Town of Blowing Rock

Town of Blowing Rock
State of the Town
10-04-2012
FY 2012-2013 Budget
• adopted June 12, 2012
• budget totals $6,316,205
• Includes: operations, capital improvements, and debt
service requirements (increase of $4,655 compared to
last year’s adopted budget of $6,311,550)
• tax rate remains at 28 cent per $100 for seventh
straight year (continue to have the lowest property tax
of any town or county in the region)
• no net change in water and sewer
• All other fees remain unchanged
Property Tax Rates of Surrounding
Communities
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Blowing Rock
Watauga County
Jefferson
Sugar Mountain
Lansing
Newland
Boone
Hudson
Banner Elk
Ashe County
Wilkesboro
Avery County
West Jefferson
Granite Falls
Seven Devils
North Wilkesboro
Lenoir
Caldwell County
Beech Mountain
Wilkes County
28.00
31.30
33.00
34.00
35.00
36.00
37.00
37.00
38.00
40.00
40.00
40.50
42.00
44.00
51.00
52.00
56.00
62.99
64.00
65.00
FY 2012-2013 Budget Graphs
General Fund Revenues
1.51%
Powell Bill
Funds
3.32%
Other
2.04%
Fund Balance
Appropriated
2.93%
Transfer In
7.69%
Sales/Services
0.21%
Interest
4.27%
Other
1.06%
1.56%
Water Impact
Sewer
Impact
Fees
Fees
1.83%
Interconnect
Charge
2.29%
ABC Revenue
5.08%
State Collected
Revenues
7.03%
Local Sales
Tax
Water/Sewer Fund Revenues
61.97%
Property Taxes
6.12%
Occupancy
Tax
40.04%
Sewer
Charges
51.03%
Water
Charges
FY 2012-2013 Budget Graphs
General Fund Expenditures
8.57%
Parks/
Recreation
0.94%
Governing
Body
7.15%
PW Sanitation
19.85%
Field
Operations
6.75%
Central
Government
19.95%
PW - Streets
4.62%
Planning/Zo
ning
6.95%
Administratio
n/ Finance
Water/Sewer Expenditures
15.46%
Public
Buildings/
Grounds
9.45%
Emergency
Services
20.16%
Police
Department
40.23%
Administrati
on/
Billing
39.93%
Plant
Operations
Robbins Pool @ Broyhill Park Picnic
Shelter
• opened August 2012
• provides covered area for:
picnics, gatherings, etc. (ADA accessible)
• approx. $16,500 covered by donations
• labor donated by: Watauga High School
Career & Technical Education Carpentry Class
and Freeman Concrete Concepts
A special thank you to the following for
their support!
• Appalachian Energy/G&B Energy
• Blowing Rock ABC Store
• Blowing Rock Appearance Advisory
Commission
• Blowing Rock Boy Scout Troop 101
• Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce
• Blowing Rock Market
• Blowing Rock Rotary Club
• Boxwood Lodge/Blowing Rock Inn
• Chandler Concrete
• First Citizens Bank
• 4 Forty Four, Inc.
• Frye Signs, Inc.
• Gary Trivette Electric
• Inn at Ragged Garden/Ragged Gardens
Maple Lodge
• Kilwin’s Chocolates and Ice Cream
• New River Building Supply
• Terry Lentz Construction
• Mr. & Mrs. John Aldridge
• Mr. & Mrs. George Ball
• Mr. Bob Hess
• Mr. & Mrs. Scott Hildebran
• Mr. David Wray
• Mr. & Mrs. Joe Kiker
• Mr. David Mays
• Ms. Kay Morgan
• Ms. Alice Roess
• Mr. & Mrs. Charles Rogers
• Mr. Tom Shelley
• Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Starnes
• Mr. & Mrs. Jim Steele
• Mr. & Mrs. David Stevens
• Mr. & Mrs. Ronnie Turner
• Mr. & Mrs. Steve Watson
• Mr. Albert Yount
• All Town Departments
Robbins Pool @ Broyhill Park Picnic
Shelter
Downtown Streetscape: Phase III
• St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Storie Street Grille
• new sidewalks, curb & gutter, paving, concrete
pavers, utilities, and landscaping
• Mountain Crest, LLC $64,195
• next planned phase will continue along the
east side of Main Street
Downtown Streetscape: Phase III
Town Hall Roof
• Blowing Rock Property Services, Inc. (BR)
• $16,500.00
American Legion Roof
• Blowing Rock Property Services, Inc. (BR)
• $14,685.00
Davant Field Garden Improvements
• funded by the Blowing Rock Appearance
Advisory Commission (BRAAC)
• redesigning the flower beds, extension of a
retaining wall, installation of concrete pads for
the bleachers, drainage improvements, etc.
BRAHM Parking
• opened October 2011
• Added 63 new public
parking spaces
• firm fixed price of
$1,300,000
• Town borrowed
$1,000,000 from First
Citizens Bank for 15 years
at 4.08% (12 Yrs. remain)
American Legion Parking
• opened June 2009
• added a net of 69 public
parking spaces
• $1,084,300
• funded from Downtown
Parking In-Lieu fees and
BR Tourism Development
Authority occupancy tax
proceeds
• Town borrowed
$1,084,300 from RBC
Bank @ 2.92 % for 7
years (2 yrs. remain)
Blowing Rock/Boone Water
Interconnect
• per the direction of the State of NC, executed
in 2008 (Town of Boone and Appalachian State
University executed a similar agreement)
• provides water access during: service
disruptions caused by equipment failure, line
breaks or other difficulties or during drought
conditions
• includes fire hydrants
Blowing Rock/Boone Water
Interconnect (continued)
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original estimate $3,600,000
final project under budget at $2,775,642
Contractor: Ronny Turner Construction Company Inc. (BR)
Received $2,019,162 in grant funding (State of NC (American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act), Appalachian Regional
Commission (USDA) , NC Rural Center (Boone) & NC Rural
Center (Watauga County))
• State of NC (ARRA) 0% Interest Loan - $756,480.00
• FY 2008-09, the Town implemented a $5.00 per month
charge for all customers to cover the debt expense related to
interconnection, rate recently reduced to $1.00 a month
effective July 1 (grant funding)
• line completed October 2011
Blowing Rock/Boone Water
Interconnect: Turning of the Valve
Park Service Land Exchange
• our water supply is located on property now
owned by the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Parkway has no authority to sell government land
• Land exchange most viable solution to avoid an
annual permit & water rights fee
• Parkway identified 198-acre Thunderhole/China
Creek Property adjacent to: the Blue Ridge
Parkway and the Pisgah National Forest
Park Service Land Exchange
(continued)
• November 2001, Town received State of NC
grant ($201,000) to assist in purchase of
property to execute the exchange
• 2003 Town completed purchase of the tract
from the Conservation Trust of NC (purchase
price was $440,000)
• transaction includes adequate land (20.474
acres) for the Town to enlarge the reservoir to
double its current 45,000,000 gallon capacity
Park Service Land Exchange
(continued)
• Acquisition allows better control and
management of water supply
• 2010, the US Congress approved legislation (HR
1121) authorizing the land exchange within 3 yrs.
Park Service Land Exchange
(continued)
• China Creek parcel $635,000
• US Park Service-owned parcel $553,000
• to equalize values, the Town requested the
U.S. Park Service 1) grant permanent
easements for water/sewer lines and 2)
modify 10-year permit to a permanent
easement for water/sewer lines
• to be complete by end of 2012
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Improvements
• $565,140 Greene Construction Inc. (Boone, NC)
• Improvements include: new emergency
generator to replace the existing generator, new
air piping and diffusers for the aeration
basins, handrail repairs, etc.
• State of NC Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Loan
• interest rate is 2.455%
• 20 yr. note
• will be completed by Feb. 2013
Sewer Line Extensions
• along Main Street and Wallingford
Street/Globe Court (completed late 2011)
• Initial study on water/sewer upgrades in
Gideon Ridge area
• Aerial lines replaced: 1) off Laurel Ln. in
Mayview, 2) New River Lake Estates
Water Upgrades
• Town recently installed new upgraded water
line along Wonderland Trail from Laurel Lane
to Valley View Drive
• also added fire hydrants
U.S. 321 Widening Update
• January 2012, Taylor and Murphy Construction of Asheville
• Blackberry Road to Possum Hollow Road
• completion dates: N. Main Street to S. Main Street by
October 2014 and the entire project by October 2015
• work to date: major grading and blasting operations
(Sunset Dr. to Broyhill Furniture), extension/reroute of New
River culvert (near fire department), temp. utility line
relocations, storm drainage &water and sewer installation
• next few months: continued blasting operations (Skyland
Dr. & Norwood Cir.), prep. for retaining wall construction at
major cut /fill locations & utility work
U.S. 321 Widening Update (continued)
• retaining wall pattern approved
• wall color approval to take place later
• fencing & lighting options will be presented to
BRAAC for a recommendation to Council for final
approval
• amenities associated with the widening project
include: public sidewalks, buried utilities, water
and sewer lines replaced or upgraded, center
landscape median, coach lights, rock walls (Green
Park Historic District), simulated rock walls
(outside of Historic District), street trees, mast
arms for traffic signals, & park (Chetola Dam)
Comprehensive Plan Update
• 1982, the Planning Board wrote the first Comprehensive
Plan
• 1993 and again in 2004, we updated our Comprehensive
Plan
• A comprehensive plan is-a policy document created to assist in making
decisions concerning
physical, social, economic, and environmental
character of a community; and
-provides a process to accomplish various
community goals; and
-used as guide for local gov. policy/zoning
decisions, and serves as a means to
identify, prioritize, and plan for capital
improvements; and
-provides guidance to citizens, developers, and
anyone concerned with the growth of the
community
Comprehensive Plan Update
(continued)
• generally updated every 10 yrs.
• review the progress of the previous decade and
recognize new opportunities for change
• Citizens are best resource in Blowing Rock and Town
officials wanted to include them in planning process
• survey just completed as first step community
• survey data analyzed by the Center for Urban Affairs
and Community Services at NC State University
• other avenues for receiving input in the Comp Plan
Process: visioning workshops, drop-in sessions,
Planning Board and Council hearings
Cell Phone Coverage
• continue to work with wireless carriers on improving
coverage in the Blowing Rock area
• initial conversations with carriers, including Verizon
Wireless, have taken place in attempt to locate a cellular
tower at the Green Hill water tank shared w/Town radio
antennas & support structures
• also working w/wireless providers to secure an antenna
location at Town radio antenna in Memorial Park
• Over years, several ordinance amendments passed
providing some flexibility in permitting of cellular or
wireless antennas and location of antennas in all zoning
districts
BR Conference Center Annexation
• Town voluntarily annexed
• 58.90 acres located off Goforth Rd.
• BRCC is a regional not-for-profit Outdoor Ministry
Center serving a wide range of religious and
nonprofit organizations
• grounds and facilities provide spaces that are
adaptable, whether it is a camp for up to 250
youth, an all church event, a family reunion, or an
adult conference
• 51-guest lodge, 3 dorms, and four
cottages, dining hall, gym and indoor pool
BR Conference Center Annexation
Blue Ridge Vistas Annexation
• Town voluntarily annexed
• 31-unit condominium building on 3.03
acres, located on US 321 South (formerly the
Valley View Motel)
• undergoing a zoning reclassification to either
R6-M Multi-Family, or GB – General Business
Blue Ridge Vistas Annexation
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Annexation
• Town voluntarily annexed
• two tracts annexed were 43.393 acres and 24.793
acres, located on US 321, just north of Blue Ridge
Parkway
• will be utilized for new state of the art 112 bed
post-acute care facility to replace Blowing Rock
Hospital, (est. to cost $20 million +)
• in addition, will be utilized for continuing care
retirement community offering living
accommodations at every level – independent
living, assisted living and skilled nursing
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Annexation
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Annexation
Dispatch Consolidation
• topic discussed since early 1990’s
• Watauga Co. was primary public
safety answering point for E-911
calls in corp. limits of BR and
dispatched calls in Town limits
and Fire District for Fire, Rescue &
EMS
• Town of BR dispatched police calls
on in corp. limits of town
• federal and state agencies
encourage consolidation
Dispatch Consolidation
• Benefits include: enhances public safety, improve
coordination of emergency response, maximize
efficient use of public resources, and produce
long-term savings for taxpayers
• Town will save approximately $109,603 over a 5year
• up to $25,000 per year thereafter
• would have increased costs to the Town
approximately $180,000/yr. (or two cents on the
tax rate) if State mandated two dispatchers on
duty 24/7
• effective July 1, 2012 telecommunications
consolidated
American Legion & Grant
• April 15, 1952, Blowing Rock American Legion
Post #256 entered into 99 yr. lease with Town to
construct a Legion Hall
• August of 2011, the Town & Legion Post #256
jointly agreed to a termination of the
• Town awarded grant ($142,000 w/50% local
match) for rehabilitation & modernization of the
Legion Hall
• Upcoming decision to be made by Town Council
5th Annual Hometown Harvest
Pot-Luck Supper
Come help us celebrate the blessings in Blowing Rock!
Sunday, November 11, 2012 5:30-7:30 p.m.
@ Fire-Rescue Building (Valley Blvd.)
Questions?
By the Numbers
•
Occupancy Tax Collection Jan-Aug. 2012 +4.26% as compared to same period last
year
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•Domestic tourism in Watauga County generated an economic impact of $197.56
million in 2011. This was a 4.11 % change from 2010.
•In 2011, Watauga County ranked 19 in travel impact among North Carolina's 100
Counties.
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Visitor Center Jan-September
2502 Telephone Inquiries
2029 email inquiries
16,379 walk in visitors
26,090 visitor guides distributed
529,438 web visits
Advertising
• Based on state and local research
– media plan provided at the first
of each fiscal year to constituents
• Advertising support for all major
events in town
• Work cooperatively with NC
Division of Tourism and the NC
High Country Host.
• Media buys in
Charlotte, Atlanta, Greenville/Spa
rtanburg, Raleigh, Greensboro
plus regional publications like Our
State, Southern Living, AAA
Go, Oprah, Blue Ridge Country
and Breathe
Public Relations
• 43 different stories placed for
earned media so far this year
• Press releases and media
support for Art in the
Park, Christmas in the
Park/Lighting of the town, 4th
of July
• Accolades include Best Winter
Village by Visa Black Card
Magazine, Travel and Leisure
Magazine –One of America’s
Prettiest Winter Towns and
Raleigh Metro Magazine-Best
Place to Own a Second Home
Partnerships