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061421June 14, 2021 Budget Meeting and Public Hearing The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in a special budget session at 6:00 p.m. in the 1909 Randolph County Historic Courthouse Meeting Room, 145 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC. Chairman Darrell Frye, Vice -Chairman David Allen, Commissioner Kenny Kidd, Commissioner Maxton McDowell, and Commissioner Hope Haywood were present. Also present were County Manager Hal Johnson, Assistant County Manager/Finance Officer Will Massie, County Attorney Ben Morgan, Deputy Clerk Sarah Pack, and Clerk to the Board Dana Crisco. The meeting was livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Randolph Arts Guild David Gaskin, President, said the Guild has been serving the community for over fifty years. The accomplishments of the Guild are due to support from the Board and others. They are looking to bring on a paid administrative support employee, which the funding will help to provide for. This employee will have some duties of an executive director. The Guild is the only agency in the county that promotes all expressions of art. Mr. Gaskin discussed several funding sources and their impact on the Randolph Arts Guild. He spoke of the changing presence of the Guild's programs in the community, including the virtual shift that has had many impacts. Many changes have been made in the past year. Mr. Gaskin thanked the Board for their support Communities in Schools Meredith Gaughran, representative of the Board of Directors, thanked the Commissioners for their support. She gave statistics regarding the reach of this program into the community. Many programs went digital during the pandemic. There has been large increases in the number of students served during the pandemic. Commissioner Haywood asked if mentoring is mostly done in schools. Ms. Gaughran said yes; work is done one on one with students. Chairman Frye asked if mentoring was completed virtually last year. Ms. Gaughran said that she would check on that. Chairman Frye asked if processes changed during the pandemic. Ms. Gaughran said many processes went virtual. Randolph Senior Adults Association (RSAA) Mark Hensley, Executive Director, reminded the Board of the RSAA mission statement. This year's request is the same amount as last year ($302,585). CARES Act funding was vital to the success of the RSAA during the pandemic. Mr. Hensley discussed funding options that are available for RSAA through September of 2021 and the changes to programs that were made during the pandemic. Mr. Hensley thanked the Board for their continued support. Commissioner Haywood asked if transportation services are available to seniors that live on a campus in independent housing. Mr. Hensley answered yes. Randolph County Area Transportation System (RCATS) transportation is open to any Randolph County resident 18 or over. Adults 65 or older do not pay to use this service within the county. 6/14/21 Chairman Frye said many funding options have "pass through" funds. Mr. Hensley explained several funding sources. OE Enterprises Margaret Samuels, Executive Director, thanked the Board for funding in the 20-21 fiscal year. The facility remained open and productive during the pandemic. Ms. Samuels introduced several employees and clients of OE Enterprises. Casey Callicutt has worked with clients of Randolph Vocational, now OE Enterprises, for fourteen years. She has held a variety of positions. Angela, a client of OE Enterprises, is thankful to be able to work in the county. She loves her work at OE and explained some of her job duties. She enjoys helping others and working with friends. She plans to continue working at OE labeling boxes. Emily, a client of OE Enterprises, explained some of the work she completes at OE. Her favorite job is making boxes and greenhouse work. She enjoys building friendships and helping others. Ms. Samuels thanked the Board once more for their continued support. Chairman Frye asked how employees get to and from work. Ms. Samuels said they use RCATS, family members, caregivers, etc. Ms. Callicutt said seven or eight clients utilize RCATS to get to and from work. Commissioner Haywood asked if there was any collaboration with Cooperative Extension and the Master Gardener program. Ms. Callicutt is a Master Gardener and said that there has been discussion regarding a collaboration. There is a plant sale in the spring and autumn that is open to the public. Commissioner Haywood thanked the attending clients for speaking to the Board. Chairman Frye asked if there are other areas that OE serves. Ms. Samuels said yes, OE started in Orange County and works in Alamance County as well. Chairman Frye said it's great to hear OE clients talk about how happy they are to work. Habitat for Humanity Wanda Pegg, Executive Director, thanked the Board and her Board of Directors for their support. Last year was a difficult year that affected Habitat greatly. She described the eligibility that families must meet in order to qualify for a Habitat -built home. Applications for improved housing are received every day. $40,000 is being requested, which is less than half of what it would cost to build a home. Chairman Frye said this is a first-time request. He asked if there was a specific use for the funds. Ms. Pegg said the money will go towards construction materials. Chairman Frye asked if fundraising was diminished last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Ms. Pegg said yes. 6/14/21 Commissioner Haywood asked if the participants of the Celebrity Breakfast, an annual Habitat fundraiser, were restricted. Ms. Pegg said yes. Commissioner Kidd said the golf event was a premiere event. Boys and Girls Club Floyd Johnson, President and CEO, said there is one Boys and Girls Club location in Asheboro. He explained the services provided to youth in the community. Membership is up by forty youth from last year. Chairman Frye asked who is on-site in Asheboro. Mr. F. Johnson said Caleb Hughes is the Central Asheboro Club Director. Vice -Chairman Allen asked about expansion in the Ramseur area. Mr. F. Johnson said they had received approval to use the Town Hall and that program will be ramped up in conjunction with the school year. Discussion are underway with Randleman as well. Chairman Frye asked what age range is served. Mr. F. Johnson said the largest group is second grade to fifth grade. Chairman Frye asked how the program will be expanded to other age groups. Mr. F. Johnson said classes will be available to target teens such as computer coding, video games, and job hunting. Hours may be adjusted as well to accommodate more age ranges. Commissioner Haywood asked how a van they recently acquired is used in Asheboro. Mr. F. Johnson said the new bus will help support the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council program. The current bus runs to the middle schools to pick up children. Shelter of Hope Paulette Handy, Administrator, thanked the Board. They have asked for a small increase this year. They made it through the pandemic with no COVID-19 cases in the Shelter. All staff are volunteers. All money that comes in goes straight to helping the men in the Shelter. Chairman Frye asked how many men are served. Ms. Handy said there is space for 32 but there are 26 men there currently. Commissioner McDowell asked what the Shelter does for the men. Ms. Handy said the Shelter will assist with obtaining IDs and job placement. The men pay rent to the Shelter in order to learn about routine payments for housing. Commissioner McDowell said that it sounds like the intent of the Shelter is to get the men off the street and get them sober and housed. Ms. Handy said the intent is to rehabilitate. The Shelter has partnered with Daymark, so all Shelter residents are evaluated by Daymark. Commissioner McDowell asked if there are restrictions on drug and alcohol use. Ms. Handy said there are routine drug tests and the men are breathalyzed every night. They will not be removed from the Shelter for use, but they will make a choice if they continue to use. Residents are offered rehabilitation services for substance abuse, but they cannot continue to stay at the Shelter if the continue choose to abuse substances or alcohol. Commissioner McDowell told an anecdote about a recent experience he had with a gentleman who was asking for money 6/14/21 next to the road. In this case, the gentleman did not want help from the Shelter. Ms. Handy gave several examples of prior clients who continued to break the rules and were not readmitted to the Shelter. The Shelter is there to help those who want help. Chairman Frye asked if there are companies that will hire men from the Shelter. Ms. Handy said many of the temp agencies in town will work with these men if they can pass a drug test and background check. Family Crisis Center Dare Spicer, Executive Director, said she appreciated last year's funding increase. Support from the County encourages support from other agencies. 713 therapy sessions were completed with clients of the Children's Advocacy Center during the pandemic, virtually and in person. This is not an agency that can shut down, regardless of environmental or economic impacts. A recent billboard marketing campaign has been very successful. 900 people have been served face to face in the Shelter. There were four trafficking victims served this year. Ms. Spicer gave other statistics regarding services provided in the current fiscal year. She explained the upcoming changes and programs coming in the new fiscal year. Chairman Frye asked if housing is provided in Archdale. Ms. Spicer said no. Chairman Frye asked what the biggest funding loss is. Ms. Spicer said many grants that provided salaries were lost. People are willing to donate assets, but not money to pay the employees who are giving services to the community. Commissioner Kidd said there is a huge need at CAC and more salaries are needed, and asked Ms. Spicer to explain that. Ms. Spicer detailed which salary pools are impacted by lack of funding. Chairman Frye asked if immigration was affecting numbers. Ms. Spicer said no. Ulah Fire Department Taylor Callicutt, Secretary for the Board of Directors, said the current Ulah Fire Tax rate is nine cents. The Board of Directors for the Ulah Fire Department is asking for an increase to twelve cents. The Department did not shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ulah typically runs 1000 calls per year. Their radio communications system needs to be upgraded, equipment needs to be upgraded, and other needs. He asked the Board to consider the tax increase. Chairman Frye said the increase request was not included in the original budget information and asked if the community was aware of the increase. Mr. Callicutt said that minutes have been published from their Board meetings and they have spoken with members of the community. Commissioner McDowell asked how much a new bre engine would cost and how would it be paid for. Mr. Callicutt said that financing can be obtained from the Randolph County Electric Membership Corporation for a reduced rate. The engine costs $594,000. Vice -Chairman Allen asked how much revenue will be earned from a three -cent change. Mr. Callicutt said at a tax rate of twelve cents, there will be a roughly $190,000 increase. 6/14/21 Commissioner McDowell asked how the citizens feel about a tax rate. Mr. Callicutt said the citizens do not like it. It's a tough decision. Basic requirements need to be met in order to take care of taxpayers. Commissioner McDowell asked if costs increased due to the pandemic. Mr. Callicutt said there were several more medical calls and the costs of personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased. Vice -Chairman Allen asked if there are any other changes in the budget request. Mr. Callicutt said the only changes will be equipment replacement. Vice -Chairman Allen clarified that the capital outlay hadn't changed and Mr. Callicutt confirmed. Guil-Rand Fire Department Chief Luke Richardson said requested a change from a 14.3 cent tax rate to a fifteen -cent rate. Chief Richardson gave a brief history of the fund rates for Guil-Rand. An additional $242,000 would be generated by this rate change. This is a minimal change compared to the benefits it would provide. Chief Richardson compared the number of paid staff versus volunteer staff and the changes in entry level pay since 2005. He described funding sources supplying the Department and the budgeted expenditures. He explained future needs of the department. Chairman Frye asked how sales taxes are distributed to departments. Chief Richardson said it is based on fire tax districts. East Side Fire Department Chief Eric Hoffman said needs are the same across the county. Most departments are facing the same issues. He is requesting a change from 13.5 cents to a fifteen -cent valuation. They have equipment needs. There are not as many volunteers as there used to be. He explained the funding needed to purchase and maintain firetrucks. They ran more calls last year than they ever have and nearly half were medical calls. Commissioner McDowell asked where coronavirus PPE funding came from. Chief Hoffman said it came from their budget. There was no additional funding from other sources for PPE. Chairman Frye asked how health relates to workers compensation and insurance rates. Chief Hoffman said rates vary by the type of staff. Bennett Fire Department Assistant Chief Todd White said there have been many changes; they are asking for a two -cent increase. A two -cent change will produce about $11,000. They need to replace a thirty-year-old fire engine and the Viper radios. The Department has also improved its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating from 6 to 5. Commissioner Kidd asked if Chatham County supplements their fire districts. Asst. Chief White said no. Franklinville Fire Department 6/14/21 Chief Kyle Dixon said medical supplies were a huge expense during the pandemic. Capital outlay is the biggest portion of their budget. He gave a history of trucks purchased and the issues they are facing, and described issues with the fire stations that need to be addressed. Volunteers are in short supply; more staff are needed. Commissioner Haywood asked who completes physicals. Chief Dixon said it varies but it has not been included in the last few years due to budget constraints. A mobile model is ideal. Commissioner McDowell asked if the department paid for PPE for coronavirus prevention. Chief Dixon said yes. Commissioner McDowell asked if there were any other funding sources for PPE. Chief Dixon said no. Westside Fire Department Chief Recil Williamson said the department has several capital needs. Service quality will not be sacrificed. PPE has been a large cost. He explained options for fire response and changing needs of the department. Chief Williamson detailed equipment needs of the department. Commissioner Haywood confirmed that the department went from a class 6 to a class 4. Chairman Frye said last year Westside's request was not approved. This was a good opportunity to justify needs. Commissioner Haywood said she appreciates the people working at the Zoo clinics for COVID- 19 vaccinations, which included fire department employees. Climax Fire Department Chief Gary McGee gave statistics for his department regarding population and station information. He discussed fire department insurance ratings. Climax has dropped from a class 6 to a class 4, which is very positive. Climax has requested a two -cent tax increase from fifteen cents to seventeen cents. Chief McGee showed a chart displaying fifty years of changes in service demand. He described the impacts on the department from the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no additional funding for PPE. Chief McGee discussed capital projects that need to be addressed and the recruitment programs the department is developing. He asked for the support of the Board. Most of his needed funding will go towards staffing. Vice -Chairman Allen asked how seventeen cents will be provided for since the service district is maxed out at fifteen cents. Chief McGee said they are asking for fifteen cents in the service district and two cents in the rural fire district that had been used in the past. They are asking the same of the Board in Guilford County. Vice -Chairman Allen asked if the Guilford County Board was in favor of the request for an increase. Chief McGee said they've presented the increase to Guilford County. In speaking with some of their board members, he felt they were in support of it. Chairman Frye asked how much sales tax they received from Guilford. Chief McGee said $32,000. 6/14/21 Coleridge Fire Department Mark Hinesley, Board of Directors member, requested a tax increase. They've had a hard time getting volunteers and there were calls they could not respond to. Commissioner McDowell asked what the fire insurance rating is. Mr. Hinesley said it was a class 6. Chairman Frye asked if the tax increase could help to bring the insurance rating down. Mr. Hinesley said the additional funding would bring on two people (over $60,000). It should help the rating. Vice -Chairman Allen said there is a sizeable deficit this year. Commissioner McDowell asked Dr. Stephen Gainey, Randolph County Schools, what can be done to encourage students to pursue careers in fire service. Dr. Gainey said there is an internship program that students can take advantage of. There is a fire service option that they can revisit. Many students are looking for avenues to connect and there are opportunities to pursue regarding fire service internships and partnerships. An apprenticeship program would be a great avenue for students to pursue the next step. Commissioner McDowell said with schools all over the county, there is great opportunity for partnership. Randolph County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Kevin Franklin, President, thanked the Board for their support through the years. The funding request remains the same as last year. This was a busier year than ever despite the pandemic. Funding over the next twelve to eighteen months is critical as project activity continues to rise. At 9:13 p.m., Chairman Frye stated that pursuant to NCGS 158-7.1, the governing board must hold a public hearing on the proposed economic development allocation in the FY21-22 Proposed Budget. All individuals who wish to address the budget must be afforded an opportunity to speak. Chairman Frye opened the Public Hearing and closed it after no one wished to speak. Proposed Budget Public Hearing At 9:14 p.m., the Chairman stated that pursuant to NCGS 159-12 the governing board must hold a public hearing on the proposed budget. All individuals who wish to address the budget must be afforded an opportunity to speak. He opened the public hearing and invited citizens to speak concerning the Proposed Budget and closed it after no one wished to speak. Adjournment Chairman Frye said the budget this fiscal year is bare bones. This budget is not to be confused with COVID-19 related funding. He thanked attendees for their presentations and patience. At 9:17 p.m. on motion ofAllen, seconded by Haywood, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn. 6/14/21 Darrell Frye, Chairman David Allen Kenny Kidd Hope Haywood Maxton McDowell Dana Crisco, Clerk to the Board 6/14/21