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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember_3_2015_Regular_MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PRE -AGENDA MINUTES November 3, 2015 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in pre -agenda session on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, at 5:30 PM, in the Iredell County Government Center (South Wing Conference Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. Board Members Present Chairman James B. Mallory III Vice Chairman Marvin Norman Tommy Bowles Steve Johnson Board Members Absent Ken Robertson Staff present: County Manager Ron Smith, County Attorney Bill Pope, Deputy County Manager Beth Jones, Finance Director Susan G. Robertson, Attorney Lisa Valdez, Public Safety Director David Saleeby, Assistant to the Manager Ben Stikeleather, and Clerk to the Board Retha Gaither. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman James Mallory called the meeting to order. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA: County Manager Ron Smith made the following adjustments: Add: Closed Session Attorney -Client G.S. 143-318.11 (a) (3) ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Request from the Finance Department to Adopt a Resolution to Sell Property Acquired Through Tax Foreclosure: Contracts and Purchasing Manager Dean Lail said this request is similar to other recent requests to sell a tax foreclosed properties. This property is located at 1617 W edgedale Avenue, Statesville. It must be sold by one of the bid processes established in the General Statutes. The previous sales were completed through GovDeals and were successful. The taxes on this property is $5,700. The auction fee is 7 '/z % and advertising fee is $100. The total fee would be $6,245 as the minimum starting bid. This item was placed on the consent agenda. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PUBLIC AUCTION OF CERTAIN REAL ESTATE WHEREAS, the County of Iredell has acquired a parcel of land indicated on Attachment A that is surplus to its needs; and WHEREAS, North Carolina General Statute §160A-270 permits the County to sell real property at public auction upon approval of the County Board of Commissioners and after publication of a notice announcing the auction; THEREFORE, THE IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HEREBY RESOLVES THAT: November 3, 2015 I. The Iredell County Board of Commissioners authorizes the sale at public auction on GovDeals Online Surplus Auction site of the parcel of land indicated on Attachment A. 2. The auction will commence on December 7, 2015 at the GovDeals online surplus auction site, www.govdeals.com and cease no less than fourteen days thereafter. 3. The terms of the sale are: a. That the property is sold in its current condition, as is, and the County gives no warranty with respect to usability of the property; and b. The buyer must pay amount of bid in full at time of auction close as per requirements set forth on the GovDeals bid site. This amount will be held in escrow by GovDeals until either the Board of Commissioners rejects the buyer's bid or, if the Board of Commissioners accepts the high bid, the closing of the sale. 4. After close of the auction, the high bid for each parcel shall be reported to the County Board of Commissioners. The Board will accept or reject the bid within 30 days after the bid is reported to it during a regularly scheduled meeting. No sale may be completed until the Board has approved and accepted the high bid. 5. Iredell County reserves the right to withdraw any listed property from the auction at any time before the auction sale of that property. Adopted this 3" day of November, 2015. Request from the Parks and Recreation Department for Approval to Apply for a Carolina Thread Trail Grant: Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Hepler stated they are requesting approval to apply for a Carolina Thread Trail Grant for construction. The grant request is due on or before January 7, 2016. It will be dedicated for a Carolina Thread Trail segment made of natural surfaces and connecting Bigleaf Slopes Park to the Statesville Soccer Complex. This item was placed on the consent agenda. Request from the Parks and Recreation Department for Approval to Apply for a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund/Land and Water Grant: Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Hepler stated Parks and Rec is requesting approval to apply for a Land Acquisition Grant from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund which is due on or before May 2, 2016. In the event that grant is denied, they can automatically apply for a Land/Water Conservation Fund Grant. The request is for approval to apply for both if necessary. Chairman Mallory asked the success rate when applying for this grants. Hepler said the success rate depends on the type of project. Land acquisition projects tend to be awarded more consistently than development projects and normally they award the top 15% across the board. Commissioner Bowles asked about the match funds. Hepler said she had already applied for and received a waiver of retro -activity from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund in order to purchase the property prior to the grant award. Then those funds will be a reimbursement by the grant. Hepler said the Recreation Advisory Committee has recommended the proposed name for the new park to be Jennings Park. November 3, 2015 The Board agreed to the park name and this item was placed on the consent agenda. Request for Approval of the October 20, 2015 Minutes: There were no corrections to the minutes. This item was placed on the consent agenda. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Love Valley Sewer: Commissioner Steve Johnson thanked Ben Stikeleather for his assistance in this matter. He also expressed his appreciation to Health Director Jane Murray and Environmental Health Director Brady Freeman. Assistant to the County Manager Ben Stikeleather stated there was a meeting between reps from Environmental Health, USDA, staff, Commissioner Johnson, Commissioner Norman, Mayor Charles Saunders, and Kathy Chinette. The discussion covered necessary steps to be granted an extension on the Notice of Violation. One item needed is a letter from Love Valley Land Company stating they were working on a solution from the Town. USDA will work with Love Valley on a SEARCH grant which will help cover the cost of engineering and design for a solution. It will take a couple of weeks for Love Valley to gather documents for the USDA and then possibly another week to secure funding. Love Valley has already sent a Request for Qualifications for an engineer. Potentially the USDA could loan funds to Love Valley at a low interest rate for the infrastructure. The Council of Governments has also been contacted if USDA funding is denied. Commissioner Johnson asked for an explanation of the Notice of Violation. Stikeleather said there was a Notice of Violation sent from the State to Love Valley. Iredell County's Environmental Health, under the duties assigned to them by the State, sent a Notice of Violation to Love Valley Land Company because that is where the actual violation is occurring. It was important to make sure both entities were working together for a combined solution to benefit the entire town. Commissioner Bowles asked about cost if the Council of Governments is involved. Stikeleather said typically when they administer grants it is a flat fee and not by hours. However, depending on the grant, it could cover these fees. Commissioner Johnson asked to clarify the USDA assistance, whether it is a grant, loan, or grant with a loan. Stikeleather said it will most likely be a grant with a loan. The grant will cover the initial design phase then there would be a loan for installation if Love Valley gets approval from the LGC. They could possibly get a grant and not be approved for a loan. If that happens it would be between Love Valley and LGC. Chairman Mallory asked if any portion of the design completed in 2011 could be used for the current project. Stikeleather said there has been some debate on whether or not the design was actually completed. Love Valley has the information from 2011 and will probably share that with the engineer to determine if anything can be used. November 3, 2015 Animal Services Ordinance: Commissioner Johnson stated the meeting concerning the ordinance was productive and asked the County Manager to send out the final draft for review. Commissioner Bowles asked if references to state regulations could be shown in a different color font. Smith will contact Animal Services Director Brad Gates to include these changes and will send the latest draft for review. The ordinance will be on the agenda for the November 17 meeting. Chairman Mallory recessed the meeting into Closed Session at 5:50 PM. Closed Session recessed at 6:30 PM until regular session at 7:00 PM IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MINUTES November 3, 2015 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, at 7:00 PM, in the Iredell County Government Center (Commissioners' Meeting Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. Board Members Present Chairman James B. Mallory III Vice Chairman Marvin Norman Tommy Bowles Steve Johnson Board Members Absent Ken Robertson Staff present: County Manager Ron Smith, County Attorney Bill Pope, Deputy County Manager Beth Jones, Attorney Lisa Valdez, Assistant to the Manager Ben Stikeleather, Public Safety Director David Saleeby, and Clerk to the Board Retha Gaither. CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Mallory. INVOCATION: Chairman James Mallory asked everyone to bow their heads for a moment of silence. A member of the audience prayed aloud on their own accord. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE led by Chairman Mallory. PRESENTATION OF SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS & AWARDS (None) APPOINTMENTS BEFORE THE BOARD (None) PUBLIC HEARINGS (None) ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS November 3, 2015 County Manager Ron Smith summarized the consent agenda as follows: • Request from the Finance Department to adopt a resolution to sell property acquired through tax foreclosure. • Request from the Parks and Recreation Department for approval to apply for a Carolina Thread Trail Grant. • Request from the Parks and Recreation Department for approval to apply for a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund/Land and Water Grant. • Request for approval of the October 20, 2015 minutes. MOTIO by Commissioner Steve Johnson to approve the consent agenda. VOTING: Ayes — 4; Nays — 0 ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES OCCURING ON BOARDS & COMMISSIONS Iredel) County Board of Adjustment (1 Announcement) Iredell County Board of Health (2 Announcements) APPOINTMENTS TO BOARD AND COMMISSIONS (None) UNFINISHED BUSINESS (None) NEW BUSINESS County Manager Ron Smith stated Closed Session was held at the pre -agenda meeting for an economic development item. This is basically a technicality with a name change and an extension of the 180 -day limit. MOTION by Commission Steve Johnson to extend the previous contract for Star Hagen Aerospace Components, LLC formerly Hymec Aerospace for an additional 180 days. VOTING: Ayes — 4; Nays — 0 COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT County Manager Ron Smith gave a summary of the recent work session. The meeting began with a financial update. Revenues are trending higher. Ad valorem, sales tax, and fees are higher, with a caveat that ad valorem collections are largely based on the tax increase due to the approved bonds. Expenditures are trending at a good rate. However, from the departmental level everyone is trending lower. Development is occurring pretty fast with inspections and permit numbers higher than last year. There seems to be a tremendous amount of new residential development in conjunction with other non-residential. The jail has been a subject of discussion for several years. The Board made some significant decisions to expand the jail at the present site. The Board moved $5 million to the Jail Capital Project Fund to work toward entering into an agreement with an architect to build a 500 bed facility with a core (laundry, intake, kitchen, etc.) to accommodate up to 700 inmates. The budget range for this facility is $18-21 million. Staff is currently reviewing options within this budget. Hopefully construction will begin in 2016 with November 3, 2015 5 completion by 2018. This project will run concurrently with a Public Safety Building. The Public Safety Building will cost approximately $10 million and located on Bristol Drive. It will bring all of the public safety departments under one roof — ECOM, EMS, Fire Marshal, and Public Safety. There was an analysis of the Vehicle Services Department due to several personnel changes with retirements. Staff reviewed options whether to continue in-house or contract out. It was recommended to the Board, and the Board agreed, to keep vehicle services operating in-house. Finally, there was a staff report on the task forces that were formed last year. The largest recommendation stemming from the task forces dealt with the jail which has been addressed. Chairman Mallory thanked the County Manager and staff for the hard work to provide analyses and courses of action to enable the Board to move forward to meet long standing needs of the County. Chairman Mallory informed the audience that the matter of the Animal Ordinance will be heard at the next meeting on November 17. Commissioner Bowles stated the animal ordinance has been long and painstaking but feels the final product is suitable. Commissioner Johnson said that citizens who own animals now will be able to continue to own those animals. However, there are some health concerns that must be addressed due to state laws. Commissioner Johnson stated that he had been on the Board for 21 years and that the Board has accomplished many things because they consistently use static revenue projections in times when the economy was dynamic and growing. That spread what actual revenues came in and the projections made contributed to the fund balance. Over the last six years there have been static revenue projections with static growth. However, in spite of that, a significant fund balance has been accumulated. This can be attributed to management and the line item management of departments. This is allowing cash to build the jail and public safety complex without borrowing money or raising taxes. The County Manager and staff should be congratulated. CLOSED SESSIONS (NONE) OTIO by Commissioner Steve Johnson to adjourn at 7:16 PM. (The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 17, 2015, 7:00 PM, in the Commissioners' Meeting Room, Pre -Agenda Discussion at 5:30 PM in the South Wing Conference Room, Government Center, 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC) VOTING: Ayes — 4; Nays — 0 Date Approved Retha C. Gaither, Clerk November 3, 2015 6