MINUTES

 

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA                                          BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

COUNTY OF HENDERSON                                                                                               JUNE 12, 2003

 

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners met for a special called meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Commissioners= Meeting Room of the County Office Building.

 

Those present were:  Chairman Grady Hawkins, Vice-Chairman Larry Young, Commissioner Bill Moyer, Commissioner Charlie Messer, Commissioner Shannon Baldwin,  County Manager David E. Nicholson, and Clerk to the Board Elizabeth W. Corn.

 

Also present were: Budget and Management Director Selena Coffey, Finance Director J. Carey McLelland, and Public Information Officer Chris S. Coulson.

 

CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME

Chairman Hawkins called the meeting to order and welcomed all in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was a FY 2003-2004 budget workshop.

 

FY 2003 - 2004 BUDGET WORKSHOP

Chairman Hawkins mentioned a request by about six fire departments for some specially trained telecommunicators.  This wasn=t addressed in their independent budgets.  Mr. Nicholson called fire departments this afternoon to query if they were interested in contracting for those services.   He asked Mr. Nicholson to address that and his memo ABudget Questions/Issues - 7@ dated June 9, 2003.

 

Mr. Nicholson reviewed memo #7 which is attached as a part of these minutes.  The Board had stated that they would consider a 1 cent property tax increase and had mentioned several things that they wanted to fund that were not funded in Mr. Nicholson=s recommended budget.  The following were suggested add-backs:

Sheriff - Salaries                                    $ 90,000

Detention Center - Salaries                        40,000

Animal Control - Operations                   105,000

DSS - Salaries                                          52,204

Library - Salaries                                      77,676

Recreation Projects                                150,000

BRCC                                                  102,185

Schools - Current                                   401,214

Schools - Capital                                    345,699

Total Additional Expenses                               $1,377,795

 

Mr. Nicholson=s memo briefly explained each of these items.

 

Two other issues Mr. Nicholson discussed briefly were:

DSS Day Care and New Animal Shelter.  Again, these items were briefly explained in the attached memo.

 

Mr. Nicholson discussed the origin of the fire dispatchers.  He stated that we went through a very good program to train our emergency medical dispatchers.  They go through a certification program.  There is such a program for fire dispatchers also. Mr. Nicholson discussed with some of the fire departments about raising their tax rate one half cent and they could contract with the county for the service.  Rocky Hyder called several departments today and they all thought the idea of fire dispatchers was a good idea.  This would be an on-going expense because you are funding personnel.  This idea would have to be taken to each of the Boards of the Fire Departments.  The cost for the program is $209,000. 

 

The consensus of the Board was to hear back from the Board of Directors about their recommendation or ideas on the program.

 

Review of DSS Budget - Peggy Gray and Sandy Morgan were present from DSS.

Selena Coffey reviewed with the Board p. 48 of the Budget Detail - Spectrum Youth Home and p. 51 which was DSS=s budget overview. 

 

There was some discussion of the recommendation from Mr. Nicholson regarding the DSS Day Care.  Mr. Nicholson recommended that the Board utilize the one-half of this fiscal year=s savings from our Maintenance of Effort for the Work First Program to partially fund the DSS Day Care initiative.  He felt that the $100,000 was in keeping with the original intent of the program.  In order to accomplish this idea, the Commissioners would have to appropriate Fund Balance in the amount of $100,000.

 

Commissioner Moyer explained that this issue is actually a waiting list for child care subsidy.  The waiting list has 393 children on it currently.  The implication is that some people won=t be able to go to work because of no child care support. 

 

Review of Public Health Budget - Tom Bridges, Barbara Stanley, and Diane Stepp were present from the Health Dept.

 

Selena Coffey reviewed their departmental overview with the Board, pgs. 45 and 46.

 

Mr. Bridges mentioned West Nile virus and the planning to take care of that.  LaCrosse is another disease of concern in Western North Carolina which is also a mosquito borne disease.  They have increased funds needed for extra mosquito spraying this year. 

 

Mr. Nicholson stated that there are a number of bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly this year that would substantially change the role and the work of the Health Department.  At this time we don=t know how many, if any, will get passed into law. 

 

Commissioner Moyer shared his concern for the next year regarding changing services and the effect on the budget.  He questioned if Mr. Bridges felt that he might have to come back to the Board for more money this budget year, 2003-2004.  In answer to the question, Mr. Nicholson explained that there is a pot of Medicaid monies that would be used first, monies that are earmarked for Health services. 

 

Mr. Bridges suggested a joint meeting with the Board of Public Health and the Board of Commissioners some time in the not-too-distant future.

 

Budget Review - Selena Coffey picked back up in budget review on page 47 of the Budget Detail and finished reviewing the rest of the budgets with the Board as follows:

 

Home & Community Care Block Grant

Rural Operating Assistance Program (ROAP)

Juvenile Justice Grant

Public Library

Recreation Department

In discussion of the Recreation Department, Commissioner Messer informed the Board that four new tennis courts at Jackson Park were in the budget and were a real need.  There was discussion about working on the back four acres at the East Flat Rock Park.  Mr. Nicholson informed the Board that county staff will be doing that in-house, readying a practice field for baseball/soccer on that back four acres.

 

Debt Service

General Fund Transfers

Fire Districts Funds

Special School District Fund

Revaluation Reserve Fund

Travel & Tourism Fund

CDBG - Scattered Site Housing Program

Emergency Communications (E 911 Fund)

CDBG - Highlander Woods Project

Mills River Watershed Protection Project

General Capital Projects Fund

Solid Waste Fund

Cane Creek Water & Sewer District

Justice Academy Sewer Fund

 

Mr. Nicholson reviewed the budget for Mental Health Services with the Board.

 

Staff will develop the Budget Ordinance for the Board=s review and possible adoption for the June 18 meeting.

 

Chairman Hawkins reminded the Commissioners that he had distributed evaluation forms to each of them for the County Manager, County Attorney, and the Clerk to the Board.  He asked that Commissioners fill those out and get them back to him so evaluations can be done. 

 

There being no further business to come before the Board, Chairman Hawkins made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 p.m.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

 

Attest:

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                           Elizabeth W. Corn, Clerk to the Board                         Grady Hawkins, Chairman