Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-03-14 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, MARCH 14, 2019 PAGE 321 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Thursday, March 14, 2019 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-Chairwoman Julia Olson-Boseman; Commissioner Patricia Kusek; Commissioner Woody White; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. Chairman Barfield called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the March 18, 2019 Regular Meeting with discussions as noted: Consent Item 6. Approval of an Application for the Waiver of Landfill Tipping Fees for the Cape Fear Public Transit Authority. In response to Board questions, Environmental Management Director Joe Suleyman stated that approximately 36,000 tons of hurricane-related debris was a combination of vegetative and construction debris strictly from homeowners and small contractors in the days before setting up the satellite collection sites. The department switched back to charging tip fees the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Consent Item 8. Adoption of a Resolution to Award a Bid in the amount of $305,025 to Premium Power Systems, Inc. for Installation of a Stand-by Generator at Blair Elementary School and the Ordinance for Budget Amendment 19-048. In response to Board questions, Property Management Director Sara Warmuth stated that the $31,825 was placed in the Emergency Management/911 budget but would be transferred over to Property Management’s budget and her department will manage the project. Emergency Management/911 Director Steven Still stated his understanding is that Blair Elementary will be occupied this spring so the goal is to get the generator installed without holding up the school system on occupying the building. The project was already funded, but bids came in approximately $31,000 higher than the original budgeted amount of $273,200. The request is to award the bid to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. Consent Item 11. Approval of Board of Education Budget Amendment #5. County Manager Coudriet stated that New Hanover County Schools Chief Financial Officer Mary Hazel Small was present to answer any questions from the Board. She will not be attending Monday’s meeting. Regular Item 12. Consideration of a Resolution in Support of Carolina Beach Counseling. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated it is his understanding that Mayor Benson submitted the resolution and rather than read it, may explain what is trying to be accomplished. Mayor Benson does plan to attend Monday’s meeting. Commissioner White stated that Strategy Officer Beth Schrader was working with Loralie Grigas on this matter from a funding standpoint and asked Ms. Schrader when that part should be discussed. Ms. Schrader stated that it would be a Board prerogative on when to discuss the funding. She thinks the resolution is asking for the Board’s support of the program, but that there would be a subsequent ask to fund it. County Manager Coudriet stated this item was presented to staff as the Mayor of Carolina Beach has discussed this with each Commissioner and made a request for the resolution to be on an agenda. As the agenda had not yet been published and understanding the Board was favorable to it, the item was placed on the agenda. A brief discussion was held about moving the resolution to the consent agenda or holding it until the matter is discussed during the budget process. County Manager Coudriet stated his understanding is that funding would be sought from the federal level either directly or through Trillium. It has never been interpreted by him as a direct or indirect ask of the Board to fund this program. That is not how it was framed to staff by Carolina Beach. Chairman Barfield stated that he was fine with leaving the item on the regular agenda as the first item. Regular Item 18. Consideration of a Budget Amendment to Transfer $217,000 from the General Fund to the Health and Human Services Facility Capital Project. In response to Board questions, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Wurtzbacher confirmed that the project is ahead of schedule. A deposit for certain cubicle equipment is needed in order to avoid delays in the interior wiring and electrical work. The funds are proposed to be moved from the property management department for projects that could not be completed in fiscal year 2019 due to Hurricane Florence. A brief discussion was held about moving this to the consent agenda and by general consensus the Board agreed and asked staff to move it to the consent agenda. Regular Item 19. Presentation on Health and Human Services Consolidation. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated he has shared the crosswalk with the Health and Social Services Directors of what had been agreed to with functional collaboration in 2014 and what has and has not been accomplished since then. He can expedite the presentation with the recommendation to the Board to have it to the Board on Friday, th March 15. He and staff have had conference calls with nine peer and regional counties. Each communicated different reasons for making the decision to consolidate and all said they would still have made the same decisions that they previously made. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, MARCH 14, 2019 PAGE 322 Regarding the makeup of the consolidated boards, County Manager Coudriet stated that a variety of structures are being used and there is no consistent model. There are more commissions in the Board’s peer group and in the region that also serve as the consolidated board. There are just as many who have appointed a consolidated board to oversee the agency. All were interested in closer alignment with the county’s overall priorities, more integration of service was very clearly a point, and in many instances wanted the personnel in those agencies aligned under the same personnel policies as other county staff. 35 of the 100 counties have consolidated. In regard to why the other 64 counties have chosen not to discuss it, County Manager Coudriet stated he can only speak to Cumberland’s decision which was a specific policy choice after considering to not consolidate. As such, a discussion was not held with Cumberland. For the other counties, he hasn’t been able to discern whether they are considering it or not. Regarding the size of the counties that have consolidated, County Manager Coudriet stated that nine of the largest 15 counties have consolidated so staff focused on the larger populations and also spoke with Brunswick and Pender because they are in the County’s region. Mecklenburg would not have the discussion due to time constraints, but discussions were held with Wake, Union, Forsyth, Guilford, Buncombe, Brunswick, Onslow, Pender, and Cabarrus. Discussions could not be held with Gaston, but in Cabarrus one of the people spoken with had been the consolidated agency director for Gaston. However, that person did not speak for Gaston and only commented on why Gaston made the decisions it made. Regarding Monday’s presentation, County Manager Coudriet stated that what will be shared with the Board are all of the options allowed by the statute, an overview of the work done in 2013 and 2014 that led to functional collaboration, what has and still has to be accomplished with functional collaboration. He will make a recommendation based on successes and experiences from others. A brief discussion was held about moving this matter to the beginning of the agenda due to it being one of the more important items. The consensus of the Board was to it to the beginning of the regular agenda. In response to Board questions regarding the rule making process, County Manager Coudriet stated that in any of the models chosen there is some entity that sits with the health rule making authority. When it is the county commission sitting as the board to oversee it, that is where the rule making authority rests. If the Board chooses to appoint a consolidated agency board, then it is very similar in nature to what is now the 11-member Health Board. It retains the rule making authority independent of the county commission and is functionally very similar to the current model. However, all of the staff is then more consistently aligned with the priorities of the county commission. All of the models require that someone who meets the statutory definition of health qualified must be on staff, but there is no provision that the health director or social services director lead a consolidated agency. Mecklenburg is an example where the county commission sits as the board of health separately and as the board of social services. The are some counties where the county commissioners sit as the consolidated agency of human services and others where a consolidated board is appointed. The appointed boards are a minimum of 15 members but no more than 25 members. Members usually consist of a combination of members from the health board and social services board, with specific categories required such as a doctor, optometrist, dentist, engineer, psychiatrist, and consumers of human services. Some counties transitioned the health board members to the consolidated board and filled the remaining seats with members of social services. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman Barfield adjourned the meeting at 4:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting.