060412mHARNETT COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Minutes of Regular Meeting
June 4, 2012
The Harnett County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, June 4, 2012, in
the Commissioners Meeting Room, County Administration Building, 102 East Front Street,
Lillington, North Carolina.
Members present:
Staff present:
Timothy B. McNeill, Chairman
Dan B. Andrews, Commissioner
Gary House, Commissioner
Jim Burgin, Commissioner
Beatrice B. Hill, Vice Chaiiman
Scott Sauer, County Manager
Tony Wilder, Deputy County Manager
Dwight Snow, Staff Attorney
Sylvia Blinson, Finance Officer
Margaret Regina Wheeler, Clerk to the Board
Chainiian McNeill called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. Commissioner Jim Burgin led the
pledge of allegiance and invocation.
Chairman McNeill called for additions and deletions to the published agenda. Commissioner
Burgin moved to approve the agenda as published. Commissioner House seconded the motion
which passed unanimously.
Commissioner House moved to approve the items on the consent agenda. Commissioner Burgin
seconded the motion and the Board unanimously approved the following items on the consent
agenda:
1. Minutes: May 21, 2012, Regular Meeting
2. Budget Amendments:
375 Aging Department
Code 110 - 7600 - 441.58 -01 Training & Meetings
110- 0000 - 331.76 -29 Motivational Interviewing
376 Parks and Recreation Department
Code 110- 8200 - 450.11 -00
110- 8200 - 450.12 -00
110- 8200 - 450.21 -02
110- 8200 - 450.31 -06
Salaries and Wages
Part Time Salaries
Group Insurance — HRA
Park Development
4,165 increase
4,165 increase
7,282 increase
2,000 decrease
780 increase
305 decrease
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 1 of 5
376 Parks and Recreation Den ai (Anent continued
Code 110- 8200 - 450.31 -29 Anderson Creek Gym
110- 8200 - 450.32 -78 Special Programs
110- 8200 - 450.33 -45 Contracted Services
110- 8200 - 450.41 -11 Telephone & Postage
110 -2800- 450.43 -15 Maintenance & Repair Building
110- 8200 - 450.43 -16 Maintenance & Repair Equipment
110- 8200 - 450.43 -18 Landscaping
110- 8200 - 450.58 -01 Training & Meetings
110- 8200 - 450.60 -31 Gas, Oil & Auto Supplies
110- 8200 - 450.60 -33 Materials and Supplies
110- 0000 - 322.82 -01 Recreation Fees
110- 0000 - 322.82 -02 Facility Usage Fees
110- 0000 - 399.00 -00 Fund Balance Appropriated
377 Public Utilities Department - PU0704 Ft Brae W &WW
Code 568- 9100- 431.46 -06 Sanford Contractors
568- 9100 - 431.45 -80 Contingency
568- 9100 - 431.46 -04 Sullivan Eastern
378 Public Utilities Department - PU0703 East Central Improvements
Code 567- 9100 - 431.45 -03 Caldwell Tanks
567 -9100- 431.45 -33 Materials and Supplies
379 Planning Department, CP1202 Airport SWPPP & SPCC 2011
Code 359- 8300 - 465.45 -01 Secondary Containment /Construction
359- 0000 - 334.60 -16 NC DOT /DOA 3623725.12.1
380 Social Services Department
Code 110 - 7710- 441.89 -20 Central Electric Donation
110- 7710 - 441.89 -50 Elderly Assistance Donation
110 -7710- 441.89 -60 Foster care Donation
110- 7710 - 441.80 -25 Medical Transportation
110- 7710 - 441.80 -85 Progress Energy Neighbor
110 - 0000 - 353.06 -00 Social Services Donations
110- 0000 - 330.77 -08 Medical Transportation
110- 0000 - 330.77 -01 Social Services Administration
381 Sheriffs Office
Code 243 -5100- 420.32 -53 Concealed Carry Fees
243 - 0000 - 322.43 -00 Concealed Gun Permits
3. Tax refunds, rebates and releases (Attachment 1)
1,280 decrease
350 decrease
60 increase
900 decrease
98 decrease
52 decrease
670 decrease
100 decrease
2,500 increase
266 decrease
2,108 decrease
3,155 increase
3,554 increase
181,401 increase
201,202 decrease
19,801 increase
17,191 increase
17,191 decrease
11,603 decrease
11,603 decrease
2,450 increase
1,719 increase
100 increase
80,000 increase
1,538 increase
4,269 increase
80,000 increase
1,538 increase
8,000 increase
8,000 increase
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 2 of 5
4. The Harnett County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council requested permission to accept
funds as outlined in the 2012 -2013 program agreements from the North Carolina
Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. JCPC FY 2012 -2013
Funded Programs include: Harnett County Restitution and Community Service, ReEntry
Healthy Choices, Psychological Services, Hillcrest Youth Shelter, Dunn Police Athletic
League — Helping Educate Youth, and 4 -H Teen Court and At -Risk Youth Development.
5. Sheriff's Office requested permission to trade in non - functional radar unit parts in
exchange for repairs to a Golden Eagle Radar unit. The non - functional units were
purchased with NC Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP) funds. GHSP does not
require disposal of equipment valued under $5,000.
Vice Chaimuan Hill joined the meeting in progress.
Chairman McNeill opened the floor for informal comments by the public, allowing up to 3
minutes for each presentation up to 30 minutes.
Daniel Glover, 2338 Old Stage Road in Coats, told commissioners he believed the
general consensus among the public is there isn't any unity within the county. He said
"he wanted to reminded them that the citizens are the county; not the commissioners."
Mr. Glover also urged commissioners to not cover any legal fees not within the scope of
work; commented catastrophic insurance is no insurance at all and asked commissioners
to try to work together for the people and not for personal agendas.
- Sharlene Jones of Angier said she understood that BC /BS representatives were telling
county employees that the county would be putting more money into their HSA accounts
and she believes they should communicate with employees regarding this.
- Cathey Clifton, Harnett County Librarian, shared the 2012 Harnett County Library
System Summer Reading Program Schedule.
In accordance with the North Carolina Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act,
Mr. Sauer submitted for review and consideration the Proposed FY 2012/2013 Budget Plan
along with the following comments:
"At the governing body's direction, this budget plan is consistent with its recently
adopted fiscal policies for the County's General Fund, and in particular:
• The proposed tax rate remains at 72.5 cents per $100 valuation.
• There is no appropriation of fund balance reserves to balance the budget.
• There are no new positions for the General Fund, however, several positions
have been restored by actions of the governing body in recent months.
• The estimate for General Fund reserves at June 30 is consistent with the Board's
stated goals.
The FY 2012 -2013 proposed budget plan is best described as an austere allocation of
resources, where departments will continue to do more with less, and prioritize services
based on the resources available. Department heads have been very judicious in
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 3 of 5
monitoring operating expenses and trimming costs during the past three fiscal years.
Their efforts are commendable in light of the difficult economic climate they have, faced.
Funding for the General Fund is based on a tax valuation of $7,358,426,365 and reflects
growth in the tax base of $153,717,938 or two percent above the current year. The
proposed General Fund budget plan totals $102,236,311 or 3.3 percent above the current
year. Forecast estimates for sales tax receipts are much more aggressive for FY 2012-
2013, and reflect a growth factor of twelve percent or $1, 639,225 above the current year
budget.
Harnett County was recently identified by the US Census Bureau as the number one micro
area in the country, having gained more new residents in the past 15 months ending July
2011 than any other micro area in the nation. The County added an estimated 4,578
bringing its population to 119,256.
Our elected leaders have worked for decades to position Harnett County as a rural service
provider of water and sewer infrastructure, serving our citizens, surrounding counties and
municipalities, including Ft. Bragg. These efforts continue to position Harnett County as
one of the top 3 growth counties in North Carolina.
Harnett County is poised for great success in terns of job creation and service expansion
in the next twelve to eighteen months, which is evidenced by the highway 421 medical
corridor and its pending and ongoing construction:
• First Choice Community Health Care System and its new facilities slated to open
in July 2012.
• Good Hope Hospital's restoration of inpatient psychiatric services in Erwin,
scheduled to be operational in October 2012.
• East Carolina University's Dental School learning service center will break
ground in August 2012.
• Central Carolina Community College's Health Science training facility which
should be complete within the next 12 —14 months.
• Harnett Health System and its new hospital in Lillington which will be open by
January 2013.
• Campbell University with its new medical school facility accepting students for
the fall of2013.
The Board of Commissioners is to be commended for its role in supporting and advancing
each one of these initiatives with efforts to provide resources, property and access to grants
and other financing. These initiatives will fuel the economic recovery for Harnett County
for decades to come, generating sales tax receipts, job growth and economic expansion
opportunities for various commercial sectors.
Because of this success, Harnett County finds itself continuing to balance the population
growth and the corresponding demand for public services, especially the growth in the
school age children impacting our school system. The Board has worked diligently with its
financial advisor group to plan for school construction needs and calculating the fiscal
resources necessary to enact these plans. The Board of Education has identified its school
construction priorities and has presented a proposed program of work, which will require
consideration of revenue options in the near future.
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 4 of 5
The recommended FY 2012 -2013 funding appropriation for School Current Expense
remains level at $20,288, 004 and includes the additional $1.2 million approved by the
governing body in August 2011. There is no additional funding to offset decreased State
allocations and no capital outlay finding in the proposed budget. Both of these items
will require the Board of Education's reliance on its fund balance reserves.
Funding for General Fund Debt Service totals $11,222,888 and is consistent with the
fiscal projections prepared by the County's financial advisor, and reflects one time
savings fr-om the Board's initiative to refinance existing debt in the current year.
Capital Outlay for operating departments is quite limited again for FY 2012 -2013 and is
focused primarily on public safety, with the replacement of twenty-five (25) patrol vehicles
for the Sheriff's Department and four(4) replacement ambulances for EMS. All of these
vehicles are recommended for lease purchase financing over multiple years.
Other significant capital items not recommended for funding in FY 2012 -2013 include:
• $420, 000 in local matching fiends for the Airport runway rehabilitation project
• $220, 000 estimated for demolition of the old Boone Trail School (2 story section)
• $115,000 for Shawtown campus facility renovations
• $66,000 for Neil 's Creek Park Tennis Court rehabilitation
Likewise, there are numerous staffing positions which remain vacant and unfunded, plus
requests for additional staff that are not recommended at this time. County departments
continue to stretch resources and staff to cover the most immediate operating concerns,
with the anticipation that fixture budgets can accommodate the growth in service demands.
There is also no cost of living adjustment recommended in the proposed budget.
The presentation of the proposed budget plan for next year starts the conversation for our
elected officials, including public input for these deliberations. There are no tax increases
for the Fire Tax districts, and user fees have been recommended to support enterprise
operations for both Public Utilities and Solid Waste programs.
For example, the Department of Public Utilities proposed budget reflects a $1.00 per
month increase in water rates for the first 2,000 gallons for both residential and
commercial accounts. Under this proposed rate structure, the monthly minimum water
bill would increase from $17.50 to $18.50 per month.
Likewise, incremental sewer rates for residential, commercial and institutional will
increase 30 cents per 1,000 gallons from $4.45 to 4.75 per 1,000 as proposed for
FY 2012 -2013. The sewer bulk rate was approved last fiscal year as a two stage
adjustment, and for FY 2012 -2013 the rate will increase from $1.57 to $1.75 per
1,000 gallons based on discussions with the Town of Angier.
In the Solid Waste Fund, the current household availability fee is $50 ($45 for solid
waste and $5 for recycling). The proposed budget for FY 2012 -2013 includes a $20
increase for each household per year, resulting in a combined fee of $70.
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 5 of 5
By comparison, Chatham County charges a $91 availability fee and a $34 disposal
fee per household for a total of $125. Lee County charges an $85 annual household
fee, and Johnston County issues disposal decals with a $65 fee.
Based on our staff calculations, the proposed $70 household fee should be adequate
for the next two fiscal years."
Mr. Sauer announced the public hearing for the proposed budget was scheduled for June 11,
2012 at 7:00 pm. Mr. Sauer also suggested that the governing body schedule sessions to discuss
the proposed budget as follows:
o Thursday, June 7, 2012, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
o Monday, June 11' 2012, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
o Tuesday, June 12, 2012, starting at 9:00 am if needed
Commissioner Burgin requested a comparison of the proposed budget to the actual budget for
the last twelve months. Commissioner Burgin also asked for the total payroll and number of
employees noting his intent to propose a 3.5% increase for employees during the upcoming
budget discussions. Commissioner Burgin said he believes Mr Sauer and staff did a wonderful
job on the proposed budget.
Mr. Sauer responded to Commissioner House that the county's insurance plan was meant to
cover preventive care and episodic issues as they come up. Commissioner Burgin said he thinks
this is a good plan and probably better than 90% of other company plans out there right now;
noting most municipalities are caring higher deductibles. Commissioner Burgin also clarified his
earlier statement that he would like to put an additional $500 in employee HSA accounts in
January if possible but questioned employees present if the BC /BS representatives had mislead
them regarding this statement which they had not.
Commissioner House moved that the Board go in to closed session for the following purposes:
1) To instruct the County staff concerning the position to be taken by the County in
negotiating the teims of a proposed contract for the acquisition of real property; and
2) To discuss certain personnel matters; and
3) To consider and give instructions to the County legal staff concerning the handling of
certain claims and legal actions including the following pending cases:
a. Kent Jeffries/NHPRA Inc. vs Drake Landing and Harnett County, 11 CVS
01187
b. Felmet vs Harnett County, 11 CVS 1646 and 11 CVS 1647
c. Stewart vs Harnett County, 10 CVS 1874
d. Sandhills Environmental vs Harnett County, 11 CVS 2105; and
4) To discuss matters relating to the location or expansion of industries or other
businesses in Harnett County.
This motion is made pursuant to N.C. General Statute Section 143- 318.11(a)(5),(6),(3) & (4)
The motion was seconded by Burgin and passed unanimously.
Vice Chairman Hill thanked staff and commissioners for their support and help during her
brother's long illness and recent passing.
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 6 of 5
Commissioner Andrews moved that the Board come out of close session. Commissioner House
seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Commissioner Burgin offered to discuss
specifics with Commissioner Andrews if needed.
Chaiinian McNeill called for any new business. Commissioner Burgin noted that Brian Avery
had contacted him and others regarding planting long -leaf pine trees as a possible fundraiser for
the Shaw House and other projects. Commissioner Burgin said he understood the West Park in
the Anderson Creek area would be a good location for this and moved to designate a minimum
of ten acres at the West Park for the planting of long -leaf pines. Commissioner House seconded
the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Sauer confirmed that Berkley would not renew the county's Property and Liability Insurance
coverage for FY 2012/2013.
Commissioner Andrews moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:35 am. Vice Chairman Hill
seconded the motion which passed unanirrophlyya
Timoth
/ea-
McNeill, Chairman
ta
eeler, Clerk
June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Page 7 of 5
ATTACHMENT 1 ;Approved by the Harnett
?wounty Board of Commissioners
Board Report
Date : 06/04/2012
Approved By : sigoc
TO : HARNETT COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
RE: CONSIDERATION OF REFUND FOR TAXES, INTEREST AND PENALTIES FOR ALL MUNICIPALITIES
∎,,5'H�uWy'';
1
FRILCH, EMERSON E
440 NEEDMORE ROAD
CAMERON NC, 28326
2 FRITCH, EMERSON EUGENE
440 NEEDMORE RD
CAMERON, NC, 28326-8950
3 PATTERSON, CLYDE
4271 LEAFLET CHURCH ROAD
BROADWAY NC, 27505 - 0000
4 SALINAS, DONNA DIANNE
391 EILEEN DR
SPRING LAKE, NC 283908968
SPRING LAKE, NC, 28390 - 8968
5 SHAVER, ZALIMA
23 CHASE ST
CAMERON, NC 283266360
CAMERON, NC, 28326 - 6360
WM. A. TONY WILDER
Revenue Administrator
CC:
WM. A. TONY WILDER
0001574756- 2011- 2011- 000000
0001789974- 2010- 2010- 000000
0000051837- 2011- 2011- 000000
0001878402- 2011- 2011- 000000
0001874621- 2010- 2010- 000000
City 0.00
County 8.50
City 0.00
County 100.90
City 0.00
County 167.54
City 0.00
County 21.71
City 0.00
County 132.66
City Total
County Total
Total to be
Refunded
Value
8.50 Refund Decrease
Value
100.90 Refund Decrease
Value
167.54 Refund Decrease
Military
43.32 Refund Exemption
Military
132.66 Refund Exemption
0.00
431.31
431.31