By Karen Martin

Staff Reporter

kamartin@elkintribune.com

The first note of disagreement came in the approval of the minutes of the April 6 meeting. Commissioner Brady Wooten disagreed with the minutes of the meeting being approved because ‘there were no minutes,’ he said. The meeting was between the commissioners and HMC/CAH, the new management company for Hoots Memorial hospital.

Wooten asked that the approval of the minutes listed in the record be removed. The board agreed to remove them from the official minutes.

The commissioners continued with business and approved two separate rezoning requests. The first property rezoned was 11.5 acres on N.C. 601 south. The property referred to as the Tucker property was given approval by the planning board and recommended to the commissioners. The property was approved for rezoning to Highway business. The property rezoning was asked for in relation to allow for a church. The second property was for 3.1 acres of a 19.61 tract at 1049 Hidden Valley Trail from RA, residential agricultural to Highway business. The board also received a unanimous approval from the planning board and concurred in approving the rezoning.

“Rezoning of these properties to encourage growth along Highway 601 is a good thing,” Commissioner Kevin Austin said. “I believe it will be an improvement to our county.”

5-D Appointments

The 5D-use committee, nominations and approval was given to Commissioner David Moxley, Lenuel Chamberlain, Tim Swain, Jack Lowdermilk and Phil Martin.

The board corrected an error in the proposed budget amounts to Janet King in the contract for cleaning. The original amount listed in the budget was $15,000 and was corrected to $29,000.

Contract to find money continues

Robert Segal, CPA, PA brought the recovered sales tax figures to the board’s attention, reporting that the reallocation of $26,000 of additional sales tax along with $31,000 in unclaimed sales tax had been recovered. The contract between Segal and Yadkin County expires on June 30, 2009. Segal asked the board to renew the contract. Segal’s fee of 20 percent applied to monies found from calendar years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

“If we find money, we get paid,” Segal said. “If not, we make less money. The fee schedule would remain the same.”

The board approved the extension of the contract, 5-0.

New tax source approved

In other issues the board heard a proposal by Phyllis Adams, Tax Administrator to initiate collection via provisions of N.C.G.S 105-275,which allows counties to collect gross receipts taxes on the rental of heavy equipment in lieu of personal property taxes, which the county does not currently collect. “The general assembly allows us to get money through property taxes which we do not impose on heavy equipment, Adams said. “We can collect a possible 1.2 percent on the gross receipts of heavy equipment. It will only affect rental equipment.” The board approved adopting the gross receipt tax option, 5-0.

Yadkin Center request funds

Wayne Matthews, Yadkin Center Director asked the board for $60,000 to move eight mobile units from the elementary and middle schools to the Yadkin Center of Surry Community College.

“As you know, we have the early college high school designed to allow high school students to earn both their high school diploma and an associates degree by attending a five year program designed to further student’s education,” Matthews said. “We are in our second year and have 100 sophomores taking high school and college classes. The program adds 50 students per year and we do not have the space for the additional students who will begin the program next year.” ”We (the Yadkin Center), will be very strained. We will be borrowing mobile units from the county until additional facilities are built at our location. The mobile units will be relocated to the west side of our campus, with easy access to water, sewer, and fiber optics. We will be getting a total of eight units, one of which will be moved to our driving range, so the classroom will be at the driving training course. Another unit will be used for restrooms so that we have adequate facilities for the classroom capacity and one for catered breakfast and lunch. The other units will be used for classrooms.”

“We are asking for the funds to move and setup the mobile units by the fall session. The units will be moved through the fall when the new middle school opens.”

When commissioners asked Matthews what would be done if the date(s) of the new school opening were extended due to budget issues, Matthews responded by telling them that would have to be dealt with when a decision was made about the new middle school.

“Recently, we were visited by a representative of the Gates foundation and were evaluated with a result of positive quotes from the foundation,” Matthews told the board.

“Two hundred and fifty high school students will be getting simultaneously an associates degree,” Dr. Deborah Friedman, President of SCC said. “93 percent of graduating students tend to stay in the service area. We are proud of our partnership with the Yadkin County School system, and these are good students. We are delighted to be a part of their education and your commission’s support providing help to all people of this area has been great. We together not only help the students, but also the unemployed and underemployed.”

Chairman Wagoner recommended that the decision to approve the funds be tabled until the budget sessions on May 6, 12, and 20.

“I think we will be better served to wait until the schools budget is discussed,” Wagoner said. “We will include the proposal at the sessions and get back to you at the next scheduled meeting.”

Economic Development Update

Bobby Todd, Director of the Yadkin Chamber of Commerce brought news of the Economic Development updates to the board.

“Activity begets activity,” Todd said. “We had a client in last week who liked a facility in town,” Todd said. “The 2 – 3 old Unifi buildings that are empty again is what the client looked at. While we had him here, we also showed him a location in the county that was available. We’re also getting a lot of calls from tourists surrounding the vineyards and wineries in the area. You know people will go to (expletive deleted) if they drink the wine,” Commissioner Tommy Garner said.

“There’s going to be a crowd there,” Todd replied.

Dr. Friedman of SCC announced to the board that the opening of the new Viticulture/Enology facility at the Yadkin Center would be on Friday, May 1 at 2 p.m.

“Dr. Friedman you’re going to (expletive deleted) too,” Commissioner Garner said.

“I may be driving the car,” Dr. Friedman said. “The North Carolina Center for Viticulture and Enology ground breaking will be held on Friday, May 1 at 2 p.m.,” Dr. Friedman said.

“We have sent out 400 invitations. Phase I will be the moving of our bonded winery into the new facility. The facility will also encompass four classrooms, one for a library, a conference hall and classrooms.”

Chairman Wagoner then announced that the budget meetings on May 6, 12, and 20 would be open to the public for anyone wanting to attend.

“On April 29, Wednesday, three of us commissioners will be traveling in the same vehicle to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners day,” Chairman Wagoner said. “We’d like to invite the press to feel free to ride along to ensure we don’t talk commission business. Mr. Moxley, Mr. Austin and myself will be attending.”

Other Commissioner’s comments

“I was contacted by a disabled widow who lives on Beulah Road,” Commissioner Moxley said. “She called asking for help in getting the road she lives on scraped. She had contacted DOT and it still has not been done.”

The other commissioners gave Moxley the name of the regional director for DOT to contact.

“I could not vote yes to Wooten’s motion to stop all action against the jail,” Moxley said. “I do agree that we have some budget issues in the jail project.”

Then it was Commissioner Garner’s turn.

“Maybe I should apologize for the incident before the meeting,” Commissioner Garner said. “But I was accused of communicating threats by someone I didn’t know about something I didn’t know about. The day I supposedly did this there were a lot of lounge lizards hanging around my shop. My shop is at Brooks Crossroads. I’m at a council of aging (meeting) up the street. Someone at the shop answered the phone and was supposedly rude.”

“This person in the lobby was threatening me, and was going to get his gun, right, Peggy?” (The Peggy that Garner is referring to is Peggy Boose, who was attending the commissioners meeting)

“I did not hear anything about a gun,” Boose said. “I said you should be ashamed of your language.”

“I won’t,” Garner said. “I would use that language again. I have a set of (expletive deleted) and I’m not afraid to use them. When I’ve been asked whether I’d want to be a commissioner or a teacher again, I’d rather teach. I’ve been accused of not listening. I listen. I may not pay attention. Some people in the county don’t know what they want or need. I signed the recall petition by the way he had out there in the lobby.”

“There are three things about this recall, you either recall it, get over it or die with it,” Garner said. “Call me what you want, but I am what I am.”

“I was upset that he would call me out during commissioners comments because he knew I was not able to respond,” Boose said. “I had to respond. I couldn’t let him belittle me without a response.”

The incident as viewed by Peggy Boose

“Several of us women were standing out in the lobby before the meeting,” Boose said. “This man Lineberry (later determined to be Richard Lineberry), asked us women who is Tommy Garner. He asked if we would sign the recall petition he had and said that Garner had threatened to kill him. Then, Tommy (Garner), and the man were nose to nose and Tommy was cursing the man, saying all kinds of foul words. Larry Long walked over and said ‘guys’ and then talked them down and away from each other. The Lineberry man left and I said to Tommy, you ought to be ashamed of yourself using language like that and being a county commissioner. He (Garner), came to my face calling me names, using extreme profane language, saying you’re a (expletives deleted) and you don’t have any sense’ and he (Garner) smelled of alcohol. He was right in my face.”

The next commissioner to make comments was Kevin Austin

“I believe there are jail solutions available to us that would be pleasing to the majority of residents,” Commissioner Austin said. “Economic Development is our way out of our budget woes,” he said. “Our way out is through industrial development, recruitment, retention and encouraging entrepreneurship. They are saying that recruitment is very difficult now; we need to show our support for retention of the businesses we have and encourage more entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship council is helping with funds and ideas.”

“Boonville’s STEP program is having a big meeting on Sunday, April 26 from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Boonville school in the multi-purpose room. They want to form committees to help formulate plans for the future. They invite all of you to attend.”

Chairman Wagoner spoke on a request from the Yadkin Riverkeeper

“The Yadkin Riverkeeper asked the commissioners to hold a public hearing and to do a resolution against the Fibrowatt plant, Wagoner said. Dean Noujokes suggested that the county commissioners hold a public hearing in opposition to this plant. I don’t think we should get involved in something in another county.”

“I don’t think we should get involved again,” Commissioner Moxley said.

“I don’t think we should get involved with another county’s business,” Wagoner said. “There will be a hearing on rezoning, FYI, to file a motion for summary on the calendar being in Sparta on April 27. Complainants asked for a continuation of 150 days. We’ll appear and see if the continuation is granted. I make a motion to recess this meeting to April 27 at 6 p.m. at Forbush high school.”

The motion was approved 5-0.