Yard Waste Cart Fee

The implementation of these changes was not taken lightly but a necessary decision in order to keep providing all of the services. When these changes were made, 1/3 of the households in Kernersville had a roll out yard cart. The means that 2/3 of the households did not have a cart and therefore did not use the service. Most likely those households pay a lawn care company to maintain their yards or haul the yard waste away themselves. It seems fair for the households that use the service pay the $60 fee. This way the service is not eliminated but only those who use the service pay for the service. Bulky items were being picked up weekly, in an effort to reduce cost the change was made to pick up those items once a quarter. Less than 1/3 of the households have an extra waste cart and again only those who choose to have an extra cart pay.

Recession and the impact on Kernersville

The recession has impacted families and businesses in Kernersville; some more than others. The Town of Kernersville, like a business has also experienced the loss of revenue, and has made the appropriate cuts in both operating costs and capital purchases. In the FY 10-11, the operating budget was reduced over $600k dollars from the submitted requests. This year, FY 11-12, the operating budget was cut an additional $ 400k dollar.
The current budget eliminated positions and froze other positions. Employee benefits have been reduced in some areas to help reduce costs and overtime has been drastically cut. The capital purchases have taken huge cuts the last two years. In the current budget, resurfacing, and a large number of equipment replacements were eliminated. We also implemented minor changes to some services to help reduce cost. Just like in your home or your business the Town has cut back and we are working hard to stay lean while still providing our citizens with excellent service.

Obstacles for Kernersville

My biggest concern this year is the Town’s Sales and Use Tax and Property Taxes. These are the two main sources of revenue for the Town and both have fallen over the past couple of years. I would love to see private sector growth that would increase our revenues, but it appears that it may take a little longer for the economy to recover. Another concern is the possibility of the state withholding funding. Did you know that 30 % of the Town’s revenue comes from other government resources? If these funds were to be held at the state level, or a portion of them held at the state level, this could cause enormous issues for the Town. As with your budget, normal expenses are increasing and some are hard to avoid. Items, such as, health care cost and contribution increases to the State Retirement System. Though we certainly do have budget concerns, Kernersville remains fiscally strong.

Proposed Thoroughfare Plan / Big Mill Farm Road

In 2009 a committee was selected by the Mayor and BOA to review the Thoroughfare Plan of Kernersville with special consideration to be placed on Hopkins / Bill Mill Farm Road. I have reviewed the draft and while the document is much improved from 2009 I am still concerned with the number of lanes proposed for Hopkins Road and would like to discuss and consider what the proposed improvements to S. Main Street and the beltway interchange in Walkertown will do to the traffic counts and demand on this areas roads. In my opinion we need a plan. I still have many unanswered questions and will bring these up when the plan is presented to the BOA in November. I know that we can come up a document that will plan appropriately for the future while preserving the current atmosphere of the neighborhoods in the Hopkins Road area.

Should the Town of Kernersville consider placing a High School and future Middle School in Traid Business Park?

Currently no formal request has been submitted by TDO, the owners of Triad Business Park for rezoning approximately 110 acres to accommodate a Guilford County high school and a future middle school. However, based on the current information I do not support the rezoning of the industrial land to accommodate the school. When Triad Business Park was assembled and the agreement made with TDO this was a long term investment in the economic future of Kernersville. If the 110 acres becomes non-taxable it would equal approximately $ 422,000 loss in potential revenue for the Town of Kernersville based on today’s figures and after TDO is paid back. The preservation of this industrial land is important to Kernersville but also to the region. This area is identified as an industrial corridor by several development studies. Triad Business Park is extremely important to the future economic growth of Kernersville.