The Town of Mocksville received a positive report from auditor, Eddie Carrick, at the November meeting.

The town turned it around from the previous fiscal year’s negative report, ending some $669,000 positive, Carrick said.

He cited an increase in sales taxes (“That’s good news, because it is economy driven.”), as well as ad valorem taxes, up because of new and expanded industries.

The town maintains a $4.5 million fund balance, or a year’s worth of expenditures. The state average is 65 percent of a year’s expenditures.

The water and sewer fund included $727,000 in capital outlay expenses that should last the town for a long time, he said.

“Ya’ll have a very proficient staff and that goes back to the professionalism ya’ll show as town leaders,” Carrick said.

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Town board members approved on a 4-1 vote budget amendments for the court square project and the town park being built downtown.

Amy Vaughan-Jones voted against the amendments.

“We’re way off budget on both, why?” she asked. “I don’t understand. We’re so far over it makes me very concerned.”

The park project went 55 percent over projections, the court square project 200 percent more.

Town Manager Marcus Abernethy said both projects were formed right before the economy really started to pick up, and labor and material costs were higher than anticipated. Mayor Will Marklin said the market is driving prices higher not only for Mocksville, but for construction projects across the region.

New, metal mast poles for the stoplights were added after the original plans were made for the court square project, doing away with electric poles and overhead wiring. The board approved $12,000 to add the street lighting to those mast poles.

“The least amount of poles we have, it will look better,” Abernethy said.

“This is taxpayer dollars, but it’s what the taxpayers wanted,” said Mayor Will Marklin.