SNOW HILL — Greene County’s finances are showing some improvements, and the board has decided what to do with the returned overpayment from South Greene Water Corporation.
Interim County Manager Richard Hicks suggested to the board Monday morning that grant funds received in the spring to pay for a commercial kitchen in the farmers market be carried over to the 2013-14 budget.
Cooperative Extension Director Shenile Ford said she was waiting for an estimate on the kitchen equipment and expects to begin installation next month.
Hicks also discovered more than $20,000 in the books that had been hanging around for some time.
“You also, I believe, have had some funds left over from a former proposed agricultural building,” he said, “which has been sitting on your books for probably 20-plus years or more.”
Hicks said there had been some discussion about using the funds for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning project in the farmers market building.
The board approved moving both funds to the current budget.
Hicks provided a 2012-13 report showing an estimate of the fund balance on June 30 at $454,468, but said the audit report will have the exact figures.
Although revenues were short by $168,183, spending is down by about $622,651.
Hicks commended the departments for their budget cuts. He also provided the county share for three major departments’ expenditures:
n Health Department — $594,133 out of about $1.6 million
n Department of Social Services —$1.17 million out of $3.788 million
n Senior Center — $66,600 out of $226,739
Hicks said changes in the state budget and laws will create new regions and possibly infrastructure funding through the N.C. Department of Commerce. With the changes, the county will likely receive a refund on the Greene County Global TransPark license plate fees.
The county will also be getting a refund of $177,000 for overpaying South Greene. The water fund should see a reduction of $75,000 to $100,000 in expenditures from the refund, Hicks said.
“What I suggest,” he said, “is that you might want to consider using that ($177,000) that you’re getting back from South Greene to set up an economic development fund and to appoint a task force.”
Additional funds could come from the license plate refund.
Hicks said the task force should be made up of representatives from the county, the towns, Chamber of Commerce and business leaders to work on long-range economic development and solicit citizen input.
He also suggested the task force meet with representatives from the Department of Commerce and other economic developers, such as from the power companies, to develop strategies for marketing, costs, potential grants and contracting with consultants.
He said an action plan should be developed for the Northwest Industrial Park near Walstonburg.
“I know since the six or seven months I’ve been here,” Hicks said, “when people ask what our economic development efforts are, it’s kind of like, well, we don’t have that many things that are ongoing.”
The board unanimously approved the suggestions. Commissioner Bennie Heath mentioned the well-known saying, “a failure to plan is a plan to fail.”
The board will be meeting jointly with the Snow Hill town board at 6 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Greene County Community Center. Each board will then meet individually at 7 p.m. in separate areas in the Center.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.