MINUTES
STATE
OF NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
The Henderson County Board of
Commissioners met for a regularly scheduled meeting at 9:00 a.m. in the
Commissioners' Conference Room of the Henderson 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, Assistant County Manager
Justin B. Hembree, County Attorney Angela S. Beeker, and Clerk to the Board
Elizabeth W. Corn.
Also present were: Planning Director Karen
Smith, Budget and Management Director Selena Coffey, Public Information Officer
Chris Coulson, County Engineer Gary Tweed, and Finance Director J. Carey
McLelland. Deputy Clerk to the Board Amy Brantley was present through
nominations.
CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME
Chairman Hawkins called the meeting to
order and welcomed all in attendance.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Commissioner Messer led the Pledge of
Allegiance to the American Flag.
INVOCATION
David Nicholson gave the invocation.
DISCUSSION/ADJUSTMENT OF AGENDA
Commissioner Moyer requested some time on
the agenda to recognize Grace Poli for her service on the Board of Social
Services. Chairman Hawkins stated that could be discussed before the Board goes
into session as Cane Creek.
Chairman Hawkins made the motion to accept
the agenda as presented. All voted in
favor and the motion carried.
CONSENT AGENDA
Chairman Hawkins stated that Angela Beeker
had distributed a new Item “I” – Order for Mountain Home Motocross. He
requested the Board make sure they had that most current item.
Regarding Item “F” – Request Public
Hearing for Road Names, David Nicholson had two additional road names to be
considered at the Public Hearing – Banks Mountain Drive and Bolt Action Trail.
Mr. Nicholson also clarified that for Item “G” – Set a Public Hearing –
Community Development Block Grant, the requested date for that Public Hearing
was July 6th.
Chairman Hawkins made the motion to
approve the consent agenda as amended.
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Minutes
Draft minutes were presented for the
Board’s review/approval of the following meeting(s):
May
19, 2004, regular meeting
Tax Collector’s Report
No report was submitted for approval.
Tax Refunds
A list of four (4) tax refund requests was
submitted for approval by the Board of Commissioners.
Tax Releases
A list of sixty (60) tax release requests
was submitted for approval by the Board of Commissioners.
Vehicle Bids
On May 13, 2004, staff prepared a Motor
Vehicle Request for Proposal (RFP) which was made available to interested
bidders. The RFP was made available on the County’s website as well. An
invitation to bid pursuant to the RFP was duly advertised in the Hendersonville
Times-News on May 17, 2004. A pre-bid conference for the project was held on
May 21, 2004 in the Office of Budget and Finance. On June 4, 2004 at 10:00
a.m., a total of two (2) bids were received by the Finance Director in the
Office of Budget and Finance and were reviewed for responsiveness.
The RFP stated that total cost would be
evaluated on the basis of the bid price offered plus the estimated fuel costs
for 60,000 miles. Where miles per gallon for city and highway were listed, 40
percent of the 60,000 miles were considered city and the remaining 60 percent
considered highway. Each bidder was required to submit the most recent
projected gas mileage for each category of vehicle bid.
Staff recommended that the Board consider
approving a resolution awarding the bid to Bryan Easler Ford as the lowest
responsive bidder for the vehicles requested. The resolution authorized the
Finance Director and the County Manager to issue a purchase order for the
vehicles awarded.
Request Public Hearing for Road Names
Rocky Hyder requested the Board to set a
public hearing date for the following road names:
Present Road Name Proposed
Name
Cinnamon Breeze Lane East Pacolet Road
Banks
Mountain Drive
Bolt Action Trail
Staff’s recommended date for the public
hearing was July 21, 2004 at 11:00 a.m.
Set a Public Hearing – Community
Development Block Grant
Staff requested the Board of Commissioners
set the second Public Hearing on the Howard Gap Waterline CDBG for Tuesday,
July 6, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. The public hearing was being scheduled in accordance
with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) regulations. The CDBG process
involves two public hearings, the first of which (held on March 8, 2004)
allowed citizens the opportunity to express views and proposals prior to
formulation of an application. The second public hearing would be held after
the application had been prepared but prior to the submission of the
application to the Division of Community Assistance. Staff requested the second
Public Hearing be scheduled for July 6, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
State ADM Fund Application
The current year budget included a revenue
source from the Public School Building Capital Fund (“ADM Fund”) which the
County had programmed to pay debt service on the financing for the Clear Creek
and Etowah Elementary School Projects that were completed in 2003. Staff
requested that the Board consider approving an ADM fund application for $655,000
to pay for this debt service.
Order for Mountain Home Motocross,
Application No: SU-03-01
The Board was requested to approve a
proposed order denying Variance Application #BOCV-03-01, and denying Special
Use Permit Application #SP-03-01, submitted on behalf of Andrew Bennett, for
the operation of a motorsports facility in Mountain Home. That order is
attached hereto and incorporated as a part of the minutes.
NOMINATIONS
Commissioner Moyer stated that Grace Poli
had served on the Social Services Board as the Board of Commissioner’s
appointee from 1996 to 2004. She had served as Chairman for the past two years,
had been devoted to the children and people of Henderson County, and he asked
that the Board join him in recognizing and offering their thanks to Ms. Poli
for her service on that Board.
Notification of Vacancies
The Board was notified of the following
vacancies which will appear on the next agenda for nominations:
1. Henderson County Historic Courthouse
Corporation – 1 vac.
Nominations
Chairman Hawkins reminded the Board of the
following vacancies and opened the floor to nominations:
1. Child Fatality Prevention Team – 1 vac.
There were no nominations at this time so
this item was rolled to the next meeting.
2.
Henderson
County Board of Health – 5 vac.
Chairman Hawkins noted that three of the
five vacant positions were designated: #2 was for a dentist, #7 a Commissioner
representative and #4 a veterinarian. At the last meeting Dr. Ty Hornsby was
nominated to Position #2 and Larry Young was nominated to Position #7. Chairman
Hawkins made the motion to accept those two nominees by acclamation. All voted
in favor and the motion carried.
Also at the last meeting, nominated for
Positions #9 and 11 were P. Richmond Meadows, Vollie Good and David Jones. There
being no additional nominations, Mrs. Corn polled the Board allowing each
Commissioner two votes. The voting was as follows:
Commissioner Moyer – Meadows and Jones
Commissioner Messer – Meadows and Jones
Chairman Hawkins – Meadows and
Good
Commissioner Young – Meadows and Good
Commissioner Baldwin - Jones and Good
As a result of the vote, P. Richmond
Meadows was re-appointed to the Board of Health. The
Clerk will poll the Board at the next meeting for nominees Vollie Good and David Jones.
Commissioner Young nominated Jennie
Hernandez to Position #4. Chairman Hawkins made the motion to accept her by
acclamation. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
3.
Henderson
County Planning Board – 3 vac.
Nominated at the last meeting were: Todd
Thompson, Marilyn Gordon, Gary Griffin, Renee Kumor, Jonathan Parce and Erica
McArthur-Allison. There being no additional nominations, Mrs. Corn polled the
Board allowing each Commissioner three votes. The voting was as follows:
Commissioner Moyer – Kumor,
Parce, Allison
Commissioner Messer – Kumor, Allison, Gordon
Chairman Hawkins – Parce,
Allison, Griffin
Commissioner Young – Parce, Allison, Griffin
Commissioner Baldwin - Kumor, Parce, Allison
As a result of the vote, Renee Kumor,
Jonathan Parce and Erica McArthur-Allison were appointed to the Henderson
County Planning Board.
4.
Industrial
Facilities and Pollution Control Financing Authority – 1 vac.
Chairman Hawkins nominated Kelly Leonard.
There were no other nominations. Chairman Hawkins made the motion to accept
Mr. Leonard by acclamation. All voted
in favor and the motion carried.
5.
Juvenile
Crime Prevention Council – 6 vac.
Commissioner Moyer nominated Skip Sheldon
for reappointment to Position #15 and Blaire Lamb for reappointment to Position
#26. There were no other nominations. Chairman Hawkins made the motion to
accept them by acclamation. All voted
in favor and the motion carried.
6.
Land-of-Sky
Regional Advisory Council on Aging – 2 vac.
Chairman Hawkins nominated Cal Titus for
appointment to Position #3. There were no other nominations. Chairman
Hawkins made the motion to accept Mr. Titus by acclamation. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
7.
Mountain
Area Workforce Development Board – 4 vac.
There were no nominations at this time so
this item was rolled to the next meeting.
8.
Mountain
Valleys Resource Conservation and Development – 1 vac.
Commissioner Messer nominated Meredith
Galloway. Chairman Hawkins nominated J. B. Osteen. The Clerk will poll the Board at the next meeting.
9.
Nursing/Adult
Care Home Community Advisory Committee – 3 vac.
There were no nominations at this time so
this item was rolled to the next meeting.
10.
Planning
for Older Adults Block Grant Advisory Committee – 3 vac.
There were no nominations at this time so
this item was rolled to the next meeting.
11. Senior Volunteer Services Advisory Council
– 1 vac.
There were no nominations at this time so
this item was rolled to the next meeting.
12.
Solid
Waste Advisory Committee – 1 vac.
There were no nominations at this time so
this item was rolled to the next meeting.
CANE CREEK WATER & SEWER DISTRICT
Chairman Hawkins made the motion for the Board to adjourn as
Henderson County Board of Commissioners and convene as Cane Creek Water &
Sewer District. All voted in favor and
the motion carried.
Chairman Hawkins made the motion for the Board to adjourn as
Cane Creek Water & Sewer District and reconvene as Henderson County Board
of Commissioners. All voted in favor
and the motion carried.
Interlocal Agreement to have County
operate the CCWSD Sewer System
While in
session as the Cane Creek Water and Sewer District Board, Angela Beeker reminded the Board that as
part of the recently adopted Strategic Plan, the Board stated as action item
2.2.1.2 to “Determine the legal basis for programs”. Staff had prepared for the
Board’s consideration a proposed resolution and Interlocal Agreement to clarify
the legal basis upon which the Cane Creek Sewer District was owned, operated
and regulated. Additionally the agreement was an effort to formalize the
relationship between the County and the District, and to streamline the process
by which business is conducted.
The agreement provided for the County to
regulate and operate the sewer system owned by the Cane Creek Water and Sewer
District. The agreement would give the County explicit authority to approve all
extension requests, adopt sewer master plans, to acquire, construct, or add to
the CCWSD sewer system, to adopt fees and assessments that either the County or
the District could impose, etc. From a legal standpoint the agreement would
clarify the lines of authority and broaden the powers that are available to
operate and maintain the system. Additionally, meetings of the Cane Creek Water
and Sewer District Board would be rarely necessary.
Personnel used to operate and manage the system
would be general County employees for whom salary and benefits would be
reimbursed to the County from the CCWSD enterprise fund on a direct, rather
than indirect basis. All expenses associated with the operation and management
of the system would be born by the CCWSD enterprise fund.
Ms. Beeker stated that such agreement would not
allow the Board of Commissioners to issue debt in the name of the district. She
also suggested that if the Board wished to levy a tax for the district, they
would need to do that as the District Board. Any other actions would be able to
be taken as the Board of Commissioners acting on behalf of Cane Creek pursuant
to this Interlocal Agreement. The Interlocal Agreement and a Resolution had been
prepared for the Board’s consideration.
Chairman Hawkins made
the motion to adopt the Resolution and Interlocal Agreement as presented. All
voted in favor and the motion carried.
Sewer
Ordinance Amendments
Angela Beeker stated
that recently, an issue arose with respect to the NC Department of
Transportation’s willingness to enter into three-party encroachment agreements
to allow private sewer system lines to be placed within a DOT right-of-way, in
that they will no longer do so. However, DOT stated that they would be willing
to do a three-party encroachment agreement with a utility that had been
recognized by the Utilities Commission as long as the utility would end up
owning the system. Therefore, the Board
was requested to consider several amendments to the Sewer Ordinance to allow a
sewer system owned and operated by a public utility to connect into the CCWSD
sewer system, and a proposed rate sheet for the public utility customers. Those
ordinance amendments would allow a public utility to connect to CCWSD, to
provide another alternative to developers who want to place a system within the
DOT encroachment area.
Commissioner Messer
questioned who would be responsible for lines run outside of the DOT
right-of-way. Angela Beeker answered that the County would have no risk or
responsibility because the three party encroachment agreement would be between
the public utility, DOT and the developer. She also clarified that DOT can only
grant access to areas for which it has control, and it is always ultimately up
to DOT as to who they will allow in their encroachment area.
Additionally,
in furtherance of Action Step 1.1.4.3, “Evaluate and update the County code
book as needed”, these amendments were Phase I of an update/cleanup to the
sewer ordinance contained in Chapter 152 of the Henderson County Code.
References to the Mud Creek Water and Sewer District had been removed, and the
sections impacted by the amendment to allow public utility customers had been
updated to reflect current practices within the Utilities Department. Also,
Part II of Chapter 152, Mountain Home Industrial Park Assessment Policy was
being explicitly repealed in that those provisions had expired. Phase II will
include a substantial rewrite of Chapter 152 over a period of several months;
however, so as not to delay pending developments, the Board was requested to
proceed with the presented amendments.
Commissioner
Moyer made the motion to approve the proposed ordinance amendments and the rate
sheet. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Results of
Bid Opening – Mills River Sanitary Sewer Extension – Phase I
Gary Tweed informed the Board that on June 10, 2004 bids were received for the Mills River Sanitary Sewer Extension – Phase I. Ten bids were received on the project and ranged from $1.6 million to over $3 million. The budget on the project was $1.66 million. There were two bids within the budget for the project, the lowest of which was submitted by Bryant Electric Company, Inc. The bids had been reviewed and a resolution making tentative award of the bid was presented for the Board’s consideration. Angela Beeker stated that she would like the opportunity to review Bryant Electric Company’s bid to ensure that there were no irregularities, and asked that the Board approve the resolution subject to her review. Mr. Tweed also pointed out that the project had to have the approval of the North Carolina Construction Grants Section, and they had requested the resolution tentatively awarding the contract. It is a 300-day contract, which will start around August 1st.
Mr. Tweed
then stated that they were in the process of easement acquisition on the two
collector lines. They had all but one easement on the school line. Easement
documents had been received for the attorney on the business line, and he hoped
to be able to come to the Board within 60 days for an update on any that they
might need to take action on.
Chairman
Hawkins made the motion to approve the resolution making the tentative award of
the bids for the Mills River Sanitary Sewer Project, Phase I subject to review
by the County Attorney. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Justin Hembree stated that the Historic Courthouse Corporation (HCC) had made several major decisions during the past month: the hiring of an Executive Director, beginning initial phasing and conceptual design work and planning their first community event. Through making those decisions and planning various activities for the upcoming year, the Corporation realized that the funds previously provided by the County, $10,000, would not be enough for the coming year. Therefore, the Corporation requested $50,000 for FY 2004-2005 for operational funds. Those funds would be used to pay for items such as the executive director’s salary, insurance, office supplies, start-up money for fund-raising activities and special events.
Mr. Hembree also noted that the County would enter into a formal agreement with the Corporation specifically laying out how the money is to be spent. He recommended that the Board provide the HCC $50,000 for operational costs from the $250,000 previously appropriated for the project “with an understanding that this total amount plus the previous amount appropriated will be “returned”, in-kind to the construction fund through the organization’s fund raising activities”. Mr. Hembree stated that at some point the HCC and staff would need some guidance from the Board on the relationship between the County and the HCC. He suggested that at some point, that relationship be clarified through a workshop or a joint meeting.
There was
discussion about confusion with the “will be ‘returned’, in-kind to the
construction fund” language, the need for a meeting to clarify the relationship
between the Boards, and the accountability of any monies going to the HCC. Chairman
Hawkins made the motion to forward the $50,000 operational cost subject to the
condition that it be fully repaid to the construction fund. All voted in favor
and the motion carried.
Karen Smith
presented, on behalf of the Henderson County Planning Board, a report on issues
related to the Watershed Ordinance. On November 19, 2003, during its discussion
of an amendment to the County’s Water Supply Watershed Protection Ordinance
(“Watershed Ordinance”), the Board of Commissioners requested the Planning
Board, in cooperation with the Town of Mills River (“Town”), examine the larger
issue of where the County should take its Watershed Ordinance in the future.
The Board had indicated that such work might include studying issues such as
whether the County should grant to the Town of Mills River any of the County’s
“10/70” allocation in the event that the Town of Mills River decides to adopt
its own Watershed Ordinance and/or whether the County should add, subtract or
modify the “10/70” or other provisions in its ordinance.
A
Subcommittee was formed to study the issue which included three members of the
Henderson County Planning Board, and two members of the Mills River Planning
Board. That Subcommittee had discussed
the approach that the Ordinance currently uses, mainly with respect to how to
distribute acreage under the 10/70, or Special Intensity Allocation (SIA)
provisions. Those provisions allow a greater percentage of a parcel of land to
be developed through special provisions for a portion of each watershed outside
a critical area. The subcommittee had concluded that the way the Ordinance
currently works seemed to be fine. 10/70 is allocated on a first come first
serve basis. There are three categories for that allocation, the first two are
approved by the Watershed Administrator and the third category is reserved for
Board of Commissioners approval.
However,
because of anticipated development within the Town of Mills River, the
Subcommittee decided to recommend that the County, under its Watershed
Ordinance, consider reserving for projects within the Town a percentage of the
Watershed balance available for SIAs in proportion to the acreage occupied by
the Town. An exception to that was WS-III where a majority of the SIA projects
that had been approved in the County had occurred. 92% of the WS-III watershed
is occupied by the Town, and a majority of the SIA approvals had occurred
there.
County
Planning Department staff had consulted with the County Attorney regarding the
best method of implementation of the Subcommittee’s recommendation. It appeared
that the most straightforward manner in which to accomplish the reservation of
SIA acreage for the Town of Mills River under the County’s Watershed Ordinance
was for the County to amend it’s Watershed Ordinance and have the Town and the
County amend the Interlocal Agreement.
A
recommended amendment to the Watershed Ordinance was presented for the Board’s
consideration. Staff requested that if the Board found the amendment to be
worthy, they postpone scheduling a hearing on that amendment following
resolution of some issues with the Interlocal Agreement. Mrs. Smith answered
several questions from the Board on the various watersheds and the rules that
apply to each. Angela Beeker then discussed the progress of the Interlocal
Agreement and some meetings on that agreement that had been held between the County
and the Town. The issue with that Interlocal Agreement currently surrounded the
issue of litigation expenses and the fact that the Town and the County had not
been able to reach an agreement on that matter.
Commissioner
Moyer expressed concern about holding up progress on other matters with Mills
River pending the outcome of the litigation expenses discussions. He did not
feel that was the route the County should take. Following some additional
discussion about the current process, Chairman Hawkins made the motion to
accept the report but wait to schedule a hearing on the Watershed Ordinance.
the motion carried 4-1 with Commissioner Moyer voting in opposition.
Fletcher
Solid Waste Ordinance
David Nicholson informed the Board that the County had received a resolution from the Town of Fletcher requesting that Henderson County enforce its Solid Waste Ordinance within their corporate boundary. The ordinance is currently enforced within the unincorporated areas of the County, the Village of Flat Rock by State approved Charter, and the Town of Mills River by contract. Should the Board wish to provide such service, an Interlocal Agreement would need to be developed.
Mr. Nicholson had spoken with Gary Tweed concerning this request. Mr. Tweed stated that the County already receives between 280 and 300 calls a year, and there is one staff person assigned to those calls. Mr. Tweed felt that one person would not be able to assume additional calls for service from Fletcher and the other municipalities. He also noted that the Town of Fletcher does not utilize the Solid Waste Facility, meaning that they provide no financial support for the self-supporting solid waste program. Because of that, he recommended the Board deny the request.
Commissioner Messer stated that he had spoken to the Town regarding the number of calls, and they had indicated receiving three or four calls in the past three year. Fletcher had indicated a willingness to enter into an Interlocal Agreement if they begin to receive more than three to four calls per year. There followed much discussion about the types of calls currently handled by Solid Waste, the regulations already in place in the Town of Fletcher, and problems the County already has given limited staff. Commissioner Young made the motion to accept the County Manager’s recommendation to deny the request. The motion carried 3-2 with Commissioner Moyer and Commissioner Messer voting in opposition.
IMPORTANT DATES
David Nicholson stated
that a number of items were coming up with respect to the Strategic Plan. He
stated that over the course of the next four meetings, several issues would be
brought forward where Staff needs further guidance or the Board needs to
deliberate on how to address issues. He requested the Board provide input
concerning the following issues at the assigned meeting date:
§
July
6, 2004 What
issues should be addressed in regard to infrastructure development?
§
July
21, 2004 What
issues should be addressed in the Growth Management Plan?
§
August
2, 2004 What definition should be
used for “Natural Resources”?
§
August
18, 2004 What are the components
of the County’s current economy?
Commissioner Messer
stated that in addition to scheduling these discussions, the Board also needs
to receive the dollar amounts of how much needs to be allocated into each item
each year. David Nicholson agreed that while having those discussions, the cost
would need to be one of those things discussed.
Mr. Nicholson stated
that he would request a joint meeting with the Historic Courthouse Corporation,
but that it would probably best be scheduled after the HCC receives more
information from their architect.
Mr. Nicholson also
proposed that the Board consider scheduling a joint meeting between the
Transylvania County Board of Commissioners and Henderson County Board of
Commissioners, with Mountain Laurel Community Services being invited to make a
presentation to both Boards on mental health services and their needs as the
area’s current mental health safety net provider. There followed additional
discussion about the current status of Trend, its continued existence for
accounts receivable purposes, as well as possible State budget impacts on
providers and the County budget. The Board asked Mr. Nicholson to try to get
the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners to join them at the mid-month
meeting.
David Nicholson stated
that the Board of Education would like to schedule a Joint Schools Facilities
Meeting during the month of June. Chairman Hawkins and Commissioner Young
stated that either June 28th or 29th would be agreeable.
INFORMAL PUBLIC COMMENTS
1.
Dick
Baird –
Mr. Baird stated that he wished to speak to the proposed budget. He questioned
the status of a report requested by the Board on illegal aliens in Henderson
County. He stated that funds to provide mass vaccinations were critical. He
stated that funds for DSS and Parks and Recreation were essential. He asked
that tennis courts that were in the budget be left there. He also spoke to the
need for improvements in the schools, stating that he was opposed to the bond
referendum. He stated that the budget process should be made more citizen
friendly, and that public hearings should be held separately and in a larger
room in the future.
CLOSED SESSION
Chairman Hawkins made the motion to amend the agenda to
include a Closed Session as allowed pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 for the
following reasons:
1. (a)(6) To consider the qualifications,
competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or
conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee or
prospective public officer or employee; or to hear or investigate a complaint,
charge, or grievance by or against an individual public officer or employee.
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Chairman Hawkins made the motion to go into Closed Session.
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
PUBLIC HEARING ON ROAD NAMES
Chairman Hawkins made the motion for the Board to go into
public hearing. All voted in favor and
the motion carried.
Rocky Hyder reminded the
Board that they had established a public hearing for this date for the
following new road names:
Proposed Name
Enigma Lane
Lazy
Lake Lane
Adams
View Drive
Old
Possum Holler Road
Public Input
There was none.
Chairman Hawkins made the motion for the Board to go out of
public hearing. All voted in favor and
the motion carried.
Chairman Hawkins made the motion to approve the road names
as presented. All voted in favor and
the motion carried.
FISCAL
YEAR 2004-2005 BUDGET
Staff had drafted a Budget Ordinance for the
Board’s consideration in adopting the FY 2004-2005 Budget.
Mr. Nicholson mentioned the following changes to the
Budget Ordinance:
Chairman Hawkins
requested Mr. Nicholson provide some additional information on the proposed
compensation study, and the recommendation for action once the study is
complete. David Nicholson stated that one of the items in the Strategic Plan
was to do a staffing and salary study, which was difficult in a year where
there were no additional revenues. The salary system is based on two different
things: the Cost of Living Increase which is included in the performance
appraisal process, and the eligibility based on the performance appraisal
process of one-time bonus payments. Mr. Nicholson had recommended not funding
the bonus payment program for one year. Those funds were then put into the HR
Department’s budget to fund a salary study ($55,000), and implementation of the
study ($180,000).
A staff meeting had
been held regarding the issues that need to be studied, to assist staff in
locating the best firm for the salary study. He anticipated the study would
begin within the next two to three months, and recommended that the study
include every position in County government. He continued discussion regarding
the staffing and salary study process and to what level to do the study. There
followed much discussion from the Board on the specifics of and funding for the
program.
Mr. Nicholson stressed
that the Board should not approve the study if they did not feel they would be
able to implement it, the implementation was as important as the study. Commissioner
Moyer felt it was a mistake to take the bonus program away from employees, and
that he did support the salary study but not a staffing study we already know
we are understaffed in many areas. Commissioner Baldwin stated that he believed
the study would clarify those issues and they would be able to make decisions
based on facts rather than debating the unknown. He also felt the study would
show where we are with respect to County operations. There followed additional
discussion about the need for the study in light of the requests from
departments which outline what those needs are.
Commissioner Moyer
stated that a DSS Board meeting had been held, at which that Board asked him to
share additional information with the Board of Commissioners and clarify
several points. He pointed out that all DSS programs are mandated, with
optional services within mandated programs. Workfirst and Children Services
programs are both mandated and funded by the Workfirst Block Grant. By law
there is a higher mandate to protect children’s safety and health than
Workfirst programs. The DSS Director’s objective has been to try to provide
sufficient funds to do the Children Services programs, particularly given the
number of children in custody. A tentative figure of $207,000 had been
suggested to fund four social workers, and an additional $143,000 for a fifth
social worker and additional attorney time. Commissioner Moyer distributed a
sheet outlining which services would have to be eliminated to fund the
$207,000, most of which were services in the Workfirst Program. Chairman
Hawkins thanked Commissioner Moyer for that information, and asked Mr.
Nicholson to bring information back to the Board as necessary.
Chairman Hawkins made
the motion to adopt the Budget draft as presented. Commissioner Baldwin had some questions about the
new contract procedures and the difference between the amount requested for
education versus what was recommended by the County Manager. He also questioned
the status of contracts with non-profits and how many non-profits were being
provided funding. Selena Coffey answered that number was about 25. She had
worked with the County Attorney, and had provided a sample contract to each
non-profit so they would know what to expect. She recommended that after
adoption of the budget, staff continue to draft those contracts including the
level of funding allocated. Contracts would be put on the Board’s agenda for
approval, then sent out to the non-profits for their execution.
Commissioner Baldwin
questioned when the County would be entering into an agreement with the
non-profits who were operating without a contract so the Board could begin
looking at performance. David Nicholson answered that would have to be a
negotiation between the Board of Commissioners and the non-profit’s Board, but
he hoped to have most of those questions answered by mid-July.
Commissioner Messer
questioned when David Nicholson though the budget would be coming from the
State so the County would have a final number for funding. Mr. Nicholson
explained the State’s budget process, stating that it could take several
months. Following that discussion, Chairman Hawkins reminded the Board that
there was a motion on the floor and called for a vote on that motion. The
motion carried 3-2 with Commissioner Moyer and Commissioner Messer voting in
opposition.
ADJOURN
Chairman Hawkins made the motion to adjourn the
meeting. All voted in favor and the
motion carried.
Attest:
Elizabeth W. Corn, Clerk
to the Board Grady Hawkins, Chairman