March 20, 1990 - 7:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners - March 20, 1990March 20, 1990The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, March20, 1990, at-730 pm in the Superior Courtroom, Johnston County Courthouse, Smithfield,North Carolina, for the purpose of meeting jointly with the Johnston County Board of Educationto discuss educational needs The following members were presentNorman C Denning, Chairman, Frank B Holding, Vice Chairman, John M Booker, DVM,James W Cash, Jerry F Wood, DDSAbsent NoneBoard of Education Members Dr Dicky Parrish, Gordan Woodruff, Royster Martin, DeaconJones and Glenda HalesAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, Eleanor N Creech, Clerk to the Board,Joyce H Ennis, Deputy Clerk to the Board, W R Britt, County Attorney, Dr James Ellerbe,Superintendent of SchoolsChairman Norman C Denning called the meeting to order and explained the Board ofCommissioners felt it would be constructive and appropriate to meet with the Board of Educationto help identify educational needs to better enable them to set goals for funding capital outlayprojects He commented that anyone who wished to speak would have the opportunity to do sofollowing discussion between the two boardsDr Dicky Parrish, School Board Chairman, commented that the Board of Education feelsthey have already identified those needs and have presented their requests to the Board ofCommissioners for consideration, and these needs are unchanged until the Board of Education hassome idea from the Board of Commissioners as to what the new funding will be, they can not beany more specific The older schools continue to need a tremendous amount of maintenance andnew State and Federal safety regulations demand more of the capital outlay budget each yearBoard of Education members expressed much concern about the lack of progress being madetoward school construction and capital outlay funding, emphasizing they had identified variousneeds throughout the County and had come up with a plan and cost estimate of 47 million Theonly change in this amount is the 10 million critical needs money that has been provided forJohnston County School Board members indicated that it will be difficult to set up prioritieswithout knowing what kind of budget figure they will have to work with next yearAfter much discussion, Commissioner Frank B Holding moved that 5 million be committedto the schools capital outlay budget for the next fiscal year, beginning July 1, 1990; thisamount to include the school maintenance budget Commissioner Holding further moved thiscommitment is to be done without a tax rate increaseCommissioner James W Cash seconded the motionDiscussion of MotionCommissioner John M Booker expressed concern regarding the effect this commitment willhave on the County budgetGordon Woodruff stressed that with a 5 million capital outlay budget, they can notmaintain the schools capital outlay needs and build a new school even with the 3 million inhand that is uncommitted, because of the number of projects that need immediate attention Withthis reserve and the increased amount from the Board of Commissioners it would take about threeyears to build a new school and at this funding rate another five years after that to buildanother new schoolChairman Denning conveyed his interest and thoughts about the tax rate and priorcommitments of this Board to keep the same tax rate and at the same time help the Board ofEducation build a new school every two years He continued that bricks and mortar are not theonly needs of our school system, children need to be in the right frame of mind and willing toaccept the educational opportunities afforded themThe Board of Commissioners main thoughts are to be able to answer many of the countysneeds, keeping in mind being able to live within the tax rate means of a 5 million dollarcommitmentIn further discussion of the 5 million dollar commitment, there were questions abouthow much new money the Commissioners are talking about Commissioner Holding explained it meansthe capital outlay budget will be 12 million larger than last yeariMarch 20, 1990 ContinuedThe School Board questioned whether the Board of Commissioners would be cutting thecurrent expense budget in order to increase the capital outlay budget It was explained theCommissioners had not discussed cutting the current expense budget, but until the total tax baseis determined, and the entire county budget considered, the Board would be unable to make afinal decision on the total school budget for the next fiscal year However, they did expressthat it will be necessary to be tight on the operation budgetCommissioner John M Booker again called attention to county commitments, and what the5 million dollar commitment will mean to the up- coming budget and tax rateGordon Woodruff proposed that the additional 12 million, if given on an annual basis,in his opinion could service a debt on a 20 or 25 million bond issue that would build at leastthree new schools, without a tax increase, and to use the usual capital outlay budget forsmaller projects; however, if this increase in capital outlay means a loss of current expense inthe instructional program it could be very harmful to the school systemIn discussion of Bond Issues for School Capital Outlay projects, the School BoardChairman explained they would not be asking the Board of Commissioners for another Bond Issuewithout their total commitment of supportCommissioner John M Booker pledged his support to try and find the increase in capitaloutlay, agreeing there is merit in Commissioner Holdings motion However, he advised theChairman that he would be voting against the motion, as he questions how this capital outlayincrease will be fundedSchool Board Member, Deacon Jones, wanted to be sure that Commissioner Holdings motiondid not say cut the current expense budget Commissioner Holding assured the School Board thatthe word cut was not in the motionThere being no further discussion, the Chairman called for a vote on CommissionerHoldings motion; the motion carried by the following vote;Ayes Frank B Holding, Jerry F Wood, James W Cash and Norman C DenningNo John M BookerSchool Board Chairman, Dr Dicky Parrish, asked that the School Board be furnishedinformation on what the Countys Capital Projects are, current on -going or anticipated beingon- going , other than school projectsDr Parrish also asked that the Board of Commissioners address the method of disbursingcapital outlay funds to the Johnston County School system He requested a review and change inthe funding mechanism, since he felt that the present methods have become burdensome for theSchool Finance Director and they are loosing interest on funds Chairman Denning assured DrParrish the School Board would get a response within the next ten daysGlenda Hales, School Board Member, emphasized that regardless of what has beenappropriated or committed to the County School System, the responsibility lies with the Board ofEducation to see that every child has the very best education opportunity regardless of whatkind of facility they are in now It is the School Boards responsibility to do with whateverdollars are available, whether it be looking at current expense or capital outlaySeveral citizens spoke relative to school needsDenton Lee - Cleveland Community spoke relative to growth in this area of the county;Cleveland School enrollment is now 689, the school was built for 525; Mr Lee responded that hehas not heard anything that encourages him to look for a new school or new classrooms anytime inthe near future for ClevelandConnie Jeffries - asked the boards to make decisions based on what is to the bestinterest of every child, for the future, and for the citizens who have to bear the burden ofthose decisionsIn closing this meeting, Chairman Denning thanked the people for coming and showing aninterest He assured them that both boards would be working very hard at budget time to meetevery need possibleUpon a motion by Commissioner Jerry F Wood, seconded by Commissioner John M Bookerand carried, the Board adjournedEleanor N Creech, Cle to the Board539DetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 22416 PMCreated3312003 72144 AMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeSpecialMinutes - Date3201990Book18