark Shook said his office already had a policy that kept patrol cars in the county. He said two deputies living in Caldwell County left their vehicles at the Blowing Rock Police Department and continued their commute out of county in their own vehicles.

The board also dissolved an agreement with the Watauga Humane Society to use county-collected adoption fees for a spay and neutering program for animals. The agreement was formed over 25 years ago when the Humane Society had access through a low-cost spay-and-neuter program and served as “middleman” for handling the county’s duties. Adoption fees for dogs and cats cover the cost of the program, though only animals deemed as likely to be adopted are spayed or neutered by the county.

Under the agreement, both the Watauga Animal Control Department and Humane Soicety would run the program through the Humane Alliance but have separate accounting. The Asheville-based Humane Alliance picks up and returns the animals for the operations.

County manager Rocky Nelson the account of $32,000 built up through adoption fees could be split between the animal control department and the Humane Society. The county’s portion of the money will enter next year’s departmental budget and the Humane Society is free to use the money as needed.

According to the request submitted by the Humane Society, the change will simplify accounting and scheduling.

The Humane Alliance will pick up the animals weekly and bill the county directly, charging the county $45 for each female dog or cat surgery and $30 for male cat surgeries. The Humane Society has a “no-kill” policy. The commissioners have scheduled a work session for Oct. 10 to discuss a revision to the animal control ordinance.

Assistant county manager Deron Geoque presented information on the procedures for street closings in the Town of Boone’s zoning jurisdiction. Preliminary plans for the new high school would alter several town streets, requiring notification of adjacent property owners and a public hearing. The information also contained details for cul de sacs if any roads are interrupted.

The board approved $33,000 worth of change orders for construction and expansion at the county courthouse, most of it for the addition of a fan unit.