Sanitation bill also set to be paid
Robbinsville – A pair of unplanned expenditures have befallen the Town of Robbinsville.
Mayor Shaun Adams revealed during May 6's board of aldermen meeting that the Local Government Commission will be freezing $83,000 in sales tax revenue, due to payments that have not been made.
Additionally, Adams said another $100,000 could be fined for a failure to keep payroll taxes up-to-date. Adams noted that the town could appeal the decision.
Finance officer Machelle Crisp said that recent penalties and interest were also paid up through April to the North Carolina Retirement System, in the amount of $3,536. Crisp added that $10,000-$12,000 could also be owed from 2024 and 2025, for not paying toward the effort.
Adams said that the oversight was caused by the town's former finance officer, which was Linda Parton. Parton resigned earlier this year.
After a slight delay, Adams also announced that the 2023-24 audit was set to be completed within the week. Lexington-based RH CPAs, PLLC – which is also handling the past-due audits for Graham County – have been retained by the town to complete the duties.
Trash bill paid
The board has sought insight into recent months regarding the billing system from the Graham County Sanitation Department, as it pertains to the disposal of residential and commercial pick-up services offered by the town. Graham County Manager Brady Cody and sanitation director Gavin Colvard were both present for May 6's meeting, to help clear up any confusion.
The three-member board wanted clarity on what was being charged to the town each time trash was disposed of, which is on a three-day schedule. Residential and commercial garbage is collected Mondays and Fridays; Wednesdays are reserved for commercial-only pick-up.
Cody said the town is billed monthly, with the most recent statement reflecting a balance due of $1,656. Residential drop-off is free, but commercial is charged; the issue was that residential and commercial were being lumped in together when a truck crossed the scales.
After everything was sorted out, the town voted unanimously to pay the balance and institute a policy to begin charging businesses for commercial pick-up. Businesses will be able to opt out of pick-up, rather than being charged.