Surry County commissioners approve school ADA repairs, $50,000 medical pledge payment and plan to recoup inspection losses

Surry County commissioners on March 3 approved several routine and budget items, including a request from Mount Airy City Schools to use lottery funds for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades at the district fieldhouse, authorized a $50,000 budget amendment for Surry Medical Ministries, and directed staff to pursue a plan to recover the county—ode-inspection losses from the county—our municipalities.

The actions were taken during the Surry County Board of Commissioners' regular meeting at the Surry County Courthouse. Commissioners also deferred a $60,000 feasibility study on repurposing the old jail and annex for sheriff and judicial use into upcoming budget sessions and approved three municipal planning-board appointments and a resolution delegating certain litigation decisions to county staff.

Mount Airy City Schools r. Philip Brown requested permission for the district to use lottery funds for ADA compliance work at the high school fieldhouse. "We have some ADA compliance issues throughout the high school in a few different places," Dr. Brown said, asking the board to allow work on male and female locker rooms, the fire alarm system and exterior doors. He told the board the project is out to bid and that the district has a certificate of review from the Department of Public Construction referenced in the meeting packet. The board voted to approve the use of lottery funds for the project.

Finance officer Laura Neely brought forward Budget Amendment No. 10, which would fulfill the third annual $50,000 installment of a five-year, $250,000 pledge the board approved in 2022 to match a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan obtained by Surry Medical Ministries. "The attached budget amendment adds an appropriation for Surry Medical Ministries due to a multi year pledge approved by the board at a meeting back in 2022," Neely said. The board approved the $50,000 amendment, decreasing the general fund contingency by the same amount.

County staff asked the board how to proceed on a previously requested feasibility study of converting the old jail and part of the sheriff's office for sheriff and judicial use. Architectural Design Associates provided a feasibility-study quote of $60,000 included in the packet. Several commissioners said they preferred to gather more input from the sheriff's office and judicial staff about their space needs and fold the study into the upcoming budget discussions. Commissioner Van Tucker moved to take up the study during budget sessions; the motion passed.

County manager Chris Knopf presented the results of a code-inspection cost analysis covering 2018 nd'024, saying the county recorded an annual operating loss on the inspections program that ranged between $217,297 and $345,490, with an overall average of $284,134 over the period. Knopf said municipalities have not shared financial responsibility for these inspections. "That cost per inspection loss ratio was about $26 roughly per inspection," he said, explaining staff will prepare letters and the FY24 figures for the municipalities. The board voted to charge each municipality its share of the net loss on a per-inspection basis going forward.

The board also reappointed Jimmy Chappell as the extraterritorial-jurisdiction representative for the Town of Elkin and appointed Robin Narrahed and Cindy Romine to the Dobson planning board ETJ seats; the appointments were made from names provided and approved by the associated municipalities. Finally, Ed Wilkes presented a resolution delegating to him, in consultation with the county manager, the authority to serve as the county's direct contact with a litigation consortium and to ratify consortium-recommended litigation decisions; the board approved the resolution.

All motions noted above were approved in open session by the board during the meeting.

Less formal items at the meeting included special recognitions of county social services employee Jennifer Bowman for an on-duty incident and multiple Eagle Scout certificates presented to local scouts.

The board concluded its public agenda by approving a motion to go into closed session for legal, economic development and personnel matters and later returned to open session and adjourned.

Votes at a glance: - Mount Airy City Schools lottery funds (ADA fieldhouse work): approved (motion to allow use of district lottery funds). - Budget Amendment No. 10 (Surry Medical Ministries): approved; $50,000 appropriation this fiscal year as the third installment of a five-year $250,000 pledge approved in 2022. - Feasibility study quote (Architectural Design Associates, $60,000) for sheriff/judicial center annex: board moved to incorporate the study into upcoming budget sessions for further scoping and input from sheriff/judicial staff. - Inspection-cost allocation: board authorized staff to charge each municipality its fair share of the inspections program net loss on a per-inspection basis (FY24 per-inspection loss cited by staff at about $26). - Planning-board appointments: Jimmy Chappell reappointed (Elkin ETJ); Robin Narrahed and Cindy Romine appointed (Dobson ETJ). - Litigation resolution: board delegated specified litigation coordination and ratification authority to Ed Wilkes in consultation with the county manager.

What—hanged and what to expect: the board recorded several routine financial votes that will reduce general-fund contingency and direct staff to notify municipalities about potential inspection-cost allocations. The feasibility study for the old jail/judicial annex will be scoped further during budget sessions, and litigation-management authority was consolidated with county staff.

(Quotes and actions are drawn from the March 3, 2025 Surry County Board of Commissioners meeting transcript.)