In a two-and-a-half hour work session yesterday evening at City Hall that frequently strayed from the topic at hand, the Henderson City Council reached consensus on some funding changes it would like to see in jointly funded programs with Vance County.
Before the discussion on specific funding arrangements began, City Manager Ray Griffin indicated that county commissioners had asked for an answer regarding the sale of water to Vance by Henderson for the county’s water project within 60 days. Member Sara Coffey responded that the city deserves a 60-day response from the county for some of the issues the city brought to the county.
Regarding the joint funding of the Board of Elections, the council agreed to a proposal from member Mike Inscoe that the city continue to pay 100% of city elections and eliminate the 22% of the overall budget it currently contributes.
A city election costs $70,000 to $80,000 every two years.
Member Garry Daeke, among others, noted that Henderson residents vote as county residents in all other elections.
As for tax collections, Daeke suggested that the city should look at a formula or a percentage of discount on what it pays the county to compensate for what is not collected.
At the joint meeting with the county on February 11, 2010, it was assumed that the overall state collection rate is 95%. City Finance Director Sandra Wilkerson stated yesterday that the overall state rate is 97%.
According to research done by Coffey, the city’s share of ABC revenue is the lowest she has found in researching the split in other areas of North Carolina. For example, Person County has a 70% share of its ABC revenue, with Roxboro taking the remaining 30%.
Member Mike Rainey suggested a 75% county 25% city split. When Coffey asked why the county should get 75%, Daeke said that the city “needs to be reasonable to get it accomplished”. In the end, the council agreed to request a 50-50 split.
Later, Coffey stated that her research suggested that local ABC boards may be abolished in favor of a state board.
When discussing the 911 call center, Daeke said that the council needs to remember that 100% of the calls come from county residents.
“We pay county taxes,” Daeke said.
The Ward 3 member went on to say that it’s not where the calls are generated from, but that they are all generated from the county.
After a long discussion of the woes of the Recreation Center, members agreed that they would seek a 50-50 split on operational costs of the facility with the county. The city currently pays 55% of those costs. Although the county funds 100% of the Youth Services component, it does so with state money rather than local funds. The city shares half of the debt on the aquatics facility with the county.
In a discussion of the library, the council agreed to allow Griffin to “try to evolve” a 75% to 25% county/city funding ratio with County Manager Jerry Ayscue. A written agreement on funding the library was also advocated, but it was unclear if the council wanted Griffin to pursue one at this time.