THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

 

Monday, April 7, 2003

 

9:00 A.M. Worksession

 

AGENDA

 

1.     Citizen Comments

 

The following citizens have requested time on the agenda to speak to the County Commissioners regarding domestic partner benefits (listed in the order received [left to right]):

 

Nancy Blood                  Cathy Chandler         Sharon A. Thompson

Aviva Shira Starr                    James Emery            Victoria Peterson

Sara Terry                        Doris Taylor             Pastor Donald Fozard Sr.

Angela McLean               Joy Foster            Mike Schmidt

Deacon Leondras Owens Jr.     Rosetta Jones             Alex S. Johnson

Cassandra Robinson        Alda Lawson           Boris Satterwhite

Sandra McNeil                 Melvin Talbert            Joyce A. Davis

Peggy McClain (?)                      Richard Mullinax     Fred Jones

 

Each citizen will be allowed three minutes to speak.

 

2.     Annual Report from the Durham County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

 

Bill Robbins, Chairperson for the Durham County Local Emergency Planning Committee, has requested time on the agenda to report activities of the previous year to the County Commissioners.  Mr. Robbins will also address some of the group’s goals and objectives for the upcoming year.

 

Resource Person(s): Jeffrey L. Batten, Durham County Fire Marshal, and William Robbins, Chairperson, Durham County LEPC

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: Receive the report and thank Mr. Robbins for the work of the LEPC in making our community safer.

 

3.     Water and Sewer Contract Amendment for Agreed Upon Procedures Between the County and City of Durham

 

The Board is requested to approve the joint City/County contract amendment with Dixon Odom for completion of the agreed upon procedures.  The amendment consists of a 111-day time extension and an additional contract amount not to exceed $25,000.  The responsibility for the cost is shared equally by the City and the County ($12,500 each).  Mr. Neal Dorman of Dixon Odom has provided an attachment describing the additional scope and estimate. 

 

The agreed upon procedures contract comprises two phases.  Phase I was completed December 31, 2002; Phase II began upon completion of Phase I.  After completion of Phase II, the project status was presented at the Joint City/County Committee meeting on March 11, 2003.  On Tuesday, March 4, 2003, the preliminary report was given to City/County staff participating in the project.  The report was reviewed in depth by staff.  Staff found inconsistencies, and therefore, was not willing to agree to the initial findings of the preliminary report.  Staff proceeded with further research.

 

The findings currently being researched by staff are:

·      The County’s remittance reports show receipts for addresses that were verified as County lines or City lines being serviced by the County basin but are not in Dixon Odom’s database.

·      Several remittance amounts that were based on payment (not consumption) were found to be significantly different between what was remitted to the County and Dixon Odom’s database.

·      Various commercial accounts only have nine billings instead of 12.

 

In performing this research, it has been proven that there is no clear 12-month remittance dollar amount to compare to Dixon Odom’s recalculation (e.g., no clear starting and ending point for the dollar amount to determine the overpayment/underpayment).  City and County staff and Neal Dorman of Dixon Odom have been conferring and attempting to find a method by which to reasonably determine a dollar amount for comparison.  The only answer is to match Dixon Odom’s findings to the actual County remittances for the agreed upon timeframe, create exception reports, and have staff research these exceptions.  This would give a beginning dollar amount that would be adjusted based on the outcome of the research. 

 

To perform the matching previously stated, these remittances must be converted into electronic format.  This methodology is not in the scope of the contract as it is currently written.  Staff is recommending approval of the amendment to include the conversion and the matching process. 

 

The retroactive approval date of March 11, 2003 is recommended to provide a continuous contract period for this project. 

 

Resource Person(s): Wendell M. Davis, Deputy County Manager; Glen Whisler, County Engineer; Susan Fox-Kirk, Deputy Finance Director; and Chuck Hill, Utility Division Manager

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: The Manager’s recommendation is that the Board suspend the rules and approve the amendment to the contract to include the change in scope, the increase in the estimated costs, and the extension for completion of Phase II.

 

4.     Fiscal Year 2003-04 Tax Base Estimation

 

Staff would like to make a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners on the tax base for the upcoming budget year.

 

Resource Person(s): Kenneth L. Joyner, Tax Administrator

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: The Manager’s recommendation is that the Board receive the presentation from the tax valuation working group.

 

5.     Durham County Youth Home Security Measures

 

At the March 26, 2003 Board of County Commissioners’ Worksession, the Board requested that staff return with a detailed recommendation regarding security measures needed to sustain the Youth Home.  Staff reported that the Youth Home could be maintained for several years at its current location with the addition of the following minimal security features:

 

1.          Additional staff (1.5 FTEs) for the night shift;

2.          Installation of caller ID telephone system;

3.          Purchase of radio equipment for staff;

4.          Fencing around the facility; and

5.          Installation of security camera system.

 

The additional 1.5 FTE staffing has been placed in the Youth Home’s FY 2003-04 budget request.  Staff recommends that the one-time security costs be funded this fiscal year from the County’s contingency fund.  Those costs are as follows:

 

Security cameras              $8,606

Radio 2-way                     $1,794

Upgrade telephone system           $1,851

Fence                                       $19,984

Total                                         $32,235

 

Resource Person(s): Carolyn P. Titus, Deputy County Manager and Angela Nunn, Youth Home Director

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board receive the recommendation and place a budget amendment on the Board’s April 14, 2003 meeting agenda to fund the security measures through the County’s contingency fund.

 

6.     Review of Memorandum of Understanding with Durham Public Schools

 

Durham County Board of Commissioners and Durham Public Schools Board of Education have agreed to develop annual Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to strategically identify issues/initiatives of mutual interest.  The agreement is largely an effort to ensure strong channels of communication between both boards while working to improve the quality of education for students attending Durham Public Schools. 

 

The two boards have a joint meeting scheduled for April 28, 2003, part of which will be devoted to a discussion of a MOU for the 2003-2004 School Year.  The Manager will conference with Superintendent Denlinger prior to that meeting and would like to propose any Board-desired changes for her consideration.

 

Resource Person(s): Mike Ruffin, County Manager 

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: The Manager recommends that the Board review the existing MOU and advise staff of any additional changes or issues that should be incorporated in the FY 2003-2004 MOU.

 

7.     Local Option Sales Tax

 

On February 3, 2003, the Board of County Commissioners authorized a letter to the City of Durham regarding the impact of the half-cent sales tax on City and County coffers.  The letter requested that the City “give some consideration to sharing the surplus that was created…when the Board of County Commissioners decided to impose the additional half-cent sales tax."  Since the receipt of that letter, City and County staffs have entered into negotiations to determine if a satisfactory solution could be reached.  The two Managers recently agreed on a change for their respective boards to consider.  Essentially, the City Manager has agreed to the County Manager’s proposal to share 50% of its “net gain" with the County, but only for the next five fiscal years.  While both boards must approve the agreement that has been reached between the two Managers, the County Manager believes that an equitable settlement has been reached.

 

Resource Person(s): Mike Ruffin, County Manager; Chuck Kitchen, County Attorney;  and Pam Meyer, Budget and Management Services Director

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: The Manager recommends that the Board agree to the terms and conditions as outlined in a March 31, 2003 letter from the City Manager to the County Manager for sharing the gain that the City of Durham realizes from the new one-half cent sales tax.

 

8.     Budget Presentation for Nonprofit Agencies Applying for FY 2003-2004 Funding

 

To hear presentations from several nonprofit organizations regarding their requests for funding in Budget Year 2003-2004.

 

Resource Person(s): Pam Meyer, Budget Director, and presenters from the nonprofit organizations.

 

County Manager’s Recommendation: Receive input from speakers and incorporate in your deliberations prior to finalizing next fiscal year’s budget.