By Taylor Boyd
Clyde DeLoach will serve as chairman of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors and Clayton Kendrick will serve as vice-chairman.
The board held its reorganizational meeting on Jan. 10th.
Each year, the positions are rotated among board members.
Kendrick represents the Mayo River District and DeLoach represents the Blue Ridge District.
Scott Wickham, of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates – CPAs & Consultants, presented the county’s annual financial report and audit.
The county received a “good, clean report,” Wickham said.
“During the year, the county’s governmental fund revenues exceeded expenditures by $4,155,100. This is a significant improvement over fiscal year 2020 where revenues exceeded expenditures by $2,214,762,” the report stated.
Wickham noted the fiscal year 2021 revenues saw a marked increase in local tax revenue.
Proceeds from the Food and Beverage Tax, that was effective April 1, 2020, and a 53 percent increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax were among those included in the local tax increase.
Wickham said the best measurement of how the county is doing is its ending unassigned fund balance as a percentage of operating expenditures.
“You can see the significant improvement, as two years you were 9.7 percent,” he said.
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), a national accounting organization, recommends localities should have a minimum of two months of unassigned fund balance on hand.
“You all were way below that, but you have proved to be just above that” during the most recent audit, he added.
In other matters, the board:
*Scheduled a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) training day for Thursday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m.
*Set regular board meetings for the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m.
*Made committee assignments.
*Approved the Code of Ethics as amended to include the Remote Meeting Policy.
*Adopted Robert’s Rules of Governance.
*Approved the meeting minutes.
*Approved the bills, claims, and appropriations.
*Presented plaques to outgoing supervisors Jane Fulk and Crystal Harris for their years of service on the board.
*Presented plaques to retired county employees – Janet Rorrer, Commissioner of Revenue; Ed Belcher of the Patrick County Maintenance Department; and Sharon Hooker, of the Patrick County Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
*Heard from Steve Terry of the Patrick County Broadband Committee.
*Formally introduced Patrick County Public Schools Acting Superintendent Jason Wood.
*Approved giving Treasurer Sandra Stone the authority to give refunds as they are received.
*Approved policy changes to the Employee Handbook.
*Appointed DeLoach to the Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) Board.
*Approved Economic Development Authority (EDA) Director Sean Adkins’ Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Priority Projects list.
*Voted to fund a federal EDA grant.
*Approved sending Human Resources Director and Assistant County Administrator Donna Shough to the Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA) winter conference.
*Approved sending James Houchins, assistant director of Parks and Recreation, to a certified pool operator course.
*Approved Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director Scott Cooper’s request to send two EMS personnel to Advanced EMS training if they have not yet taken the class.
Brandon Simmons, of the Dan River District, did not attend the meeting.