MINUTES

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

COUNTY OF HENDERSON NOVEMBER 14, 2006

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners met for a special called meeting at 9:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Conference Room of the Henderson County Office Building at 100 North King Street, Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Those present were: Chairman Bill Moyer, Commissioner Larry Young, Commissioner Chuck McGrady, Commissioner Shannon Baldwin and Deputy Clerk to the Board Terry Wilson.

Absent was: Vice-Chairman Charlie Messer

CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME

Chairman Moyer called the meeting to order and welcomed those in attendance. Sissy Rogers requested that each board member introduce themselves and explain how they had become interested in serving as a board member. The 25 students present were attendees at the four high schools, and members of Junior Leadership Development of Henderson County - Class of 2006/2007. Students present were Casey Allison, Breanna Holliday, Kaleigh Lund, Caroline Thompson, Michael Ayesh, Brandon Baird, Don Mayo, Jeff Hill, Whitney Brumfield, Krantz McGlasson, Allison Walden, Leah Watkins, Felicia Arriaga, Andres Lopez, Brent Coburn, Addie Carr, Kenny Rodriquez, Patrick Singletary, Lauren Odom, Dexter Blackwell, Kenny Farmer, Dominique Whiteside, and Leadership Development Coordinator for Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Sissy Rogers.

Chairman Moyer explained that Henderson County had a County Manager form of government. He stated that counties are created by the State in North Carolina, and only have the powers given by the State. Municipalities on the other hand are formed by the people in a certain area. The primary responsibilities of the Board of Commissioners are budgeting, taxing, planning for the county’s needs and enacting local ordinances.

Commissioner McGrady explained that funding for County services comes from a variety of different sources, but the largest source of funding comes from property taxes. He discussed some of the things the County does with that funding. He explained that the Board adopts a balanced budget for the County each year, which covers general services and capital projects. He also discussed some of the volunteer boards that he served on in his role as a Commissioner, such as Social Services, the Planning Board and the Library Board.

Commissioner Young discussed some of the services provided by the County. He explained that the commissioners appoint people from the community to serve on the non-profit boards. He explained that Travel and Tourism is one of the best in North Carolina funded primarily from taxes received from Hotels and Motels, Music on Main, the Apple Festival, and the Garden Jubilee. They have a magazine placed in various locations to inform the public of area attractions. Mr. Young reminded the students that everyone should get a flu shot due to the local counties having had problems with flu epidemics. Mr. Young reminded the students of our new facility housing the Department of Social Services, Veterans Administration, and Health Department and welcomed them to tour it. Mr. Young also explained that the yearly tax rate was determined by the budget. Henderson County has a committee called Alternative Revenue Task Force that is looking into additional funding to try to avoid another rate increase.

Commissioner Baldwin explained that new counties are no longer being formed. However, towns can be created. Towns and cities are controlled by their municipalities. Planning is very important. Goals and objectives have to be set.

The Board also discussed how roads are handled in North Carolina, public health issues, the role of Social Services, libraries and animal services, and the terms of service for Commissioners. The Board then answered several questions from the students regarding topics such as Parks and Recreation, the Historic Courthouse, what Commissioner’s meetings are like, and why people should want to live in Henderson County versus other counties.

The students were informed that they could voice their opinions by coming to meetings, emailing or calling the Commissioners.

ADJOURN

Chairman Moyer thanked the students for coming and adjourned the meeting.

Attest:

Terry Wilson, Deputy Clerk to the Board William L. Moyer, Chairman