April 13, 1999 - 6:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 379 April 13 , 1999 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday , April 13 , 1999 , at 6 30 pm in the Emergency Operations Center , Johnston County Law Enforcement Center , 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 , and John R Massey , Finance Officer Chairman Langdon called the meeting to order , and the following business was transacted County Department Presentations 1 Register of Deeds Phyllis Wall , Registrar of Deeds , addressed the Board concerning the services her department provides for the citizens of the County All records concerning real estate transactions , births , deaths , and marriages in the County are recorded in her office Also , her office will record and file if requested , any notarized documents , certified copies from another registrar , UCC's , veterans discharges and other veterans documents Ms Wall explained her department is funded by fees collected for the various services she provides He pointed out , however , that the fees are set by General Statute and in many cases , only a portion remains with the County while the rest is sent to the State In response to a question concerning a possible land transfer tax and how her office could handle the additional workload , Ms Wall noted that traditionally county tax offices handle the collection of land transfer taxes The Board thanked Ms Wall for her presentation 2 Public Utilities Haywood Phthisic , Director of Operations for the Public Utilities Department , addressed issues concerning solid waste and the landfill operation He pointed out on a map the various current and future phases of the landfill , including proposed areas for expansion that are presently being considered If the plans can be implemented as projected , the life of the landfill could be between 30 and 35 years In response to a question about privatizing this service , Mr Phthisic noted the Board looked at this matter several years ago before proceeding with the new Subtitle - D lined landfill , and found that privatization would be more expensive Mr Phthisic explained the tipping fee charged at the landfill covers the cost of operation of the landfill , and the sale of decals covers the cost of disposing solid waste carried to the manned collection sites throughout the County The cost of operating the sites , however , is subsidized by the General Fund Currently the tipping fee is 36 per ton , and cost of decals is 57 The major issue facing the landfill operation is the need for additional adjacent land to provide cover material for the cells , to assure the leachate created by the old landfill stays contained on County property , and to prevent the encroachment of development that might bring residential homes closer to the site Engineer Tim Broome discussed the County's water and sewer services and stormwater management He noted the County operates a 4 million gallon per day gpd water plant and has approximately 350 miles of water mains throughout the County Currently there are approximately 3000 retail customers , but by July , the number will exceed 5000 as additional water districts are operational Page380 He briefly outlined the County's wastewater operation and noted that staff is waiting for guidance from the Board concerning policy for extending sewer service to various areas of the County Mr Broome presented a Utilities Department Profile , which described and gave budget information for the department's various operations He also provided 10 - year Capital Improvement Plans for Water Facilities , Wastewater Facilities , and Solid Waste , and went over issues and concerns in each area The Board thanked Mr Broome and Mr Phthisic for their presentation 3 Mental Health Dr Dan Searcy , Mental Health Director , gave a brief presentation on his agency He noted his operation is an agent of the State and provides services required by the State Johnston County Area Mental Health provides both inpatient and outpatient services for the mentally ill , the developmentally disabled , and persons suffering from substance abuse The agency also provides several vocational services including the operation of the green house at the Community College and the thrift store in Selma Plans are being made to also open a deli in the near future The Mental Health Department is funded by federal , state and local monies with the County providing approximately 15 of the total budget They have an active case load of around 2000 , 47 of which are adults , 22 children , 14 developmentally disabled , and 17 substance abuse He noted the greatest issue that must be faced is future funding for these services The federal government is planning to put a cap on their contributions and the State continues to reduce their funding He voiced concern about the increasing number of medicaid patients In response to a question , Dr Searcy noted he has a full time staff of approximately 90 , which includes around the clock staff for the hospital 4 Inspections Department C P Thompson , Chief Building Inspector , addressed the Board concerning his department He noted the Inspections Department serves every citizen in the County by providing fire inspections for every business and periodic inspections of all schools , rest homes , day - care , foster care homes and county - owned buildings The department issued 15,490 building permits in 1998 They review all construction plans - residential and commercial , review site plans for zoning requirements , make sure each project has the proper septic tank permit or water sewer permit , enforce building codes , provide damage assessments in the event of disasters , and enforce certain County adopted ordinances The also work closely with both the County Planning Office and Environmental Health , as well as the State Department of Insurance on Code changes , interpretations and plan reviews for licensing schools Mr Thompson conducts code update classes for contractors and individuals The Inspections Department is funded by permit fees and reinspection fees Mr Thompson stated he will be requesting an increase in permit fees which will help offset the cost of the additional inspectors approved by the Board recently This would be the first increase in permit fees since 1997 , and would put the County's fees more in line with the surrounding area Board members asked Mr Thompson if he has be able to hire qualified inspectors in the new positions In response Mr Thompson pointed out that the way the MAP's classification and pay scale was set up , this has not been possible In discussion , it was noted that Administration and the Human Resources staff are currently looking at this matter and will have some recommendations in the near future The Board thanked Mr Thompson and his staff for the job they are doing for the County 5 Airport Roy Dixon , Airport Manager , spoke with the Board concerning the Johnston County Airport All types of aircraft use the Airport facility from home - built , small single and twin engine aircraft to jet aircraft The Airport serves local area industries , and provides service for life flights to and from the local hospital The facility provides fuel for military aircraft on cross - country flights and is a base operating facility for law enforcement and emergency personnel during disasters Many other services are provided such as avionics sales , repair service , crop duster sales and service and schools through the Community College for classroom and flight instructions He noted that 9 million has been spentPage381 on the Airport since 1986 and the facility is now considered one of the most modern airports in North Carolina The Airport operation is funded by income from services provided including fuel sales , corporate and T - hanger leases , maintenance hanger leases , tie - downs and land rentals Eighty percent of the capital outlay funding for the Airport comes from the FAA through the Aviation Trust Fund The State provides 20 percent and the County contribution is 10 This year the Airport is requesting 443,000 capital outlay funds from the County , 63,000 to match Federal and State grant monies and 300,000 to construct a large hanger with offices The funds should be recovered in approximately 7 years , and could be reduced if additional federal grant money is awarded The Board thanked Mr Dixon for his report There being no further comments , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Thomas M Moore seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ____________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman ______________________________ Joyce H Ennis , ClerkPage