June 10, 1998 - 7:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Recessed)

June 10, 1998 - RecessedJune 10, 1998The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in recessed session Wednesday, June 10, 1998,at 700 pm in the Commissioners Room, Johnston County Courthouse Annex, Smithfield, NorthCarolina, with the following membersPresent Norman C Denning, Chairman, James W Cash, Vice Chairman, Jerry F Wood,DDS, Eleanor N Creech, Cookie Pope, Thomas M Moore and James H Langdon, JrAbsent NoneAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, Mark Payne, Attorney, and Joyce H Ennis,Clerk to the BoardThe Chairman called the meeting to order and the following business was transacted1 Budget SessionA Airport AuthorityHarold Keen, chairman ofthe Johnston County Airport Authority, requested an additional 487,000in capital outlay funds to resurface the ramp at the airport and build additional hangars He noted thereis a waiting list of 30 individuals who would like to bring their airplanes to Johnston County, but thereis no space available Eventually, federal reimbursement funds for 52 of the cost would come back tothe County, but this might not occur during this fiscal year With the additional hangars, the Countywould gain property tax revenue and the airport would benefit through lease income and fuel salesIn response to a question by Commissioner Thomas M Moore, the County Manager noted theAirport Authority can borrow funds themselves under the general statutes Board members agreed thismight be the best answerB Sheriffs DepartmentSheriff Freddy Narron addressed the Board concerning his request for additional clerical help Henoted he has asked for no new sworn officers this year because the requested support personnel wouldallow him to place existing officers back on the street where they need to be He pointed out his office hasassumed two new responsibilities in the past few years, animal control and solid waste enforcement, bothof which came to him without clerical helpSheriff Narron noted he has just learned that his office has been awarded a state grant that willprovide one sworn officer and one clerical position for one year at no matching cost from the County Heassured the Board he will apply for second year funding again next year With these new positions, hestated he has been able to reduce his request for clerical help from six to three positionsState Grant AcceptedUpon a motion by Commissioner Jerry F Wood, seconded by Commissioner Eleanor N Creech andcarried by unanimous vote, the Board accepted the state grant for a sworn officer and a clerical positionin the Sheriffs Department and authorized the County Manager to sign the necessary documentsC Board of EducationDr James Causby, Superintendent of Schools, explained that DeVan Barbour, chairman of theBoard of Education, was unable to attend the meeting due to illness in his familyDr Causby shared with the Board this years test results and other statistics showing the schoolsin Johnston County continue to improve, and in some cases, the results surpass the state average Heinformed the Commissioners the School Board is requesting 18,240,524 in current expense funds for thecoming year, 4,013,427 more than the current year He reviewed with the Board the reasons for therequested increase, which included the following major expenses• Salary increase for local teachers to match state increase of 75• Salary increase for other school and administrative office personnel of 4 to match state• Utilities and telephone cost - increase due to new school plus additions to existing schools• Student support personnel such as nurses and social workers• Increase in SACS dues and employer contribution to retirement system• Growth - including increased personnel, supplies, maintenance, equipment92Increase in supplements, longevity bonus - teachers, principals, assistant principalsIncrease in instructional suppliesExpansion of AG programBoard of Education member, Kay Carroll, addressed the request for 466,151 additional capitaloutlay funds over the current years budget, including needs for buildings and sites, furniture andequipment and vehicles He then spoke about the current expense funding needed to increase the Schoolsmaintenance Department by 11 new permanent positions and additional temporary seasonal personnel inorder to properly maintain the existing facilitiesCommissioner James H Langdon, Jr stated that school facility maintenance is one of his greatestconcerns because the County Schools continue to add more buildings without increasing the maintenancebudget He voiced his support for this increase stating, in his opinion, it will pay off in the long runBoard members agreed that proper maintenance is essential They thanked Dr Causby and MrCarroll for their presentationFollowing further discussion, Commissioner Jerry F Wood moved the Board adopt the 1998 -99Budget as proposed with the following increases using unappropriated surplus revenue increase in theschool current expense by 750,000, increase the Tax Department by two positions, one tax appraiser andone administrative support specialist I, and increase the Sheriffs Department by two administrativesupport specialist I positions Commissioner Eleanor N Creech seconded the motionDiscussionCommissioner Thomas M Moore stated he would prefer to reflect on the School Boardspresentation and make a final decision at a later meeting He mentioned the pay plan proposal and notedit was his understanding that the vote on June 1St was not a final vote to adopt the planCommissioner Jerry F Wood stated his motion at the previous meeting was to accept the MAPSProposal Commissioner Eleanor N Creech agreed and emphasized the motion approved the modifiedOption 3 implementation plan as proposed by the County ManagerCommissioner James H Langdon, Jr stated that, in his opinion, the pay plan would not be officiallyapproved until the budget is adopted, however, he understood the Board was making a commitment byapproving Commissioner Woods motion on June 1St Concerning the overall budget, he requested theBoard postpone a decision until a later meeting, stating he had some items he wanted to look at furtherCommissioner Eleanor N Creech noted that any further increase in expenditures would, in heropinion, require a property tax increase She stressed she would love to be able to fund the entire SchoolBoards requests, however the County does not have the moneyFollowing further discussion, Commissioners Langdon, Pope and Moore requested the Board notvote on the budget at this time Commissioner Creech stated she would agree to the postponement ifcoming back and going over the budget further would result in a better outcome for the citizens of theCountyCommissioner Wood withdrew his motion, Commissioner Creech withdrew her secondThere being no further comments at this time, Commissioner Thomas M Moore moved the Boardrecess until Tuesday, June 16, 1998 at 700 pm Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion, whichcarried by unanimous voteNorman C Denning, ChairmanJoyce K Ennis, ClerkDetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 14045 PMCreated3242003 10609 PMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeRecessedMinutes - Date6101998Book21