Roseboro town clerk Drenda Ammons, left, talks briefly with mayor Roland Hall during one of the board’s recent meetings. As of now, the town is planning to purchase a new well and fire truck this next budget year. But, the impact that will have on the tax rate is still unknown.
In an interview, Hall has pointed out that the town board has already had one budget meeting to discuss this purchase, and the board intends to meet again later this month to, once again, look at ways to purchase both items.
That meeting will be set when the board meets on Tuesday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. for its monthly discussion.
Hall stressed that an engineer has met with him to discuss the digging of the proposed new well, but the details of what it will take to make the purchase happen have yet to be decided.
As for the potential tax increase, Hall said, “I hope to not have one. Our board is committed to holding the line.”
Currently the town has a property tax rate of $0.71 per $100 valuation.
As of Thursday, the town has received some assistance with paying for the $500,000 well. The town has received a grant from the Rural Center for approximately $330,000 leaving the town responsible for paying the $170,000 that is not covered with this grant.
In regards to the fire truck, Ammons has commented that the truck will cost about $260,000. And in order to “hold the line” and pay for this, they are looking to USDA to find the funding.
The town’s funding for these projects hasbeen a source of conflict, as of late, due to town leaders making a request to the Sampson County Board of Commissioners to take over the funding of the town’s parks programs. So far, it remains undecided what the county will do with the town’s park programs.
The funding of the truck and the well has even led to one commissioner, David Alexander, seeking to cut the cost of his own salary and that of the other board members.
Hall stressed that, at this point, it is still too early to decide whether that is a move that the town board will make. He also stated that it is still too early to decide whether the town may be forced to layoff some of its employees.
Hall noted that he hoped to see the budget by the end of June.
Katie Holland can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 136, or by email at silife@myclintonnc.com.
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