) STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT
COUNTY OF STOKES ) DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA
) FEBRUARY 18, 2008
The Board of
Commissioners of the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, met
for a special session in the Commissioners’ Chambers of the Ronald
Wilson Reagan
Memorial Building (Administrative Building) located in Danbury, North
Carolina on
Monday, February 18, 2008 at 7:00 pm with the following members present:
Chairman
J. 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
Fire
Service District Representatives
Dennis
Long – Double Creek Fire & Rescue
Stephen
Jessup – Francisco Fire & Rescue
Keith
Lawson – Lawsonville Fire & Rescue
Joe
James - Northeast Stokes Fire & Rescue
Tim Tilley – Pilot Knob
Fire Department
Dennis
Manuel – Pilot Mtn Rescue & EMS
Jonathan
Lane – Pinnacle Fire & Rescue
Wayne
Barneycastle – Sauratown Fire & Rescue
Devin
Rhodes – Stokes Rockingham Fire & Rescue
Philip
Sutphin – Westfield Fire & First Response
Chairman J. Leon Inman called the special
meeting to order.
Commissioner Lankford delivered the
invocation.
Chairman Inman opened
the meeting by inviting the citizens in attendance to
join the Board with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Special
Session – Meeting with the Fire Service District Representatives
Chairman Inman and
Board members expressed their appreciation to those attending
tonight’s meeting and for their dedicated service provided to the
citizens of Stokes County.
Chairman Inman opened
the floor for discussion.
Commissioner Carroll noted the following:
·
This meeting is to identify and clarify issues
related to the Fire Service District
·
All issues will be forwarded to a committee which
will be appointed by the Board of Commissioners
·
The Board has not currently designated the specific
membership
·
The committee will develop a proposed policy to
govern the operations of the Stokes County Fire Service District to include the
procedures of the Fire Commission and Guidelines for Service District Funds
·
The goal of the committee will be to provide a
proposed document which will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for
final adoption
·
The 8-page document currently in use can be the
starting point for the proposed document as long as certain sections of the
document are in compliance with the law
·
Goal should be to have the proposed document
approved by the Board of Commissioner within the next three months
Commissioner Carroll stated that a motion
previously adopted by the Board of
Commissioners states that until a new document is developed and
approved to replace the
current 8-page document, the existing procedures for developing budgets
and appointing Fire
Commissioners will remain the same with the exception of the open
meetings law and proposed
Fire Service District Budget being presented to County Manager Bryan
Steen instead of the
Board of Commissioners.
Dennis Long (Double
Creek Fire & Rescue) questioned if the Fire Association was
invited to attend tonight’s meeting and if the new proposed document
would be approved by
the Fire Association and the Fire Service District Departments.
Commissioner Lankford
noted that the Board invited members from all fire departments
within the County and the three Surry County Departments who
participate in the Service
District.
Commissioner Carroll
stated that a document of public policy could only be given
legal sanction by the Board of Commissioners: public policy cannot be
subject to approval or
veto by a private organization.
Dennis Long (Double
Creek Fire & Rescue) questioned what happened to the trust
between the Board of Commissioners and the Service District.
Keith Lawson (Lawsonville
Fire & Rescue) noted the following:
·
Breakdown of communication
·
Information received by Fire Departments was not
always accurate
·
The need for a meeting last year when fire
departments were confused about issues with the budget and the operation of
Truck #310
·
A document is needed to provide guidelines for
everyone
·
New document should also address Fire Commissioner
appointments detailing specific requirements for that appointment – need for
Fire Commissioners to be involved in their respective departments
·
General Public is necessary but should not dominate
the Fire Commissioners’ appointments
·
No fire department should be allowed to bypass the
Fire Commissioners in order to get approval for a specific piece of equipment
·
A fair workable document for everyone that is fair
– everyone plays by the same rules
Commissioner Lankford agreed the lack of
communication was the breakdown of the
process last year.
Wayne Barneycastle
(Sauratown Fire & Rescue) noted that this type of meeting should
happen anytime there is an issue to make all the departments aware of
the problem.
Barneycastle also noted that it was never the intention of any
department to not follow the
open meetings law and to hide anything from the Board of the
Commissioners; the departments
were unaware of that requirement.
Philip Sutphin
(Westfield Fire & First Response) noted the following:
·
Previous Board members had requested a document
(which did take about a year to develop) that would provide guidelines for the
Fire Commission and Use of Service District Funds – there was never any
intentions “to break the law”
·
Members last year felt that the document which had
been in effect since 2002 was just thrown out the door and no one actually knew
which way to go
·
Need for a workable process – some way that fire
departments can fairly (especially the small departments) compete for the
service funds with the larger departments (this did not occur before the
adoption of the 8-page document)
·
Need for some type of limits on the way the Board
of Commissioners can get funding from the service district within the spirit
of the law that is currently written – guidelines to protect our funding
·
Need for a legal way to amend the document or renew
the document when a new member is elected to the Board of Commissioners
·
Current document identifies how funding can and
cannot be spent
·
Not fair for the funding for the two positions on
Truck #310 to be paid only by Service District; Rural Hall, King, and Walnut
Cove all use the services – this splits the departments
·
Need to fill the Assistant Fire Marshal’s position
Joe James (Northeast Stokes Fire & Rescue)
noted the following:
·
Reiterated the lack of trust
·
Missing the liaison of the Fire Marshal with the
County Manager, Fire Association, Fire Departments, Board of Commissioners
·
Appears the fire departments have lost the
connection of the Fire Marshal bringing issues to the Fire Association meetings
·
Questioned if the Board could give the Fire
Commission the tax rate before the budget process – in order to save time
Commissioner Carroll noted that he could not
set a tax rate without evaluating each
entire request from each department.
Devin Rhodes (Stokes Rockingham Fire &
Rescue) noted the following:
·
Questioned why the Assistant Fire Marshal position
which is being funded by the Fire Service District has not been filled
·
Where is the lapsed salary for that position? Departments took cuts in order to fund the
two positions
·
There is still a need for daytime manpower
·
What is the status and future of the Haz Mat Team
and the Technical Rescue Team which seem to have been put on hold – county has
put funding into each team
Commissioner Lankford noted that the funding
would be reverted back to the Service
District if not expended on the two Fire Marshal’s positions.
Wayne Barneycastle (Sauratown Fire &
Rescue) noted the following:
·
Fire Departments worked with Fire Commission last
year to help fund the two Fire Marshal’s position – His department lost $10,000
from their budget to help fund the two Fire Marshal’s positions
·
Need to continue to increase the fund balance for
emergencies
Tim Tilley (Pilot Knob Fire Department) noted
the following:
·
Need to identify who can be paid from the Service
District
·
Need to abide by the open meetings law
·
Need to amend or approve the document each time a
new member is elected to the Board
·
Need for these issues to be presented to the
committee
Commissioner Smith noted that the Service
District received a ˝ cent fire tax increase
to fund the two Fire Marshal’s positions to provide daytime manpower to the
fire departments.
Dennis Long (Double
Creek Fire & Rescue) stated that no one should be able to talk to
individual Commissioners to try to get around the Fire Commission in
order to be able to get
extra funding.
Keith Lawson
(Lawsonville Fire & Rescue) spoke about funding that was taken by
a previous County Manager from the Service District for collection and
distribution of fire tax.
Vice Chairman Walker
questioned if the funding that was transferred to the General
Fund was given back to the Service District.
Commissioner Lankford
requested verification whether funding was transferred back
to the Service District.
Clerk to the Board Darlene Bullins noted that
at a recent Commissioners’ meeting,
Finance Director Edwards confirmed that all funding that was taken from
the Service District
for the collection of fire tax was returned to the Service District.
Keith Lawson and Joe
James both noted the need to know exactly what is collected
each year for the Service District and that it is very hard to get
information from the County
regarding Service District funding.
Stephen Jessup (Francisco Fire & Rescue)
noted the need to know exactly how
much funding each department within the Service District receives.
Commissioner Carroll
and Commissioner Lankford both confirmed that information
regarding the collection of service district fire taxes and
distribution of funding can be obtained
from the Administration or Finance Department at any time.
Tim Tilley (Pilot Knob
Fire Department) noted the following:
·
Document needs to specify whether the Board will
charge Fire Departments to collect the fire taxes
Chairman Inman agreed with fire departments
that there should have been a meeting a
year ago and things were not done right to communicate with the Fire
Departments.
Chairman Inman
requested if there was any other issues that need to be brought to the
attention of the Board.
Devin Rhodes (Stokes
Rockingham Fire & Rescue) noted that several departments were
trying to drop their ISO insurance rating in order to help lower
homeowners’ insurance
premiums, but it will take extra funding to achieve this.
The Board requested
additional information regarding the Haz Mat and Technical
Teams questioned by Devin Rhodes.
Devin reiterated the need for both teams, county
funding that has already been invested in both teams, and the need to
know where the teams are
and where the teams are going.
Fire Marshal Brad
Cheek noted the following regarding the Haz Mat and Technical
Teams:
·
Currently, there is no Haz Mat Team
·
Members of the Fire Marshal’s office have had
training in Haz Mat and do assist fire departments with certain Haz Mat
incidents
·
Fire Association has been trying to put together a
High Rescue Technical Team
·
Fire Marshal’s office has been assisting with the
High Rescue Technical Team, equipment has been purchased with the Fire
Association funding for this team
Commissioner Carroll noted that the Committee
should possibly look at where funding
is actually being expended.
Chairman Inman
requested Board members to express concerns with the 8 page
document.
Commissioner Carroll
noted the following sections that needed to be reviewed and
amended:
·
I.
Purpose and Objectives of Fire Commission - #3 -
gives authority to a private organization to tell the Board of Commissioners
whether they can spend public funding– conflicts with the Budget and Fiscal
Control Act – legal issue
·
II.
Size and Selection of Fire Commission - #3
& #4 -No one can be appointed to the Fire Commission by the Board of
Commissioners unless the Fire Association has nominated that particular person
– conflicts the law that gives the Board of Commissioners the authority to set
up a commission
·
IV.
Duties of the Members of the Fire Commission – states that members not performing their
duties as described will be terminated from the Fire Commission by a majority
vote of the Fire Association – Board of Commissioner appoints the members, but
the Fire Association is the only organization that can terminate the member-
conflicts with the Board who actually approved the appointment
·
V.
Meetings of the Fire Commission – #4 and #5 – Conflicts with the Open Meetings
Law
·
VI
-Elimination of Potential Conflicts of Interest – Any Fire
Commissioner who is an active member or board member of the agency being
examined shall excuse themselves from the room where the hearing is being held-
conflicts with Open Meetings Law
·
VIII
-Use of Service District Funds and Improper Use of Service District Funds – Need to be
examined as discussed at tonight’s meeting
·
IX
-Amending this Document – This being a document of public policy, only an
elected policy board can adopt or amend;
a private organization can’t exercise veto over the document.
Commissioner Lankford agreed with Commissioner
Carroll‘s comments and also
noted the need for everyone to be clear what the purpose of the Fire
Commission – (I. Purpose
and Objectives of Fire Commission).
Commissioner Lankford also noted the need for the Fire
Commission to elect its own Chair -
(II – President of the Stokes County Fire and Rescue
Association).
The Board discussed
the appointment of Fire Commissioners.
Joe James noted the
immediate need for three appointments to the Fire Commission with the
upcoming budget
process getting ready to be started.
Vice Chairman Walker
noted the need to simplify the document, reduce the size of the
document, and look for a document that can be fair for everyone.
Commissioner Smith
reiterated it was never the intention to do away with the Fire
Association, agreed with the items noted by Commissioner Carroll, take
the current
document as a starting point with recommendations taken from those who
know, and most
important – continue to provide quality service to the citizens of
Stokes County.
Joe James (Northeast
Stokes Fire & Rescue) reiterated that everyone needs to
listen to each other.
Jonathan Lane
(Pinnacle Fire & Rescue) and Dennis Manuel (Pilot Mtn Rescue &
EMS) both expressed appreciation for the Board taking the time to hold
the meeting and to
listen.
Wayne
Barneycastle (Sauratown Fire &
Rescue) expressed the appreciation to the
Board for allowing the departments to bring their issues to the table.
Chairman Inman
reiterated that the Board must look at the whole picture of the County
and look at all the needs – not just the wants.
Vice Chairman Walker
extended an open door policy to any department who wished
to speak to him.
Chairman Inman
expressed the Board’s appreciation to each volunteer who attended
tonight’s meeting and stated that the Board would be discussing the
selection process for
the Fire Service Study Committee at the next meeting.
Chairman Inman
reiterated the need for all departments to let the Board know when
there were issues.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before
the Board, Chairman Inman entertained
a motion to adjourn the special meeting.
Commissioner Lankford moved to adjourn the
special meeting. Commissioner Smith
seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
_________________________
_____________________________
Darlene M.
Bullins
J. Leon Inman
Clerk to the
Board Chairman