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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 1 2008 Incumbent Board Meeting MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MINUTES FOR THE INCUMBENT BOARD MEETING DECEMBER 1, 2008 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met at 9:00 A.M. on Monday, December 1, 2008 in the Iredell County Government Center (Commissioners' Meeting Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. Board Members Present Chairman Marvin Norman Vice Chairman Sara Haire Tice Steve Johnson Ken Robertson Godfrey Williams Staff present: County Manager Joel Mashburn, County Attorney Bill Pope, Deputy County Manager Susan Blumenstein, Assistant County Manager Tracy Jackson, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. (Most of the county department heads were also in attendance.) CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Norman INVOCATION by Commissioner Johnson PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 18, 2008 MINUTES: MOTION by Commissioner Johnson to approve the captioned minutes as presented. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. PRESENTATION OF A RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION, A DOZEN ROSES, AND A PLAQUE TO COMMISSIONER SARA HAIRE TICE: Commissioner Johnson read and presented the following resolution to Commissioner Tice. Resolution of Appreciation to Sara Knox Haire Tice WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice has completed an impressive and honorable 18 -year tenure as a member of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners having chosen not to seek re- election in the 2008 election; and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice was born on July 28, 1934 and grew up in Mt. Mourne, North Carolina, on her family's cotton and corn farm that eventually became the man- made body of water known as Lake Norman; and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice started a successful career in the insurance field becoming a licensed agent and company partner while at the same time being a wife, mother, and a devoted and active member of Fair View United Methodist Church; and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice has invested much of her adult life as a dedicated public servant and has been an asset to the board of commissioners as evidenced by fellow board members electing her as the first female Chairman from 1992 through 2002, and 2004 through 2006, along with being elected as Vice -Chairman in 1991 and in 2006 through 2008; and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice is a community and civic -minded individual who has been a key member on numerous clubs or organizations such as the Carolinas Association of Professional Insurance Agents, Mooresville Downtown Commission, Mooresville South Iredell Chamber of Commerce (first female President and other office positions) Mooresville -South Iredell United Way, Mooresville Kiwanis Club, Mooresville Business and Professional Women's Club, South Iredell Republican Women, Mooresville Crime Stoppers, and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice has served on countless boards and committees, representing both Iredell County and her insurance profession, such as the Board of Health, Carolinas Partnership, Centralina Council of Governments, Centralina Economic Development Commission, Centralina Certified Development Corporation, Greater -Statesville Development Corporation, Economic Development Task Force, First Charter Bank Advisory Board, Hanover Insurance Company Advisory Board, Home and Community Block Grant Committee, Iredell County Community Foundation Board of Trustees, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Lake Norman Rural Planning Organization, Lincoln Bank Corporate Board, Nations Bank Advisory Board, Mooresville -South Iredell Economic Development Board, Partnership for Young Children, Piedmont Bank Advisory Board, Rural Transportation Advisory Committee, South- Iredell Community Development Corporation, Tri -County Mental Health Board, Visions Strategic Planning Committee, and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice has amassed many coveted honors, distinctions, and awards such as The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Outstanding 1988 Citizen of the Year by the Mooresville -South Iredell Chamber of Commerce, a Local Government Leadership Award from the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Iredell County Republican Party, along with recognitions from the American Cancer Society, Mooresville -South Iredell Chamber of Commerce, the Iredell County Association for the Mentally 111, and the Tri -County Mental Health Board of Directors; and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice has been an ambassador for Iredell County and has devoted innumerable hours in recruiting industry and commerce in an effort to provide jobs and a better quality of life for the county's citizens, and WHEREAS, Sara Knox Haire Tice is known for her positive outlook on life, her genuine desire to help others, and her keen sense of humor, as is noted by her nickname, "The Godmother." NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Iredell County Commissioners and the Iredell County Staff, hereby express their sincere appreciation and deep gratitude for the dedicated and distinguished service of Sara Knox Haire Tice. Adopted, this the Is' day of December 2008. ***** Commissioner Williams presented a dozen roses to Commissioner Tice for her 18 years of dedicated service. Commissioner Robertson presented Commissioner Tice with a plaque that listed her officer positions on the board of commissioners and her years of service. ***** LETTER OF THANKS FROM ATTORNEY BILL POPE: Mr. Pope composed a letter of thanks to Commissioner Tice, and he read it as follows: Sara, One of the pleasures of my professional career has been working with you, both as a commissioner of'Iredell County and as Chair of the Board of Commissioners. I think it's 18 years that we've been attending meetings together. I estimate that during that time we have attended over 425 meetings together. I therefore have had the opportunity, to see you under virtually every kind of situation which one can be confronted in public Lite. You have always remained calm and in control. Even when 1 personally knew you were upset or angry, you conducted yourself with diplomacy and statesmanship. You treated every constituent with courtesy, and respect to which they were entitled. You were able to see and hear each side of the issues and many times were able to bring the parties together with an amicable solution. When you could not do that, the parties always left knowing they had been heard, and even though they didn't prevail, they did get a fair hearing. In summary, you exercised the power the people conferred on you with the responsibility for the position and respect for the citizens. You exhibited wiseness and the characteristics that are seemingly rare these days of good judgment and common sense. I would sum up your service as one of great statesmanship and a period in which Iredell County experienced perhaps the greatest growth in its entire history. 1 have always felt that the greatest compliment one 2 could extend to another is to be able to say truthfully that people respect you and hold you in high regard for your integrity, decency, and good judgment. Without any reservation, I can extend that compliment to you. Thank you for the thousands of hours you gave us, the people of Iredell. Thank you for your judgment, your integrity, and your decency. Thank you for a job exceptionally well done. With the utmost respect, I remain, Very truly yours, William P. Pope NOTES AND LETTERS OF THANKS TO COMMISSIONER TICE FROM THE COUNTY STAFF: County Manager Mashburn read excerpts from the following notes/letters from the county employees: To the honorable Sara Tice, The citizens oflredell County will miss you as one of the best commissioners in the State of North Carolina. You have proven to have the best interest of all of the citizens of Iredell County with your actions and dedication to public service. I will miss your smile and kind words each time 1 have had the opportunity to see or speak with you I have enjoyed working with you and will truly miss you. Congratulations and best wishes. Mrs. Tice, Respectfully yours, Bill Doolittle Tax Administrator 1 hope you know that you have made a real difference in the lives of thousands of Iredell County citizens of all ages. You can take tremendous pride in the kind of representation you have provided them for the last 18 years, and 1 am confident you will continue to serve them in some way in the. future as well. It has been my pleasure to have worked with you. Thanks for the guidance and the friendship, but most of all, the example you have displayed to all of the staff as to how citizens are to be treated — with ,fairness, compassion and respect. Best Wishes, Joel Mashburn Dear Mrs. Tice, There are not enough accolades to pay tribute adequately to you for your many years of public service. Suffice it to say that professional inspirational speakers could take lessons from you. Why? Not only did you valiantly and successfully battle cancer, you also broke barriers for women seeking to become involved in political and civic affairs. Your active participation, at all levels of decision making, has certainly paved the way for future female leaders in the community, and your stewardship and leadership have truly blessed and enriched the lives (?/all Iredell County citizens. Godspeed and Go Tarheels. Cordially, Jean C. Moore Clerk to the Board Ms. Tice, Thank von so much for all of the hard work you have put into serving Iredell Count v. 1 certainly appreciate your insurance experience and all you have done to assist me over the years with the insurance programs, including your service with the NC Association of County Commissioners. You have been an asset to have on the board of commissioners, and I know you will be missed. Best wishes to you! Jean M Haun Insurance Speciali. Dear Mrs. Tice, 1've enjoyed working with you the last several years and will truly miss your presence and service with the County. You are an outstanding elected of and have made numerous positive contributions to the well being of the citizens of Iredell County. Sincerely, Steve Warren Sara, Hope you enjoy your retirement and we appreciate the years of dedicated service for Iredell County. I hope you keep in contact with us, and let us know how things are going with you and your family. Thanks, Jack Harwell Code Enforec My sincerest thanks go to Sara for all her dedication and for the hard work she has given us over the years. Thanks. for always being understanding and taking the time to listen. Sgt. Tommy Adams Sheriff"s Office Sara, Your years of service on the County Commissioners and Board of Health have had such a positive impact on the residents of Iredell County. 1 especially appreciate your support of public health and your always being approachable and willing to listen. We will miss you! Donna Campbell Health Director Mrs. Tice, Thank you for your support and guidance during my, last eight years with Iredell County. It has been a pleasure working with you, and 1 look forward to working with you on various boards and/or committees in the future. Best wishes, Tracy Jackson Assistant Co. Mgr. Dear Mrs. Tice, I know you have been serving the County for along time and will be missed. Thanks for all you behalf have done on of the residents and employees of the County. Best of luck in your future endeavors. Sincerely, J. David Montgomery Mrs. Tice, I would like to thank you for your dedication and time to the citizens of Iredell County and the employees who serve it. You have always been more than gracious to listen to the issues affecting this county and governed the business affairs in a manner that suited the needs of its citizens. 1 especially thank and commend you for your caring and compassion during the dV icult period that our friend, Deputy Bruce Kennerly, passed through on his journey through our lives. 1 sincerely r hope that you enjoy you future time away from government work and I feel that Iredell County was truly enriched by the service you provided during your many years of service. Thank you, Det/Lt. Stanley T Watkins Thanks for serving on the Lake Norman RPO. We'll try to winsome transportation funds despite your retirement. Elinor Hiltz Planning Department Dear Mrs. Tice, Ijust wanted to say what a pleasure it has been to serve you these past 18 years. Your approachable nature and kind demeanor has served you well in your years of service to this county. In all my time in local government (Town of Boone, Town ofBeech Mountain, NCDOT & the County), 1 can truly say, that 1 have never met anyone so dedicated to the service of'others. You always had the best interest of the community in mind and always took the high road. Your ability to resolve conflicts and make peace among differing parties is a rare gift that will be greatly missed. Wishing you all the best. Kindest regards, William Allison Mrs. Tice, Td like to thank you for all the support you've given me and the staff of Solid Waste. Any success we've enjoyed is a reflection upon the leadership you and your co -board members have shown. Your courage and willingness to make tough decisions will serve us well into the future. Thank you. David Lambert Solid Waste Thank you for all of your work especially, with the new Library! Your choice of colors was exactly what 1 would have picked out! Thanks again for being so supportive! Libby Stewart, Adm. Asst. Library 4 Mrs. Tice, 1 have not worked directly with you but 1 have worked for the county the entire time you have served as county, commissioner. You have served Iredell County with integrity and have helped moved the County fortivard for the future. You will be missed as a County Commissioner and hope you will continue to succeed in all your endeavors. Ann Gray Ray Deputy Tax Collector Mrs. Tice, It's been a privilege working with you these past 18 years. You always called and asked questions about zoning issues and tried to work with both the staff and the public. Thank you also for supporting the County Employees. Best wishes in your.luture. Sincerely, Katrina Hewitt We will miss you.' Thanks for all of your hard work. Chris Royal Animal Services & Control Manager Presentation of a Music Box: Clerk to the Board Jean C. Moore presented a music box to Commissioner Tice as a token of appreciation. The music box played the theme song from "The Godfather," due to Mrs. Tice being nicknamed, "The Godmother." Inside the box, was an inscription that read: "Sara Haire Tice Knox, The Godmother." FAREWELL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS TO COMMISSIONER TICE Commissioner Johnson said, "There are many attributes that have to exist in the life of a faithful public servant if they are to govern well and be effective. Being more than a casual observer and participant in politics there are politicians who campaign well and there are politicians who govern well. It's a rare thing to see a politician who does both. Sara does both. She campaigns effectively and she governs wisely. But it goes deeper than that. There's several indispensable attributes that must exist in life, and one of them is faith. Having served with Sara a number of years now, I can tell you there's many times in a quiet moment that we've talked and she's shared her faith in God with me. I always respect that in a person. Because sometimes even though this room is full, it's pretty lonely up here, and that's all you got left. You find out what you believe and whether you really believe it. Having said that, I'll move to next one and that's dependability. Will they be there when they say they'll be there with you, and will they do what they say they will do? Without exceptions, Sara has demonstrated that characteristic. Consistency. Do they have a systematic philosophy that guides them based upon their faith and their life experience or are they one of those folks who as Maggie Thatcher used to love to say, `Has their buttocks clinched firmly upon the fence.' Sara had an abiding philosophy and she seldom deviated from it. Courage. I've seen Sara nervous. Nervousness is nothing to be ashamed of, but its courage that allows us to overcome that nervousness and do what is in the best interest of the county. Sometimes folks, doing what is in the best interest of the county is just not good politics but it has to be done. Sara has demonstrated that courage and an effective public servant must be reflective. They can't be a visceral person with an emotional reaction to everything. They have to stop and think, reflect upon the facts, and gather information. They have to realize that they don't know everything but they have the phone numbers among their staff of some very intelligent and competent people and must seek their counsel on a regular basis. Sara has done that all along. They must be determined but not bull-headed. Once they have decided upon the right course of action, they must be convinced that that is the right thing to do and call upon all the resources upon their disposal to see that it is accomplished. Sara has done that over and over again. They must be a self-effacing person. They must be able to see where their deficiencies are and use other people to help overcome them. Are they able to objectively look and see where they might be biased in the matter of certain issues and overcome that as well? They must be generous, and generosity is often spoken of in public terms but if you're to be effective, you have to be generous on a personal level. You have to be willing to give praise where praise is due, and you have to allow others to enjoy the spotlight when the time comes. Sara was very generous at that. Sara believed that it was amazing how much could be 5 accomplished when everybody didn't care who received the credit and she was willing to let others enjoy and receive that credit. They must be gracious and they must be forgiving. Often times when you sit here and you're at odds with a fellow commissioner you cannot let anger control you because five minutes from now you might need them on another issue that is of greater importance. Sara possessed the wisdom to understand that. She was always willing and always fair -- always willing to listen to the other side as Mr. Pope said. She was always fair. I recall a meeting when an issue was before the board where Ms. Tice and I disagreed. 1 addressed the board and she let me begin my remarks. The audience that night, I'll be charitable and say, they were not very kind. It was difficult for me to say anything but even though she disagreed with me, Sara silenced the crowd and allowed me to express my point of view, and that's Sara Haire Tice. If I'm to be a good friend though and you're to edify a good friend, you have to remind them that there're some things that they're not particularly good at, and I'd like to share a couple of those. There are some things that Sara thinks she's good at but she's not. Hiding her displeasure and frustration. Sara thinks she's good at it, but she's not. She will tell you when she's not happy with you. This one will hurt a little. Sara thinks she's a good dancer but she's not. Sara is not really good at reading notes that you pass to her in the middle of a meeting. I recall one night, I was very careful to write a note very plainly, and I slid it over to her, and right in front of her microphone said, `What does that sayT She's not really good at that. This is one that I almost didn't mention but it is a good observation. Sara's not real good at cussing. I had a preacher one time that admonished me, after I said something that was in the paper, and I reminded him that maybe he didn't have as much of a particular substance to put up with as I did, and I thought he needed to be a little more charitable. I think the principle reason why she's not good at it is because she doesn't do much of it. Sometimes this job becomes so exasperating that you let something slip, but when Sara's angry and she does elect to do that, most of the time she puts the cuss word in the wrong place in the sentence. She gets through talking and you say, `What in the world did that woman say?' Sara, we've disagreed over the years, but I want to tell you I respect you as much as anybody I know. It goes past your personality -- it goes to your motive. The heart of what public service is all about. I respect and admire you. I've grown to love you and cherish you as one of my friends. Thank you." Commissioner Williams said, "Sara if nothing else, I'm glad you're leaving as a winner, but I could truthfully say that if you elected to stay around another 20 years, you'd still be a winner. I've had the opportunity to run against Sara twice in the primaries and that is a difficult task -- to run against Sara Tice. She is an excellent campaigner -- it's almost a foregone conclusion when you're running against Sara that that's one seat you won't be able to take. I take issue with Steve when he says she's not a good dancer. I can remember a certain trip when we went to the legislative session in Washington, D.C., with Tommy Bowles, me and Sara and a couple others. Joel was there. The name, "Disco Inferno" was put on Sara and probably that should come before "The Godmother." She can dance because I saw her. It has been a joy serving with you -- the friendships we've developed. We are the only two true Tarheels up here with the exception of Bill. I can not wish anything but the best for you, and I know you'll have a good future. I know you will not be far from us, and I know we'll be seeing you a lot. I can only assume that Sara will continue to be a leader as she has been, just in a different setting. She'll continue to be the leader that she always has been and be fun person. Thank you for your friendship Sara." Commissioner Robertson said, "I cut up with Sara a good bit. 1 feel like I should say, `Sara, this is your life.' We would have done that and brought out some of your childhood friends but we couldn't get them out of the nursing homes. First of all, I'm kind of glad you're retiring because finally I'm not going to be the newest member of the board. I'm really looking forward to not being the new guy after four years. We've joked about doing the parades, but honest to goodness, no matter what parade, does not matter where it is, if I end up driving or being in there with Sara, 1 go through the whole route, the whole way, with people yelling `Hey Sara! Hey Sara! Hey Sara!' I guess no one knew me. In one parade at the very end one person yelled out my name and I actually stopped the car and got out and went and hugged them. I've played fifth fiddle to Sara a long time. I think it's worth taking a moment and being serious. You wonder, `What's the big dealT We've all been to retirement ceremonies before, we've seen someone leave an organization after serving for many years, but there's a huge difference between 18 years of service and 18 years of experience. In that huge difference, I think it can be demonstrated why folks are making a big deal of it. You didn't just come here and put in your time. You did something that made a difference. You know most folks that run for county commissioner have some core philosophy as to how the county should or shouldn't run. You come into the 6 commissioners' job and you're looking to apply that philosophy, and it's never as easy as it seems. Because in order to apply that philosophy, you first must really know how county government should operate, and that's a huge task. Much larger than I had ever thought that it would be. You can't just say I know how county government works, and I can do this job. You got to know how state government works in order to do this job. Then you have to figure out how in the world to kind of navigate through the political waters. That's just to get anything done. As a conservative, when you come into this board, you kind of come with the philosophy and the rhetoric that goes with the loaded federal government. You find out that Iredell County is relatively speaking pretty lean and mean. If you look at our tax rate it's pretty difficult to argue the fact that we run one of the leanest county governments in the state much less the region. Another obstacle that county commissioners face is the struggle between what's effective and doing what's fair. The two don't always go hand-in-hand. I will tell you that the challenges and difficulty of navigating those waters was much more difficult and is much more difficult than I ever dreamed it would be. In the Army, we refer to the ability to deal with that system, and to deal with all the different groups, and know how to get stuff done as institutional knowledge. To know the players, to know the systems, to know the organizations, so that when it's time to effect change, you know how to do it quickly and efficiently and in a way that at the end of the day, you achieve your objective. Sara, you were always able to do that. You were a good role model on how to do it, and I think that institutional knowledge, the experience, and the initiative that you've brought to this board, and you've kept on this board, will not be easily replaced. It certainly will not be quickly replaced. Thanks. Chair Norman personally thanked Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Blumenstein, and Mr. Mashburn for their assistance during the last two years while he served as Chairman of the Board. He also said, "I asked Sara what the officer's position would be like, and she never did give me a full answer. She kind of smiled, and I've had to learn to smile a lot of times when I really didn't need to. Anyway, I want to thank Sara for serving as the Vice Chair for the past two years, as well as Mr. Johnson, who was a former Chair. I was lucky to have had the staff here to help me the whole way through and to have had assistance from Mrs. Tice and Mr. Johnson. One thing I learned very early about Mrs. Tice occurred at a meeting with the Friends of Animals organization. I had a young man about half my age who started telling me how things would be running in the county in the future, and that we didn't have any feelings about animals. He didn't realize that Mrs. Tice and I both had animals. I didn't say a word, but when Mrs. Tice finished talking to him, he had been put in his place real quick. I enjoyed the fact that I had her to call anytime I needed information or know about a procedure. I've been very blessed to serve with Mrs. Tice and to have her as the Vice Chair. Mr. Johnson, I appreciate all that you did when I first came on the board to explain the budget. Mrs. Blumenstein, I still call you about budget questions. She's gone over it with me several times. Mrs. Tice, I hope you have a wonderful retirement. We will miss you. We've worked well together for the past six years, and it's a good working board. We will all try to carry on in a manner that will make you proud. I just hope the next chair will receive the same support that has been given to me." Mrs. Tice thanked all of the speakers and letter writers for their kind comments. She mentioned that while she had been the first female Chairman of the Board, that Commissioner Norman had been the first African-American Chairman. She said that during the past 18 years, many friends had been made and she would miss them. Mrs. Tice said the next few years would be filled with challenges for the board, but the commissioners would do a great job. In conclusion Mrs. Tice said, "God Bless Everyone." ADJOURNMENT OF THE FINAL MEETING OF THE 2006 — 2008 IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: MOTION by Commissioner Johnson to adjourn the final 2006-2008 commissioners' meeting. (SINE DIE) VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. Approval: 7 Clerk to the Board