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250605 Department Budget Requests June 5, 2025 – Department Budget Presentations The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in special session at 3:00 p.m. in the 1909 Randolph County Historic Courthouse Meeting Room, 145 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC. Chairman Darrell Frye, Vice-chairman Kenny Kidd, Commissioner David Allen, Commissioner Hope Haywood, and Commissioner Lester Rivenbark were present. Also present were County Manager Zeb Holden, Assistant County Manager/Finance Officer Will Massie, Assistant County Manager William Johnson, County Attorney Ben Morgan, and Clerk to the Board Dana Crisco. Tax Debra Hill, Tax Assessor, thanked the Board for her budget. She stated that postage was their most expensive item in the budget. Social Services Tracie Murphy, Social Services Director, said she appreciated the Board’s leadership and guidance. The department is happy with their budget. Register of Deeds Krista Lowe, Register of Deeds, thanked the Board for the Register of Deeds Budget. Public Works Paxton Arthurs, County Engineer, is happy with the proposed budget for Public Works. Public Buildings (Maintenance) Robert Cross, Public Buildings Director, thanked the Commissioners for their continued support. He is happy with his budget. Building Inspections David Bryant, Building Inspections Director, is happy with the proposed budget. He did request an additional position and some software. Public Health Tara Aker, Public Health Director, is appreciative for the support from the Board and is happy with the budget. Public Library Ross Holt, Public Library Director, is happy with the Library budget. Adult Day Reporting Center (ADRC) Julie Alston, ADRC Director, is pleased with the budget for ADRC. Cooperative Extension Service Lauren Langley, Cooperative Extension Director, is happy with the budget to help transition to the Ag Center. Elections 6/5/25 Melissa Kirstner, Elections Director, introduced Margaret Megerian, Chairman of the Randolph County Board of Elections, and Mary Joan Pugh, Vice-chairman of the Randolph County Board of Elections. Ms. Kirstner did ask for some new equipment and software due to new State Election requirements and an Assistant Elections Director to help run the new software. She was thankful these requests had been included in the proposed budget. Ms. Megerian spoke in regards to the Elections budget. She said that Melissa has more responsibilities each year. Ms. Megerian is a proponent of the new position requested, Assistant Elections Director. Commissioner Haywood commented on the problems encountered at the end of the last election. Ms. Kirstner said the new equipment will solve most of those problems. It will process much faster and more efficiently. The person in the requested position could help with the vote processing to have the election results completed that night. Vice-chairman Kidd asked if the new software would be approved by the IT Department. She responded that it would. They work closely with the IT Department on a regular basis. Commissioner Allen asked what the timeline is for the new equipment. Ms. Kirstner hoped to be able to use it for the upcoming municipal elections. Vice-chairman Kidd asked if our County would have the best equipment available. Ms. Kirstner said it would. Emergency Services Deputy Chief Jared Byrd said they appreciate the support of the Board. He showed a PowerPoint presentation regarding their 911 staffing difficulties. They are having trouble filling those positions. Employees are working extra shifts and some non 911 employees are having to answer calls to fill a shift. Even since the presentation was made last week, they have had another person leave. Because of the shortage of employees, the average 911 employees are working 500 hours per year more than the typical 40 hour per week employee. They are now considering traveling telecommunicators to fill shifts. The cost is much higher than hiring regular employees. He recommended a few possible solutions. He is concerned that there may not be enough employees to answer all calls. Chairman Frye asked about time to train a 911 telecommunicator. Deputy Chief Byrd said it was a minimum of 6-9 months. Commissioner Allen asked about a comparison of overtime costs versus raising salaries. Chief Deputy Byrd stated that the overtime cost was higher. Some employees are not wanting so much overtime now. There are some employees working as much as 3000 hours per year to fill in the gaps. Chairman Frye asked what caused people to leave. Was it burnout or choosing a different career? Chief Deputy Byrd said it was a number of things. The employees they have been hiring 6/5/25 have no 911 experience. He said a dedicated training person may help with retention. They could devote more time to the trainees before they get on the job training. Commissioner Rivenbark asked about the length of shifts. Deputy Chief Byrd stated the telecommunicators work 12-hour shifts. They have tried varying shift times with part-time people to help cover the phones. Planning and Zoning Kim Heinzer, Interim Planning and Zoning Director, stated that she is happy with the budget. They asked for a new position for everyday tasks in the office. Soil and Water Conservation Jessica Davis, Environmental Educator and Support Coordinator, is happy with the proposed budget. She and her coworkers are excited to move to the Ag Center. Juvenile Day Reporting Center (JDRC) Pam Resch, JDRC Director, is happy with the JDRC budget. She appreciates the support of the Board. Information Technology (IT) RJ Williamson, IT Director, said he is proud of the work that IT has done. He is happy with the proposed budget. He explained that ESRI, the company that supplies the GIS system, has increased their costs. It is across other counties as well. He did ask for another position to help at the Ag Center beginning in January 2026. Commissioner Allen thanked Mr. Williamson for his assistance in building the IT infrastructure at the Ag Center. Animal Services Jonathan Moody, Animal Services Director, asked for a 25% increase in the vaccine budget to keep the animal population safe before the animals come into the shelter. He requested a transportation van to transport animals to shelters in other states. A Community Outreach Coordinator position had been requested. The person in that position would help decrease the number of animals in the shelter. Commissioner Haywood asked about the outcome of the animal hoarding court case. Mr. Moody stated that the case had ended recently. The offender was found guilty and will be serving some time in jail. All animals are now property of Animal Services. There were still animals on the offender’s property that had to be picked up. There were many goats, a couple of cats, guineas, ducks, and a dog. The animals that were being held at the shelter are now available for adoption. Child Support Services Quintana Chambers, Child Support Services Director, introduced herself and thanked the Board for the proposed budget. Agricultural Center 6/5/25 Taylor Wright, Agricultural Center Director, introduced herself and said she is happy with proposed budget. Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Steven Nunn is having employee problems similar to EMS. They are nearing a crisis. The Sheriff’s Office loses patrol officers regularly to municipalities. He showed comparisons of municipalities with salaries, benefits, and incentives that each offered. Randolph County is not comparable. The need for salary increases for patrol officers and jailers is great. The Sheriff asked for a total of a 15% salary increase for all employees of the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioner Rivenbark asked if Randolph County’s starting pay was comparable to other counties. Chief Deputy Nunn did not have that information. He said that Detention Officers are being lost to other counties. Veterans Services Elizabeth Wood, Veterans Services Director, gave a PowerPoint presentation. She asked for a receptionist and a handicap accessible van to meet the needs of the Veterans in Randolph County. The number of walk-in Veterans have increased. Only 1% of the Veterans being served are from other counties. The receptionist is necessary to answer the phone, make appointments, and allow the Veterans Service Officers the time to work with the individual Veterans to get them the best compensation and benefits possible. She is very appreciative for the handicap accessible van. Chairman Frye commented about the need for space. Ms. Wood said a receptionist would be in the space at the front of the office. Veterans Services will be needing additional space in the future. Commissioner Haywood asked about the amount of benefits that were secured. Ms. Wood stated that $60 million was awarded to Veterans they served this year. Commissioner Rivenbark asked if there were many Veterans with substance abuse. Ms. Wood said unfortunately, yes. Veterans Treatment Court will help with that issue. Human Resources Susan Wagner, Assistant Human Resources Director, stated that Ms. Jill Williams was unable to attend the meeting. Ms. Wagner gave a PowerPoint presentation listing retention and recruitment strategies, leadership training opportunities, employee marketability in the private sector, and a 401 K comparison with surrounding counties. Administration Will Massie, Assistant County Manager/Finance Officer, gave an overview of budgeted expenses. Closing Chairman Frye said the County has used all resources to fund this proposed budget. The only source of income that the Board can control is the property tax rate. It will be a few more years until Toyota and Ross are creating additional revenue for the County. 6/5/25 Adjournment At 4:57 p.m., on motion of Kidd, seconded by Rivenbark, the Board voted 5-0 to adjourn. ________________________________ ________________________________ Darrell Frye, Chairman Kenny Kidd ________________________________ _________________________________ David Allen Hope Haywood ________________________________ _________________________________ Lester Rivenbark Dana Crisco, Clerk to the Board 6/5/25