June 13, 2016 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 259 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 13 , 2016 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , June 13 , 2016 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman Tony Braswell , Vice Chairman DeVan Barbour , Cookie Pope , Allen L Mims , Jr , Jeffrey P Carver , Ted G Godwin , and Chad M Stewart Absent None Also Present County Manager Rick J Hester , Finance Officer and Assistant County Manager J Chad McLamb , County Attorney Jennifer J Slusser , and Paralegal Deputy Clerk to the Board Dana Cuddington Chairman Tony Braswell called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and announced the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017 County budget and related matters The Chairman called for anyone wishing to address the Board to come forward 1 Johnston Community College Johnston Community College President Dr David Johnson addressed the Board and introduced Dr Darryl McGraw as the College’s new Vice President and Finance Officer Dr Johnson provided the Board with an update on their projects and activities and thanked the Board of Commissioners for their past support Dr Johnson reported their master plan is complete and has presented the College with many opportunities as well as challenges He stated the southeast parking lot is now under construction and while that project was not in the master plan , it was a much needed capital project of which the Commissioners had a great deal to do with Dr Johnson reported other projects underway consist of the close - quarter shoot house which is being made possible with contributions from the Lassiter Family and the Holding Family He stated the College is within 138,000 of their goal for the shoot house which will aid in the training of law enforcement Dr Johnson also reported they are looking at building a fire tower for public safety using contributions from the Lassiter Family and have received verbal support from fire chiefs throughout the County Dr Johnson stated the Paul A Johnston Auditorium has also undergone some renovations with local bond funds Commissioner Cookie Pope asked if the stage renovations are complete and available for use in the auditorium Dr Johnson reported the auditorium stage renovations are complete and have been operational since February ; however , he noted that area will again have to close later on due to planned renovations for the Tart Building Dr Johnson stated the Tart Building and steam building roof renovations are under design with construction anticipated in late fall early spring which will also be done with local bond monies He stated security is a major concern presently for the College and they are in the process of developing a thorough security plan Dr Johnson stated the master plan has identified , through data and research , that the next point of expansion should be in Clayton He noted discussions have begun with the Research & Training Zone Advisory Committee and the Board of Trustees with great support from both Novo Nordisk and Grifols Dr Johnson stated Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr serves on the RTZ Advisory Committee and has been giving them good direction in terms of looking at expansion plans in Clayton Dr Johnson stated it is because of the College’s reputation and relationship with various benefactors that they have been able to leverage support for these and other capital projects of which he is very proud Dr Johnson stated through the College’s master plan , the Board of Trustees and JCC staff have spent countless hours discussing , analyzing , and prioritizing capital needs across the entire campus He reported the Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to undertake the next major renovation project at the Tart Building which has served a great purpose for the community and the College He continued that the Board of Trustees has chosen to take the majority of the local bond funds that are not already expended in the amount of 3,968,179 and combine them with the forthcoming Connect NC bond funds in the amount of 3,701,470 to fund this major renovation project Dr Johnson stated the Board of Trustees has agreed to renovate the Tart Building and use the Tart Multipurpose Room to develop a Student Success Center which would allow the College to accommodate students with a one - stop operation for seamless transitions with educational programming , career exploration and development , and placement Page260 June 13 , 2016 – 6 00 pm Continued Dr Johnson stated renovations would also consist of new plumbing and fixtures for ADA compliance , a new mechanical system , a fire sprinkler system throughout the entire building , along with furniture , fixtures , and equipment Dr Johnson stated all the renovations including construction costs , design , permitting , and contingencies is currently estimated at 91 million leaving a shortfall of approximately 14 million Dr Johnson stated the Request for Proposals for the design work is currently underway He explained that in order for the College to receive authorization to proceed on the project from the State , Form 31 is required and must be signed by the County Dr Johnson stated Form 31 reflects the funding sources for the project which is currently the local bond funds and the Connect NC Bond funds Dr Johnson requested the Board to authorize the County Manager to sign Form 31 authorizing the expenditures necessary for the Tart Building renovations He continued that by doing so , the College would be returning to the Board of County Commissioners and requesting the funds needed for a shortfall in an amount up to 14 million Dr Johnson stated they are estimating the shortfall amount up to 14 million but cautioned that it will depend on other factors such as the bidding environment at the time when the project is actually bid Dr Johnson stated the shortfall could be less if the bidding environment is favorable or if the College does not find significant renovation issues once the project begins He stated the College staff would work closely with the County staff to keep them updated and informed throughout the project Dr Johnson stated they are currently estimating a project completion for early spring 2018 and he offered to answer any questions Chairman Tony Braswell asked the County Manager for staff’s comments and or recommendation County Manager Rick Hester stated staff’s recommendation is for the Board to move forward with Dr Johnson’s request leaving it open as it relates to the funding source for the shortfall being either local bond funds , budgeted funds , or perhaps a combination of both up to 14 million Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr noted that the project and funds will all fall within the next fiscal year’s budget Mr Hester stated staff will work closely with the College on the numbers and can give reports along the way to the Board of Commissioners Commissioner Ted G Godwin asked would the project use all the Connect NC Bond funds allocated for Johnston Community College Dr Johnson confirmed the total amount the College is scheduled to receive from the Connect NC bond funds would all be put towards the Tart Building renovation project Commissioner Mims commented that he thinks this is a great project and it looks like the budget could come in less than originally anticipated based on recent meetings Motion Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr moved the Board authorize the County Manager to sign Form 31 for the Tart Building renovation project with the County covering the shortfall up to 14 million through budgeted funds , bond funds , and or a combination of both Commissioner DeVan Barbour seconded the motion Discussion Upon a question by Commissioner DeVan Barbour , Dr Johnson stated he felt comfortable with up to 14 million but noted that a lot depends on how long the State will take with moving forward on the Connect NC Bond funds and the bidding environment at the time Commissioner Cookie Pope asked Dr Johnson to keep the Board informed Vote The motion carried by unanimous vote Page261 June 13 , 2016 – 6 00 pm Continued 2 Smithfield Rescue Mission Linda Ridout , Board of Directors for the Smithfield Rescue Mission , addressed the Board stating she has been on the Board of Directors for approximately 10 years Ms Ridout reported for 39 years the Smithfield Rescue Mission has been dedicated to helping those in need find answers to breaking the cycle of poverty and abuse She stated the Rescue Mission is the only one of its kind in Johnston County helping women , men , and children in need and their approach is holistic reaching people physically , emotionally , and spiritually Ms Ridout stated Margie and Paul Olsen established the Rescue Mission and she introduced Executive Director Ben Olsen , the son of Margie and Paul Ms Ridout stated Mr Olsen is a true servant and missionary as he has dedicated his life to serving the homeless population at the Smithfield Rescue Mission Mr Olsen thanked the Board for allowing them to speak at the meeting stating he looks forward to building future partnerships Mr Olsen stated traditionally , the Rescue Mission does not seek government funding but it is something that occasionally is requested Mr Olsen stated the Rescue Mission has an emergency facility that provides a safe place for an average of four to six men each night to sleep He noted they have twenty beds total with ten of those being in the emergency shelter and ten that are provided as part of a long term program called the New Life Program The New Life Program is a Christ - centered and balanced approach to recovery which gives men an opportunity to break the cycle of homelessness and addiction He reported in the last six months they have had ten men graduate from the program who are doing very well Mr Olsen continued that the Rescue Mission also offers the “ Good Neighbor House ” for women and children which is a 30 - day program that can be extended to 90 days if needed Mr Olsen reported the Good Neighbor House was closed in early February due to safety and structural issues He stated they are working to correct those problems and in the process have discovered other issues that have presented challenges to the operations of the house Mr Olsen reported there are issues with the floor layout that if remedied , the facility could accommodate up to fifteen or sixteen women and children on a regular basis Mr Olsen stated it is their goal to have the facility back open before cold weather season so they can continue to help women and children Mr Olsen also noted the Rescue Mission operates the “ Twelve Baskets ” program for individuals in need of food Mr Olsen asked the Board for their support Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked Mr Olsen how much is the Rescue Mission requesting Mr Olsen stated generally they do not make it a practice to accept government funds ongoing , but at this point they are requesting 10,000 Commissioner Chad M Stewart asked how the funds would be spent Commissioner Stewart also asked how many people the Rescue Mission employs and how many volunteers they have Mr Olsen stated they would like to use the funds for operational purposes Mr Olsen stated they are seeing greater needs even with the economy improving and although support has gone up , the needs are growing faster than the support Mr Olsen stated they employ seven people , some of which are part - time and they have twenty regular volunteers In response to questions from Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr and Ted G Godwin , Mr Olsen stated their annual budget is approximately 190,000 and about 75 of that comes from individual donations Mr Olsen invited the Commissioners to visit their facility Commissioner Cookie Pope commented that she has known the Olsen Family for many years and the Smithfield Rescue Mission offers a great service to Johnston County Chairman Tony Braswell thanked Mr Olsen for the information and stated the Board would consider the request during the budget discussions Commissioner Godwin asked what would need to happen in order to have the Good Neighbor House ready to open before the cold weather season approaches Mr Olsen stated they will be announcing a 100,000 campaign before the end of June in the hopes it will take off He stated they have already gotten a lot of supporters that are ready for the facility to reopen and believes by October they could have approximately half of what is needed to reopen the facility Page262 June 13 , 2016 – 6 00 pm Continued 3 Johnston County Emergency Services Director of Emergency Services Kim Robertson addressed the Board and stated Emergency Services has requested four positions for the Emergency Medical Services Division that would be classified as “ floaters ” within the EMS system Ms Robertson stated funding was included in the proposed budget to support the positions She explained they are having issues staffing ambulances when someone calls in sick at the last minute or takes vacation time Ms Robertson stated lately they have had to pay people overtime in order make sure enough ambulances are in service Upon a question by Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , Ms Robertson confirmed that the funds are included in the proposed budget and are available , but she needs the actual positions to be approved At the inquiry of Commissioner DeVan Barbour , Ms Robertson stated the issue is becoming a problem more often where they are having to take ambulances out of service sometimes for an entire shift which can create operational problems with moving other ambulances around to make sure all areas are covered Ms Robertson reiterated the issue is creating more overtime situations because in a lot of cases people call in at the last minute when they are sick Ms Robertson reported EMS is working with Human Resources on an attendance policy as well as studying situations where patterns are occurring ; however , she noted that there are going to be situations where people call in sick at the last minute which creates problems Chairman Tony Braswell thanked Ms Robertson for the information and stated the Board would consider the request 4 Discussion Questions by the Board Solid Waste Commissioner Ted G Godwin asked Director of Solid Waste Rick Proctor in the audience if he had received any feedback from citizens regarding the increased decal fee for the upcoming fiscal year Mr Proctor stated they have received some comments , most from people that probably live on fixed incomes He stated the majority of the comments received were from people that were generally unhappy with the fee increase County Manager Rick Hester noted staff has tried to go ahead and get notice out at the convenience center sites that the fee would be increasing so the citizens would have advance notice Social Services Smithfield Rescue Mission Commissioner Ted G Godwin asked Director of Social Services Tina Corbett in the audience if there is any redundancy in services from Social Services and the Smithfield Rescue Mission Ms Corbett stated the services provided by the Smithfield Rescue Mission are generally for those people that fall through the crack and Social Services is not able to assist Ms Corbett confirmed they have referred people to the Smithfield Rescue Mission in the past and the Rescue Mission also refers people to Social Services for assistance Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked what are the differences in between the Smithfield Rescue Mission and the former Day by Day Program Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver stated the Day by Day Program was strictly a substance abuse recovery related program while the Smithfield Rescue Mission also offers help to the homeless in addition to those struggling with addiction Chairman Tony Braswell reminded everyone that the Board would be meeting again on June 20 , 2016 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room for additional budget discussions Chairman Braswell asked if there is anyone else in the audience that wished to speak PagePage pageNumber5263 June 13 , 2016 – 6 00 pm Continued There being no further speakers or business to come before the Board , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Chad M Stewart seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 6 45 pm ____________________________ Tony Braswell , Chairman Dana Cuddington , Deputy Clerk to the Board Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage