June 14, 2004 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 695 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 14 , 2004 6 00 pm - Budget Work Session The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , June 14 , 2004 , at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners ’ Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Cookie Pope , Vice Chairman , Allen L Mims , Jr , Wade M Stewart , Jeffrey P Carver and W Ray Woodall Absent Thomas M Moore Also Present Rick Hester , County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , Della H Knight , Deputy Clerk , John R Massey , Finance Officer , and J Mark Payne , County Attorney The Chairman called the meeting to order and announced the purpose of the meeting is to hear from the School Board and the Community College concerning their budget requests He stated that due to time constraints , since the Board has a regular meeting to conduct at 7 00 pm , the only persons allowed to speak would be Board of Education members and JCC officials 1 School Board Presentation Chairman Langdon assured the teachers and parents in attendance that , contrary to some rumors that appear to be circulating , the County funding for school current expense in 2004 - 05 will exceed the amount that was appropriated for the current year The Manager’s proposed budget , based on the formula agreed upon several years ago , has an increase of 23 million over this year’s allocation The Commissioners traditionally have allocated funding over and beyond the Manager’s recommendation , since education has always been , and remains the most important focus for the County He noted the Commissioners will work with the School Board concerning their requests and do as much as possible , remembering , however , that the most important responsibility the County has is to provide school facilities He invited School Board Chairman , Fred Bartholomew to present the Schools ’ request Mr Bartholomew thanked the Board for inviting the schools to this meeting and introduced other school board members who were present He noted the tremendous growth in student population affects all aspects of the school system , including operating cost as well as facility needs In addition to new classrooms , there must be additional teachers , which mean more salaries and supplemental needs In recent years , the State has passed down to the local level the responsibility for school utility costs , which have accelerated recently due to oil prices Now , the State is proposing a reduction in class size for third grade , and at the same time is threatening to further reduce the discretionary funds that they have been sending down to the local level Johnston County is subject to lose over a million dollars if this is approved Another concern is the proposed flat 1000 increase for non - teaching personnel For some school employees , this would mean an 8 or higher raise in pay The school’s budget was figured on a 3 increase This year , the Board of Education asked the superintendent for a base budget at the same level of funding as the current year , taking into consideration proposed growth and subsequent expenses related to that growth They also asked for a list of expansion items for consideration He briefly reviewed with the Board the following School funding request for FY 2004 - 05 Current Expense - base budget with no expansion items 36,576,00900 Capital Outlay - regular appropriation 1,823,50000 Appropriation for buses , service vehicles 1,171,42000 SUBTOTAL - Base Budget Requests 39,570,92800 Expansion for ½ teacher supplement increase 683,01300 TOTAL REQUESTS 40,253,94100 Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked Mr Bartholomew if the State will provide funding for the additional teachers needed to lower the class size for third grades , and if so , why do we need additional locally paid teachers He also asked if the State is paying for the additional staff required in reducing the class size for K - 2 over the past few years Page696 June 14 , 2004 Continued Mr Bartholomew responded the State provides some additional positions , but the County will need to add to that number Dr Anthony Parker , superintendent , noted the State will provide 10 new teaching positions The current budget includes 125 locally paid teachers , which include all grade levels School Board member , DeVan Barbour , explained that many of the locally paid teaching positions have shifted to the exceptional student program State funds are based on 12 of the students being in the exceptional programs , while in reality , Johnston County has 16 The extra 4 has to be covered with local funds Commissioner Mims asked how much fund balance the schools have and how much was used to balance this year’s budget School finance officer , Dan Jones , reported a fund balance of 1,983,930 , and stated that 2,475,715 was appropriated during the year [ Mr Mims noted this is a big discrepancy from what the Dixon - Odom Audit states ] Wording added as amendment 8 2 04 , Item 20 The Chairman thanked everyone for coming He noted the Board will take the request under advisement , and meet again , probably next week , to adopt the budget 2 Johnston Community College Lawrence Rouse , JCC Dean of Student Services , informed the Board that Dr Don Reichard , president of the college , was not able to attend the meeting He stated the community college has kept their funding requests down in the past couple of years , however , enrollment growth and aging facilities are now forcing them to ask for additional funds He asked Dean of Administrative Services , Herman Kight , to review the college’s request for FY 04 - 05 Mr Kight noted the current expense appropriation for last year was 2,143,670 The Board approved a transfer from the capital outlay funds in the amount of 24,410 , and made a supplemental appropriation of 250,000 during the year for a total of 2,418,080 This year the college is requesting 2,635,562 , which is a 217,482 899 increase over the current year’s actual funding The County Manager is recommending an allocation of 2,268,000 , which is 150,080 less than actual appropriation for the current year , and 367,562 less than the request He asked the Board to consider the actual funding that was appropriated this year as a benchmark , rather than looking at the beginning allocation As for capital outlay , Mr Kight noted the economic downturn and budget shortages have reduced funding to only a fraction of the amount allocated in the late 1990 s and through 2002 As a result , the college has had to postpone infrastructure improvements and maintenance He asked the Board to at least return the capital outlay allocation to the 2002 level of 365,000 Concerning the original request for supplements for instructors , he stated Dr Reichard would address that issue at a later time In response to a question from Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , Mr Kight stated he did not know the number of people who are getting their high school diploma , but the GED program is one of the largest curriculum programs at the college Jimmy Narron spoke on behalf of the JCC Board of Trustees He thanked the Board for their support over the years , and asked that every consideration possible be given to the request for the coming year He noted that in the past couple of years , the college has used up their fund balance , and this year had to come back to the Commissioners mid year for additional funding There is no more fund balance to use , and having to depend on a mid - year supplement is a burden In response to a comment from Commissioner Cookie Pope concerning recent renovation projects , Mr Narron noted the reduction in State funding plus the high cost of building materials has forced the college to reduce the scope of some of their projects Chairman Langdon thanked everyone for their comments and stated the Board will consider the requests and do what they can He voiced his frustration that the State has not provided more support for the community college system There being no further comments , Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr moved the special workshop session be recessed until after the regular scheduled meeting Commissioner W Ray Woodall seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote Page697 June 14 , 2004 Continued Regular Session - 7 00 pm June 14 , 2004 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday , June 14 , 2004 , at 7 00 pm in the Commissioners ’ Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Cookie Pope , Vice Chairman , Allen L Mims , Jr , Wade M Stewart , Jeffrey P Carver and W Ray Woodall Absent Thomas M Moore Also Present Rick Hester , County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , Della H Knight , Deputy Clerk and J Mark Payne , County Attorney The Chairman called the meeting to order and the following business was transacted At the request of Commissioner Cookie Pope , the Chairman asked for a moment of silence in memory of former President Ronald Reagan 1 Public Comments Don Rains , Mayor of Princeton , requested the Board consider a resolution supporting a local telephone exchange for Princeton to Raleigh areas He noted Princeton has met the requirements from the NC Utilities Commission and from Sprint , and to move forward , they need resolutions from the governing boards The Chairman stated that the Board would consider the resolution in the near future 2 Public Hearings - Rezoning Cases and Special Use Permit Requests Advertised - The Smithfield Herald - June 1 , 8 , 2004 Certified letters were mailed to adjoining property owners on June 3 , 2004 and notices posted at the locations on May 27 , 2004 The Chairman opened the Rezoning Public Hearing for Case 04 - 19 Case 04 - 19 Petition to rezone a 735 acre parcel located on Pittman Road SR 2137 , north of interchange 101 with Interstate 95 , in Pine Level Township from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR Tax ID 12N09007M Owners Petitioners Mark Daniel and Christie K Pittman Jeremy Smith , Planner , identified the property on the GIS map and noted this request is to rezone a 735 acres parcel of land on Pittman Road , near exit 101 off Interstate 95 from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR He stated the Planning Board recommended approval There being no further comments , the Chairman recessed the Rezoning Public Hearing for Case 04 - 19 Decision on Rezoning Case 04 - 19 Case 04 - 19 Petition to rezone a 735 acre parcel located on Pittman Road SR 2137 , north of interchange 101 with Interstate 95 , in Pine Level Township from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR Tax ID 12N09007M Owners Petitioners Mark Daniel and Christie K Pittman Upon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope , seconded by Commissioner W Ray Woodall and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the rezoning for case 04 - 19 of a 735 acres parcel of land on Pittman Road SR 2137 in Pine Level Township from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR for owners , Mark Daniel and Christie K Pittman The Chairman re - opened the Rezoning Public Hearing for Case 04 - 20 Case 04 - 20 Petition to rezone four parcels of land totaling 1934 acres located on Pittman Road SR 2137 , north of interchange 101 with Interstate 95 , in Pine Level Township from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR Tax ID 12N09007 , 12N09007B , 12N09007G , 12N09007J Owner Petitioner Harold H Pittman Page698 June 14 , 2004 Continued Mr Smith identified the property on the GIS map and noted this request is to rezone four parcels of land totaling 1934 acres near exit 101off Interstate 95 from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural Residential AR Commissioner W Ray Woodall noted that Mr Harold Pittman , property owner , could not attend the meeting , but requested the Board’s support for the rezoning Mr Smith stated the Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning The Chairman recessed the Rezoning Public Hearing for Case 04 - 20 Decision on Rezoning Case 04 - 20 Case 04 - 20 Petition to rezone four parcels of land totaling 1934 acres located on Pittman Road SR 2137 , north of interchange 101 with Interstate 95 , in Pine Level Township from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR Tax ID 12N09007 , 12N09007B , 12N09007G , 12N09007J Owner Petitioner Harold H Pittman Upon a motion by Commissioner W Ray Woodall , seconded by Commissioner Cookie Pope , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the rezoning for case 04 - 20 of four parcels of land totaling 1934 acres on Pittman Road SR 2137 from Interstate Highway Interchange Overlay District IHI to Agricultural - Residential AR for owner , Harold H Pittman The Chairman re - opened the Rezoning Public Hearing for Case 04 - 21 Case 04 - 21 Petition to rezone a 90 acre parcel of land located on South Shiloh Road SR 1526 , in Cleveland Township , from Agricultural - Residential AR to Agricultural - Residential - Special Use District AR - SUD Tax ID 06E03007A Owners Zaid Y and Monzer Ayesh Applicant Monica W Neal Steven Finn , Planning Director , identified the property on the GIS map and noted this request is to rezone a 90 acre parcel on South Shiloh Road SR 1526 , in Cleveland Township from Agricultural - Residential AR to Agricultural - Residential - Special Use District AR - SUD He stated the surrounding zoning is predominately Agricultural - Residential AR , however , there is a cluster of commercial zoning around the intersection of Cleveland School and South Shiloh roads Applicant , Monica Neal , of 113 Lee Trace Drive , Smithfield explained that she would like to construct a daycare on the property She offered to answer any questions the Board might have Mr Finn stated the Planning Board recommended approval The Chairman closed the Rezoning Public Hearing for Case 04 - 21 Decision on Rezoning Case 04 - 21 Case 04 - 21 Petition to rezone a 90 acre parcel of land located on South Shiloh Road SR 1526 , in Cleveland Township , from Agricultural - Residential AR to Agricultural - Residential - Special Use District AR - SUD Tax ID 06E03007A Owners Zaid Y and Monzer Ayesh Applicant Monica W Neal Upon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope , seconded by Commissioner W Ray Woodall and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the rezoning for case 04 - 21 of a 90 acre parcel on South Shiloh Road SR 1526 from Agricultural - Residential AR to Agricultural - Residential - Special Use District AR - SUD for owners , Zaid and Monzer Ayesh and applicant , Monica W Neal The Chairman opened the Special Use Public Hearing for Case 04 - 21 Case 04 - 21 Application to allow for the construction and operation of a child daycare center Owners Zaid Y and Monzer Ayesh Applicant Monica W Neal PagePage pageNumber5699 June 14 , 2004 Continued Those wishing to speak on Special Use Case 04 - 21 were sworn in by the Clerk to the Board Mr Finn noted that this is a companion special use request to allow for the construction and operation of a child daycare center He entered the following summary of evidence into the record A pre - application consultation was held with the applicant for Case 04 - 21 on March 20 , 2004 At that time , the applicant was informed of the following • If approved , applicant must provide to the Planning Office a Site Plan for their review and approval • Applicant must comply with the requirement of the Johnston County Land Development Code regarding landscaping , buffering and fence or any additional requirements as approved by this Board • Applicant will be notified in writing of the Boards decision • If denied , no application can be accepted for the same use affecting the same property for a period of twelve 12 months and that their right of appeal to the Superior Court must be exercised within thirty 30 days of the receipt of notice of denial by the Board of County Commissioners • Applicants Special Use Permit will expire at the end of twenty - four 24 months if it is not used as permitted within the time period • When necessary , staff informed the applicant of further Planning and Zoning Department requirements and the requirements of other departments such as soil erosion and sedimentation requirements , Health Department regulations , stormwater and public utility requirements • Subsequent to the pre - application consultation , all required notices were mailed to property owners within 500 feet The property was posted and notices of public hearings were advertised in accordance with the requirements of the North Carolina General Statutes On April 20 , 2004 , the Johnston County Planning Board held a public hearing regarding Rezoning Special Use Permit Case 04 - 21 and made the following recommendations The Planning Board recommended approval with a vote of 6 - 0 for the Special Use Permit Application allow for the construction and operation of a child daycare center The Planning Board recommended the following the Finding of Facts and Special Conditions Finding of Facts for the Special Use Permit 1 That the use or development is located , designed , and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or promote the public health , safety , and general welfare ; 2 That the use of development appears to comply with all required use and intensity regulations of Articles II and IV of the Johnston County Land Development Code and the applicable specific standards in section 14 - 257 and with all applicable regulations ; 3 That the use or development is located , designed , and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or enhance the value of contiguous property , or that the use or development is a public necessity ; 4 That the use or development conforms with general plans for the physical development of the County’s Planning jurisdiction , the Design Manual , or other development policies as adopted by the Board of Commissioners ; and 5 That the use will be a valuable service to the surrounding residential community Special Conditions 1 Submission of a detailed site plan for review and approval by Planning and Zoning Staff 2 Operating Days Hours Sunday through Saturday 6 00am to 6 00pm 3 Buffer Installation of a Class A Buffer 2 large trees , 2 small trees , 6 shrubs , every 100 linear feet 4 Signage Three feet high , three square feet in area , as noted for home occupations 5 Submit a copy of liability insurance to the Planning and Zoning Department 6 Meet all requirements set by North Carolina Division of Child Development 7 Obtain all permits necessary from Johnston County Building Inspections , Environmental Health , and NC Department of Transportation 8 No more than 60 children 9 The front facade of the building be brick or stone ; something other than metal Ms Monica Neal , applicant , explained that the building will have a metal frame and a brick front She plans to care for up to 60 children , which should help meet the needs of the community In response to a question from Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , Ms Neal stated that most of the daycares in the area currently are at capacity , and in her opinion , she will have no problem finding children to care for The Chairman closed the Special Use Public Hearing for Case 04 - 21 Decision on Case 04 - 21 Case 04 - 21 Application to allow for the construction and operation of a child daycare center Owners Zaid Y and Monzer Ayesh Applicant Monica W Neal PagePage pageNumber6700 June 14 , 2004 Continued Based upon the following findings of fact , with conditions attached , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board authorize the Planning Department to issue a Special Use Permit to applicant Monica W Neal to allow for the construction and operation of a child daycare center on South Shiloh Road in Cleveland Township Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote Finding of Facts for the Special Use Permit 1 That the use or development is located , designed , and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or promote the public health , safety , and general welfare ; 2 That the use of development appears to comply with all required use and intensity regulations of Articles II and IV of the Johnston County Land Development Code and the applicable specific standards in section 14 - 257 and with all applicable regulations ; 3 That the use or development is located , designed , and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or enhance the value of contiguous property , or that the use or development is a public necessity ; 4 That the use or development conforms with general plans for the physical development of the County’s Planning jurisdiction , the Design Manual , or other development policies as adopted by the Board of Commissioners ; and 5 That the use will be a valuable service to the surrounding residential community Special Conditions 1 Submission of a detailed site plan for review and approval by Planning and Zoning Staff 2 Operating Days Hours Sunday through Saturday 6 00am to 6 00pm 3 Buffer Installation of a Class A Buffer 2 large trees , 2 small trees , 6 shrubs , every 100 linear feet 4 Signage Three feet high , three square feet in area , as noted for home occupations 5 Submit a copy of liability insurance to the Planning and Zoning Department 6 Meet all requirements set by North Carolina Division of Child Development 7 Obtain all permits necessary from Johnston County Building Inspections , Environmental Health , and NC Department of Transportation 8 No more than 60 children 9 The front facade of the building be brick or stone ; something other than metal 3 Call for Public Hearing - Amendment to Land Use Development Code - Section 14 - 75 Planning Director Steven Finn stated that the Planning Board is requesting the Board scheduled a public hearing to discuss amending the Land Use Development Code , Section 14 - 75 concerning utility pump stations , and multiple zoning district definitions concerning setback requirements from access easements Upon a motion by Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , seconded by Commissioner Cookie Pope , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board scheduled a public hearing for July 12 , 2004 to discuss amending the Land Use Development Code , Section 14 - 75 and Sections 14 - 75 , 14 - 76 , 14 - 78 , 14 - 79 , 14 - 80 , 14 - 81 , 14 - 82 , 14 - 104 and 14 - 106 4 Board Reports and Comments The Board briefly discussed the following • Whether the Minimum Housing Code might need revising to better address residential areas that are not being well maintained • The County’s law enforcement presence in Wilson’s Mills compared to other municipalities • The progress of the County’s Thoroughfare Plan and the Comprehensive Plan • National Award for Planning Staff - “ taking government to the people ” Recognition 5 Appointments Wynn Fire District Tax Commission - 2 positions , 2 year terms Upon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope , seconded by Commissioner W Ray Woodall and carried by unanimous vote , the Board reappointed Charles Pender and Charles Stanley for two year terms to expire March 2006 McLemore Fire District Tax Commission - 2 positions , 2 year terms Upon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope , seconded by Commissioner W Ray Woodall , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board appointed Art Watkins and Linwood Jones for two year terms to expire March 2006 PagePage pageNumber7701 June 14 , 2004 Continued Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , voiced his appreciation that the two new commissioners in McLemore Fire District are citizens , not members of the fire department He stated that it is important to have citizen’s input since the entire community is taxed 6 Budget Amendments Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , moved the Board adopt the following budget amendments Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote Social Services FUND BUDGET LINE ITEM REQUESTED CHANGE CODE CLASSIFICATION EXPENDITURE INCREASE DECREASE 10 61456390 Federal Adoption Incentive Expenses 29,73600 FUND BUDGET LINE ITEM REQUESTED CHANGE CODE CLASSIFICATION REVENUE INCREASE DECREASE 10 614534174 Federal Adoption Incentive Revenue 29,73600 Emergency Management FUND BUDGET LINE ITEM REQUESTED CHANGE CODE CLASSIFICATION EXPENDITURE INCREASE DECREASE 10 53251421 DOJ - Planning Grant 3,00000 FUND BUDGET LINE ITEM REQUESTED CHANGE CODE CLASSIFICATION REVENUE INCREASE DECREASE 10 532534144 Emergency Management 3,00000 Upon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope , seconded by Commissioner W Ray Woodall and carried by unanimous vote , the Board adjourned regular session Budget Workshop Session Resumed The Chairman called the workshop session back to order and the following business concerning the 2004 - 05 County Budget was transacted 3 Request for Funds for Senior Project to Place Defibrillators in Local High Schools Cynthia Patterson , a rising senior at Smithfield - Selma High School , updated the Board on the progress she has made with her senior project to raise funds for an automated external defibrillator AED in each of the six high schools Ms Patterson explained she has raised 6,210 of the 13,000 needed to purchase the equipment She asked the Board for a 6,000 appropriation so that she can have the AED’s in place by August st 1 , when student athletes begin football practice Commissioner Wade M Stewart complimented Ms Patterson for her project and the fact that she has taken the initiative to raise approximately one - half of the needed money herself He voiced his support Chairman Langdon also commended Ms Patterson for the challenging project she has undertaken , and stated the Board will consider this request and get back to her 4 Special Olympics Dale Bender , coordinator for Special Olympics in the County , noted she would still like to be considered for a full time position since the program is growing so rapidly She stressed that no other organization offers sports and other social and community related opportunities for the 1300 + special needs people in the County Ms Bender stated it costs approximately 45,000 yearly to run the Special Olympics programs The athletes , parents and coaches raise as much as they can through donations and various fund - raisers She stated that a number of businesses and groups do help ; however , Special Olympics is not eligible for United Way funds She asked the Board to continue County support for her programs PagePage pageNumber8702 June 14 , 2004 Continued Jill Carpenter , coach and parent of two sons who participate , stated she and other parents have formed a booster club to help raise funds for Special Olympics She spoke of the excellent job that Ms Bender is doing and voiced support for the coordinator being a full - time , paid position Chairman Langdon thanked Ms Carpenter for her comments and agreed that Ms Bender is doing an excellent job in running the Special Olympics program in the County 5 County Manager Commends County Employees County Manager , Rick Hester , publicly thanked County employees for the excellent job they do He commended the departments and agencies for holding their budgets down year after year , and noted , in his opinion , Johnston County has the finest department heads in the State He pointed out that the phenomenal population growth affects everyone , not just the school system , and County departments have continually done more with less Chairman Langdon agreed that Johnston County has good staff and noted he receives calls from the public commending County employees for their fairness and professionalism As chairman , he voiced his personal appreciation and noted the Board understands the efforts being made to keep Johnston County Government a well run organization with a tight budget 6 Council on Aging Donna Creech , executive director of Council on Aging , spoke on behalf of her employees , and stated that her staff also does a good job with limited funds She noted that United Way has not met its goal in the last few years , and subsequently her agency receives less money from them She pointed out the elderly population is growing and will continue to grow as the “ baby boomers ” reach this age In response to a question from Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr concerning a letter he received from the Kenly seniors , Ms Creech acknowledged that the facility they use is very small as it is a common area of an apartment complex that is run by Council on Aging COA This facility is rent - free , and there is no money to rent a larger facility She noted the same situation exists in Princeton and other communities The idea of having only two centralized centers was not popular with the seniors a few years ago when this was considered ; however , it may be the only answer in the future Commissioner Wade M Stewart noted her request this year is for 275,000 , an increase over the current year’s allocation , and 40,000 more than the Manager’s recommendation Ms Creech stated that without the needed funds , she may have to eliminate some services The Chairman thanked Ms Creech 7 Sheriff’s Department Sheriff Steve Bizzell asked the Board to give him four new deputy positions for the coming year , instead of the two recommended by the manager He noted he originally requested 12 new positions , but feels he can manage with four He stressed he is not asking for vehicles or any other equipment for the new employees as he will be able to pay for these from within his budget In discussion about the recent number of serious accidents on I - 95 and I - 40 , Sheriff Bizzell stated there is a shortage of highway patrol officers in Johnston County This puts an extra burden on his office to help out along the interstate highways 8 Department of Social Services DSS Director , Earl Marett , asked the Board to make permanent eight temporary positions in his department He stated he has the money in his budget to cover this request 9 Communications Assistant Communications Director , Brett Renfrow , spoke on behalf of Director Jason Barbour who is out of town Mr Renfrow stated the call volume in the communications department is increasing at anPagePage pageNumber9703 June 14 , 2004 Continued average rate of 105 yearly This year , the increase has been 17 Currently , the department has 17 telecommunicators in addition to the director , assistant director and trainer coordinator He asked the Board to approve the request for an additional dispatcher In response to a question from Commissioner Wade M Stewart , Mr Renfrow agreed that some of the calls that come in are reporting the same information , especially cell calls about an accident ; however , even those calls take some time to verify that the report is the same as a previous one Approximately 51 of the calls that come into the center are land - line calls County Manager , Rick Hester , explained if the position is approved , Communications has enough money in contract services to cover the cost He invited the board to visit the new communications center once the renovations are completed He noted it will be the finest center in the State 10 Child Support Enforcement Jim Henderson requested an additional child support enforcement agent in order to be compliant with new Federal requirements This position will not cost the County taxpayers as he has enough revenue to cover the cost It will , however , allow the case load on each of his agents to be reduced from 533 to 489 , which is closer to the State average of 475 He noted the County has 1100 interstate cases , which are very complicated and require special training to handle Currently Johnston County has only one agent qualified for interstate cases , who can only handle approximately one - half of this specialized case load 11 Inspections Department Planning and Inspections Director , Steven Finn , asked the Board for an additional inspector to help cover the growing volume of inspections in the County He noted since assuming the responsibility for this department , he has redirected some of his planning staff to support the inspections side of the operation , however , there is still a need for an additional position He pointed out his department is 100 fee paid , and he would like to keep enough of these fees to pay for the new inspector position Board members discussed the budget in general and agreed to schedule another meeting for Tuesday , June 22 , 2004 at 7 00 pm to further consider , and hopefully adopt the 2004 - 05 budget The Chairman asked the County Manager to make sure the School Board is aware of the meeting date and time Sheriff Bizzell pointed out the needs of general government have traditionally had to take a backseat to education , which everyone understands ; however , he stated it would be appreciated if the Commissioners would look seriously at the departmental requests this year before all available funds are allocated to school needs Board members agreed that education does represent a large portion of the County’s budget , and will most likely continue to do so Chairman Langdon noted one of the issues is that for a number of years in the past , the school facilities were not maintained and upgraded as needed There being no further business , Commissioner W Ray Woodall moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote __________________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman ______________________________________ Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board ____________________________________ Della H Knight , Deputy Clerk to the BoardPage