June 10, 2019 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 857 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners June 10 , 2019 Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , June 10 , 2019 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman Ted G Godwin , Vice Chairman Chad M Stewart , Jeffrey P Carver , Larry Wood , Tony Braswell , Patrick E Harris , and RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr Absent None Also Present County Manager Rick J Hester , Clerk to the Board Paula G Woodard , Finance Officer and Assistant County Manager J Chad McLamb , County Attorney Jennifer J Slusser , and Paralegal Deputy Clerk to the Board Dana Cuddington Chairman Ted G Godwin called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and announced the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed Fiscal Year 2019 - 2020 County budget and related budget matters 1 Johnston County Schools – Fiscal Year 2018 - 2019 Request for Funding Superintendent Dr Ross Renfrow appeared before the Board and reiterated a request from the June 3 , 2019 meeting for an additional 15 million to help Johnston County Schools finish out Fiscal Year 2018 - 2019 Dr Renfrow reported that based on the most current information from Johnston County Schools Finance Director Art Stanley , they still need 15 million to finish out the fiscal year Dr Renfrow stated information has been provided to the Commissioners regarding how the funds would be used and he offered to answer any questions Motion to allocate 15 million to Johnston County Schools for Fiscal Year 2018 - 2019 Commissioner Chad M Stewart stated he has reviewed the information from Johnston County Schools and feels there is a need for the additional funds Commissioner Stewart moved the Board approve an allocation in the amount of 15 million to Johnston County Schools for Fiscal Year 2018 - 2019 Commissioner Tony Braswell seconded the motion , which carried unanimously Chairman Ted G Godwin stated the understanding is that any funds not spent from the 15 million allocation would be returned to the County 2 Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield Jeff Jennings , Chairman of the Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield Board of Trustees , addressed the Board Mr Jennings shared photographs with the Board of recent renovations to the Library’s meeting room and stated they are excited to begin sharing that improved space with the community Mr Jennings thanked Building & Grounds Director Daniel Clifton along with his staff for their work on the improvements Mr Jennings introduced Miss Lillian Barbour , a student in Johnston County , who volunteers at the Library Miss Barbour spoke to the Board on the importance of the Library and shared what she has learned through volunteering Miss Barbour further spoke on Library activities available to young people and praised the staff for their dedication Miss Barbour stated she will always treasure the memories she has made at the Library Mr Jennings informed the Board that there are 38,000 students and teachers who now have access to online resources through the NC Kids Student Access Program , which launched in May through a collaboration with Johnston County Public Schools and the affiliated libraries in the County Mr Jennings spoke on how the program works and how it benefits student learning Mr Jennings reported that Library Director Margaret Marshall will be retiring at the end of June and the Board of Trustees have selected a new Library Director , Renita Barksdale , who will begin in January Mr Jennings stated they are excited to have Ms Barksdale as the new Director , but they will greatly miss Ms Marshall and sincerely appreciate all the contributions she has made to the Library Mr Jennings thanked the Board of Commissioners for their support to the Library and the Board of Trustees Page858 June 10 , 2019 – 6 00 pm Continued At the inquiry of Chairman Ted G Godwin , Mr Jennings stated it appears the County Manager has addressed their needs for Fiscal Year 2019 - 2020 in his proposed budget Mr Jennings noted there are still some underserved areas within the County where they would like to provide more services Upon a question from Commissioner Chad M Stewart , Mr Jennings stated the Library’s funding comes from the State , the County , and the Town of Smithfield He noted the County also provides more than just funding with things like Human Resources matters Mr Jennings thanked Human Resources Director Lu Hickey for her assistance to the Board of Trustees in finding a new Library Director Upon a question by Commissioner Tony Braswell , Mr Jennings stated once the new Library Director begins work in January , the Board of Trustees would like to sit down with her , look at a strategic plan , and then hopefully they would have a better idea of funding needs at that time 3 Special Olympics of Johnston County Carolyn Stafford , Volunteer Coordinator for the Special Olympics of Johnston County , addressed the Board and requested funding to help support their activities Ms Stafford stated the number of athletes participating in the Special Olympics is increasing every year and they now serve over 600 individuals She noted because of the increased numbers , they now hold their event over a two - day period Ms Stafford spoke on the costs associated with putting on the event and noted that some of their past sponsored funding may not be available next year Ms Stafford requested the Board to consider allocating 10,000 to the Special Olympics of Johnston County Commissioner Tony Braswell agreed with Ms Stafford on the increase in athletes over the years and he thanked her and all the volunteers for what they do 4 Partnership for Children of Johnston County Partnership for Children Executive Director Dwight Morris provided the Board with information regarding the Grade - Level Reading Campaign Initiative Project and stated they are once again seeking 25,000 from the County to help continue this project Mr Morris stated their Early Learning Coordinator is working diligently with all appropriate entities to address literacy gaps across the County Mr Morris spoke on their efforts through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to get books in the hands of children in Johnston County , stating they have provided books to over 6,200 children He offered to answer any questions The Board thanked Mr Morris for the information and for their work 5 Clayton Community Recreational Foundation – Harmony Playground Project Dean Penny , Board of Directors Chairman for the Clayton Community Recreational Foundation , addressed the Board to reiterate a request previously made in March for funding to help construct the Harmony Playground Project Mr Penny stated their goal was to raise 800,000 for the project and to date they have solid commitments totaling 685,000 Mr Penny requested the County to consider allocating 100,000 to the project and noted with that allocation , they believe they can begin construction in October Mr Penny stated it is their hopes the park will be a draw for citizens from all over the County and he noted there are over 10,000 children with special needs in the overall community At the inquiry of Commissioner Chad M Stewart , Mr Penny stated the Town of Clayton is providing land for the park as well as improvements to the parking and restroom facilities He also noted the Town of Clayton would assume the maintenance of the park once it is constructed 6 Soil & Water Conservation District Don Rogers , Doug Lee , and Charles Hill with the Johnston Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors , addressed the Board along with staff members James Massey , Director and Betty Whitley , Assistant Director Mr Rogers asked the Board to consider allocating additional funding to the Soil & Water Conservation District for the purchase of a new truck Mr Rogers reported their office currently has a 1998 F250 Ford truck that has had mechanical issues over the last few years He noted on its most recent inspection , Fleet Maintenance Director Larry Braswell advised the office that he recommends surplusing the vehicle due to its age and condition Mr Rogers stated having a reliable vehicle is vital for the staff to carry out State andPage859 June 10 , 2019 – 6 00 pm Continued Federal conservation programs as well as provide technical assistance to the County’s citizens Mr Rogers stated if the request is approved , this would be the first and only new vehicle the office has ever had in its history He thanked the Board and offered to answer any questions Commissioner Chad M Stewart asked how much the new truck would cost Mr Rogers stated they have received a quote in the amount of 32,800 for a truck that would be a suitable replacement 7 Smithfield Rescue Mission Howard Dozier , Chair of the Smithfield Rescue Mission Board of Directors , thanked the Board for their past support Mr Dozier stated the County’s support helps more people in more ways to rebuild their lives Mr Dozier introduced Staff Member Kate Rodriguez who shared an account of domestic violence from a former client with the Board Ms Rodriguez stated through their services , the client has been able to get an apartment , continue her education , and is now pursuing a Master’s Degree Ms Rodriguez thanked the Board for their continued support Executive Director Ben Olsen provided the Board with a list of capital improvements , equipment , and staffing needs and requested 22,500 from the County Mr Olsen reported last year , the Rescue Mission served 271 individuals , provided 6,221 nights of lodging , and served 30,800 meals He stated 46 individuals found employment and 41 individuals moved into independent housing Mr Olsen stated they are seeing people stay for shorter amounts of time because more are finding employment Mr Olsen stated one of the issues they see is people lacking the confidence to find a career He spoke on a new program called “ Jobs for Life ” that they hope to start later in the year to help people find a career so they can earn a more stable income and support their families Mr Olsen thanked the Board for their support and offered to answer any questions At the inquiry of Chairman Ted G Godwin , Mr Olsen confirmed that the women and children’s home is in operation 8 Funding for First Responder Fire Departments At the request of Commissioner Chad M Stewart , Director of Emergency Services Kevin Hubbard provided the Board with information regarding funding for the first responder fire departments Mr Hubbard stated there are two sources of funding for the first responder fire departments He stated each first responder fire department receives a base stipend each year of 5,500 Mr Hubbard stated there are currently 20 first responder fire departments in the County out of the total 24 fire departments Mr Hubbard continued that there is also a budget line item containing “ per call ” money , which is divided amongst all 24 fire departments based on how many calls they respond to within the year Mr Hubbard stated all 24 fire departments receive the per call money because even though four of the fire departments are not a first responder franchise , they still assist with code blue calls , cardiac calls , and EMS assist calls Mr Hubbard noted last year , the Board increased the base stipend Mr Hubbard stated if there is an opportunity to add any additional funds this year , he would recommend it be split so that all fire departments would see a benefit Upon a question by Commissioner Tony Braswell , Mr Hubbard stated Bentonville Fire Department , Brogden Fire Department , Strickland’s Crossroads Fire Department , and 50 - 210 Fire Department are currently the four departments that do not have a first responder franchise Mr Hubbard stated 50 - 210 eventually plans to have a franchise , but the other three departments are in very rural areas of the County although they still respond to calls when requested 9 Additional Citizen Comments April Lee , 182 Coaster Court , Angier , McGee’s Crossroads Area , addressed the Board and stated she was speaking as a parent , teacher , life - long resident of Johnston County , and the President of the Johnston County Association of Educators Ms Lee shared statistical information with the Board regarding per pupil expenditures as well as average school size and how Johnston County compares with other counties across the State Ms Lee stated she feels Johnston County is lacking and that funding public schools is not the biggest priority of the Legislature , which means the gap falls back to the local governments Ms Lee spoke on education funding increases in Wake , Mecklenburg , and Franklin Counties even though the increases requiredPage860 June 10 , 2019 – 6 00 pm Continued the counties to raise taxes Ms Lee also spoke on the disparities in Average Daily Membership funding and she asked the Board help meet the needs of the students The Board discussed the statistical information with Ms Lee County Manager Rick Hester noted that the most recent North Carolina Public School forum newsletter ranks Johnston County fifth in the State of North Carolina in the “ relative effort ” category for school current expense funding He stated relative effort combines a County’s ability to pay with their effort Jennifer Medlin , 105 York Lane , Clayton , and Margie Riedel , 182 Ainsley Court , Clayton , both teachers within Johnston County , addressed the Board Ms Medlin and Ms Riedel each spoke on their own personal experiences teaching in Johnston County and how they have used their own money to purchase books for their students Ms Medlin stated the enrollment numbers continue to increase every year and she is concerned as to how they will be able to obtain the books and supplies necessary to teach their classes They asked the Board to support education in Johnston County Ken Taylor , 1755 Gordon Road , Clayton , shared information with the Board regarding a book he is currently reading and in particular one part of the book that made him think of the County’s budget Mr Taylor stated he hopes that the County department heads do not operate with an attitude of “ use it or lose it ” , and further , he hopes they are encouraged to return any funds left over rather than spend the money on something else just because it is available Chairman Ted G Godwin noted he frequents the County department head meetings and he can say that the department heads are encouraged by the County Manager to not only provide excellent customer service , but to be prudent and always remember it is the taxpayers ’ dollars Assistant County Manager and Finance Director Chad McLamb stated the County’s Fiscal Year 2018 - 2019 budget was 228 million , but the County is only projected to spend about 218 million , which means the County’s departments have managed to save approximately 10 million this fiscal year Mr McLamb reported those left over funds will go back into reserves There being no further business , Commissioner Larry Wood moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Chad M Stewart seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 10 pm Ted G Godwin , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage