WADESBORO- As the County Manager for Anson County, Barron Monroe II is responsible for the day to day operations of the county and supervises all the departments under the Board of Commissioner’s control. He also recommends an annual budget to be considered by the board and is responsible for implementing the ordinances and policies they have adopted.
“My job is to make sure that the Board of Commissioners and the citizens’ wishes are executed. That means having a balanced budget, providing services to citizens in a timely and prompt manner, and being transparent so we can provide information to the citizens about what’s going on with their tax dollars and service provisions,” explained Monroe.
Monroe was selected by the board to serve as County Manager in Dec. 2018 and started the position on Jan. 2, 2019. He earned Master’s Degrees in both Public Administration and City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Appalachian State.
A native of Salisbury, N.C., Monroe came to Anson County with a varied career in public service. He’s worked in the Catawba County Government as Project Manager for the Tax Department as well as a Budget and Management Analyst. He also served in the Navy.
“My view of the Navy was that it was so big and its impact so large that I didn’t know if my actions had any tangible benefit. But, through my experiences in seeing other types of government at work, I realized that, at the state and local level, my actions could be manifest and I could see the impact of my work,” explained Monroe, who added, “The Navy gave me clarity on knowing what government could do for people and I sought out a location where I could impact lives positively.”
That location turned out to be Anson County, “Sometimes you want to feel that what you do matters, that it has an impact. I felt that Anson County was a place where I can gain that experience, to feel that impact, to feel that my work made a difference.”
One project Monroe has helped to oversee during his time as County Manager is the software conversion for the county’s financial and tax software, “Those conversions will push the county from the late 20 century into the 21 century, in regards to reporting and information dissemination,” he said.
Monroe is also trying to get Anson County’s public safety communication systems upgraded,“Our current radio infrastructure is not sufficient for the jobs that Law Enforcement and Emergency Services perform so we’re working on getting a new VIPER Tower,” said Monroe.
VIPER is the communication network used by the State Highway Patrol. “The plan is that the state will put up a tower near our Emergency Services building and allow us to use that as a communication tool. This is dependent upon the state budget and when that whole thing gets worked out,” explained Monroe.
Anson County has also been developing a land-use strategy. “The Comprehensive Land Use Plan is a strategic planning process for the entire county. It identifies the culture and strategic view of the county for the next 20 years, based on taxpayer and resident input,” said Monroe.
“’What will Anson County look like in 2040?’ is basically the question we’re asking and we’re gathering input from residents to see what direction we need to be going in,” explained Monroe. Anson County held five community outreach open-houses throughout November and December 2019 in order to gather input from its citizens.
A survey is available on the county’s website, http://www.co.anson.nc.us, for citizens to complete and provide their input to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The county is still in the information-gathering stage and hasn’t done any analysis of the data yet. The plan will be adopted sometime in late August or September.
“I think that what we’re doing in the county will set us up to reap the benefits of growth in the future. We have a lot of natural amenities. A lot of land at an affordable cost. Great proximity to the second or third largest growth engine in the southeastern United States, which is Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. We are on a major thorough-way between that area and Wilmington and Myrtle beach. With the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and more land management programs we’re doing in the future, we should start reaping the benefits,” said Monroe.
Monroe believes that the software conversion, upgrades to the emergency communications systems, and the Comprehensive Land Use plan will help prepare Anson County for the future, “We’re trying to increase productivity in our organization and professionalize the business of local government in Anson County,” said Monroe.