Granville County residents who have business to conduct at the county administrative office, take note: several components of county government are now located at 104 Belle Street in Oxford, just a short distance from the previous spot on Williamsboro Street.

The recently completed move means a little more elbow room for the office of the county manager, assistant county manager, as well as human resources and a couple of others who work in county government, said Lynn Allred, public information officer/grants coordinator. Allred’s office also is located in the new space.

A small conference room is set up for individual commissioners to hold meetings and conduct business, Allred said. In addition, there are a couple of larger conference rooms designed to accommodate groups. The building originally was the Carolina Power & Light Co. office, Allred said, and more recently had been home to an insurance agency.

“The mission of Granville County is to provide its residents with an array of services to enhance their quality of life through a responsive, effective and efficient local government, County Manager Mike Felts said in a press release announcing the move.

104 Belle Street; Oxford, NC

It’s part of a continuing effort to better utilize available space and to plan for future expansions, Allred noted. A 2010 space needs study made recommendations that have resulted in relocating several county entities to new or existing facilities.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension office moved in 2017 to its location on the campus of the Tobacco Research Station and the board of elections moved to space previous occupied by the extension service on Wall Street in Oxford. A new animal shelter and law enforcement center in 2020 is another example of how the county is addressing the needs for efficient use of space.

Felts stated that there are several options for what will occupy their former office space on Williamsboro Street. “Once final decisions are made, we will begin taking steps to transition other county services into the available space,” he added.

Mailing address remains the same for the county manager/administration staff and human resources: P.O. Box 906, Oxford, NC 27565. Phone numbers and email addresses are unchanged as well.

The finance and tax administration offices remain in operation at 141 Williamsboro Street.

To learn more, call 919.693.5240.

Granville County officials may find out Tuesday, June 1 whether its application will be considered for more than $1.8 million from the N.C. Local Government Commission (LGC) to lease a property in the southern end of the county for a satellite social services center.

Granville County officials have requested $1,871,616 to lease a 9,600 square-foot space in Dutch Village, 2531 East Lyon Station Road in Creedmoor.  “We are excited that there was space available in Creedmoor for us to grow into as the county grows,” said Granville County Manager Michael Felts. “We intend to look at the county’s changing needs over the next 10 years as we continue to bring services to where our residents are,” Felts said in a statement to WIZS News Friday.

Back in 2016, the Granville commissioners projected in a five-year strategic plan to “improve inter-local government relationships through partnerships and shared services;” according to county spokesperson Lynn Allred. The lease is a 10-year lease arrangement, with two five-year options to renew, she added. Currently, county residents must travel to the DSS offices in Oxford to conduct business. A satellite office would make it more convenient for residents in the southern end of the county to access services.

If all goes according to plan, the new satellite office will be open for business on Jan. 1, 2022. Design work and upfitting will begin in September 2021 and is expected to take several months to complete.

The county’s request is a small part of the more than $1 billion in financing applications from counties and municipalities from across the state, according to a press release from State Treasurer Dale Folwell. The LGC meeting will be held virtually, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Although the bulk of the requests comes from the cities of Raleigh and Charlotte, and Forsyth, Hoke, Moore and Orange counties.

The request was made because a satellite DSS is “necessary and expedient to meet an ongoing need for additional office space to better serve the southern side of the county,” according to LGC agenda information.

The Department of Social Services in Oxford has a staff of about 90 employees, and Allred said about one-third would be re-located to the new satellite office in Creedmoor. The satellite office will be a full-service site for residents in the southern end of the county – the area experiencing the largest population growth, Allred noted.

State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, chairs the LGC.

Local governments must get LGC approval before it borrows money for projects. The LGC determines that the amount being borrowed is an amount that the government can reasonably afford to repay, according to its webpage. The LGC is responsible for selling the debt, or bonds and oversees independent audits each year to monitor the fiscal health of local governments.

Other major requests to LGC include:

• Charlotte has two major items on the agenda. It wants to obtain $250 million in bond anticipation notes to pay for capital improvement projects on the city’s aging water and sewer systems. And it seeks to take advantage of lower interest rates and reap savings of nearly $9.6 million by refunding $200 million that was previously issued for the city’s transit system.
• The City of Charlotte Housing Authority, now known as INLIVIAN, is seeking $9 million in bonds as part of a $15.9 million package to build 80 one- and two-bedroom units on land leased from Park Ministries northwest of the downtown area.
• Raleigh is seeking $200 million in bonds to improve water and sewer systems under the city’s Capital Improvement Program. The Raleigh Housing Authority is seeking $18 million to loan to Primavera Seniors to build 164 one- and two-bedroom apartments for low-income residents in two residential buildings.
• Forsyth County wants to obtain $160 million in limited obligation bonds to acquire, build and equip a new county courthouse and a new children’s museum, to renovate and expand Smith Reynolds Airport facilities and to refund existing bonds at a savings of $2.8 million.
• Moore County wants to acquire, build and equip a new county courthouse, county offices and other support facilities, and refund prior loans at a savings of $1.1 million. It is seeking approval of $71 million in limited obligation bonds to meet those needs.
• Hoke County is asking approval for $50 million in limited obligation bonds to build the James E. Leach Aquatic and Recreation Center, two basketball courts, ball fields and Parks and Recreation Department office space. The facility will serve as the county’s emergency services shelter. Some of the money would be used to refund prior financing at a savings of more than $4.2 million.
• Orange County is asking for approval of $28 million in limited obligation bonds for equipment and school projects and to refund previous financing at a savings of about $374,267.