Ladies and gentlemen, I would officially like to call this meeting to order Monday, October 16th, 2023, and I would like to start out by asking Mayor Connors if he would do an implication and lead us off in a pledge and everybody please rise. That is right. Heavenly Father, we come before you to just thank you for the blessings that you've given unto us early this morning and allowed us to travel from one place to another and for every more so a bread, very substance of liquid that crunches our thirst. And then Father, you allow us to be in our right mind, to be able to do wonderful and great things. We ask you tonight, Lord, to bless the commissioners with the wisdom and knowledge that is needed to carry out their affairs of Dukeland County. We thank you for the consistent increase here in Dukeland County. We thank you for our families and our children. We thank you for a place that lifts up your holy name. And then Lord we ask you to bless our new commissioner and the commissioner our new county manager as he continued to go forth bringing innovative ideals and thoughts and mind things and handling the fears of the county throughout each and every day. These blessings we ask in the matter of the name of Jesus Christ let all of us children say amen. Amen. A pleasure, allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Amen. Thank you. Any commissioners have anything to need to add to the agenda tonight? No sir. Nice. Mr. Miller. I was too. I would ask for a motion to approve the night's agenda. So? I got a motion. I need a second. Got a second. Any further discussion? Here and none, all in favor say aye. I'll oppose same sign, carry. Okay. I would like to, I would entertain a motion to accept the minutes from the previous meeting on October 3rd. So, I got a motion in a second. Any further discussion? Is that October 2nd and 3rd? Second or 2nd? Yeah, October 2nd and 3rd, if you don't mind, we'll be doing both at the same time. Okay. So, you motion and you say it is probably okay. Thank you. I'm both at one time any further discussion Here none I'll in favor say I all opposed same side period All right, hopefully you've had time to look over consent agenda. I would also entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda I got a motion in a second. Further discussion. Here you go. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Same side. Period. All right. That moves us to our first item of business public comment. No one has signed it. Okay. We had nobody to sign up but if you need to speak I will allow it even though you hadn't signed it. All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. And move to style number two. It's Perry. Good afternoon, Chairman. Board, I stand before you tonight to discuss or ask for approval in reference to the WI OAA Act, which is the workforce innovation and opportunity act as a federal initiative aimed at strengthening and improving our public workforce system, reducing barriers to employment and assistant employers, and hiring and retaining skill workers. The WIOA program promotes partnerships within the community for current students or recent graduates of community colleges to gain employable skills. The WIOIA program matches eligible precipitants with employer's positions that will allow the precipitant to enhance their current skill set and learn new employable skills. Once matched with the suitable employer's last agency department, the select thatitate, excuse me, will be required to adhere to and agree upon schedule and perform job duties as described in the job description. For each participant assigned to a department, there will be a work site agreement, job description training on, excuse me, outline and a county interagency contract provided by the county attorney which is required. The WI-A program will be financially responsible for the participants' employment. James Brunt, which is the program administrator, will be required to maintain all workers' compensation insurance and liability insurance. Additionally, they will be responsible for paying the salary of the participant at the agreed upon rate in the work site agreement. There will be no counting costs involved in this partnership. I stand before you to request approval of the Interactive Interagency contract between James Brunt Community College and Dupland County right now currently Dupland County public transportation for the participation in the program. And for the chairman's side saying that's correct. So I entertain a motion. So move. Okay, I got a motion. I need a second. Second. All right, further discussion. Here none. All in favor say aye. All opposed same side. Congratulations. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right Good evening. I appear before you tonight to request to enter a contract with Tar Heal Medical Billing Incorporated, our DBA is Collectin UMS Billing. Currently we are contracted with the MSMC and our contract just was up for renewal. This contract will start December 1st, 2023. I was doing a little research and talking to different people. Tar Hill Billing has come in and we've met with them. Our current rate with the MSMC charge is currently 5.75% of what they collect, Collington or Tar Hill Billing has agreed to charge 5% of what they collect. Their overall collection rate last year I believe was 83.6% Their projection collection rate this year or for us would be 80%. So I'm asking to enter into that contract and Mr. Edwards to chairman the summit. Entertain the motion. Second. I got a motion and a second. Father's Cation. Yeah, where did from? in a second. Father's Cushing. Yeah, where did from? So there are main office in Irwin and they also have Erwin County right across 75 Irwin, North Carolina. This is our Brian Gurkin and they picked him. You mean with I guess I said in total medical building? Yes sir. Is this a one year contract or what is it? One to your term up front with two one year renewal options there after. Two one year renewal options. After, say you could go a year three and a year four. It's the same five per se. That's right. It's a great surprise. And that now should mean we can't get it. Mutual agreement is required for the renewal. We can negotiate that. That's our general. Any other questions? We have we we talked to several different people that have used content and they have nothing but good things to say about them. How long have you been collecting? 28 years. We provide services in this area for Blading County, Green County, Edgecombe County, Boford, Washington all the way up through Dairr County into Heights. We have a very strong presence in Eastern North Carolina. Anybody else? Did you want to say anything? No, absolutely. I want to say anything. They were here for questions. Looking forward to working with you all. We see where we're very prominent here in North and Eastern North Carolina. We've looked forward to working. We've had great relationships with Brandon and Mark KC also has been a part of it and we're looking forward to getting the MS revenue up, hopefully helping the county in some of those areas and also maintaining full compliance. So we're excited to get started just being an hour down the road. So look forward to working with everybody here in the county. Well I believe Mr. McMahon stated that you were looking at collecting 80%. That's what you said. That's their prediction. Yes, sir. So, why do you don't want to get it off? Well, we'd love to get every penny out of it, but with the MS filling, there are contractual allowables and there are rates that are collectible through statewide contracts, as well as Medicare and Medicaid contracts. So you guarantee an 80%? You get, we're going to be right there at it, yes, there will be right there at it. Our work in this area with other counties and with other organizations so that it's a very realistic number for us to collect. What are we getting right now? You said 87? No, there is 83. There's Lashley with 83.6. And I think MSMC is right around 78, 79 percent collection rate. Well, it's our collection rate. But now, MSMC, they do write offs. Collinth and doesn't write offs. We'll continue collecting everything we can for a full year. I think your current vendor is riding off within 30 days in some cases. So we're going to give it a full year to keep working to try to buy payment sources to work with the citizens to best serve their needs. If they need to go on a payment plan or whatever, we'll work with whatever. This is best for the interests of the citizens here to help them be through obligations Well the questions just one quick one clarification in response to Mr. Garner's question the the version that's in your packet actually is a three-year initial term but We had an issue with the most current version Jamie's got from mr. Edwards signed side and I with the other terms that there's a pickle and I agreed on on Friday afternoon. Three and that's a two year. That's a two year and a few other small things. Yeah, but it has a 60 day out file. So if I'll call, but we don't do the job. But then 60 days you can do the job. We're comfortable to do the job. The one thing that I think, Brandon and Mark, we're also, every client has ever signed a contract with us in North Carolina, every county agency, I think it's 27 now. 27 counties we do business with us in North Carolina, in every single one is still a client today. We have had a 100% renewal rate with our county clients over the last 16 years. So we've never had a client leave from your current vendor to come to us and go back. And if I understand it correctly, you only get what you percentage of what you collect, the five percent of what you collect. So you're not costless, anything if you're not collecting but you're not making any money. You can't pay to be in the money. The only person wants you to get paid as much as us From one I get really so we're gonna do it correctly and be a full compliance that's the most important thing You might have any questions You have you if you have any problems with What was it we got hacked a while back? I should go yeah the data breach for EMSMC, I don't think they use that kind of stuff. That was something we needed to assist them. I'm not sure of all the details. In 28 years, we've never had a better breach. We have a couple of eggs in. I had a charge to hand with all our IT, all our networking and Amazon networks. And like I said, we've never, I know a few years valuable to data breach that we have so had, but we didn't get done so. We've fully equipped the plot. All right. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Same side. I think it was unanimous. Thank you. Looking forward to working with you.'s like everybody's on board and you have clear everything. Look forward for you always. All right that moves out of number four. Mr. Meadow. Commissioners I do have a couple of announcements for you tonight. I didn't want to let the board know that the Assistant County Manager and myself will be attending the Eastern North Carolina Regional Manager's meeting on October 26th. It's to be held at East Carolina University. Their agenda includes emergency management preparedness and response for managers and tabletop exercise on the same. So we look forward to attending that managers meeting. DSS and the health department are preparing for Medicaid expansion to begin December 1st. October 15th through December 7th Medicare open enrollment begins October 21st, Animal Services Rabies event October 21st at 5 p.m. Cabin Lake is having a trunk or treat event. On October 23rd County offices will be hosting toys for tots and that should run through about mid November. October 24th at 6.30 p.m. the library is hosting a trunk or treat event and the event center from 6.30 to 8.30. On October 28th at 7 p.m. there's an event shagging in the fall. It says get ready for a groovy time at Shagging in the fall. Join us for join us at Duplins event Center in Kingsville for a night of fun and dancing. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to enjoy your favorite bands all the one night. Come on out to enjoy great food and lots of music. And October 31st is the absentee ballot deadline. So most of that information can be found in the newsletter, which all of you receive from my administrative assistant, Trisha Hoskins. I'm happy to answer any questions the board may have or inform you further about any of the events we're having Questions comments Thank you for the update All right, that moves us to out of number five I got a motion in Go to the closed section. I got a motion in a second. Any further discussion? Here and none. All in favor say aye. All opposed, same side. All right. We're officially going into closed section. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending tonight. You're welcome behind around. We'll go back in the open session, but I don't think there'll be anything that will a business that'll be taking care of, but you're all welcome to wait around and see. We're officially back in open session. Is there any information that needs to be discussed in open session left for tonight. Hearing none, I would entertain our motion to adjourn until November 6th at 6 o'clock. I got a motion in a second, any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. You're an animus. Thank you.