STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA ) COUNTY OF STOKES  OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA MONDAYJUNE: 3, 2024  ) )  The Board of Commissioners oft the County of Stokes, State ofNorth Carolina, met for a Public Hearing for the FY 24/25 Recommended Budget ini the Commissioners' Chambers oft the Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Building (Administration Building) located in Danbury, North Carolina on Monday June 3, 2024 at' 7:00 pm with the following members present:  Chairman Brad Chandler Vice Chairman Keith Wood Commissioner Sonya Cox Commissioner Ronnie Mendenhall Commissioner Rick Morris County Personnel in Attendance: Finance Director. Lisa Lankford Assistant Finance Director Tracy Aaron  Interim County Manager/Clerk to the Board Amber. Brown  Chairman Chandler called the meeting to order and welcomed those in attendance.  INVOCATION  Chairman Chandler invited those in attendance toj join the Board ini thei invocation, ifs so desired. GENERAL GOVERNMENT-GOVERNINGI BODY-PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chairman Chandler invited those in attendance toj join the Board in thel Pledge of Allegiance. GENERAL GOVERNMENT - GOVERNING BODY = APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chairman Chandler entertained ai motion to approve or amend the June 3rd Agenda. Commissioner Mendenhall moved to approve the. June 3rd Agenda as presented. Chairman Chandler opened the floor for any discussion/comments/questions.  Vice Chairman Wood delivered the Invocation.  Vice Chairman Wood seconded the motion.  1  June 3, 2024  2024/25 FY Public Hearing    With no discussion, the. Agenda was approved unanimously.  PUBLIC: HEARING  Chairman Chandler opened the floor for public comments to hear citizen input on the FY 24/25  Stokes County Recommended Budget. The following spoke during thel Budget Hearing:  Matthew Martin 3607NCHWY Westfield, NC  Matthew Martin presented the following comments:  Lee Williams and Kyle Bouldin on the sign-up sheet forfeit theirt time to mei ifneeded Iam the Vice President oft the Stokes County Fire and Rescue Association and the Have been a; Stokes County resident for 37 years and have been volunteering in Stokes Iaml here representing the Service. District and the Fire and Rescue Association We are. here to show support for Manager Brown'si recommendation to increase staffing Thati is very important to us, and we are here to show support for that The Service District and the Association is also here to show support for King Fire Department and the' Walnut Cove Fire Department: for their two-cent tax increase and we are alsol here to show support for the needs oft the Stokes County EMS and everything The main topic that we are. here fori is to show support for the two-cent tax increase for We are. hoping that this comes with the approval and the motion to get the staffing and  Deputy Fire Chiefwith Westfield Fire Department  County for 28 years fort the 911 Center  that they need the Service District  the response plan that we. have developed in motion We do not feel that wei need to withhold aj penny for the future We arel here, we are: in crisis now when it comes to staffing  Wel have a good plan that has been signed by seven of the ten fire chiefs int the Service District, it has been endorsed by the Fire Commission and also has been endorsed by the What we are looking for is hopefully either through workshops, closed session meetings or what have you that we can answer and address any ofthe concerns that Manager Brown may have with the program so that we can get this going Wei really feel not getting this off the ground right nowi is extremely reckless and grossly  Association  negligent to the citizens of Stokes County That is all Ihave- -1 thank you  Steven Roberson 302 West King Street King, NC  Steven. Roberson presented the following comments:  2  June 3, 2024  2024/25 FY Public Hearing    Good evening, Commissioners and! Manager Brown,Ia am thel Fire Chief for thel King Fire Icome to you tonight asking for your support for Manager Brown's recommendation for at two-cent fire tax increase for the King Fire District, as well as the support for the increases for the Walnut Cove Fire District and the Stokes County Service District as The fire service has seen record cost inflation in ouri industry over thej past four years While most oft the supply chain shortages have decreased, prices for equipment have not The fire service is also undergoing one oft the most significant manpower shortage King Fire Department has transitioned with our community and with that we arei no longer a volunteer fire department, we had to make that difficult decision a few years Our manpower shortage is crippling us even more with the call for service increase and in Previously to that, would only see a call volume increase in small increments like 201 to 30j per year -1 that 218 is a significant call increase over a two-year span The two-cent tax increase that we are: requesting will help with thej purchasing of Ialso come tonight and ask for your support in increasing the staffing for our Emergency Our E911 Center is the heartbeat of all emergency responders - they are the first point of Every emergency service organization, fire, law enforcement, and EMS ini this county have added staffing over the past years except for our E911 Center Iwould recommend that you actually double the county mamage'amsommendaion of not two but four positions for the Communication Center Furthermore, Iwouldi like to see the goal of moving forward ofai four-person minimum staffing for that Communication Center This is my 30th year of actually being able tol legally participate in the fire service of The changes that wel have seen over the past couple of years, the OSHA regulatory changes that potentially could impact us are going to be service changing We are, going to see some dramatic changes ifsome of those things progress through and unfortunately those are: in the form ofunfunded mandates Iknow that unfunded: mandates are things that we are: not: fond of, but they are things that wel have to address when it comes to federal and state regulations Again, Iwould request you consider and approve the mamgersrsommemditions as she  Department  they have also requested along with rising cost for service  decreased  histories for both volunteer and career staffing This is being felt directly here in Stokes County back in order to serve our community appropriately just the past two years, wel have seen a 218-call increase  equipmentlapparatus and personnel costs Communications Center  contact when someone in our county needs help  Stokes County  presented in her budget message Thank you for your time  Lee Williams June 3, 2024  3  2024/25 FY Public Hearing    24051 NC268H HWY Pinnacle, NC Brian Booe 527 N Main Street Walnut Cove, NC  Lee Williams passed his time tol Matthew! Martin who spoke earlier.  Brian Booe presented the following comments:  Iam the current. Fire Chieffor the Walnut Cove Fire Department Echoing what Deputy ChiefMartin and ChiefRoberson has just mentioned We are also here in support oft the two-cent firet tax increase as recommended by Manager Brown as well as supporting the Service District request Wer requested ai fire tax increase last year and did not receive it Last time, the fire tax was increased was in 2017  As Chief Roberson has identified the increased in cost for staffing demands and the response that the departments arel having to handle, this tax increase will greatly benefit Just for our department in particular, over the past 10 years with the exception of2020, Our Board added a second nighttime person in January tol help with manpower on these Our request is to maintain our current staffing as well as still be competitive inj part-time pay with the surrounding departments as well as meet the competitive pay that thel Fire Lastly, Iv would offer support as well to our 911 Center, as a former county employee, have seen the changes throughout the county and they definitely need the assistance With the CAD upgrade, there will be more: responsibilities and with: more calls, more Our lives are at their hands and their mercy, we: need to support them in every way possible to get additional staffing to meet the needs of our ever-changing county Lastly, our district is 90% int the county with 10% remaining inside the' Town of Walnut The' Town of Walnut Cove is going to be experiencing growth There are almost 1001 homes coming to the town within the next two years As you know, Duke Power is planning their expansion and typically when employees come: in for any type of construction work for Duke Power, they reside in the Walnut Covel Fire District which is typically between 1,500 and 2,000 employees Most oft the temporary employees stay ini recreational RVsi in two different spots in our We are asking you again to continue to support. Manager Brown's recommendation Again, thank you for your support and looking towards the future of assisting the fire  the departments in the county we are averaging over 1,200 calls per year  types ofc calls  Commission has approved fort the other departments in the county  people are going to have tol be attentive to the 911 console  Cove  districts which increases our call demand as well  regarding the fire tax increase departments in the county Thank you  4  June 3, 2024  2024/25 FY Public Hearing    Kyle Bouldin 2863 NCI HWY 266E Pinnacle, NC Ryan Clark 52501 NC 772HWY Madison, NC  Kyle Bouldin passed his time to Matthew Martin who spoke earlier.  Ryan Clark presented the following comments:  Iami representing Northeast Stokes Fire Department Iwould like to speak ini favor of the County Manager's proposal The county fire departments are ini trouble, no doubt Volunteerism and staffing are tough these days, but some more than others For this reason, Ifeel that the one size: fits all approach oft the strategic plan is not always Ifyou will notice that not all oft the Service District Chiefs endorsed this strategic plan Ifeel this program needs more planning before its full implementation Iagree 100% with the county manager's proposal ofthe two-cent increase with one cent Ibelieve ai more tailored approach needs tol be taken from implementation, management, The needs of each community are different from community to community My community will see more changes than any otheri in Stokes County, for this reason alone, thej person ini touch with the daily needs oft that community is the best person Again, IK know not every department is in the situation that I am in with regard to staffing. Ifirmly believe that some departments can provide the service better, cheaper, and: faster Ihope you consider the county manager's proposal and continue to strengthen the Also, Isupport the other cent going back to the general fund for: future fire protection needs, the cost of equipment and apparatus has risen dramatically ini recent years This will help us continue toj provide a top-notch service to the districts that we protect in Ialso would like to support the four-person minimum at the E911 Center - they are  the best plan  being held: for future programs oversight, and continuation oft this program  suited to implement these changes for that said district  manpower, and: responses on their own if given the opportunity communities of this great county  Again, Iknow this shoe doesn't: fit all like it does some  Stokes County  dramatically unstaffed to suit the needs of our growing county Again, thank you: for your support, time, and consideration  With no further speakers, Chairman Chandler closed the Public Hearing for the Fiscal Year  2024-25 Recommended Budget. Chairman Chander commented:  Thank everyone for coming out  5  June 3, 2024  2024/25 FY: Public Hearing    Itf feels really good to see thel Public Safety leadership here in Stokes County tonight, it Iknow we would all like to make comments, but iti is just aj public hearing Iassure each and everyone ofy you that we are going to work through these issues before  brings mel back to my time before Ir retired Good seeing the leadership together the adoption ofal budget  Adiournment adjourn.  With no further business to come before the Board, Chairman Chandler entertained ai motion to  Commissioner Mendenhall moved to adjourn the Public Hearing.  Vice Chairman Wood seconded.  Chairman Chandler opened the floor for any tiscussion/questions/comments.  With no further discussion, the motion carried unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.  Caban  BgkCR  Amber Brown Clerk to the Board  Brad Chandler Chairman  June 3, 2024  2024/25 FY Public Hearing