June 11, 2008 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 June 11 , 2008 Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Wednesday , June 11 , 2008 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Cookie Pope , Chairman , Wade M Stewart , Vice Chairman , Allen L Mims , Jr , Jeffrey P Carver , W Ray Woodall , DeVan Barbour and Tony Braswell Absent None Also Present Rick J Hester , County Manager , Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the Board , John R Massey , Finance Officer , J Mark Payne , County Attorney and Deva C Holt , Deputy Clerk The Chairman called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and announced the purpose of the meeting is to consider the 2008 - 2009 County budget and related matters Commissioner DeVan Barbour led those in attendance in the pledge of allegiance to the American flag Commissioner W Ray Woodall opened the meeting with a prayer 1 Johnston Community College Dr Donald Reichard , President of Johnston Community College , addressed the Board and presented the following bids the College received for parking lot improvements Base Bid Add Alt 1 Add Alt 2 Add Alt 3 Add Alt 4 Add Alt 5 Add Alt 6 Contingency Sub - Total without Contingency Sub - Total with Contingency Barnhill Contracting Company 373,690 132,924 34,752 21,502 98,907 133,517 683,125 795,292 1,478,417 Hine Sitework , Inc 413,570 192,100 49,212 26,739 102,091 141,039 871,500 924,751 1,796,251 Ruston Paving Co , Inc 371,800 132,600 36,080 21,500 90,820 136,000 615,000 788,800 1,403,800 ST Wooten Corporation 308,721 136,035 35,274 22,385 75,746 119,094 737,775 697,255 1,435,030 Low Bid 697,25500 1,403,80000 Base Bid Provide Asphalt Overlay of Parking Lots B and B - 1 Wilson & Elsee main front lots Design Fee 90,00000 90,00000 Advertising 79055 79055 Alternate 1 Provide Asphalt Overlay of Parking Lot A - 1 Health Ed Front lot Testing 12,00000 12,00000 Project Cost 800,04555 1,506,59055 Alternate 2 Provide Asphalt Overlay of Parking Lot C Wilson Elsee employee lot Alternate 3 Provide Asphalt Overlay of Parking Lot D Wilson rear lot Alternate 4 Provide Construction of Parking Lot D2 Elsee rear gravel lot Alternate 5 Provide Construction of Parking Lot E Art Building unpaved lot Alternate 6 Provide Asphalt Pavement Repairs Contingency Funds In response to a question from Chairman Cookie Pope , Dr Reichard confirmed the parking lot improvements had not been a part of the bond referendums PageAngela Crawford , with MBAJ Architecture , outlined the bid information for the Board , specifically explaining the alternate bids Ms Crawford noted Alternate Bid No 6 is a contingency allowance based on initial geotechnical analyses which has indicated pockets of unsuitable material were found under parking lots B and B1 Ms Crawford stated she does not anticipate that the entire amount proposed for Alternate Bid No 6 will be needed and it is only a worst case scenario County Manager Rick Hester asked if a contingency allowance had been included in the individual bids Ms Crawford stated Alternate Bid No 6 is the only contingency Dr Reichard reported the roadway widening project at the back of the College property was not included in the current proposed project ; however , he estimated the cost will be similar to the parking lot improvements costs Dr Reichard stated the parking lot improvements are the immediate need at this time Commissioner Tony Braswell inquired if the College had reviewed any alternatives as to their current campus exit with regards to relocating the existing traffic signal Dr Reichard responded the College is in the process of hiring a consulting firm to perform a traffic analysis ; however , he noted there is a consensus between the Town of Smithfield and the College to relocate the existing traffic signal from College Road He stated he will bring a proposal back to the Board in the fall as part of the College’s overall long range master plan Dr Reichard reiterated the immediate need is the parking lot improvements Dr Reichard pointed out the bids received for the parking lot improvements are good for 60 days and the project would take approximately 90 days to complete He noted the College is planning to lease new lighting from the Town of Smithfield in order replace the older lighting to address security issues Upon a question from Commissioner Wade M Stewart , Dr Reichard stated the smaller parking lots proposed for improvements are presently gravel material , which is a violation of the Town of Smithfield’s ordinance Dr Reichard stated the College has received 15,000 from the Department of Transportation DOT and 36,000 was left over from the State Bond Wilson Building Renovation Project which could be applied towards the project Dr Reichard cautioned that it would take a few months to have the 36,000 in State bond funds reassigned to the parking lot project He noted a request for 50,000 has been made to the DOT ; however , currently only 15,000 in DOT funds are available Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr noted the County Manager has recommended 350,000 for capital outlay and asked what the College planned to do with the funds Dr Reichard reported the College has a list of capital outlay needs which totals , on an annual basis , 2 million He reported historically , the College has been averaging 350,000 in County funds for capital outlay needs each year which has not kept pace with the enrollment growth Dr Reichard stated the 18 million Energy Savings Grant received by the College was used to offset capital outlay funding needs Dr Reichard stated the College could not afford to apply the 350,000 in capital outlay funding towards the parking lot improvements project In response to questions from Commissioners DeVan Barbour and Wade M Stewart , Ms Crawford pointed out that Alternate Bid No 6 would be to address any unsuitable soil conditions that may be encountered ; however , the College does not anticipate using all of the contingency funds She noted the contingency allowance is a worst case scenario and would only be to lessen the possible impact of any remediation measures Ms Crawford reported an amount for the areas in parking lots B and B1 that have already been identified as needing remediation , has been included in their individual bids ; however , Alternate Bid No 6 is a stand - alone bid which provides a contingency if other unsuitable areas are found in other lots Dr Reichard recommended the Board of Commissioners consider approving the award of bid to low bidder ST Wooten in the amount of 800,04555 plus an additional 200,000 as a project contingency He stated if the College encounters other unsuitable areas that may require additional funding , the College would halt construction and return to the Board of Commissioners with another request Commissioner Stewart expressed concern with allowing 200,000 in additional funds to be committed for a contingency , stating he would prefer for the College to return to the Board of Commissioners with specific requests for contingency funds , if needed At the inquiry of the County Manager , Dr Reichard confirmed the College would apply the 15,000 in DOT funds as well as 36,000 in remaining State Bond funds from the Wilson Building Renovation towards thePageparking lots improvements project Dr Reichard reported if the DOT commits 50,000 to the College , they would apply those funds to the parking lot project After further discussion , Dr Reichard encouraged the Commissioners to visit the College in the next few days to look at the parking lots , prior to a decision Chairman Cookie Pope stated she appreciated the efforts of Dr Reichard and the staff at Johnston Community College 2 Social Services Earl Marett , Director for Johnston County Social Services , informed the Board that the Social Services Department would like to request 350,000 to allow for the construction of an elevator in the Social Services building Mr Marett reported the Social Services staff has to take approximately 60 boxes of records each month , furniture , and equipment upstairs which is becoming a safety hazard as well as limiting access to the third floor Mr Marett also reported the Department is in need of three additional income maintenance case workers at a cost of 62,000 to the County He noted the State Board of Elections is now requiring the Department of Social Services to register people applying for service to vote , or take a statement of declination Mr Marett stated , through the Social Services Directors Association , a study commission has been initiated which will be reviewing State mandated programs being passed on to the local programs , without the funding to support them Mr Marett indicated with the growth of the caseloads , the new positions are desperately needed Mr Marett stated the Department had received an informal estimate as to the cost of the elevator and he noted the State and Federal government would reimburse 50 of the cost Mr Marett reported the County may have to depreciate the expense and he was in the process of gathering more information on how the depreciation would be accounted for Mr Marett stated there is a new type of elevator that may be considered for less money Commissioner Tony Braswell asked for more information on the requested three new income maintenance case workers Mr Marett reported the three positions were requested by Social Services ; however , were not included in the recommended budget to the Commissioners He stated the cost to the County for these positions would be half at 62,000 for salaries and benefits The Federal government would pay for the other half of the cost In response to a question from Commissioner Wade M Stewart , Mr Marett reported the Department is also required to issue free fishing licenses to food stamp recipients , upon request 3 Project Access Dr Marilyn Pearson , Johnston County Health Director , addressed the Board regarding Project Access Dr Pearson reported Project Access is a physician led initiative to assist people in obtaining access to doctors , hospital care , and medications Dr Pearson reported patients are seen for free by physicians that volunteer to participate in the program Dr Charles Williams , Project Access Physician Advisory Chair , informed the Board that healthcare is a problem on a national level He noted in Johnston County there are approximately 20,000 people without health insurance Dr Williams stated Project Access is a model that was begun in Asheville , North Carolina and patients who meet certain income criteria are seen for free The patients must be residents of Johnston County for three months and their income must be 175 of the Federal poverty level If patients meet the criteria , they are enrolled in the program for six month intervals in the hopes they can eventually obtain healthcare coverage on their own Dr Williams stated some of the services offered include primary care , free hospital care , free lab services , free surgical care , as well as access to physical therapy Dr Williams reported Project Access is requesting assistance from the Board of Commissioners in order to help fund medication costs Dr Williams asked the Board of Commissioners to consider providing financial assistance in the amount of 15,000 to help provide medications for uninsured participants Dr Williams noted the program in Asheville has had tremendous success in the last ten years and has reduced the emergency room utilization by almost 30 Commissioner Wade M Stewart inquired as to the compensation to the doctors who assist with Project Access PageDr Williams reported physicians volunteer to see patients enrolled in Project Access for free He noted doctors participating in the program are asked to see at least 25 patients for free each year Dr Williams stated 145 patients have been enrolled and in Johnston County , approximately 325,000 in free services has been administered for the period of January 2008 through May 2008 Dr Williams stated it is becoming difficult to accommodate all the needs Kathy Rogols , Executive Director for Project Access , stated the program has received a grant in the amount of 291,000 from the Kate B Reynolds Charitable Trust over a three year period to pay for marketing , supplies , administrative salaries , and equipment Further , Ms Rogols stated Johnston Memorial Hospital is providing support to Project Access by offering administrative assistance as well as marketing and human resources services In response to a question from Commissioner Tony Braswell , Ms Rogols stated Project Access is receiving publicity through the local newspapers , radio stations , physician referrals , as well as word of mouth At the inquiry of Commissioner DeVan Barbour , Ms Rogols reported the program operates on a voucher system whereby a participant is allowed a certain amount towards services Kimberly Willis , patient of Project Access , informed the Board of her experience with Project Access , noting her husband’s insurance had been canceled and without assistance from Project Access , she and her husband would have had no coverage Ms Willis stated she is a diabetic and the program has been a lifesaver for her and her husband 4 Council on Aging and JCATS Donna Creech , Executive Director for the Council on Aging , addressed the Board and provided updated statistics from the Council on Aging services Ms Creech presented the following information to the Board Council on Aging and Housing 2,300,000 JCATS 1,700,000 Total 4,000,000 Persons Served estimates for FY 2008 Sr Centers 405 people 76,231 activities Sr Lunch 405 people 24,462 meals Home - delivered meals 393 people 52,807 meals Transportation 142 people 8,946 trips Housing 147 tenants 1,512 months of shelter In - Home Aides 144 clients 14,782 hours of service Ensure 81 clients 11,664 meals 2 cans Lifeline 138 clients 1,064 avg days service per client Caregiver Supp 163 families Info & Assistance 873 clients 1,309 contacts JCATS 9,590 riders 78,722 rides Volunteers 16,093 hours of volunteer service These numbers indicate 2,651 Council on Aging clients – our educated guess is there are about 2,000 unduplicated clients served by the 2,300,000 in Council on Aging funds with 9,590 JCATS clients served by the 1,700,000 in JCATS revenues Commissioner Tony Braswell asked if the level of volunteerism would be affected in the home - delivered meals program , due to current rising gas prices Ms Creech stated she believes that obtaining volunteers will become more difficult and the Council on Aging will continue to seek volunteers Ms Creech reported other organizations that utilize volunteers are also experiencing the same issues Ms Creech stated the services will be covered ; however , more paid staff may have to be utilized PagePage pageNumber55 Public Utilities Director of Utilities and Engineering , Tim Broome , PE , informed the Board that the Public Utilities Department has not proposed any fee increases this fiscal year , except for the 200 per ton State imposed tax on the solid waste tipping fee and the increase in the meter setting fee from 18500 to 19500 to cover the actual cost of the equipment Mr Broome stated the Public Utilities Department is concerned over the increase in fuel prices He noted the Department is also facing a potential 13 increase in rates from Progress Energy and he presented a spreadsheet outlining the potential impact to the Water and the Solid Waste Divisions Mr Broome indicated that due to increases in prices for chemicals , fuel , and electricity , the Department could be negatively financially impacted Mr Broome presented cost information to the Board which indicated a possible budget overrun in the amount of 270,000 for the Solid Waste Division , and a possible overrun of 310,000 for the Water Division in fiscal year 2008 - 2009 Mr Broome noted the projected overruns are a worst case scenario and the Department is not asking for the Board to allow an increase in fees at this time However , Mr Broome cautioned the Department may have to approach the Board for a fee increase later in the year Mr Broome stated the Utilities Department will make every effort to avoid fee increases Commissioner Tony Braswell stated he would like for the Board to work with the Utilities Department staff in the next fiscal year to review the current setup of the solid waste decal system Commissioner Braswell stated he would like to possibly consider some alternative methods as opposed to the current fee structure Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked for more information regarding the number of positions proposed in the budget for the Public Utilities Department Mr Broome indicated due to the projected decrease in wastewater assessment fees , the Department has decided instead of hiring a new reclaimed wastewater technician , that the current staff will share responsibilities to cover those duties for the next year or possibly two Mr Broome also stated a position in the Solid Waste Division had been requested ; however , he felt now was not the time to move forward with the new position , in an effort to save costs to offset the increase in diesel fuel prices 6 First Responder Rescue Funding Patrick Harris , President of the Johnston County Fire Chief’s Association , addressed the Board regarding the first responder funding County Manager Rick Hester noted the County currently provides 4,000 per year to the 15 fire departments that provide first responder services Mr Harris indicated that the fire departments throughout the County are experiencing the same issues as other agencies with rising fuel costs and decreasing levels in volunteerism Mr Harris noted the departments must increase their levels of paid staff in order to offset the volunteers Mr Harris requested the Board to consider increasing the first responder funding to 10,000 per year for each fire department that offers the service Mr Harris recalled that the recent emergency medical services assessment conducted by EMSStar recommended encouraging each fire department to provide first responder services Commissioner Tony Braswell asked if the fire departments are reimbursed for the use of their equipment used for first responder services Mr Harris reported the fire departments are not reimbursed for the use of their equipment for first responder services Mr Harris indicated the benefit of a first responder fire department ensures that the area has coverage during times when the EMS unit is responding to other calls for assistance Commissioner Wade M Stewart asked if the County currently had areas that did not have at least one first responder unit nearby Mr Harris stated one such area is the Brogden community which currently does not have a first responder unit nearby Commissioner Stewart agreed that first responder services are an important issue ; however , he indicated like all issues , the Board must look at the ability to fund the request PagePage pageNumber6Mr Harris stated if the request is approved , it would provide an incentive for other fire departments to consider offering first responder services Mr Harris reiterated that rising fuel costs are impacting the departments At the request of the Chairman , Mr Harris recognized the fire chiefs in the audience Director of Emergency Services Kim Robertson recognized Johnston County Fire Marshall Matt Chestnut and Emergency Management Coordinator Derrick Duggins Ms Robertson stated she appreciated the good working relationship with the local fire departments Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr questioned why the first responder service costs are not covered under the fire tax Commissioner Braswell indicated that most likely some of the first responder costs are now being paid from the fire tax Commissioner DeVan Barbour agreed that 4,000 per year is not adequately covering the first responder costs Mr Harris reported the departments had chosen to ask for the increase in the funding allocation versus an increase in the fire tax rate , because the fire tax rate is paid by all the property owners within the district Mr Harris reported the first responder services are used by anyone who happens to be traveling through the district and on many occasions , the departments respond to calls for assistance by people who do not live in the area , especially those traveling on Interstate 95 Upon a question from Commissioner Barbour , Mr Harris estimated approximately 40 of the calls for assistance from people traveling on Interstate 95 are not residents of Johnston County Chairman Cookie Pope thanked Mr Harris for the request and stated the Board would consider the recommendations from the fire tax committee 7 Sheriff’s Department Sheriff Steve Bizzell thanked the Board for their past support Sheriff Bizzell stated , like everyone , the Sheriff’s Department is also experiencing rising fuel costs , jail overcrowding , as well as the loss of deputies to other areas for higher pay Sheriff Bizzell noted with the rising fuel costs , he projects an 80,000 overrun in fuel costs for the next fiscal year Sheriff Bizzell reported the department currently has 11 vacancies , and they are trying to answer calls at the rate of one every 14 minutes Sheriff Bizzell also thanked the Board for their willingness to have a good working relationship with the fire departments , EMS units , as well as the Sheriff’s Department , noting other counties in North Carolina do not enjoy the same relationships 8 County Manager Reports and Comments A Proposal for 30 Day Permits – New Landscape Irrigation Policy County Manager Rick Hester stated the Utilities Department has been receiving requests from developers as well as new homeowners to possibly consider issuing 30 - day permits to allow irrigation everyday for new landscaping Mr Hester reminded the Board that the County is currently on the alternate day watering schedule He stated he would bring a proposal back for the Board’s consideration at the next budget meeting 9 Board Reports and Comments The Board members commented on the difficulty of the budget process this year and expressed concerns over how much of the fund balance would be needed as well as how to address all the requests for funding After further discussion , the Board instructed the County Manager to provide them with updated budget information , taking into account the various funding requests that have been received to allow further consideration PagePage pageNumber7816 June 9 , 2008 – 6 00 pm Continued Meeting Recessed Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver moved the Board recess the meeting until Wednesday , June 18 , 2007 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room at the Johnston County Courthouse , Smithfield , North Carolina Commissioner W Ray Woodall seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting recessed at 7 45 pm ____________________________ Cookie Pope , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage