From the fact sheet:
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a local referendum seeking voter approval for an additional ¼¢ (one-quarter cent) to be added to the sales tax rate.
- The County recently completed a Parks and Recreation Master Plan in which a recreationcenter was the top priority.
- By resolution, the Board of Commissioners has stated that this additional funding will be used for recreation, including:
- Construction of a gymnasium and a recreation center in Boone, with a comprehensive aquatics center featuring a 25 meter competition pool, warm water exercise pool, and a water play area for children featuring slides, splash areas, and a zero entry tot pool.
- Construction of an Eastern Watauga Community Center with space for multipurpose meetings, a kitchen, and other amenities to be developed in the programming phase.
- The development and implementation of a Comprehensive Plan to upgrade facilities and amenities at the County’s existing parks, elementary schools, tot lots, and Cove Creek Gym. If approved, the tax will cost twenty-five cents (25¢) for each one hundred dollars ($100) in purchases.
- If approved, groceries will be exempt from the additional ¼¢ tax.
- The current sales tax in Watauga County is 7.75 cents of which the State of North Carolina keeps 5.75 cents with the remaining 2 cents distributed locally.
- Based on past collections, approximately $1.9 million dollars will be generated for additional recreational funding.
The referendum is causing quite a stir. "A Watauga Conservative" is against it. The "High Country Mom Squad" is for it.*
Sounds good to me. As a high country dad and fiscal conservative, I voted for it earlier today (vote #2088). Two reasons:
- that pool sounds great
- we're borrowing at low rates (if our debt position was scary we wouldn't be able to do that)
