June 15, 1999 - 7:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 479 June 15 , 1999 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday , June 15 , 1999 , at 7 00 pm in the Commissioners ' Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse , Smithfield , North Carolina , with the following members Present James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Cookie Pope , Vice Chairman , Jerry F Wood , Eleanor N Creech , Thomas M Moore , Allen L Mims , Jr and Wade M Stewart Absent None Also Present Rick Hester , Interim County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , Mark Payne , Attorney , John R Massey , Finance Officer Chairman Langdon called the meeting to order 1 Budget Amendment Upon a motion by Commissioner Eleanor N Creech , seconded by Commissioner Jerry F Wood and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the following budget amendment DEPARTMENT MENTAL HEALTH - To allocate County funds for Hospital cost for indigent care for Mental Health patients , Medicaid CAP , and additional allocation of state funds Fund Budget Line Item Requested Change Code Classification Expenditure Increase Decrease Supplies & Materials 26,24800 Capital Outlay - 3,90000 Contracts , Grants , Other 113,93300 Subsidies Net Expenditures 136,28100 Fund Budget Line Item Requested Change Code Classification Revenue Increase Decrease Local Funds 122,84800 State Funds 13,43300 Net Revenue 136,28100 2 Budget Presentations A Board of Education DeVan Barbour , School Board Chairman , recognized several other members of the Board of Education who were present , and Dr James Causby , Superintendent of Schools He handed out information concerning the Schools budget , and reviewed the requests for FY 1999 - 2000 He spoke of the growth in school population and referenced the new facilities that will be completed during the year He went over the requests for current expense and capital outlay funds , and noted the recommended current expense appropriation is 1,707,530 less than the amount requested He stressed the schools need the additional funds if at all possible , but noted they would find a way to work with whatever the Commissioners appropriate He discussed the many issues facing schools and noted the School Board is looking at the different options for handling growth He asked the Superintendent to respond to comments about the possibility of year - round schools Dr Causby explained that four - track schedules do not necessarily mean that more children are accommodated since one - fourth of the students are out each quarter of the year Also , this type of system does not allow for any down time for maintaining school facilities , and families are not pleased since sometimes they end up with children on different tracks He stated the administration has looked at varying schedules during the day , however there are negative aspects to this arrangement also Dr Causby reviewed with the Board several of the items that make up the requested current expense allocation increased salaries , supplements , utility costs , employee benefits , and increase in per pupil instructional supplies The 85 increase in teachers ' salaries recommended by the State would make up a large portion of the requested increase He pointed out some of the needs would remainPage480 unfunded if the County does not approve the current expense budget as requested B Johnston Community College Dr Donald L Reichard , president of the Community College , addressed the Board concerning additional requests for the College's recommended budget 20,000 for a housekeeper for the new Health building , which would be an on - going expense ; and 200,000 one time allocation for replacement of the fire alarm system and emergency lighting He thanked the board for their support , and introduced Herman Kight , the new Dean of Administrative , Physical and Personnel Services C Juvenile Crime Prevention Steve Strickland , vice chairman of the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council , presented the Council's recommended use of the State Community Based Alternative CBA funds in the amount of 271,673 for FY 1999 - 2000 th Court Psychologist - Sponsored by the 11 District Juvenile Services Recommended funding 7,140 These funds would allow professional psychological evaluations to determine how best to help offenders , youth at risk and delinquent children ages seven through fifteen years of age Johnston County Restitution Program - Sponsored by the Johnston County Sheriff's Department Recommended funding 63,773 This program provides work opportunities and develops work sites for juvenile delinquents , ages 10 - 17 , who are court ordered to compensate the victims of their crimes and perform community service The program uses adult role models and provides a strong emphasis on self - discipline and respect for authority Johnston County Youth Services - Sponsored by Johnston County Drug Action Coalition Recommended funding 200,760 This program is a community service program that includes the following ` Structured Day Program for youth that have been suspended from school five or more days , which would include instruction by a certified teacher , counseling and structured activities , as well as afternoon and weekend activities ` Home Based Program for intensive counseling services for youth and their families This program targets youth who have been discharged from a residential setting such as group homes , detention and training schools and provides in - home services ` Hillcrest Youth Shelter - contractual agreement in the amount of 24,000 with Lee County for two beds for 30 - day temporary shelter for abused neglected undisciplined and runaway homeless youth Mr Strickland noted two additional program applications were received , but not recommended for funding CO - ED Youth Services sponsored by Family Life Center , and United Clayton Area Network for Youth , sponsored by the General Baptist State Convention of NC and First Baptist Church in Clayton Following discussion , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board approved the program funding for CBA money for FY 1999 - 2000 as presented Commissioner Wade M Stewart seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote D Emergency Management Services - Quick Response Vehicles EMS Director , Dewayne West , addressed the Board on the state of emergency rescue services in the County and options for funding quick response vehicles QRV's and additional ambulances for the County He noted the demands and expectations of the public have made it more and more difficult to staff volunteer rescue squads In response to a question from Commissioner Thomas M Moore , Mr West noted in most cases squads that also serve the towns get some financial help from the municipalities ; however , only Smithfield is totally town operated He noted several new policies have helped in the last year including the fact that the County now purchases ambulances outright and distributes to the squads , instead ofPage481 only giving the squads a lump sum toward the vehicle purchase , and much of the purchasing has been standardized and centralized , which has created some savings The original request for FY 1999 - 2000 was for four QRV's and three new ambulances He noted that two QRV's would allow the County to move forward with the program , and the squads can make do with only two new ambulances 3 Commissioners Salaries - No Increase Upon a motion by Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , seconded by Commissioner Cookie Pope and carried by unanimous vote , the Board agreed to no annual increase in the salary for County Commissioners 4 1999 - 2000 County Budget Adopted Commissioner Wade M Stewart moved the Board adopt the 1999 - 2000 budget as presented with the following changes , and with the additional allocation to cover the changes to come from the County's General Fund Balance ADDITIONS ` Current Expense for Schools increase of 1,003,148 to a total of 20,900,000 ` Johnston Community College Capital Outlay increase of 200,000 ; Current Expense Increase of 20,000 ` Harbor Allocation of 5,000 ` EMS Rescue Services - Fund two 2 Quick Response Vehicles and two 2 ambulances for an additional 554,790 DELETIONS ` Central Permitting budget with the exception of 40,500 for software - total deletion of 134,230 ` Airport Authority - Reduce allocation to 0 with the understanding they have existing funds available for the coming year ` Employee Salary increases - Reduce from 4 to 3 for a total deletion of approximately 262,890 ` County Commissioners ' salary increase - 1,492 Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion DISCUSSION Commissioner Eleanor N Creech stated she was not in agreement with the reduction in employee salary increase from the proposed 4 to 3 She pointed out many employees only received a 22 increase last year , and compared with the increase asked for teachers and school personnel , in her opinion , the recommended 4 is not out of line Italicized insert as corrected 7 6 99 Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr asked Commissioner Stewart if he would be willing to amend his motion to include funding for the library to offset the deficit between the amount of increase in Ms Mitchell's budget for salary increases and the proposed 3 increase in this motion at an approximate cost of 3,221 He also asked if funding in the amount of 10,000 for the Arts Council could be included He questioned the amount allocated to Triangle J Council of Governments and suggested the Board might want to look at whether the County needs to continue their association with the COG , however in discussion , the Board agreed they would need to find out more before making a decision on this matter Commissioner Wade M Stewart agreed to amend his motion as recommended by Commissioner Mims Commissioner Pope , who seconded the motion , also agreed to the proposed amendments Commissioner Creech asked Commissioner Stewart to amend his motion to include the additional 1 for employee salaries She stated the additional 262,890 was not that much when you have good employees , and noted the cost of training new personnel is very expensive Commissioner Jerry F Wood agreed with Ms Creech and stated he would support the original 4 increase Page482 Commissioner Stewart stated he would not agree to that amendment He noted he would have a difficult time explaining this to people who live on a fixed income and who do not understand why their social security doesn't increase He noted his goal is to provide for the children's schools and for public safety Commissioner Creech responded the citizens are looking to the Commissioners to provide good sound services as well as schools for the children She noted the Board has to have good people to provide those services She stressed she believes in being conservative , but believes in being fair in paying employees for the work they do for the County Commissioner Thomas M Moore commented the County employees work hard and he would like to be able to do more for them , however the Board has to make difficult decisions Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr called the question The Board asked that the amendments to the recommended budget be restated and noted the figures are approximate and could vary slightly INCREASES ` School Current Expense allocation - increase of 1,003,148 ` Community College - Capital Outlay one time increase - 200,000 ; Current Expense re - occurring increase of 20,000 ` Harbor to be appropriated 5,000 ` Arts Council to be appropriated 10,000 ` Emergency Services - two QRV's and 2 ambulances for increase of 554,790 ` Library - increase of 3,221 DECREASES ` 134,230 from the Central Permitting budget ` 346,000 from the Airport budget ` 1,492 from Commissioner's salaries ` 262,890 from County employee salaries VOTE The vote was unanimous to approve the motion by Commissioner Wade M Stewart as amended , and adopt the following 1999 - 2000 Budget Ordinance Commissioner Creech stated she was voting for the budget since there would be no tax increase , however , she was not satisfied with the reduced increase in employee salaries Commissioner Jerry F Wood agreed Upon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope , seconded by Commissioner Thomas M Moore and carried by unanimous vote , the Board adopted the fire district tax rates as presented and incorporated in the following Budget Ordinance BUDGET ORDINANCE FY 1999 - 2000 JOHNSTON COUNTY , NORTH CAROLINA BE IT ORDAINED by the Board of Commissioners of Johnston County , North Carolina SECTION I BUDGET ADOPTION There is hereby adopted the following Operating Budget for the County of Johnston for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1 , 1999 and ending June 30,2000 ; the same being adopted by fund and activity within each fund as listed GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES GENERAL GOVERNMENT 9,761,600 PUBLIC SAFETY 11,708,505 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT 6,325,011 HUMAN SERVICES 23,740,459 EDUCATION 37,672,078 TOTAL 89,207,653 REVENUES CURRENT YEAR AD VALOREM TAX 41,074,975 OTHER TAX REVENUES 20,592,000 STATE & FEDERAL 15,044,662 LICENSE , FEES , ETC 8,402,189 FUND BALANCE APPROPRIATED 4,093,827 TOTAL 89,207,653PagePage pageNumber5483 TOURISM AUTHORITY EXPENDITURES 447,412 REVENUES 3 OCCUPANCY TAX 400,000 INTEREST INCOME 4,000 MISCELLANEOUS INCOME 3,000 FUND BALANCE APPROPRIATED 40,412 TOTAL 447,412 SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES GENERAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 1,000,000 CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION 2,400,000 TOTAL 3,400,000 REVENUES GENERAL FUND PROPERTY TAX 3,400,000 TOTAL 3,400,000 REVALUATION FUND EXPENDITURES RESERVE FOR REVALUATION 100,000 REVENUES TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND 100,000 SCHOOL BOND FUND EXPENDITURES TRANSFER TO GENERAL FUND 1,500,000 REVENUES INVESTMENT INCOME 1,500,000 HERITAGE COMMISSION FUND EXPENDITURES OPERATING EXPENSE 251,318 REVENUES TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND 104,818 OTHER REVENUES 146,500 TOTAL 251,318 MENTAL HEALTH FUND EXPENDITURES OPERATION OF CENTER 9,368,445 REVENUES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 490,136 STATE GOVERNMENT 3,382,837 TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND 1,325,000 ABC - FIVE CENT PER BOTTLE TAX 20,000 ABC PROFITS 4,000 FEES AND CHARGES 2,603,427 INTEREST INCOME 160,000 FUND BALANCE 1,383,045 TOTAL 9,368,445 COMMUNICATION FUND EXPENDITURES OPERATION OF CENTER 526,636 E - 911 OPERATIONS 844,446 TOTAL 1,371082 REVENUES KENLY 1,719 FOUR OAKS 1,448 PINE LEVEL 1,332 PRINCETON 1,300 MICRO 535 TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND 520,302 ENHANCED 9 - 1 - 1 557,175 FUND BALANCE APPROPRIATED 287,271 TOTAL 1,371,082 OTHER COLLECTIONS EXPENDITURES SPECIAL DISTRICT TAX 1,633,000PagePage pageNumber6484 MOTOR VEHICLE TAX 5,965,000 MOCCASIN CREEK DISTRICT TAX 25,000 TOTAL 7,623,000 REVENUES SPECIAL DISTRICT TAX 1,633,000 MOTOR VEHICLE TAX 5,965,000 MOCCASIN CREEK DISTRICT TAX 25,000 TOTAL 7,623,000 AIRPORT AUTHORITY FUND EXPENDITURES OPERATIONS 745,271 CAPITAL COST 913,000 TOTAL 1,658,271 REVENUES FEDERAL GRANTS 504,000 STATE GRANTS 63,000 FEES AND SERVICES 513,661 LOAN - HANGAR CONSTRUCTION 231,610 FUND BALANCE APPROPRIATED 346,000 TOTAL 1,658,271 HOUSING ASSISTANCE PAYMENT PROGRAM FUND EXPENDITURES PROGRAM COST 2,880,520 REVENUES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HUD 2,880,520 CONTINGENCY FUND EXPENDITURES RESERVE FOR FUTURE AMENDMENTS 200,000 REVENUES TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND 200,000 JOB TRAINING PROGRAM FUND EXPENDITURES PROGRAM COST 241,412 REVENUES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 241,412 HOPEWELL - PISGAH SERVICE DISTRICT EXPENDITURES PROGRAM COST 247,000 REVENUES RETAIL SALES 240,000 METER FEES 7,000 TOTAL 247,000 CLAYTON WATER DISTRICT EXPENDITURES PROGRAM COST 274,000 REVENUES RETAIL SALES 223,000 METER FEES 5,000 FUND BALANCE APPROPRIATED 46,000 TOTAL 274,000 CLEVELAND WATER DISTRICT EXPENDITURES PROGRAM COST 341,000 REVENUES RETAIL SALES 331,000 METER FEES 10,000 TOTAL 341,000 WILSON'S MILLS WATER DISTRICT EXPENDITURES PROGRAM COST 105,500 REVENUES RETAIL SALES 102,000 METER FEES 3,500PagePage pageNumber7485 TOTAL 105,500 PUBLIC UTILITIES EXPENDITURES ADMINISTRATION 469,812 SOLID WASTE 4,194,803 WATER 5,188,462 WASTE WATER 3,341,660 TOTAL 13,194,737 REVENUES ADMINISTRATION 469,812 SOLID WASTE FEES 3,763,397 TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND 931,406 WATER FEES 3,543,462 FUND BALANCE - WATER 1,145,000 WASTE WATER FEES 2,294,185 FUND BALANCE - WASTEWATER 1,047,475 TOTAL 13,194,737 SECTION II There is hereby levied a Tax Rate of eighty - five 85 cents per one hundred dollars valuation of property listed for taxes as of January 1 , 1999 This rate shall be levied entirely in the General Fund The Tax Rate is based on an estimated total valuation of property for the purposes of taxation of 5,077,064,470 and an estimated collection rate of 9518 SECTION III Schedule B Licenses shall be levied in accordance with the North Carolina Revenue Act SECTION IV All fees , including Inspection Fees , Fire Code Fees , and Environmental Sanitarian Fees shall be continued as per schedule in the Clerks Office Planning and Zoning Fees and Public Utility Fees are adopted as recommended and are on file in the Clerks Office GIS fees are approved to recognize cost and may be amended as needed SECTION V Landfill Tipping Fees shall be levied at a rate of 36 per ton for municipal solid waste generated in Johnston County The minimum fee for any vehicle shall be 3 A rate of four times the inside rate shall be levied for all solid waste generated outside of Johnston County A Solid Waste Enforcement Officer is designated within the Sheriffs Department to enforce Solid Waste Laws , Rules and Regulations in Johnston County to ensure compliance with Senate Bill 111 The Landfill tipping fee for construction and demolition waste shall be 18 per ton SECTION VI A fee of 55 per household shall be levied to all citizens in the county using the manned compaction sites and the landfill The fee shall be prorated in the manner authorized by the Board A rate of 165 per commercial operation to all businesses using the compaction site , this rate includes a maximum of three 3 ninety gallon containers per week A vehicle identification sticker must be purchased prior to use of the sites in the County SECTION VII Salaries The following shall govern salary and wage compensation for Fiscal Year 1999 - 2000 A Pay Plan There is hereby adopted a pay plan which includes an across the board cost of living adjustment in the amount of 3 from the FY 98 - 99 pay plan and is applicable to all county employees B Salary Adjustments Each position shall be examined and adjusted to ensure that the pay grade reflects the level of responsibility and difficulty of the job and market comparability Each classification is to be continuously reviewed and adjustments instituted by the County Manager to make the plan fair for all classes of employees Employee salaries may be adjusted by the County Manager to reflect employee performance or other criteria SECTION VIII The Budget Officer is hereby authorized to transfer appropriations within a fund as contained herein under the following conditions as specified in North Carolina General Statute 159 A The Budget Officer may transfer amounts between objects of expenditure within departments listed in this Ordinance without a report B The Budget Officer may transfer amounts up to 5,000 between departments of the same fund and reported as part of the monthly financial statements C The Budget Officer may not transfer amounts between funds nor from the Contingency Fund without prior Board Action SECTION IX Restricted Revenues The Finance Officer is hereby directed to fund appropriations which have specified revenues prior to funding with General Fund monies This is to include but not limited to Fines and Forfeitures , ABC profits , Sales Tax , State and Federal Grants , and Forestry Revenues That a non - profit corporation be continued to issue obligations to finance the purchase and or construction of fixed assets to include but not limited to utility lines and buildings SECTION X State designated Sales and Use Tax is hereby designated for the payment of debt for new and renovated schools School Debt Service is to be paid from the General Fund as directed by the independent auditors Fines and Forfeitures are deposited directly with the Board of Education by the Clerk of Court SECTION XI Encumbrances All outstanding encumbrances from Prior Fiscal Years are to be carried forward to Fiscal Year 1999 - 2000 All Project Ordinance appropriations are continued Operating and Capital Funds for Johnston County Community College not expended at the end of the fiscal year shall be placed by JCCC in theirPagePage pageNumber8486 Special Capital Outlay Account and used as match for State funds SECTION XII Budget Control The Board of Commissioners in approving the Budget , have utilized to the fullest extent possible its revenue sources Over collections of revenue or unanticipated revenue sources cannot be expected to materialize during the year It is therefore , of utmost importance , and the County Manager is hereby directed , to initiate steps to insure that the budget as fixed herein is complied with The County Manager is further directed where it appears that costs may possibly exceed budget appropriations , to first take steps to contain costs by any necessary methods including reductions in services , prior to requesting budget amendment action by the Board of Commissioners SECTION XIII The Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Johnston County Tax Administrator to collect taxes for the Towns of Clayton , Smithfield , Four Oaks , Pine Level , Micro , Princeton , Wilson's Mills , Whitley Heights Sanitary District , Moccasin Creek District and Smithfield Downtown Development District in compliance with the contracts adopted by the various governing boards A charge of two percent 2 of all taxes collected for the governmental units will be payable to Johnston County for said billing and collection services SECTION XV Intra governmental Service Financial Plan is approved as follows EXPENSES TELEPHONE OPERATIONS 506,500 HOUSEKEEPING OPERATIONS 490,722 TOTAL 997,222 REVENUES FEES 997,222 TOTAL 997,222 SECTION XVI The Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Tax Administrator to bill and collect taxes for the Whitley Heights Sanitary District and for the Fire Departments listed below and to charge a uniform fee of two percent 2 of all taxes collected on their behalf Archer Lodge Fire District 8 cents Banner Fire District 55cents Bentonville Fire District 7 cents Beulah Kenly Fire District 6 cents Boon Hill Princeton Fire District 5 cents Blackmons Crossroads Fire District 5 cents Brogden Fire District 7 cents Claytex 2 cents Corinth Holder Fire District 8 cents Elevation Fire District 8 cents McLemore - Cleveland Fire District 5 cents Meadow Fire District 6 cents Micro Fire District 8 cents Nahunta Fire District 6 cents Newton Grove Fire District 5 cents Oakland Fire District 5 cents ONeals - Antioch Fire District 8 cents PI - LE 6 cents Selma 8 cents Shoeheel 8 cents Smithfield 8 cents Strickland Crossroads Fire District 6 cents Thanksgiving 6 cents West Johnston Fire District 7 cents Wilsons Mills Fire District 6 cents Wynn Four Oaks Fire District 6 cents 50 - 210 Fire District 5 cents The above amounts are per one hundred dollar valuation of property listed for taxes as of January 1 , 1999 , located within these Special Fire Districts The Board of Commissioners hereby appropriates to the Special Fire Districts , sums collected for the use by the Special Fire Districts in such manner and for such expenditures as is permitted by law from the proceeds of the tax levy The ORDINANCE being duly passed and adopted this 15th day of June , 1999 JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ______________________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman ________________________________________________PagePage pageNumber9487 Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board Chairman James H Langdon , Jr thanked the Board , but pointed out this budget changes the outcome of the County's financial model He charged the Board of Education to recognize they will have to get their budget in line to meet the guide lines set out by the model in order to finance school capital needs He noted the County departments will also have to hold the line as far as expenditures are concerned Commissioner Thomas M Moore thanked Rick Hester , John Massey and the staff for an outstanding job in putting together the budget Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr thanked Mr Hester and Mr Massey for meeting with him and going over the budget to help him understand it since this was his first budget Commissioner Cookie Pope stated she appreciates the staff and congratulated the Board of Education for their conservative budget Commissioner Eleanor N Creech voiced her appreciation for the County employees and reiterated her wish that this Board could have done more for them Board of Elections Director , Teresa Davis , thanked Mr Hester and Mr Massey for helping her with her first budget Registrar of Deeds , Phyllis Wall , noted it would be difficult to explain to her employees about the reduction in the proposed salary increase Italicized insert as corrected 7 6 99 Former County Commissioner , John M Booker , spoke briefly with the Board He congratulated th them on having a budget adopted by June 15 Concerning the anticipated 290,000,000 capital needs for Schools in the next few years , Dr Booker stressed the County will need another source of revenue other than ad valorem tax Unfortunately , the General Assembly does not seem inclined to approve additional taxes such as a 1 sales tax , impact fee or land transfer fee ; therefore , he suggested the Board might ask the State to consider assuming the County's match for medicare and begin adequate reimbursements for housing State inmates He noted the long - time citizens of the County have done their fair share as far as property taxes are concerned , and noted it is not right to continue to ask them to pay for schools for newcomers He stated he would not support a bond issue unless there was a source to pay the debt other than County tax dollars There being no further business , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ____________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman ______________________________ Joyce H Ennis , ClerkPage