061702June 17, 2002
The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in special budget session at 2:00 p.m. in
the Commissioners Meeting Room, County Office Building, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, NC.
Commissioners Kemp, Frye, Holmes, Davis and Mason were present.
Randolph County Schools
Dr. Bob McRae, Superintendent, thanked the Board for the increase County Schools received
in this year's budget and said he appreciates what is in the proposed budget for next year. Their
current expense budget request is $12,752,938 (12.4% increase). Of this increase, 9.4% is for
continuation items, and 3% is for expansion items. He asked for funding for the new Uwharrie Middle
School, which will cost an additional $350,000 to operate for a full year. Their capital expense budget
request is $2,397,100 (14.8% increase). They need 8 new buses, a water line to Eastern Randolph
High School from Highway 64, renovations to the Randleman Middle School Media Center, and
startup costs for the Uwharrie Middle School. The proposed budget decreases per -pupil expenditures
from $644 to $637. State cuts might mean losing 2.5 assistant principals.
Asheboro City Schools
Dr. Diane Frost, Superintendent, shared with the Board six of the system's goals: high student
achievement; safe, orderly, and caring schools; quality teachers, administrators, and staff, technology;
strong family, community, and business support; and effective and efficient operations. She said end -
of -grade testing showed better results this year, and 48 or 51 new teachers are returning next year.
Expansion items under current expense all deal with teaching positions, technical support, and
maintenance and custodial positions. Their proposed budget has three critical needs under capital
expense: a new bus, waterproofing and replacement windows at Asheboro High School, and a new
heating system in the North Asheboro Middle School auditorium. Dr. Frost said the supplemental
school tax is used about equally for teacher supplemental pay and for locally paid teaching positions.
They are not asking for an increase in this tax.
Randolph Community College
Dr. Richard Heckman, President, said that in preparing his budget he kept in mind three things:
the needs of the citizens, protection of investments and resources, and a less optimistic budget picture.
Operations funds requested total $1,777,000 (1.94% increase) and capital fund needs total $2,800,000.
RCC is currently constructing a classroom building at their Emergency Services Training Center and is
having a sound engineering study done for the firing range there.
Set Public Hearing on Third One-half Cent Sales Tax
Aimee Scotton, Staff Attorney, stated that the General Assembly increased the state sales tax
by '/2 ¢ to help balance the state budget, but this tax will sunset on June 30, 2003. The state also
withheld reimbursements to local governments for inventory taxes, the intangible tax, the elderly
homestead exemption and the sales tax on food stamp transactions. In order to replace these lost
revenues, the state has authorized counties to enact an additional '/2 ¢ local option sales tax. Counties
may enact the new sales tax at any time by resolution, but it cannot become effective until July 1,
2003. However, the General Assembly may opt to move that effective date up by as much as a year.
In order to be able to take advantage of this source of revenue as soon as it becomes available,
Randolph County should go ahead and adopt this local option sales tax. The tax must be adopted by
resolution. First, the Board must hold a public hearing on the issue.
On motion of Holmes, seconded by Davis, the Board set a public hearing on this 1/z ¢ local
option sales tax at 5:30 p.m. on July 8, 2002 and instructed the County Manager to advertise the
public hearing.
Mental Health
Mazie Fleetwood, Mental Health Director, said they prepared their budget with a 5% reduction,
for a total of $11,731,108. They have eliminated 1'/z positions, reduced their detox contract, frozen
vacant positions, and reduced travel and training. The Governor's budget had cuts to area programs, as
does the Senate's budget. The Medicaid rate has been reduced 25%, or $100,000, and the CAP -DA
program has been decreased by $170,000. Randolph County Mental Health served a total of 6,278
clients last year.
Day Reporting Center Report
Jane Leonard, Deputy Finance Officer, reported that the Criminal Justice Partnership Program
is in jeopardy of not receiving funding from the State in the 2002-2003 fiscal year. Since its beginning
in 1994, the State has provided funding of $131,509 each year. This current year our funding was
reduced by 9% to $119,423. If the County does receive funding next fiscal year, it will most likely be
at a 25% reduction or approximately $89,567. It will probably be August or September before we
know how much money, if any, the County will receive. We have two employees who will be affected
by this delay. Ms. Leonard proposed an option to terminating these two employees and discontinuing
the program effective June 30th: continue the pretrial release portion of the program for all of next
year, at a cost of $45,052 to the County; continue the sentenced offenders portion of the program for
three months or until we hear that the State will not fund the program, at a cost of $11,667 to the
County. If the County gets at least $89,567 from the State, then we can proceed with both the pretrial
release and sentenced offenders programs with no cost to the County.
Pam Hill, Day Reporting Center Director, told the Board that the pretrial release program helps
to keep the jail population down and, therefore, saves the County a lot of money. There are currently
27 people in the pretrial release program and 55 in the sentenced offenders program. These individuals
have the opportunity to take GED classes and employability classes, receive help in getting a job, and
receive substance abuse counseling. They are subject to weekly drug tests. Ms. Hill said their success
rate is increasing. Last year 45% successfully completed the program, up from 36% the year before.
On motion of Frye, seconded by Davis, the Board unanimously agreed to fund the pretrial
release portion of the program for a full year at a possible cost of $45,052 and to fund the sentenced
offenders portion of the program for no more than three months at a cost not to exceed $11,667, or
until we find out the State is not funding the sentenced offenders portion of the program at all.
Piedmont Triad Film Commission
Deborah Clark, Director, told the Board that the Piedmont Triad Film Commission would be
forced to close in July due to a lack of funding. She is asking the Board of County Commissioners in
each of the twelve counties in the Piedmont Triad Region to commit to a $5,000 allocation, which
would allow the Film Commission to continue to operate. She said her office promotes the twelve -
county region to filmmakers for feature films, TV movies, commercials, corporate videos, and still
photography shoots, which brings in a lot of money to the local economy. North Carolina is third in
film production, behind only California and New York.
Budget Discussion
The Board discussed the Recreation Master Plan that was cut from the current budget because
of County funds withheld by Governor Easley. They agreed that this is an important project that they
would like to see go forward. Hopefully, the Tourism Development Authority would agree to fund at
least half of the $50,000 needed.
They discussed the lack of cost -of -living or merit increases for County employees. They did
not suggest that funding should be put back into the budget for employee increases, stating that other
local governments are not including raises this year, either.
Kim Newsom, Personnel Director, told the Board that Guilford County has included
$2,000,000 for merit raises in their proposed budget.
The Board discussed the additional $350,000 Dr. McRae requested for Randolph County
Schools for the cost of operating the new Uwharrie Middle School. They noted that they would have
to give Asheboro City Schools a proportionate amount, based on ADM, since the $350,000 is a current
expense item.
Frank Willis, County Manager, pointed out that the County had to absorb over $600,000 for the
cost of operating the new Courthouse for a full year and for increases in insurance rates by cutting out
other things in the budget. Dr. McRae was asking for an additional $350,000 so he wouldn't have to
make cuts in his budget.
It was the consensus of the Board to wait until the State adopts its budget before deciding what
to do about the various requests.
On motion of Frye, seconded by Holmes, the Board unanimously voted to release $20, 000 from
the "Easley Accounts" in the current budget for the Recreation Master Plan.
Chairman Kemp recessed the meeting at 5:30 p.m.and reconvened at 7:00 p.m.
Public Hearing on the 2002-03 Proposed Budget
The Board adjourned to a duly advertised public hearing at 7:00 p.m. to hear public comments
on the proposed budget.
Phillip Shore, Randolph Arts Guild, thanked the Board for their hard work and told them he is
thrilled that the Arts Guild has been included in the proposed budget.
No one else spoke. Chairman Kemp closed the public hearing.
Hours of Operation at the Landfill and Convenience Sites
David Townsend, III, Public Works Director, came before the Board, as they had earlier
directed, to present options for hours of operation at the landfill and at the County's two convenience
sites. When he presented his budget on June 4, he proposed to open the landfill at 8:00 a.m. and close
at 3:30 p.m. Monday—Friday. The Board did not feel the landfill should close that early.
Lyndon Craven, scale house operator at the landfill, told the Board that opening at 8 a.m.
instead of 7 a.m. should not cause a problem because he usually receives no more than four loads
between 7:00 and 8:00.
After much discussion, the Board directed that the hours at the landfill be 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m. — Noon on Saturday and that hours of operation at the Coleridge
and Farmer convenience sites be 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday, and Friday and 8:00 a.m. —
3:00 on Saturday. They asked Mr. Townsend to provide new budget figures reflecting these changes
before the June 24 meeting.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Phil Kemp, Chairman
J. Harold Holmes
Robert O. Mason
Darrell L. Frye
Robert B. Davis
Alice D. Dawson, Clerk to the Board