June 24, 2002 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 893 June 24 , 2002 Special Budget Work Session - 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session , Monday , June 24 , 2002 at 6 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 the following business was transacted 1 Concerns About Fireworks Displays The Chairman noted the County is cautioning the public about the need for extreme care with Fourth of July fireworks displays this year because of the dry weather The Board also discussed briefly with Forest Ranger , Charles Massey , the problem with open field burnings Mr Massey stated the next few weeks will determine if a burning ban is needed 2 Budget Discussion A Special Olympics - Dale Bender , coordinator for Johnston County Special Olympics , asked the Board to consider funding her program for the coming year B Johnston Community College - The Chairman stated that Dr Reichard asked him to make note of the fact that the Community College understands the budget restraints and is not asking for additional funds this year C Johnston County Schools Kay Carroll , chairman of the Board of Education , presented an overview of the schools budget He outlined and discussed the following lt; Student academic achievements since 1994 lt; Progress in providing school facilities in recent years lt; Challenges the County faces in education lt; Growth lt; Operational Costs of School Facilities lt; Maintenance of Schools lt; Teacher Shortage lt; School Board’s local budget process including the cuts made by the Superintendent and the School Board in personnel , capital and current expense items lt; Capital outlay budget recognizing how monies have been transferred from capital outlay to current expense in the past few years lt; Proposed cuts from the State and how this will affect the schools He noted the cuts that have been made by the Superintendent and by the School Board will not impact the classroom ; however , the proposed cuts at the State level may include classroom supplies and materials Mr Carroll concluded his presentation with the Board of Education’s budget request for FY 2002 - 03 totalling 32,842,994 , a 129 increase over last year , and the following additional requests for the future lt; Periodic joint meetings of the two boards lt; Need to look again at the County’s financial model , especially the formula for funding schools lt; Consideration by the Board of Commissioners to enact an additional ½ cents sales tax if approved by the State Legislature lt; A commitment to continued funding for school facilities building program lt; Adequate capital outlay funding for school maintenance and other capital needsPage894 In response to a question from Commissioner Thomas M Moore about the proposed cost of the Selma Elementary School , Mr Carroll noted it costs more when you have an existing campus because you usually cannot use the prototype plan , and you have to work around the school’s operating schedule Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked for an explanation concerning the actual enrollment for last year , and noted there are conflicting numbers in the materials presented to the Board Superintendent of Schools , Jim Causby , responded one set of numbers represented projections from OR - ED , school consulting group , and the others were actual figures from the Department of Public Instruction In response to a question from Commissioner Wade M Stewart about the cut in the number of school buses for the upcoming year , Mr Carroll noted that elementary and middle schools will now share activity buses , and the transportation department will have fewer spare buses in the replacement pool There will be some short double routes which will result in some children being picked up later and some earlier than in previous years Included in the budget request again this year is a transfer of 2,393,980 from capital outlay to current expense Mr Carroll noted this has worked over the past few years because of the extensive new facilities building program He admitted , however , this practice would soon be a real problem , especially since some of the new facilities are now 10 years old He stressed the need for a review of the financial model , especially in the area of growth in funding formulas Commissioner Fred Smith pointed out the County’s destiny is largely controlled by the people in Raleigh and Washington , DC The County has made great strides in education and will continue to do everything possible for the most important people in Johnston County , our kids ; however , the State and Federal governments have made it extremely difficult Board members thanked Mr Carroll and Dr Causby for their comments 3 Home Builders Association - Support for Increases in Inspection and Building Permits Bobby Hoffman of Clayton spoke on behalf of the Johnston County Home Builders Association in support of the proposed increases in building permit and inspection fees County Manager , Rick Hester , recommended that with the increase in fees , the builders be allowed one free re - inspection for each trade on a project 4 Call for Public Hearing Upon a motion by Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , seconded by Commissioner Wade M Stewart and carried by unanimous vote , the Board called for a public hearing on July 8 , 2002 at 6 30 pm on the one - half cents sales tax proposal from the State of North Carolina There being no further business at this time , Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr moved the Board recess until 11 00 am on Thursday , June 27 , 2002 Commissioner Fred Smith seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ____________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman _____________________________ Joyce H Ennis , ClerkPage