June 13, 1990 - 7:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Recessed)

June 13, 1990The Johnston County Board of Commissioners reconvened regular session Wednesday, June13, 1990, at 730 pm in the Commissioners Room, Johnston County Courthouse Annex, Smithfield,North Carolina, with the following members presentNorman C Denning, Chairman, Frank B Holding, Vice Chairman, James W Cash, John MBooker, DVM, and Jerry F Wood, DDSAbsent NoneAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, Eleanor N Creech, Clerk to the Board,and Joyce H Ennis, Deputy Clerk to the BoardThe Chairman called the meeting to order and the following business was transacted1 Report of Legislative BriefingCommissioners James W Cash and Jerry F Wood reported on the Legislative Briefing theyattended in Raleigh Commissioner Cash said the General Assembly is still considering areduction in the reimbursements to local governments to offset lost local property taxes whichwere exempted in 1987 He also noted the State is proposing to phase out appropriations toschools for energy cost and custodial salaries which would shift the burden to countygovernmentsCommissioner Wood commented there is some indication and hope the reimbursementreduction might be less than the 10 originally proposedCounty Manager, Richard Self, stressed this is not shared revenue, but non - expandingtax base being taken away from the counties2 Budget Review - Sheriffs DepartmentSheriff Freddy Narron met with the Board to discuss budget requests for his departmentHe expressed appreciation for 1989 -90 appropriations, especially in setting up the Drug AbuseResistance Education Program DARE He discussed needs for 1990 -91 in the following areasa i a?June 13, 1990 Continued1 Drug Buy Money - to be used in drug campaigns The Sheriff explained that 60,000confiscated drug money awarded to his department is being held pending courtsettlement2 Jail Expense especially in the area of food cost Sheriff Narron said overallcost for the County is 2700 per day, per inmate, and State reimbursement is only1250 per day; 30 -day terms or less - no reimbursement3 Training and Certification Costs for deputies and jailers4 Special Deputies5 Maintenance on equipment6 Capital Outlay Needs - Vehicles and portable radiosSheriff Narron concluded his department cannot afford to operate at less than lastyears level He remarked one of the greatest problems is keeping good, trained employees, notinga loss of 20 jailers in the last twelve months After being trained and certified by JohnstonCounty, all have gone to similar jobs with higher pay He urged the Board to seriously considercost -of- living salary increases; We need your help in keeping our good County employees3 Budget Review - Social ServicesIn discussing the budget for the Department of Social Services, the Board asked DSSDirector, Earl Marett, to explain the new JOBS program which will be implemented as a result ofthe Family Reform Act He explained the new program will be 95 funded by the Federal governmentand is mandated by July 1, 1991; however the local department is being asked to begin in April,1991For qualified AFDC recipients, the program will place emphasis on education and jobsParticipants will face reduced assistance if they are not actively involved in work, school or atraining programMr Marett also noted the AFDC case load is growing dramatically, and demands forspecial assistance are higher4 Budget Review - Health DepartmentSteve Strickland, Administrative Officer from the Health Department, spoke of theefforts being made by Health Department staff to increase efficiency and productivity He saidthe staff is willing to work toward these goals, however, there is a need for salary increasesin order to be competitive with other job opportunities and reduce employee turnover He notedit takes up to six months to fill a vacancy, and an additional six to eight months to trainpersonnel He asked the Board to seriously consider pay increases in order to keep good countyemployees on staff5 Budget DiscussionThe Board continued discussion regarding various areas of the budget including theSanitation Department and plans for future container and compaction sites The County Managerreviewed additional positions requested in the budgetChairman Norman C Denning emphasized concern regarding pay raises discussed for Countyemployees, as compared to increases for school personnel The Chairman said, A good employee isa good employee, as far as Im concerned, wherever they are He asked other Board members togive County employees equal consideration6 Wayne Stewart - Candidate Johnston County Board of EducationChairman Denning recognized Wayne Stewart, candidate for the Johnston County Board ofEducation, and invited him to address the Board Candidate Stewart spoke briefly of his goalsas a potential member of the Johnston County School BoardUpon a motion by Comnissioner Jerry F Wood, seconded by Commissioner John M Bookerand carried by unanimous vote, the Board recessed until Monday, June 18, 1990, at 730 pmNorman C Denning, Chairmanyce Ii Ennis, Deputy Clerkir9DetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 14455 PMCreated3312003 81756 AMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeRecessedMinutes - Date6131990Book18