November 25, 1997 - 6:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

November 25, 1997The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in Special Joint Session with the Board ofEducation on Tuesday, November 25, 1997, at 630 oclock pm in the Clayton High School cafeteria,Clayton, North Carolina, with the following membersPresent Norman C Denning, Chairman, James W Cash, Vice Chairman, Eleanor N Creech,Cookie Pope, Thomas M Moore, and James H Langdon, JrAbsent Jerry F WoodAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, Joyce H Ennis, Clerk to the Board, Johnston CountyBoard of Education members and State Legislators that represent Johnston CountyFollowing the invocation and dinner, Chairman Norman C Denning called the meeting of theBoard of Commissioners to order Chairman DeVan Barbour called the Board of Educations meeting toorder and the following business was transacted1 Presentation of School Facilities NeedsBoard of Education Chairman, DeVan Barbour, thanked everyone for coming He recognized DrJames Causby, Superintendent of Schools, who presented the new cost estimates for school facilities needsthrough the year 2005Dr Causby noted the Facilities 2000 plan presented in early 1995 has been funded throughlocal and state bonds and securities financing Looking beyond the year 2000, the School Board has nowdeveloped a school capital construction plan for the County through 2005 The new Facilities 2005 planwas developed based on projected growth patterns and capacities of existing and scheduled facilities Heintroduced Ray Taylor and Dr Michael Vasu of OREd Laboratories, who presented the results of acomprehensive demographic and planning study they recently completed for the CountyMr Taylor explained the study consisted of four major categories forecasting, out -of- capacitycharting, optimal location studies and optimal boundary studies He gave a brief explanation of themethods used to formulate the data for the studyDr Vasu, who conducted the land use study for the report, pointed out the areas of the Countywhere rapid and above average growth is anticipated in the next five years Using the out -of- capacitychart, he showed how the different schools would be impacted by this growth Based on the chart, by thefall of 2000, sixteen of the twenty nine schools in the County will be out -of- capacity, and three additionalschools would be beyond capacity the following year By the school year 2006 -07, twenty -one of thetwenty -nine schools would be overcrowdedFollowing discussion about the study, Dr Causby outlined the Facilities 2005 Plan indicatingwhere new construction and renovation would be needed The total estimated cost of the Plan would be139,600,000, based on 5 inflationChairman Norman C Denning congratulated the Board of Education for recognizing the needfor early planning He pointed out the 139+ million really represents much more when you realize thatadditional students in new and renovated facilities also mean greater operating expenses He stressed theCounty must find sources of revenue other than ad valorem taxes to meet these needsBoard of Education member, Kay Carroll, asked that both boards commit themselves to findinga way to meet this challenge He recommended a follow -up meeting be scheduled as soon as possible todiscuss possible funding solutionsChairman Denning asked County Manager, Richard Self, to relate to those present the commentsthat were made by Bond Counsel and the Local Government Commission officials when the last schoolbonds were sold recently Mr Self stated it was recommended the County not consider another bond issueto be paid from ad valorem taxes at this time?? •Following further discussion, Board of Education Chairman, DeVan Barbour, thanked everyonefor being present and stated the two boards will meet again in the near future for further discussion on thismatterUpon a motion by Commissioner Cookie Pope, seconded by Commissioner Eleanor N Creechand carried by unanimous vote, the Board adjourned The Board of Education also adjourned theirmeetingNorman C Denning, ChairmanJoyce K Ennis, ClerkDetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 30449 PMCreated3272003 103414 AMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeSpecialMinutes - Date11251997Book20