County commissioners

gear up for annual retreat

The county administration has prepared a list of planning topics and a budget timeline for the Watauga County Board of Commissioners’ upcoming annual retreat.

County department heads have received their budget information packages and submitted their capital improvement requests for the coming fiscal year, which begins in July. Departmental budgets must be submitted to the county manager’s office by March 24, and those budget requests will then undergo review.

The commissioners will receive a recommended budget by May 1 and have two tentative work sessions scheduled to fine-tune the budget. The proposed public hearing date on the 2008-09 budget is May 20.

The commissioners will hold their annual retreat on March 3 and March 5, with six hours scheduled for each session.

Capital improvement projects on the list include Anne-Marie Drive Park, the Brookshire Road project, the Animal Control facility and former school bus garage property at the intersection of N.C. 105 Bypass and U.S. 321. Unfunded projects for discussion are a recreation center, swimming pool, a second senior center for the eastern portion of the county, a possible new building in the Human Services Center, Old Cove Creek School, Green Valley pool and a greenway connector to Brookshire Park.

A joint meeting with the school board is also on the agenda, with a review of the school maintenance plan and state lottery revenues. A construction update on the new high school and recreation fields and playgrounds for the elementary schools are also on the agenda.

The annual retreat will include a review of the current fiscal year’s budget and the largest items in the upcoming budget, which historically are the school system, Department of Social Services, Sheriff’s Office and debt service.

The commissioners will also hear from the Economic Development Commission, Tourism Development Authority, and Planning & Inspections Department, as well as receive reports on various county contracts.

The commissioners could add more discussion items before the retreat. The retreat will be held at the Watauga County Administrative Building in downtown Boone.

— Scott Nicholson