What was the question? Introduction and why are you seeking the position
Who said it? Lee Adams
What did they say? Most of the tax burden falls on citizens
This is true- 95% of the taxable value in property taxes is held in residential properties
Source- Gaston County GIS
What was the question? What do you feel is the biggest issue facing your community and how would you address this if you are elected?
Who said it? Lynn Black –
What did they say? 10 year Capital Improvement Plan includes
1 million dollars for sewer True
10 Million dollars for roads True https://townofranlo.org/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/3-Ranlo-FY-21-Roadway-Improvement-Project-Summary.pdf
15 Million dollars for water lines True https://townofranlo.org/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/1-Ranlo-FY-21-CIP-Water-Distribution-Project-Summary.pdf
What did they say? We have money in the bank and are not in bad financial shape
Partially True- There is money in the bank but it has steadily been reduced over the past several years as spending has exceeded revenues.
Source- Town Audits https://townofranlo.org/documents/
What did they say? No Debt service
False Interest expenses are included in the FY22 budget
What did they say? Vehicles are all paid off except small garbage truck
Unable to verify but likely true. The interest expenses in the budget are allocated to the Sanitation Department.
Who said it? Robin Conner
What did they say? Town is under the unit assistance program due to being behind on audits- Partially True- The town is current on its audits but the findings of those audits contributed to the Town of Ranlo being added to the Unit Assistance Program
Source FY22 Budget Message https://townofranlo.org/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Budget-Message-Fiscal-Year-2022.pdf
What did they say? 3 years of audits caught up on
True- Audits covering 2017-2020 were completed between May of 2020 and November of 2020
Source town of Ranlo website published audits https://townofranlo.org/documents/
What did they say? Taxes and water rates were raised due to audits not being done
This is unverifiable. Taxes and Water rates increased as a result of the Board of Commissioners voting to do so based in part on the findings of the audit but it is not possible to know how they would have voted in past years had the audits been available to inform their decision.
What did they say? 2014 was the last raise in taxes and water
True Source Revised FY22 Budget Message https://townofranlo.org/documents/
Who said it? Lee Adams
What did they say? Water lines are antiquated and large portion needs replacement-
True They are described as “incredibly dated” and water meters are being used past their expected end of life
source: budget message https://townofranlo.org/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Budget-Message-Fiscal-Year-2022.pdf
Who said it? Ronnie Laws
What did they say? There are 70 year old water lines.
Probably True They are described as “incredibly dated” and water meters are being used past their expected end of life
source: budget message https://townofranlo.org/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Budget-Message-Fiscal-Year-2022.pdf
Who said it? John McDonough
What did they say? Being on the LGC watchlist means that the state has final say on capital improvements/ budget
This is true “The consequence of this inclusion is that the Town must submit the fiscal year 2022 draft budget to the Department of the State Treasurer for approval and review prior to the adoption of the budget ordinance.”
Source Budget Message https://townofranlo.org/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Budget-Message-Fiscal-Year-2022.pdf
What was the question? If the town received a large grant with no restrictions how would you use it?
Who said it? Trevor Hay
What did they say? cheaper to maintain than replace infrastructure
This is true see https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/1/27/how-much-does-a-mile-of-road-actually-cost for replacement costs and https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd528063.pdf for maintenance costs
What was the question? How would you help small businesses?
Who said it? Lynn Black
What did they say? Taxes are lower than most other small towns-
This is no longer accurate considering the recent increase in taxes. In Gaston County Ranlo has the 5th highest municipal rate for taxes out of 13 Municipalities
Source: NC Dept of Revenue https://www.ncdor.gov/documents/2020-2021-county-and-municipal-tax-rates-and-effective-tax-rates
Who said it? Lee Adams
What did they say? 68% of small business experienced negative impact from Covid per the SBA and 6% experienced positive impact from Covid per SBA.
I was unable to find the specific article that Lee cited but this is consistent with the data published by the SBA https://www.sba.gov/
Who said it? Trevor Hay
What did they say? Industrial water rate is cheaper than rest of the county-
This is true. Source: Multiple published sewer and water rate tables and fee schedules for Gaston county municipalities see https://www.mtholly.us/community_snapshot/feeschedule.php and https://www.lowellnc.com/DocumentCenter/View/725/FY-2020-2021-Fee-Schedule for examples
Who said it? Wade Morton-
What did they say? Vaccinations deter illness and get you out of the hospital quicker.
This is true. Source CDC https://www.cdc.gov/
What was the question? closing remarks
Who said it? Trevor Hay
What did they say? Off year municipal elections have lower turnout
True- The results for the last municipal election in Ranlo show 507 people voted. By way of comparison the 2020 election had 2244 people in Ranlo voting