Stanly swears in new commissioners, accepts 2019-20 audit

Published 1:37 pm Friday, December 11, 2020

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The Stanly County Board of Commissioners welcomed new members who both previously served on the board at Monday’s regular meeting.

Judge Kevin Bridges swore in Peter Asciutto and Scott Efird, followed by the unanimous elections of Bill Lawhon as chairman and Tommy Jordan as vice chairman.

The commissioners also nominated the following to serve on committees: Lawhon and Jordan to the Economic Development Commission board, Jordan and Efird to the Consolidated Human Service Agency, Commissioner Zach Almond to the Board of Trustees, Efird to the Airport Authority (with Almond as the alternate), Commissioner Lane Furr to the Fire District Commission, Commissioner Mike Barbee to the Senior Services Board, Asciutto to the Rocky River Rural Planning Organization (with Lawhon as the alternate), Jordan on the Water and Sewer Authority (with Furr as the alternate), and Asciutto to the Centralina Council of Governments (with Barbee as the alternate).

After approving public bonds, the Board received a presentation from Alan Thompson, a partner at the accounting firm of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co, P.A. about the 2019-20 fiscal year audit.

Thompson said important numbers from the audit included the total fund balance of $30,761,307, down slightly from last year ($31,145,359) but up just more than $8 million from 2016. The fund balance available is 35.27 percent, an increase of close to 5 percent since 2016.

Property tax rates have been the same for the last five years while collection percentage excluding motor vehicle (which is collected by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles) in 2020 decreased slightly from 2019 (97.32 percent from 97.49 percent).

General fund revenues decreased in 2020 to $69,113,685, down from $69,461,623 in 2019, a percent change of 0.005 percent.

“The county got a good report on the audit…the county is in good shape overall financially,” Thompson said.

Commissioners accepted the audit unanimously.

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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