MINUTES

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

COUNTY OF HENDERSON OCTOBER 5, 2004

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners met for the continuation of a regularly scheduled meeting held yesterday. The Board met at 5:30 p.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 Hembree, County Attorney Angela S. Beeker, and Clerk to the Board Elizabeth W. Corn.

Also present were: Planning Director Karen C. Smith, Public Information Officer Chris S. Coulson, County Engineer Gary Tweed, and Planner Autumn Radcliff.

UPDATE ON PENDING ISSUES

Local Government Commission Meeting (LGC)

A week or so ago Mr. Nicholson and Carey McLelland went to the LGC to discuss up-coming funding options. David Nicholson reviewed a chart with the Board he had prepared entitled “Major Capital Project Debt Issuance”.

Issue #1 – Projects begin in Spring 2005: ($38,027,343)

Dana Elementary (Phase I)

Hillandale Elementary

New Elementary Land Acquisition

County Services Building

Community College Classroom

Issue #2 – Projects begin in Spring 2006: ($15,423,299)

Mills River Elementary (Phase I)

New Elementary Construction

Issue #3 – Projects begin in Spring 2007: ($5,467.075)

Dana Elementary (Phase 2)

Edneyville Elementary

Issue #4 – Projects begin Spring 2008: ($2,962,904)

Mills River Elementary (Phase 2)

Total for all these projects = $61,880,621

The LGC said that there was no reason we can’t proceed with a COPS issue. They will mail us an application. We would begin borrowing in the spring of 2005.

Issue 1 would require a 2.5 cent tax increase to pay for these projects, with a total tax increase of 5 cents through 2009.

There was some discussion about the Historical Courthouse rehabilitation not being in this list of projects. Rehabilitation project funds are reserved for Henderson County for this project even though we don’t yet know what restrictions we may have on the building and the use of the funds.

Proposal – County Services Building

Commissioner Young explained that it troubles him that we’re going to build a county office building that will cost $12 million and are projecting about 10 year’s growth for the building. “If we’re gonna spend that kind of money and build that kind of building, I think it’s only fair to the taxpayers that we look at a way to make that building and project growth of 25 or 30 years rather than 10 years because 10 years passes very quickly and with increased construction costs and different things if you put that third story on that building then you’ve got it available to expand into and I find out from every department, DSS, Health Department, and everybody else they’ve got records stored everywhere – that they need access to and so that would be a good place to do that because we’re gonna sell a lot of these properties I understand and apply it back to the price of this building when we get the building completed so that’s where a lot of those records are stored. And I just think that it’s fair to the taxpayers to try to get the most bang for their buck and if we don’t and we don’t project farther than 10 years then I don’t think we’ve done the job that the taxpayers want us to do.”

Discussion followed including that it is hard to project how much growth we’ll have for whatever time we look at. It was asked how much it might cost to add a third floor and just shell it in.

Mr. Nicholson replied that the architect had estimated that it would cost about $50/sq. foot. The building is planned such that it could have a third floor added some time in the future. The cost would likely be more if we chose to do that. The architects feel that they would look at more of a traditional type construction for the project if it becomes a three story building and would then have to be repriced. Mr. Nicholson explained that there is a timing element and if we’re going to make this decision, we need to make it as soon as we can to get the architects started on the new design.

Following much discussion, it was the consensus of the Board to move ahead with the current plan of a 2-story building.

IMPORTANT DATES

Set Public Hearing on Special Use Permit Application # SU-04-01 for a Proposed Planned Unit Development known as Leoni’s Mountain Lake Homes.

Karen Smith and other staff recommended that the Board of Commissioners schedule a quasi-judicial public hearing for this application for Monday, November 1 at a time to be determined by the Board, unless the Board wishes to schedule a special called meeting for this purpose.

Chairman Hawkins made the motion to set the quasi-judicial proceeding for Wednesday, November 10 at 6:00 p.m. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

NCDOT meeting re:Upward Road

Beverly Williams with NCDOT – Statewide Planning called to schedule a date for the meeting with the Board on Upward Road. Mr. Nicholson discussed the dates with the Board they would be available.

Chairman Hawkins made the motion to set the special called meeting for Monday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Meeting with Fire Advisory Committee

Chairman Hawkins had requested (via memo) that the meeting originally planned for this evening with the Fire Advisory Committee be scheduled as a special called meeting at a later date – some time after the new Board has been seated.

Change the date of the Board’s mid-month meeting in October

Following discussion, Commissioner Baldwin made the motion to move the Oct. 20 meeting to Monday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

There was some discussion about changing the mid month meeting for November but the Commissioners could not come up with a date. Chairman Hawkins stated he would work with the Board members to come to

a consensus for a date and the Board could set that date at the next meeting.

Adjournment

There being no further business to come before the Board, Chairman Hawkins adjourned the meeting at 6:17 p.m.

Attest:

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