County manager presents balanced budget with 1cent property tax cut, new positions and $3.1M school allocation; commissioners approve several finance items 5-0

County Manager Shipley presented a proposed balanced budget to the Alleghany County Board of Commissioners, recommending a 1cent property tax reduction, a 4% cost-of-living increase for employees, several new staff positions and a multi-million-dollar allocation for schools.

"This is my first budget with in this with Alleghany County, I feel very very positive about what's come out of it," Shipley said as he introduced highlights and a sequence of planned work sessions to review the detailed budget. He said department wishes exceeded available resources by roughly $5 million before trimming and that the administration produced a balanced proposal.

Key proposals and numbers in the manager's presentation included:

- A property tax reduction of 1 cent per $100 of assessed value for the coming fiscal year, intended to provide relief ahead of an upcoming revaluation. - A $4% cost-of-living increase for all full- and part-time Alleghany County employees on staff as of July 1, 2025. - No increase in employee premiums for health, dental or life insurance; a negotiated decrease in vision coverage costs for full-time employees; and the addition of long-term disability coverage. - New staff positions proposed: a grant-writer/project manager (start possibly September 2025 or later), a Community Social Services Assistant in the Department of Social Services (proposed start July 1, 2025), an Emergency Management Assistant (proposed start Jan. 1, 2026) and an additional transfer-facility specialist to prepare for expansion and increased solid-waste volume. A part-time public-works position to assist custodial and office duties was also proposed. - Capital and project items: $2,000,000 from the SCIF allocation to complete courthouse construction by July 1, 2025; continued planning for a replacement community pool possibly at the wellness center; funding for four vehicles (three sheriff's department vehicles and one for the building inspector); upgraded ambulance equipment and a lease/striker program; and an oversized-plat scanner shared between the register of deeds and planning departments. - Schools: Shipley said the county has an approved loan through the Local Government Commission for the new high school project, with the county's allocation/loan to the school listed as $8,349,000 and the overall project described as a little under $70,000,000. He also said Alleghany County Schools proposed an expense allocation of $3,108,285 in this budget, an increase of about $135,000 to fund Paxton Patterson labs and the salary for an additional assistant principal at Sparta Elementary School. - Program and partner funding: an increase for the Alleghany County Rescue Squad to $140,000; $50,000 to App Health Care District Health Department; $40,000 set aside for wayfinding signage coordination with the TDA; $98,364 in recreation funds for potential additional ball fields; continuation of $180,000 held for a NAPCO expansion grant; and a proposed small-business grant program with two $45,000 awards per year.

Shipley described an outreach process that included meetings with department heads, the chair and vice chair, and multiple budget workshops to follow the presentation. He asked commissioners to review the full budget and schedule work sessions; the board agreed to afternoon workshops the week of June 12to 16 with proposed sessions Tuesday the 13th and Thursday the 15th from 3p.m. to 5p.m.

Votes at a glance

During the same meeting commissioners voted on several finance items related to county operations. The board recorded unanimous votes (5-0) on the following motions:

- TRC transfer-facility proposal (motion and second; outcome: approved, vote 5-0). The agenda item was described as "the TRC proposal for the transfer facility"; discussion at the meeting did not include additional details on the vendor or contract language in the public transcript.

- Line-item transfer to pay an invoice for CRC (conversion of minute books to electronic records); the presenter said the contract work had been completed and the transfer pays the invoice. Motion and second were called and the vote was recorded as in favor (5-0).

- Budget amendment adding revenue and expenditures for the Town of Sparta vehicle tax fund (described as Sparta tax fund number 65); the motion, second and a 5-0 vote approved the amendment to disburse additional revenues to the town.

Quotations and context

Shipley emphasized stewardship of public funds, the use of fund balance for limited, planned investments, and the administration's aim to avoid rapidly depleting reserves. "We have a balanced budget," he said, adding that the administration recommended using a small portion of fund balance for targeted projects while maintaining strong reserves.

Commissioners commented favorably on the courthouse construction and on community events that drew visitors to the fairgrounds. Several commissioners thanked staff and volunteers for the recent fried-apple-pie festival and discussed signage and parking improvements around the fairgrounds.

Clarifications and items flagged in the presentation

- The transcript includes a reference to a town grant amount that appears as "$1,515,000,000"; the context suggests this is a transcription or formatting error. The manager said the town will receive a grant to be expended in fiscal year 2025-2026; the exact dollar amount should be confirmed with the county's written budget document.

- Many proposed items are recommendations in the presented budget and would require the board's review, potential amendment and formal adoption in later hearings. Shipley asked commissioners to identify any department heads they want to hear from in the budget work sessions.

Ending

The board scheduled follow-up budget workshops and the county manager said a proposed budget ordinance would be presented for a public hearing in early June and final consideration at a mid-month meeting after any revisions.