The Bladen County Commissioners met on Monday night and heard an update on the delinquent tax report from Tax Assessor Renee Davis.
She told the board that the late notices have been mailed and the staff are working with the county attorney regarding the matter.
Davis said that the staff in the tax office have assisted customers with written agreements that are in place and in some instances garnishments have had to come into play.
She told the board that the tax collection for 2015 was 84.72 percent at the end of January 2016 in comparison to 84.76 percent at the end of January 2015.
The amount for total uncollected taxes for 2015 was about $3 million.
Davis requested the board set a date of Monday, March 21, as the deadline to have 2015 taxes paid without advertisement.
The board voted to accept the report and approved the deadline for 2015 delinquent taxes.
In other business:
**Bladen County Sheriff Jim McVicker and Capt. Jeff Singletary made a request of the board to declare certain property as surplus and to approve a transaction with Lawmen’s Supply to trade in surplus firearms. The board approved both items. 
** Bladen County Fire Marshall Bradley Kinlaw presented a request from the Clarkton Rural Fire District Board regarding the funding agreement with the county. Kinlaw said Clarkton had asked for a slight reduction in the amount paid to the county as the district is trying to save for the purchase of a new fire truck. The board approved the measure.
** Kinlaw also asked the board to declare old personal metal storage lockers as surplus which the board approved.
“Some fire departments have expressed an interest in using them as storage,” said Kinlaw.
** Kinlaw presented a request to have an EMT-Intermediate position reclassified to a paramedic position. The board approved the request.
**Bladen County Manager Greg Martin presented the financing proposals for the jail project to the board. Two proposals were submitted. The first proposal from BB&T Bank was to finance $19.9 million for 2.48 percent for 27 months with fees in excess of $10,000. A second proposal was submitted by Yadkin Bank at a rate of 3.2 percent for $19.9 million but there were no extra fees. Requests for proposals were sent to First Citizens Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, P N C, First Bank, SunTrust, First South Bank and Branch Banking and Trust Company. Only BB&T and Yadkin Bank responded. The BB&T reflects a cost savings to the county of about $150,000. The board approved the financing agreement with BB&T.
**The board has set a date of Monday, Feb. 8, for a planning session to be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Powell-Melvin Agriculture Center located at 450 Smith Circle in Elizabethtown.
** The board reappointed the members of the Lisbon Fire Service District Board.
** The board approved consent agenda items which included the minutes of the January 19 board meeting, budget amendments, county attorney invoices and a NC Dept. of Environmental Quality agreement regarding a 2015 improving energy efficiency in local government buildings.
Check out the meeting on our You Tube channel at the link:
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