2015-02-12 Agenda ReviewNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 33
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 PAGE 229
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Thursday, February 12,
2015, at 4:00 p.m. in the Harrell Conference Room at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230
Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Members present: Chairman Jonathan Barfield, Jr; Vice-Chairman Beth Dawson; Commissioner Skip
Watkins; Commissioner Woody White; and Commissioner Rob Zapple.
Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the
Board Teresa P. Elmore.
Chairman Barfield called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the
meeting is to review and discuss the Board’s agenda items for the February 16, 2015 Regular Meeting with
discussion as noted:
Consent Item 4. Acceptance of New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District as a County
Department.
Assistant County Manager Tim Burgess presented the following information on establishing the Soil
and Water Conservation District as a County Department:
Effective date to become a County Department: March 2, 2015;
Basis for the request as follows:
Aligns well with the responsibilities and/or activities of other county departments (e.g. engineering and
planning);
The offices of the Soil and Water Conservation District are already located in the Government Center;
therefore, the physical transition will be practically seamless;
The County will be able to take advantage of their resources;
The District’s operation should be enhanced;
The County’s FY 2014-15 budget appropriation will not increase as a result of the action:
Request Commissioners to approve Budget Amendment 15-045 to transfer funds from the agency
to the County;
Increase in County dollars for FY 2015-16 = $45,000;
Only six Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the State are not a department of a county;
The New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District board and staff are supportive of the action;
The District Board approved the Memorandum of Understanding at its meeting on February 12, 2015;
Employees: two plus the director; one intern.
Consent Item 7Approval to Award Contract to MTS Services for the Audio-Visual Technology
.
Upgrade Design for the Board of Commissioners' Assembly Room
. Public and Legislative Affairs Director
Carey Ricks explained that the Audio-Visual Technology Upgrade Design Project will replace equipment that will
improve the sound and video (high definition) quality, which would include replacing the monitors, microphones,
speaker system, but no camera equipment. Improvements will occur in the production room upstairs at the same
time as part of another project. Tentatively, the April 20, 2015 Board meeting will be moved to another location so
that the contractors may complete the project without being disturbed. Media Production Coordinator Mark Boyer,
provided a brief history of the County’s TV production equipment and broadcasting of the Commissioners’
meetings. Cable franchise funds were used to purchase equipment. Equipment upgrades for the Government
Center, including closed caption for the Harrell Conference Room, are proposed for next year’s budget.
Regular Item 10. Consideration of Approval to Submit a Grant Application to the N.C. Governor's
Highway Safety Program for Funding in the Amount of $91,000.
Chief Deputy Rhonda Smith of the Sheriff’s
Department provided a brief overview of the request to submit a grant application for a bike safe program. The
grant funds would purchase two motorcycles. No County match required.
Regular Item 13. Consideration of Issuing a Request for Qualification (RFQ) to select a Firm/Team
Capable of Assessing the Carolina Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction (CSDR) Project’s Continued
Federal Interest, Preparation of a Risk Reduction Plan and Potentially a Limited Re-evaluation Report.
Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole reported that the action will assist the County in getting future
participation from the Federal government for a 15-year extension for potentially five additional federally cost-
shared CSDR events. Carolina Beach is the first to reach the end of its 50-year funding and this project will be
important in obtaining new federal funding.
Regular Item 14. Consideration of the New Hanover County Shoreline Mapping Program (SMP).
Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole reported that this is the second year of the project and will give
continuity in the monitoring of the shoreline from Wrightsville Beach to Fort Fisher and adjacent inlets with
preparation of an annual report. The mapping will track the movement of sand.
Regular Item 15. Consideration of Amendment 1 to the Interlocal Agreement between New Hanover
County and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Regarding Marquis Hills Sewer Extension and Heritage
Park Sewer Extension Projects.
In response to questions from the Board, County Engineer Jim Iannucci explained
that the County was unaware of the six homes on Bainridge Court, just outside of the Marquis Hills project limits,
until after the project was designed. Septic tank failures have occurred in the cul de sac and would cost homeowners
up to $25,000 to replace each septic tank system. No additional money will be required for the project. The
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 33
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 PAGE 230
agreement allows the tap fees to be included in the project instead of the homeowners paying $2,500 each for the tap
fee.
Regular Item 16. Fiscal Year 2015 Financial Update.
Finance Director Lisa Wurtzbacher reported she
would provide the second quarter report at the Board meeting.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS OF DISCUSSION
Vice-Chairman reported that she is drafting a Travel Policy for the Commissioners and would consult with
them to develop a policy that the Commissioner would approve.
Vice-Chairman Dawson reported that she attended the NCACC Taxation and Finance Steering Committee
Meeting and reported on the following:
State Representative Jason Saine, Senior Co-Chair of the House Finance Committee, spoke briefly on
the early progress of the General Assembly on the NCACC legislative priorities that included New
Hanover County’s top priorities.
A new booklet of the 2015 NCACC legislative priorities have been printed for the legislators and
copies were available for the Commissioners.
David Baker, NC Department of Revenue, spoke on the tax and tag and the proposed changes in tax
laws concerning property tax and sales tax issues.
Rebecca Troutman, NCACC Intergovernmental Relations Director, spoke on the State’s tax reform.
NC Secretary of Cultural Resources Susan Klutz spoke briefly of the Governor’s support for the
Historic Properties Tax Credit in the General Assembly.
Discussion was held on economic development incentives for retention and recruitment of industries
and possible expansion of the grant program for the film industry.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chairman Barfield adjourned the meeting at 4:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Teresa P. Elmore
Clerk to the Board