June 12, 2017- 6:00 pm - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Budget)

10 751 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 12 , 2017 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , June 12 , 2017 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman Jeffrey P Carver , Vice Chairman Ted G Godwin , Cookie Pope , Allen L Mims , Jr , Chad M Stewart , Keith Branch , and Larry Wood Absent None Also Present County Manager Rick J Hester , Clerk to the Board Paula G Woodard , Finance Officer and Assistant County Manager J Chad McLamb , County Attorney Jennifer J Slusser , and Paralegal Deputy Clerk to the Board Dana Cuddington Chairman Jeffrey P Carver called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and announced the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 County budget and related matters 1 Johnston County Arts Council Darlene Williford , Executive Director for the Johnston County Arts Council , addressed the Board and introduced Arts Council Board Member Laura Moore Ms Williford thanked the Board for the allocation to the Arts Council in Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017 She spoke on a history of the Arts Council stating it was created in 1972 to make life better for the citizens of Johnston County in cultural arts Ms Williford requested the Board to consider an increased allocation of 10,000 for Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 Ms Williford stated the funding would be used to support the following Ms Williford provided the Board with handouts containing testimonials from others who have been impacted by the Arts Council , a schedule of the “ Music for the Lunch Bunch 2017 ” , a teacher’s perspective of the Artists - in - the - Schools Program , and a list of other Arts Councils in North Carolina and how they are funded by their local governments Ms Williford thanked the Board for considering the request Page752 June 12 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued 2 Community & Senior Services of Johnston County Neal Davis , Executive Director for Community & Senior Services of Johnston County , explained that for many years they have received funds from the United Way Mr Davis reported this year , the United Way has changed their emphasis and are defunding many programs related to the elderly population He stated historically they have received United Way funds in an approximate amount of 48,000 to 50,000 each year and they have used those funds predominately for the home delivered meals program Mr Davis stated this past year , Community & Senior Services divided the United Way funds between the home delivered meals program and the in home aide services Mr Davis reported Community & Senior Services received the final funding announcement from United Way a few weeks ago and were notified that the funding would be cut by 75 or approximately 35,000 Mr Davis stated the cut in funding has greatly impacted their budget in their efforts to recognize the unmet needs for the elderly which are only continuing to grow Mr Davis reviewed the following information with the Board Page753 June 12 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Davis asked the Board to consider allocating an additional 7,900 at a minimum to allow Community & Senior Services JCATS to come to a break - even point in their budget He further asked the Board to consider the other programs that currently have waiting lists and if any additional funding could be allocated towards those as well Mr Davis thanked the Board for any consideration 3 Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield Jeff Jennings , Chairman of the Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield Board of Trustees , addressed the Board Mr Jennings stated the Board of Trustees is made up of volunteers , half of which are appointed by the Johnston County Board of Commissioners He stated the Board of Trustees is responsible for making decisions regarding the direction , expenditures , and staffing for the Library and they sincerely appreciate the continued support from the County Mr Jennings reported that 451,000 was budgeted for Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017 and the same amount is proposed for Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 He noted the budgeted amount for Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017 did not include the additional assistance the County provided to repair the aging roof as part of a collaborative partnership between the County , the Town of Smithfield , and the Library He thanked County Manager Rick Hester and the County staff for their help throughout the year on a variety of issues Mr Jennings reported for Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017 , the Library has circulated over 127,000 materials and over 210,000 materials have been circulated County - wide through the affiliated libraries of Benson , Selma , Kenly , Four Oaks , and Princeton He noted there have been over 300 programs and meetings conducted at the Library attended by almost 3,000 people , those being mostly children Mr Jennings stated they are pleased to have completed their first year of being a member of the NC Cardinal program which allows people with library cards to obtain materials from other libraries across North Carolina Mr Jennings spoke on the importance of the library to the community noting it provides internet access for the less fortunate to use to find jobs , a safe haven for children where they can learn reading is fun , and literacy programs for adults which can improve their careers and socials skills Mr Jennings stated the Board of Trustees are working hard to make improvements and be good stewards of their budget He noted they have utilized their own dedicated funds to implement grant programs for innovative ideas from the staff as well as to purchase supplies for the children’s area Mr Jennings stated the new Marketing Committee met today to brainstorm ideas on how to improve community outreach and enhance the Library’s interior Mr Jennings stated there are structural needs and repairs identified that will need to be addressed in the future and he looks forward to working with the County to explore ways to keep the facility secure and safe At the inquiry of Commissioner Ted G Godwin , Mr Jennings reported they still have a very strong homeschool usage Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked for more information on the repairs still needed at the Library and if the Library has a specific line item within their budget for such repairs Mr Jennings stated they have a list of repairs that will need to be addressed in the future , but at this time they do not currently have a specific line item in their budget to fund those repairs He stated the Board of Trustees has discussed the need to prioritize a list and then begin to work with the County and the Town to address those repairs Commissioner Mims asked Mr Jennings to share the prioritized list with the County Manager once completed County Manager Rick Hester stated the Library is primarily funded by the State with the local assistance from the County and the Town of Smithfield at 60 40 respectively Mr Hester also noted there is a cooperative memorandum of understanding in place between the County , the Town of Smithfield , and the Library for immediate repair projects 4 Moccasin Creek District Board Richard Braswell , Chairman of the Moccasin Creek District Board , addressed the Board to discuss the tax rate for the District Mr Braswell explained that the Moccasin Creek canal is the only man - made canal in Johnston County He stated the canal was constructed to be used primarily as an agricultural ditch ; however , over the years , the Towns of Pine Level and Selma along with the surrounding area in between discovered that itPage754 June 12 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued was a good avenue for draining subdivisions and streets Mr Braswell reported originally in 1995 when the special tax district was established to maintain the district , there were 144 property owners within the district paying the special tax He noted currently , there are 1,895 parcels within the district Mr Braswell spoke on the history of the district and how grant funds have been utilized over the years for extensive repair work He stated the original tax rate of 004 per 100 valuation has been lowered three times over the years to its current rate of 0015 per 100 valuation Mr Braswell continued that the canal was extensively damaged when Hurricane Matthew came through Johnston County last October to the point where they have been unable to mow the canal due to all the downed trees He also spoke on the amount of erosion that has taken place noting in some places it is so bad that almost the entire 30 ft easement area has collapsed Mr Braswell stated for almost 20 years , they have been able to operate on the revenue from the special tax ; however , they are at a point now where they need additional funds to build their fund balance Mr Braswell stated they are continually looking for grant funding to help with repair and maintenance and they were able to secure a grant recently to begin cleaning up damage caused by Hurricane Matthew He stated they have hired an engineering firm to work with them on repair and maintenance projects and they have learned that stream bank restoration will cost approximately 150 per linear foot Mr Braswell stated their current maintenance including mowing and beaver control costs approximately 20,000 annually and the annual revenue received from the current tax rate is approximately 25,000 He stated as the population within the district continues to grow they feel an obligation to be proactive in maintaining the canal Mr Braswell stated the Moccasin Creek District Board is requesting the Commissioners to raise the tax rate to its original 004 per 100 valuation He stated they feel that by bringing the tax rate back to its original number , they can build their fund balance in order to begin completing stream bank restoration as well as other projects that may be identified by the engineering firm Mr Braswell noted if they were to undertake stream bank restoration all at once , the cost could exceed 18 million ; therefore , they would like to use the increased tax money to work on the project all along and bring the canal back into good shape At the inquiry of Commissioner Ted G Godwin , Mr Braswell provided the Board with a general description of the canal route through the County Upon a question by Commissioner Chad M Stewart , Mr Braswell stated the canal was originally constructed in 1965 - 1966 for agricultural farming purposes , but today it also serves drainage purposes for subdivisions and streets Mr Braswell spoke on the importance of the canal stating if it were to be filled in today , there would be a tremendous amount of property containing many home sites that would no longer be able to be utilized 5 North Carolina Forestry Service Johnston County Ranger Mike Winslow addressed the Board and presented the following information for their Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 budget request Mr Winslow also provided a brief background to the Board concerning their responsibilities to the citizens in Johnston County PagePage pageNumber5755 June 12 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber6756 June 12 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Winslow reviewed the following history of budget requests allocations with the Board stating in 2009 everyone’s budgets were cut and they are still trying to recover Mr Winslow stated they are very grateful for the increases they have received , but it has been very difficult to stay within budget and the only time they have been able to operate within their budget is when they have had vacancies He noted that when they overspend their budget , they have to cut off spending which means they are not operating effectively Upon questions by Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , Mr Winslow explained Johnston County is part of Region 2 - District 6 which consists of six counties Mr Winslow stated he does not have the overall budget numbers or employee numbers for the entire district , but there are four employees supporting Johnston County Mr Winslow stated unless they are training or responding to an incident , all their time is spent in Johnston County Mr Winslow stated an incident is anytime they are dispatched whether it be a wild fire or a false alarm The Board thanked Mr Winslow for the information Chairman Jeffrey P Carver asked if there was anyone else present that wished to speak on the budget There being no others that wished to speak , Chairman Carver reminded everyone that the Board would be meeting again on June 19 , 2017 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room for additional budget discussions PagePage pageNumber7757 June 12 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued 6 Closed Session – NCGS 14331811 a 3 – Attorney Client Privilege and 14331811 a 5 – Acquisition of Property Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board go into closed session for the purposes of consulting with an attorney employed by the board in order to preserve the attorney - client privilege , pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143 - 31811 a 3 and to establish or instruct staff concerning the negotiation of the price and terms of a contract concerning the acquisition of real property , pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143 - 31811 a 5 Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion which carried unanimously No action was taken Commissioner Larry Wood moved the Board adjourn closed session and resume regular session Commissioner Chad M Stewart seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote There being no further business , Commissioner Chad M Stewart moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 6 55 pm ____________________________ Jeffrey P Carver , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage