061311June 13, 2011
The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met at 6:00 p.m. for a special budget session
in the 1909 Randolph County Historic Courthouse Meeting Room, 145 Worth Street, Asheboro,
NC Commissioners Holmes, Frye, Kemp, Haywood and Lanier were present.
Randolph Arts Guild
Derrick Sides, Randolph Arts Guild Director, spoke in support of his agency's request of
$20,000 for funding from the County. Via PowerPoint presentation, he reviewed the history of
the Arts Guild and summarized the programs and events that the agency offers to Randolph
County's citizens. Mr. Sides stressed that the Arts Guild needs local government funding for
matching grant requirement of grants it receives for operating expenses from the State. He said
that last year, with the County providing no funding for the Arts Guild, he asked for the
Community's financial support, and they were able to fill some of the gaps of the budget.
However, he does not want to have to ask the community for help this year. Mr. Sides said that
the $20,000 request is the keystone to funding all the events and programs in the coming year.
Communities In Schools (CIS)
Sandi Norman, Communities in Schools Executive Director, reported on CIS activities and
successes during the past year and also mentioned that the CIS of Randolph County received
national accreditation in January 2011, which ensures that CIS -Randolph County meets the
highest standards of business practices, as well as, implementation of services at the school sites.
Ms. Norman said that CIS has leveraged the funding that the County has invested in her agency
to bring more funding for CIS through grants, United Way funding, contributions from
businesses and individuals, state funding and in-kind services directly to the schools. She asked
the Board to consider their funding request of $85,000.
Randolph Vocational Workshop
Larry Bulla spoke in support of Randolph Vocational Workshop's request of $15,000. He
said that they currently are working with 35 clients. According to Mr. Bulla, the agency receives
$5,000 from Vocational Rehabilitation for every client that is placed in a job. However, due to
the poor economy, his agency has placed only one client so far this year, and consequently, is
looking at an $80,000 shortfall to their budget. He urged the Commissioners to approve their
funding request.
Central Boys & Girls Club (CB&GC)
Elbert Lassiter, CB&GC Board Chair, and Director Thomas Falgout, spoke in support of the
CB&GC's funding request of $25,000 and provided information on the number of youth served
(currently 180), the types of services and programs offered and statistics on the effectiveness and
successes of the programs. He noted that 85% of members passed the EOG on their first try. He
urged the Board to fund their request of $30,000.
Partnership for Children (PFC)
PFC Director Pauline McKee spoke in support of her agency's request for $29,000 in County
funding for the "Parents as Teachers (PAT)" program in Franklinville and Ramseur. The PAT
program is a voluntary family education and support program for parents of young children and
is based on the beliefs that parents are their children's first and most influential teachers and that
the early years lay the foundation for children's success in school and in life. PAT provides the
information, support and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally
during the crucial early years of life. The PAT model focuses on families with children from
before birth to kindergarten entry, and includes these four components: personal/home visits by
certified parent educators; parent group meetings about early childhood development and
parenting; developmental and health screenings for young children; linkages and referrals to
community networks and resources. Rev. Jason Golden, Youth Minister at Parks Crossroads
Church in Ramseur, also spoke in support of this request, citing examples of the benefits of the
program. Ms. McKee said that this is a one-time request; PFC will develop other sources for
funding next year.
Regional Consolidated Services
Becky Muraszewski spoke on behalf of and in support of Regional Consolidated Services'
request of $2,000 for its Home Improvement Program (HIP). She said that services are provided
to Randolph County residents who are age 60 or over, have a functional disability and may be
socially or economically disadvantaged. This program is designed to improve the efficiency and
safety of an older adult's residence while maintaining their independence in the home. Types of
services routinely provided include: minor plumbing/electrical repairs, installation of locks and
other security features, and home modifications (wheelchair ramps, hand rails, grab bars). The
HIP may also provide basic household furnishings and home appliance repair or replacement.
Ash -Rand Rescue Squad (ARRS)
Larry Pugh, Ash -Rand Rescue Squad Director, spoke in support of his funding request of
$18,000 rather than only the $16,000 that is included in the Proposed Budget. He also asked the
Board to consider ARRS's capital request of $50,000, which is not included in the Proposed
Budget, for the replacement of all vehicle mobile and portable two-way radios that are on the
ambulances and rescue trucks. ARRS wants to provide all operations officers with new portable
radios to allow them the ability to communicate with the Randolph County 911 Center and all
other emergency service agencies in the county that are going to the NC Viper Radio
Communications system. He said their current radios meet the FCC mandate of narrow
frequency banding, but do not meet the specifications to operate on the VIPER system.
Randolph Hospital
Bob Morrison, Randolph Hospital President, gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding his
request of $298,777 to help offset the cost of treating mental health patients in the Emergency
Department (ED) of the hospital. Mr. Morrison said that Sandhills Center (the local management
entity designated by the state to care for mental health patients in Randolph and seven other
nearby counties) does not provide qualified psychiatric care for citizens with mental health issues
after hours and on the weekends; therefore, these patients come to the ED of the hospital for
care. There is no access to psychiatrists for patients in the ED. The psychiatrists who have been
treating the patients cease providing any service "after hours," and the patients are directed to
Randolph ED. Once the patient has arrived at the hospital ED, they essentially lose access to the
mental health system unless and/or until they are admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital,
which can be a contributing factor to unnecessary admissions. Also, when long waits for transfer
are required, there is no psychiatrist available who could begin adjusting medication during the
wait, thereby possibly shortening the hospital stay or allowing the patient to be discharged to
home from the ED. A patient many times is held against his will for days awaiting involuntary
commitment. These extended waits in the hospital ED holding area oftentimes agitate patients
and compounds their problems. Mr. Morrison said that 20-25% of Randolph Hospital ED's
capacity is used for mental health holding, thereby causing excessive waits for other patients and
increased risk for those patients. The hospital has incurred the cost of creating and staffing a
mental health holding area (nurses, security guards, attendants, medications, and support
services) at an approximate cost of $1,000,000 annually for a service that is little more than a
waiting room for those in need of transfer.
Mr. Morrison said that Sandhills has now committed to providing limited psychiatric
consultation, but several problems remain: 1) program has yet to be implemented; 2) Sandhills
reserves the right to cancel at any time; 3) service applies only to patients in the ED and not to
hospital inpatients; 4) service will be provided only five days/week, Monday -Friday; 5) Sandhills
will stop funding payments to the Randolph Hospital ED physicians for the critical services they
provide.
Mr. Morrison requested the following:
1) That Sandhills LME commits to the Randolph County Board of Commissioners that
Sandhills will provide psychiatrist services seven days a week to all mental health
patients who need it throughout Randolph Hospital and reinstate appropriate
compensation to the ED physicians with the funding that the County provides them.
2) If the above cannot be arranged, Randolph Hospital requests that $298,777 from the
County's appropriation to Sandhills be reappropriated to Randolph Hospital for "after
hours" mental health services, which will: 1) provide consultation, evaluation and
medication management services; 2) decrease delays in treatment; 3) decrease
unnecessary inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations and reduce costs to taxpayers; and 4)
improve patient outcomes.
Mr. Morrison answered questions from the Commissioners. When asked by the County
Manager about a rumored future lawsuit brought by Randolph Hospital against the County, Mr.
Morrison said that the Hospital was not considering a suit against the County; however, they may
have no choice but to bring a suit against Sandhills and/or the State if the situation is not
rectified.
Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART)
County Commissioner Vice -Chair Darrell Frye gave an update on the financial challenges
that PART is experiencing. With Federal and State grant funding decreasing, along with the
decrease of revenue from the 5% tax on gross receipts of rental cars due to the poor economy, it
has become necessary to make the following changes: 1) reduce some routes with low ridership;
and 2) increase fares. A third proposed option of imposing a $3 annual license fee in each county
was abandoned due to lack of support from Counties. He said that fees were raised as much as
legally permitted. He said that the projected shortfall for Randolph County is estimated at
$149,000. Commissioner Frye said that if no other funding source is identified, all PART
services will be eliminated for Randolph County by the end of August.
Budget Public Hearing
At 7:32 p.m., Chairman Holmes declared that the duly advertised public hearing on the
budget was open for public comment.
Paul A. Rossiter, Jr., 6935 Old NC Highway 13, Asheboro, spoke regarding the problem
with the mental health patients being seen "after hours" at the Randolph Hospital ED. He said
that these people are human beings and should be treated with respect, despite their sometimes
inappropriate behavior. He asked the Commissioners to seriously consider the Hospital's
dilemma and help them remedy this situation, as proposed by Mr. Morrison.
Recil Williamson, Westside Fire Department Chief, spoke in support of Westside Fire
Department's request for a fire tax increase, saying that this is the first time that their budget has
been in the red. He discussed the need for new equipment and the continued decrease in
volunteer firefighters. He also mentioned the expense for the new VIPER radios. Chief
Williamson said that he is hopeful that all property in the district will receive an insurance rating
of "5" upon the next Dept. of Insurance inspection.
Jane D. Bridges, 848 Mountain Valley Place, Asheboro, spoke in support of PART services
in Randolph County, saying that she was the first official rider on Route 10 on June 10, 2008.
She said this is a much-needed service, especially with gas prices increasing and the large
number of citizens who commute to work in Greensboro. She also said that it's the "green thing
to do." She said she will continue to try to educate the public on the benefits of public
transportation. She also said she would like to see some tax dollars spent for this purpose.
Chairman of the Board of Directors Tim Zander, Chief Andy Lyndon and Department
Treasurer Daren Fuller, spoke in support of Fairgrove Fire Department's request for a fire tax
increase from 6.5¢ to 8¢, and added that they needed the increase two years ago, but due to the
economy, they made do. Mr. Zander said that they have made cuts in every area possible. Now,
it has become critical in asking for the rate increase. He said that Davidson County is also
considering the Department's request for a 1'/z¢ increase there.
Jody Osborne, 5470 Taylors Run Dr., Clemmons, NC, spoke in support of Mr. Morrison's
request for Randolph Hospital. He said that it was important for the Commissioners to
understand the dilemma that emergency room doctors face when mental health patients in crisis
come into the emergency room. The ED physicians are not psychiatrists and cannot diagnose or
effectively treat or prescribe medications for these patients. He said that these citizens need and
deserve a psychiatrist.
Kyle Dixon, Franklinville Fire Department Chief, spoke in support of Franklinville Fire
Department's request for a fire tax increase, saying that all property owners in this 64 sq. mile
district deserve adequate fire protection. However, according to Chief Dixon, there are 190
parcels on the outskirts of the district that have a Class 10 insurance rating. The district needs a
third station, but once a station is added, the State requires that the department add eight
firefighters to its roster. According to Chief Dixon, the cost to outfit a firefighter is $3,200. He
also added that additional funding is needed for the VIPER radios.
Tracy Boyles, 4104 Salem Church Rd., Farmer, and President of the Farmer Elementary
School PTO, spoke on behalf of the county schools' budget. He said that the community doesn't
have any say in the school budget anymore. He believes there are cuts that could be made. He
asked the Board to look closely at the schools' budget and to ask plenty of questions. He added
that people here are concerned with education in this county.
At 8:16 p.m., hearing no further comments on the proposed budget, Chairman Holmes closed
the public hearing.
Adjournment
At 8:16 p.m., there being no further business, the meeting adjourned.
J. Harold Holmes, Chairman Darrell L. Frye
Phil Kemp
Arnold Lanier
Stan Haywood
Cheryl A. Ivey, Clerk to the Board