LAURINBURG — Scotland County Commissioners voted unanimously this week to raise the budget for the Scotland Historic Properties Commission for the 2019-20 fiscal year.
Vice-Chair Carol McCall requested $7,000 be added to its budget to help cover the cost of the commission’s annual tax audit, and the board agreed.
“It would cover the cost of their annual audit, which is around $4,300, and cover other utilities and other operating costs that have increased,” said McCall.
Commissioner John Alford agreed with McCall.
“I move that we increase their budget from $18,000 to $25,000 because that audit price costs the same no matter the budget, and that is $5,000 out of their budget just for non-repairs,” said Alford.
The SHPC will now have $25,000 to work with and the raise comes after McCall recently received an email from HPC Chairman Lee Gaunt stating that seven members will be retiring or resigning for personal reasons at the end of the upcoming term, which is July 1.
Commissioners called on community members to fill open positions at their June monthly meeting.
While she previously said one changed his mind and would still serve, McCall made a pitch to the community to get involved to fill the upcoming open spots.
“We have many boards that have vacancies and a good way to be engaged is to serve on one of our boards,” said McCall. “For the Historic Properties, we will be looking for five to six new members. I serve on that board along with Commissioner Ivey and I would like to see some representation from all areas of the county as well as a diverse background.”
Commissioner Betty Blue Gholston agreed with McCall, asking for more residents to get involved.
“We do not have representation on this board for the way our county’s population is divided,” said Gholston. “So we need African-Americans, Native Americans and any other ethnic background on this board.”
McCall encouraged interested residents to visit the website and fill out an application to be appointed.
“We are always looking for people to serve on our boards,” added McCall. ” To create a diverse background is what we want so it represents our county.”
To apply for a position on the Scotland County Historic Properties Commission or any of the other 40 board/committees, visit the website, https://www.scotlandcounty.org/211/Boards-Committees. Also, one can e-mail Vice Chair Carol McCall at [email protected].
