July 10, 2002 - 12:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 24 July 10 , 2002 Emergency Meeting - 12 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in emergency session , Monday , July 10 , 2002 at 12 00 pm in the Commissioners ’ Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina with the following members Present James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Cookie Pope , Vice - Chairman , Thomas M Moore , Allen L Mims , Jr , Wade M Stewart , W Ray Woodall and Fred Smith Absent None Also Present Rick Hester , County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , John R Massey , Finance Officer , and J Mark Payne , County Attorney The Chairman called the meeting to order and stated its purpose is to resolve the issues between the Board of Commissioners and the Johnston County Board of Education 1 Resolution of Issues with School Board th Commissioner Fred Smith referenced his comment at the July 8 meeting that the NC law pertaining to school funding tends to create tension between the Commissioners and the School Board He stressed it takes a great deal of discussion and healthy debate between the two boards to arrive at good sound decisions Both boards have very important responsibilities The School Board is to be complimented for their hard work to make sure the children of Johnston County have the best education possible , and the Board of Commissioners can feel good that they have been faithful in taking care of the taxpayers ’ money Motion to Approve Additional Funding for School Current Expense Commissioner Fred Smith moved the Board approve the following budget amendment appropriating the proceeds from the sale of the old Cleveland School property in the amount of 250,000 as additional School Current Expense funds He noted this money was not included in the new budget and therefore does not affect the integrity of the FY 2002 - 03 budget Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote FUND BUDGET LINE ITEM REQUESTED CHANGE CODE CLASSIFICATION EXPENDITURE INCREASE DECREASE 10 63009000 School C urrent E xpense 250,00000 FUND BUDGET LINE ITEM REQUESTED CHANGE CODE CLASSIFICATION REVENUE INCREASE DECREASE 10 460036119 Sale of Assets 250,00000 Motion to Approve the Purchase Price for the Galilee Road Property for a New Smithfield Elementary School Commissioner Fred Smith moved the Board approve the purchase price of 450,000 16,19870 per acre for the 2778 acres on Galilee Road as a site for a new Smithfield area elementary school Commissioner Wade M Stewart seconded the motion Discussion Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr voiced his disappointment in the appraisal which was submitted He stated the compared properties are not identified , and based on what little information is given , do not seem to be similar to the subject property He stated the closest property that was sold was purchased at one - half the proposed price , and in his opinion , the County should not spend two times what the land is worth Commissioner Thomas M Moore voiced his frustration with some of the comments about the County’s property across the road from this site He stressed the County has a controlled landfill , not a garbage dump He noted the County land which was discussed is not located anywhere near the landfill operation Had the County known about this earlier , they could have considered cutting a street into thePage25 property which would serve both the school and the proposed recreational facilities There would probably have been enough land for a future middle school also He stated he would go along with the motion this time , but stated he would hope this type of thing doesn’t happen again The motion passed by the following vote Ayes James H Langdon , Jr , Cookie Pope , Thomas M Moore , Wade M Stewart , Jr , Fred Smith , and W Ray Woodall Nays Allen L Mims 2 Joint Statement from the Chairmen of the Board of Commissioners and the School Board Chairman James H Langdon , Jr read the following statement July 10 , 2002 James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Johnston County Board of Commissioners Kay Carroll , Chairman , Johnston County Board of Education The Johnston County Board of Commissioners and the Johnston County Board of Education have reached an agreement on resolving the issues regarding the school system budget and the purchase price of the Galilee Road school site On Monday the school system received information that it would not have to pay a 30 increase in hospitalization insurance of approximately 350,000 Recognizing the tight economic conditions facing the citizens of Johnston County , the Board of Education has agreed to accept an additional 250,000 in current expense funds from the Commissioners , and the School Board will cover its additional budget shortfall with other savings The 250,000 would come from the recent sale of the Old Cleveland School These funds were not included in the new budget for fiscal year 2002 - 03 and therefore its use does not negatively impact the budget approved by the County Commissioners Regarding the proposed site for the Smithfield Elementary School on Galilee Road , the Board of Education has provided the Commissioners with additional information about expenses already incurred in evaluating the Galilee Road site , as well as information from the Department of Transportation about serious safety concerns with the county property offered by the County Commissioners on Highway 210 Department of Transportation engineers have also informed the School Board that there would be significant costs for road improvements to create driveway access to the Highway 210 site With this new information , the Commissioners have approved the purchase price for the Galilee Road property The Boards agree that in the future the Commissioners will be given timely notice of the School Board’s consideration of a proposed purchase price of school sites to allow the Commissioners ample time to evaluate the reasonableness of the purchase price Also , the boards agree to set up committees or other mechanisms to communicate in a more positive and effective way The Boards believe that this early resolution of the budget and school site purchase issues are in the best interest of the children , parents and all other citizens of Johnston County There being no further business , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner W Ray Woodall seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ____________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman _____________________________ Joyce H Ennis , ClerkPage