By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — As commissioners struggle to balance the budget and keep taxes as low as possible, Rowan County nonprofit groups could receive less county money next fiscal year — or lose it entirely.
The Rowan County Board of Commissioners will discuss nonprofit funding at 3 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Rowan County Administration Building.
At the board’s budget workshop in February, County Manager Gary Page recommended cutting funding to all nonprofit groups by 10 percent. Some commissioners talked about changing that amount or even stopping funding to some organizations altogether.
As part of a memorandum of understanding with Rufty-Holmes Senior Center to absorb the senior services department, the county has agreed not to cut the organization’s funding below the current amount.
Commissioners Jim Sides and Carl Ford asked if board members could be given a list of all the nonprofits funded by the county and the amount of money they each receive. Since then, commissioners have looked over that list and will discuss it Monday.
In addition, the board also will hold two quasi-judicial public hearings at the meeting.
One is for a rezoning that would allow Annie Boone-Carroll to convert a vacant 2,720-square-foot convenience store into a funeral home. The 1.06-acre property at 4725 Long Ferry Road would be rezoned from rural agricultural to commercial, business and industrial.
The other is for the rezoning of 5 acres off Grubb Ferry Road from rural agricultural to industrial conditional use for a sand dredging and mining operation along the Yadkin River.
Carolina Sand Inc. says additional acreage is needed to meet a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirement to avoid and minimize impacts to wetland areas.
Also at Monday’s meeting, commissioners plan to:
• Consider a $160,000 offer to purchase a property at 6205 Mooresville Highway.
In an email to the county tax administrator, Clerk to the Board Carolyn Athey said the house was formerly used as a group home but has been vacant since 2006. Jerry Rowland responded that the property has a slightly higher value, but the upset bid process may drive up the price.
• Consider a permit to exceed noise standards from Blue Waters Recreation Inc. for a Relay for Life event from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on May 7.
• Discuss a N.C. Association of County Commissioner questionnaire that asks for the county’s No. 1 issue of concern about the state budget and its No. 1 non-budget-related legislative issue.
• Hear reports about the Community Transportation System Plan and revisions to the Community Protocol for Child Abuse Prevention.
• Recognize the North Rowan High School Men’s Varsity Basketball Team as 1A State Champions and the Salisbury High School Women’s Varsity Basketball Team as 2A State Champions.
• Approve the use of pyrotechnics for the fireworks display at Kannapolis Intimidators baseball games.
• Approve a limited fixed-base operator agreement for Amos Aviation with changes made at the March 7 meeting.
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
On the line
Rowan County Nonprofit Appropriations:
• Rowan Rescue Squad — $412,198.
• Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission — $338,866.
• Rowan Vocational Opportunities Inc. — $66,532.
• Rufty-Holmes Senior Center — $40,000.
• Rufty-Holmes Senior Center Capital campaign
— $20,000.
• N.C. Forest Service
— $53,761.
• Charlotte Regional Partnership — $40,362.
• N..C. Transportation Museum Foundation — $23,750.
• Rowan Arts Council
— $22,991.
• Rowan Museum Inc.
— $19,000.
• Cabarrus-Rowan MPO
— $16,680.
• Iredell Soil and Water, Third Creek Watershed
— $5,534.
• Army Aviation Support Facility — $5,100.
• Rowan County Chamber of Commerce — $4,000.
• Salisbury-Rowan Human Relations Council — $3,500.
• Yadkin-Pee Dee Lakes Project — $3,200.
• River Park (Bull Hole)
— $2,850.
• N.C. Civil War Trail (sixth of ten years) — $200.
Total — $1,078,524.