Johnson Describes Concerns with School
Facilities Funding Proposal
Kim McKinney
IREDELL CITIZEN
Steve Johnson began the May 4
Iredell County Commissioners'
meeting by veering from the agen
da and reading a prepared state
ment setting out concerns with die
$ 125-million school facilities
funding proposal presented by
Superintendent Terry Holliday and
the Iredell County School Board.
“During the past 12 years
$202,949,718 has been spent reno
vating and constructing school
buildings in the Iredell-Statesville
School system,” Johnson read.
“Remember that figure when
someone tells you that the com
missioners have done nothing for
the schools or when people com
plain about the condition of the
school buildings.”
Johnson then listed reasons why he
and other commissioners feel the
school board plan to be unwork
able, first citing the use of faulty
financial projections on the part of
the school system. Johnson said
the school system had hired an out
side consultant unfamiliar with the
county budget to help them in
making projections instead of
working with commissioners and
county staff to generate figures.
The use of maintenance money to
make payments for the planned
changes also concerned Johnson.
He said he feels existing facilities
will deteriorate while dollars go
toward bond repayment.
Johnson added that the plan takes
the county’s debt service to around
18.03%, higher than the 15% max
imum recommended by the Local
Government Commission (LGC.)
“The county has other capital
needs and a high debt ratio will
hurt the county when we return to
the bond market,” Johnson said.
The biggest problem, according to
Johnson, is that the LGC requires
level “principal” payment rather
than level payment. The school
system’s plan, he said, calls for an
amortization schedule based on
level payment. Under the level
principal payment required by the
LGC, Johnson said, there is no sur
plus and there would, in fact, be a
$5.6 million deficit.
‘This will result in a substantial
tax increase,” Johnson said, “This
increase would come on top of last
year’s re-evaluation which more
than doubled the property taxes of
many working or retired folks.”
In summary, Johnson called the
plan “well intentioned, but
unworkable.” He pointed to the
$24 million worth of school proj
ects underway today and said these
were accomplished by cooperation
between the commissioners and
the school board. He added that the
strategy for future projects would
be based on “sound financial plan
ning and realistic projections.”
Back on the regular agenda, the
commissioners considered a
request from Mooresville resident
Jackie’ Power to change the
Residential Agricultural (RA)
ordinance about permits for non
governmental sewage treatment
plans.
The current ordinance requires that
such facilities go through a public
approval process, with mandatory
notifications of neighbors, prior to
locating in an area. However, the
RA residential zoning district is
exempt from the public approval
process. Citizens living in RA
zoned neighborhoods opposed to
sewage treatment plants being
located near them have little
recourse except going to court.
Power and Michael Lindsay, a res
ident of Spring Acres, described
their experiences of having such
plants located near their neighbor
hoods without their prior knowl
edge. Power said that quick action
on the part of commissioners was
important since 17 applications for
such water treatment facilities in
Iredell County are pending at the
state level.
Commissioners unanimously
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approved the ordinance change to
require a public approval process
and manditory notification of resi
dents in RA zoned areas.
In other action, commissioners:
• Approved rezoning property at
1190 Brawley School Rd.,
Mooresville, to Neighborhood
Business-Conditional Use (NB
CU). Conditions include putting
a vegetative buffer around the
property. Commissioners also
approved rezoning property
at 1352 Jennings Rd. to Community
Business, Conditional Use
(CBCU.) The property will be
used for a gas station (existing),
retail sales and auto sales.
• Approved amendments to the
Airport Hazard Ordinance and
Overlay Zone necessary for the
new instrument landing system.
• Approved changing the upper
roof of the new library from
metal to TPO, saving $11,000.
• Approved the 2004-05 county
employee health plan with overall
increased expenses of about eight
percent. Coverage will continue
with Blue Cross Blue Shield of
NC and contributions will remain
the same for (dependent coverage.
The county will pick up all
. employee coverage.
• Renewed Iredell Arts Council’s
lease for the old jail.
• Granted an easement at Scott’s
School to Public Service of NC
for a gasoline pressure regulator.
• Transferred $50,000 for the sewer
line project at the new Department
of Social Services Building.
• Approved purchasing transportation
hilling and scheduling software
locally.
• Approved Emergency Services
Director Tracy Jackson’s applying
for an Urban Areas Security
Initiative Sub-Grant and a
Hazardous Materials Emergency
Preparedness Grant.
• Denied the Sheriffs Department’s
request to reconsider granting
Joe Moody credit for prior service
with the Kannapolis Police
Department for vacation accrual.
Commissioners decided the
current policy was not in effect
when Moody was hired and
similar requests had been
denied in the past.
• Appointed Janet Hall to the
Adult Care Community Advisory
Committee, Don Kelly and Tom
Moore to the Troutman Planning
Board and Dottie Wilson and
Bill Newell, Jr. to the Mooresville
Library Board of Trustees.
Vacancies remain on the Region
F Aging Advisory Committee
and the Adult Care Community
Advisory Committee.
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