Residents urge quarter-cent sales tax authority and restoration of county service bonus during public comment

Two residents used the public comment period at the Aug. 4 Alamance County commissioners meeting to press the board on two separate issues: a question about how small fractions of sales tax are handled and a request to restore a merit-based service bonus for county employees.

Stewart Smith told commissioners he had recently purchased items and found a rounded sales-tax calculation that raised questions about where fractional cents go. Smith said he contacted the North Carolina Department of Revenue sales-and-use tax division and spoke with an administrative officer, Ed Strickland. Smith said Strickland told him that counties that successfully implement a quarter-cent sales-and-use tax often tie the revenue to a tangible local need and that counties that simply place the tax on the ballot with no clear tie “were very seldom successful.” Smith said he would prefer keeping more tax revenue in Alamance County and would rather pay a quarter-cent sales tax than see a larger increase in property taxes.

Scott Ward, who identified himself as a resident who lives outside the county, spoke in support of county employees and asked the board to consider restoring a merit-based service bonus the county had previously paid. Ward described the bonus as a performance-based payment that ranged from $500 to $2,000 depending on years of service. He said the loss of that bonus affects lower-paid staff disproportionately and urged the board to ask the county manager to find funds to restore the bonus as of July 1, suggesting a tiered restoration by salary band as one option. Ward said, “it’s a little bit of money, but it’s a whole lot of facts,” and asked that lower-paid employees receive full restoration while higher-paid employees receive smaller percentages.

There was no board action on either item during the meeting. The sales-tax remarks referenced guidance from the N.C. Department of Revenue rather than a new proposal placed before the board; the employee‑bonus request was a public comment asking the board and county manager to consider restoring the bonus in the county budget.