MINUTES
WATAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2001
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on Tuesday, September 4, 2001 at 9:00 A.M. in the Board Room of the Watauga County Courthouse.
PRESENT: Jimmy Hodges, Chairman
James Coffey, Vice-Chairman
Jack Lawrence, Sr., Commissioner
Sue Sweeting, Commissioner
Pat Wilkie, Commissioner
Jeff Hedrick, County Attorney
Robert E. Nelson, Jr., County Manager
Anita Fogle, Clerk to the Board
Chairman Hodges called the meeting to order at 9:02 A.M. welcoming those in attendance.
A moment of silence was observed.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chairman Hodges called for additions or corrections to the August 21, 2001 regular meeting minutes and approval of corrections made to the August 6, 2001 closed session minutes.
Commissioner Sweeting requested the following additions (in italics) to the August 21, 2001 regular meeting minutes: The Board, by consensus, agreed to keep the positions in place (as the Department of Social Services looked at internal savings where possible) and instructed Mr. Atkinson to write to the State Department of Health and Human Services with questions regarding the cuts and to request a change in the reimbursement percentage from the state to the county. The positions and budget concerns were to be reevaluated in December 2001.
Commissioner Lawrence, seconded by Commissioner Wilkie, moved to approve the August 21, 2001 regular meeting minutes as amended and the August 6, 2001 corrected closed session minutes as presented.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2001 AGENDA
Chairman Hodges called for additions or corrections to the September 4, 2001 agenda.
Commissioner Sweeting requested a closed session be added to the Agenda as item 7(c) to discuss Attorney/Client matters G.S. 143-318.11(a)(3).
Vice-Chairman Coffey, seconded by Commissioner Lawrence, moved to approve the September 4, 2001 agenda as amended.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
AUTOMOBILE BIDS
Sheriff Lyons presented the following bids received for four (4) Police Package cars:
Per Unit Total Bid
Jacky Jones Ford, Cleveland, GA $19,625.00 $78,500.00
B Miller Ford, Boone, NC $19,332.00 $77,646.00
Dick Parker Ford, Havelock, NC $19,817.25 $79,269.00
Bill Smith Ford, Southern Pines, NC $20,999.00 $83,996.00
The Sheriff recommended that the vehicles be purchased from the low bidder which was B Miller Ford. Sheriff Lyons also requested that a fifth car be purchased to replace two cars, each of which was totaled when involved in a wreck. Sheriff Lyons stated that those who placed bids agreed to the same amount for a fifth vehicle. Funds were budgeted for the four requested vehicles to be purchased and insurance monies covered the cost of the additional vehicle requested.
Commissioner Sweeting, seconded by Vice-Chairman Coffey, moved to accept the low bid from B Miller Ford and approve the purchase of the five vehicles as presented.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
TAX MATTERS
A. Monthly Collections Report – Tax Administrator, Kelvin Byrd, presented the Tax Collections Report for the month of August 2001.
B. Releases and Refunds – Tax Administrator Byrd presented the following Refunds and Releases for August 2001 for Board approval:
TO BE TYPED IN MINUTE BOOK
Commissioner Lawrence, seconded by Vice-Chairman Coffey, moved to approve the Refunds and Releases Report as presented.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
PLANNING AND INSPECTION MATTERS
A. Request for Addition to the Secondary Road System – Mr. Joe Furman, Director of Planning and Inspections, stated that the property owners of Grover’s Knob road have duly petitioned the County to request that this road be included as an addition to the State Maintained Secondary Road System.
Commissioner Sweeting, seconded by Commissioner Wilkie, moved to adopt and forward the resolution to the Department of Transportation for consideration as an addition to the state maintained secondary roads system.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
B. Request for a Public Hearing to Approve New Private Road Names – Mr. Furman stated a Public Hearing was required (pursuant to N.C.G.S. 153A-239.1) for the adoption of new private road names. Mr. Furman recommended the Board schedule this Public Hearing for the Board’s next regular meeting scheduled for September 18, 2001.
Commissioner Wilkie seconded by Commissioner Sweeting, moved to schedule a Public Hearing to consider the adoption of new private road names for the Board’s September 18, 2001 regular meeting.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
A. Boards and Commissions – County Manager Nelson stated that Dr. Sandra Anderson, Director of the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute (CCC&TI) had endorsed and recommended that Sherri Moretz, Harold Tilley, and Margaret Jones be reappointed for another term and that Ronnie Greene be appointed, to fill the expired term of Jackie Ward, to the CCC&TI (Watauga Campus) Advisory Committee.
Vice-Chairman Coffey, seconded by Commissioner Sweeting, made a motion to reappoint Sherri Moretz, Harold Tilley, and Margaret Jones and to appoint Ronnie Greene to the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (Watauga Campus) Advisory Committee.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
B. Announcements – County Manager Nelson stated that a Community Conservation Workshop would be held Thursday, September 20, 2001 in Charlotte, North Carolina, by NC Soil and Water Conservation District from 9:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
CLOSED SESSION
At 9:15 A.M., Commissioner Lawrence, seconded by Commissioner Wilkie, moved to enter Closed Session to discuss Attorney/Client Matters – G.S. 143-318.11(a)(3).
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
Commissioner Sweeting, seconded by Commissioner Wilkie, moved to resume the open meeting at 9:50 A.M.
VOTE: Aye-5
Nay-0
RECESS TO WORK SESSION
After a brief recess, the Board reconvened in the Manager’s Conference Room for the scheduled Work Session.
WORK SESSION
A. Countywide Water and Wastewater Study – Gary McCollum with Draper Aden, Assoc. reviewed in detail the Countywide Water and Wastewater Study. The Board discussed establishing a committee to study the report more closely. The County Manager and the Planning and Inspections Director were instructed to report to the Board at a future meeting. Mr. McCollum stated that the data in the engineering report, which was commissioned last November, could be updated in the future to include changes in population and development growth.
After discussion, no action was taken by the Board as none was required.
B. Capital Plan Update/Space Needs – County Manager Nelson reviewed the current space needs of the County and the current Capital Plan, which was placed on hold after the purchase of the Heilig Meyers Warehouse property. Finance Director, Doris Isaacs, reviewed the projected costs of various projects included in the Capital Plan and also reviewed the projected Debt Service involved with said projects.
The Board discussed at length as to whether to renovate the Revco building to house the Government Center as originally planned or to renovate the Heilig Meyer Warehouse building to house the Government Center. Commissioner Sweeting stated that she preferred that the Government Center be at the Revco building as originally planned.
Commissioner Sweeting had to leave the meeting at 1:20 P.M. due to prior commitments.
Commissioners Hodges, Coffey, Lawrence, and Wilkie stated that they would prefer that the Government Center be housed in the Heilig Meyers Warehouse building, if salvageable and economically feasible to renovate. By consensus, the Board directed the County Manager to obtain a feasibility study.
ADJOURN
Vice-Chairman Coffey, seconded by Commissioner Wilkie, moved to adjourn the meeting at 1:30 P.M.
VOTE: Aye-4
Nay-0
Absent-1(Sweeting)
__________________________
Jimmy Hodges, Chairman
ATTEST:
_____________________________
Anita J. Fogle, Clerk to the Board