June 23, 2011 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 429 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 23 , 2011 Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Thursday , June 23 , 2011 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Allen L Mims , Jr , Chairman , Jeffrey P Carver , Vice Chairman , Wade M Stewart , Cookie Pope , DeVan Barbour , and Tony Braswell Absent W Ray Woodall Also Present Rick J Hester , County Manager , Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the Board , J Chad McLamb , Finance Officer , David F Mills , County Attorney , and Melissa A Daughtry , Paralegal Deputy Clerk Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr called the meeting to order and announced the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed FY 2011 - 2012 County budget and related matters 1 Public Utilities – Amendment to Requested Capital Budget for FY 2011 - 2012 Tim Broome , PE , Director of Utilities and Engineering , explained that the Public Utilities Department would like to amend their requested capital budget for FY 2011 - 2012 He reported the Buffalo Creek Wastewater Pump Station Improvements Project was originally planned to be funded with expected surplus funds left over from the 2006 Wastewater Facilities Improvements Project which is presently being closed out However , staff reports that those surplus funds will not materialize due to certain items of the 2006 Wastewater Facilities Improvements Project being ineligible for loan funding ; therefore , the County will receive less funding than anticipated Mr Broome reported the Buffalo Creek Wastewater Pump Station is the largest and heaviest loaded station in the County’s wastewater collection system and the original station was installed in the late 1960 ’ s It was upgraded in 1978 , and the wetwell and pumps were replaced in 1987 The standby power generator set and much of the electrical controls are now over 30 years old and electrical equipment maintenance is costly Mr Broome stated the project will cost approximately 270,000 and he asked the Board to consider allowing the Utilities Department to amend their capital budget request for Fund 68 to cover the cost of the project so it can be completed during FY 2011 - 2012 Upon a question by Commissioner Wade M Stewart , Mr Broome confirmed that the Utilities Budget Fund 68 is enterprise funds and does not come from the County’s general fund Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr stated the Board would take Mr Broome’s request under advisement 2 County Manager – Amendments Clarifications to Proposed FY 2011 - 2012 Budget County Manager Rick Hester stated he would like to clarify some of the proposed fee changes for Public Utilities from the proposed FY 2011 - 2012 Budget He explained that for the Public Utilities enterprise funds , there are several proposed commodity fee increases in the bulk water supply , retail water service , bulk wastewater treatment , and retail wastewater service fees Staff is also proposing a decrease in penalties for cardboard disposal related violations at the landfill Mr Hester stated there were some other proposed fee changes in some of the budget backup documentation submitted by Public Utilities ; however , he clarified that only those fee changes listed in the budget message are presented for the Board’s consideration Mr Hester also reported that the original FY 2011 - 2012 budget was proposed at 1613 million ; however , due to how certain revenue sources must be accounted for , the proposed budget has been revised to total 1653 million with revenues totaling 1675 million He noted the revisions pertain to revenue from Johnston County Schools that will be used to assist with school related debt Mr Hester also reported now that the General Assembly has adopted the State’s budget , the County will be directly impacted by the loss of 16 million in lottery fund revenues which will need to be deducted from the proposed budget At the inquiry of Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver , Mr Hester reported the originally proposed budget accounted for lottery revenues in the amount of 39 million ; however , it will need to be decreased to 23 million He noted the decrease of 16 million in lottery funds is worth more than one cent on the tax rate Page430 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Commissioner Tony Braswell asked about possible impacts from sales tax revenue reductions Mr Hester reported there is presently no impact on the County from the State regarding sales tax revenues 3 Council on Aging Jimmy Parker , Council on Aging Board Member , addressed the Board on behalf of the Council on Aging COA County Manager Rick Hester noted that the FY 2010 - 2011 allocation to the COA was 200,000 and the FY 2011 - 2012 proposed allocation is 150,000 Mr Parker reported that Neal Davis was named as the fulltime Director for the COA in March 2011 and he has instituted many positive changes and has resolved internal and management issues Mr Parker stated that through the efforts of Mr Davis , the COA staff is once again functioning as a team and the COA Board of Directors are very proud Mr Parker provided the Board with a background on the services offered by the COA which include the operation of six senior centers ; coordination of the meals program serving more than 400 meals per day ; a caregiver support and respite care program ; the in - home aid services program ; an information assistance program ; a lifeline emergency alert system covering over 100 seniors ; volunteer coordination ; general medical transportation ; health awareness programs ; the housing program which manages 129 apartments for the elderly and disabled ; and the JCATS transportation program which provides more than 500 rides per day with that number expected to double in the next five years Mr Parker noted that over the past year there have been a number of factors that have impacted the COA He explained the COA has consolidated four positions resulting in no loss or reduction of service and they have rebid many of their contracts related to casualty insurance , home delivered meals contracts , etc in an effort to lower their costs Mr Parker stated the COA currently delivers 84 cents of each dollar directly to client services and they hope to increase that number going forward He noted the Home and Community Care Block Grant is the COA’s primary funding source for the home and community based services which are available to those that are age 60 and over The program targets those that are considered socially and economically needy and that age group in Johnston County presently stands at more than 24,000 people , with the number projected to hit nearly 60,000 in the next twenty years Mr Parker stated the demand for services is currently greater than what they can provide for and they have waiting lists and underserved areas which are expected to get worse as the aging population increases Mr Parker stressed that the services are vital to the seniors in Johnston County and the COA needs the County’s support to keep the services going for a growing population He stated the proposed budget reduction of 50,000 would terribly impact the services that are currently provided Mr Parker reported the COA Board of Directors is working to develop a clear and distinct vision to prepare for the increase in the demand for services which includes establishing a 10,000 square foot certified senior center in Smithfield and one later in Clayton ; establishing a contract kitchen in Johnston County to avoid spending 250,000 per year to transport meals from Wake County for the home delivered meals program ; to bring more federal dollars into the County ; to improve housing , transportation , and human services ; and build much needed space for JCATS Mr Parker concluded his presentation by stating that the mission of the COA is to provide services that enable older persons to live quality lives of dignity and independence At the inquiry of Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr , Mr Parker confirmed that the proposed allocation for FY 2011 - 2012 in the amount of 150,000 is slightly more than what is needed to meet the match for the Home and Community Care Block Grant The Board thanked Mr Parker for the information 4 Johnston County Industries Vickie Shore , Executive Director for Johnston County Industries JCI , stated the mission of JCI is to provide vocational training and placement to individuals with disabilities or other barriers to employment Ms Shore noted that JCI served approximately 600 people last fiscal year and she asked the Board to consider allocating funds to JCI in the amount of 75,000 for FY 2011 - 2012 Ms Shore reported that JCI has recently undertaken new initiatives within their operations She explained that JCI has contracted with various companies , a couple of which had scheduled work to be exported to China ; however , JCI was successful in keeping the work local She stated JCI was able to hire 60 people forPage431 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued the contract work and they have placed 140 people in the community in employment opportunities Ms Shore stated that when those 200 jobs are equated to last fiscal year’s allocation of 75,000 , it equals 375 per job Ms Shore added that she understands the budget is tight ; however , Johnston County needs as many of its citizens working as possible Ms Shore noted that a lot of their employees have disabilities ; however , she stated those disabilities do not mean they cannot work Ms Shore asked the Board to look at JCI’s request not just as helping a social service agency , but also to take into account the economic development impact JCI has on the County Upon a question by Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr , Ms Shore reported JCI’s total budget for FY 11 - 12 is approximately 5 million The Board thanked Ms Shore for her presentation 5 Emergency Medical Services Rudy Baker , Chairman of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee , addressed the Board th th Mr Baker stated the EMS Advisory Committee met on April 19 and June 7 to discuss the proposed FY 2011 - 2012 budget allocation for EMS He reported the Committee requests the Board to consider funding the EMS agencies at the FY 2009 - 2010 level which was 22 million Mr Baker noted that in FY 2010 - 2011 there was a reduction in funding of 169,000 and the recommendation in the proposed FY 2011 - 2012 budget would be an additional reduction of 203,000 Mr Baker stated it has also been proposed for the County to retain an administrative fee of 5 of the EMS billing fees which equals 101,000 Mr Baker stated that currently EMS has 18 fully staffed ambulances to cover the entire County during the day and only 13 at night He introduced Four Oaks EMS Chief April Matthews and EMS Association Vice President Jason Thompson April Matthews , Four Oaks EMS Chief , addressed the Board on behalf of all the EMS agencies in Johnston County Ms Matthews spoke on the responsibilities of the EMS agencies and stated that there are only a certain number of EMS resources that are available at any given time and it is not enough to suffice for the amount of citizens and coverage areas in Johnston County She specifically spoke on the lack of resources on the southern end of the County and expressed concerns that continued cuts to already limited funding will result in negative outcomes for citizens Ms Matthews stated a proposed 10 cut in funding on top of the recommended 5 administrative EMS billing fee will only further prevent the EMS agencies from growing their resources and meeting the standards that County citizens deserve She spoke on the rising cost of expenses , technology , fuel , supplies , and the rising call volume and how those factors have impacted the EMS agencies Ms Matthews expressed concerns that EMS agencies do not have enough resources currently to respond in a timely manner to the citizens on ordinary days Ms Matthews stated that to staff an ambulance with four people , it costs 200,000 and they cannot continue to grow and staff more ambulances with reductions in funding Ms Matthews stated two years ago , the EMS agencies partnered with the County for debt setoff and Medicaid reimbursement since those services had to run through the County system She stated that partnership was meant to be avenue for the agencies to increase revenue and allow them to grow their resources and she expressed concerns with the County proposing to retain 5 of those fees Upon a question by Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr , Ms Matthews stated that debt setoff and Medicaid reimbursement must be done through the County and cannot be done privately by the EMS agencies Chairman Mims commented that even with the County retaining 5 of the billings for administrative fees , the agencies would still be receiving 95 of a funding source that they previously were not able to take advantage of before partnering with the County Billy Langston , President of the EMS Association , confirmed that the debt setoff and Medicaid reimbursements produced approximately 200,000 per year ; however , he stated due to all funding cuts , the agencies have lost in essence over 100,000 when rising costs and expenses are taken into account Jason Thompson , EMS Association Vice President , presented the following slide show to the Board Page432 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Johnston County EMS System Call Volume and Mutual Aid Data Prepared for the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 23 , 2011 Mr Thompson presented the following EMS mutual aid response information and noted that from January 1 , 2011 through May 31 , 2011 , there have been 916 total calls for mutual aid assistance Mr Thompson reported the southern area of Johnston County seems to be hit the hardest on a daily occurrence EMS Mutual Aid Response ? January 1 , 2011 through May 31 , 2011 ? Benson – 171 calls ? Four Oaks – 94 calls ? 50 - 210 Main – 92 calls ? Overshot – 15 calls ? Total Southern Johnston Area 372 calls ? Total County Mutual Aid 916 calls ? Does any citizen deserve to be in the 916 so far this year ? Did 265 people in Four Oaks and Benson deserve to wait for an ambulance for 10 + minutes At the inquiry of Chairman Mims , Mr Thompson stated the April tornado events are figured into the mutual aid estimates Commissioner Wade M Stewart asked for clarification on the mutual aid calls Mr Thompson stated the mutual aid responses presented mean that those individuals had to wait an additional 10 + minutes for an ambulance on top of the regular response time He noted that in communities such as Overshot , citizens are already waiting 10 minutes for an ambulance so if an ambulance is not available , their response time is 20 + minutes Commissioner Stewart stated that in looking at the mutual aid response data , it seems to him that the issues are about capital problems rather than one year’s budgetary problems Commissioner Stewart added that the time is coming , if it is not already here , that there needs to be an extra ambulance in these areas He stated the issue is a broader problem than one year’s budget and the discussion at hand is the FY 2011 - 2012 budget year and what it takes to operate for one year ; while the mutual aid data represents growth and expansion by three or four trucks throughout Johnston County , which is a separate matter Mr Thompson stated the mutual aid responses are a bigger issue that needs to be addressed ; however , he stated the problem is that in past years , the EMS agencies have been asked to set aside money for capital in order to grow , but it seems that as they try to grow , they are faced with reductions in funding making it difficult to save money for the additional needed resources PagePage pageNumber5433 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Commissioner Stewart stated he has found that the EMS agencies have put aside funds over the years and that many agencies now have good sized bank accounts with good intentions , but he has also found that instead of purchasing more trucks and employing more people to staff the trucks , the funds are being spent to build and or remodel stations and he questioned if the funds are going to the right purpose Mr Thompson reported that a lot of the EMS stations are in need of repair rebuilding because some of them no longer meet building codes Mr Thompson reiterated that the EMS agencies are no longer able to save adequate capital for additional resources due to the loss in revenues Mr Thompson continued his presentation with the following Mutual Aid ? Remember , anytime mutual aid responds , the ambulance will have an extended response time Generally 10 + minutes ? Keep in mind the “ domino ” effect When an ambulance from Four Oaks goes to Benson , then Smithfield goes to Four Oaks , then Selma to Smithfield … It does not take long to deplete the county of resources Mutual Aid ? These mutual aid statistics represent less than ½ of the year ? Projected mutual aid to the south side of Johnston County for 2011 is 800 + calls ? Total projected mutual aid for 2011 is approximately 2000 calls Reducing the budget prevents agencies from placing additional units in service to reduce response times Commissioner DeVan Barbour asked if the funding were reinstated to the FY 2009 - 2010 level of 22 million , how long it would take to put additional trucks in service in an effort to cut down on the mutual aid numbers Mr Thompson stated to put additional trucks on the road , the agencies must go through a process by which the agencies work with the EMS Advisory Committee to study how many and where the trucks are needed He added that if the funding allocation were increased , the agencies would be well on their way April Matthews reported Four Oaks EMS already has the additional truck ; however , it needs more funding to put the truck on the road Mr Thompson agreed that some vehicles are in place , but they need funding to staff them Billy Langston stated if the funding were reinstated to FY 2009 - 2010 levels , those monies could be put towards peak time trucks utilizing part - time medics to help offset the mutual aid responses PagePage pageNumber6434 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Commissioner Barbour asked if trucks are sitting unstaffed within the areas of higher mutual aid responses Ms Matthews and Mr Thompson confirmed that the trucks are already at the stations , but need funding in order to be staffed and put into service Commissioner Stewart noted that Four Oaks EMS has sufficient funds in their bank account to staff their additional truck and inquired as to why those funds have not been used to hire a second duty crew to serve the public Commissioner Stewart also inquired as to whether Four Oaks EMS was staffing the additional truck during FY 2009 - 2010 when the agencies were being funded at 22 million Ms Matthews responded that Four Oaks EMS did not use the larger appropriation in FY 2009 - 2010 to staff the additional crew because the numbers were different in FY 2009 - 2010 than now Ms Matthews spoke on the age and disrepair of the current Four Oaks EMS station and she stated they are faced with the need of having another truck on the road versus have adequate and safe space for the personnel Mr Thompson continued his presentation to the Board with the following information System Overload – Resource Depletion ? On any given day , all ambulances for a certain region of the county are quickly depleted by our increasing call volume ? These are not holidays , weekends , or during disasters – these are normal weekdays ? We have taken a random snap shot from two days to further illustrate this point Friday , March 18 , 2011 ? From 12 noon to 3pm twelve calls tied up almost every resource in Johnston County ? What may seem like a low number does not show that two of these calls were traffic accidents with several patients each a daily occurrence PagePage pageNumber7435 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued March 18 , 2011 ? A snapshot taken from 2 15 to 2 35 pm shows that the only units in service county - wide to answer calls were Princeton , Corinth Holders , Thanksgiving and Overshot ? This means NO ambulances in Clayton , 50 - 210 , Smithfield , Selma , Kenly , Micro , Four Oaks or Benson – ALL OF OUR MAJOR POPULATED AREAS While referring back to the mutual aid response data , Commissioner Stewart asked if 911 contacted Johnston Ambulance Service JAS as a backup during those times when all other EMS agencies were unavailable Mr Thompson stated there is presently no policy or protocol in place that says how or when to utilize JAS Mr Thompson stated when JAS is needed , they have to call their office in Goldsboro to request them Kim Robertson , Director of Johnston County Emergency Services , stated when the April 2011 tornados hit the County it was on a Saturday , and JAS was able to assist during that event ; however , she noted that if the tornados had hit during Monday through Friday , JAS may not have been able to cover emergencies Mr Thompson agreed and stated that JAS handles scheduled appointments Monday through Friday as their main business rather than emergency calls Ms Robertson stated one major problem with JAS is that they have not purchased the radio system utilized by the County which makes it difficult to communicate through 911 during emergencies Mr Thompson reviewed the remaining slides with the Board as follows Monday , May 16 , 2011 ? From 6am to 9 30 am there were 15 calls ? We only have 15 ambulances system - wide during that time period on a weekday , less at night and on weekends ? At 9am , only Princeton EMS 71 was in service for all of Johnston County ? This is happening DAILY These are not unusual occurrances PagePage pageNumber8436 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Conclusion ? No citizen deserves to wait ? NFPA standard is 8 59 maximum response time for an ALS ambulance ? Contracted agencies would gladly add additional resources , but they cannot afford to with continued cuts ? As the population grows , Public Safety MUST grow concurrently Public Safety cannot remain status quo – LIVES are the cost of remaining the same Commissioner Barbour questioned how many units could be put into service if the EMS agencies were funded at the level they have requested Rudy Baker reported that two additional units could be put on the road Mr Thompson stated the EMS agencies want to be in a position to analyze the data and determine where the units are needed during peak times The Board briefly discussed how the funding allocation is distributed amongst the various EMS agencies and if the additional funding was approved , which agencies would be able to put the funding towards staffing additional trucks to offset the mutual aid responses Art Mercer , Clayton EMS Chief , spoke on how the reduction in funding would jeopardize the peak time truck operations of the Clayton area Mr Mercer stated that funding for critical services cannot continue to be cut without a reduction in service He noted that payroll and labor costs are the most significant parts of operating an EMS agency and items such as supplies can be cut ; however , at some point , services will decline because there are limited funds to pay employees Mr Mercer spoke on the cost increases the agencies have experienced with workman’s compensation insurance and health insurance He also stated there is a bigger problem with the shortage of paramedics and he added that by cutting benefits , it only worsens the problem Mr Baker concluded the presentation by stating that the County has a comprehensive EMS service in place and it needs to keep going He stated the EMS personnel are doing a great job but they need more ambulances in service , as well as repairs have to be done Mr Baker thanked the Board for their past support and asked them to do whatever they could for EMS Commissioner Tony Braswell asked Ms Robertson to forward to the County Manager information regarding the Medicaid reimbursements and debt setoff numbers for the past three years individually broken out by each EMS agency 6 Harbor Keri Christensen , Executive Director for Harbor , thanked the Board for their past support She introduced Lauren Kearney and Harbor Board of Directors Vice Chair Angie Lock Ms Christensen stated that last year , Harbor assisted over 2,900 victims and the average stay at the center is 90 days She noted Harbor provides court assistance , transportation , educational opportunities , food , clothing , and many other services Ms Christensen stated Harbor is the only shelter in Johnston County that provides services to victims of domestic violence She reported they have provided training for the EMS agencies , the Department of Social Services , the Sheriff’s Department , the Health Department , and many other County agencies She stated Harbor is always available to provide training and resources to help with victims of domestic abuse She stated they are open 24 hours per day seven days a week to help others Lauren Kearney addressed the Board and provided a testimonial of her personal experience with Harbor She reported that through Harbor she was able to leave an unsafe domestic situation She added that Harbor helped her go back to school and complete Johnston Community College’s Basic Law EnforcementPagePage pageNumber9437 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Training She stated Harbor provided help with tuition , care for her children , emotional support and household items that allowed her to get back on her feet Ms Kearney asked the Board to continue their support to Harbor Commissioner Cookie Pope asked about Harbor’s total budget as well as an update on fundraising activities Ms Christensen reported Harbor’s total budget is approximately 500,000 and they are hoping to continue to raise money through fundraising She noted the State will be reducing Harbor’s funding by 5 and they need to raise 10 - 15 more this fiscal year Ms Christensen added that last year’s “ Walk a Mile ” fundraiser brought in approximately 25,000 and the Valentine’s Ball brought in approximately 30,000 The Board thanked Ms Christensen for the information 7 Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Church John Jernigan , Pastor of the Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Church , 9856 Hwy 210 , Four Oaks , North Carolina , appeared before the Board requesting financial support He stated that the Church houses , feeds , transports , and provides clothing for those in need Pastor Jernigan reported that the Church’s soup kitchen opens every Friday night and since January 2011 , they have fed over 4,000 people , provided over 547 beds , provided clothing for over 1,600 people and referred four women to Harbor for domestic violence Pastor Jernigan stated he is the Prison Chaplain at Wake Correctional Facility and many of those inmates look to him for help when they are released He reported the Church furnished 176 tents for the homeless this past year Pastor Jernigan asked the Board to consider supporting their program by contributing an amount equal to 75 per week , or any other amount that the Board deemed appropriate , which the Church would greatly appreciate Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr asked Pastor Jernigan if he had applied for a non - profit grant from the County this year Pastor Jernigan stated he did not apply for a non - profit grant from the County because he is unfamiliar with the process and this is the first time he has addressed the County Commissioner Tony Braswell asked if the Church had any other funding sources Pastor Jernigan reported the operation is funded 100 by those that attend the Church He noted that Mattress Factory does furnish mattresses for the shelter At the inquiry of Chairman Mims , Pastor Jernigan reported they do not receive any funding from the Department of Social Services , but Social Services refers people to them for food and shelter Chairman Mims stated the Board would take the request under advisement 8 50 - 210 Fire Department – Request for Tax Rate Increase Nathan Burgess , 50 - 210 Fire Department Chief , addressed the Board requesting a fire tax rate increase from 4 cents to 5 cents per 100 valuation Chief Burgess stated the increase would generate an additional estimated 114,844 dollars each year He stated the 50 - 210 Fire Department has been trying to re - implement a first responder unit as well as employ an additional fulltime member that would work Monday through Friday 7 00 am until 5 00 pm Chief Burgess explained they presently have three fulltime members answering all of the emergency calls in conjunction with the 32 volunteers maintaining two stations including all equipment and hydrants He stated they have had great success with the three fulltime members , but need the additional fulltime member to help offset the workload and rising call volume Chief Burgess reported they will begin running first responder calls soon and they anticipate very good participation by the fire department membership with about half of the department already certified for first responder duties Chief Burgess stated the additional revenue would help to offset costs associated with running a first responder unit He noted that 4 cents is the lowest rate in the County which they have been able to maintain since 2003 Chief Burgess reported they presently have no debt and have been putting money into their ISO program with plans to request an inspection this year and hopefully lower their insurance rating Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr commented that at the June 6 , 2011 Board of Commissioners meeting , Chief Burgess requested to re - implement the first responder franchise ; however , did not mention the need for an increase in the fire tax rate Page0438 June 23 , 2011 – 6 00 pm Continued Chief Burgess stated that the 50 - 210 Fire Department stopped their first responder program some years ago when the EMS Unit began operating fulltime and they felt the service was becoming redundant He noted that the EMS Unit has provided an excellent service ; however , due to the increase in EMS calls , and the increased wait times for an ambulance , the fire department feels the need is there for the first responder unit Chairman Mims stated the Board would take the request under advisement The Board took a five minute recess 9 Report from County Forest Ranger Mike Winslow Johnston County Forest Ranger Mike Winslow thanked the Board for their past support He discussed with the Board the current drought situation , the State budget situation , and how those factors are impacting the Forestry Services resources Commissioner Wade M Stewart asked if Johnston County had its own equipment in place to address any local forest fires , noting that many other areas of the State are dealing with fires Mr Winslow reported there is equipment that is designated by the State for Johnston County ; however , he noted that equipment is also used to support other areas when needed th Chairman Allen L Mims , Jr noted that many communities will be having fireworks displays for July 4 and he asked if there were any concerns due to the drought Mr Winslow stated that he does not foresee any problems with forest fires related to fireworks displays by municipalities He noted that most forest fires from fireworks are due to people setting off fireworks in their backyards Commissioner Stewart stated that the Board appreciates all the hard work by the Forestry Service There being no further business , Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 45 pm Allen L Mims , Jr , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage