March 25, 1996 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

March 25, 1996The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday,March 25,1996, at 600 oclock pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room, Johnston CountyCourthouse Annex, Smithfield, North Carolina, with the following membersPresent Norman C Denning, Chairman, John M Booker, Vice Chairman, Jerry FWood, Cecil M Massengill, Eleanor N Creech and Cookie PopeAbsent James W CashAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, and Joyce H Ennis, Clerk to the BoardThe Chairman called the meeting to order and the following business was transacted1 Financing UpdateGeorge Woodall, Investment Partner with JC Bradford Company, discussed withthe Board the Countys existing debt service and how this will be affected by the upcomingissuance of 50 Million General Obligation School Bonds and Certificates of ParticipationHe pointed out the currently approved 28 Million COPs does not include the cost ofissuance An additional amount, not to exceed 4 million, is needed to cover this cost,including one years principal and interest, which must be set aside and not touched until thefinal payment of the Certificates Interest earning on this amount should offset interestexpense He showed graphs representing the current and long -range debt, and suggested theBoard might wish to extend the life of the COPs in order to allow more flexibility for futureneedsMr Woodall explained he, Richard Self, and Finance Director, John Massey havemet with the Local Government Commission and representatives from both Standard Poors and Moodys bond rating agencies All three recommended the County finance theCertificates of Participation over a 25 year period with the option of calling the debt at theend of 10 years He noted the difference between the payments could be placed in a reservefund to pay off the debt in 10 yearsChairman Norman C Denning stated that although he understood the wisdom ofdoing this, he would not favor putting long -term debt on a future Board He stressed hewould only agree if the money was set aside with every intention of paying the debt in 10years as originally plannedCommissioner John M Booker voiced concern that the County has had to incur somuch debt, but had little choice when the Kenly School burned and the condition of theCorinth Holder School deteriorated beyond repair He agreed the COPs should be paidin 10 years as planned, if at all possible, but also noted that if there is any way to do so, hewould favor reducing the amount of the debt2 New Health Facility and Hospital Emergency RoomThe Board discussed the proposed site for the new Johnston County Health Centeras it relates to the Hospital Emergency Room and the Mental Health Department TheCounty Manager stated there is concern that if the new facility is built as proposed, it willaffect accessibility to Mental Health for non - ambulatory patientsDr Leonard Woodall, Health Director, spoke about the advantages of building theHealth Department at the proposed site in order to co -exist and share services with the newemergency room facility He stated a single entrance and lobby is planned where patientscould be seen by a nurse and then sent either to the Health Department for primary, non -urgent and wellness care or, if the problem appeared more serious, sent to the EmergencyRoom for further diagnosis and or treatment This would lighten the patient load in theemergency room since so many of the people they currently see do not need emergencytreatment He noted this should be a cost saving to both the Hospital and the County, andwould better meet the needs of the citizens261Lee Farnell, President of Johnston Memorial Hospital, stated this is a unique conceptto coordinate the two departments in this manner He noted the Duke Endowment Fund hasindicated that, even though they no longer award grants for emergency rooms, they mightconsider some assistance since this idea is so innovativeCommissioner John M Booker voiced concern that operating together would causeadministrative and accounting problems as the Hospital and Health Department are suchdifferent entities The Hospital is patient pay, whereas the Health Department is funded fromstate, federal and local dollars He pointed out that in past years when he served on theMental Health Board, the Hospital often stated that the Mental Health Department wascosting them money, however, when the Mental Health Board asked for an accounting ofthese losses, documentation was never produced He noted it is his understanding that thiscontinues to be the situation Commissioner Creech confirmed that this is trueMr Farnell stated he had not heard of this and would be glad to provide the Countywith a thorough auditing, complete with documentation of all expenses, general costs,revenue and write -offs associated with the Mental Health Department He also stated it isunderstood that, in the future, a detailed costs analysis could be presented to the County ona regular basisDr Dan Searcy, Mental Health Director, stated the proposed building would notleave enough room for vehicles to bring non - ambulatory patients to the entrance of theMental Health Department Patients, regardless of their condition, would have to walk orbe brought across the road approximately 80 to 90 yards to get in the building He statedthere is no other suitable access to his building, and to provide one would require majoralterationsCommissioner Eleanor N Creech, who serves as Chairman of the Mental HealthBoard, expressed her concern with the problems this would cause patients She pointed outthe Mental Health Clients Rights Committee has also voiced their concern about the lack ofaccessibility to Mental HealthCommissioner Jerry F Wood stated he would not vote for the building to beconstructed at the proposed site unless an answer can be worked out for Mental HealthChairman Denning stated, in his opinion, this can be done He instructed the CountyManager, Dr Searcy, Dr Woodall and Lee Farnell to find a solutionDr John Guha, Medical Director of the Emergency Room at the Johnston MemorialHospital, elaborated on the current situation with emergency room care and explained howthe hospital wishes to improve services He stated, in his opinion,the proposed sharedservices with the County Health Department would be beneficial to everyoneThere being no further business, Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Boardadjourn Commissioner John M Booker seconded the motion, which carried by unanimousvoteNorman C Denning, ChairmanJoyce K Ennis, ClerkDetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 22430 PMCreated492003 104049 AMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeSpecialMinutes - Date3251996Book20