The Anson County Board of Commissioners heard from two different speakers at the monthly meeting July 7, one who offered ideas for saving energy and another who complained about the unfairness of the county’s current tax code.
James Bradford made a presentation to the board, sharing ideas to help the county use energy more efficiently. He said that when he had spoken at the commissioners’ budget meeting on June 16, Commission Chair Anna Baucom asked him to present his ideas at the next meeting.
Bradford put together a presentation for the county, outlining his ideas that could help county government save money. He used Charlotte-Mecklenberg as an example, although he admitted they are about 11 years ahead of Anson in terms of energy efficiency.
“We need to raise awareness of energy consumption,” Bradford said. “We can cut costs through decreased energy consumption.”
He said that once Charlotte-Mecklenberg implemented a similar plan, they were able to cut energy costs by $200,000 and reduce energy consumption by 12 percent.
“I understand we are a smaller county,” he said, “but any cut in costs for us would be beneficial.”
He suggested simple fixes, such as replacing fluorescent bulbs, installing low-flow shower heads, installing aerators in faucets and maybe even cutting the work week to four days rather than five, as Anson County Schools has already done over summer break.
The commissioners thanked Bradford for sharing his ideas, and said they will continue to think of ways to reduce energy costs. Bradford’s presentation can be found on the website, www.areadispatch.com/sustainability.
During the public addresses to the board, Truett Wright spoke to the commissioners about his ongoing complaints against the tax office. “I just came back to see if you have discussed my complaint and what you have decided,” he said, adding that he sees the tax office’s treatment of him as “harassment” and a “personal vendetta.”
Tax assessor Larry Newton said that he had reviewed Wright’s files and had made some adjustments. “I think we’ve adjusted what we can adjust and hopefully we’ve gotten the issues solved,” Newton said.
When asked by Chair Baucom what needed to be done, Wright said that he didn’t think Newton was aware of all the problems. “I think if we had a more uniform tax code,” Wright said, “we would be better off.”
Wright explained that the tax value per acre “doesn’t make sense.” He said that for example, there are $1,000 per acre differences from one plot of land to the next, depending upon how much land that person owns. He also said he felt that more citizens should attend the commissioners meetings.
“It should be standing room only for every one of these meetings,” he said. “But we’re going backwards as a county and no one cares.”
In other business at the commissioners’ July 7 meeting:
- utilities director Mike Sessions responded to some of the concerns the commissioners have discussed recently about the landfill, stating that he, Waste Connections staff and state officials regularly check to make sure everything is going as it should.
- emergency services director Rodney Diggs presented the new fire district maps, and said nearly the entire county should be covered.
- the commissioners unanimously appointed Jarvis Woodburn to be the county’s voting delegate at the annual N.C. Association of County Commissioners conference.
- the contract with County Attorney Scott Forbes was renewed by an unanimous vote.
- Chair Anna Baucom reported that a piece of property on the South Piedmont Community College property in Polkton may be suitable for the county’s proposed new ACTS facility. She said she will visit the property and report back at the next meeting.
- Debra Hightower was reappointed to the Anson County Planning Board.
- Leon Gatewood, Marilyn Allison and Johnie Pettiford were reappointed to the Sandhills Regional Library System board of trustees.
- the commissioners met in closed session with Anson Economic Development Corporation chair Chuck Horne, and also held a closed session for personnel matters.
The commissioners’ next regular monthly meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Aug. 4 at the Anson County Government Center.