) STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT
COUNTY OF STOKES ) DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA
) MARCH 15, 2010
The Board of
Commissioners of the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, met
for a recessed Goals Planning Session (recessed from the March 11th
Goals Planning Session) in the
Commissioners’ Chambers of the Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Building
(Administration
Building) located in Danbury, North Carolina on Monday, March 15, 2010 at
3:00 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 Ernest 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
The Board unanimously agreed to continue with
the Agenda that was approved for the
March 11th Goals Planning Session.
Commissioners’
Individual Goals
Chairman Walker
requested to add paving to the goals discussed at the March 11th
meeting.
Chairman Walker
requested each member of the Board to add their individual goals
to the current list for discussion.
Commissioner Carroll
noted the following:
·
Use Hold Harmless, if received, to put a large
portion into the dedicated school fund and major projects that have been
postponed such as paving, etc.
Commissioner Smith noted the following:
·
Several topics that need to be discussed:
o Revenues streams
§ EMS convalescent
care (possible sixth truck)
§ Jail – Federal
inmate housing
§ Grants
§ Some type of user identification
system for solid waste to eliminate trash being brought into Stokes County from
other counties
o Parks &
Recreation
o Salary Study for
employees
Commissioner Smith discussed the information
provided by Emergency Services Director
Monty Stevens regarding convalescent transports in Stokes County.
Commissioner Inman noted the following:
·
Hospital transition
·
Ongoing – Keep a watchful eye on fund balance
especially with the hospital transition
·
Urgency - School capital needs/community college
·
Need to develop a specific timeline in 2010 for
specific activities and completion dates for next phase of capital school
projects and community college
·
Land Use Master Plan
Chairman Walker noted the following:
·
Continue to have low taxes
·
Review of contingencies for early college/community
college
·
Health Department (King Clinic)
·
County Services – How to continue providing
services with revenue cuts from the State?
·
County assisting with emergency funding for
agencies who have or will receive decreases in funding
·
Better communication within the County
·
Communication with Novant and Baptist during the
hospital transition/liaison
Vice Chairman Lankford noted the following:
·
Remember – “deep recession”
·
Keep Stokes County employment at the present level
·
Review safety programs - be involved with NCACC Risk Management which has
incentives for counties who have safety programs
·
Grants for specific capital programs
·
Finish capital projects that were identified in
2009 – “Courtroom C”, Early College, paving, etc.
·
Keep property tax rates at $.60
·
Improve county fund balance from 22% to 24%
·
Continue salary longevity step program
The Board unanimously agreed to the following categories for later
discussion:
·
Survival
·
Economic Development
·
Schools/Community College
·
Health
·
Revenues
·
Capital Projects other than schools
·
Technology
·
Miscellaneous
The Board discussed each category and agreed to tentatively place the
following items under each category for further discussion:
Survival
The Board agreed to carry forward the following 2009 Survival Goals:
(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 intact
§ Second, eliminate longevity increases
§ Third, impose a salary freeze
§ Fourth, reduce work hours
The Board added the following to the 2009 Survival Goals:
Economic Development
§ Continue with current Strategic Plan:
· Business Retention and Expansion
· Recruitment of New Businesses and Industries
· Entrepreneurship
· Travel and Tourism
§ Evaluate Land Use Master Plan
§ Evaluate Parks and Recreation
Schools/Community
College
Health Care
o BOCC make a decision in 2010 on the future of Stokes Reynolds Memorial Hospital
o Review the status of the King Clinic
o
Review the status of Home Health
o Review of Health Department Services in light of pending changes such as FQHC’s and other appropriate options
Revenues
Capital Projects
Technology
Miscellaneous
The Board further
discussed each category and the following items were narrowed down for
continued discussion.
Chairman Walker
reiterated that the items under each category could be changed, deleted, or
new items added before the final adoption of 2010 Goals.
Survival
A majority of the Board agreed to list the following under Survival:
(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
Chairman Walker noted the need to further discuss the following:
Economic
Development
The Board unanimously agreed to list the following under Economic Development:
§ Continue with current Strategic Plan:
· Business Retention and Expansion
· Recruitment of New Businesses and Industries
· Entrepreneurship
· Travel and Tourism
§ Evaluate Land Use Master Plan
§ Evaluate Parks and Recreation
Schools
Finance Director Julia Edwards presented the following information received from the
County’s Financial Advisor as requested by the Board at the March 11th meeting:
The Board discussed the information presented by Finance Director Edwards.
Director Edwards also noted the following correction to information provided at the
March 11th meeting:
§ IRS regulations will allow the County to borrow $30 million instead of $10 million for tax exempt counties/cities for capital expenditures
The Board unanimously agreed that Schools and Community College should be a separate
category.
A majority of the Board agreed to list the following under Schools:
Community College
The Board unanimously agreed to list the following under Community College:
Health Care
The Board unanimously agreed to list the following under Health Care:
o BOCC make a decision in 2010 on the future of Stokes Reynolds Memorial Hospital
o Review the status of the King Clinic
o
Review the status of Home Health
o Review of Health Department Services in light of pending changes such as FQHC’s and other appropriate options
Revenues
The Board unanimously agreed to further discuss these items during the budget process:
o EMS convalescent
care (possible sixth truck)
o Jail – Federal
inmate housing
o Some type of user
identification system for solid waste to eliminate trash being brought from
other counties
Capital Projects
The Board unanimously agreed to list the following under
Capital Projects:
Technology
The Board unanimously agreed to list the following under
Technology:
Miscellaneous
The Board unanimously agreed to list the following under
Miscellaneous:
The Board discussed “Smoking in County
Facilities”. The Board discussed banning
smoking, posting no smoking signs comparable to the Courthouse, smoke
free buildings, designate
smoking areas, and leave county policies regarding smoking as is.
The Board unanimously agreed to request the
County Manager take the views expressed by
the Board, investigate the possibilities, talk to employees, and return
information back to the
Board regarding “Smoking in County Facilities”.
The Board unanimously agreed to discuss a date
for the next Goals Planning Session at the
March 22nd meeting.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before
the Board, Chairman Walker entertained
a motion to adjourn the Goals Planning Session.
Vice Chairman Lankford moved to adjourn the
Goals Planning Session. Commissioner
Inman seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
_________________________ _____________________________
Darlene M.
Bullins
Jimmy Walker
Clerk to the Board Chairman