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061995Commissioners Budget Meeting - June 19, 1995 The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in special session at 2:00 p.m. on June 19, 1995, in the Commissioners Meeting Room, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, NC. Commissioners Kemp, Frye, Comer, Holmes, and Davis were present. Randolph County Schools Worth Hatley, Superintendent of Randolph County Schools, discussed the County Schools' budget requests for current expense and current capital, noting that nothing was requested for capital construction because those funds will be used for debt service for the planned $26,000,000 COPS financing for Tabernacle, Coleridge, and Level Cross schools. He said there are currently 45 mobile units located at various schools in the system. Leslie Rainey, parent, spoke in support of improved funding for Randleman Elementary School, which has 11 mobile units. Worth Younts, principal at Tabernacle Elementary, described problems with the existing buildings there. Katy Todd, teacher and parent at Coleridge Elementary, discussed facility problems there. Ed Todd, principal at Eastern Randolph High School, listed facility problems there. Asheboro City Schools Bob Gordon, Superintendent of Asheboro City Schools, recommended their supplemental tax rate remain at 141/2¢ next year, which should give them an increase of $80,000. He said that because of the proposed small increase in their current expense budget, they may have to eliminate 8-10 positions. He said County departments are receiving a larger percent increase than the schools. He acknowledged that 85 positions are locally funded and that there are no mobile classrooms in the system. Commissioner Frye stated that a historical look at County departments would show that they have not increased as much as schools overall. He said he had received calls from Asheboro City Schools teachers saying their positions are going to be eliminated and that they were told it is the County Commissioners' fault. Mr. Frye reiterated that it is not the County's responsibility to tell the schools how to spend their funds. Dr. Gordon requested $3,205,000 in construction capital, noting that only $250,000 has been recommended. Linda Cranford, Chairman of the Asheboro City Schools Board of Education, presented a position paper from their board asking the Commissioners to fund their $3.2 million construction capital needs. Mrs. Cranford identified the projects as renovations to Loflin Elementary and expansion to Balfour Elementary and North Asheboro Middle School. Commissioner Frye noted that per pupil capital funding places Randolph County Schools 87th in the state and Asheboro City Schools 25th. He responded to the position paper's statement that 25% of the tax base is in Asheboro and the Asheboro City Schools should have 25% of the dollars. He said that based on that reasoning, Coleridge and Tabernacle would never get a new school. Randolph Community College Dr. Larry Linker, President of RCC, asked the Board to consider providing acreage at the landfill for the construction of an emergency services training center, contingent on the completion of a feasibility study and collaboration between RCC's architect and the County's Public Works Director. He said the land could be used as a match for state dollars. Mental Health Mazie Fleetwood, Area Mental Health Director, requested additional funds to cover a 2% cost -of -living raise to match that of County employees. Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau George Gusler, Executive Vice President of the Chamber, asked for $15,000 to help fund two videos to promote Randolph County as a place to work, live and play. Jim Patterson, Mike Clark, and Russ Williams, Chamber members, also spoke in support of this request. Randolph Sheltered Workshop Carl Zeigler, Sheltered Workshop Board member, requested $14,879 to help their agency deal with a budget deficit. This request has been lowered from the April request of $25,725. Family Crisis Center Sandy Gray, Family Crisis Center Board Chairman, stated that their request for increased funding is to fund a new intervention program for mothers and children and because the number of people they serve continues to grow. Their revised request is for $51,560, not $60,000. North Carolina Pottery Center Ann Ring, Pottery Center campaign chairman, said their goal is to raise $1,000,000 from business and industry, foundations, and local government; then they will ask the State to match this amount. She stated that potential donors and the State will consider financial support from the County in making their funding decisions. She described the proposed facility, which is a 3000 square -foot building to be located on land purchased in Seagrove. She stated that, in addition to the $25,000 they have requested for operating the building, they are also requesting help with septic system costs. Special Meeting Date The Board set a special meeting for 6:30 p.m., July 17, 1995, to hold a public hearing on and to consider rezoning requests that will come before the County Planning Board on July 11. Budget Discussion The Board discussed several issues related to the budget: Asheboro City Schools' construction funding request, RCC's request for land at the landfill, the relationship of Family Crisis Center with other agencies, and Sheltered Workshop's revised request. Mr. Willis reported on progress made at the Courthouse relative to the air quality problems. He also stated that the Chamber of Commerce's workforce recruitment and tourism funding request may be in conflict with Strategic Planning, who is addressing density, school population, out -of - county workforce, etc. vs. recruiting people to move here. Strategic Planning is also working on recommendations for a countywide organization for tourism. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The meeting recessed from 6:10 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Public Hearing - Home & Community Care Block Grant At 7:30 p.m. the meeting was reconvened. Chairman Kemp opened a public hearing on the Home & Community Care Block Grant Funding Plan. Candie Rudzinski introduced herself as the Executive Director for the Randolph County Senior Adults Association and Chairperson of the Randolph County Aging Services Planning Committee. Ms. Rudzinski presented the Home & Community Care Block Grant funding plan (totaling $360,741) recommended by the Aging Services Planning Committee. The money would go to the following agencies for the services specified: Randolph County Senior Adults Association ($241,348) to provide medical and general transportation, congregate and home -delivered meals, adult day care, information & referral/care assistance, and health promotion & disease prevention; Regional Consolidated Services ($77,580) to provide in-home aide services, levels I, II, and III; and Randolph County Department of Social Services ($41,813) to provide in-home aide services, level I. Programs experiencing an increase greater than 2.62% include the following: DSS in-home aide I salaries increased from $4.25 to $5.55 an hour to allow DSS to be more competitive. RCSAA congregate meals increased 20.6229%, which is due to the transferring of HCCBG funds out of general transportation and into congregate meals to meet minimum funding levels recommended by the State Division of Aging. RCSAA home -delivered meals increased 7.882%. Prior to FY 95-96, RCSAA was able to enter into a regional bid for home -delivered meals, which kept the costs down. Each county had to bid individually this year, resulting in a higher unit cost. Also contributing are increases in food costs and a 3% increase in packaging. Chairman Kemp invited comments on the Home & Community Care Block Grant funding recommendation. No one spoke. Chairman Kemp closed the public hearing. On motion of Frye, seconded by Holmes, the Board unanimously approved the funding recommendations for the Home & Community Care Block Grant. Public Hearing on 1995-96 Budget Jon Megerian, concerned parent, raised questions about County funding for the Randolph County Schools vs. the Asheboro City Schools, stating that the allocation is unfair to the Asheboro City Schools. Joe Trogdon, Mayor of Asheboro, stated that there should be more equity between the two school systems in funding. Emily Self asked that Dr. Gordon or an Asheboro City Schools Board member explain which of their projects will not be done because of the $26,000,000 funding to the County Schools. Dr. Bob Gordon, Asheboro City Schools Superintendent, said some projects would have to be put on hold and that mobile units would be needed at North Asheboro Middle School and Loflin Elementary School in two years if expansion projects are not done now. Dr. Gordon said they just want a commitment from Commissioners on a funding plan so that they can plan needed projects. Worth Hatley, Randolph County Schools Superintendent, said that the Asheboro City Schools supplemental tax provides 85 extra positions. He stated that he had been under the impression that the City Schools could take care of their capital needs through their ADM money and $250,000 from the County Commissioners. He explained that the County Schools' funding is simply a borrowing against their yearly allotment. He added that at this point there is no comparison between the needs of the two systems and that in the future both systems should plan together with the County so that the Commissioners will not have this problem again. Mildred Chriscoe, Finance Officer for Asheboro City Schools, spoke to clarify that the 85 local positions the City Schools have are not fully funded from the local supplemental tax. Commissioner Frye stated that for fiscal years 92-93, 93-94, and 94-95, the City Schools received 28% of the capital dollars. Joe Trogdon stated that we all have to work together to survive so we can't have City Schools and County Schools against each other. Receiving no further comments, Chairman Kemp closed the public hearing at 8:45 p.m.