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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 25-26 2005 Regular MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WINTER PLANNING SESSION MINUTES FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25 2005 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met for a Winter Planning Session on Friday, February 25, 2005, at 8:00 a.m., in the Agricultural Resource Center (Conference Rooms I & 2), 444 Bristol Drive, 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, Support Services Director Jim Vernon, Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, Cooperative Extension Director Ken Vaughn, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Tice. Planning/Zoning Issues Joining the commissioners for this segment of the meeting were Planning & Enforcement Director Lynn Niblock, Planning Supervisor Steve Warren, Planner William Allison, and Planner Whitney Hodges. Warren & Associates Study of South Iredell: Planning Supervisor Warren gave a brief overview of the findings (demographics, employment, and land demand forecasts) in the south Iredell study. He said the area studied included 34 census blocks, or approximately 186 sq. miles with 70% of the property being in the county's jurisdiction. Stormwater Runoff: Warren said there had been a few complaints from residents in the Lake Norman area about Stormwater runoff. He said that for the most part, the people complaining had "view" lots near the lake and water from higher elevations was "washing out" parts of their property. Warren said counties across the state typically did not have ordinances to remedy the situation, and in most cases the problems were resolved in court. Commissioner Robertson added that silt was also a problem. Commissioner Johnson said he had visited some of the areas with the problems and the property owners had legitimate complaints. Warren then presented the following solutions that might help to alleviate some of the stormwater problems. • Prohibit curb and gutter systems in the critical arca of the Lake Norman Watershed (1/2 mile from any portion of the lake) • Prohibit curb and gutter in the critical area of the Lake Norman Watershed, unless more than 50% of the run-off discharges directly into a USGS (United States Geological Survey) recognized annual or perennial stream • Adopt an ordinance addressing Stormwater and contract out engineering services for plans review and assistance with enforcement • Amend the subdivision ordinance to provide some guidelines; require developers to provide some guidelines; require developers to get a grading permit from the county; and contract out engineering services to assist Commissioner Williams asked, assuming an ordinance was drafted on stormwater retention, if it would only apply to the lake area. He voiced concerns about developers experiencing more costs in other areas of the county where there wasn't a problem. Niblock said the majority of subdivisions had curb and gutter. ACTION: Commissioner Johnson suggested that an ordinance be written using the four possible solutions submitted by the staff. Farmland Preservation & Purchase of Development Rights: Jim Dobson, the Chairman of the Farmland Preservation Committee, said his board had approved the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) guidelines. He said agriculture was an important component of national security, and productivity needed to be maintained. Planner Hodges said she would apply for grants to compensate farmers for restricting their farm property for future land uses. In reference to the legality of PDRs, Hodges said the county could proceed by state statutes; however, there were Constitutional issues. Cooperative Extension Service Director Ken Vaughn said he didn't see a "flux" of people wanting to utilize the PDR program. Commissioner Williams asked if a PDR was for a specified period of time. Vaughn said a PDR would have a specified period of time, and it was different from a TDR (transfer of development rights). He said a TDR could be for perpetuity. Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) & Light Rail: The planning staff presented the following information regarding CATS. North Corridor Facts • 30 miles from Charlotte Multimodal Station to Mooresville *Every 20-30 minutes during peak in direction of the rush +50 minutes from Mooresville, 40 minutes from Mt. Mourne •Ridership: 5,000 - 6,000 initially; 9,000 in 2025 *Preliminary Cost Estimate: $200 million to Mt. Mourne, $230 million to Mooresville North Corridor Time Line *Finalize Station Locations — March 2005 •Complete Draft Environmental Impact Statement — Summer 2005 *Begin Conceptual Stations Design — Fall 2005 *Complete Final Environmental Impact Statement— Spring 2006 *Complete Station and Rail Upgrade Engineering — December 2006 Catawba Wateree Relicensing Process: The staff shared the following information about the relicensing for hydroelectric stations and reservoirs along the Catawba River. *Required by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of all non-federal hydroelectric projects when current license expires *Duke has chosen a process that features extensive collaborative opportunities and stakeholder involvement *Duke is required to submit its license application with the FERC by August 2006 *Current license expires and new or annual license to be issued in 2008 *Term of the license will be between 30 and 50 years Small Area Plans: The staff briefed the board on the small area/corridor plans that had been completed to date. 2 CONSENSUS of the board to allow the planning staff to focus on small area plans during the next year in the following areas: 1. Highway 64/90 area 2. Shinnville/Cornelius Road area Emergency Services EMS: EMS Director Lee Darnell, along with Emergency Services Director Tracy Jackson, said the EMS call volume had been increasing steadily over the past few years. Darnell said that in 1988-1989, approximately 6,000 calls were recorded compared to nearly 12,000 this fiscal year. Darnell said the major goal in 2005-06 would be to reduce response times in some areas of the county. He said that in the upcoming budget, a request would be made for another ambulance to cover Statesville, along with two quick response vehicles to be stationed near, or at the Lake Norman Fire Department and the Trinity Fire Department. In addition to the vehicles, Darnell said he would be asking for EMS Bike Teams to cover special events (balloon rally, county fair and any street festivals, etc.), and new stretchers. He said the current stretchers were rated to carry patients up to 350 pounds, but he desired to replace them with models that carried up to 650 pounds. Darnell said he also desired to purchase two stretchers that were safely rated to carry patients weighing up to 1,000 pounds. Commissioner Williams asked for a more coordinated effort between the fire departments and the Emergency Services Office (Tracy Jackson) pertaining to the needs of the First Responders. Mr. Williams said a review was needed on which department, EMS perhaps, should pay for first responder supplies (disposables/non-disposables). Chairman Tice said it would probably be difficult to separate the costs for first response and fire fighting. Williams said, "Let's look at how much it is costing the fire departments to provide First Response and determine the appropriate department -- EMS or another department -- that should be paying the costs." Commissioner Robertson asked the standard EMS arrival time. Darnell said there was not an official rule; however, the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) used eight minutes as a recommended time for a paramedic to arrive on an emergency scene. Jackson said the county's EMS department was in the eight to ten minute range. He said a time study had been conducted by the Centralina Council of Governments in the past. Communications: Communications Director David Martin said the county's topography made it difficult for emergency communication to occur in some spots of the county, especially if there were several people utilizing the system at the same time. He said the completion of a three -site -simulcast system was recommended to allow ECOM, the sheriff's department, EMS and the other emergency service departments to simultaneously converse across the Rhinehart Tower (southern end) to the ECOM tower (Statesville) and to the Olin tower. Martin said at the present time, it was difficult for a person in the southern area of the county to hear another person in the northern end. Martin requested that $300,000 be approved in the FY 05-06 budget to be added to $240,000 already in this year's budget to finish out the simulcast project. He said a consultant had estimated the project to cost $460,154.00, and if the funding were approved, a total of $79,846 would be left for contingency. Martin said the contingency could be used to supply a microwave path from ECOM to Olin. He said the simulcast project would provide short-term, county -wide improvements for the emergency providers (Sheriff, Troutman Police Dept., EMS, Rescue Squads, and the Volunteer Fire Departments). 3 Martin gave the following options to obtain a direct link to the Olin site: • Link through WFMX for path to Olin or microwave (originally priced at $ I per foot per month or about $300 per month) • Tower analysis shows WFMX will not withstand additional loading in its current state. Enhance WFMX tower for additional loading at currently unknown cost in which monthly charges may be deferred • Research and find another alternative such as a relay site or add a taller tower in the Statesville area Human Resources County's Medical Plan Update: Mark Browder with Mark III Brokerage summarized the county's medical trend during the past year as follows: • Significant increase in claims • Claim activity shows an increase in both severity of problems and large claims • The increase in claims and types are similar to other governmental units in the state • If Iredell County remains with the current medical plan design, the funding for next year will have to increase by $1,572,075 • The county employees are taking advantage of the Wellness and Disease Management Programs offered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners • County wellness initiatives need to continue and employees need to be informed about the importance of utilizing them Pav Classification Study & Recommendations: Human Resources Director Carolyn Harris said a pay study was initiated in November of 2004 on 39 position classifications. Mrs. Harris said the cost to implement the upgrades resulting from the study would be $73,254. County Manager Mashburn noted that a few (3) of the position classifications were lowered by the study. He said the persons in these positions would not have salary decreases, but theirjob grades would be lowered. (The study was conducted on the following positions: Director of Emergency Services, Deputy EM Coordinator, EMS Director/Training Officer/Operations Supervisor/Shift Coordinator/Assistant Shift Coordinator, EMT I, II, & III, EMS Field Training Officer, ECOM Director, Telecommunicator I & II, 911 Coordinator, Fire Marshal, Asst. Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshal, IT Administrator, Network Administrator, IT Consultant (Webmaster and PC Specialist), Recreation Director, Adm. Mgr. for Solid Waste, GIS Addressing Tech/Analyst/Specialist/Mapping Tech, Building Inspectors I, II, III, IV, Unlimited, and Plans Review Specialists I, 11, III.) Steps Within The Pay RanEes: Mrs. Harris said the staff was recommending that steps (within pay ranges) be incorporated into the county's pay classification plan. Finance Director Blumenstein added that should a cost -of -living increase be approved in next year's budget, the MUNIS system could be adapted to automatically move each position to the correct pay step. She said there would be a Yz percent increase between each step, and there would be 88 steps within each pay grade range. Mrs. Blumenstein said the cost to install the steps into MUNIS would be $78,000. (MUNIS stands for Municipal Information Systems, and it provides computerized services, e.g., payroll, financial and human resources record keeping, and software for the public sector.) CLOSED SESSION Citing G.S. 143-318. 11 (a) (3) - Attorney/Client, Chairman Tice at 11:30 a.m. made a motion o enter into closed session. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. (The closed session adjourned at 12:45 p.m.) 4 School Budget Discussions Mooresville Graded School District: Board of Education Chairman Frank Fields, Superintendent Dr. Bruce Boyles, and Finance Director David Dutton attended the meeting to discuss MGSD funding. Boyles said the FY 05-06 student growth projections from the state department were 4,606 based on average daily membership, and this was near the 4,572 estimate from the OR/ED Laboratory. In current expense and capital outlay for the upcoming year, Boyles discussed the following needs: Current Expense Anticipate an increase of approximately 5% of per pupil budget, plus growth Planned projects are: Staffing for the new East Mooresville Intermediate School Supplement increases Technology support Continuation of minor facilities improvements for safety and accessibility Increased utility and transportation costs Capital Outlay Planned projects include: Additional mobile classrooms at high school and middle school Student safety and security improvements Debt Service New bus Minor repair projects Long range facilities design, planning and construction Dr. Boyles added that the OR -ED population estimate did not include the Moore Farms Development of 938 homes. Commissioner Robertson asked the recommended number of students for a high school. Boyles said some individuals would say 750 students. He said Mooresville High was at 1,200 at the current time. Boyles added that there could be two campuses for a high school. Iredell-Statesville School System: Board of Education Chairman Dr. David Cash, Superintendent Dr. Terry Holliday, and Assistant Finance Director John Kachmarik attended the meeting to discuss 1 -SS funding. Dr. Cash said the Facilities Task Force subcommittee had met, and it was now time to plan for the Phase I projects. Chairman Tice said the commissioners had previously advised that is was too early to know the condition of the county's revenues. She said $35 million would be available in Certificates of Participation (COPS) in the fall. Dr. Holliday said the school priority list could not be developed until the amount of funding was known. Commissioner Johnson said, "You folks propose, and we dispose." Commissioner Williams asked if the school system was going to reject the $35 million since the county could not fund all of the projects at one time. Dr. Cash said he was just one member on the school board, but he would hate to see everything that had gone into the planning "to be for naught." 5 Commissioner Johnson said he was still unclear on how much money was needed for Statesville High. Dr. Cash said the consultant (Construction Control Corporation) presented a more than thorough amount. He said the I -SS estimate was $16.5 million. Chairman Tice asked if the school board planned on renovating Statesville High. Dr. Holliday said a land purchase in the vicinity was being reviewed. He said the Facilities Task Force had made a recommendation to retain parts of the school and to tear down other parts. Dr. Cash said the architects had presented ideas on ways to preserve the fagade of Statesville High. Dr. Holliday said the Phase I and II costs for SHS were in the upper 20s. Tice asked if property would be purchased or condemned in the high school area. Holliday said 90% of the property owners would probably agree to sell, but the system could not purchase any land without approval. Tice asked if property was being purchased to replace N.B. Mills. Holliday said yes, and the cost was approximately $1.5 million. In reference to Statesville High, Dr. Holliday said he had given information to the county manager in regards to Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB). Dr. Holliday said the system wanted to apply for $2 million in the QZAB program, and the money would be interest free. He said the process was similar to COPS, and the money would be used for the Statesville High project. Dr. Cash referred to the mediation settlement agreement, and he said the document didn't give an option to fund the system $35 million and then stop. Commissioner Johnson said no one was saying that any part of Phase I should be eliminated. He said the county just didn't have all of the money now. Dr. Holliday said the school system was willing to help find the money. Johnson said the county citizens had said they didn't want a tax increase. He said that he couldn't vote on a tax increase just to give the school system everything it wanted. Johnson said he would talk about a bond. Dr. Cash said that in order for a General Obligation (G.O.) Bond to be approved, a united commitment from both boards would need to be shown. He said the system was open to any "mode" of financing to get the projects done. Cash said that if a G.O. bond was presented to the voters, then the commissioners would need to be supportive of it. Johnson said he would have to be truthful when the public asked about the impact of a G.O. Bond. Commissioner Williams said he didn't know if the school system had a $60 or $80 million proposal. He asked the school officials if they were saying they didn't want the $35 million if the GO bond failed. Dr. Holliday said he thought the commissioners should look at other options. 6 County Manager Mashburn said the county had authority to present a G.O. bond package to the voters, but other options such as those being proposed (real estate impact fee and sales taxes) would need General Assembly approval. Chairman Tice told the school officials, "You can leave today with the guarantee of $35 million in COPS. Mitchell Communitv College (MCC): Joining the commissioners to discuss MCC's needs were Board of Trustees Member Wally Riddle, Dr, Doug Eason (President), Dick Lefevre (Finance Director) and Gary Johnson (Construction Manager). Dr. Eason distributed a handout with the following capital requests for 2005- 2006. Technology/Workforce Development Building — COPS loan payment $ 131,475 Cherry Street Center Feasibility Study 50,000 (The Davis Foundation is giving the former nursing facility to the college in 10 -year increments. This is the 3rd year of the arrangement.) Main campus improvement project 350,000 Property Purchase Fund (a revolving fund) 250,000 Purchase of Vehicles 75,000 Major Campus Renovations 250,000 Total 2005-2006 County Capital Projects $1,106,475 Commissioner Johnson asked how much the college was spending for high school students to receive services. Dr. Eason said the staff would determine the costs. Economic Development: Greater Statesville Development Corporation President Jeff McKay and South Iredell Community Development Corporation Executive Director for Economic Development Melanie O'Connell Underwood updated the commissioners on past and current projects as well as the economic status of the county. McKay submitted a revised economic incentive policy to the county manager. Once the manager completes his review and makes any changes, the policy will then be shared with the commissioners. McKay said several companies had contacted him about possibly locating in the county in the future or expanding their existing facilities. Mr. McKay said probably one of the biggest threats to the county's economy was the state's tier program for economic incentives. Underwood expressed concerns about retaining younger workers in the future. She also expressed a concern about not having enough business park space. Underwood said the motor sport industry continued to grow in the southern end, but she had concerns that in the future the teams might relocate to new tracks out-of-state (Nevada, Kansas and Texas). General Discussion Communications Department: Commissioner Johnson said he thought simulcast was the best option to improve communications between ECOM and the law enforcement and emergency services providers. He said, however, that he wanted the county manager to evaluate the project material. Statesville Airport: Commissioner Johnson said the Lowe's Corporation had stationed corporate planes at the Statesville airport and this would result in a significant cash flow for the county. He reminded everyone, however, that six years from now the company would start receiving incentives, and for this reason, caution should be used regarding the tax revenue. 7 Questionnaire for the Cooperative Extension Service: The county manager distributed questionnaires pertaining to the Cooperative Extension Service. He asked for each commissioner to answer the questions and return the forms to him. RECESS: There being no further business for the Friday segment of the planning session, Chairman Tice made a motion at 4:30 pm., to recess the meeting until 8 a.m. on Saturday, February 26. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. Saturday, February 26, 2005 Agricultural Resource Center 444 Bristol Drive Statesville, NC 28677 8:00 A.M. All commissioners were in attendance. Chairman Tice called the meeting to order. Budget and Finance Update: Finance Director Blumenstein distributed revenue and expenditure spreadsheets for FY 04-05. She predicted that at June 30, 2005, the estimated, unreserved, and undesignated fund balance would be $16,762,656.00, or 13% of the general fund budget. Blumenstein said the Local Government Commission recommended that the percentage be 15% to 18%, but Iredell, at times, had been down to 10 or 11 %. Blumenstein predicted that ad valorem tax revenues would be over budget by $1,734,060 at June 30, 2005. In regards to expenditures in the upcoming 2005-06 budget, Blumenstein projected a $9,500,226 or 8.07% increase over FY 2004-05. Current Expense and Capital Formula For Schools: County Manager Mashburn distributed a copy the following current expense funding fonnula for the school systems: Suggested Current Expense Funding Formula *NCACC Total Average Per Pupil — Current Expense $ 1,388 Capital Outlay 540 $1,928 Department of Public Instruction Low Wealth Supplemental Funding Data County Percentage of State 3 Year Average Per Capital Income 97.86% Total Estimated 2005-06 Per Pupil Funding $ 1,886.74 Capital Outlay (Ad Valorem & Restricted Sales Taxes 617.00 Current Expense11 2� Per Pupil Total ls` Month ADM (per NCACC Budget & Tax Survey) 24.360 LEA 15` Month ADM (per NCACC Spreadsheet) LEA Charter" Total ADM Iredell-Statesville Schools 19,381 549 19,930 Mooresville Schools 4,407 23 4,430 24,360 * NCACC — North Carolina Association of County Commissioners **Charter Students (96% Iredell-Statesville & 4% Mooresville) Blumenstein said that Dr. Holliday had recently said the county shouldn't use the 97.86% and that it should be using 107%. 8 MOTION by Chairman Tice to accept the suggested formula for current expense as submitted by the county manager. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. Commissioner Robertson said a funding formula was needed to address the growth needs of the schools. Commissioner Williams asked the capital outlay costs for each system. Blumenstein said $15,034,000.00, and this included debt service. County Manager Mashburn asked Mr. Robertson if he wanted a reserve account to address future growth. Robertson said it would help so the county didn't fall further behind on capital needs. Mr. Robertson said he didn't know the best mechanism to use, but additional classroom capacity was needed. Commissioner Williams said he thought there were few counties that could say they had put aside any greater amount for school capital than Iredell County in the past few years. Commissioner Johnson asked how a capital formula plan would be funded. He said the school system needed a change in philosophy -- cooperation -- and not confrontation. Chairman Tice said, "We need to let bygones be bygones." County Manager Mashburn said that unless the board provided a directive on capital outlay, the staff would continue to use the current method in the upcoming budget. Commissioner Williams said the Iredell-Statesville System would need to decide which projects needed to be accomplished with the $35 million COPS. Five -Year Technology Projection: Information Technology Administrator Nettie Feimster shared a seven -page report on computer and software needs for the county. During FY 05-06, she estimated the technology costs to be $1,348,268. She projected that for the next five years, the county would spend a total of $2,412,760.14. Feimster said that in the upcoming year, a large percentage of the costs were for software needs, and that in future years, the expense would basically be for support. Blumenstein said a new Storage Area Network (SAN) solution was being proposed due to the need to have a better records recovery system. Mooresville Library Funding: Library Director Steve Messick joined the commissioners for this segment of the planning session. County Manager Mashburn said the Town of Mooresville had recently requested $100,000 to assist in the operating costs for the renovated Mooresville library. He said the Town was requesting the money from the FY 04-05 county budget. Mashburn reminded the commissioners that several months ago the Mooresville officials had requested $300,000. He said Mooresville wanted "full" operating costs from the county, which would be over $1.2 million. Chairman Tice asked how many new employees would be hired for the Statesville library. 9 Messick said 3.5 full-time (this fiscal year), but they had not been hired. He said two more positions would be requested in the FY 05-06 budget. Chairman Tice said the Mooresville officials had spent $6 million to renovate the library, and this was money that didn't come from the county budget. She added that Mooresville had successfully secured a $2 million grant from the Lowe's Corporation. MOTION by Chairman Tice to approve the $100,000 request for the Mooresville Library (operating costs) and for the funds to be derived out of the county's FY 04-05 fund balance. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. (This will be Budget Amendment #36.) Mashburn said, traditionally, the Mooresville library operated at a higher level. He said the county staff had no problems with this; however, the future funding for operating costs would be on a sq. ft. basis. Blumenstein said the operating costs for the Statesville library was on a sq. ft. basis, and currently it was $37 per sq. ft. She added, however, that the $37 might change in the future. Commissioner Johnson expressed concerns about the Mooresville officials not submitting a formal operating cost request prior to the budget's adoption. Chairman Tice handed out a township valuation listing and said three southern townships were paying half of the county's property taxes. She also said that when there were discussions on building a new Statesville library, she was one of the three commissioners that gave an affirmative vote. Tice said she had also been supportive of the Harmony and Troutman libraries. CONSENSUS of the board that future funding for the Mooresville library's operating cost be on a square footage basis based on the operating cost of the Statesville library. Commissioner Williams suggested that a policy be written in regards to the annual funding of the Mooresville library. CONSENSUS of the board to direct the county manager to develop an inter- local funding agreement for the Mooresville library and to share it with the Mooresville Board for comments and/or approval. Library Director Steve Messick then presented a statistical summary of the Statesville library. He said the library was efficiently operated, and he shared the following information: -The Iredell County Public Library ranks 10'h in circulation among all county libraries in North Carolina. -Compared to similar county libraries in North Carolina, the Iredell County Public Library has higher staffproductivity and lower operating costs. •Use of the library has increased by 45.7% in the past five years. -Through January 31, 2005 circulation has been up 5% over the same period last year. -From July 2004 through January 2005, the average door count for the main library was 5,873 persons per week. -An average of 645 people used the library's public computers each week from July 2004 to January 2005. CONSENSUS of the board to request that identical data be provided on all of the county's libraries in the future. 10 Capital Projects Plan Support Services Director Jim Vernon provided information on the current capital projects. He said the new Social Services building, being built in three phases, was progressing as planned. In regards to the new library, he said substantial approval had been given. He said the renovation costs for the current library facility, to be used to house the tax offices in the future, would be anywhere from $1.2 to $1.5 million. Vernon said the following were priority projects for the future: • EMS Base -Statesville (new main base + or -10,000 sq. ft. _ $1,500,000) • Facility Services (move into EMS Meeting Street facility) • EMS Base -Mooresville (move from ICGC-S; total project $500,000) • ICGC-South HVAC Renovation (eliminate steam boiler & steam heat) Vernon also discussed the future space needs of the county with the following being the most needed. • Hall of Justice Expansion: Possibility to add 30,000 to 40,000 sq. ft. by 2015. Additional space is needed, and it could be achieved by using the parking areas; however, either a parking deck would then have to be built or additional property would need to be acquired for parking. • Jail: Even with the Hwy. 21 expansion project, space will be needed at the main facility by 2009-2010. Staff recommends that a space needs study be conducted during 2006-07 for the courts and jail. Commissioner Johnson said it was evident the 1.5 million in reserve would not be sufficient in future years. He said the amount should be increased. County Manager Mashburn added that in "lean" years the money shouldn't be used for something else. CONSENSUS of the board to allow the staff to approach property owners in/around the Hall of Justice area about possible land acquisitions. (This includes property currently on the market as well as land not presently up -for -sale.) Vernon said he would identify the property owners in the Hall of Justice vicinity. Community Visioning Mashburn distributed a handout printed from the North Carolina State Office of Planning's web site that indicated by year 2030, Iredell County's population was expected to be 225,452. He said that number of people would make Iredell County larger than Durham County at the present. Cooperative Extension Questionnaire Ken Vaughn said the Cooperative Extension Division Directors had written letters to the county managers, throughout the state, seeking information on the needs of each county. He said the state continually reviewed the strategic plan for the extension offices, and everyone wanted to stay in "tune" with the county. At the request of the county manager, the commissioners then voiced the issues they felt were of most concern. Some of these were: • residential growth (loss of land, increased need for schools, traffic) • budgeting (state forcing hardships or mandates on county budget) • industrial recruitment • quality of life • schools •EMS • law enforcement • Medicaid costs • medical insurance costs • recreational facilities General Discussion Rescue Squads: Commissioner Johnson said he and Chairman Tice had met with the local rescue squads. He said eventually, the squads desired to split from three to four squads. Johnson said the squads were requesting a funding increase, but he didn't think the full request could be accomplished in next year's budget. He did suggest; however, that an $80,000 increase be given to the squads and for the money to be evenly distributed amongst them. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) & Statesville Airport: Johnson said the Civil Air Patrol had secured two airplanes without any cost to the county. He said the sheriff's department was willing to use seized funds ($60,000 to $65,000) to help build a hangar at the airport, if the CAP allowed the planes to be used in narcotics or drug enforcement. Johnson said the county might be asked to help fund the cost for a firewall, along with a paved roadway or apron to the ramp. (Estimated cost of the roadway to be $2,000). Light Rail: Commissioner Johnson said that earlier in the winter planning session, cost estimates had been given on the light rail project. Johnson said he was only speaking for himself, but he wanted to let everyone know, that he would not be willing to spend any money on the project. He said the money would be better spent on the highways. ADJOURNMENT FOR LUNCH & TOURS OF LIBRARIES: At 12 Noon, Chairman Tice made a otion to adjourn the meeting. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. (The board and staff ate lunch from 12 Noon — 1:00 p.m., and then toured the new Statesville Library located at 201 North Tradd Street from 1 to 2 p.m. The group then traveled to Mooresville and toured the renovated town library located at 304 South Main Street. At approximately 3:30 p.m., the board members and staff disbanded.) Approval 12 Clerk to the Board