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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-01-25 Special Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 33 JANUARY 25, 1999 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a Special Meeting with the New Hanover County Board of Education on Monday, January 25, 1999, at 6:45 p.m. in the Cape Fear Museum Williston Auditorium, 814 Market Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioner Buzz Birzenieks; Commissioner Ted Davis, Jr.; Commissioner Charles R. Howell; Vice-Chairman Robert G. Greer; Chairman William A. Caster; County Manager, Allen O’Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Members present from the New Hanover County Board of Education were: Chairman Edward B. Higgins; Vice-Chairman Donald S. Hayes; and Board Members Steven M. Bilzi, Oscar A. Graham, Debbie Keck, Nancy Wigley, and James A. (Andy) Wells. Chairman Caster and Chairman Higgins called their respective boards to order. Chairman Caster welcomed everyone present, and he requested all persons attending the meeting to introduce themselves. Chairman Caster commented on the difficult challenges facing local Boards of Education and Boards of County Commissioners throughout the nation, and he stated that many of these items have created sharp conflicts between the two boards. In some of these communities, the last local school bond issue failed. Chairman Caster stressed the importance of not allowing this type of situation to occur in New Hanover County, and he encouraged the Boards to meet more frequently to keep an open line of communication to jointly address the needs of the schools. Chairman Higgins agreed with Chairman Caster’s comments and he expressed appreciation to the Commissioners for calling the meeting. He noted that in the past conflict areas had developed between the New Hanover County Board of Education and New Hanover County Board of Commissioners; however, this was a different Board that was committed to work toward one common goal, which is the education of children in New Hanover County. Chairman Caster passed out a copy of an article from the January issue of Governing Magazine entitled, Schools + Taxes + Politics + Chaos. He requested members of both boards to read the article. DISCUSSION OF THE PILOT’S RIDGE PROJECT Chairman Caster commented on meeting last week with Chairman Higgins, Dr. John Morris and County Manager O’Neal to discuss the funding needed to begin the Pilot’s Ridge Project. It was agreed that New Hanover County would appropriate the recently debated $3,200,000 to this effort if the Board of Education would fund $1,000,000. Chairman Higgins reported on speaking with the Finance Officer and the members of the Board of Education about the proposed agreement. He stressed the importance of moving forward with the project because of the tight time frame, and he said the Finance Officer has been instructed to prepare a resolution to approve a budget transfer of $1,000,000, which will have to be approved by the Board of Education. Mr. Oscar Graham MOVED, SECONDED by Mr. Steve Bilzi to adopt the resolution to approve the $1,000,000 budget transfer. Chairman Higgins opened the floor for discussion. Ms. Mary Hazel Small, Finance Officer of the New Hanover County School System, explained that $1,000,000 would be appropriated from the Fund Balance and transferred to the Capital Outlay Fund to divide between the high school and middle school project budgets for site development. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 34 JANUARY 25, 1999 Mr. Donald Hayes requested Dr. John Morris, Superintendent of Schools, to comment on the budget transfer. Dr. Morris expressed concern for the project being delayed and being $2,000,000 over budget. He noted that the $1,000,000 transfer could be used to improve Snipes Elementary School or provide a track at Williston School; however, the money does come from the taxpayers and it is imperative that funding is provided for the start-up. Ms. Debbie Keck commented on forfeiture funds and asked if the $1,000,000 could be removed from this account. Ms. Small responded there was a fund and forfeiture revenue account budgeted to fund the School System; however, no discussion has occurred on removing the $1,000,000 from this account. Mr. Bilzi commented on the windfall that was suppose to have been received by the School System from the sale of vehicles, and he requested a brief report on this issue. Ms. Small reported the law was recently changed to allow the School System to sell the vehicles more quickly. In the past, the court case had to be resolved before a vehicle could be sold. By the time the court case was concluded, the fines and storage fees were more than the value of vehicle. Under the amended law, it is hoped that revenue will be generated by this program. As of this date, there are approximately 100 vehicles that have not been sold. Vice-Chairman Greer urged the Board of Education to sell the vehicles as soon as possible, and he offered to assist in anyway possible. Ms. Keck requested an explanation of the $3,200,000 that has been discussed for the past several months. Vice-Chairman Greer explained that when the bond issue was set at $125,000,000, the School System decided to use $3,200,000 of bond proceeds for land acquisition. When the County decided to purchase 210 acres instead of the 50 acres sought by the School System, the County purchased the 210 acres and financed the acquisition instead of using the $3,200,000 of bond proceeds obligated by the School System. The total cost of the land was $5,500,000. Since the County used another financing mechanism to acquire the land, it was felt the $3,200,000 should be placed in the County budget. However, some members of the Board of Education feel that the School System was not responsible for the County deciding to use another form of financing, and after discussion, the County is willing to appropriate the $3,200,000 to infrastructure needs of the Pilot’s Ridge Project. In order to provide the infrastructure for the project, $7,200,000 will be needed. The County is willing to contribute $6,200,000, which includes the $3,200,000, if the Board of Education will contribute $1,000,000. Commissioner Birzenieks requested an explanation of funding for the athletic facility at Hoggard High School. Chairman Higgins explained some money from the recent bond issue will be used as well as $2,800,000 from the State bond issue. Dr. Morris reported when the $3,200,000 was not needed, there was discussion about the money being used for other needs. This money was never removed from the School Budget. There was an assumption on the part of the School System that this money could be used for other educational projects. Vice-Chairman Greer advised that the Board of County Commissioners earmarked the $3,200,000 for a vocational education school; therefore, the money would not have been taken away from the School System. Also, when deciding how to use the money, discussion occurred on whether the School System or New Hanover County should oversee the grading, road work and NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 35 JANUARY 25, 1999 other infrastructure needs for the Pilot’s Ridge Project. Vice-Chairman Greer recommended allowing the County to oversee the project with input from the School System since the County has engineers on staff. Mr. Bill Hance, Assistant Superintendent of Operations for New Hanover County Schools, explained that infrastructure funding for projects inside the school sites was a separate issue from the $7,200,000 needed for projects outside the school sites. The infrastructure funding within the school sites has been included in the School budgets. The School Administrative Staff feels that the grading package for the entire site should be performed by one contractor. Money will be removed from the budgets for the school sites and added to the grading project. The remaining infrastructure within the school sites will be performed by the contractor who builds the schools. Further discussion followed on having one contractor to perform the sewer infrastructure and drainage for the entire facility. Mr. Hance responded that one contractor would be used inside the school sites to perform the sewer and plumbing work. Assistant County Manager Dave Weaver explained that the design of the drainage plan would be sized to take into account how the drainage would be handled by the contractor performing the work within the school sites. Commissioner Birzenieks requested an explanation of how the $7,200,000 would be used. Assistant County Manager Weaver responded the $7,200,000 would fund the following items: (1) construction of the roadway; (2) intersection improvements at River Road and Carolina Beach Road; (3) sewer construction; and (4) a drinking water system which includes a storage tank, drainage, grading, clearing and sedimentation erosion control. County Manager O’Neal presented the following components of the $7,200,000: $3,200,000 set aside by the County $1,000,000 from the County’s Special Revenue Fund for Schools $1,500,000 from the County’s General Fund Balance $ 500,000 from the Water & Sewer Fund Balance $1,000,000 from the School’s Fund Balance Mr. Oscar Graham requested Mr. Eddie Anderson, Facilities Director, to comment on the proposed funding and project oversight of Pilot’s Ridge. Mr. Anderson reported on discussing the project with Assistant County Manager Weaver and he advised economically it only made sense for one contractor to grade the entire 210 acres. All persons have agreed for the County to coordinate the grading and outside infrastructure needs. As indicated by Assistant County Manager Weaver, other parts of the infrastructure are included in the $7,200,000. Also, there are roads, parking, and utilities within the school sites. This issue has not been resolved. He recommended allowing the County Staff and School Staff to continue to work with the design team to prepare a proposal to be presented to both boards. Vice-Chairman Greer asked Mr. Anderson if the County was assigned to oversee the roads, parking and utilities within the school sites, what type of problems could be encountered. Mr. Anderson responded that discussion has been held on minimizing the number of contracts and contractors on the 210 acres. The packages being proposed will actually increase the number of contractors because there will be a site clearing and grading contract that is being bid as well as the infrastructure contract, and school construction contract. In order to minimize the number of bid packages and number of contractors on site, the smaller package, which is the site infrastructure package, could be combined with the larger of the three projects in the school building package. To remove the site infrastructure work from within the school sites into an overall infrastructure package would require many items to be completed before 2001. Storage and staging NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 36 JANUARY 25, 1999 will have to be addressed because the building is over 400,000 square feet; therefore, the control and operation of the construction phase should be under the control one general contractor. Vice-Chairman Greer agreed that one contractor should oversee the construction of the schools, and he stated that one contractor should oversee the parking lots, drainage and paving projects. Mr. Anderson explained that the parking lot will be the major storage and staging area for school construction. The driveways used to bring in heavy equipment should be the responsibility of the general contractor because he not only maintains the roads but he is responsible for any damage at the completion of construction. Vice-Chairman Greer expressed concern for the project becoming more complicated. Chairman Higgins explained that originally, the School System assumed the entire project would be supervised by the School System with the County transferring money once the bids were awarded and the project began. Now, it appears the County will oversee the infrastructure, and he asked why the School System was not administering the entire project. Assistant County Manager Weaver explained that when discussion first began with the School Staff, the County was concerned about meeting the time schedule established by the School System. In an effort to meet this time frame, it was agreed for the County to perform the outside infrastructure. Vice-Chairman Greer commented on the numerous parking lots for the schools and parks and he said it would not make sense to split the projects. Assistant County Manager Weaver advised that Staff did not have time to address other issues regarding infrastructure. The grading and clearing project was the main focus because of the need to start the project. Staff feels the other infrastructure projects can be blended. Mr. Hance recommended allowing the County Staff and School Staff to continue to meet and discuss other infrastructure needs. An agreement has been made on Phase I of the project under the supervision of the County. Commissioner Birzenieks said that he was not concerned about who would supervise the project as long as the project was performed quickly and as economically as possible within the August 2001 time frame. He recommended appropriating the money so the County Staff and School Staff could coordinate the project. Chairman Higgins called for a vote on the motion to approve the $1,000,000 budget transfer. Upon vote, the motion was unanimously approved by the Board of Education. Chairman Caster spoke on the need to move forward with the project, and he expressed appreciation to the Board of Education for appropriating the necessary funding. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE SCHOOL BOND ISSUES Chairman Caster reported that the Board of County Commissioners has agreed not to mention a dollar amount when discussing future school bond issues. He requested Chairman Higgins to comment on how the Board of Education feels about this matter. Chairman Higgins advised that the last bond issue was for new construction. Future bond issues will be needed for replacements, renovations and additions to schools. There are several schools with age, and there are concerns for ADA compliance. Any school bond issue should clearly demonstrate the needs for each local school. It appears another bond issue will be sought in October or November 2001. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 37 JANUARY 25, 1999 Commissioner Birzenieks stressed the importance of sizing bond issues to adequately address school needs. He expressed concern for the last bond issue being undersized, and he stated, in his opinion, the citizens would have voted for at least a $150,000,000 bond issue. Once a figure is presented to the public, that figure cannot be changed. During the last bond issue, a consultant was hired to find out how much the citizens were willing to tax themselves to fund schools. He urged the Board of Education to research any future bond issue with clearly defining the needs of the schools and determining the amount of money that will be supported by the citizens before sizing the bond issue. Chairman Higgins agreed and stated he felt the County Commissioners truly believe in education and have enough faith in the ability of the members of the Board of Education to document school needs for a future bond issue. Commissioner Birzenieks stated that annexation would also play a major role in whether future bond issues would be supported by the citizens. Vice-Chairman Greer commented on the need to support the schools and stated, however, the time has come for both boards to think differently because our society cannot continue to fund the money needed for schools. In the past few years, a statewide school bond issue was passed with New Hanover County receiving $20,000,000; a local school bond issue was passed for $39,900,000; and two years ago a $125,000,000 school bond issue was passed. In the future, the citizens are going to vote against bond issues as recently done in Henderson and Dare counties. New Hanover County does not want to get in this position; therefore, some re-thinking of the amount of money to be spent on schools will have to occur. Currently, Cape Fear Community College has not used $28,300,000 of the last bond issue and the School System has not used $111,000,000 of the last bond issue. This means the taxpayers have not begun to pay for these bond issues. Once the taxpayers are assessed for the bond issues, they may not be willing to support future bond issues. Also, the General Assembly has removed four cents from the sales tax on food; however, the two cents on food that is appropriated to counties to be used for schools may be removed. If the two-cent tax is removed, this will produce a shortfall in County funding for the schools. Superintendent Morris advised that during the last week, he had spent 35 hours working with Staff to seek more efficient and effective ways to use current resources. The configuration of schools has been reviewed to utilize space and use every dollar locally. Vice-Chairman Greer stated that he did not intend for the remarks to imply that the local School System was not operating efficiently because State and Federal regulations govern how schools have to spend money, such as the classroom size, ADA compliance, asbestos removal, and other items that require large sums of money. Neither the Board of Education or the Board of County Commissioners can control these issues, and the burden unfortunately falls on the local taxpayers. Mr. Bilzi agreed with Vice-Chairman Greer and he stressed the importance of both boards seeking creative ways to work cooperatively in resolving the school needs without having to increase taxes. Commissioner Howell commented on visiting the J. C. Roe Elementary School and Coddington Elementary School, and he stated the difference between the two schools was unbelievable. Concern was expressed for J. C. Roe not having the same amenities, such as a decent library, because the children were not from an affluent community. He stated the public needs to be informed about these needs so they will be more willing to vote for school bond issues. Mr. Graham expressed appreciation to Commissioner Howell for bringing up this issue, and he stated there are many schools with poor libraries and other facilities. In conclusion, it was generally agreed that any future bond issue must be thoroughly researched and it must be determined prior to being placed on the ballot that the public will support NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 38 JANUARY 25, 1999 the amount of the bond issue. The failure of a bond issue would be detrimental to New Hanover County and its educational system. DISCUSSION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Commissioner Birzenieks spoke on vocational education courses offered by the schools and he asked if these courses were completed, did these students qualify to become computer operators, licensed electricians, skilled carpenters, or auto mechanics. Superintendent Morris advised that he did not think high schools should be responsible for producing a licensed electrician or skilled carpenter. There are students at New Hanover, Laney, and Hoggard High Schools that are in the process of constructing a house. These students enrolled in construction trades in the 9th grade and other construction courses in the 10th grade. During the 11th and 12th grades, these students perform hands on construction work. The schools offer electrical repair classes, small engine repair classes, marine repair classes, and child care services. In order for students to take courses offered by Cape Fear Community College, the students must be computer literate and have the necessary mathematical skills to get a decent job in the trades. The old shop classes are not provided for students. The level of technology has gone beyond this point. There were 40 students from Laney High School that attended Cape Fear Community College last year. These students received community college credits and high school credits. The courses offered by the School System allow students to obtain some skill in an area and transfer over to Cape Fear Community College to become skilled in a particular area. Dr. Eric McKeithan, President of Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), reported that students must complete the 21 required units in high school before they can attend CFCC. The public schools do not have a choice of placing students in courses offered by the College. Currently, there are programs where students can take courses in high school that will be applied as credits at CFCC. One such program is dual enrollment. The high school student must receive permission from the Principal and Superintendent of Schools to enroll in courses offered by CFCC at a convenient time for the student. No tuition is charged and transportation is provided from the school to the college. This is an excellent program, and it is felt that if parents were aware of dual enrollment, more students would be taking advantage of this opportunity. Dr. McKeithan reported Huskinsville, a program recently enacted by federal legislation, is similar to the dual enrollment program except under dual enrollment only one child can be considered at a time. Under the Huskinsville legislation, an entire group of high school students can attend courses offered by CFCC. These classes can be offered on the high school campuses or at the College. With the demand for skilled workers, every high school needs vocational education facilities. Schools could construct additional computer labs and other vocational facilities with CFCC delivering those programs to the school campus under the Huskinsville program. This is a great opportunity to provide vocational education courses to high school students and allow them to earn credits at high school as well as at CFCC. Discussion followed on the school dropout rate. Superintendent Morris reported the School System is focusing on why students drop out of school. One problem identified is the fact that every 9th grade student is required to take biology, algebra, english, government economics, and house physical education courses. With these five required courses, this leaves only one elective course. Currently, the federal vocational education program requires each student to take two years of vocational courses before they are allowed to perform hands on work. This discourages many students and they drop out of school. Four years ago, algebra was not required to graduate. Now algebra and the other four courses are required. In the past, the mathematics necessary for carpentry or masonry were included in a technical manual and taught while taking a shop course. The entire system has changed. Further discussion followed on the number of students that actually drop out of school. Superintendent Morris advised that 300 students drop out of school each year. The current vocational education program will not help with this problem because the students do not have access to the program until they become juniors in high school. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 39 JANUARY 25, 1999 Mr. Hayes reported that most of the school drop outs occur in the 9th grade; therefore, they do not have access to vocational education at this time. Chairman Higgins advised at the beginning of the school year, there were approximately 1,700 students in the 9th grade. As you review the figures, it appears that most of the students are dropping out of school between the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. With mandates from the state and federal governments, there is very little that can be done by the local school system. However, if parents become aware of the dual enrollment and Huskinsville programs, some of these students can be reached. Superintendent Morris advised that middle school teachers will be required to attend a training program called CAPS. This program will require every middle school student and parent to meet with the teacher to develop a plan for the courses to be taken by that student. Hopefully, this will provide guidance for the student and parents. Also, there is new legislation that will require schools to stop promoting students that cannot pass proficiency tests. The New Hanover County School System started this program last year. Any student that did not pass the 8th grade proficiency test was not allowed to enter the regular high school curriculum when entering the 9th grade. Those students were placed in remedial courses in math and reading in the high schools until they could pass the competency tests. Mr. Bilzi said that many students drop out because of the manner in which courses are administered. In the past, students in the 8th and 9th grades could take vocational education courses. With the current 21 unit requirement, the students no longer have time for vocational education. Commissioner Howell recommended lobbying the legislators for a change in the State law if the requirements are hindering students from selecting vocational courses in the eighth and ninth grades, which frequently causes students to drop out of school. Superintendent Morris stated that when the State Board of Education finalizes the promotion standards in March and presents them to the superintendents, they will probably ask the State Board for differentiated instruction. The schools should not be held accountable for every student being prepared to attend college. The State Board of Education should be requested to provide another educational outlet for children who are not interested in attending college. In New Hanover County, 86% of graduating seniors attend four or two year colleges. Approximately 53% of the students attend a university, 36% attend a two-year colleges, and 10% enter the military. There is a very small percentage of students graduating from high school who go directly into the workforce. Commissioner Birzenieks stated it appears that the Board of Education and Cape Fear Community College are satisfied with the level of vocational education in New Hanover County; therefore, the Board of County Commissioners does not have to worry about this type of education or setting money aside for vocational education. Superintendent Morris responded that New Hanover County does have excellent programs, but more needs to be done in vocational education. He said as a member of an organization composed of 12 superintendents of the largest schools in the State, this group is working with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to bring pressure on the State Legislature to allow for more vocational courses to be offered to students who have no interest in algebra or biology. Commissioner Birzenieks commented on the Lincoln County School of Technology and he reported his daughter was a teacher in Lincoln County. When teachers are asked about the School of Technology, they say they are more than satisfied with the success of the school; however, the only problem is the fact that only 11th and 12th grade students can attend the school. The teachers feel that vocational education courses should be offered in the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades to keep students from dropping out of school. Superintendent Morris agreed with Commissioner Birzenieks and stated this was the reason why the State Legislature should be lobbied for a change in the law. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 40 JANUARY 25, 1999 Dr. McKeithan reported that CFCC was in the process of trying to determine how technical vocational training can be provided to keep students in school. The School System is trying to focus on the drop out rate. Each year CFCC enrolls approximately 400 students of recent high school drop outs in the GED program so they can enroll in technical occupational programs. Approximately 900 students are now taking these courses. Vice-Chairman Greer advised that in order to lobby the Legislature, the Board of Education and Dr. Morris should keep the County Commissioners informed as well as other counties so the local governments can support any legislative changes. County Manager O’Neal recommended requesting the County Commissioners Association and the School Association to jointly develop a policy to establish a goal for vocational education in the State of North Carolina. This type of document would be beneficial in approaching the General Assembly about amending the State regulations governing vocational education. SCHEDULING OF QUARTERLY MEETINGS BETWEEN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS After discussion of the meeting being informative to both boards, the Board of Education and Board of County Commissioners decided to meet quarterly. The next meeting was scheduled for April 27, 1999 with the time and place to be announced at a later date. DISCUSSION OF NAMING THE SITE FOR THE COUNTY PARK AT PILOT’S RIDGE Chairman Caster recommended allowing the Parks Advisory Board to name the park site in Pilot’s Ridge. Vice-Chairman Greer, the Board’s representative on the Parks Advisory Board, stated he would be glad to present this request to the Parks Advisory Board. He also mentioned that prior discussion had been held among the Commissioners about requesting the Board of Education to appoint a representative from the schools to serve on the Parks Advisory Board. After further discussion, Chairman Caster advised that he would write a letter to Chairman Higgins requesting an appointment of a school representative after final action has been taken by the Board of County Commissioners. DISCUSSION OF LEGION STADIUM Chairman Caster reported that he contacted Mayor Hicks about scheduling another meeting of the Legion Stadium Commission. Once a date has been selected, everyone will be informed. Chairman Caster advised that if an agreement cannot be reached about the transfer of Legion Stadium to the County, both Boards need to discuss another alternative. DISCUSSION OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON AND THE NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM Superintendent Morris advised that an excellent line of communication had been developed with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Currently, the School System is working with UNCW on teacher evaluations. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Caster, on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to the Board of Education for attending the meeting. He stated the meeting has been most informative and helpful to him. He urged both Boards to continue to keep dialogue open on issues of concern. Chairman Higgins and the other members of the Board of Education commented on this being an informative meeting and stated they looked forward to opening the lines of communication and developing a better relationship with the Board of County Commissioners NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 41 JANUARY 25, 1999 Motion: Commissioner Birzenieks MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Howell to adjourn. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Motion: Vice-Chairman Hayes MOVED, SECONDED by Ms. Keck to adjourn. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Chairman Caster and Chairman Higgins adjourned their respective boards at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the Board