June 19, 2017 - 6:00 pm - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Budget)

10 758 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 19 , 2017 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , June 19 , 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 , Keith Branch , and Larry Wood Absent Chad M Stewart 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 Smithfield Rescue Mission Ben Olson , representing the Smithfield Rescue Mission , addressed the Board and reiterated the Rescue Mission’s request for funding for Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 Mr Olson recalled his comments when he spoke to the Board at the June 5 , 2017 6 00 pm meeting during Public Comment and asked if the Board required any additional information or had any questions There being no questions from the Commissioners , Mr Olson thanked the Board for their consideration of the request for funding Chairman Jeffrey P Carver asked if there was anyone else present that wished to speak on the budget No others requested to speak 2 Recognition of Boy Scout in Attendance At the request of the Board , Garrett Woodard from Boy Scout Troop 77 Smithfield , introduced himself to the Board Mr Woodard stated he is currently working towards being an Eagle Scout and is attending the meeting as part of the Community in Citizenship merit badge requirement The Board welcomed Mr Woodard to the meeting and commended his efforts working towards being an Eagle Scout 3 Closed Session – NCGS 14331811 a 3 – Attorney Client Privilege Staff requested a closed session for Attorney Client Privilege for the Standard Homes Plan Service , Inc pending litigation Commissioner Ted G Godwin requested the Board to come back into open session following the closed session to further discuss the Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 proposed budget and the Board agreed by consent Commissioner 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 for Standard Homes Plan Service , Inc vs Staples , Inc , et al , United States District Court , Eastern District of North Carolina File Number 5 17 - cv - 107 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 Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote Page759 June 19 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued 4 Board Discussion – Proposed Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 County Budget Commissioner Ted G Godwin asked for the Board’s feedback as he is working through drafting a motion to adopt the Fiscal Year 2017 - 2018 County Budget Commissioner Godwin noted the County Manager has proposed a 31 increase in the current expense allocation to Johnston County Schools from last year’s allocation Commissioner Godwin commented that he is aware some Commissioners have expressed concerns about funds for teacher supplements and that there may be some expectations by the Board of Education based on informal meetings held last year Commissioner Godwin spoke on different scenarios for school funding and asked the Commissioners to provide him with direction as he works through a proposed motion Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr expressed concerns over County funds for teacher supplements becoming a recurring expense Commissioner Mims stated he is a firm believer that the State should be the ones paying teachers Commissioner Larry Wood stated he is unclear as to what was said during the informal meetings last year as it relates to teacher supplements Commissioner Keith Branch informed the Board that he was a part of the informal meetings and he feels it was presented in those meetings that funds would be made available for a 1 teacher supplement for three years and that in turn was presented to the teachers so it is now an expectation by them Commissioner Wood stated his main concern is for the actual classroom teachers Commissioner Cookie Pope agreed that she is concerned about the teachers and asked if there could be a guarantee that any funds for a supplement would be for classroom teachers only Commissioner Branch stated he believes the supplement last year was for classroom teachers only , but that could be verified Commissioner Branch stated the Board could request from Johnston County Schools the exact figure needed for classroom teachers only Chairman Jeffrey P Carver stated he was a part of the informal meetings last year and while he does not recall specifics , he could not have forward committed the Board of Commissioners to take certain future actions Chairman Carver spoke on the thought that each entity within those meetings could have come away with different impressions Chairman Carver reminded everyone that recurring current expense allocations impacts the County’s overall debt capacity The Board continued to discuss how the teacher supplements are funded and how they are distributed within the education system The Board also discussed the growth in the County and how that impacts school capacities Chairman Carver stated the County needs to reevaluate its debt capacity once the budget is adopted to determine what could be proposed for the next referendum and how that could be combined with a possible State referendum He spoke on the importance of putting together a plan for the next referendum County Manager Rick Hester agreed stating once the Board adopts the final budget , staff can then reanalyze the financials to better determine debt capacity He noted there are a lot of moving parts and things to consider such as a proposed public safety center , but staff is trying to project a worst case scenario in order to be prepared Mr Hester stated if the Board wants to move forward with a March referendum , then actions would need to be taken as early as September He stated the County could perhaps leverage more debt capacity with a November referendum , and still front some funding in between the referendum and the first bond sale to cover projects needed sooner The Commissioners also took the opportunity to briefly discuss their thoughts on proposed funding allocations for Johnston Community College , the Johnston Regional Airport , Harbor , the Johnston County Arts Council , the Smithfield Rescue Mission , and Community & Senior Services Commissioner Godwin thanked his fellow Commissioners for the feedback and asked everyone to take the discussion under consideration in anticipation of the budget adoption next week Page760 June 19 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued There being no further business , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Ted G Godwin 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