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Commissioner Philbeck - County Attorney - To Approve an Installment Financing Agreement to Finance a Portion of the Cost of Various Projects Related to the Gaston County Sheriff's Office and Jail Facility, Acquiring Public Safety Radio Communications Equipment and Infrastructure, and the Apple Creek Corporate Center Business Park
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STAFF CONTACT
Charles L. Moore - County Attorney
BUDGET IMPACT
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Increase appropriated fund balance by $3,024,700 in FY20. The total annual payment for FY21 would be $2,957,075.
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BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
The proposed debt service will increase appropriated fund balance if it is not funded with additional property tax revenue.
BACKGROUND
At its January 22, 2019 Regular Meeting, the Board of Commissioners held a public hearing to consider the approval of the Installment Financing Agreement. Hearing no public comment or questions from the Board of Commissioners, the public hearing, which was duly held, was closed. The Board of Commissioners thereby recessed its January 22, 2019 Regular Meeting to February 12, 2019 to take up approval of the resolution.
This new debt service addresses two investment opportunities in Gaston County: public safety and property acquisition and development. Due to the opioid crisis, population growth, and other factors, the County jail has been overcrowded on a regular basis. The designed infill project will provide additional bed spaces without expanding the physical dimensions of the jail. Gaston County also has an antiquated public safety radio system. Developing the new communication infrastructure and purchasing a large number of 800MHz radios are costly but will increase agency operability. Both the jail infill project and the new radio system are necessary investments in public safety.
Acquiring and developing new industrial property is another critical and strategic investment for Gaston County. Not only will it enable the County to maintain momentum in industrial recruitment, it...
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