Granite Quarry receives clean bill of financial health

By Mark Wineka

mwineka@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — Town auditor Eddie Carrick gave Granite Quarry a clean bill of financial health Tuesday night.

In reviewing the town’s 2010-11 audit, Carrick commended Granite Quarry on maintaining an adequate fund balance, having a good tax collection rate, spending state road funds efficiently and cutting administration costs.

He advised the Board of Aldermen to remain in a conservative mode this budget year, while looking for alternative revenue sources, if possible.

Mayor Pro Tem Bill Feather thanked Carrick for a timely audit, unlike past years when the town has been as much as two years behind. Carrick credited Town Manager Dan Peters and his staff for providing all the financial information the audit required.

Granite Quarry had an ad valorem tax collection rate of 96 percent and a fund-balance reserve that was 63 percent of its total operating budget. The state requires a fund balance of at least 8 percent.

Unlike most municipalities in the state, Carrick said, Granite Quarry showed a slight increase in its local option sales tax revenues, and general government/administrative costs were down $60,000.

Granite Quarry used $200,000 in state Powell Bill funds for street improvements during the audited year. Because the amount was more than $100,000, the town had to conform to additional government auditing standards, Carrick said.

“There were no issues that came to light,” he added.

Audits are filed with the State Treasurer’s office.

In other matters Tuesday, Fire Chief David Morris and Police Chief Mark Cook gave some year-end numbers for their departments.

The Granite Quarry Fire Department responded to 436 incidents in 2011, most of which were emergency medical service/medical in nature. The town had four significant fires, Morris said, putting the property damage in those fires at $719,000.

One of the fires — a house fire on North Salisbury Avenue — occurred in December, when the department responded to 27 calls.

Morris said members of his department continue to visit Granite Quarry Elementary School every other Friday.

Men and women of the department help in serving lunch, give fire safety lessons and serve in mentoring roles, Morris said.

Cook said the Granite Quarry/Faith Police Authority had 3,500 calls for service in 2011 and a slight decrease in reported crimes for the year. The year had 359 reportable crimes and 183 arrests, which involved 269 criminal charges.

Cook said 576 citations were issued, and 135 civil papers were served.

The average response time for officers was 5.2 minutes, and the average stay on calls was 21 minutes. Officers went through more than 600 hours of training in 2011

The department operates with seven full-time officers, six part-time and four reserves.

Cook said a new records management system is almost completely installed in patrol vehicles and will go on line Feb. 1.

The new in-car data management system will allow officers to spend more time in the field and less time in the office, Cook said, adding it represents “a major transition for us.”

In other Granite Quarry business Tuesday:

• Town Engineer Jeff Moody reported that construction on the Brookwood Drive culvert is complete. The contractor’s final clean-up day was Dec. 23.

“I think it looks very good,” Moody said. “... I’m very well pleased.”

• Maintenance Director Kim Cress said town crews have picked up 950 cubic yards of leaves and should soon be finished with leaf collection for the season.

• Cress reported that a water pressure problem at the town-owned Legion building has been fixed for less than $100.

• Town maintenance crews delivered a dump-truck load of Christmas trees to Tiger World, where the trees are used as habitat.

• Alderman Jim LaFevers asked Zoning Administrator Susan Closner to investigate a lot behind Dollar General that has become a dumping ground over recent weeks.

• Closner reported that a burned-out house on Meadow Wood Drive in Forest Ridge is expected to be demolished and the land cleared by the end of January.

• Aldermen tentatively scheduled their annual retreat for March 8.

• Aldermen approved a budget amendment reflecting a $406.68 donation from Fred’s. The donation will be split between the fire and police departments.

• Aldermen approved a budget amendment reflecting a $10,000 donation from the Ritchie Foundation for the purchase of two water-resistant radios for the Fire Department.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.