ashe

One of the problems with the er has been the waiting time. People got tired and quit going. The ones with insurance.

I think it will be less than 10 years. I believe the ACA was designed to transition the people into the idea a government system, and to finish bankrupting the current system so that the people will actually ask for a government system

I agree with both of you. Nothing is free. Social services is the biggest scam in the county.

Socialization is not free. Somebody must pay the bills. Guess who that will be......(hint, not the Mexicans and the deadbeats). I'm tired of paying taxes so the non taxpaying residents can go to the ER while I get to call a 1=800 number to talk to a nurse before I can darken the door of the ER.

I've maintained that our social services budget of over 10 million is wasting money left and right when compared to counties twice our size whose budgets are much less.

I've been asking a lot of questions about the same things at the hospital. Most of you that gave been on go ashe know that I am one to dig to find answers. Jim gambill reported that the hospital accountants had advised the board that at the rate they were gong they would survive around 18 months. That was in June of this year. They have taken some actions to control cost and improve service in the ER department.

According to Jim, the biggest problem they have - like a lot of businesses - is the federal government. The amount of unpaid ER provided services runs over a million a year. Getting these Mexicans and uninsured to use the " non emergent " Family Care a Center instead of the ER would close this budget lose. But the federal government forbids them from telling people in the ER to go to the center. Even a sign is a violation. They also have outsourced the operation and staffing of the ER to a private company with good results. I have a lot more info but it's mostly boring. Medicare pays them 101% of the submitted claim amount but that one percent doesn't go far.

I believe in another ten years we will be to the point where all health care will be socialized and free. The rich will still have elite hmo's to join.

coop- you of all people should know by now, after numerous postings, that I would NEVER advocate more spending on the Department of Social Services. I would be, in my opinion, a good move to cut that bunch by at least 50%. But....that can't and won't happen given federal and state mandates. Don't even get me started about what I think of the "mandates" and where they should put them.

And regarding the list of industry you listed......the commission could have given tax incentives for (using the hospital example, three years). They could have given breaks on county services for (using the hospital example, three years). And, heaven forbid, actually given $500k in cold hard cash? Rediculous? Maybe, but why should the hospital be any different?

And, Mr. Efford has been a leader in siphoning off tax payers money. He was also instrumental in the county taking over the white elephant called the Civic Center. If memory serves me correct, the taxpayers declined to fund that venture...only to be duped later by "giving" the Civic Center to the fine taxpayers of Ashe. And, incidentally, is another money pit that promises nothing but a mill stone around the necks of Ashe taxpayers.

Enough. Let free enterprise prevail. Fail or loose, the winner will be the taxpayer.

There is no comparison between the hospital and a industry.

The industry has vacated this county, and now AMH is headed down the same path....When that goes they might as well clos the gates at the county line, simply because no one will be coming here!!

The main problem I have is no explanation of why a half a million is needed and what it will be spent on and is this a one time gift or will it be reoccurring.

Pointman could you be a little more specific of what the county should have done to keep each of these businesses from moving to where the labor, transportation or raw materials were cheaper. I've listed them so you can respond to each with the action you would have taken to keep them here.

Thomasville Furniture
Catawissa Lumber
Gates
Leviton
United Chemi-Con
Chief's Fire and Rescue
Tigra
Oldham

I'm like Thoreau was. I will pay for no bridge I do not intend to cross and no school mam for children I have not sired. But I do like strong hospitals,fire departments, law enforcement and environmental services. If you want to be a "female dog" about something it's the great give away of money to losers and dope heads at Social Services (Millions of dollars) or the airport.

If we are going to have to give the Hospital any money then the county should be get a percentage of the revenue that Novant takes.

I have a problem with implementing a tax when we are being told that it's to pay for a one time expense. Well, if it's really a one time expense , take it out of the fund balance too. Then tell the people the truth that the property tax is going to have to be raised.

I listened to WKSK this morning, with the county manager and guest Tom Efford. It appears that the pledged $500k is a done deal (my disagreement with that statement is another topic). That said, if $500k is going to be given to the hospital with our tax money, be it sales tax or property tax, I support doing it by sales tax.

For the record......I am totally against giving Ashe Memorial Hospital one thin dime. Our county officials stood by with their thumbs up their rectum while local business evaporated and did nothing. The hospital employs a lot of people and is indeed a selling point for potential new comers. So is industry. The county watched as Thomasville Furniture died. They watched as Catawissa Lumber died. They fiddled while Gates was packing up to leave. Not a word was uttered when Leviton moved to Mexico. United Chemi-Con was on the ropes drawing what everyone thought was theie last breath and the county sit on their hands. Ditto for Chief's Fire and Rescue, Tigra and Oldham.

The hospital wants $500k so they can reorganize and remain solvent, but what efforts have they made to make cuts and demonstrate they have even made an effort to help themselves? Has a freeze been placed on wages at the hospital? Have the Board members made any sacrfices as to their benefits? No.

Contrary to what was presented this morning on WKSK, that hospital will not close. And even if it does, someone else will open it under better management and succeed. That is pure business.

I wish the $500k was not a "done deal" (again, I could argue that is not). If I had the say, I would tell Novant and the hospital board to make sure they shut out the lights as they vacate the building. I dispise idle threats and those officials that cater to those who make them.

The county has budgeted approximately $4 million a year for the last several years to be appropriated from fund balance. That's the equivalent of about 9 cents on the tax rate. While you can finesse that for a couple of years, eventually you will run out of FB to appropriate.

Now it appears that the part of what is done is that when the budget is adopted, the budget is crafted to fund all positions for 365 days. Why is this important, well in many large departments, you are never at full staffing for the entire year. That means that a large department should come in under budget on salaries and benefits at year end.

Under some managers, a budget adoption is not the real budget accessible to the department head meaning that a budget of $100 means access only to $95 to $98 dollars baring an unforeseen disaster. This gives you some room to breath in your budget and in a good year, you dump the excess into fund balance.

If you combine a 97% cap within a department and a deliberate 2% under estimate on revenue, you get a 5% spread that you should be able to dump into fund balance in order to protect the unit from an unforeseen disaster. It's politically difficult for elected officials to properly fund their fund balance. But management needs to do it and keep it out of the spending hands of the board is they can otherwise the board will find a way to spend it.

The effective property tax rate in Ashe County is one of the lowest in NC, in the bottom 10% of Counties. The rate has needed to be about 4 cents higher the last 3-4 years and it will take 9 cents in any one year to fully plug the annual $3-$3.5 million hole that is structured into the County's budget. Each cent generates about $400K.

The new board might be able to kick it down the road one more year. I'm sure the LGC has warned them and they have letters about falling below the 24% recommendation level and the 8% minimum level of fund balance.

This is the time to borrow some money to build the new Middle School as rates are as low as they ever will be, and some inflation is to be expected in the future. I think the County's borrowing cap is about $380,000,000 - 8% of assessed value. Not that I am advocating borrowing $300 million. Just that the County needs to take advantage of historically low interests before they begin to rise.

And the fact that they are still going to raise property taxes. There's just no way they can get around it much longer.

Time will only tell if the budget is reeled in when a new board is seated in December. Hopefully with 3 new chairs.

It isn't so much fer or agin a sales tax. It is really agin putting more money in the pith pot to be pithed away on unneeded, under used programs and projects.

Well, then someone should explain that if you can't earmark it for something, then you also can't set limits to what it can be used for. It goes in the general fund

Someone may have pointed out the law to them.