Briefs and shorts from the March 2010 CountyLines

New commissioners take seats on Cumberland, Pasquotank boards

Cumberland and Pasquotank counties welcomed new commissioners March 1, and both commissioners hope voters will return them to their respective boards this November.

In Cumberland County, Phillip Gilfus, a 29-year-old attorney, was sworn in to serve the remaining nine months on the term of Breeden Blackwell, an NCACC past president who resigned at the end of January. Gilfus has filed for an at-large seat on the Board.

Charles Jordan was sworn in as a Pasquotank County commissioner March 1. He will serve as the Board's Northern Outside representative through December, completing the term of the late Jimmie Harris, who died Jan. 18. Jordan, a member of the county's Planning Board, filed as a candidate for an at-large seat on the Board of Commissioners.

Hyde County commissioners consider unification

Hyde County commissioners continue to discuss the possibility of putting a referendum on unified government before voters this year.

In July 2006, Camden County became the nation's first to gain "unified government" status, giving the Board of Commissioners the statutory authority to exercise most municipal functions. Camden County has the unique distinction of being a member of the NCACC and N.C. League of Municipalities.

The unification means no community is allowed to incorporate. There are no incorporated areas within Hyde County.

Hyde County Attorney Sid Hassell told the Board of Commissioners that the county would receive an estimated $250,000 – $300,000 annually in shared electrical and gas utilities revenues from the N.C. Department of Revenue.

H399 was adopted by the General Assembly in 2005 and added language to Chapter 153A of the General Statutes that defined unified government. In addition to Camden and Hyde, Currituck County met the criteria to hold a referendum on unified government – something the county did unsuccessfully in 2005.

Legislative committee to study ABC system reform

A new General Assembly study committee will examine the state's alcoholic beverage control system and discuss ways to reform it, legislative leaders said Feb. 18. The Joint Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control, comprised of legislators and a cross-section of public members representing various perspectives, will make recommendations to the General Assembly prior to the legislative session that begins in May.

Hertford County Commissioner Howard Hunter III was appointed to the committee to represent counties by Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight. Sen. Don Vaughan of Guilford County and Rep. Ray Warren of Alexander County will co-chair the committee.

"Our ABC system needs to evolve just like any other business," said Speaker of the House Joe Hackney. "We need to determine how best to make these changes and bring our system in line with modern-day standards of ethics and transparency."

The NCACC opposes changes to the system proposed in 2009 legislation due to the usurpation of local control. Governor Beverly Perdue in January said she is considering proposing privatizing the ABC system, something the NCACC also opposes due to the potential loss of local revenues.

For background on the ABC system, visit www.ncacc.org/documents/2010issues_abc.pdf. For information on the legislative committee, visit www.ncleg.net, click on the "Committees" link at the top of the page, and select "Joint Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control" from the dropdown menu.

Cabarrus, Macon counties eliminate positions

Counties continue to struggle along with the economy, and at least two counties took drastic measures in February in attempts to curtail budget deficits.

Macon County commissioners on Feb. 8 eliminated the full-time position of county attorney and accepted the resignation of Lesley Moxley, who had held the position since 2006. The Board then voted to retain Chester Jones, who also serves as Clay County attorney, to provide legal services as needed.

Cabarrus County on Feb. 22 announced that due to an anticipated $6 million revenue shortfall, it had eliminated 76 positions and laid off 65 employees (11 of the positions were vacant).

"Unfortunately, there were no other viable options," said County Manager John Day. "We knew four years ago that there would be a gap between expenses and revenues in fiscal year 2011. We planned for that in the five-year plan by proposing a property tax increase and a sales tax referendum to offset costs of school construction and other capital projects.

"However, with 1,400 foreclosed homes and an unemployment rate of 12.1 percent, we cannot consider a tax increase this year."

Furloughs also are being considered, and the county is offering an incentive to encourage eligible employees to retire. The county also announced reduced hours at county-operated parks and libraries.

Scouts celebrate centennial
The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 1 adopted a resolution in appreciation of the contributions of scouting for the past 100 years. Scouts from left to right are Gus Wagoner, Ben Reales, Jesse McCall, Stephen Moncrief, Jacob Woodel, Ben Cornett, Justin Adkins, Jacob Cleary, David Cox, Gavin Joines, Michael Lee, Ethan Binion, Julian Castillo and Matthew Hettleman. Commissioners, from left to right, are Milly Richardson, Vice Chairman Randy Miller, Chairman Ken Richardson, Doug Murphy and Steve Roten. (Photo courtesy Bob Matthias)

NCACC Past President Carey named Secretary of Administration

Former Orange County Commissioner Moses Carey Jr., a past president of the NCACC, was appointed Secretary of Administration by Governor Beverly Perdue on Feb. 19. The post became available when former Secretary of Administration Britt Cobb was named the governor's new chief of staff. Carey was serving as chairman of the Employment Security Commission.

The Department of Administration, created in 1957, oversees Government Operations such as building construction, purchasing and contracting for goods and services, managing state vehicles, acquiring and disposing of real property, and operating auxiliary services such as courier mail delivery and the sale of state and federal surplus property.

Haywood County swings deal for former Wal-Mart property

It appears Haywood County got a really good deal at Wal-Mart. The county signed off on a contract Feb. 10 to purchase a 14-acre property that includes a building that used to house Wal-Mart operations. The county purchased the property for $6.6 million. Renovations are expected to add as much as $5.9 million before the county can move departments into the facility.

"When you take a look at trying to find 14 acres, already flat, already paved with a building on it, you'd be hard-pressed finding one at that price," Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick told The Mountaineer. "You might find 14 acres somewhere, but not graded and paved. If you compare what we will be paying and what it would cost to construct buildings that will accommodate both the social service and health departments, I think we saved a lot of money."

School of Government tackles 'Budget-Balancing Tactics'

The School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill has announced a new resource for local government officials as they prepare and adopt their budgets for fiscal year 2010-11, which will be another challenging financial year for officials across the country.

"Budget-Balancing Tactics in Local Government," by David Ammons and Trevor Fleck, draws on news reports nationwide and survey findings in North Carolina to identify a broad array of cost-cutting and revenue-enhancing approaches currently used by local governments to cope with the growing budget crisis.

Cost-cutting methods discussed include hiring freezes, delayed facility and infrastructure maintenance, across-the-board cuts in departmental budgets, service cutbacks, purchasing and travel restrictions, equipment cutbacks, employee position reductions, furloughs and retirement incentives. Examples of revenue-enhancing ideas addressed in the book are fee increases, tax increases, asset sales, increased reliance on grants, the leasing of government assets to outside parties and greater reliance on reserve funds.

The publication is available for free viewing online or purchased at www.sog.unc.edu. To view or order, click on the "Publications" link at the top of the page and enter the publication title in the search field.

County Health Rankings provide snapshot of health in each state

Wake and Orange counties placed tops in the state in the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states, released Feb. 17 by the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The reports, available at www.countyhealthrankings.org, are meant to help leaders compare their county with others to find ways to improve their community's health.

The report ranks each county in every state on how healthy people are and how long they live. Counties also are ranked on key factors that affect health such as smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care providers, rates of high school graduation, rates of violent crime, air pollution levels, liquor store density, unemployment rates and number of children living in poverty.

The online rankings include snapshots of U.S. counties with a color-coded map that compares each county's overall health with other counties in each state.

Five counties planning anniversary celebrations in 2011

Transylvania County got a jumpstart in February on plans for its 150th birthday celebration in 2011. With Commissioner Mike Hawkins leading the Sesquicentennial Committee, the county has held two planning meetings with residents to discuss venues for events and topics.

In addition to Transylvania, Clay and Mitchell counties will celebrate their 150th anniversaries next year. Avery and Hoke counties will commemorate the 100th anniversary of their formation dates in 2011. Pitt County is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year.

For a list of county formation dates and parent counties, visit www.ncacc.org/countyformationdates.html.

Pitt County tops state in annual recycling rankings

The total amount of material recycled last year by North Carolina municipalities and counties increased by 40,000 tons from the previous fiscal year, according to the North Carolina Solid Waste Annual Report. The tonnage increase represents a 3.2 percent rise during a year in which total landfill disposal fell by 12.2 percent.

The county rankings, released by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, show the wide range of performance across the state and once again challenge some conventional thinking about why some counties do better than others. For example, although poorer, rural counties might be expected to struggle with recycling, the top 10 counties include some remote jurisdictions that have consistently performed well in the state rankings.

Examples of small rural counties performing consistently well in the recycling rankings include Swain, Macon, Pamlico, Polk, Dare and Watauga counties. The performance of Haywood County, which just missed the top 10 with a per capita recovery rate of 212.87 pounds, showed the effects of a new level of effort and range of recycling programs implemented in the past two years that almost doubled the county's per capita recovery from two years ago to last year.

Note: Yard waste, tires and some special wastes excluded from totals to allow consistent comparisons from year-to-year.

PIO organization to hold conference in Cabarrus County

County and municipal public information officials from across the state will gather in Cabarrus County on April 28-30 for the North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) Annual Conference. Covered topics include integrating digital media and Web sites, citizen engagement, public records law in the digital age, online video, and the changing role of the PIO.

The $50 registration fee is priced to fit today's tight budget. For more information, visit www.nc3c.com.

LGFCU adds county officials to advisory councils

The Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU) on Feb. 9 named 11 county officials to its advisory councils. Advisory council members, who represent the philosophical character of the credit union and contribute their time without compensation, serve as liaisons between credit union members and non-members and LGFCU management.

January appointees include: Davie County Deputy Register of Deeds Hannah Keller (Central Piedmont Council); Catawba County Sheriff's Office CEO Coy Reid (Foothills); Randolph County Sheriff Maynard Reid (North Piedmont); Ashe County Director of Environmental Services Phillip Hurley and Wilkes County Public Health Nurse Denise Monahan (Northern Mountain); Orange County Cooperative Extension Agent Deborah Taylor (Triangle); Wayne County Assistant EMS Manager Jennings Rhodes III and Sheriff's Detective Richard Winders Jr. (Triangle East); Graham County Paramedic Jeffrey Ennis and Board of Elections Director Susan Farley, and Carol Schley, a retired employee of the Macon County Sheriff's Office (Western Mountain).

Shorts

Alamance: Commissioners on Feb. 15 approved the final bid on a $9.5 million county facilities improvement plan that includes roofing work on the Human Services Building and renovations to the old courthouse. … M.J. Goodrum took over as library director March 8. … Chowan: County Manager Peter Rascoe was appointed by Governor Beverly Perdue to the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund Board of Trustees in February. … Craven: The Sheriff's Office and jail operations are tentatively scheduled to move into the new $30 million County Judicial Center by the end of March. The new jail includes 292 beds. … Edgecombe: Voters in the county's Water and Sewer District 4 will decide May 4 whether to approve $4.5 million in general obligation bonds to purchase land for and fund the construction and installation of a new water system. … Hyde: Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Barry Swindell resigned his seat Feb. 26. Swindell's first term was to expire in December and he did not file for re-election. … Mark O'Mara took over as Emergency Medical Services director in December. He previously served 26 years with Davie County EMS. ... Moore: Caroline Xiong took over as interim finance director at the end of February following the resignation of Lisa Hughes, who served as finance director for almost 15 years. Xiong is a 10-year county veteran.