County passes $60M budget

Property tax rate

will remain

unchanged
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Watauga County’s property tax rate will remain the same in the next fiscal year, though the overall county budget will increase 4.6 percent.

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners adopted a balanced $60.1 million budget Monday morning, with a $44.6 million General Fund budget for county operations.

After a public hearing and budget workshops, the commissioners shuffled an additional $122,000 in revenues from the county administration’s recommended budget, mostly through an extra appropriation from the Department of Social Services fund balance.

A decrease in the cost of a Cove Creek roof netted $50,000 in savings, with additional positions added for a skate-park attendant and a part-time position for E-911 signs, in addition to funds for signs.

Agencies receiving additional funding during the budget meetings included New River Behavioral Health Care ($8,507); AppalCART ($6,500), Children’s Playhouse ($1,500); Children’s Council ($5,000); Western NC Communities (1,000) and the Humane Society’s spay-and-neuter fund ($10,000).

The ad valorem tax rate remains at 31.3 cents per $100 of property value, though the Boone Fire Service District fire tax rate doubled, up to 4 percent. The Boone Fire District increase will raise the district’s revenues from $282,000 to a projected $552,000.

Fire tax rates in the other districts remain the same, though the commissioners boosted the overall county supplement to fire departments by $12,475.

The budget contains a $2 increase for the solid waste availability fee due to higher state charges used to maintain closed landfills. Tipping fees for solid waste debris disposal increased between 10 and 15 percent, depending on the type of material. The solid waste budget is $4.8 million.

The $11 million local school budget reflects a 7.2 percent increase. The budget also sets aside nearly $5 million for debt service on the new high school. Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute would get a 5 percent increase for operations, up to $762,000.

The $3 million Sheriff’s Office budget contains four new staff positions, with an overall departmental increase of $120,000. Communications and jail budgets will increase between 5 and 10 percent.

The county budget is posted online at www.wataugacounty.org.