Thuss scales back duties

After being defeated in the Republican primary May 6, Caldwell County Commissioner Dr. John Thuss has resigned from all county-related boards, with the exception of his commission seat.

In an e-mail sent to representatives from county, municipal and service agencies only hours after placing fifth in the eight-candidate field, Thuss wrote:

“Effective (May 7) I am resigning from all boards and committees on which I serve in order to devote more time to family and personal pursuits that I have neglected for the last twelve years. I wish you much success in the future.”

Aside from his commission post, Thuss' recent duties have included the Caldwell County Board of Health, where he has been vice chairman, Communities in Schools and various environmental concerns, including air quality.

Three Republican challengers - Clay Bollinger, Ben Griffin and Rob Bratcher - advanced to the November general election by beating Thuss, fellow incumbent Faye Higgins and three other candidates. Commission Chairman Herb Greene, also a Republican, opted not to seek re-election. Democrats Barbara Weiller, L.C. Coonse and Randy Church will take on the GOP nominees, with control of the five-member board up for grabs.

The loss marked the second time in Thuss' commission tenure that he had been defeated in his party's primary. In 1992, he and two other sitting commissioners were upended. First elected to the board in 1988, Thuss returned to the county commission in 1996 and won re-election in 2000 and 2004.

“I've been through this. It's not fun,” Thuss said the day after the election.

Thuss said Tuesday that the board - including the lame-duck members who will step down in December - could consider rolling back some or all of the 12-cent property tax increase approved last year. The hike, along with several spending projects, became pivotal issues in the recent primary.

“There are some of us who would like to cut (the tax rate),” Thuss said. “There are others that would regard it as fiscally irresponsible. We'll probably debate that with each other sometime soon.”

The commissioners are scheduled to have a second work session to work on the budget Thursday, May 22 at 9 a.m. at the City-County Chambers in Lenoir.

Thuss pointed to the $1.1 million Google is expected to pay in property taxes this year - due to the company not opting for its tax rebate - as a possible means to fund a rate cut. But he is cautious about dramatically cutting back county services.

“As I understand it, that (Google tax) money is sitting there in fund balance,” he said. “But what would (a rate cut) cause to happen next year? We need to consider that.

“I'm not willing to go after educational funding, community college funding or any of those things. I'm hoping that there will be a good, spirited debate.”

Dramatically scaling back the tax rate, which currently stands at 65.99 cents per $100 valuation, could have a profound effect on the $48.46 million in local funds currently earmarked toward a $72.43 million overall plan that has been proposed by interim County Manager Bobby White for the 2008-09 fiscal year. According to county officials, a 1-cent drop in the tax rate accounts for approximately $475,000 in decreased revenue. Slashing all 12 cents of last year's increase could reduce overall tax receipts by $5.7 million, roughly 12 percent of White's recommended county-funded budget.

Meanwhile, Thuss defended the county commission's efforts in recent years, which include construction of the Early College High School and the Appalachian State University Center at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, along with building a new Human Services facility.

“I think we've made some good, sound decisions,” he said. “It would have been easier to say no to a lot of things, but it wouldn't have been in the best interest of our county.”

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