County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

At this time we have invocation and pledge by vice chair Harrison. Um please join me in the pledge. After that we're going to get Mr. Green to help us with the invocation. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Miss Green, our dear heavenly fathers, once more again we call upon your holy and righteous name Lord. Lord we come to do the business of our county Lord. We ask you to bless each and everyone here tonight. Lord, we ask a special blessing on each one of our commissioners. Lord, our county manager, Lord, our secretary and our lawyer, Lord, we say bless them the more, Lord, that they may do the job that they set before them to do, God. And we'll be so gracious to give thy name the praise. We ask a special blessing on each and every person that's here tonight. Bless us, Lord. And we give your name the praise. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Miss Green. Thank you, Harry. Uh before we talk, I'd like to add a at the bottom, I'd like to add a talk about a workshop that I think we very much need it is when as is in accepting tonight include that workshop. We set the date when we get into it. Okay. You want you want to add it at? I added added number six. 789 just moved down. Okay. I make a motion that we accept the agenda as amended. A second. Second all times off the word I or I have it. Thank you. Mr. Attorney, your first call to duty is

a public comment. It's public comment. Jamie, what? Good morning, commissioners. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening, commissioner. I'm nervous. Uh, thank you for letting me speak. Uh, several years back, uh, I speak about soccer fields in county and I'm I'm here back. Uh, unfortunately, we used to run a club, nonprofit club. We don't have facility for the nonprofit club to run our program. So, we of the soccer club. Now, we have an issue with the park and recreation. uh the 12 12 age groups and older is going to fail or hope to play because we don't have uh fields in Hook County. Uh and now that's all I got. Okay. Thanks for hooking. All right. Thank you for coming in. This Leandro. Hello. Good evening. Y'all had a happy fourth. I did introduce my granddaughter. This is Rob's daughter. Hello, granddaughter. Is that her first uh political county? I mean, mom got to be nice. Grandma got to be nice. The grandma will try to be nice even though he's my neighbor. But anyway, you know, I think I could probably send a recording of why I'm here. I'd like if we could have an update on what's going on for the animal shelter. I guess you all realize the temperatures are hitting 100. It's awful hot. We need to get places spaces for those animals as soon as possible. It's been going on a long time now. And so I wondered if you all had an update. And also I would like to recommend that those poor workers out there, those ladies get some type of money. I don't know how you would give it, but you got plenty of it. And

give it give it. But they they're really doing a tough job. People are throwing animals out everywhere. They're getting sick animals. Animals are just being dumped. And I really think those people deserve to make a whole lot more than McDonald's people do. And uh they really have a tough job. I wouldn't do it. You couldn't pay me enough. So maybe onetime bonus or something. They Yeah, they need a bonus or something for what they're going through. You know, if you would take the time to go out there and spend a day with them, you would come back and write the bonus check that afternoon. You know, you really need to do that for me. They work very hard. They really do. They work extremely hard. Uh, also I would like an update on what's going on with the with the shelter. How, you know, what are our goals to be finished, to get going good, to be finished, that kind of thing. And, you know, I would appreciate it if y'all would maybe contact JNK and see where we're standing at this point. Unless you already know, and I just don't, we will contact him and find. Yeah, we need to know something because it's just not happening fast enough really for those animals. And please remember those shelter ladies. They are really superb and they give you all a great reputation. Good. Even when they got somebody throwing animals out, they're nice to them. I went outside and watched, you know. So, please uh consider them for some kind of hot bonus or something for heat. I think they were at without air conditioning this past week for a few days and or for a while and they kept on working. You know, most people would have walked out and they kept on working. So please remember them for that. And remember my granddaughter granddaughter. One day she's going to be a politician. One day she'll be president and you all some of you all will be alive. Good. Good. Thank you. Thank you granddaughter. Grandma was good tonight. Sanders. Good evening. Good.

Um, so I'm here today um on behalf of the CTE culinary program. So this year will make 10 years that we've had the taste of hope uh the CTE program. It happens every year. You guys are familiar with it. So I'm just here to inform you that this is going to be the 10th year anniversary. Um and we're trying to gather support. Um it takes a lot. we have some guest chef that's coming in and it's financial burden that we're going to work together in the community to gather support for it. Um I'm speaking as a parent. I'm not I don't have a job. I don't I don't have employment or anything. I'm just a volunteer parent and I'm speaking on behalf because um my child is one of the products of CTE culinary program. my oldest son Randolph Sanders III. He was under Miss Lenise McCann and he's actually the first AXO NAACP AXO North Carolina state culinary champion and he went to Vegas. Good. Last year he took third place nationally. So with a program like that that's producing that's highlighting Hope County and Hope County students and what we are offering um we're just asking that you guys take notice that you guys you know uh my pastor say something like is a poor frog that don't praise his own f uh palm but that's what I'm here for for your support and to also inform you that this is a big occasion 10 years things don't last nowadays they don't last long and I think um Miss McClean she has been investing and investing and and pushing this program. So, I'm asking for not only you all support, but community support. Everybody out there, you know, reach out how you can help, how you can support, how you can make it better, because ultimately this is helping us county, our children, our youth, and they're doing great things with it. It's not just a stagnant program. It's doing things. It's promoting things. It's bringing highlight positivity to whole county, to the students, and to what we offer, making our students competitive nationally. So, um, I just wanted to

inform you. I might be back here next month to inform you again. Um, because, you know, I'm taking a stakehold becoming a stakeholder in this because, you know, my son and my family have drawn from that work. So, we're investing back and I am personal. He's a way at college. He's a student at Johnson University. Hey. Um, so I just want you guys to make take note of that. You know that it is great things that's happening in Hul County. Um we want the continue the great things happen in whole county and we just asking for your support for that our t uh taste of hok it's 10 years so let's we want to do it big and we just need your help to make that happen as individual I'm sure I'm talking for myself sure I'll be glad to give a donation and I'm sure the rest of the board member join in sure and I appreciate everyone that joins in with the I love giving their money away that date was it's going to be in December it's always in December um that we have the taste of hope program this year we have uh guests uh world reowned famous guest chefs that's coming out and um Miss McClean has a lot of um things that she incorporate in that where we get our students out there, we get that interaction, we get that network and we get that experience, but we also present back to the community what we're capable and able to do with our students and with those abilities. So again, we just asking that you know if you get involved saying this who is doing this is the is the whole county school system doing it, the high school doing it or parents doing it? No, no, I'm a volunteer. Um, Miss McClean, she's the culinary, she's over culinary at the CTE, the department. So, it's under her. Um, I'm just a parent volunteer. And as I'm coming to you, I I I walk the streets and go to businesses or whatever supporting the school. No, I was trying to find out who's like who's over who's in charge of No, no, it's Miss Lenise. It's is she's the one that does everything and handle it. She's been doing it by herself. So, you know, I'm stepping in and I'm asking you guys while I support her, you support us. Okay, sounds good. Thank you so much. Thank you for coming. Gregory is my man. Good evening. Good evening.

Mr. Troubles here. Give it to us. It's Monday night. Uh for the record, I reserve all my rights. Uh I got some questions and if you can hold the answers until I get done and then we can take care of this real quick. Uh what department assigns the offset on structures from the street and whatnot? Do you know? Um, what about the buildings going on in the uh the buildings that's being done in Poke County? There's a lot of them being done. We got what, three inspectors. I did a little schedule X. Them boys would have to be working 70 hours a week to take and inspect everything. And that'd be the plumbing, electrical, structure, and uh framing and uh plumbing. And uh have any one of you guys taken any courses on the side of planning and residential? And also between on Rockfish Road between um 9785 and 9879 there's I think there's six houses on the right hand side of the road outbound from uh Rockfish, they're sitting pretty close to the road. And the reason I asked about the offset is because that when they widen Rockfish Road, they're going to come through there and take those houses out. And I think that's a little bad on the realtors and the builder and it rolls back to you guys of approving it because them people are going to lose their homes by intimate domain when they widen that road. And um that's about it. Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Samuel McNair. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Um, my name is Sammy Rair. I am the coach of the 14U Hulk County All-Star team. I am coming to you today on behalf of them. We are asking for financial support to help us as we go this weekend to compete for the state tournament. Um, some kids are not, everybody doesn't come from the same household. With that being said, we are expected to be there from Friday, July 11th to Thursday, July 16th. So, we was just seeing what you know how y'all can help or if y'all was able to help this year. Okay. Board members, we don't answer questions. We could help you again. I talk after the meeting. Yeah. If you stay around individual, we can help. Yes, sir. Appreciate. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Going to further uh I'd like to address the county manager. Uh regarding the soccer field, I remember um a couple of years ago with Commissioner Wright, we had talked about uh doing some soccer fields at the uh complex off of 211 uh complex. Now, um I know we some issues with money and also with I think maybe DQ trying to get access. What what's the status of that? Are we got it on hold for right now? What's the stat? Yeah, it was going through DAQ to go over that creek creek, right? Um and then there was some issues about going in from the backway. Um we looked at and I think we gave back some figures back last year. It was like $250,000 to do that area. We gave you guys um I think you remember I sent you email um email on some of the figures that we

came up with last budget. I can like it was like a four soccer field program, four soccer fields and we gave you some information on it. I can resend it to you and have my people rehash it for you if you want to look at it again. Yes. And then right now while while you're doing that, so we are we are allowing soccer to be be played and practiced at at the Armory Armory. And and I mean they play soccer. I think there's a group of them. Um, they do the armory field right now. Um, and I've had public buildings look at it to see if we can refresh that field ourselves and then let people utilize that. But we would we would be the ones that would utilize that. Right. So, is that under the control of parks and rag or That's under the control of parks and rag. Yes, sir. Okay. And I and we'll bring that back to you guys and look at it for us to do the refresh of it and use it as a soft Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Socc is a big sports and it's growing leaps and bounds and certain if we can be part of holding it and keeping it, it'd be a great thing. Uh consent ABC and the board may have any issue with any of those. I make a motion to approve the consent agendas um 3 A, B, and C. Okay. Is there a second? Second. All time consider all with I have it. Health Department. Miss Commission McCall, this is yours. Good evening. Good evening. Um I have two items before you today. Um the first item is um Mr. Chris Puzzie is up for reappoint in August. He serves on our board in lie of the engineer. Um and so that is the first item for resting requesting approval. Commissioner, I make a motion that we accept the U Chris uh as our uh chairperson for the

board. Okay, that's a second. Second motion. Motion second. I don't I have it. Okay. Okay. And the second item is um proposed environmental health fee. Um environmental health requests the change of the sewage treatment and disposal um system soil fee evaluation fees. uh mainly because of the different changes. The septic system designs are more complex and the wells that are being put on are on smaller lots and so there's more testing and more visits that are having to be done. Um the proposed fees for one u one one gallon to 1,000 um that fee would go up to $500 from 350 from 1,1 gallon to two gall 2,000 gallons. Uh the current fee right now is 350 and they're looking at going up 600 for that one. And 2001 to 3,000 gallons, the current fee is $400 and they're looking to go up to 700 and over 3,000 gallons u per day. Um u the current fee right now is $500 and then looking at going up to 800. And in the packets there was some information about neighboring counties and fees and um you know income wise and also size. Looking at your feet playing in your package is about lining up with other surrounding county. We're still on the lower end. Yeah, we're still on the lower end. We're conservative but um Jason and crew felt that just incremental would be um wise for them. Absolutely. And these are what they call the perk test, right? Where they go out and do the perk test, then they design the tank after they take all those soil samples and everything, right? Yes. And Jason's here if there's any questions for him when he text. I've just always heard him refer to as per test. I thought that's what you were talking about. That's what it is.

Well, Mr. Edwards, I would tell you this that um Jason and his team is doing an excellent job. They're doing a great job for whole county. I've been doing that for a few years. We appreciate the work that you're doing out there, Jason, and your team. Thank you, Commissioner McC. I would like to um offer a motion to approve the uh whole county health department proposed environmental fees. Okay. Second motion to second approve it. All that time cons I have approved. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All righty. CL to the board. You got some uh surplus property. Yes sir. This is a resolution to authorize advertisement offer to purchase surplus property. It's in proximity of lane. The parcel number is214. The bid offer amount is for $3,168 and that does cover taxes as well as the cost and it is in line with the surplus property guidelines as well. Okay, wish the board. Chairman, I'll make a motion to approve. A second. Second. Motion second to approve. All had time consider with I I have it. That's it from you clerk. That's all you have. Good ad number six item. I'm going to tell you why I add it, but what I just wanted to add it so I can talk about it. I want us have a workshop date that we can set pretty quick. We just approved our budget and we know there going to be some changes and hater service and also the health department and probably some other departments before we get into this budget too deep this fit year. We need to go in and grab it, research it, look at it again to make sure that we have dollars that our seniors can continue to get meals on wheels and can get hot meals at home. We

can go down senior service and eat meal. also make sure that we that the uh the dollars that come from the federal government for school lunchon, we need to take a peep at that to make sure that in case something happen, we have the dollars available to make sure that every child that will be able to get a hot meal in school. Some don't get a good meal at home, but school is where some of them get the best meal. and our senior that have to go to the doctor hospital Chapel Hill and certain places that is something that hats does for us but it take money that program is a service that we offer that you know we always go in the hole with it and we're going to go deeper if we don't take a look at it at this time and for as the grants and the different dollars Medicaid and Medicare is on it has been cut will be cut and on the chopping block and I just want to make sure that whole county we get a hit of it so when he cuts start coming in, however they come, that we be ahead of it. That our citizen is first in the morning here that none of them have to suffer from these issues, especially the seniors and the children and along the rest of all of us are soon moving into the senior area. Some of us already in it, but those of us not moving close. And I'm one of those that's already in it. So, um, I like for us to go back and look at some things in that budget, look at the whole budget and see what it is we can do different. See what it is we can do with some line items. As you know that we have a line item budget and all the dollars put into different line items from different departments. So, I like to go back and research and see if there any ways anywhere anyhow that we can hold those dollars for those seniors or children or those who need Medicaid, Medicare Whatever the cut going to be, this is the time to do it because I just start a new budget and all the money is still on hand. As you get deep into it, the money won't be there to do it. So, I

want to make sure that H County is taken care of and that our citizen have the best opportunity anywhere in the state. We number one county in the state of North Carolina. We want to say that and we do that by getting ahead of the ball game. So, we start right now working on it, fixing it. I think we get ahead of it. I'd like to have a board if you would. Let's take a workshop one day quick as possible and look at that. M M Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. I just want it to be clear to the public that, you know, we just passed the budget um a day or two before June the deadline, June 30th. And we know that the big beautiful bill, I know you didn't mention it, but I'll mention it for you. The big beautiful bill passed um the 1st of July, got through the Senate 51 to 50. Um thank Tom Tillis for having good sense of trying to help save Medicaid. Uh but um the result of us having to go back now is because I was reading through the bill today actually because I run a program, a light heat program that DSS runs also here for the county. We run it for four counties for Native Americans. All 4.2 two uh billion dollars for the whole United States was cut out of that light heat program. In other words, uh in the winter time, it helps a lot of seniors with what they refer to it as the fuel checks. That's what they call them, the fuel checks. And what happens with that program is is that folks will come in and if they qualify, and it's income based, they qualify incomebased. Then what you do is you give them a certain amount of money to the vendor. If it's Rayford oil company or the light company, if they heat by electricity, you send it to the light company. You

don't send it to the person. You know, a very good program. And the whole thing was cut out of the budget, all four point. So that means this coming up fall or winter when folks are coming to DSS looking for money to help seniors, they're not going to be a dime there for them unless somebody during appropriation puts this money back in the budget. So, let's just be clear while we're having to turn around after passing a budget that we've got to have a meeting now because of the big beautiful bill that has been passed. And that is going to cause us to have to probably cut some other programs so that we can help with some of these programs that are going to be in dire need probably by the time this budget goes into full effect October one. So, I just want to I I want to put that out there so everybody understands. We didn't miscalculate. We didn't mess up our numbers. We We know how to figure revenue f versus expenses. Well, some of us been doing it quite some time now. This lady's been doing it for a long time. And our finance people, we knew exactly what we were doing. But then here when the big beautiful bill was passed and made all the social cuts, the social programs that help elderly people, elderly people and children and children is what mostly got cut out of this budget. They referred to one of the reasons that they took it out of their budget was a U audit that was done in 2010. 2010 15 years ago that found 11,000 people that got uh like he persistence and somebody may say that's a lot of people got like he persisted that

shouldn't have gotten it but that's 11,000 people in the whole out of seven states in my department alone I served 3500 people last year 3500 people so a small program Just like mine served 3,500. 11,000 people probably weren't 1% of the total. See, they didn't list the total number of people that were served. They just list the few that got through the cracks. And there's not a program out here that we run that somebody don't get through the cracks. Somebody slips through. the when you have a one-sided administration that tries to find problems and then you know what's happening? It's coming to the state and you know what the state's going to do with it? They're going to send it right to the county. That's where they going to send it at. Public education. Millions and millions and millions of dollars just like you said for free lunches for poor children is going to be passed to the state. You think the state's going to take it up? No. They going to pass it right down here to this county. And unless we take it up, there'll be children that got to pay a $1.50 for lunch that don't have a $1.50, you know, and it's pitiful. It's really despicable is what it is. And I'm going to call it what it is, Mr. Chairman. and I'll gladly take a day off from work to spend another day trying to figure out how to help our people here in rural Hope County and to make sure that our citizens get served, our children get fed, and our elderly are able to go to the doctor and do what they need to do. Mr. Chairman, you pick a date, I'll take a day off. Mr. Yes, sir. I just want to echo uh Commissioner Hunt. I mean, he is he's right on point.

Not tomorrow. Just looking at the the the bill that passed. Uh $644 billion is going to be a tax break for the billionaires. $420 billion is going to be a a tax break for corporations. But they're going to take $700 billion and cut Medicaid. They're going to take 200 billion dollars and cut SNAP nutrition programs. And it keeps going on and on with education. So they they the rich is getting richer and the poor is definitely getting poorer. But on top of this, what you're not going to see is when you cut 720 billion in Medicaid, that's the equivalent of about 14 million people across the country. So, hypothetically speaking, for example, if you're on diialysis, if your Medicaid is cut, you're not going to get diialysis unless these um agencies wants to try to assist, which they can't really, and not pay their people. So, this is this is a immoral bill in my opinion. And it it trickles down. It started at the top, but it's going to trickle all the way down to to the local level. So, we have to, Mr. Chairman, meet and I I want to applaud you on your vision to say, "Let's come together now and and get this worked out because we going to have to make some changes to take care of our our people." That's that's our job. That was the oath that we took when we all took this office, that we're going to do what's right by the people of Hope County. Uh we're going to continue to pray. Uh that things get better. Uh but at the same time, we got to we God requires us to do some due diligence and making sure that we do the right thing. So, I applaud you, Mr. uh Chairman, on that. I I definitely stand with uh Commissioner Hunt on this, and I hope the whole board uh sees fit that we need to come together as soon as possible to make something happen for the whole county citizens.

Cuz when you cut Medicaid, it automatically cut Medicare automatic. When you take that type money from Medicaid, it's going to hurt Medicare. Medicare is to the worst of those who not able to do anything. Medicaid you can work do a little something. Medicare is to those who's just not able to do anything. It's the worst of the worst when you take from Medicare. I don't know the reaction yet that it going to have on self service. We know we're going to probably lose some lose some people. I don't know reaction it going to have on the health department those grant dollars and those different service and those different vaccines that we get and none of none of us know now. None of us know the effect. But to be proactive as as they have said, we need to go ahead now go back into our budget line items and have dollars to make sure that whole county is taken care of. You need saying this with one disease from your neighbor and you don't help get rid of it, it spread across the county. You might say it's not me. I don't have to worry about it. I got the money to go to the doctor. disease have no respect for money. None. So this it'll spread all through our county, whatever it is. So you have to keep what you need within your county. So I'm saying folks that we can meet this Wednesday morning at 10:00. 9:00. Mr. Chair, I make a motion. Yes, sir. I make a motion that we meet uh or we reset this meeting uh Commissioner u I mean Attorney Hunt to Wednesday morning at 9:00 uh to discuss u I would say some budget budget car issues. Madam, you please have your finance people present. Have them with the budget in the hand so we can discuss what step we must take now to be able to hit this head on. Yes. So, we'll recess it once once we're done. Yes. Okay.

That's how we get That's why we are number one. We get ahead of things. We do it full time. So, we can do it at the end at the end of the week. Let me sound good. Came up with All right. Miss man, is your report time? I just want to give the board an update. I I think I've told you that we're preparing for our audit. Um, but we have I just want to give the board an update of some of the things that we're doing within departments um to make us more efficient and move ahead. Finance is working on updating um our PO process. We are going to an online process to do POS that we're doing online. So that when I say online um it's electronic um approval that we're bringing that on board um so that we're doing all of that on by um electronic approval so that we have approval levels online so that we're doing that approval and we're bringing that online that's one of the things that when I brought coang on that was one of her projects that I've um asked her to do in our 25 26 year that we would start doing that it cuts down on and it puts everything in one place that I can look at them and she can look at them when we can see what POS are out there and the approvals and how much money we have and where we have everything at. So that process is moving along um for the board. So it it helps us with our exactly what you guys are asking us to do tomorrow. It lets us know where we're at at any time with our POS and what's out there. So um we're moving along with that. Um we're moving along with the rollover. Um you guys know that process is something that we do every year and we're moving along with that process with HR. Um and that's moving along. And one of the projects that was approved in the budget that the board approved um we're moving along with um um our tax administration that we're syncing um both of our systems um with tax assessors and the

tax collector's office and we're moving that along with finance. I mean with that so that everything Um and one of those projects um Daffany Dudley is moving that along for us and those things are being synced. So um we're moving that projects along with one of the budget things. So we are moving along with all of our departments um and I will continue to work with the departments and we will bring in more efficient um services within departments. Um, and if you know of any that you want us to move along, we are moving those along and we will continue to do that. So, those are the things that we're trying to become more friendlier in our departments. And um, one of the things that I will be doing in August and September, there will be mandatory training um, with our employees on customer service. I'm bringing someone in um to do that and they're going to be doing some of that training um now that I have a HR director that can do that. It'll be mandatory. It'll be kept up um because I'd like to make sure that our citizens um get good um customer service out of our employees and we're going to be providing some of that for our employees that they have to go to that um and we'll keep track of that and we'll start bringing on more of that for our um employees. That's all. That's all. Okay. Anyone else have anything? If not, uh, we take the motion to recess. Mr. Make a motion that we recess, uh, Wednesday. This Wednesday, July the 9th at 9:00 a.m. 9:00. Hearing coming at 9. Amen. I'll second it right. I'm sorry. I said 10. Did I thought he said 10? I said 10. Okay. Y'all said 10. I really want 10. I'd like to have 10. Okay. I second I second mine. I

You have to withdraw your motion. I Mr. Chairman, I withdraw withdraw my motion. Motion. I'd like to restate my motion. That's it. You're not second. All right. Restate your motion. I like to make a motion that we recess until July the 9th at 10:00. I got second to that motion, Tony. No. Second. Second. Second. Teddy is boy.