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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-1-2016 MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PRE -AGENDA MINUTES November 1, 2016 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in pre -agenda session on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 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 Ken Robertson Staff present: County Manager Ron Smith, County Attorney Bill Pope, Assistant to the Manager Ben Stikeleather, Finance Director Susan G. Robertson, Attorney Lisa Valdez, 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 said there were no adjustments from staff. PRESENTATION OF SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS & AWARDS (None) PUBLIC HEARINGS Public Hearing to consider a request from Ron Johnson to rezone 48.9 acres from RA -CUD to GB: Planning Director Matthew Todd said this is a rezoning. Ron Johnson from the Mooresville Convention and Visitor Bureau is the applicant. Property next door was rezoned late last year. The proposal is GB with plans for a soccer field and other uses. There was no opposition at the Planning Board meeting and they voted 8-0 for approval. Public Hearing to consider a request from Kristie & Gadis Pepper, Jr. and Lori & Brian Poling to release zoning and subdivision jurisdiction to the Town of Troutman: Planning Director Matthew Todd said this is an ETJ release outside of Troutman. The owners are marketing their own property which is currently split between Troutman ETJ and the County zoning. It will most likely be developed as residential, however, there is nothing currently planned. There has only been one phone call received and that was only for clarification. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Request from the Planning Division to call for a public hearing on November 15 regarding proposed text amendments to the Land Development Code: Planning Director Matthew Todd said essentially there was a US Supreme Court decision concerning sign ordinances. The sign ordinance needs to be content neutral. It sounded simple but it became complicated. Direction from the Supreme Court was not clear but the Planning Board is working to amend. There are also two other sections to amend. The chapter on Administration and Enforcement was discussed to establish a statute of limitations for zoning setbacks. Currently, it November I, 2016 is not uncommon for the Board of Adjustment to deal with a house that is a foot into the setback and been there for 20 years. If such a house is sold, the bank would ask for survey which would show a violation. The Planning Division can't say it is ok even though it would not be pursued. The only way to solve it is to go through the Board of Adjustment for a variance. The amendment is setting a ten year timeframe and once the ten years is passed the house, from a setback standpoint, is good to go. It will save the owner from going through the process of obtaining a variance. Commissioner Bowles asked if the bank would request a zoning conformance letter. Todd said the Planning Division could write a letter saying the house was built ten years ago and according to the ordinance it would be in compliance. If it doesn't fall within that age then the owner would have to apply for a variance. Also added was an allowance for a one foot difference on the setback. If something is built 6 inches too close to the setback the old ordinance would require an appearance before the Board of Adjustment. The non -conforming chapter can be difficult to read but staff looked at trying to establish flexibility and consistency in the way structures are treated. There is a section named "Change in kind of non -conforming use" which is for businesses in the County that was not zoned commercial but is in residential. The owner would go before the Board of Adjustment to be approved for a new use. Businesses in the County change all the time and rarely do they go through the process. It could be a staff -level call based on the criteria. The Planning Board voted 8-0 for these text amendments but this request is to call for a public hearing. Commissioner Robertson asked about changing a business sign to a political sign. Todd said political signs are under a completely different state statute. This item was placed on the consent agenda. Request from the Health Department to write off their uncollected patient accounts debt in the amount of $17,976.49 in conjunction with l0A NCAC 43A .0206: Health Director Jane Hinson reported the bad debt write offs as required by the Administrative Code. Letters were sent at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. Attorney letters were sent at 120 days. If there is a valid social security number and the debt is greater than $50 then it can be sent to debt set-off which is an excellent program generating over $100,000 in revenue since 2005. In 2001 the write-offs were close to $47,000, in 2015 they were close to $30,000, and this year is $18,000. In 2012 there were $845 in Medicaid write-offs, in 2011 there were $15,000 in Medicaid write-offs but this year it is zero. Commissioner Robertson expressed appreciation to the staff for their diligence. This item was placed on the consent agenda. Request from Finance for approval of Authorizing Resolution to apply for a $130,000 NC Department of Commerce Building Reuse Grant: Finance Director Susan Robertson said there is a potential project coming into the County as an existing manufacturing company that may expand its current site and add 27 new jobs. They expect to invest $64 million. The $130,000 Building Reuse Grant would assist in that expansion. There would be a 5% grant match that would come from any economic incentives earned by the company. They have asked for an extension and they are working on getting the grant submitted. The request is to adopt a resolution in support of this grant application and provide the 5% cash match. November 1, 2016 2 Chairman Mallory asked if it would require a budget amendment. Finance Director Robertson said no, it would be part of the economic incentive that is awarded to the company. This item was placed on the consent agenda. Request from Partners Behavioral Health to use $325,000 of their fund balance for facility improvements: Partners rep Paul Caldwell said Partners purchased the building at 518 Signal Hill Road. This property has a doctor's office, a facility based crisis center that is currently operated by Daymark and a vacant building. This was purchased with the intent to create a crisis hub where people can present, receive behavioral health services and receive physical medicine provided by Piedmont Health Care in the same building. In addition the facility based crisis is a 12 -bed, 24/7 crisis facility where people can spend the night. Currently it has five double rooms and two singles to make 12 beds. Plans are to add four singles which is critical to eliminate gender and acuity issues. The budget was $1.1 million but $1.425 million is needed to complete the project. The renovations are more than expected due to changes in state standards. Currently, Partners has $998,000 unencumbered. The request is to use dollars already allocated for this purchase. Once this is complete there will be advertising, information to hospitals, etc. to help citizens learn about this campus and where to turn if they need help. Security will be able to cover both buildings and provide a place for law enforcement to drop and run which will be a dramatic savings. This facility based crisis can handle anyone that an Emergency Department can handle as long as they are medically stable. Commissioner Robertson asked why double rooms were considered. Caldwell said he did not know the answer. It was designed 15-20 years ago. Commissioner Johnson asked if the agency is comfortable with the remaining amount of $673,000. Caldwell said yes. They will be using some of it for services in the hub. Chairman Mallory said Maintenance of Effort sounds more like operations than capital. He asked if the money could be used for either. Caldwell said yes that is correct. Finance Director Robertson said it is from their own fund balance. Commissioner Bowles asked if this facility would be expandable. Caldwell said this will be the max number of beds because physically the building could not be expanded on that lot. Also, once past 16 beds, Medicaid will not reimburse for services provided in an IMD (Institute for Mental Deficiency)which is anything over 16 beds. Iredell County can have two 16 -bed facilities. There is some movement with the Federal Government to allow more than 16 beds as long as the length of stay for any individual is not more than 15 days. Commissioner Robertson asked about the census at the other facilities. Caldwell said the average census at Shelby and Gastonia is 96%. Commissioner Bowles asked if any medications would be administered at this facility. November 1, 2016 Caldwell said yes, behavioral health meds are given. They cannot provide meds for physical treatment such as a laceration. The bulk of the people at the facility based crisis are there for substance use disorder issues. Behavioral health is considered the intersection of what most people would call mental health/mental illness and substance use disorder. The current climate in this country, the bulk of people presenting in crisis facilities are probably 65% weighted on the side of opioid problems. This item was placed on the consent agenda. Request from the Clerk to the Board for approval of minutes from the meeting on October 18, 2016: There were no changes. This item was placed on the consent agenda. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Request from Administration to continue the discussion on the Golden Leaf Community Based Grantsmaking Initiative: Assistant to the County Manager Ben Stikeleather said Golden Leaf is asking that all counties submitup to three proposals with a total of $1.5 million. Four potential submittals have been received. This request is for the Board to choose which three proposals and the dollar amount for each. The options are: The City of Statesville is requesting $600,000 to complete a study for the Jane Sowers interchange on 1-77. However, a conversation with Golden Leaf resulted in an unfavorable opinion of this proposal. They don't typically fund studies, they prefer tangible projects. The second request is from the Friends of Fort Dobbs for $1 million to reconstruct the French/Indian War era fort. A study by NC State estimates it will bring 55,000-100,000 visitors annually and could create $1.1 million in tax revenue annually. Golden Leaf doesn't always look favorably on tourism but this proposal has a study that shows an economic impact. Staff recommends reducing the amount requested if this project is chosen. The third is from Iredell-Statesville Schools and Mitchell Community College. They would like to start a pre -college agriculture program at North Iredell High School. They are requesting $460,000 to fund staff, books, etc. Agriculture is a large component of Golden Leaf Mission as well as education workforce development. The final proposal is from the Mooresville -South Iredell Economic Development Corporation. The funds would build the road for Phase 1 B in the business park. The request is for $600,000 and would increase the amount of land for development. This proposal was the most favorable by Golden Leaf, but they want to know the type of product that is currently available and the timeframe of moving product. Staff recommends sending a letter of support for the following three projects that total $1.5 million: economic development at $600,000, ISS and MCC at $400,000, and Fort Dobbs at $500,000. Commissioner Robertson asked why the reduction for ISS and MCC. Stikeleather said the numbers are not firm but thought it was the most equitable spread of the funds. Another reason for cutting Fort Dobbs is that they must provide a match for the grant and in the next year they anticipate the most they could match is $500,000. Commissioner Robertson always thought that Golden Leaf was primarily for agriculture and feels the ISS and MCC proposal should be left at $460,000 and change Fort Dobbs to $440,000. Commissioner Bowles asked if the local match for ISS and MCC would be approximately $60,000 and asked if Golden Leaf would approve spending on salaries. November 1, 2016 4 Stikeleather said it is 20% which is $88,000. They prefer projects that are split and not all for salaries. ISS Rep Melany Taylor stated funds will be used for equipment, furniture, text books, paving, parking, etc. as well as salaries. When the budget was planned, salaries were listed for the first two years of the grant for a counselor and teacher assistant position. Because the average daily membership will be smaller for the first couple of years, the district will have to supplement those salaries. However, it is anticipated the ADM (Average Daily Membership) will supplement those positions later. Commissioner Robertson asked about flexibility in the amounts. If a particular project does not use the exact amount granted can any remaining funds be used by another project. He also asked when the amounts would be locked in. Stikeleather doesn't believe it is possible to move funds to another project because it is a regional grant and any funds left over would probably be rolled over to the next grant time period. The applications are due by Friday, November 4, at noon. Commissioner Bowles asked to clarify who would pay the salaries for ISS when the grant funding is over. Taylor said the full program will not be funded under the grant. The school system had already planned to begin the program in FYI 7-18 and as ADM increases it will supplement the salaries. This is just a way to supplement the start-up. This item was placed on the consent agenda with the amended numbers. The Board recessed into Closed Session at 6:16 PM. IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MINUTES November 1, 2016 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 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 Ken Robertson Staff present: County Manager Ron Smith, County Attorney Bill Pope, Assistant to the Manager Ben Stikeleather, Finance Director Susan G. Robertson, Attorney Lisa Valdez, 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. November 1, 2016 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE led by James Mallory. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA Chairman Mallory said there were no adjustments to the agenda except that Commissioner Johnson will have a few remarks under New Business. MOTION by Commissioner Johnson to adopt the agenda. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0 PRESENTATION OF SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS & AWARDS (None) APPOINTMENTS BEFORE THE BOARD (None) PUBLIC HEARINGS Public Hearing to consider a request from Ron Johnson to rezone 48.9 acres from RA -CUD to GB: Planning Director Matthew Todd said the property is currently RA -CUD. The adjoining property on the west was rezoned last year. Staff supports this request and it is consistent with the 2030 Horizon Plan which calls for an employment center/industrial/flex. The lot is adjacent to commercially and industrially zoned property. Traffic impact should not exceed capacity. The Planning Board voted 8-0 for approval. Chairman Mallory opened the public hearing. Jimmy McKnight of 255 Rolling Hills Road in Mooresville, was present to represent the sellers and to answer any questions. No one from the public wished to speak. Chairman Mallory closed the public hearing. OTIO by Commissioner Bowles to approve the zoning map amendment and to make the findings that the approval is consistent with the adopted 2030 Plan and that said approval is reasonable and in the public's best interest and furthers the goals of the 2030 Horizon Plan because it is adjacent to commercially and industrially zoned property and the traffic impacts seemed to not exceed the capacity. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0 Development Services PLANNING DIVISION PLANNING STAFF REPORT REZONING CASE # I6I0-1 STAFF PROJECT CONTACT: Jake Lowman EXPLANATION OF THE REQUEST November I, 2016 This is a request to rezone approximately 48.9 acres at 261 Mazeppa Rd from Residential Agricultural Conditional Use District (RA -CUD) to General Business (GB). This is a straight rezoning and no conditions are proposed at this time. OWNER/APPLICANT OWNER: Oliphant Heirs APPLICANT: Ron Johnson (Mooresville Convention and Visitors Bureau) PROPERTY INFORMATION LOCATION: 261 Mazeppa Road; more specifically PINS 4668251022.000, 4668254399.000, & 4668257579.000. DIRECTIONS: South on Statesville Highway; Left on Mazeppa Road, Property is on the left across from Bestco Ln. SURROUNDING LAND USE: The property is completely surrounded by commercial and industrial uses. SIZE: The acreage to be rezoned is approximately 48.9 acres. EXISTING LAND USE: There is an abandoned residence on one of the parcels. The remaining land is vacant or used for timber. ZONING HISTORY: The property was rezoned in 1999 from M-2, Heavy Manufacturing, to RA -CUD, Residential Agricultural. The current conditions for the property are: No subdivisions for residential homes, no more than two homes for immediate family members of the owner, and the remaining portion of the property will be utilized for tree farming. OTHER JURISDICTIONAL INFORMATION: This property is located in Mooresville's Urban Service Area. The town expressed no concerns about the rezoning. OTHER SITE CHARACTERISTICS: A small portion of the lot is located in a WS -Il Balance of Watershed, more specifically the Back Creek watershed, which is limited to 12% impervious development without water and sewer. The property is not located in a flood zone. IMPACTS ON LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND/OR FACILITES TRAFFIC: The closest traffic count was on Mazeppa Road near the entrance of NGK Ceramics and had a traffic count of 9,400 vehicles per day in 2014. The capacity for this section of Mazeppa Road is approximately 12,400 vehicles per day. SCHOOLS: This is a commercial rezoning and should have no implications on local schools. FIRE MARSHAL: This proposal has been reviewed by the Iredell County Fire Marshal's Office. The Fire Marshal's Office did not address any concerns on the request. EMS: This proposal has been reviewed by the EMS Department. EMS did not address any concerns on the request UTILITIES: This site is currently served by well and septic. November 1, 2016 REQUIRED REVIEWS BY OTHER AGENCIES LOCAL: The applicant must provide a site plan to the Planning Division for review to develop the property. Zoning requirements such as parking, landscaping, and buffering will be reviewed at such time. Erosion & sedimentation control standards will also be reviewed for compliance. STATE: Other than building code, there should be no formal state agency review at this time. FEDERAL: None at this time. STAFF AND BOARD COMMENTS STAFF COMMENTS: The 2030 Horizon Plan calls for the majority of this area to be Employment Center/ Industrial/Flex/Office. These areas are intended for development of industrial, flex space, and office uses including light manufacturing and assembly, research and development, warehousing, and building trade showrooms and offices. These lands are either currently served or are planned to be served in the future by public or private water or sanitary sewer systems. These areas should have access to planned arterial or collector streets to provide adequate infrastructure for transportation of goods to and from distribution centers. Developments should provide transitions to adi.acentlower intensity uses, such as residential and commercial uses, in the form of vegetated buffers, landscaping, setbacks, and building heights. Some commercial/retail uses that serve the industrial/flex/office developments are appropriate within these areas. The Planning staff can support the proposed rezoning request based on the following: the 2030 Horizon Plan calls for this arca to be Employment Center/Industrial/Flex/Office which allows for commercial development. This site adjoins commercially and industrially zoned property. Traffic impacts should not exceed road capacity. SITE REVIEW COMMITTEE: David Aman and Dennis Hutchens visited the site with staff on September 21, 2016. PLANNING BOARD ACTION: On October 5, 2016, the Planning Board held a public meeting to hear the rezoning request. No one spoke against the request. The planning board voted 8-0 in favor of the rezoning with the following motion: Motion to recommend in favor o%die zoning map amendment and to make a finding that the approval is consistent with the adopted 20.30 Horizon Plan and that said approval is reasonable and in the public interes7 and furthers the goals of the 2030 Horizon Plan because it is adjacent to commercially and industrially zoned property, and the traffic impacts will not exceed road capacity. Public Hearing to consider a request from Kristie & Gadis Pepper, Jr. and Lori & Brian Poling to release zoning and subdivision jurisdiction to the Town of Troutman: Planning Director Matthew Todd said this request is centered on property that is split between Iredell County's jurisdiction and Town of Troutman's jurisdiction. The request is to release the back portion of just over 6 acres to the Town of Troutman. The owner is trying to market the property. The County's zoning is low density residential. Chairman Mallory opened the public hearing. No one from the public wished to speak. Chairman Mallory closed the public hearing. November I, 2016 OTION by Vice Chairman Norman to approve the request for a release of zoning and subdivision jurisdiction to the Town of Troutman by Kristie & Gadis Pepper Jr. and Lori & Brian Poling. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0 PLANNING STAFF REPORT Release ofZoning & Subdivision Jurisdiction Staff Project Contact: Rebecca Harper EXPLANATION OF THE REQUEST Kristie & Gadis Pepper Jr and Lori & Brian Poling, have requested release of the zoning and subdivision jurisdiction of a portion of two parcels to the Town of Troutman. Approximately 11.86 acres of the 18.23 acres is currently in the ETJ of the Town of Troutman. The purpose of the request is to release the remaining 6.37 acres to the Town so that the entirety of both parcels will have the same jurisdiction. OWNER/APPLICANT OWNERS: Kristie & Gadis Pepper Jr Lori & Brian Poling 212 Hideaway Ln 198 Scanlon Road Mooresville, NC 28117 Mooresville, NC 28115 PROPERTY INFORMATION LOCATION: Lytton Farm Road in Troutman; more specifically identified as PIN #s 4730291455 & 4730292720. DIRECTIONS: Highway 115 south, right on Talley Rd, left on Lytton Farm Road, on the right near the end. SURROUNDING LAND USE: This property is surrounded by residential uses and vacant land. SIZE: The property is 18.23 acres. EXISTING LAND USE: The tracts are currently vacant. ZONING HISTORY: This property has been zoned RA (Residential Agricultural) since county -wide zoning in 1990. The Troutman ETJ has been in place since October 9, 1976 when the 1 mile ETJ was adopted by the Town. OTHER JURISDICTIONAL INFORMATION: This property is located just outside of Troutman's USA boundary. The property is adjacent to other parcels that are already in the Town's jurisdiction. The Town Planning staff has submitted a letter of acknowledgement regarding the request and is in support of the request. This area is identified in Troutman's Comprehensive Land Use Plan as Rural Residential -Agricultural, which is intended to promote the continued use of working lands and protection of environmentally sensitive lands from more intense development. OTHER SITE CHARACTERISTICS: This property is located in the Catawba/Lake Norman Critical Area water supply watershed. IMPACTS ON LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND/OR FACILITES November I, 2016 TRAFFIC: There are no traffic counts available for Lytton Farm Road. It is a two lane road that ends just past the properties in question. SCHOOLS: There is no proposed use for the property at this time. Most likely it will be residential. There is no way to determine the impact on local schools until the exact use of the property is determined. STAFF COMMENTS STAFF COMMENTS: From a Planning perspective, this request meets the criteria for release of zoning and subdivision jurisdiction. The properties are located near the end of a dead end road. A large portion of both lots are already in the Town's jurisdiction. The Town Planning staff is in support of this request. The 2030 Horizon Plan recommends Low Density Residential uses for this area, which is comparable to the Town's future land use designation of Rural Residential -Agricultural. The Planning staff recommends in favor of this request. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS County Manager Ron Smith summarized the consent agenda: • Request from the Health Department to write off their uncollected patient accounts debt in the amount of $17,976.49. • Request from the Planning Department to call for a public hearing on November 15 regarding proposed text amendments to the Land Development Code. • Request for approval by Finance of an Authorizing Resolution to apply for a $130,000 NC Department of Commerce Building Reuse Grant. • Request from Partners Behavioral Health Care to use $325,000 of their fund balance for facility improvements. • Request from the Clerk to the Board to approve the minutes from October 18, 2016. • Under Unfinished Business, a request from Administration to continue the discussion on the Golden Leaf Community Based Grantsmaking Initative with the following changes: o Four projects were submitted for a Letter of Intent but the three projects approved are: • Friends of Fort Dobbs for $440,000 • Iredell-Statesville Schools and Mitchell Community College for $460,000 • Mooresville -South Iredell EDC for Phase I B for $600,000 Chairman Mallory gave a shout -out to the Health Department for their increase and effective collection rate. OTION by Commissioner Robertson to accept the consent agenda. VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0 ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES OCCURING ON BOARDS & COMMISSIONS (None) APPOINTMENTS TO BOARD AND COMMISSIONS (None) See consent agenda. UNFINISHED BUSINESS November 1, 2016 10 PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD (None) NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Johnson asked to share the following comments: "Ijust want to share a few thoughts with you. This is my next to the last regular board meeting of the Board of Commissioners and I would like to talk about economic development and offer, to those who will remain and those who will join this Board, some words of encouragement and perhaps they can learn from some of the things I have done right and some of the things I've done wrong. I hope at the conclusion you will consider it to be beneficial." Johnson continued, "Mr. Chairman, I applaud the City of Statesville in funding a retail development staff person at the Chamber of Commerce. Statesville residents are often heard saying they wish we had this restaurant, that clothier or that electronics retailer. All of these would do much to improve the quality of life and add revenues to local coffers. We must recognize, however, the way retailers make decisions on where to locate. They have, in place, a matrix which is formula -based. To be considered, a local community must have a sufficient population and an adequate per -capita income. Retailers already know that "X" number of people with a per -capita income of "Y" will yield a market of "Z." They know that in that market the amount of money spent on their offering of goods. They know that their marketing program will capture a certain percentage of that market. From there, it is simple arithmetic. If your community fits their formula, they know they can operate profitably and they come. If your community does not meet their formula, they do not come. They will not come regardless of how much you actively recruit them. Retail recruitment deals with the supply side of the equation. To be successful in developing our economy, we must also deal with the demand side. To improve the possibility of retailers locating here, we must address this demand side. We must increase the market size and the per -capita income in our local market. Why must we do this? And how do we do this? One reason we must, is an economy is never standing still. It is either growing or shrinking. We must keep young talent here. The population of the 20- and 30 -somethings decreased in Statesville since the last Census. This is not meant as a criticism just a statement of fact. No doubt many smart talented young people decided to stay, but too many decided to leave. At a minimum, more decided to leave than to stay and come. These people will hit their peak earning years in the next 10 to 20 years. Too many will do it somewhere else. That's not good for Statesville. It's not good for Iredell County. Secondly, while receiving a Triple A rating from Fitch and an enviable rating from other rating agencies, we get dinged for the disparity of income between the northern and southern parts of the County. That's why we should do it. Now, how. We know there is a shortage of sites in the Charlotte area that are ready for industrial client location. We can and must seize and exploit this opportunity by having sites ready for occupancy. I beg your indulgence, I've been preaching this sermon for years. That means it must be zoned properly, water, sewer, phase I environmental, gas — if needed, electrical service, fiber, ingress and egress. About four -and -a -half years ago, we hired a consultant to assess our area and recommend sites best suited for development. We worked to pass legislation for deferment of taxes on rezoned property until it was sold. At the same time, I approached Mr. Ron Smith and asked him to recommend money in our budget for industrial site development, which he did and this board approved. But little has happened. The hiring of Russ Rogerson as Economic Developer (for Statesville Regional Development and the Mooresville South Iredell Economic Development Corporation) is among the best decisions in my tenure. His character is beyond question. His knowledge and experience are rarely equaled. We should work November 1, 2016 11 with him on recommendations and act on those recommendations. If we have an inventory of client -ready sites, we will succeed in locating industries here with good -paying jobs. This will keep and attract young talent, per -capita income will increase, our market size will grow. This will increase the likelihood that your favorite retailer will pick Statesville. My experience in business has taught me that the best deals happen when one hand washes the other. A two-pronged approach on the supply side, which is retail recruitment, and the other on the demand side, which is industrial recruitment, accompanied by a client -ready inventory of sites does just that. One helps the other, one hand washes the other. Many years ago, while studying business ethics, I learned of moral hazard. Anyone who assumes a position of authority inherently assumes a moral hazard. I encourage those who remain and those who will follow me to accept this hazard. I challenge them to display a type of character that few are even given the opportunity to exhibit. Use your position to bless the lives of people you will never know and will never know you did it. Do it and your own life will be immeasurably blessed. Do it and great will be your reward. I encourage you to take these words as they are intended and continue to work to develop inventory for Statesville and all of Iredell County and grow this economy. It is a good place to live and we need to exploit it. Thank you." Chairman Mallory thanked Commissioner Johnson and asked that these comments be recorded in the minutes. They are durable comments that are applicable for many years to come. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT County Manager Ron Smith reported on the following: • A draft flyer was distributed that shows a way -finding process around county facilities in the Justice block during the jail construction. The parking is the first step and the flyer is a way to try to help citizens and staff navigate the area. • Probations has officially moved into the building on Meeting Street. They are now out of the Davie Avenue building. The old probations site and the white house on Harrill Street will be demolished soon. • A final report of the limited obligation refunding bonds was distributed. The last line of the report, which is the cash flow, shows the savings over the next 12 years is $10.3 million. Commissioner Robertson stressed that is almost $1 million per year that will be freed for capital expenses for the school systems. Chairman Mallory expressed appreciation to Finance Director Susan Robertson and the Finance Department staff. The key to success of this refinancing is in large measure due to the prudent policies adopted by this Board over the last several years. It has weathered a recession and built a fund balance. The prudent expenditures and the financing of debt where needed has resulted in highly favorable recognition from rating agencies. This came from hard work of the staff and this Board. The Board and audience gave a round of applause to the finance staff. Chairman Mallory asked for a motion to adjourn into Closed Session for Personnel G.S. 143-318.11 (a) (6) and Property Acquisition G.S. 143-318.11 (a) (5). OTIO by Commissioner Johnson to adjourn into Closed Session at 7:27 PM. November 1, 2016 12 VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0 Chairman Mallory resumed the open session at 7:55 PM and no action was needed from the Closed Session. ADJOURNMENT OTION by Commissioner Robertson to adjourn at 7:55 PM. (The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 15, 2016, 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 — 5; Nays — 0 Date Approved Retha C. Gaither, Clerk November 1, 2016 13