By Mark Wineka
mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — Greg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, continued what you could call his “Declaration of Interdependence” tour Monday night by visiting Granite Quarry.

Edds acknowledged he probably prefers the word “cooperation” to “interdependence.”

The Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen gave Edds a strong endorsement of his and Commissioner Jim Greene’s efforts at bringing Rowan County’s 10 municipalities together for collaboration on things such as workplace and economic development, education, marketing, infrastructure, philanthropy and improving the business climate.

Edds said there are nine specific areas already outlined that he hopes to reveal at a community forum of all municipalities in February.

“This will be an action forum,” Edds said. “We really believe people are craving this.”

Edds and others have been meeting regularly every Friday morning for an hour to  work on their ideas for a more collaborative Rowan County.

“The 10 communities that make up Rowan County,” he said in materials distributed to the board, “have not had a strong history of working together. But to be fair, we have never had a concentrated organizing force that unites us.

“The good news is this perceived ‘weakness’ can become a strength.”

Edds said Rowan County can accelerate an emerging innovation economy “if we align our core goals and beliefs.”

Over the past two years, there has been no better example of cooperation than the industrial park Rowan County and Granite Quarry worked together on off Heilig Road, Edds said, calling it “a shining example.”

Edds has visited Granite Quarry, China Grove and East Spencer with seven more presentations to go in the next 30 days. He is shooting for a Feb. 10, 2017, event in which all the communities come together to get started.

Leadership teams for the various study groups already have been formed, he said. Edds acknowledged he will end up making a same “Declaration of Interdependence” pitch to his own board of commissioners.

“This is not official county business,” he said. “… We don’t want government running this. This is mostly private-sector driven.”

The private sector needs to help government be better, Edds said.

Edds first had the idea for this collaborative effort from the book, “Grassroots Leadership for a New Economy,” and also seeing a similar approach at work in Charlotte.

In another matter Monday, Granite Quarry aldermen heard some good financial numbers Monday night when the town’s auditor ran down highlights of a preliminary audit.

“We’re in good shape,” Mayor Bill Feather said after hearing accountant Tony Brewer’s report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016.

Revenues were up, overall tax collections had increased, and the town’s fund balance, Brewer said, is equivalent to 82 percent of the general fund’s expenditures. That is a healthy situation.

Granite Quarry, as usual, showed a good property tax collection rate of 97.06 percent, which is above the state average of 96 percent. Revenues increased more than they had in fiscal year 2015. But the town’s debt also increased to $310,000, the amount left on a loan paying for infrastructure in the new industrial park.

The final audit is not official until approved by the Local Government Commission. Aldermen will received hardbound copies of the audit, which is available for public inspection.

In other business, aldermen:

• Agreed to pay up to $18,356.61 to the Charlotte law firm of Parker, Poe, Adams and Bernstein for legal assistance it required in dealing with appeals and proceedings associated with the Granite Place rezoning case.

Mayor Bill Feather said that sum does not include all the staff time and local legal counsel the town invested in that matter.

• Agreed to set aside up to $13,572 in capital outlay for the purchase of two new thermal imagers for the Fire Department, which is using models that are 12 years old on Engines 571 and 572.

• Put off a decision on having a redesign of the town of Granite Quarry’s website. Aldermen are considering a proposal from Granite Sky Civic Group of Huntersville.

“It’s our virtual front door,” Town Manager Phil Conrad said of the website. “It could be better.”

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Brinkley said the website has to be improved. “I really don’t think we have a choice in the matter,” he said. “If you go to that website and you can’t deal with it, you go somewhere else.”

Feather said the board needs to find out where the money for the redesign and continuing support will come from.

• Also put off a decision on updating the town’s telephone system and tech support. The town has various contract proposals from Square Clover, Windstream and the Walser Technology Group.

Town Clerk Barbie Blackwell said there are 20 telephones in the town’s outdated system, which sometimes drops calls, fails to transfer calls or doesn’t put through calls at all.

Feather asked the town staff to come back to aldermen with numbers showing what the town pays now and what it will pay and how it could fund the improvements and monthly costs.

Alderman Jim LaFevers said he is worried about the town’s constantly adding more costs in contracted services.

• Approved paying invoices of $2,474.22 and $5,212.05 to AMT, an engineering firm doing work on sidewalk construction projects for the town.

• Approved a budget amendment of $37,367, reflecting the conversion of two part-time employees in the maintenance department to one full-time position for the period Nov. 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. It also replaces funds used to pay for the early retirement of former Maintenance Supervisor Kim Cress.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.