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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober_7_2003_Regular_MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MINUTES OCTOBER 7, 2003 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in Regular Session on Tuesday, October 7, 2003, at 7:00 p.m., in the Iredell County Government Center (Commissioners' Meeting Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. Present were: Chairman Steve D. Johnson Vice Chairman Godfrey Williams Doug Madison Marvin Norman Sara Haire Tice Staff present: County Manager Joel Mashburn, County Attorney Bill Pope, Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Johnson. INVOCATION by Commissioner Norman. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG ADJUSTMENTS OF THE AGENDA: MOTION by Chairman Johnson to adjust the agenda by the following actions: Deletion: Request for a Discussion Pertaining to the County's Transportation (Thoroughfare) Plan (see briefing minutes) Additions: Mr. Sam Hall was given permission to Speak on Behalf of the Iredell County Cattlemen's Association and Farmers of Iredell County and to Present a Petition of Grievances Pertaining to the Farm Use Evaluation Process In reference to a delinquent account write-off (consent agenda item #4), the board members requested that a complaint be filed with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors Budget amendment numbers were given to consent agenda items #5 & #6 VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. APPOINTMENTS BEFORE THE BOARD PRESENTATION FROM BARBARA BARRIER ON BEHALF OF THE REGION F AGING ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Ms. Barrier updated the board on the activities of the Region F Aging Advisory Committee. She said the group approved federal and state funds for aging services that were distributed through the North Carolina Division of Aging. Barrier mentioned the following three issues that were of concern to the committee and the county's older adults. 1. High cost of prescription drugs 2. State and federal funding reductions for older adult services 3. Additional funding needs of the Family Caregiver Support Program Ms. Barrier then presented demographic and statistical information about the county's senior citizens. Attending the meeting with Ms. Barrier were Victor Crosby, an alternate member of the committee, Carolyn Jordan, a member of the Senior Tar Heel Legislative Group, Anna Rice, the Director of the Iredell County Council on Aging, and Laurie Abounader, the staff liaison for Region F's aging services. PRESENTATION FROM BETH CARTER ON BEHALF OF THE FORT DOBBS ALLIANCE: Ms. Carter, President of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Fort Dobbs Alliance, introduced Kay Williams, the North Carolina Director for Historic Sites, Dr. Jerry Cashion, the Chairperson for the North Carolina Historic Commission, and Lewis Alexander, another member of the Alliance. Carter briefed the board on the role that Fort Dobbs played in colonial history. Ms. Williams read the following resolution and requested its adoption. RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FORT DOBBS AS A LIVING HISTORY ATTRACTION IN IREDELL COUNTY WHEREAS, Fort Dobbs was built in 1756 to protect colonial North Carolina's backcountry in the French and Indian War (1754-1763); and WHEREAS, Fort Dobbs was a "good and substantial building" by December 1756 and withstood a Cherokee attack in 1760 making it an ideal location to interpret native American as well as European and African American frontier history; and WHEREAS, early efforts by Mary Colvert Talley and the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1909 led to preservation of almost ten acres, including the fort site; and WHEREAS, Fort Dobbs opened as a State Historic Site in 1976 and provided valuable history to the public until October 2003; and WHEREAS, tourism in 2001 was the nation's third largest retail industry, providing more than 7 million jobs and supporting another 9.2 million jobs, and the number of visitors to North Carolina in 2003 was 44.4 million (sixth in person -trip volume by state); and WHEREAS, Iredell County is at the crossroads of Interstates 40 and 77, not far from major urban centers, and Fort Dobbs gives Iredell County an exceptional opportunity to become a heritage destination; and WHEREAS, Fort Dobbs holds a unique place in local, state and national history and, if developed, would be the only reconstructed French and Indian War military outpost in the Carolinas, among a handful in the entire nation; and WHEREAS, in 2003, state budget cuts resulted in the temporary closing of Fort Dobbs and placed it in a developmental phase working towards reconstruction of the fort; and WHEREAS, the Division of State Historic Sites plans to develop Fort Dobbs as a living history attraction in partnership with the nonprofit Fort Dobbs Alliance; and WHEREAS, some of the most highly successful and innovative historic attractions in our state and nation rely on imaginative public-private partnerships; and WHEREAS, the Iredell County Commissioners understand that plans for Fort Dobbs include ongoing research, planning, and fundraising for future interactive programming, special events, reconstruction of the fort, and a visitor center with museum exhibits; and WHEREAS, the Iredell County Commissioners comprehend that this bold venture will require Iredell County citizens and other North Carolinians to support the Fort Dobbs Alliance and the Division of State Historic Sites; and WHEREAS, North Carolina has a proud military heritage, which can provide vital reassurance in uncertain times. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Iredell County Board of Commissioners in Statesville, North Carolina, unanimously endorses the development of the Fort Dobbs State Historic Site as a living history attraction and recommends the project to all citizens of Iredell County and the state, and that a copy of this resolution be spread upon the minutes of the board of county commissioners. (end of resolution) 2 Chairman Johnson said he understood that for the viability of the Fort Dobbs site to remain open, there would have to be a public-private partnership. He asked if there would be any support from the state in the future. Ms. Williams said, "Like all state projects, we constantly work on building support." She mentioned that a discussion had occurred today with two members of the legislature who represented Iredell County. Ms. Williams said, "A diversity of funding sources makes a site stronger and better developed, and this is what is causing the effort to seek public and private funding. We want to create a living history attraction that will be very strong, and one of the strongest in the state." Commissioner Williams asked what was being planned for other areas (trails, etc.) at the site. Ms. Williams said Fort Dobbs was never developed the way it should have been. She said, "We will be going back to the drawing board to create what we hope will be a great site. We continue to want to make the site available to the community on a case- by-case basis." She said the caretaker's house would be rehabilitated, and it was hoped that it could be leased to someone interested in assuming oversight for the property. She continued by saying that periodic educational programs would be given at the site. Commissioner Williams asked if groups, such as the boy scouts, would be allowed to use the site in the future. Ms. Williams said a form would be developed for organizations to complete when requesting usage of the site. She said the boy scouts, and other organizations of this type, were the ones that would be encouraged to use the site. Bill Hicks, the Cub Scout Chairperson for Iredell County, said during this past summer's day camp held at Fort Dobbs, that 265 boys (second to the fifth grade) participated. He said this was the only place in Iredell County that had adequate parking, open fields, picnic shelters, trees, nature trails, and a recreational area. Stephen Davis, County District Executive for the Boy Scouts, reiterated what Mr. Hicks said. He said there were 1,800 Iredell County boys registered in the scouting program, and the Fort Dobbs site was needed for them. MOTION by Commissioner Madison to adopt the Fort Dobbs resolution as presented. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. PRESENTATION FROM TIM CODDING, WITH CLAYTON HOMES, INC., IN REFERENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSPECTIONS (TURNAROUND TIME): Mr. Codding had previously requested an appointment before the board regarding the length of time it took to obtain septic system inspections; however, he did not attend the meeting. PRESENTATION FROM SAM HALL ON BEHALF OF IREDELL COUNTY FARMERS AND THE IREDELL COUNTY CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESENTING A PETITION OF GRIEVANCES PERTAINING TO THE FARM USE: Mr. Hall's petition contained the following introductory remarks. There are 1,189 farms in Iredell County comprising 156,748 acres with the average farm being composed of 132 acres. Livestock produces $80,737,000 in cash receipts in Iredell County, which ranks our county thirteenth in the state. Crop production generates ,$15,965,000, and combined with livestock cash receipts, totals $96,701,000. Iredell County is ranked 24"' in the state's counties for agricultural income. Iredell County is the number one county, in the state for dairy receipts and number four for beef receipts. Iredell County it number one in the world for laying hens. This county is known for its blend of agriculture and industry, and agriculture is the number one industry in Iredell County. 3 Farmland has both an economic value and an aesthetic value to Iredell County. Studies across the nation indicate that residential land use is a net tax loss to counties while farm land use is a net tax gain to counties. On average, for every dollar that is collected from residential land, a county spends one dollar and sixteen cents, and for every dollar that is collected.from farm land a county spends only thirty-six cents. Without farm use evaluation, farmers could not continue to farm in Iredell County. Mr. Hall then mentioned the following grievances that he, and other farmers, had about the county's tax department. a. The tax administrator and his staff have undertaken steps outside statutory authority to enforce tax law issues. b. The tax administrator and his staff are imposing unreasonable standards for qualifying for farm and forest use tax evaluation (requiring full tax returns from individuals instead of the Schedule F). c. The tax administrator and his staff are requiring taxpayers to obtain legal counsel to protect legal rights guaranteed by state statutes. d. The tax administrator and his staff are using their own interpretation of the state statutes and not securing advice from the Iredell County attorney. e. The tax administrator's staff have been rude, arrogant, and abusive. Mr. Hall then made several suggestions on how the grievances could be corrected. (Approximately 75-100 people attended the meeting with Mr. Hall.) Chairman Johnson said that in the past nine years while he served on the board, efforts had always been made to insure the viability of the farming community. He mentioned that this year, during the revaluation process, for the first time the board had been allowed to develop a policy that would give the greatest advantage, from a tax standpoint, to the farmers. Johnson continued by saying during the revaluation process, the board had adopted a policy that made the property taxes on the farming community as low as possible by statute. Mr. Johnson said one rumor that was repeatedly being circulated was that the board of commissioners had hired someone in the tax office to eliminate the farm use application. He said this was untrue, and he had never heard any commissioner voicing any animosity towards the farming community. Johnson concluded his remarks by saying rude and impolite behavior by county employees would not be tolerated, and the tax administrator had been asked to develop a standard operating procedure. Commissioner Williams then made the following remarks. "I spent a good part of the summer talking to farmers in the county about the farm use and the administration of it. In most cases, the farmers were my friends at the outset, and they still are my friends. However, the one thing they all asked was that they be treated fairly and with dignity. Like Mr. Johnson said, I'm not aware of any board member on this board that's ever made any statement that even remotely suggests that we do not support continuing the farm use deduction. In fact, this board voted unanimously to set the caps at the highest limit allowed by law in order to give Iredell County farmers every break possible. When it became evident that the revaluation would bring additional hardships to the farmers, we made a genuine effort to lower the tax rate to help reduce the tax burden for all county taxpayers. We managed to reduce the rate by three and one-half cents. This is the first time in the past three revaluations that this has been accomplished. Mr. Chairman, I ove that a task force be formed to look into the issues that have been raised. I would like to nominate the following people to serve on this committee: Jimmy Dobson, Bill Harris, Danny Allen, Rex Bell, Andy Gray, Jerry Turner, Bobbie Williams, Charles Carter, Richard Renegar, Dr. Bradley Mills, Carroll Goodman, Phil McLain, and Ken Vaughn, ex officio. The task force is being formed to place on the table any concerns regarding G.S. 105-296, which is the audit procedures for agricultural land use tax and also to hear any grievances toward the local administration of the law. Now, one of the 4 problems that's happened, that we've been made aware of, was last year all you had to do to qualify for farm use was basically to have 10 acres of land and say you produced a thousand dollars off it. The General Assembly in Raleigh passed G.S. 105-296, which makes this completely different now. There is literally dozens of new rules and regulations that they've thrown on us for the farmer to prove that the land is in farm use. I would like for this group, along with whatever staff that can be provided for them, as far as Raleigh, and the tax office, to explain to the task force the procedures and show them once and for all that the commissioners are not making these rules up. And also to be able to hear some of the grievances that have been brought to you on a personal level." (Conclusion of Commissioner Williams' remarks and motion.) Chairman Johnson said he understood the nominations would be subject to each nominee's willingness to serve. Commissioner Williams said this was correct. Chairman Johnson said the board was concerned about the farming community. He advised the audience members that each commissioner was willing to talk to them if there were any concerns in the future. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. Commissioner Madison asked if the personnel ordinance included any procedures to follow when a citizen was poorly treated by a county employee. He asked if there were procedures to file a complaint. Mashburn said anyone could file a complaint either with the supervisor of the department or in the county manager's office. He said there were policies that employees were expected to follow and there was a procedure for the supervisors to follow in addressing situations when the policies were not followed. Mashburn said that in Mr. Hall's case, there was a tax supervisor who had been employed less than six months. He said the tax supervisor was administering a program that was put in place and employees put in place prior to his arrival, along with having to implement statutes that were recently changed. Mr. Mashburn said that in fairness, all of these factors needed to be taken into consideration by the task force. He said there had always been an effort to treat everyone fairly, and the best way to be fair was to treat everyone equitably and in accordance with the statutes. Commissioner Madison said he felt the citizens needed a place to go if they felt they had been treated poorly. Mr. Madison said he didn't want the citizens mistreated. PRESENTATION FROM VAUGHN BOWLES, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, IN REFERENCE TO THE COUNTY'S SICK LEAVE POLICY: Mr. Bowles said he began employment (full time) with the sheriffs department on September 15, 1985 and remained until September 20, 1994 leaving behind 739.10 sick leave hours. He said that on May 9, 1996, he was rehired, again at the sheriffs department, and the 739.10 sick leave hours were credited to him. Bowles said later, on August 6, 2003, a memo from the county's human resources office was sent to him explaining that the sick leave hours had erroneously been credited to him, and they would be deducted from his sick leave balance. Mr. Bowles said the human resources office had justified this action by saying the personnel ordinance stated "employees that retire or resign and are not reinstated with the county within a one-year period shall lose all sick leave credits." Bowles requested that the hours be reinstated. He said he had already made the request to Sheriff Redmond and the county manager. Bowles said he recognized sick leave was a privilege and not a right, but that the county had elected to grant it to the employees. He said the hours would equal 61 days or about 5 months on his retirement, and he had earned them. Mr. Bowles said other employees (John Cloer, Ron Wyatt, and Ron Lambert) at the sheriff s department had experienced similar sick leave time losses, and he requested that their 5 cases also be considered. He said he had no knowledge about the sick leave stipulation until the memo was sent to him. Chairman Johnson said the board members would consult with each other regarding the matter and issue a determination. Commissioner Williams asked the impact on the county if the request were granted. County Manager Mashburn said he would have to review the files of the employees with similar circumstances. He also said that if the request were approved, a revision would have to be made to the personnel ordinance. MOTTO by Chairman Johnson to take the request under advisement in order to afford each commissioner time to convey their thoughts individually to him and for a decision to be rendered at a later time. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0 REQUEST FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF AN INTER -LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF STATESVILLE PERTAINING TO IMPROVEMENTS AT THE STATESVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT: Chairman Johnson read the inter -local agreement that is written as follows. This inter -local agreement entered into this the 7°i day of October 2003, by and between the City of Statesville, a North Carolina municipal corporation situated in Iredell County (hereinafter "The City"); and Iredell County, a political subdivision of the State of North Carolina (hereinafter "The County"): W ITNF.SSF.TIE WHEREAS, the City owns and operates an airport in Iredell County, North Carolina known as the Statesville Municipal Airport (hereinafter "The Airport"); and WHEREAS, the City has embarked upon a project to improve and expand the Airport which shall include installation of an instrument landing system, expansion of the terminal area, ramp expansion, the extension of a runway with associated parallel taxing and safety area, the relocation of Airport Road, which runs adjacent of the Airport (hereinafter "The Project"), and possible relocation of Bethlehem Road; and WHEREAS, the expansion and improvement of the Airport will induce and stimulate economic development in the Statesville and Iredell County area; and WHEREAS, the total cost of the Project has been estimated at approximately $14,415,371; the remaining estimated cost is $12,882,200; and WHEREAS, as of the date of this agreement, $1,533,171 has been expended or obligated on the Project, with the use of State and Federal grants; and WHEREAS, the City has already committed $2,000,000 from its general fund to the Project; and WHEREAS, the City anticipates receiving certain grants and reimbursements from State and Federal grants which will help defray the costs of this Project; and WHEREAS, the City anticipates the need to finance approximately $5,000,000 of the costs of the Project; and WHEREAS, the Project will not be feasible for the City unless the County agrees to share in the repayment of the amount financed; and WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the economic development of the City and County that the Project be undertaken and completed; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of N.C.G.S. § 160A-481, the City and the County are authorized to enter into this inter -local agreement. NOW, THEREFORE for and in consideration of these mutual covenants and promises, the parties do agree as follows: 6 I . The City shall attempt to finance approximately 55,000,000 to be applied to the Project. 2. The City shall be responsible for paying the debt service on the amount financed for the Project. 3. On or about July 1, 2005, the County shall reimburse the City fifty (50%) percent of all payments paid by the City as of that date to service the debt of the amount financed for the project; and thereafter the county shall reimburse the city for fifty (50%) percent of all debt service payments made by the City on the funds borrowed for the Project until the debt is paid in full. The County's reimbursement to the City shall be within thirty (30) days of receiving a statement from the City that a debt service payment has been made. 4. On or about July 1, 2005, the County shall also reimburse the City for fifty (50%) percent of all costs and fees incurred by the City in obtaining financing for the project. 5. With regards to any grants and reimbursements received by the City for the Project from the State or Federal grants, after first applying such grants or reimbursements to reimburse the City for the 52,000,000 paid by the City from its general funds for the Project, the balance of such grants or reimbursements shall be applied to reduce the balance of the remaining debt incurred by the City to finance the Project. 6. Should the City not obtain the financing necessary to complete the Project for whatever reason, then this Agreement shall be null and void. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties affixed hands and seals to this Agreement in duplicate originals, by authority duly given, on the date and year first above written. Chairman Johnson said he would speak as the board's representative on the airport commission. He said the group was attempting to accelerate the development of the project due to a tight timeframe. Johnson said the timeframe was due to an economic development project. He said that if the airport commission waited until the federal and state grants were obtained, the timeframe would not meet the expectations of a company expressing a willingness to locate at the airport. Mr. Johnson said that to make sure the expectations were met, the city was willing to go to the market place and borrow $5 million. Johnson said the city officials were asking the county to reimburse them for one-half of the principal and one-half of the interest on the borrowed money. He said W.K. Dickson officials (engineering firm) continued to make assurances that they could develop a timeframe where the work was reimbursable. He said reimbursable expenses were land purchases, architectural engineering, and planning. Johnson said the engineering firm felt it could develop a procedure to maximize, if not completely gain, the city's total reimbursement of the project, and consequently, the county. Johnson said for this to happen, everything would have to be 100 percent perfect. He said his honest feeling was that the project would cost the county some money. He said, however, he felt the amount would be substantially closer to zero than the total amount of exposure. Johnson said if the county did not participate, substantial tax base would be lost and an opportunity to create a marketable asset would be forfeited -- an asset that would be a recruitment tool for the next generation. He said that with a 7,000 ft. runway at the Statesville airport, a company could put a jet there and fly nonstop to Anchorage, Alaska, nonstop to a great deal of South America, and nonstop to Europe. He said the worse the county could do was to breakeven on the project. Attorney Pope said he had reviewed the agreement. He said the agreement appeared to be consistent with the comments made by Mr. Johnson. Commissioner Williams said that if the anticipated economic project at the airport did not happen, he assumed the county could slow down its commitment and let the grants catch up with the costs. Chairman Johnson said this was correct. Commissioner Madison and Commissioner Tice said the improvements would generate jobs in the county, the improvements would give the county an infrastructure asset, and the improvements would make the county more appealing to others. 7 MOTION by Commissioner Madison to approve the airport inter -local agreement as presented. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL TO CONTRACT WITH A CONSULTANT FOR THE 800 MHZ PROJECT WITH IREDELL COUNTY'S SHARE OF THE COSTS BEING $23,414 (OTHER JURISDICTIONS INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT AND THEIR PORTIONS OF THE COST WILL BE THE CITY STATESVILLE @ $4,430 / TOWN OF MOORESVILLE @ $3,480 AND THE TOWN OF TROUTMAN @ $316 FOR A TOTAL CONSULTANT'S FEE OF $3],640): During the briefing session, Communications Director Martin advised that a communications task force had been meeting for over a year, and the members had recommended that a consultant be hired. Martin said proposals were received ranging from $274,000 to $31,640. He said the task force was comfortable with a quote from Consultant Al Linker at $31,640. Martin said four jurisdictions would share in the costs, and that population figures were used to arrive at the cost per governmental unit. He said Mr. Linker had built the system presently being used in Rowan County. Mr. Martin said funding for the county's portion ($23,414) had been identified with the exception of $8,414. MOTTO by Commissioner Norman to approve Budget Amendment #12 for $8,414.00 for the purpose of hiring a consultant for the 800 MHz Project and for the funds to be derived from the contingency account. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. ----------------------------------------- CONSENT MOTION by Chairman Johnson to approve the following seven (7) consent agenda items. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. 1. Request for Approval of the Records Retention and Disposition Schedule for the Register of Deeds' Office: At the briefing session, Assistant Register of Deeds Kay Mills explained that an update to the records retention and disposition schedule had been received from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Mrs. Mills said that in conjunction with G.S. 121-5(b), the Register of Deeds was requesting approval of the document. 2. Call for a Public Hearing on November 4, 2003 at 7:00 p.m., Pertaining to the Community Transportation Program (CTP) Application for FY 2004-05 (See briefing minutes for additional information regarding this matter.) 3. Request for a Discussion and Possible Amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Priority List: Planning Supervisor Smith said during the briefing that on August 5, 2003, the TIP priority list was approved by the board. He said the number two priority was the Brawley School Road/I-77 Interchange (Mooresville). Smith said that recently he learned the federal government might try to "block" the interchange due to its close proximity of Exit 36 (within one mile). Mr. Smith said that if the interchange were omitted, he didn't think it would delay the project, but it might pose some long-term effects on the area's traffic flow. Smith continued by saying the primary route for accessing 1-77 from Brawley School Road was by the Williamson Road. He said the proposed interchange would provide a more direct access to the interstate, and it would bypass Williamson Road. He said, however, if the federal government eliminated the interchange, it would be "crucial" to have Williamson Road widened. Smith recommended that Williamson Road be widened if the proposed interchange were not approved. The priority list will now be as follows: 8 #1 I-40/I-77/Jane Sowers Road/US 21 Interchanges (in conjunction with Statesville) #2 Brawley School Road/I-77 Interchange (Mooresville) with option of Williamson Road improvements #3 River Highway (Mooresville) #4 I-77/Cornelius Road Interchange and Mazeppa Road extension (Mooresville) #5 US 21 Widening through Troutman 4. Request for Approval to Write -Off the Delinquent Account of Lake Construction Company of 123 Sweetbriar Lane, Mooresville, NC ($49.40 + late fees = balance of $700.00) and to File a Complaint with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors on the Qualifier for the Permit (Additional information regarding this matter may be found in the briefing minutes.) 5. Request for Approval of Budget Amendment #11 in Recognition of a Grant Increase in the Amount of $5,000 for the 2003 Duke Power Fixed Nuclear Grant (Radiological Preparedness Program): Emergency Services Director Jackson said during the briefing that $20,000 had been received from Duke Power and that $15,000 of this amount was already included in the budget. He requested a budget amendment to recognize the additional $5,000.00, and he said the money would be used for office supplies, telephone lines, travel, contracted services, and training and development. 6. Request from the Sheriff's Department for Approval of Budget Amendment #13 for the purpose of Appropriating Fund Balance -Seized Funds for the purchase of a Replacement K-9 and to Provide a 2003 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Match to Purchase Video Arraignment Equipment: During the briefing, Training Officer Mark McCollum, with the Sheriffs Department requested approval of a budget amendment for the following two items. #1 Local match of $3,146 for a 2003 Law Enforcement Block Grant (grant total $31,465) #2 Acquisition of a new canine animal ($12,000) to replace K-9 Noushka, now deceased 7. Request for Approval of the September 16, 2003 Minutes ---------------------------------END OF CONSENT AGENDA ---------------------------------- ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES OCCURRING ON BOARDS & COMMISSIONS Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (2 announcements) APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS & COMMISSIONS Recreation Advisory Board (1 appointment): Commissioner Tice nominated Matt Madison to fill the unexpired tern of Jim Kay, who recently resigned. MOTION by Chairman Johnson to close the nominations and appoint Madison by acclamation. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. Personnel Advisory Board (1 ap ointment): No nominations were submitted, and Commissioner Madison[motioned to postpone the appointment until the October 21, 2003 meeting. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. 9 Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee (4 appointments): No nominations were submitted, and Chairman Johnson hotione to postpone the appointments until the October 21, 2003 meeting. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. CLOSED SESSION: MOTION by Chairman Johnson to enter into closed session at 8:35 p.m., for the purpose of discussing economic development matters pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11 (a) (4) and an attorney-client matter pursuant to G.S. 143- 318.11 (a) (3). VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. (RETURN TO OPEN SESSION AT 9:15 P.M.) ADJOURNMENT: OTIO by Chairman Johnson to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, October 21, 2003, in the Iredell County Government Center, 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. Approved: 10 Clerk to the Board