Briefs from the October 2009 CountyLines

Lee County voters to consider quarter-cent sales tax

Lee County commissioners will use proceeds from a quarter-cent sales tax to pay for renovations to Lee County High School if voters approve the measure Nov. 3. The tax is estimated to generate $1.23 million each year. The referendum previously failed in May 2008.

Orange looks good in pink Orange County Emergency Services personnel donned original pink shirts and caps in October in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. From left to right, Catherine Lockamy, Melissa Ayscue, Stephanie Gilmore and Brad Feren model the new attire, which was designed by a county 911 telecommunicator. The county enlisted sponsors to fund the project in full. One in eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Early detection methods offering the best chance for survival include monthly breast self-exams and yearly mammography especially after the age of 40. (Photo courtesy David Hunt/Orange County)

County Manager John Crumpton told the Board of Commissioners on Aug. 17 prior to a vote on whether to place the referendum on the ballot that the county had no debt capacity at current tax levels.

At least two other counties – Harnett and Rowan – will ask voters in November to give commissioners authority to levy the quarter-cent sales tax.

Swain to close offices five days, furlough employees

The Swain County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 8 to institute mandatory furloughs for the county's 190 employees to help cover a budget shortfall. County government will be closed Oct. 30; Dec. 10, 23 and 31; and Jan. 19, 2010, in order to achieve the mandated 40-hour furlough for employees. Emergency medical technicians and dispatch personnel, meanwhile, will see their salaries trimmed by 2 percent.

Sheriff's Office employees will not be subject to furloughing.

New Hanover County consolidates three agencies

New Hanover County has announced that effective Oct. 20, the Parks Department, Airlie Gardens, and the Senior Resource Center will consolidate. Airlie Gardens Director Jim McDaniel will oversee the new combined agency, and Parks Director Neal Lewis will serve as an assistant director.

According to County Manager Bruce Shell, the move will make county government more customer service focused and streamlined. Shell said he expects the move will lead to future efficiencies and opportunities in programming costs and resource allocation.

In July, the county consolidated the Emergency Management and Public Safety Communications (911) departments. Services once offered by the Human Relations Department were also eliminated to trim costs.

Buncombe opens Human Services satellite office

Buncombe County opened its first Human Services satellite office Oct. 5. "Buncombe County Human Services – West" will co-locate social services, health and mental health services as well as substance abuse and aging services. The Leicester office will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The opening of this satellite office is a part of the county's ongoing efforts to ensure that every citizen eligible for support services can receive those services as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Henderson County lands prestigious planning award

Henderson County's Land Development Code (LDC) was awarded the 2009 North Carolina Marvin Collins Planning Award on Oct. 2 during the N.C. Annual Planning Conference. The award, presented by the N.C. Chapter of the American Planning Association (NCAPA), recognizes plans, programs and processes of unusually high merit adopted or enacted in the current or past two calendar years.

The LDC, adopted by the Board of Commissioners in September 2007, combines all land development ordinances into one user-friendly growth-management document drafted to accomplish the county's 2020 Comprehensive Plan.

The LDC is original in its content and approach to managing growth and development, and includes density based zoning regulations as opposed to requiring minimum lot size. The LDC provides greater flexibility, supports the preservation of rural character, and encourages appropriate development where necessary infrastructure is available. The development of the LDC from drafting to adoption took just under three years.

The NCAPA award committee found this document to be a "good model of a Unified Development Ordinance, well laid-out and easily replicable by another community." The committee stated that "the principles and objectives are listed and explained, and a particular strength is the Code's linkage to the County's Comprehensive Plan."

Census data from 1960s, 70s and 80s now online and searchable

Looking for insight into just how rapid and dramatic North Carolina has changed over the past five decades? A digital project at the State Library of North Carolina has made state census data from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s fully searchable online for the first time. The collection, housed in file folders at the State Data Center since it was created from federal census data decades ago, contains invaluable county- and state-level demographics information and enumeration district maps from 80 counties.

The majority of the data dates from the 1980 Census, however the maps, as well as counts of population and housing data, are available from the 1960 Census, and "Selected Characteristics" for 99 of 100 counties are available from the 1970 Census. The collection is available at statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/dimp/digital/census/index.html.

Clawson collects annual honor from county finance association

Dare County Finance Director David Clawson received Outstanding County Finance Officer honors for 2008-09 during the N.C. Association of County Finance Officers fall meeting, held Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in Craven County.

Officers sworn in during the conference include: President Susan Blumenstein (Iredell), First Vice President Donna Clark (Buncombe), Second Vice President Dee Meshaw (Carteret), Secretary/Treasurer Michael Felts (Granville) and Past President Lynne Anderson (Nash).

Students get intimate look at Northampton County Government

The Northampton County Board of Commissioners kicked off an internship program of sorts in September. Each month, a select high school student will be allowed to sit in on county meetings and will receive materials such as duplicate board packets.

Arthur Jones, a senior at Northampton County High School-West, was the first student to participate in the program.

"I had a dream to reach out to young people and let them see how the county operates," Chairman Robert Carter told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. "Let's try to encourage them every chance we get."

Cipriani honored twice at Register of Deeds conference

Rockingham County's Rebecca Cipriani walked away with two top awards at the N.C. Association of Registers of Deeds' 57th Annual Conference, held Sept. 19-22 in Raleigh. She received the Outstanding Register of Deeds award from the NCACC as well as the Eunice Ayers Distinguished Service Award.

"This has been an extremely difficult year to be a Register of Deeds in this state," Cipriani said. "There were 55 bills introduced as legislation in the General Assembly that impacted our offices. I think this is a testament to the importance of our offices and its impact on other governmental entities, business partners and the public."

Elected to serve as the organization's president last September, Cipriani passed the gavel to Duplin County's Davis Brinson at the conference.

NACo makes available new guide on jail population management

Through its partnership with NACo, the Pretrial Justice Institute has released a guide that provides detailed information for elected county policy makers on how to manage resources at the front end of the criminal justice system.

"Jail Population Management: Elected County Officials' Guide to Pretrial Services" shows counties how they can ensure the most effective and efficient use of local resources by implementing proven policies and procedures during the pretrial stage of the criminal justice system. U.S. Department of Justice data shows that nearly two-thirds of the nation's jail population is awaiting adjudication of a charge. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Joyner awarded by IAAO

Ken Joyner, a lecturer in public finance and government with the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, was honored by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) with the Instructor of the Year Award for 2009 during the organization's 75th anniversary conference, held Sept. 13-16 in Louisville.

Joyner joined the SOG in January 2008. He previously served as tax administrator for Durham, Chatham, Harnett and Onslow counties. In 2008 he received IAAO's Member of the Year Award.

Ware leads Tar Heel contingent on NADO Board

Timothy Ware, executive director of the Mid-East Commission in Washington, N.C., was elected first vice president of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) on Sept. 1 during NADO's 42nd annual training conference in Chicago. Ware began his tenure with the Mid-East Commission in 1994 as fiscal director and assistant executive director. He was named executive director in 2002.

Two regional councils of government executive directors were elected to the 2009-10 Board of Directors: Timmy Baynes (Kerr-Tar) and Joe McKinney (Land-of-Sky).

In addition, the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments received a 2009 Innovation Award during the conference for its Public/Private Partners in Building Restoration. NADO's Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and partnering organizations for improving the economic and community competitiveness of the nation's regions and local communities. Franklin County Commissioner Sidney Dunston and COG officials were on-hand to accept the award, which was presented during the conference.

NADO was founded in 1967 to provide training, information and representation for regional development organizations throughout the United States.

Orange County's online home gets a makeover

Orange County launched a redesigned Web site in September. The site can be accessed via www.co.orange.nc.us or www.orangecountync.gov. Along with a new look and feel, the site provides new online services and information.

Departmental webmasters, who understand the services of their respective departments and are up-to-date on current and new activities, are providing the bulk of updates. The launch of the Web site represents a significant cross-departmental collaborative effort, coordinated by the Information Technologies Department.

Correction

We inadvertently omitted Cumberland County Commissioner Marshall Faircloth's name from the photo of the winning team of the annual free throw competition that ran on page 8 of September's issue. Faircloth is pictured with Bertie County's L.C. Hoggard, Hertford County's Howard Hunter III and Guilford County's Skip Alston.

SHORTS

Alexander: Hayden Bentley retired as sheriff Sept. 30 with 14 months left in his second term. … Catawba: Fred Miller retired Sept. 30 after 20 years as Cooperative Extension director. … Cumberland: The N.C. Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials named Emergency Services Director Kenneth Currie as its Communications Center Director of the Year in September. Currie has more than 25 years' experience serving the county. He also serves as fire marshal. … Forsyth: Joe Bartel retired at the end of September after 24 years as the county's director of budget and management and 30 years with the county. ... Graham: Erma Orr-Phillips was appointed chief tax assessor Sept. 14 following the resignation of Blair Hyder. Orr-Phillips previously held the position. The county is currently completing a revaluation. … Iredell: Former Commissioner Andrew Jennings "Jack" Waring, who served as board chairman from 1966-68, died Sept. 13. … The Board of Commissioners approved a master land-use plan – the 2030 Horizon Plan – on Sept. 15. … Lincoln: Commissioners transferred control of 911 Communications from the Sheriff's Office to Emergency Management on Sept. 14. … McDowell: J. Hubert Haynes, who served as sheriff from 1966-78, died Sept. 21 at the age of 88. Haynes' son, Jim, recently retired as Richmond County manager. … Pasquotank: Bill Stevens retired as tax administrator Sept. 30. He served in the tax office since 1978 and was succeeded by another tax office veteran: Patrice Stewart, a 27-year county employee, took over as acting tax administrator on Oct. 1. … Polk: The county's 1859 courthouse celebrated its 150th birthday in September. … Richmond: Commissioners were told in September that construction of the new judicial center should be completed by May 2010.