Highland Supervisors Prepare For End Of Fiscal Year

Monterey, VA – The Highland County Board of Supervisors has set its fiscal year close out meeting and a public hearing on amendments to the fiscal year 2010 budget. During its regular monthly meeting Tuesday evening, the board approved Monday, June 28 for its close out meeting and the public hearing on the budget.

In other business, the board discussed the county’s solid waste collection contract with Allied Waste. Since the board’s last meeting, changes to the contract language were completed. The board voted unanimously to approve the contract.

The board has been working on the McDowell water system for several months now. Supervisor Rexrode confirmed that backflow preventers are in place throughout the system. The remaining item to meet state requirements is for the county attorney to write up a program describing components of the water system and how they are to be constructed to meet building code regulations. The board approved a motion for the county attorney to draw up the program to regulate the McDowell water system for discussion at the July meeting.

The planning commission has recommended an amendment to the zoning ordinance regarding contractor’s storage yards. The board voted to table this matter until a satisfactory definition of “contractor’s storage yard” can be developed from zoning regulations in other localities. It is expected to be discussed further at the July meeting.

County Administrator Roberta Lambert told the Supervisors about a request from School Superintendent Percy Nowlin.

“Superintendent Nowlin advised me that the school board would like the Board of Supervisors to look at the installation of the remainder of the ceiling insulation in the high school and also the installation of the air conditioning in the computer lab,” says Lambert. “The capital improvement funds for the school are currently with the county. The School Board is asking that the Board [of Supervisors] consider proceeding with these two items.”

The board passed a motion that this work at the school be funded from the capital improvement funds. Supervisor Rexrode abstained since his construction company will be involved in that work.

Ms. Lambert reported on the energy audit performed on the school buildings by Spectrum Design. Because the building only uses air conditioning in a few areas, Spectrum concluded that energy savings from use of a geothermal heating and cooling system would not be high enough to justify the expense of installing the system. They concluded that replacing the old windows, adding ceiling insulation and upgrading the boilers would be the best steps to take at the present time.