WADESBORO- Anson County will be upgrading to a new software package on May 1, 2020. This new software will help Anson County Finance Officer Cary Garner provide the Board of Commissioners with data-driven analytics that will allow them to make better-informed decisions, especially when it comes to budget allocation for upcoming projects, such as the Department of Social Services building and the new middle school.
As the Anson County Finance Officer, Cary Garner is responsible for the receipt of and expenditure of all dollars in the county’s name. Garner has held this position for a little over three and a half years.
The current software utilized by the county isn’t able to effectively manipulate or analyze data, such as tax revenue and payroll. “The problem is, right now, we’re somewhat strapped in flexibility in what we can do without a lot of effort going into it,” explains Garner. The new software will enable Garner to provide the board with the best “this is where we are now, this is where we came from, and this is where we’re going” information.
With the new software, if someone asks Garner about tax revenue or about average payroll in a certain department, he, “can have a report that can tell me the information I need instead of pulling up 26 Excel spreadsheets and writing the numbers down on a notepad. Instead, it’ll take just a few clicks and I won’t have to go looking through personnel action forms that are filed on paper in an employee file and stored in a vault.”
The improved ability to analyze and manipulate data will be particularly useful when it comes to the DSS building project. The county is going to receive a reimbursement rate from the state for the building that changes based on whether or not the property is bought, leased, or built.
When the software gets upgraded on May 1, “I will be able to show the board this is what it’s going to cost to build or buy a new DSS building and this is what it will cost to lease some space that someone has prepared for us, according to our specifications. The board could say, no matter how expensive it is, we want to do one option or the other, but we’ve provided them with hard numbers. We tried to take all the guesswork out and replaced it with data,” said Garner.
The county currently owns land on Anson High School Road in the vicinity of the National Guard Armory, so construction of a new DSS building may be done on that site.
Whatever avenue the board decides to take with the new DSS building, the old one will most likely be put to, “what’s called the highest and best use, which would be to demo it and sell the lot. But we would put it out on the market and try to sell it first. If we couldn’t sell it as an existing building, we would sell the lot. It’s hard to gauge the interest of that. If somebody wanted just the lot, then it would be a negative to have the building there. We’re open to ideas. Ultimately, it’s a board decision.”
Another county building project is the Anson County Transportation System. “We refer to it as ACTS,” said Garner, who added, “We received a $1.5 million grant for that from the North Carolina Department Of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. It’s an 80 percent grant, which means we have to match 20 percent. $1.5 million is the total projected cost. So, we have to have a match of $300,000.”
Anson County has also received a $20 million grant for the construction of a new middle school. The county will have to match $5 million of that grant. The cost to build a new school is an estimated $46 million. “We have a lot of work to get the project cost down so it becomes a viable project. We just have to look closer at the scope of the school. Is it the right size for our population? We’re not trying to cut corners to get the price down. But, as it currently stands, it’s not really a project,” said Garner.
If and when the middle school is constructed, the proposed location for it would also be on Anson High School Road. The former middle school would also face the same fate that awaits the DSS building.”We would just look at the highest and best use. We, as the county, don’t necessarily want to be in the land business because when we own something, it’s not generating property tax. We want the property to be available for development, whether it’s for job creation or community development,” said Garner.
“We want to make sure, through our planning, that we’re not just building these structures on property just because we own it. It might not be the most suitable property, because of the amount of grading, the number of rocks, water, streams you run into, things like that. You have to be mindful of that when looking at potential construction sites,” explained Garner.
The new software will give Garner the ability to provide the board with data-driven analytics so they can make more informed decisions about building projects like the DSS building. “Not having good information can make you make a bad decision that you think is right,” said Garner.
“These kinds of analytical things are part of a modern-day finance office. Before it was just monthly reports, monthly disbursements – you didn’t look at the future a whole lot,” explained Garner.
With improved data analysis, Garner is able to make better informed financial predictions for the county. “I promise growth is a lot closer than it used to be and it’s only going to continue to get better,” said Garner who added, “It might be five years, it might be 10 years but it’s coming.”
