) STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT
COUNTY OF STOKES ) DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA
) JUNE 7, 2007
The Board of
Commissioners of the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, met
for a Budget Work Session which included a joint meeting with Board of
Education regarding
the Proposed Fiscal Year 2007-08 County Budget in the Commissioners’
Chambers of the
Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Building (Administrative Building)
located in Danbury,
North Carolina on Thursday, June 7, 2007 at 2:00 pm with the following
members present:
Chairman
Leon Inman
Vice-Chairman
Jimmy Walker
Commissioner Ron
Carroll
Commissioner
Ernest Lankford
Commissioner
Stanley Smith
County
Personnel in Attendance:
County
Manager K. Bryan Steen
Clerk
to the Board Darlene Bullins
Finance Director
Julia Edwards
Board
of Education/Stokes County School Personnel present:
Chairperson
Sonya Cox
Vice
Chairperson Steve Shelton
Board Member Becky Boles
Board Member Bill Hart
Board Member Yvonne Rutledge
Superintendent Dr. Larry
Cartner
Assistant Superintendent Debbie
Merritt
Finance Officer Lanette Moore
Director of Operations David
Burge
Chairman Leon Inman called the Board of
Commissioners’ meeting to order.
Chairperson Sonya Cox called the Board of
Education’s meeting to order.
Commissioner Lankford delivered the
invocation.
Chairman Inman opened
the meeting by inviting the citizens in attendance to
join both Boards with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Board of
Education - Proposed 2007-08 Budget
Dr. Cartner discussed
the following issues as related to the proposed 2007-08 County
Manager’s budget recommendations for Stokes County School System:
(Board Members were
presented with an informational packet outlining issues pertaining to
the Board of Education’s
proposed 2007-08 budget)
|
Current
Expense Request from BOE |
$
11,512,917.00 |
|
Current
Expense Recommended by County Manager |
$
10,218,584.00 |
|
Difference
(Decrease) |
$
1,294,333.00 |
|
|
|
|
Final
Budget 2006-07 |
$
9,798,494.00 |
|
County
Manager's Recommendation 2007-08 |
$
10,218,584.00 |
|
Difference
(Increase) |
$
420,090.00 |
Chairperson Cox
noted the following:
·
Request the School System moved forward and not backwards
Vice Chairperson
Steve Shelton noted the following:
·
Current Expense is very important to keep the school system moving
forward
·
Disapproves of using ADM funding for retiring indebtedness of school
bonds
·
Need a tax increase to provide the needs for the entire county
The Board, unanimously agreed, this Board’s
intentions were to work together with the
Board to Education to provide the best education possible for the
students of Stokes County
and strives to build up the fund balance to prepare for a future bond
referendum.
Members of the
Board of Education discussed the following issues with the
Board of Commissioners:
Capital Outlay
·
Exterior and Landscaping, Renovations, Equipment, & Vehicles needed
for 18 schools in the County
·
Proposed 2007-08 Capital Outlay Budget
·
Consider possibility of leasing instead of purchasing the “Pod” for the
renovations at Meadowbrook - this would free up funding recommended
by the County
Manager for the renovations for other capital outlay projects
·
Safety issues pertaining to bleachers at various schools within the
County
·
Need for immediate renovations and repairs at various schools in the
county instead of waiting to include these items in a bond referendum
·
Need for asbestos abatement in some schools- tile and carpet worn and
must be taken up
·
Mandated three year update from an outside group being performed this
year pertaining to documentation of any location that contains asbestos in any
school
·
Use of State Public School Building Capital Fund to retire indebtedness
of old school bonds
·
Future bond referendum
·
Resurfacing of athletic tracks which are also used by citizens
·
South Stokes is unable to hold conference and regional track events due
to safety issues of the track – this puts all conference and regional events at
North Stokes every year for their respective conference
·
Purchase of the Robertson Property, which adjoins Lawsonville
Elementary School – 20.36 acres for $180,000.
This amount has been already deducted from the Lottery funds. Information has been sent to the Board of
Commissioners for approval to purchase the land and be included in the 2007-08
budget
·
Lighting at West Stokes High School for baseball and tennis courts –
possible funding comparable to funding given to other schools within the county
for similar projects
Current Expense
·
Need for the .5% increase for the local supplement
·
Need for supplement to recruit and retain teachers
·
Need for implementation of salary scale for non-certified employees
based on years of experience
·
Cost of School Resource Officers- schools only have use of the officers
for 10 months – request consideration that school system be responsible for
their salaries – cost of uniforms, vehicles, equipment, benefits, etc. paid
from the Sheriff Department’s budget
·
Need for two additional school nurse positions
·
Need for more personnel for guidance counselor services in elementary
schools
·
Increases in employee benefits, utilities, fuel, etc
Other Issues
·
State funding allocation for schools – undetermined at the present time
·
State/Local paid teaching positions
·
Mandatory Discretionary funding was not taken back last year by the
State, $289,000 (budgeted last year) was redirected for use in the schools such
as library allotment
·
Projected state allocation eliminates 4 teaching positions
·
High School Reform mandates are starting to be effective which requires
extra funding to implement programs
·
Teacher coaching positions implemented last year helped to mentor new
teachers and less experienced teachers coming into the system
·
Request for 6 additional teaching positions
·
Difficult to rebound from a no growth budget, impact on the schools if
two consecutive budget years have a no growth budget
·
Technology funding – school’s five year technology plan – currently in
year two of the five year technology plan
·
Planning ahead for a future bond referendum
Commissioner
Carroll recommended that the Board look at a specific amount of
funding for capital outlay and the Board of Education decide on the
spending of the funds.
Commissioner Carroll commended the Board’s idea last year of taking
fund balance from
current expense and transferring that funding for one time
non-recurring expenditures.
Chairperson Cox stated the Board of Education would consider that
option for this budget.
Chairperson Cox
expressed appreciation to the Board of Commissioners for the joint
meeting and their Board’s desire to work with the Board of Commissioners
to provide the best
education possible for all students in Stokes County.
Chairman Inman
expressed appreciation to the Board of Education for the joint
meeting and would continue to work with the Board of Education to
provide the best education
possible for all students in Stokes County.
Chairman Inman
recessed the Board of Commissioners’ budget work session until
4:30 pm.
Chairperson Sonya
Cox entertained a motion to adjourn the Board of Education’s joint
meeting with the Board of Commissioners. Member Becky Boles (BOE) moved to adjourn the
joint meeting. Vice Chairman
Steve Shelton (BOE) seconded and the motion carried
unanimously.
The Board of
Commissioners reconvened to the budget work session at 4:30 pm.
Commissioner Carroll
requested the Board have the Fire Marshal attend a budget
work session to discuss his proposed 07-08 budget. Commissioner Lankford noted that his
understanding from previous discussions by the Board was that the
County Manager would
direct all inquiries from the Board to all department heads. The Board discussed the request
made by Commissioner Carroll.
Chairman Inman
entertained a motion to accept the County Manager’s recommended
budget.
There was no motion
made to accept the County Manager’s recommended budget.
Commissioner Carroll
moved to invite the fire marshal to attend the June 12th budget
work session at 4:00 pm if convenient.
Vice Chairman Walker seconded and the motion
carried (4-1) with Commissioner Lankford voting against the motion.
County Manager Bryan
Steen noted that the 2007-08 proposed budget had been
reviewed by Mr. Dennis Thompson, Budget Consultant. Mr. Thompson noted the following:
·
Very conservative budget – EDC responsibilities being taken on by the
County Manager
·
Mr. Thompson had made the prior Board aware during the last year’s
budget work sessions that there would probably be no way to adopt a budget in
2007-08 without a tax increase
·
Mr. Thompson did not see any changes that he would make with the
proposed budget
·
Mr. Thompson suggested to request a 5 cent tax increase instead of the
manager’s recommendation of a 3 cent tax increase
·
Continue to alleviate county dependence from the hold harmless
allocation
·
Continue to increase the fund balance
County Manager Steen discussed the amendments
that were implemented after the
adoption of the 2006-07 budget, which are recurring items.
County Manager Steen
reviewed the following budgets emphasizing
changes from last year’s budget with the Board:
·
Administration – Salary/benefits/conferences for new manager
·
Animal Control – State mandates
·
Arts Council – Increase percentage allocation for arts council
director’s salary
·
Contingency – Includes contingency for regular contingency, leave cost,
personnel cost, and fuel contingency
·
Cooperative Extension - Full
time director position
·
Debt Service – 3.01% Decrease
·
District Resource Center – Increase due to new full time position (DRC
Work Program Coordinator) and reclassification (Office Assistant II to Office
Assistant III) added during the previous fiscal year
·
Economic Development – Decrease due to no allocation for director’s
salary
and benefits past
October 31, 2007
·
Election – Hiring of Election Director Trainee- Current Director
retiring December 31, 2007 – Electronic Poll Books- HAVA Grant – Possible
statewide election in November
·
Emergency Communications –Recertification of EMD Program for employees
and EMD Quality Improvement Software
·
Emergency Management – health/dental premium increases
·
EMS –Part time salaries, fuel, M&R to ambulances, wireless cost
incurred for transmittals to hospitals, budgeted $56,000 in capital reserve for
major ambulance repairs
·
Environmental Health – Environmental Health Specialist salary approved
by the Board in 2006-07 budget, fuel, non recurring overtime allocation of
$7,000 to catch up septic tanks permits
·
Finance – Increase due to banking charges for credit card
participation, fire proof filing cabinet, and increase on audit contract
·
Fire Marshal – Reduction in work force and associated cost due to the
reconstruction of the Department’s duties; transferred Fire & Rescue
Association to Special Appropriations; invitation to Fire Marshal to be at the
June 12th meeting at 4:00pm
The Board discussed the following issues with
County Manager Steen:
·
Contingency accounts
·
No Economic Development Contingency proposed in the budget
·
Proposed Budget that does not include a full time Economic Development
Director position for the entire year
·
Holiday leave time being accrued with no carryover limit
·
Current Cooperative Extension employees eligible for Director’s
position
·
Sharing Cooperative Extension positions with other counties
·
Sheppard Mill Project
·
$7500 funding for Regional Tourism Initiative – not proposed by the
County Manager
·
Capital Reserve Fund = $56,000 for Maintenance & Repairs
–Ambulances
·
Capital Reserve Fund - $50,000 for new EMS Station
·
Possible EMS station to be located Sauratown Fire Department
·
Backlog for septic tank permits in comparison with the number of septic
tank permits completed in 1996, ‘97, ‘ 98 with current years
·
Overtime pay for Environmental Health employees
County Manager Steen informed the Board that a
meeting had been scheduled with
NCDOT officials, YVEDDI and the county to discuss the proposed YVEDDI
project/grant for
June 21st.
Chairman Inman instructed Board members to
begin highlighting concerns in the
proposed budget.
Adjournment
There being no further
business to come before the Board, Chairman Inman
entertained a motion to adjourn the budget work session.
Commissioner Smith moved to adjourn the budget
work session. Commissioner
Lankford seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
_________________________ _____________________________
Darlene M.
Bullins J. Leon Inman
Clerk to the
Board
Chairman