Highland Supervisor Hold Virtual Budget Hearing

          The Highland County Board of Supervisors held their public hearing on the proposed budget virtually Thursday evening. There was no comment from the public, which could participate via phone and videochat. There was a back and forth between Supervisor Harry Sponaugle and Highland School Superintendent Dr. Tom Schott about school funding. Mr. Sponaugle first questioned whether new money available from the state was included in the budget – Dr. Schott explained this would be in the form of a grant which would have to be applied for, and was intended for COVID-19 relief funding only, and he would apply it to applicable areas if received. Mr. Sponaugle then questioned the total amount of the request, given the amount of state funding. Dr. Schott explained that the expanded state funding would likely be available for the next two years, then get scaled back, and his intent was to keep the requests at a point that when state funding did decrease, the amount of the request increase at that point would not be so jarring. He anticipated presenting a level funded budget next year.

          The Supervisors could not take action on the budget at this meeting – they have another virtual meeting scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 pm.

          The Supervisors also adopted a resolution during the meeting honoring former Supervisor Jerry Rexrode, who passed away recently – it reads:

          (See Attachment for Resolution)

Story By

Scott Smith

Scott Smith is the General Manager for Allegheny Mountain Radio and Station Coordinator and News Reporter for WVLS. Scott’s family has deep roots in Highland County. While he did not grow up here, he spent as much time as possible on the family farm, and eventually moved to Highland to continue the tradition, which he still pursues with his cousin. Unfortunately, farming doesn’t pay all the bills, so he has previously taken other jobs to support his farming hobby, including pressman/writer for The Recorder, and Ag Projects Coordinator for The Highland Center. He lives in Hightown with wife Michelle and son Ethan. In his spare time, he wishes he had more spare time, especially to ride his prized Harley-Davidson motorcycle. scott@amrmail.org

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