WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 06-18-24 Noon
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Cooperative Extension with Wykia Macon 06-18-24
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
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Granville Adopts $87 M Budget
The Granville County Board of Commissioners approved an $87 million budget earlier this month that calls for a 63-cent tax rate per $100 valuation.
The lone dissenter in the budget adoption vote was Commissioner Russ May.
The tax rate dropped 21 cents from 84 cents after the county’s most recent revaluation.
The Fire Protection Service District tax rate of 6 cents per $100 valuation will remain the same and is estimated to generate more than $3.39 million in revenue.
Highlights of the budget include:
- an increase in close to $5 million in expenditures over the 2023-24 budget, mostly in the areas of public safety, education (Granville County Public Schools and Vance-Granville Community College) and to support long-term capital needs across the county
- funding merit pay will cost about $809,000 and rewards employees up to 4 percent, which County Manager Drew Cummings said in is “critical to improve retention rates and continuously encourage high performance standards…”
- the more than $8 billion tax base will generate more than $54 million in revenue, assuming a better than 98 percent collection rate
- no money will be taken from the county’s fund balance
The full budget document is available to view on the Granville County website: https://www.granvillecounty.org/
Sossamon To Participate In Area Juneteenth Activities
— information courtesy of the office of Rep. Frank Sossamon
There are a couple of Juneteenth celebrations taking place in the area this week to mark the day – June 19, 1865 – when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX with news that the Civil War had ended, which also brought enslaved people their freedom.
One event will take place at the venue Back to Eden on Wednesday, June 19 and will feature activities that commemorate the historic day. The event begins at 12 noon and will include the laying of a wreath and a mock funeral. The event will feature speaker, live entertainment, food trucks, tours and fireworks.
The second Juneteenth celebration is the Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks Department’s 4th Annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 22. The event will take place at the Vance County Courthouse Square in Henderson from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. This festival has become a cornerstone of the community’s celebration, bringing together people from all walks of life to honor African American heritage through music, food trucks, vendors, bingo, craft making and live performances.
“Juneteenth is a time to reflect on our past, celebrate the progress we’ve made, and commit ourselves to the ongoing work of achieving true equality for all,” said Rep. Frank Sossamon. “I am honored to be a part of these celebrations and look forward to engaging with our community as we commemorate this pivotal moment in history.”
Sossamon plans to attend both celebrations and hopes they will help to highlight the significance of Juneteenth and the ongoing journey toward equality and justice. Both events are open to the public, and all community members are encouraged to attend.
TownTalk: County Budget Deliberations
In a budget work session last week, the Vance County Board of Commissioners worked to reach consensus to raise the tax rate by 10 cents – to 71 cents per $100 property valuation – a move that will provide cost-of-living increases for staff and have funds for capital projects and a possible salary study.
The consensus, though not an official vote, was reached with four commissioners in favor.
It’s estimated that the additional 10 cents will generate $4.3 million in additional revenue.
According to County Manager C. Renee Perry, the revenue-neutral rate of 61.3 cents per $100 valuation would not be enough to support any capital projects that are needed in the county, including work on a new jail, 911 call center, a northern end EMS station and more.
Perry broke it down this way: 1 cent will be for an additional 3 percent COLA increase (for a total of 7 percent), and the other 9 cents would be for addressing capital needs and the salary study.
Commissioner Sean Alston said the county must pay attention to salaries that would be more competitive with surrounding counties.
“We have to move for the future,” Alston said.
Commissioner Leo Kelly concurred. “If we don’t grow the budget, we don’t grow the county.” Kelly said it is critical to take advantage of the revaluation to keep the county moving forward. “This is the time to do it,” he said of increasing the tax rate.
Chair Dan Brummitt said he is willing to entertain ideas about the budget but said he does not support a tax increase.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he said, adding that the county should not grow the government; rather, “leave the money in people’s pockets” and let them invest in the county to grow the economy.
Commissioner Archie Taylor said he is in favor of raising salaries to help the staffing shortages across county agencies, including the Department of Social Services, sheriff’s office and the jail – which has had almost two dozen vacancies for the past two years, according to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.
In addition to salary increases, Commissioner Yolanda Feimster said the county has to keep an eye on quality of services. “We can’t keep prolonging the situation – we’ve got to get people hired” so county residents can have the quality of services they desire and deserve.
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Fire Departments Could See Additional Funding
The county’s volunteer fire departments stand to gain an additional $30,000 annually as commissioners and County Manager C. Renee Perry hammer out details of the FY 2024-25 budget.
Commissioners held a budget work session last week, with sights set on June 24 as a possible date to adopt the $57 million budget.
Each department, as well as the rescue squad and the Vance County Fire Department, would see $130,000 in county funding and the new hourly pay rate for part-time firefighters would increase to $17 an hour, up from $15 an hour.
To achieve these goals, the county’s fire tax would be bumped from a revenue-neutral rate of 5.9 cents per $100 valuation to 7 cents per hundred, as recommended by Perry.
This increase will generate and additional $300,000 in revenues.
That amount, matched with a one-time disbursement of about $300,000 from the fire tax general fund, would provide for the additional funding. The current total fire tax fund balance is about $625,000.
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Cooperative Extension With Wayne Rowland – House Ants
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 06-17-24 Noon
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STEM Early High School Gets Solar+ Schools Grant
-information courtesy of Vance County Schools Chief Communication Officer Aarika Sandlin
STEM Early High School in Vance County is one of nine schools across the state to receive a grant from NC GreenPower to install a rooftop solar array as part of a solar education package.
With backing from the State Employees Credit Union, the Solar+ Schools Award will pay for all of the project’s construction costs, expected to be between $55,000 and $75,000.
The educational package includes a 20-kilowatt solar array, STEM curriculum, teacher training and more.
Schools should raise $3,500 to cover any future operations and maintenance expenses. The included weather station and data monitoring equipment will incorporate live information from the arrays into classrooms, and teachers will be able to compare weather scenarios and involve students in reading and interpreting the energy data.
Northern Granville Middle School in Granville County also is a recipient of the Solar+ School Award.
In 2024, the Solar+ Schools program accepted applications from public K-12 schools in Tier 1 and 2 counties in North Carolina. For the awarded schools, the installed 20-kW photovoltaic systems will serve as educational tools and will provide an energy impact depending on each school’s arrangement with its local electric utility. Since Solar+ Schools’ introduction in 2015, program recipients have saved about $100,000 cumulatively in electricity expenses, and the STEM and solar curriculum training has benefited more than 280 teachers and 62,000 students throughout the state.
The member-funded State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation has been a long-time advocate of NC GreenPower and continues to generously back the Solar+ Schools program. In 2022, the SECU Foundation contributed a grant of up to $600,000 extending through 2024 to provide additional funding and assist with installation costs for awarded schools.
“NC GreenPower’s Solar+ Schools initiative is a unique and innovative project that continues to produce energy savings and educational benefits for our schools and our state,” said SECU Foundation Executive Director Jama Campbell. “We couldn’t be more pleased to help outfit nine schools with a working solar array system for students and our communities to learn more about solar power’s impact as an alternative energy source for today and years to come.”
Warren County Public Hearing July 1 On CDBG Funding
The Warren County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing for July 1, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Armory Civic Center in Warrenton to get input from the community about the county’s application for Community Development Block Grant funding.
Warren County plans to submit a Neighborhood Revitalization application in the fall of 2024. This meeting will provide information about the available funding, including requirements and eligible activities. Citizens are encouraged to participate and provide feedback on the County’s potential use of CDBG funds.
This hearing will explain the funding available under the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Small Cities Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization Program (CDBG-NR). These funds benefit low- and moderate-income residents, and eligible activities include housing rehabilitation, relocation, reconstruction, emergency repairs, public facilities, and administration of these activities. Projects must benefit at least 51 percent low- and moderate-income persons for area-wide benefits and 100 percent for direct benefits.
All interested citizens are encouraged to attend to voice their views, respond to proposed funding plans, and ask questions. Another public hearing will be scheduled before the application is submitted to discuss specific project activities.
Community & Economic Development Director Charla Duncan said “Pursuing CDBG funding for housing rehab is the next step in growing the scope of work of the county’s community and economic development department.”
“The county’s 2022 comprehensive development plan addresses several goals around housing, particularly around workforce and affordable housing needs in the community,” stated Rose Ponton, Warren County Community Development Division Manager. “Homeowner assistance programs like the CDBG funding can fund critical and urgent repairs for some of our more vulnerable populations,” Ponton said.
For more information about the public hearing, the CDBG program, or to submit written comments; please contact Rose Ponton with the Warren County Community & Economic Development Office by email at roseponton@warrencountync.gov or by calling 252.257.3115.