County looks for budget cuts
By Scott Nicholson

The county government is tightening its collective belt for the year ahead.

Watauga County manager Rocky Nelson presented the staff’s recommended budget to the county commissioners Monday, featuring a 10-percent reduction in the county’s 2009-2010 budget and a bottom-line General Fund of $40.4 million. Most departments would be cut at least 3 percent, and employee cuts are proposed in two departments.

“We’ve cut over $4 million on the budget. This is a very lean and subsistence budget,” Nelson said. Even with the budget finalized through work sessions, Nelson said staff would monitor revenues and possibly adjust the budget throughout the fiscal year.

The property tax rate is proposed to be unchanged at $.313 per $100 of valuation. Property taxes account for 52 percent of local revenues.

Nelson said revenue projections were constantly changing as state projections are revised. The commissioners have scheduled two work sessions this month, and Nelson predicted the May 19 public hearing on the budget would be well attended.

The overall recommended budget for Watauga County totals $56,310,766, a reduction of $4,094,292 from the current fiscal year. The General Fund budget totals $40,435,885, a reduction of $4,192,704 from the current year.

Nelson’s budget memo said, “This recommended budget carries forward existing services and programs and has been balanced using all current available revenue sources. However, the FY (fiscal year) 2010 recommended budget contains cuts in most areas, including but not limited to departmental budgets and education.”

The education budget, for both the public school system and community college, would be cut 3 percent under the spending plan, setting aside nearly $4 million for debt service on the new high school. Solid waste and building-permit fees are proposed to remain the same.

Three-percent cuts are also recommended for the Appalachian District Health Department, the Watauga County Library and the Smokey Mountain Center’s mental health services.

A proposed cut of nearly 4 percent in the Sheriff’s Office budget would mostly be achieved by delaying many new vehicle purchases. Nelson and his staff also recommend suspending the county’s capital improvement plan for one year.