Latest news with #LeeCountyBoardofCommissioners
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners reduce CIP, push back construction, renovations to 2030
The Lee County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved a drastically reduced 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program that pushes back most projects to 2030. The move dropped county funding for the five-year schedule from $494,033,920 to $406,869,894 based on the recommendation from County Manager Lisa Minter. The CIP provides a master plan for projects covering the next five fiscal years. 'We voted to approve the adjusted Capital Improvement Plan to ensure the board can avoid immediate tax increases during the next fiscal year,' Commissioner Kirk Smith, the board chair, said in an email. Commissioner Taylor Vorbeck, who voted against approving the CIP budget, was dumbstruck at the decision. 'I'm trying to wrap my head around wiping a five-year plan clean,' she said. 'My view is this was a missed opportunity to have the tough, necessary conversations about how we prioritize investments in our county's future.' A public hearing on the CIP was held at a Lee County commissioners meeting last month, and they held a workshop Friday to discuss the revised plan. Projects that will be funded for 2025-26 are a new bus garage and maintenance storage building for Lee County Schools; the rehabilitation of the Emergency Services Training Center's driving track; a public safety warehouse for County of Lee Transport Services (COLTS); and expansion of the General Services office. Funding also remains for work at the Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center at Central Carolina Community College as part of the initial agreement with the county. Most of the projects pushed back to fiscal year 2029-2030 or beyond are expansions and renovations of Lee County Schools' facilities, including the Lee County High School auditorium and additional classrooms and a new auditorium for Southern Lee High School. 'The auditorium at the W.B. Wicker School is underutilized and our board deems it appropriate that Southern Lee High School's music and theater programs can utilize this asset,' Smith said in an email. Lee County Board of Education member Alan Rummel attended the meeting and posted his thoughts on Facebook. 'We KNOW that Lee County is growing very quickly and schools are already becoming overcrowded, especially in high-growth areas. The School Board is already working on a redistricting plan, but that will only provide a little more time before additional capacity is needed,' he wrote. 'Now, all plans have been eliminated to address the known-coming growth. 'Without permanent expansion plans, mobile classrooms are likely to become common-place at most (or all) schools within the next several years. I'm told it takes around 3 yrs (sic) for a new school to open its doors after it's approved to begin architecture work ... you do the math on what that could [mean] for existing schools to find desks for students,' Rummel said. Construction of a new building for the jail and sheriff's office also was pushed back to 2030. The current facility has infrastructure problems and is overcrowded for inmates and the Lee County Sheriff's Office, according to Sheriff Brian Estes. The commissioners made the move as the county is looking for state and federal funding to replace the current facility, Smith said. Representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd have visited the jail, while U.S. Rep. Brad Knott toured the facility last week, Smith said. 'We have some preliminary work to do before we can start applying for state and federal grants in order to cover costs for a future law enforcement center,' Smith said. Plans for a new Emergency Services Training Center were pushed back, too. While unable to understand the rationale of approving the budget, Vorbeck said she could only speak for herself and her sense of responsibility to Lee County taxpayers. 'I believe this decision represents a significant setback in our long-term planning efforts. Rather than working through each proposed project and evaluating their feasibility and cost-effectiveness and alignment with the community priorities, the board opted to delay almost everything,' Vorbeck said. She questioned delaying projects to avoid a property tax increase, noting that each year work is postponed, the cost for material, supplies and labor rises. The CIP that was adopted last year holds little importance now and 'undermines' the trust Lee County residents have expected, she said, adding that a difference of opinions is a chance for discussion. 'But what I cannot support are the decisions that ignore the long-term consequences and place our community at a disadvantage for years to come,' Vorbeck said. 'My commitment remains to advocate for transparent planning, fiscal responsibility and investments that serve not just today's needs, but tomorrow's opportunities.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smoak doesn't hold back thoughts in hearing on CIP
Only one person spoke Monday during the public hearing on the proposed FY 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan and he left the Lee County Board of Commissioners no doubt about his position. 'I think the CIP is overly ambitious and I think funding for non-essential projects should be set through a general obligation bond vote that would get a lower interest rate,' David Smoak of Carolina Trace said. 'It would allow the citizens to vote for their own tax increases plus shielding you from at least some of the complaints.' 'The County's Capital Improvement Plan is our strategic financial plan for major capital improvement (projects exceeding $500,000 in cost),' County Manager Lisa Minter explained in her overview of the plan. The projects are scheduled over a five-year period based on need and cost. Requests from county departments for this CIP totaled $305,527,229, an increase of $7 million from the current year, she said. Minter's recommended five-year plan includes 25 county-funded projects totaling $291,025,282. 'This large number of projects reflect the population growth we are seeing across the county,' she said. The projects in the plan include securing land for a new elementary school, construction of an auditorium and additional classrooms at Southern Lee High School, construction of a law enforcement center to house the Lee County Sheriff's Office and jail and funding for construction of a building and tower at a new training center for emergency management, fire departments and law enforcement. Depending on money collected through tax revenue, state and federal funding/grants and the NC Education Lottery, it's possible that the property tax could increase by 9.73 cents in 2026. Smoak offered what he believes are three options the commissioners have with the CIP. 'First is to reject this plan and ask the county manager to present a plan that doesn't raise our tax rate. I would tell her to put all options on the table including the operating and personnel budget for the county,' he said. The second option, Smoak said, would be to approve the presented plan in June 'and to have the courage of your conviction to go ahead and vote for a 10-cent property increase to support this.' 'The third and worst choice would be to vote for the spending plan as is but avoiding paying (for projects) until you're forced to,' Smoak said. Commissioner Samantha Martin read a letter she received from Jim Womack of Sanford who said the top priority is Southern Lee High School. He suggested building a new school at the old Jonesboro School rather than purchasing land.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hearing on five-year CIP scheduled for commissioners' meeting
A public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan is scheduled for Monday at the Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting. The plan provides a blueprint of building projects and their estimated cost over the next five years or through fiscal year 2029-30. The projects include continuing renovation work at the E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center at Central Carolina Community College, building needs for the Lee County Schools including the addition of an auditorium and additional classrooms at Southern Lee High School, a new middle school, the rebuilding of the Lee County High School stadium and renovations of other facilities. Four new projects were presented for the upcoming fiscal year, but at least one was pushed back until 2030. That was for renovations to Warren Williams Preschool at a projected cost of $4.6 million. Other requests included construction of a new 16,000 square-foot facility and modular tower to be used for training of emergency personnel including fire departments and law enforcement with a projected cost of $7 million. The county would be responsible for providing $1 million, Minter has said. A third request was for renovation of the asphalt training track. Both were requested by Central Carolina Community College. The fourth request is to complete renovation of and reconstruction of the O.T. Sloan Park bath house and pool. The anticipated cost is estimated at $12,477,664. The meeting at the Dennis Wicker Civic Center begins at 6 p.m.
