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The downturn in economic activity will affect local government financing.

Revenue from Dare County’s land transfer tax is directed to the capital improvement fund. Occupancy tax revenue funds beach nourishment and the Dare County Tourism Board, which also receives prepared meals tax revenue.

The effect of restaurant limits and no visitor orders on Dare County’s budget will become apparent in the months ahead.

Current major construction projects started in this or past fiscal years are proceeding.

The new Dare County Animal Shelter is moving forward. The shelter, located adjacent to the county’s Emergency Operations Center and across from the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, is scheduled for construction to start on April 13.

A unique virtual walk-through of the Health and Human Services building will be featured for a pre-bid meeting held April 16. This addition and renovation project bid date is May 5. A.R. Chesson Construction and Dare County will evaluate the bids and send recommendations to the county’s Board of Commissioners on May 18. Mobilization is expected to start May 27. Building the new addition, which is expected to take six months, is the first part of the project.

The new College of The Albemarle campus building is in the design phase. A floorplan has been set, permitting the architects at Boomerang Design to move forward.

Preparing for beach nourishment in Buxton is underway. The estimated cost in a report dated March 25, 2020 is $19,179,299. FEMA will pick up a portion of that cost.

Land transfers rose in March 2020 compared to March 2019. This March, the revenue generated equaled $691,941 and year ago, the collected revenue was $641,487, an increase is $50,454.

Entries in the county’s improvement plan include the projects considered capital improvements by the county’s Board of Education.

For the 2021 Fiscal Year, Dare County Schools requests $1,465,000, which includes a cooling tower replacement at Nags Head Elementary, replacing the low slope roof replacement at Manteo High School, flooring at Cape Hatteras Secondary, at the district level HVAC controls and software upgrades and playground equipment. The request is $45,000 above the planned amount. Local capital outlay for the school system is planned for $542,000.

Also planned for 2021 are a public works facility study ($75,000), EMS facilities improvements ($100,000) and replacing scales at Buxton transfer station ($126,000).

Requests from departments currently scheduled for fiscal year 2021 are transfer station repairs ($196,632), Cooperative Extension building repairs ($282,000), sewer lift station for College of The Albemarle’s Russell Twiford campus ($60,650), courthouse AV upgrades ($100,000), Fessenden Center deck and ramp replacement ($259,150) and voting equipment ($126,000).

The Dare County Board of Commissioners was originally scheduled to hold a day-long retreat on March 13. The meeting was canceled.

On that agenda were the following items: workforce housing, Manteo Commons, Manteo Library improvements and the Southern Shores request for a branch library, Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, stormwater, soccer fields, prioritization for beach nourishment, helicopter update, EMS transport, revaluation, dental van, employee benefits, public access to facilities policy, rules of board procedure, recycling, Board of Education, 150^th celebration, budget workshops and the projects listed above.

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