April 26, 2005 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 118 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners April 26 , 2005 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Tuesday , April 26 , 2005 , at 6 00 pm in the Human Resources Training Room , 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 , April N Byrd , Clerk to the Board , John R Massey , Finance Officer , and Deva C Holt , Deputy Clerk The Chairman called the meeting to order and the following business was transacted 1 Presentations - County Departments and Agencies The following County Departments and Agencies made presentations to the Board A Social Services Earl Marett , DSS Director , explained to the Board the programs offered by the Department of Social Services can be divided into three service areas 1 Public Assistance , 2 Child Welfare , and 3 Adult Services Public Assistance includes Food Stamps , Medicaid , Work First , and other State County Special Assistance programs Child Welfare incorporates the Adolescent Parenting Program , Family Preservation Services , Foster Home Licensing , and Child Protective Services The Adult Services division is made - up of protective services for adults , adult care home case management , the Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults , services for the blind , and other programs Mr Marett stated in 1995 the County provided 6,197,000 in match money to DSS for services For 2005 , the County will contribute approximately 10,197,000 in match money This amount will be less for 2005 than the past three years He reminded the Board some programs are 100 State or Federally funded ; however , the Medicaid program requires a 5 county match County Manager Rick Hester commented NC counties are the only counties in the country that are required to match Medicaid funds without any relief from the State Recently , New York agreed to provide some relief to counties there B Job Training Robert Davis , Job Link Center Coordinator , stated the Job Training Office is responsible for the local administration of the Workforce Investment Act WIA Adult Dislocated Worker Programs Job Training must also provide oversight and daily management of the Johnston Community College Job Link Career Center Job Training is a County department funded by the Federal WIA Title 1 funds , Job Link Career Center Enhancement Grant , and the Capital Area Workforce Development Board He emphasized there are no County dollars in the program Job Training’s objective is to provide high quality customized services that will assist local employees in filling their job openings and help job seekers find employment There are approximately 12 Job Link partners that work together to maximize scarce resources , and avoid duplication in recruitment assistance , job fairs , and other services that Job Training provides In response to questions from the Board , Mr Davis stated the Job Link Career Center served 8,000 - 9,000 people last year The center is rated on whether an individual obtains a job after completing the program and the hourly rate the individual is earning He noted the center must obtain a 90 success rate for the WIA program to receive Federal funding In closing , Mr Davis briefly mentioned several quality enhancements that will benefit the Job Training office including additional space provided by JCC for the center , installation of equipment with touch screen technology , additional computers , and staff training in cultural diversity and disability awareness He also pointed out several accomplishments in the past year development of an online resume database , on - site scoring of “ Work Keys ” tests , new adaptive technology for disabled customers , enhanced services for Hispanic Latino customers , recognized as the first level II Job Link Career Center chartered in NC , and other accomplishments Page119 April 26 , 2005 Continued C Human Resources Pat LaCarter , Human Resources Director , explained to the Board the Human Resources staff operates from a set of core values , a mission statement and a vision statement to carry out the Personnel Ordinance passed by the Board in July 1998 He briefly explained the four areas within the department 1 Recruitment , 2 Benefits , 3 Compensation and Employee Relations , and 4 Risk Management Mr LaCarter pointed out several accomplishments during the past year • Established a 457 plan to enhance employee benefits • Obtained a two year rate for life insurance that will save the County 12,000 - 15,000 • Offered health fairs to employees • Completed a wage and management study • Reduced number of worker compensation claims • Placed two difibulators at the courthouse , one at Human Resources and one at the Land Use Center • Offered training opportunities to employees Customer Service , Spanish , Sexual Harassment and others • Currently instituting an automatic tracking system for applications • Planning a Leadership Academy for County employees to teach leadership skills and explain to employees what happens not only in their department but in county government as a whole D Airport Ray Blackmon , Airport Manager , gave an overview of the Johnston County Airport Authority and staff , and a history of the Airport’s beginnings He stated today the Airport includes a 5500 ft runway with full parallel taxiway , and a state - of - the - art Instrumental Landing System for marginal weather conditions Currently , there are 105 aircrafts based at the Johnston County Airport Six businesses on the Airport grounds employ 136 individuals , and generate over 67 million in payroll In addition , two businesses in the Airport Industrial Park employ 130 individuals , and generate over 45 million in payroll He stressed the emphasis on bringing new businesses into the County , and generating additional tax revenue through fuel sales and hangar leases He briefly mentioned the following recent or current projects at the Airport • Terminal Area Study completed in November 2004 • 20 unit T - hangar completed January 2005 , 18 of which have already been rented • Emergency Runway Safety Area completed to provide 1000 ft of safety area • Tree Obstacle clearing to maintain approach certification Current Project • Sale of remaining acreage in Aviation Industrial Park Ongoing Project Mr Blackmon noted the Terminal Area Study completed in November 2004 determined a projected need for a 9000 sq ft facility by 2026 In the more immediate future , a new terminal and expanded ramp area will be needed to accommodate more people and larger aircraft E Planning & Inspections Steven Finn , Director , stated the Planning and Inspections Department works with applicants , and customers through the process of developing a concept or idea to bring it through the regulatory system to the point of issuing a Certificate of Occupancy The department’s mission is “ Here to Serve ” , and its vision is to be a self - sufficient , partnership oriented organization He briefly outlined the goals for Planning division and the goals for the Inspections division Mr Finn identified the strengths , weaknesses , opportunities , and threats of the Planning and Inspections Department as follows Strengths • Skilled , knowledgeable staff • Committed employees • Responsive Weaknesses • Strict application of codes vs flexible application varies from employee to employee • Use of independent judgment based on roles Page120 April 26 , 2005 Continued Opportunities • Seek customer suggestions • Use of technology and automation to communicate and disperse information more quickly • Cross training employees Threats • Workload may impair time for on - site explanations • Communication loss due to high pressure or volume • Potential code changes or mandates He pointed out several successes during the past year including cost savings of 35,000 by reducing redundancies in operational activities , received over 200 “ excellent ” ratings with comment cards , and awarded both national and state recognitions F 911 Communications Jason Barbour , Communications Director , informed the Board the County 911 Communications center is responsible for dispatching calls to 24 fire departments , 11 EMS stations , and 7 law enforcement agencies He outlined a number of achievements during the past several years • Implemented computerized version of emergency medical dispatch 2000 • Installed digital 800 megahertz radio system 2001 • Upgraded to Positron Simon 911 Phone System 2001 • Constructed a back - up 911 center 2001 • Assumed dispatching responsibilities for Smithfield and Benson police departments 2002 • Upgraded to police dispatch protocol ; first in the nation to do this 2004 • Moved into new 911 center 2004 • Installed mobile computerized dispatch system 2005 th • First 911 center in NC and 17 in the nation with EMD , EPD , and EFD 2005 Mr Barbour briefly discussed the revenue sources for the 911 center He noted there are restrictions on spending for the wire - line surcharge funds the County receives In addition , the wireless surcharge revenues can be used to purchase only a few pieces of equipment Mr Barbour commented there is currently pending legislation that would allow the surcharge revenues to be used for training purposes as well He stressed that at some point in the near future the Board would need to discuss the wire - line rate A number of citizens in the western part of the county are no longer purchasing land line phone service , and therefore , substantial revenue is being lost The number of land lines are decreasing , while population and demand for 911 services are continuing to increase G Tax Department Pat Goddard , Tax Administrator , stated the Tax Department has the responsibility to administer tax laws fairly and uniformly , maintain the tax roll , list taxes for property owners , assess all real and personal property in the county , and collect taxes for the county and towns The customers of the Tax Department include every owner of real estate , personal property , business property and owners of motor vehicles County departments , towns and districts , real estate professionals , and the legal community are also served by the department Indirectly , the tax department serves every person receiving benefits provided by tax revenue Ms Goddard noted the following accomplishments • Increase in tax collection rate from 9377 in 2000 to 9735 in 2004 • Will begin collecting taxes for all the towns in 2006 • Successful completion of 2003 Revaluation • Improved customer service • Professional training • Web presence including on - line bill payment She pointed out the Tax Department is also facing challenges including the implementation of new computer software and modern hardware , retaining trained employees at entry level positions , maintaining good public relations , and getting the work done without asking for additional positions Ms Goddard stressed the Tax Department has setPage121 April 26 , 2005 Continued objectives for the upcoming year including to provide outstanding customer service , practice fairness , equity , and consistency , embrace newer technology , keep staff well - trained , and continue to improve collection rate H Mental Health Dr Janis Nutt , Mental Health Director , informed the Board the greatest accomplishment this past year has been achieving the LME designation She thanked Board members for their support , and stated they were essential to the designation Dr Nutt outlined several challenges as follows • Keeping up with the County’s growth Last year , the Mental Health Department served 3,900 citizens This year the projection is to serve 4,500 citizens • Adapting to a completely restructured mental health system on the State level including new regulations on who can receive benefits and who can serve patients • Maintaining qualified staff and good clinical managers • Training staff adequately • Assuring that no citizen of Johnston County that needs services will fall through the cracks or become lost in the bureaucratic maze In response to questions from the Board , Dr Nutt stated a task force has been studying wait times at Johnston Memorial Hospital for inpatient psychiatric care and crisis intervention services She noted wait time has been reduced some , and staff is continuing to work on the problem Services are monitored on a monthly basis It is a federal mandate that anyone who is involuntarily committed must come through Johnston Memorial first I Animal Services Ernie Wilkinson , Animal Services Director , stated , in his opinion , the Animal Services Department is one of the fastest growing departments in the County He stressed the importance of public perception and its relationship to the department Staff strives to educate the general public as to the responsibilities of the department versus the responsibilities of pet owners Mr Wilkinson noted several new initiatives at the shelter including the installation of a tracking system for animals brought into the shelter Staff is now operating three adoption sites adoption via the shelter and two online sites Adoption rates were up to over 45 for dogs in March due to increased work with volunteer groups , rescue groups , and increased public awareness Unfortunately , adoption rates for cats were approximately 19 ; Mr Wilkinson stated a large number of cats are brought into the shelter He spoke highly of the employees of the Animal Services Department , and stated the County is fortunate to have the staff that it does working for the animals and the citizens of Johnston County There being no further business , Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Tony Braswell seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ___________________________________ Cookie Pope , Chairman ____________________________ April N Byrd , Clerk to the BoardPage