STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA    )                    OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS

                                                            )                    STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT

COUNTY OF STOKES                     )                    DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA

                                                            )                    MAY 8, 2008

 

 

 

           

            The Board of Commissioners of the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, met

 

for a recessed session (recessed from the April 28th meeting) in the Commissioners’ Chambers

 

of the Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Building (Administrative Building) located in

 

Danbury, North Carolina on Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 3:00 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

                                                Finance Director Julia Edwards

                                                                                               

                                               

Chairman J. Leon Inman called the meeting to order.

 

Vice Chairman Walker delivered the invocation.

                       

GENERAL GOVERNMENT-GOVERNING BODY-PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

            Chairman Inman opened the meeting by inviting the citizens in attendance to

 

join the Board with the Pledge of Allegiance. 

 

GENERAL GOVERNMENT – GOVERNING BODY – SETTLEMENT UPDATE – BUDGET AMENDMENT #102

 

            County Manager Bryan Steen presented documentation from County Attorney Edward

 

Powell regarding the Settlement Agreement and Release for the following per NC General

 

Statute 143-318.11:

 

¨      Larry and Tia Childress

¨      Jack and Nancy Stone

¨      Randy McHone

 

County Manager Steen requested approval of Budget Amendment #102 in order to

 

execute the terms of the each Settlement Agreement and Release.

 

Environmental Health – Budget Amendment #102

 

            To amend the General Fund, the expenditures are to be changed as follows:

 

 

Current

 

 

Account

Account

Budgeted

Increase

As

Number

Description

Amount

(Decrease)

Amended

 

Environmental Health

 

 

 

100.5192.290

Miscellaneous Expenses

            $.00

$6,250.00

$6,250.00

 

Contingency

 

 

 

100.9910.000

Contingency

$203,155.00

$(6,250.00)

$196,905.00

 

           Totals

$203,155.00

      $00.00

   $203,155.00

                                   

This budget amendment is justified as follows:

To transfer funds for the settlement of septic tank issues.

 

This will result in a net increase of $00.00 in the expenditures and other financial use to the County’s annual budget.

 

            Chairman Inman entertained a motion to approve Budget Amendment #102.

 

Commissioner Lankford moved to approve Budget Amendment #102.  Commissioner Smith

 

seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

 

Review of Annual Leave Policy

 

            County Manager Bryan Steen presented the following revised annual leave policy as

 

requested at the April 28th meeting for the Board’s consideration:

 

(Items underlined are the revisions)

 

Section 2.        Annual Leave (Vacation)

 

The County provides annual leave benefits to full-time employees.  However,

only employees that have attained permanent employee status may request to take

annual leave.  Employees that have not attained permanent employee status will not

be allowed to take annual leave unless authorized by their Department Head and the

County Manager.

 

To take annual leave, an authorized employee should first make a written request to

their supervisor at least three working days in advance of the date they wish to start

their leave period and receive written approval from their supervisor before taking

the requested annual leave.  Approval/denial of an annual leave request is based on

the needs of the employer.

 

Department Heads are authorized to extend the minimum 3-working day advanced

written notice as needed for the proper operation of their department.

 

The rate at which annual leave is accrued is based on years of service.  The following scale demonstrates the annual leave granted to an employee who works a 37.5 hours per week schedule.

 

                        Years of Employment                        Earned Annual Leave

 

                        0 – 2 years                                           10 days

                        2 – 5 years                                           12 days

                        5 – 10 years                                         15 days

                        10 – 15 years                                       18 days

                        15 – 20 years                                       21 days

                        20 or more years                                  24 days

 

All other work schedules will be accrued and calculated in a proportional manner.   

(See Appendix A: Leave Accrual Schedule)

 

At the end of a calendar year, all annual leave accrued and available to an employee

that exceeds the maximum carry-over limit for their position will automatically be

converted to sick leave.  The annual leave carry-over limits are as follows:

 

            37.5 hour workweek personnel                         180 hours

            40 hour workweek personnel                                        192.6 hours

            Law enforcement/jail employees                                    216 hours

            EMS personnel                                                 240 hours

 

            Employees retiring, resigning or terminated from County Service shall be paid for accrued annual leave.  Employees that have access, or supervisory control over cash money, checks, certified checks, bank drafts, financial records, or other types of in-coming revenue must take at least one consecutive week of annual leave per calendar year.

 

 

 

            Manager Steen noted the following regarding the revised policy:

 

¨      Revision accommodates flexibility related to the three working days notification requirement

¨      Revision also addresses a concern of some department heads related to their desire to continue with their past practice of requiring a notification period that exceeds three working days due to the nature of their work and difficulty inherent in scheduling other employees to fulfill service requirements (this concern is most notable for Emergency Communications, EMS, Sheriff’s Department –Patrol and Jail)

 

The Board discussed the revision submitted by Manager Steen.

 

Chairman Inman entertained a motion to approve the revised Annual Leave Policy.

 

Commissioner Carroll moved to approve the revised Annual Leave Policy as submitted by

 

County Manager Steen.  Vice Chairman Walker seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

 

Closed Session

 

            Chairman Inman entertained a motion to enter closed session for the following:

 

§         To consider the initial employment or appointment of an individual to any office or position, other than a vacancy in the Board of County Commissioners or any other public body, or to consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, and fitness of any public officer or employee, other than a member

of the Board of Commissioners or of some other public body pursuant to

G.S. 143-318.11(6).

 

            Commissioner Lankford moved to enter closed session for the following:

 

§         To consider the initial employment or appointment of an individual to any office or position, other than a vacancy in the Board of County Commissioners or any other public body, or to consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, and fitness of any public officer or employee, other than a member

of the Board of Commissioners or of some other public body pursuant to

G.S. 143-318.11(6).

 

            Commissioner Smith seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

 

 

The Board returned to open session of the May 8th recessed meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

Adjournment

 

There being no further business to come before the Board, Chairman Inman entertained

 

a motion to adjourn the recessed meeting.

 

Commissioner Lankford moved to adjourn the recessed meeting.   Commissioner Smith

 

seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________                                  _____________________________

Darlene M. Bullins                                                    J. Leon Inman

Clerk to the Board                                                     Chairman