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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril_5_2005_Briefing_MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BRIEFING MINUTES APRIL 5, 2005 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in Briefing Session on Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at 5:00 p.m., in the Iredell County Government Center (South Wing Conference Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. Present were: Chairman Sara Haire Tice Vice Chairman Godfrey Williams Steve D. Johnson Marvin Norman Ken Robertson Staff present: County Manager Joel Mashburn, Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, Planning & Code Enforcement Director Lynn Niblock, Planning Supervisor Steve Warren, Planner Whitney Hodges, Emergency Services Director Tracy Jackson, Purchasing Agent Dean Lail, GIS Supervisor Lee Anne Owens, Transportation Director Ben Garrison, Chief Animal Control Officer Rob Tatham, Tax Administrator Bill Doolittle, Tax Collector Bill Furches, Cooperative Extension Director Ken Vaughn, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Tice. PRESENTATION FROM MEMBERS OF THE FIRE TAX DISTRICT BOARD (FTDB) REGARDING FIRE TAX REVENUE: Fire Tax District Board Chairman Carroll Goodman, along with Vice Chairman Frank Phillips, attended the meeting to update the board on VFD funding for the departments in the county -wide service district and to request additional funding. Phillips distributed a handout containing the following information: Allocation of Funds: • Iredell County funds 12 in -county and 4 out -of -county VFDs with a $.05 fire tax. • The $.05 annually equals $3.1 million. • Almost all fire hydrants installed in the county are purchased out of the $3.1 million. • The $.05 is supposed to be used as follows: $.01 truck purchases $.01 debt reduction $.03 VFD operating expenses • Through 2004, almost all of the fire trucks and the VFD debts were paid off; however, $.03 will not cover operating expenses. To rectify the problem, the FTDB, during the past two years, has had to transfer unused funds from trucks/debt service to pay the operating costs. The increased costs have occurred due to population growth and age of vehicles/buildings. In addition, in an effort to lower the fire ratings, there have been increased insurance company demands (training and equipment). How Funds Are Spent: • Out of 12 VFDs, 11 have 1 or 2 paid firemen during day -time hours. • The paid firemen provide an acceptable emergency response time, and the cost is equal to $.01 of the $.03 for operating cost. • Repairs and maintenance to vehicles is 1/3 of $.01 • Repairs to buildings is another 1/3 of $.01 — Most facilities were built in the 1960s and need major repairs and/or additions. • The balance of the $.01 is used pay for fire hydrants, turn -out gear, utilities, training, first -responder costs ($100,000) and other expenses. (It has been requested that the EMS Department absorb the first -responder costs in the future.) Building Improvements: • Lake Norman VFD is on schedule to be replaced. • Seven other VFDs have indicated an interest in either expanding or rebuilding. (Union Grove, Wayside, Ebenezer and Troutman need renovations. Harmony desires a new facility. Cool Springs is reviewing either a major renovation or new building. FY 05-06 Plans: • The FTDB has decided to replace only one truck (25 yrs. old) in the upcoming year. • Continued efforts will be made to consolidate truck purchases in the future to maximize funds. This effort will try to include Shepherds and the Mt. Mourne VFD. FY 05-06 Request: • An increase of $.Ol to be used for operating costs and debt service. ("A savings in interest expense will result due to less reliance on borrowed money.") Phillips said one cent equaled $600,000. Chairman Tice asked how many man hours the extra one cent would provide. Phillips said the extra $600,000 would be available to curtail some of the monetary transfers out of the truck funds. He said all of the departments, with the exception of Central, had one or two paid firemen. Phillips said Central still had a sufficient number of volunteers who could assist when fires occurred during the day. Commissioner Williams asked for comments from Emergency Services Director Jackson in regards to the first responder costs being paid out of the EMS budget. Jackson said the FTDB had provided information on the request. He said it would probably be feasible for EMS to absorb the costs, but a directive would need to be issued by the board of commissioners. Williams said the FTDB money was not growing as much as in the past, and one of the reasons was due to annexations. Commissioner Johnson asked if the VFDs were submitting reimbursement requests when first responder supplies were used. Goodman said minor supplies were not that much of an issue, but it was items such as defibrillators and their maintenance that were making the costs so high. Williams mentioned that most of the VFD facilities were built in the 1960s with no county funds. He said the departments were retaining older vehicles even when replacements were purchased, and this increased the insurance costs. Chairman Tice said it was the sentiment of many citizens that they shouldn't have to help with VFD fundraisers due to being taxed for fire service. Johnson said, "It's a hard sell to raise any tax." He said the public would be asking what they were getting in exchange for higher taxes. Goodman agreed, and he said this was the first question that was posed to the VFDs. He said the fire departments had been reminded about how important it was to achieve a good fire rating. Phillips said most departments were working on their ratings. He noted that Troutman had a 6/9. He said the insurance department had stressed the importance of having adequate equipment. 2 Tice asked if paid firemen was a requirement. Phillips said the response time was a factor. He said an additional one -cent was needed to maintain a high level of service. Johnson said the VFDs and their services were appreciated, but it would be difficult for him to approve the increase unless there was a goal. He mentioned the possibility of the goal being a good fire rating, and if so, then a plan needed to be developed to achieve the goal. Goodman and Phihips said every department was trying to get a good rating. Phillips said Lake Norman had gone from 9 to a 6 rating. Williams suggested that a list be developed indicating the various ratings. He said the list could show the VFDs trying to improve and when improvements might be achieved, along with what action was needed, e.g. hydrant installation. Goodman said around three departments a year were rated -- it was dependent upon the state's inspection. ratings. Commissioner Robertson asked if the building improvements would help in the Both Goodman and Phillips said structural improvements would help. Andy Webster, a member of the Cool Springs VFD, said his department had a 5/9. He said in 1981 it was a 7. Webster said that after hydrants were installed, a better rating was received. Bill Jumey, a former member of the FTDB, and a resident of the Troutman VFD community, said it was time for the county to "take a step forward." He said a $200 savings in homeowners' insurance costs could occur if a fire rating increased from a 9 to a 6. He said members of the public would be more inclined to help the departments if they only knew how much could be saved each year on insurance. Chairman Tice thanked everyone for attending the meeting. She said the comments and handout from the Fire Tax District Board would be received for information. Request for Permission to Apply for the North Carolina Department of Correction's Criminal Justice Partnership Program Grant for the Iredell County Resource Center Administered by Appropriate Punishment Options: Appropriate Punishment Options Director Pam Navey requested permission to apply for $121,929 to continue the Iredell Resource Center. She said the center worked with offenders who were on probation, and the Criminal Justice Partnership Program Committee met on March 14 and approved the application. Navey said the program was in its ninth year of operation. She said it was recently learned that an additional $11,354 would be available for program expansion, and the funds had to be used before June 30, 2005. Purchase of Development Rights (PDRs) Program: Planning Supervisor Steve Warren and Planner Hodges briefly discussed the PDR program. Warren said the program was elective, and it was one way to help protect the future of farming. Commissioner Johnson said he understood that a transfer of development rights was different, and this type of program still needed the adoption of legislation. Ken Vaughn, the Director of the Cooperative Extension Service, said the PDR program wouldn't do much; however, it would help protect farmland. He said it was a mechanism for the farmers to use, if needed. Vaughn said at one time the state had appropriated funding for the program, but disaster relief for Hurricane Floyd damage 3 had used the money. He agreed with Johnson, that the transfer of development rights program was different from the PDR. Request for Approval of an HVAC Maintenance Contract for the New Library: Purchasing Agent Dean Lail said a maintenance contract for the new library's heating/ventilation/air conditioning system had been supplied by York International. He said the three-year contract would cost $12,420 during the first year, $19,176 for the second year, and $19,176 for the third year. Commissioner Norman asked what the services would be for the first year. Lail said the system was under warranty; however, maintenance was not covered. He said the service would be for items such as "greasing the ball bearings." County Manager Mashburn asked how the pricing compared to some of the other service contracts. Lail said Air Masters provided service at the government center at $1,000 a month, and the monthly charge for the Hall of Justice was around $1,700. Commissioner Norman expressed concerns about the cost, he suggested that the staff acquire more information for comparison. Commissioner Johnson suggested the possibility of hiring someone to provide the service (clean air filters and coils, etc.) on all of the county buildings. Lail said that even though the service was considered low maintenance, anyone hired would still have to be certified. Mashburn added that if one person was designated to perform the work, he didn't know who would be responsible for the maintenance if something happened to that one individual. Request to Call for a Public Hearing on April 19, 2005 Regarding the FY 2005-2006 North Carolina Department of Transportation's Rural Operating Assistance Program: Transportation Director Ben Garrison requested that a public hearing be held on April 19 regarding annual funding for the Rural Operating Assistance Program. Garrison said meetings had recently occurred with social services staff members about the county possibly applying for a Job Access Reverse Commute (JARP) grant. He said the federal funds were highly competitive, but due to so many people utilizing ICATS to travel back and forth from work the group might try to submit an application. Request for a Discussion and/or Action Regarding Senate Bill 508 "An Act to Exempt from Property Tax the Increase in Value of Real Property Held for Sale by a Builder, to the Extent the Increase Attributable to Subdivision or Improvements by the Builder:" Tax Administrator Bill Doolittle briefed the board on legislation sponsored by North Carolina Senators Dalton, Brown, Hartsell, Hoyle, Hunt, Swindell, and Weinstein. Doolittle said SB 508 would have a negative impact on the county's tax revenues, and administratively, it would create much more work. It was the consensus of the board to allow Mr. Doolittle to draft a letter in opposition to the proposed bill and to have Chairman Tice sign it. The letter will then be sent to the county's legislative delegation. ADJOURNMENT: Chairman Tice adjourned the briefing at 6:30 p.m. Approval: Clerk to the Board 4