) STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT
COUNTY OF STOKES ) DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA
) FEBRUARY 23, 2010
The Board of
Commissioners of the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, met
for a Goals Session in the third floor conference room of the Ronald
Wilson Reagan
Memorial Building (Administration Building) located in Danbury, North
Carolina on Tuesday
February 23, 2010 at 1:30 pm with the following members present:
Chairman Jimmy
Walker
Vice Chairman Ernest
Lankford
Commissioner J.
Leon Inman
Commissioner Ron
Carroll
Commissioner
Stanley Smith
County
Personnel in Attendance:
County
Manager K. Bryan Steen
Clerk
to the Board Darlene Bullins
Finance
Director Julia Edwards
Chairman Jimmy Walker called the meeting to
order.
Vice Chairman Lankford delivered the
invocation.
Chairman Walker opened
the meeting by inviting the citizens in attendance to join the
Board with the Pledge of Allegiance.
GENERAL
GOVERNMENT – GOVERNING BODY – APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Chairman Walker entertained a motion to
approve or amend the February 23, 2010
Agenda.
Commissioner Inman moved to approve the
February 23, 2010 Agenda as presented.
Vice Chairman Lankford seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Opening
Remarks
Chairman Walker
requested the amount of time for today’s meeting.
The Board unanimously
agreed to try to end today‘s session by 4:00 pm.
The Board unanimously
agreed that the discussion during today’s goals session would be of
an informal nature.
Review of
2009 Goals
County Manager Bryan
Steen noted the following 2009 goals which were adopted at the
March 12, 2009 meeting:
Given the current financial situation, a Strategic Plan for Stokes County. (Timeframe – immediately)
(Quality Cost Effective services)
· Continue expenditures and revenues review
· Minimize mileage on county vehicles (place mileage sheet in all county vehicles)
· Assess county vehicles being driven home by county employees
· Employee sharing in all departments, especially those departments associated with the current economic status
· Meet with Department Heads for suggestions for cutting cost
· Hiring freeze/selective hiring (any hiring must be approved by the BOCC)
· Control Comp. Time in all departments
· Look into imaging process to make departments more efficient
· Focus on eliminating any unnecessary spending, spending will be the key this year and next year just as the County has done during the past two years
· No funding being borrowed for recurring expenses, just capital needs
· Identify salary options
§ First, look at eliminating only the bonus with salary schedule still in tact
§ Second, eliminate longevity increases
§ Third, impose a salary freeze
§ Fourth, reduce work hours
v Strategic Plan for Economic Development (working with the Economic Development Commission and the new Economic Development Director) (Timeframe – ongoing)
· Business Retention and Expansion
· Recruitment of New Businesses and Industries
· Entrepreneurship
· Travel and Tourism
· Obtain 3 new businesses/industries that will create 75 new jobs; add $2 million dollars of value for County taxes
v Schools (school construction) (Timeframe – as soon as feasibly possible)
· Nancy Reynolds Project - Possible decision after information is received (around first of May) from the Board of Education
· Other school projects as soon as feasible
v Community College in Stokes County (Tangible results for a community college)
(Timeframe- 12/2009)
· Feasibility study of the Meadows property
· Developing a specific plan for a community college
· Alternatives for water and sewer
· Workable information by 12/2009
v Strategic Plan for the Meadows Site (Timeframe - 12/2009)
o Property contamination Clean up and cost
o Infrastructure needs
o Specific plan for a community college
v More planning for health care and health care facilities – (Timeframe – ongoing)
v Update all County policies - (Timeframe - as soon as possible)
v Strive to continue to maintain and increase the fund balance, not decrease the fund balance – (Timeframe - on going)
v Technology – Promote the need for providers to make available better technology such as faster internet service, better cost effective telephone services, and other communications
(Timeframe – ongoing)
v Possibly join forces with school system on making available more wide band satellite systems for county use (Timeframe - on going)
v Pursue water intake from the Dan River (Timeframe – 12/2009)
v Investigate Stimulus funding for upcoming fiscal year (Timeframe- immediately)
v Complete Danbury Water System Project in 2009 with no additional funding
Manager Steen spoke briefly regarding the following “survival” goals which can be
considered ongoing each year:
· Items listed in the survival section that are ongoing:
o Make sure the County has a safety net in place for the most vulnerable citizens in the County (first and foremost priority as far as programs)
o Provide services to the citizens of Stokes County as cost effective as possible
(Quality Cost Effective Services)
o Create new revenue streams – grants
o Continue expenditures and revenues review
o Minimize mileage on county vehicles (place mileage sheet in all county vehicles)
o Employee sharing in all departments, especially those departments associated with the current economic status
o Meet with Department Heads for suggestions for cutting cost
o Control Comp. Time in all departments
o Focus on eliminating any unnecessary spending
o Will continue to identify salary options
Manager Steen spoke briefly regarding the
following “thrive” goals:
v Strategic Plan for Economic Development (working with the Economic Development Commission and the new Economic Development Director) (Timeframe – ongoing)
· Business Retention and Expansion (Business Extravaganza held 01-21-10 and ED Director talking with existing businesses in the County)
· Recruitment of New Businesses and Industries (Continuous efforts to recruit)
· Entrepreneurship (ED Director working to provide classes for new startup businesses)
·
Travel and Tourism (subcommittees have been created to work on these items)
· Obtain 3 new businesses/industries that will create 75 new jobs; add $2 million dollars of value for County taxes (no new businesses, no new jobs or new tax values during 2009-10 f/y)
v Schools (school construction) (Timeframe – as soon as feasibly possible)
· Nancy Reynolds Project - Possible decision after information is received (around first of May) from the Board of Education (Project under construction and moving forward)
v Community College in Stokes County (Tangible results for a community college)
(Timeframe- 12/2009)
·
Feasibility study of the Meadows property
Developing a specific plan for a community college (Land purchase for community college and Early College Project
underway)
v Strategic Plan for the Meadows Site (Timeframe - 12/2009)
·
Property contamination Clean up and cost(nearly complete – only a small portion
of the site that needs some additional cleanup) (NCDOT is responsible for the
cleanup cost)
v More planning for health care and health care facilities – (Timeframe – ongoing)
(Working with hospital officials of Stokes-Reynolds Memorial
Hospital regarding the operation of Stokes-Reynolds Memorial Hospital)
(Health Department has been very active trying to provide H1N1 and
Seasonal Flu Vaccines to as many citizens as possible)
(Health Department currently has two middle level providers on staff
providing more services to the citizens)
(Home Health moving forward with trying to increase revenues)
v Strive
to continue to maintain and increase the fund balance, not decrease the fund
balance – (Timeframe - on going) (Successfully
increased fund balance at the end of fiscal year 2008-09 in a very struggling
economy)
v Technology – Promote the need for providers to make available better technology such as faster internet service, better cost effective telephone services, and other communications
(Timeframe – ongoing) (BOCC approved funding for feasibility
study to determine the need for broadband services to those unserved and
underserved and the County is currently working with Rockingham County for a
possible join application for stimulus funding
v Possibly join forces with school system on making available more wide band satellite systems for county use (Timeframe - on going) (Continuing to work with school system whenever possible)
v Pursue water intake from the Dan River (Timeframe – 12/2009) (Preliminary findings indicate the project would not be cost efficient at this time)
v Complete Danbury Water System Project in 2009 with no additional funding (Danbury Water System is ongoing)
Vice Chairman Lankford requested additional information regarding Business Retention/
Expansion, Recruitment of New Businesses/Industries and loss of any businesses during the past
year.
Manager Steen noted the loss of Stevens Roofing (Dow Chemicals) in the Westfield area,
operation transferred to another state when Dow Chemicals purchased the company. Manager
Steen noted that he was unaware of any expansions or new businesses in the county, but the
EDC is committed to business retention and expansion along with recruitment of new businesses.
Vice Chairman Lankford confirmed with Manager Steen that steps had been made to
minimize mileage on county vehicles with mileage sheets being placed in all county vehicles and
mileage sheets being monitored by department heads.
The Board discussed a stand-alone community college facility in Stokes County.
Manager Steen noted
that Economic Development Director Alan Wood has been talking
with representatives from the Golden Leaf Foundation about a possible
grant funding for a
community college with a meeting scheduled for March 5th.
Commissioner Inman,
who serves on the EDC, confirmed that Golden Leaf Representatives
had been contacted regarding grant funding for a community college.
Commissioner Inman noted
the need to challenge Forsyth Technical Community College to make a
stand-alone community
college a reality in Stokes County along with talking to legislators
about a legislative appropriation.
Commissioner Carroll
noted the need to decide if a stand-alone community college in
Stokes County is a top priority and if so, make plans to do it.
Commissioner Inman,
assuming the economy continues to make a turn, discussed a possible
bond referendum in 2012 for a new elementary school in the Yadkin
Township, renovations to
Southeastern Middle School, and a stand-alone community college at the
Meadows location.
The Board discussed
the $300,000 being allocated each year for losses at Stokes-Reynolds
Memorial Hospital which could be diverted for other uses if things go
well with the recent
management operational changes that takes effect on March 1, 2010.
The Board discussed
the favorable progress made during the last year regarding the
following:
o New EMS Station
o New ambulance
remounts
o New law
enforcement vehicles with new detective position added
o Video Probable
Cause Hearing
o DSS – fully
staffed with minor vacancies
o Health Department
– adequate staff and improvements to billing procedures
o Community College
Site
o Schools – capital
needs
o Stokes-Reynolds
Memorial Hospital
o Roofing –
Government Center
o Renovations of
offices
o Increasing the
Fund Balance
Commissioner Inman noted the huge demands
being placed on the Department of Social
Services and the Health Department due to the economy.
Commissioner Inman requested
Manager Steen to obtain recreational statistical data
regarding the programs and number of participants from the YMCA.
Commissioner Inman
noted that officials from HMC are talking with officials from
Novant and Baptist regarding co-ventures which could be very beneficial
to the operation of
Stokes- Reynolds Memorial Hospital.
Commissioner Smith agreed
with Commissioner Inman regarding the need to take a closer
look at the statistical information regarding recreational activities
associated with the YMCA and
the need for explore PARTF Grant Funding.
The Board unanimously agreed there had been
tremendous progress made regarding the
2009 goals. Manager Steen agreed
with the Board regarding the tremendous progress made
regarding the 2009 goals.
Manager Steen noted the implementation of the following collection
services recently started by the Tax Department: use of Interstate Collection Agency, use of
debt setoff, and use of lockbox for payments which eliminated a
position that was currently vacant.
Manager Steen noted
the continuous efforts being made regarding the community college
site such water & sewer to the location and reconstruction of the
intersection at 8&89.
Manager Steen noted the
recent Board approval regarding longevity steps that will be given
in the March payroll along with Lunch and Learn sessions being offered
by Forsyth Technical
Community College for employees.
The Board discussed
some type of identification system for residents of Stokes County
who use the Greenbox Sites, eliminating trash being deposited in the
Greenbox Sites from
individuals who do not live in Stokes County.
2010 Capital
Needs
Manager Bryan Steen
presented the following 2010 capital needs: (preliminary list)
o Building and
grounds – paving estimated at $400,000
o Generator at the
new EMS Station
o Upgrade to
Emergency Communications –FCC mandates by 01-01-2013
o Facility to store
salt for inclement weather
o Replacement of
Booth Mountain generator
o Investigate the
possibility of the County taking over the C&D operation instead of
contracting the service
o Normal change out
of vehicles and computers
o Possible capital
equipment at Stokes Reynolds Memorial
o Generators for
emergency shelters
Commissioner Carroll noted the immediate need
for gravel at the Pinnacle site.
2010 Planning
Goals
Chairman Walker
requested Board members to bring their list of goals for 2010 to the
March 11th Goals Session.
Upcoming
2010-2011 Fiscal Year Budget Discussion
The Board discussed
the following:
o Budgets from
departments are due March 15th
o Increase in health
and dental premiums
o Increase in
employer contributions for retirement
o Estimated $96,000
tax revenue from in new growth within the county
o Look at every opportunity
to keep costs down
o Possible grant
funding from the State for “going green”
The Board discussed the request from Stokes
Rockingham Vol. Fire Department
regarding a new fire district for their area. Manager Steen noted information received from
various sources regarding the topic has been sent to the Fire Chief at
Stokes Rockingham Vol.
Fire Department. Commissioner
Carroll requested the information be sent to the Stokes
Rockingham Vol. Fire Department – Board of Directors.
The Board discussed a possible tax rate for
2010-11.
Chairman Walker polled the Board regarding a
possible tax rate for 2010-11:
Chairman Walker responded: keep the same
Commissioner Inman responded: keep the same – “not
etched in stone”
Vice Chairman Lankford
responded: keep the same
Commissioner Carroll responded: same philosophy- “Expect the county manager
to present the Board with a realistic budget to meet the needs of the county
with a corresponding tax rate to fund the budget and evaluate it when it is
presented”
Commissioner Smith
responded: keep the same – “not etched
in stone”
Requests for
Additional Information from Manager/Staff for March 11th Goals Session
The Board requested
the following information for the March 11th goals session:
o Current Financial
Report
o Current Debt
Service Schedule
o Updated Sales Tax
Revenue
o Information from
EMS Director regarding convalescent transports/revenues/sixth truck
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before
the Board, Chairman Walker entertained
a motion to adjourn the goals session.
Commissioner Smith moved to adjourn the goals
session. Vice Chairman Lankford
seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
_________________________
_____________________________
Darlene M.
Bullins
Jimmy Walker
Clerk to the Board Chairman