Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting Tuesday, January 12, 2016

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1 Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting Tuesday, January 12, 2016 Call to Order and Opening Prayer The meeting was called to order at 6:05 pm. Board members present were: Mayor Scott Chadwick, Mayor Pro Tem Keagy, Commissioner John Lister, Commissioner Frank Tursi, and Commissioner Roy Herrick. Commissioner Pat Turner was absent. Mayor Chadwick provided the opening prayer and led the pledge of allegiance. Public Comment Mike Puca of 414 Matthew Andrew Court spoke about ongoing drainage issues in the Deer Run subdivision. He stated that Public Works Director and Town Manager had looked at the issues. He informed that he had contacted every Town Manager the Town has had for the last 8 years regarding the drainage problems and would really like a resolution. Water had backed up all the way to his garage even when the rainfall was not excessive. Mayor Chadwick shared that staff was looking into a resolution. Adoption of Agenda and Consent Items Commissioner Lister moved to switch the order of items a. Fire Apparatus Update and b. Jacksonville Rescue Equipment Donation and to adopt the agenda as amended. Commissioner Herrick seconded the motion with unanimous approval. Business Non-Consent Jacksonville Rescue Equipment Donation Fire Chief Harold Henrich shared that the former Jacksonville Rescue Squad donated rescue equipment and a 22' flat bottom boat to the Fire Department. The boat was in excellent condition and was ready to be put in service once title transfer was complete and boat re-lettered. The boat would replace the department's aging boat that had been out of service since July 4, 2015 with engine issues. The donated equipment was valued at approximately $50,000. Fire Apparatus Update Chief Henrich provided an update on vehicle maintenance issues during the first half of the FY 2015/2016 budget year. During the holidays, the two main pumper trucks had to be taken in for maintenance and repair. Chief Henrich reported that both trucks were out of service again for different issues. In October, all the vehicles in the department received bumper to bumper maintenance. Chief Henrich shared that while being serviced he discovered that that several of the oil and fuel filters were dated His explanation was that in prior years, funding for vehicle maintenance had been cut. Maintenance funding for prior years was; FY 12/13 $12, FY 13/14 $12, FY 14/15 $21, Page 1 of 20

2 FY 15/16 included $21,000 for maintenance, but $38,000 had been spent to date. Several other line items had been adjusted to cover the costs of the additional repairs. Repairs costs to date were: Pumper 1704 $15, Pumper 1705 $10, Tanker 1707 $ 2, Expedition 1712 $ Ladder Truck 1717 $ 7, Chief Henrich shared that the department had been forced in past years to pick and choose which trucks were serviced because of budget cuts. Therefore, several of the vehicles had not been properly maintained or even serviced at all for as long as 2 years. Responding to an inquiry from the Board, Chief Henrich informed that the normal life expectancy of fire department trucks was 20 years with regular maintenance. The approximate cost for an oil change and maintenance on trucks 1704 and 1705 was approximately $7, Budget Forecast and Discussion Manager Chase and department directors reviewed Fiscal Year 15/16 closeout projections and introduced Fiscal Year 16/17 equipment and personnel needs. Manager Chase stated that the exercise was not only important for assessing how the Town would close out the present year, but also provided a foundation for the preparation of the FY budget. Staff hoped this budget forecast and discussion would provide an opportunity for the Board to set some goals and expectations that would begin to take shape as progress was made into the FY process. Page 2 of 20

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4 Town Clerk Paula Webb reviewed projections for the Governing Body department, and reviewed options for the Board s annual Planning Retreat. Following discussion it was decided that the Manager and Clerk would facilitate the Retreat to be held in Swansboro. Manager Chase indicated that there may be potential surplus of $6,449 within the Governing Body department budget. Page 4 of 20

5 In the Administration, the Clerk shared that Administrative Service Representative Darla Howard, would be transitioning to Finance to fill a vacancy. A majority of the duties performed by this position in Admin Services were related to water and sewer billing. Onslow Water and Sewer Authority funded a large portion of the salary for this position. Staff would seek replacement for the position, perhaps through the Coastal Carolina Work Force program if a suitable applicant was available. The Board inquired about updating the website. Staff had obtained a quote a couple of months ago from Gov Office at $6000. The Clerk explained that an update could provide a look more tailored to Swansboro, but the content of the site would not necessarily change. If content changes were needed most could be done by staff, they just needed to be expressed. Manager Chase shared that a number of Human Resource functions had been absorbed into Administration and Finance. Projected surplus from the HR department, which had been dissolved, was $14,000. Some of the duties assumed by the Manager and Clerk are highlighted below. Page 5 of 20

6 In the Finance, other HR duties, such as payroll and timesheet management were being assumed by the Finance Director. Staff was looking at outsourcing the payroll which would include the installation of timeclocks and some HR support approximately $8000. The Finance Director would still oversee the final payroll amounts prior to check distribution. It was noted that additional costs would be incurred in Finance with the staff transition as discussed under Administration. Page 6 of 20

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8 In Public Works, Director Jim Stipe discussed year end projections, department needs and items that could be surpluses. There was interest in the purchase of a lift for various jobs within the department. Public Works rented a lift twice a year at a cost of $1000 per rental for installation/removal of Christmas Lights. Downtown, seasonal banners were changed out by department personnel, but safety concerns warrantied the use of a lift to change out the banners. Other items, Director Stipe was reviewing for FY 16/17 are shown below. Page 8 of 20

9 Items that could be surpluses were: Page 9 of 20

10 Director Stipe briefly discussed street maintenance and paving priorities. Page 10 of 20

11 There was also discussion on the condition and possible usage or demolition of the water tank on the Public Works grounds. Staff recommended demolition. Director Stipe shared that he and the Manager were working on a plan of action to address the Deer Run draining issues and other drainage issues around town. The estimated cost of a drainage study with recommendations was $6,500. Page 11 of 20

12 There was a brief recess from 8:15 pm to 8:33 pm. After reconvening, the Board moved onto the next agenda item and returned later to budget discussions. Page 12 of 20

13 Budget Ordinance Amendment # In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission mandated that all VHF radios be narrow-banded. Onslow County had assisted in providing the Town with some 800 MHZ radios when the mandate was put into place. However, additional radios were needed in the Fire Department at a cost of $36,939. Options for funding were: a budget amendment from the General Fund or an interdepartmental transfer of funds from the Police Department where surplus was expected. Mayor Pro Tem Keagy moved to approve the interdepartmental transfer from the Police Department to the Fire Department in the amount of $36,939. Seconded by Commissioner Herrick and unanimous approval. Budget Discussion (continued) In the Planning, Manager Chase explained that several projects were on the horizon and he felt it important to proceed with hiring a fulltime Planner. Board members agreed and urged him to proceed accordingly. Page 13 of 20

14 Parks & Recreation Director, Brittany Shipp gave an update on the Trillium Play Together Grant award. Two design layouts had been received and she was awaiting a third. Once a layout/contractor was selected she anticipated the construction to take 4 to 6-weeks. Year-end projections and various park repairs and maintenance were discussed. Director Shipp sought direction on seeking grant opportunities to assist with some of the repairs/maintenance. Page 14 of 20

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19 Discussion resulted in direction to proceed with repairs/maintenance to Main Street Dock and Ward Shore utilizing current budgeted funds. Utilize the Town s Parks Reserve fund ($75,000) where needed to make repairs/maintenance to Bicentennial Park and to seek grant opportunities to offset the cost of repairs. Seek grant opportunities for repairs/updates to Pineland Park. Other information provided regarding Parks and Recreation, but to be discussed at a later date was: Page 19 of 20

20 Lastly, Director Shipp shared that the bid documents for the Church Street Gazebo project would soon go out with bid award expected in early February. Projection completion would be May In the Police Department, Manager Chase shared that there was an urgent need for administrative personnel for the front office at the Public Safety Building. Administrative duties had been performed by a volunteer in the past and included answering the phone, obtaining police reports, fingerprints, etc. Manager Chase recommended a part-time position be funded within the current budget. The need for full-time could be reassessed during FY 16/17 review. Also, with the promotion of Ken Jackson to Police Chief, the Investigator position needed to be filled, which was already funded. Board members agreed with a part time position for the Police Department perhaps through the CCCC Work Force Program. Public Comment No further comments were offered. Manager s Comments Manager Chase indicated that he would provide a monthly report at the January 26, 2016 meeting. Board Comments Commissioner Tursi commented that he felt that there should be more focus on planning and the Unified Development Ordinance needed updating. Adjournment On a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Keagy, seconded by Commissioner Herrick, the meeting was adjourned at 9:22 pm by unanimous vote. Attest: Approved by the Board of Commissioners: Paula W. Webb, Town Clerk Scott Chadwick, Mayor Page 20 of 20