Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Catawba County commissioners cut Chromebook funding, reduce Newton-Conover allocation and lower Newton fire tax rate ahead of budget adoption
Summary
At a May 22 public hearing on the FY2025/26 budget, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners removed proposed Chromebook replacement funding for two districts, reduced the county share for Newton-Conover High School Phase II from $16 million to $12 million, and approved a lower Newton Rural fire tax rate; final budget adoption is set for June 2, 2025.
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners on May 22 opened a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/26 budget, heard comments from local officials and state Sen. Dean Proctor, and approved several amendments to the recommended spending plan ahead of a scheduled June 2 vote.
County Manager Mary Furtado presented the budget overview and said department and outside-agency presentations were completed May 21; the public hearing was held to receive citizen input before the June 2 adoption decision. Speakers during the hearing included Shawn Brown, Mayor of Claremont, and fire district representatives who urged attention to local emergency services funding. Senator Dean Proctor urged the board to consider raising taxes to support near-term renovation needs at Hickory High School.
After closing the public comment portion, board members turned to specific funding requests. Chair Randy Isenhower raised concerns about proposed Chromebook replacement funding for Catawba County Schools ($1,080,000) and Hickory City Schools ($582,750), questioning whether devices are needed at every grade level and noting inconsistent approaches across the county’s three school systems. Isenhower moved to remove the Chromebook replacement funding for those two districts and to eliminate a $1.1 million transfer into the capital project account for that purpose. The motion carried 4-1; Commissioner Barbara G. Beatty opposed the change.
Commissioner Cole Setzer proposed reducing the county contribution to the Newton-Conover High School Phase II project from the recommended $16,000,000 to $12,000,000, citing concerns about auditorium seating capacity, competing countywide facility needs and precedent for amenities funded through county school construction. Chair Isenhower moved the reduction and the motion passed unanimously.
The board also debated proposed fire tax rate increases, focusing on the Newton Rural Fire District. Vice-Chair Austin Allran moved to reduce the recommended Newton rate to 0.1160; that motion failed on a 3-2 vote, with Allran and Beatty supporting it. Chair Isenhower then moved to set the Newton rate at 0.1110; that motion passed 3-2, with Isenhower, Abernethy and Setzer in favor and Allran and Beatty opposed.
No other items were discussed. County staff and the board noted that budget adoption remains scheduled for the board’s June 2 regular meeting. Commissioner Beatty moved to adjourn the May 22 session, and the motion carried unanimously; the meeting ended at 8:29 p.m.
The changes adopted on May 22 are amendments to the board’s recommended FY2025/26 budget and will be reflected in the document presented for formal adoption on June 2. The transcript did not specify if alternate funding sources will be identified for eliminated Chromebook purchases or the detailed mechanism for reallocating the $1.1 million transfer.
