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HomeMy WebLinkAbout120115ssmHARNETT COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Minutes of Special Session December 1, 2015 The Harnett County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, December 1, 2015, in the Commissioners Meeting Room, County Administration Building, 102 East Front Street, Lillington, North Carolina. Members present: Jim Burgin, Chairman Gordon Springle, Vice Chairman Abe Elmore, Commissioner Joe Miller, Commissioner Member absent: Barbara McKoy, Commissioner Staff present: Joseph Jeffries, County Manager Paula Stewart, Deputy County Manager Dwight Snow, County Attorney Kimberly Honeycutt, Finance Officer Margaret Regina Wheeler, Clerk Chairman Burgin called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. Vice Chairman Springle led the pledge of allegiance and invocation. The following agenda was before the commissioners: • Update on First Choice Community Health Centers, Sheila Simmons, Executive Director • Update on Unknown Property, Billy Godwin, Tax Department Attorney • Update from Insurance Broker, John Gasiorowski • Proposed Pay Plan, John Rankins, Director of Human Resources • Request for job reclassification, Steve Ward, Director of Public Utilities • Phillips property donation of 109 acres on Dunn Erwin Trail, Carl Davis, Director of Parks and Recreation • Capital Outlay Needs, Amanda Bader, Harnett County Engineer • Proposed location of trash compactor on County property, Amanda Bader • Discuss Board of Education's request for $25,000 to replace a maintenance vehicle, Kimberly Honeycutt, Finance Officer • County Manager's Report: - December 7, 2015 Regular Meeting Agenda Review - CCCC turning lane • Closed Session • Adjourn December 1, 2015 Special Session Minutes Harnett County Board of Commissioners Page 1 of 6 Sheila Simmons, Executive Director of First Choice Community Health Centers, provided an update on First Choice as requested. Mrs. Simmons thanked the board for their recent letter of support for continued funding. She reviewed accomplishments, services offered, strategic goals and challenges which includes staff turnover. Mrs. Simmons responded First Choice has 38 employees including three doctors, two physician assistants and two family nurse Practitioners. She said First Choice has been able to bring to the corporation and to the community as a whole $2.8 million this fiscal year Mrs. Simmons responded that there is possibly space available at First Choice in Lillington for doctors. Harnett County Tax Administrator Keith Faulkner and Tax Department Attorney Billy Godwin updated the board on the list of previously discussed unknown properties. Mr. Faulkner said upon further research some of 18 parcels are not technically unknown. Mr. Godwin said only six of those properties were truly unknown owners cases which have now been filed for foreclosures. Mr. Godwin believes the County should be able to sale the properties, by public auction method, in early January. Mr Godwin said legal action has been filed on nine of the 18 properties. He said they found owners for three of the parcels, six of them seem to be regular heir cases and three are unmapped parcels. Commissioners discussed collections with Mr. Faulkner. Mr. John Gasiorowski, the County's insurance broker, distributed a handout and provided the following updated: 1. The County's health claims loss ratio for the first 4 months of Fiscal Year 2016 is 102%. For the 12 -months of November 2014 through October 2015, the loss ratio is 96%. 2. The County's dental claims loss ratio for the first 4 months of Fiscal Year 2016 is 101%. For the 12 -months of November 2014 thru October 2015, the loss ratio is 91%. 3. Over the past year, IBA has worked extensively with Human Resources to ensure compliance with the Affordable Care Act employer mandate and IRS Reporting required for the first time in 1st quarter 2016. IBA has also provided compliance guidance for other regulatory requirements including Transitional Reinsurance Fees and benefit design. 4. Review 4 -tier enrollment structure for both the health and dental plans. 5. Considerations: - County paying the monthly FSA administration fee. Note that the County saves 7.65% of employer FICA taxes for every pretax dollar. The FSA pre-tax payroll deduction is $100,000 annual or a $7,650 savings. Administration cost for the FSA is approximately $5,200 per year. - County contributing to the cost of dental coverage. - Benefit Plan Design Enhancement: Change the Urgent Care visit copay from $50 to $25 to incentivize employees and dependents to use Urgent Care instead of more expensive Emergency Room care. 6. Based on the experience with BCBSNC's administration of the health plan last year, December 1, 2015 Special Session Minutes Harnett County Board of Commissioners Page 2 of 6 we will be reviewing proposals from BCBSNC (renewal), United Healthcare, Aetna, and Cigna. Additionally, we will review proposals for carving -out Rx and stop -loss reinsurance. Timeline: - 2/18/2016 Send a comprehensive health plan Request for Proposal (RFP) to BCBSNC, Aetna, Cigna, and United Healthcare. - 3/3/2016 Deadline for proposals to IBA. - Week of 3/14/2016 IBA to evaluate all proposals. - Week of 3/21/2016 Present to Human Resources and Manager. - April 2016 Recommendation to Commissioners. - Week of 5/9/2016 Open Enrollment meetings. Mr. Gasiorowski shared summaries for the county's self-funded medical paid claims and self- funded dental paid claims. He said the Affordable Care Act continues to be a challenge. Vice Chairman Springle said the employees he has talked to like what they have done and the services they are getting. The group discussed ways to try and make sure employees get their annual physical and participate in wellness initiatives. Chairman Burgin asked if the employee health clinic is saving us money. Mr. Gasiorowski said probably so but was uncertain if the services provided at the employee health clinic are filed with BC/BS. Staff confirmed the cost of the employee health clinic is $121,000 for a position and supplies. The group discussed different options and things to consider going forward. Chairman Burgin recognized Board of Education Chairman Bill Morris. The proposed pay plan discussion was postponed as Mr. Rankins was unable to attend today's meeting. Steve Ward, Director of Public Utilities, spoke to the board regarding a request to reclassify an Office Aid position, Grade 51, to an Office Assistant, Grade 58, due to an increase in duties. Mr. Ward also said it has become challenging to fill the position at the current level. He noted Public Utilities would absorb this cost in their current budget. It was the consensus of the board to consider approval of this request at their upcoming regular December 7, 2015 meeting. Carl Davis, Director of Parks and Recreation, updated the board regarding the Phillips property donation of 109 acres on Dunn Erwin Trail. Mr. Davis had previously discussed this donation with the board in May 2014. He also noted this property was in the initial plan to develop as part of the Dunn Erwin Trail. Sharon Stevens also attended. Discussions continued. Mr. Snow will draft a deed once he gets all of the information. Harnett County Engineer Amanda Bader reviewed capital outlay needs with the Board and distributed the attached capital outlay plan. Chris Johnson, Facilities Maintenance Manager, was also present. Mrs. Bader said every year it seems there are a couple of surprises and this year is no exception. She said each year staff adds to the budget things such as up fits, energy December 1, 2015 Special Session Minutes Harnett County Board of Commissioners Page 3 of 6 improvements, roofs, HVAC and they usually get cut. Mrs. Bader said we get into this pattern of deferred maintenance which many times in the end cost more. She shared examples and encouraged the board to think about these things during budget time. Mr. Jeffries said the capital outlay plan is a good working list for right now but we are looking at a more comprehensive capital plan for the county which they hope to discuss with the board at the planning retreat. Mr. Jeffries said there are additional things that will be added to the plan that they think they can actually predict revenues out and have a working capital plan going forward. Mrs. Bader reviewed items on the capital outlay plan in some detail. The plan included the following needs: roof, windows, HVAC/electrical, renovations/upfits, paving, demolition, annual costs and space needs. She said the repairs to the Triangle South building roof, in the amount of $126,567, depleted their building maintenance budget. Mrs. Bader said they are going to have to move some money. Staff responded that the county rents the Triangle South building for a dollar a year and until recent also donated $10,000 a year to Triangle South which they used to maintain the facility. Mrs. Honeycutt said staff, when looking at money given to nonprofits, realized the county actually owned the Triangle South building which was then added it to the county's insurance. Commissioner Elmore said there are currently 19 tenants in the building and the money they pay for rent to Triangle South is used to pay light bills and that type of stuff. Vice Chairman Springle asked about the possibility of giving the facility to Triangle South. Mr. Jeffries said there would be a budget amendment forthcoming to appropriate $126,567 from the fund balance to Public Building's budget. Mrs. Bader talked about repairs and maintenance needed if the county wants to maintain the Anderson Creek gym, Boone Trail, Shawtown and Benhaven in two years. She said the Boone Trail facility is derelict now. Chairman Burgin asked if that is the case then why not dispose of the property. Mr. Jeffries said there is a lot of benefit to keeping the property. Mrs. Bader said we could sub -divide the property as there is still a lot of residual life in the library and gymnasium. Mr. Jeffries this will be part of our big picture plan to partner with the Library and Parks and Recreation. Chairman Burgin said they should talk to the City of Dunn to see if there is any money available to turn it in to housing. He said the community has a lot of affection for the building. Mrs. Bader said she has tried to pursue monies in the past for similar projects. Mrs. Bader continued to reviewed items listed in the capital outlay plan. She noted that some of the amounts in the capital outlay plan are preliminary numbers at this time. Mrs. Bader they would be asking for $127,000 this year to do the courthouse recommissioning (HVAC), card key replacement (lease) and upfit/carpet replacement in commissioner's chamber. Mrs. Bader noted the capital outlay cost in 2016-2017 would be $563,500 and $1,080,000 in 2017-2018. Mrs. Bader said these issues aren't going away. Mr. Jeffries said we are at a point now where we need additional funding to accomplish just a portion of things that need to be done. Chairman Burgin confirmed $127,000 picks up all of the items in the 2015-2016 column. December 1, 2015 Special Session Minutes Harnett County Board of Commissioners Page 4 of 6 Mr. Jeffries noted last year the county engaged an architect to go through some processes and facility needs. He said he is hoping, as part of our comprehensive capital plan being put together, to engage an architect to go ahead and do additional work. Mr. Jeffries said the cost for this would not exceed $6,000 and a budget amendment would be forth coming. Chairman Burgin said there needs to be a list like this that everyone has that we are always taking them off and adding to. He said there ought to be a percentage of our budget allocated for capital needs each year. Chairman Burgin asked the Finance Officer to work on that and come up with a good number. Mr. Jeffries said they will provide commissioners with a comprehensive capital plan at the upcoming planning retreat: a five year capital plan and a five year funding plan that's going to be all inclusive. Chairman Burgin again requested the development of a formula to fund schools. The group discussed the county's current fund balance compared to last year. Chairman Burgin asked staff to see if there is any money available to Emergency Management. Last, Mrs. Bader reviewed annual costs which included: pressure wash jail and courthouse, sidewalks on Ray Road, replacement of HVAC, office renovations, detention center water heater, parking lot repairs and parking lot light upfits. Staff confirmed these annual costs are already covered in this years' budget but are provided to prepare for the upcoming budget. It was the consensus of the Board to approve the $127,000 budget amendment at their upcoming meeting. Vice Chairman Springle said staff they did a wonderful job renovating the Veteran Services space. Mrs. Bader will discuss the proposed location of a trash compactor on County property and convenient sites at a future meeting. In lieu of the Buies Creek recycling center, Mrs. Bader said citizens are encouraged to take recycling to the landfills. Regarding potential lead abatement at the Head Start facility, Chairman Burgin asked staff to review the files because he believes there was a complete evaluation done of the property prior to Head Start moving in. Mr. Jeffries said they would discuss the proposed location of trash compactor on County property at a later date. Mrs. Honeycutt discussed the Board of Education's request for $25,000 to replace a 2001 maintenance vehicle with high mileage that has blown up. She reminded the board that the County must provide capital funding to the Board of Education. It was the consensus of the Board to consider approval of a budget amendment from the general fund at their December 7, 2015 meeting. Mr. Jeffries reviewed the December 7, 2015 regular meeting agenda. Mr. Jeffries also noted that CCCC is going to need an additional $71,000 for their new turning lane noting NCDOT is putting in $98,000. Discussion continued. December 1, 2015 Special Session Minutes Harnett County Board of Commissioners Page 5 of 6 Mr. Snow alerted the Board that a Mr. and Mrs. Fulton are requesting a 2.7 foot variance and are offering to purchase a small piece of property from the County as they built a building that doesn't meet setback. He noted that the Board of Adjustment denied their request and the Planning Department believes they should move the building. Mr. Snow reviewed the process of an upset bid if the Board wanted to consider approval of a resolution to allow the purchase as a bale out situation. Mr. Snow also provided an update on the Board of Education lawsuit. Commissioner Elmore moved that the Board go into closed session to 1) discuss personnel matters; and 2) to instruct the County staff concerning the position to be taken by the County in negotiating the terms of a contract for the acquisition of real property. This motion is made pursuant to N.C. General Statute Section 143-318.11(a)(6)&(5). Vice Chairman Springle seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Commissioner Elmore moved that the Board come out of closed session. Commissioner Miller seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Chairman Burgin announced that the Rotary Club would like to talk to the Board about erecting a bronze statue of Cornelius Harnett on the property at the courthouse in Lillington. Commissioner Elmore moved that the meeting adjourn at 12:13 pm. Vice Chairman Springle seconded the motion AAhich passed undm;ini usiy ,,, ///-4 W. Brooks Matthews, Chairman L Approve) 3- /* -ar Regina W eler, Clerk December 1, 2015 Special Session Minutes Harnett County Board of Commissioners Page 6 of 6