Ladies and gentlemen, we are, as you can tell, Mr. Branch is not here, but he is on vacation, but he is with us by phone. He is calling us, so he'll be on the phone. And I would just like to welcome everybody. Thank you so much for taking your time out tonight. We got a pretty large agenda, so I want to move through it with as much speed as possible, but yet taking time to take care of the business in the matter. It needs to be. So I'd like to call this officially. I'll just meet the order and I'd like to start with asking the mayor if he would do the location and start us with the pledge. Please, sir, everybody please rise. and orders with the police, please, sir. Everybody please rise. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we've come before you this evening to just give you honor and praise for the many wonderful blessings. Allow us to rise early this morning in our right mind. Protect us as we travel from one place to another. Now Lord, as we go into this meeting tonight, we ask you to give the wisdom and knowledge that is needed to the commissioners, that they carry out the business here in Dutland County. We thank you for the many wonderful blessings you have given to us to here in Dutland County, for the leadership throughout the every employee. We thank you for these things. In the matter of language, Jesus Christ, let all the Republic with which stands one nation under the indivisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you sir. All right. You guys have anything you need to add to the agenda tonight? Mr. Branch, do you have anything you need to add? No, I do not. Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, if it pleases the board, I would like to add three items for discussion tonight. The first is Mr. Brian Mathis, our emergency management planner, to make a presentation on the Know Your Zone evacuation program. And if the board agrees, I would like to add him between my agenda items and sheriff's jokes. That's Mr. Brian Mathis. I also would like to add a discussion on the paving of a parking lot behind the cooperative extension building, soil and water building, and between that and the new transportation facility at Duke and Commons. And we can add that after share of stokes if you would like, Mr. Chairman. And finally, I would like to add a close session for the legal pursuant and oath-kined general statute 143-318-A113. The county attorney would like to consult with the board on some matters. Pleasure to board. We're going to motion on the second. Any further discussion? I need a motion to approve the minutes from the June 19th meeting. I have a motion to have a second. Now a motion in a second. Any further discussion? Here and then all in favor say aye. All the votes aye. Here you. All right. Hopefully everybody's taking time to look through the consent of the General. I need a motion to approve the consent of the General. I need a motion to approve the consent agenda. Senator. Motion of Mr. Garne. Need a second. Second. Second, but Mr. Edwards. Need a further discussion. Here and none. All in favor say aye. All the podiums, aye. He carried away. Yeah. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next one. I'm going to get you to the next right. I just wanted to make sure I was where I was supposed to be. You were. Okay, all right. That brings us to item number one. Did we have anybody signed up for public comment? Yes, sir. Miss Angela B. Maynor has signed up for public comments. Miss Maynor, if you'll go to the speakers podium. Good evening, commissioners. Good evening. You know, my name is Angela B. Maynard, fully record and a state of play. And I'm normally the only one that the public comments. So I'm here today to briefly speak to you about two sectors. The first is your cost of living for employees. I'm aware that the budget is already been paid. Yes. But the county is losing good employees because of the payment. Yes, you gave them a place that he raised, but after 10 years, the other county has been increasing. So it's difficult to catch up with them. Then you slap these employees that voted for you all in the face, and you won't even listen about giving them a call to leave. Right now your count is in a state of emergency because you have your county managers leaving. We have a great Mr. George future that pays. We have our finance officer that's gone. We have our planning director that we need. I would ask you all to go back and consider, giving the county the county raise, or matching the approval of one cake plan, you solve the podium, to make them know that they are worth standing in this county. Because right now we are training right now. My next concern is the jail. We have also been discussing this for years. You told the architects to go back, make some provision because of the cops. The jail remains overcrowded. The conditions are not suitable for the inmates or the employees. If you keep waiting on a building, the build this new facility, the attorney team will be representing you in a lawsuit because the jail is not suitable for the employees are the inmates. If you wanna know how I'm a world, because I'm a retired social worker from the Department of Social Service, and I have visited inmates numerous times and I can tell you when I left there, the older was in my clothes and that's the first thing I did when I got home. Get head to the shower, get the germs off of me. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Ms. Ma'am. Anybody else? No, sir, Mr. Chairman. All right. That puts us to item number two. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the Board, I appear before you now to receive any road or highway concerns that you may have so that I can convey them to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for their attention. Okay. None from the Board. Does any member of the general public have a highway or road concern? They'd like me to address. Thank you. Okay, those are the number three. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the board. The E-9 we want addressing the apartment has received a request from Ronald Gregory Brown to name a lane at 350 Cool Springs Road, Magnawia, and the Kenan'sville Township Picket Lane. I would like to respectfully request at the board, schedule a public hearing on August to 21st, 2023 to receive public comments regarding the request from Mr. Brown in accordance with the Duke and County addressing and road naming ordinance. Pleasure to board. Got a motion, Mr. Garter. Got a second, Mr. Edwards. Any further discussion? Here and none. All in favor say aye. All opposed, same sign. Carry. Okay, that brings us to item number four. Miss Ann Dator. Thank you. Miss Ann. I'd like to just one may it to you before I come up. Okay. Yes, ma'am. She came to support me. Thank you so much for letting me come. I said to you a packet of material about North Carolina's astronaut William Swan who brought his basin and I did want to ask you to help face him to honor him with everlasting hopefully monument in his honor. But I also wanted to tell you, we would like very much for this county to be a part of the celebration that we have when we present that memorial to him. Because William's father died when he was 11. His mother went to work at the pickle plant. He got jobs himself. He sent himself to school. He sent himself to college. But it was because of the Dukeland County Public Schools that he got his education. And I know it would make him happy if you would participate with us and I wanted to ask you if after reading the information I sent do you have any questions for me being Any questions, Ms. Taylor? All right, then I would like to thank you again and not take any more of your time. Thank you so much. You know, it's an honorable thing that you're doing and appreciate all of your effort. Does the board want to take any action tonight or do you want to consider it later? Except to the board. I mean if you want to take action on it tonight, I would need an amount that you would want to give. Mr. Hatter, did you have in the mouth in mind that you were looking for us to support with? No, I did not. Okay. But I could tell you that this monument will be 13, I'll say $13,000. I feel comfortable that we will raise it. I certainly hope we will. He was an extraordinary man and I think we would appreciate anything that you contribute. I'm going to do $8500 to disclose. I've got a motion from Mr. Ed Wood's that we donate $500. So if I have a second, have a second from Mr. Garne, any further discussion? Mr. Branch, are you still with? No further discussion? All in favor say aye. I'm not sure if you're right. But you still with. No further discussion. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Period. Thank you. The state of thank you for doing it. All right. That moves us to item number five, Mr. Cobb. Oh, good evening commissioners. Yes. We are, I have two things only agenda for tonight. Let's see, first up is going to be the fee schedule. I'm proposing a fee schedule for the planning department. This is, we have been doing the planning services for about a month, two months now for Dupland County. And there's very little fees associated with anything planning in Dupland County. So we have done some benchmarking with local governments around our area, in the southeast area, to try to offset some of the cost to do the planning services for the county. This would need to be continued if the county so chooses to hire a full-time planner. We have presented the fee schedule. I'm looking at We have presented the fee schedule. I'm looking at just in the last month, total revenues for the last month, and what we have done is estimated around $3,500 in one month. So that equates to about $42,000 in a year give or take. Is there any questions about the fee schedule? I think it was provided to you. What was that amount again I couldn't hear? The amount again, Mr. Frank's good here. the amount again. Mr. Frank's getting here. The amount in the last month was about 3500 dollars in fees that could have been collected and that equates to around. Plus or minus $42,000 in a year. You just equated one month. I took one month and what that's what we have done in the last month. I took January June 1 to June 30. So all the different pieces that had come through the planning office that we have had to take care of, the fees that could have been collected based on this fee schedule would have been about $3,500 first pass month. This is a typical fee schedule that Pinder County, Ozzel County, Samson Wayne, New Hanover, Craven. We kind of went a little farther out just to see what everybody's to see what the numbers were and we adjusted for the last time they updated their fee schedule. Some do it annually, some don't, some charge for some things, some others don't charge. Don't charge for other things, but based on what we're seeing, it's a loss revenue source for the county. Mr. Chairman, if I may, has the planning board signed off on the new fee schedule? They have not. And they don't have to, Mr. Chairman, the Board of Commissioner sets the fee schedules for the county ultimately. So any further questions? What a public hearing would be necessary? Considering it as a budgetary. It wasn't adopted in the budget ordinance. So we may need to get some public input on it. I would agree on that. Do you want to schedule a public here in Mr. Chairman? Yes. I suggest you schedule August 21st, give him enough time to advertise it. Pleasure to board. Pleasure to board. Pleasure to board the public here in the 21st. I got a motion in the second motion from the second from the board that we have prepared on August 28th. He follows discussion. All in favor say aye. Thank you. All right, next item is a text amendment to the subdivision ordinance. We have suggested a text amendment to the planning board to reduce the easement requirement from 50 feet, the easement width from 50 feet to 30 feet. 50 feet is the most stringent. Again, we benchmarked around other local governments. They tend to be all over the place. But 50 feet, there's only two in the area that had a 50 foot easement requirement. Generally, a 30 foot easement requirement. Generally a 30 foot easement requirement is perfectly fine. So unless you're doing a private road or a major subdivision, you're not generally going to have utilities running up and down these easements. They're just access easements for the most part. So 30 feet would be plenty of room to run water and power if need be. The planning board has approved as of the. So it was the last planning board meeting. I apologize. It was the May the June 11th planning board meeting. July. Yes, sir. Planning board meeting that was out. I'm sorry June 22nd is when it was June 22nd was the planning board meeting and The Text amendment was proposed to the planning board. It was approved unanimously We are asking for a motion to approve the reduction. Will you explain to me again why you won't go from 50 to 30? 50 is hard to get sometimes with lots. 50 feet, you're going to have a minimum 120 foot road frontage on a state road. A 50 foot on an easement is just an easement. It takes 16 feet is one is considered two lanes of traffic which will be eight feet on either side. A highway is generally 20 feet minimum which is without the shoulder of the road which is you know two lanes of traffic as well. So, 50 foot, the easement piece, the 50 feet is actually there. If you have water sewer and telephone, cable internet, and power. So, the 50 foot easement would allow for all the utilities to go through. A lot of these easements are really just access easements. The reason being is it's hard to get 50 feet sometimes. It's very difficult to get 50 feet. We've got a lot of older homes where they were built a little bit closer to each other than they should have been before ordinances were involved. So now we're trying to when they try to sell these places there was an agreement between homeowners and now family members are selling them because the original owners are dead and the heirs are trying to get rid of them and they have to put easements in to have access to the properties. So when you start looking at 50 feet versus 30 feet sometimes that a lot of times that 30 feet is actually a real it's easier to get than the 50. 50 can wind up in a yard or get in closer to a septet tank or a leech filled. to accept a tank or a leech field. Does anybody know how long we've been on 50 feet? Since the subdivision order was adopted initially, I would think I don't think it's ever been changed. Mr. Edwards. I'm looking for a motion to propose to amendment to move from 50 to 30 pleasure to board. That motion is going to die. All right. Moving out of number seven. Thanks sir. Thank you. Mr. Billy Ivey. I don't know how's everybody doing. Good. All right. My first item is Cook's branch. Stream DeBerry removal project. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. All right, my first item is Cook's Branch Stream DeBerry Removal Project. The question, the motion, the award to contract the Jimmy Droz J&J Environmental. He submitted a proposal for an amount of $24,448 to clean out the debris in the trees and cook branch. He was the low bidder and I would like to ask for you to award the contract to J&J Environmental in the amount of $24,448. Funds are included in our budget. I'd authorized Chairman sign. Chairman sign. I have a motion. Thank you for keeping with us. I got a motion from Mr. Bav. Second. Mr. Edwards. Any further discussion? I just want to put on the record. I've seen the job did. The show got going on, Billy. And these creeks and streams and water sheds look really good behind these guys that are cleaning them up. Appreciate it. I'm really impressed with what y'all are asking these guys to do and the product that we're getting. Thank you. I appreciate that. You follow the discussion? Here in the Netherlands, favor say aye. All the same side. All the same side. But it's down in the break. I make sure I pass that on to the office. Come on, thank you. Next item is the Beaver Management Assisted Program Cooperative Service Agreement. This is an annual agreement to participate in the Beaver Management Assistance Program through the Wildlife Services under the USDA B-Map as we call it. I would like to request that you approve the annual walking service agreement and financial agreement with USDA AFIS, Animal and Plant and Spatial Service, Wildlife Services and Loud Chair to sign. The amount of $191,000 is the cooperative service and financial agreement and the funds are included in the watershed budget. I got a motion from Mr. Dow, a second from Mr. Garter. I think that's right. They're right. That's scar. Okay. Any further discussion? Hearing none all in favor say aye. All opposed, same side. Here it. Thank you. Appreciate it. That brings Tyler number nine. It's time to branch. Good evening. Good evening. Every five years the water shortage plan has to be updated and submitted to the state for review. After it's been reviewed and approved by the state plan has to be adopted by the Governor Board. So tonight I need to have the 2023 water shortage plan for different carrying water adopted? Pleasure to board. I've got a motion, Mr. Edler. Let's put it with my second, Mr. Dale. Any further discussion? Here and then, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed opposed same sign Carried thank you thank you. Okay that moves us now to number 10 Look son of them by your coming up mr. Branch Mr. Branch Can you hear me? I think the lost it. That vote was four are against. The last vote you had. Forward. Forward. Okay. Forward. It's going to be for the record. Thank you. Because I'm a little bit too fast again. And it come in after I ask for no vote. But I thought you before. So thank you. Excuse me for the speed. All right. With some. Thank you, Chairman. Good evening. Before we begin on behalf of our Economic Development Commission on Thank you for your continued support and involvement and along those lines we have recently completed our strategic planning session we held it last week and it was a very in-depth session it lasted about a half day and in-depth session. It lasted about a half day. And at a time and a future, we would like to have a joint meeting with the Economic Development Commission and this group. So again, we thank you for your support. As it pertains to airport development, work continues to progress on improvements at the business and industrial park. The EDC advertised and received three beds upon the second notice for the clearing and grubbing contract and I'm talking to you about this evening. The beds were opened at a meeting held on Thursday July 6th at 11 a.m. at the Dukeland County Airport. Subject work involves the clearing and groving of approximately 15 acres of roadway corridors and utility easements through airport, which we're called on phase one. our consultant engineer, Perishant Partners, assisted us with the bid opening. The engineers have conducted the bid tabulation, and I'm happy to report that we had a local contractor. You may know FNS grading company, and they have local ties to Warsaw. I believe the president actually lives at Dupland Country Club. So he was the apparent low bid and the engineer has subsequently provided to me a recommendation of award to FNS grading company and the amount of $235,980 and 50 cents. There were two other bidders that were close but not in town. The second bid being over $100,000. And I think that's tied to probably over 8 in some of the mobilization and such. I will. Again, you said over 100,000. I did over 100,000 more than than what FNS. Yes, sir. 163,000 more commissioner down. Thank you. Thank you, sir. I think it's I need to note that I had a hope to have the contract before you tonight. It is a simple work of clearing and grubbing but the contractor in our engineer as of this evening we're still continuing discussions about if we wanted to add some grading later on and what grading may involve so I do not have the contract ready tonight but I was hoping the board would consider approving a motion contingent upon the county attorney reviewing the completed application or my apologies to complete a contract and anything he would have to add. And I asked for that because as I mentioned earlier, we are kind of behind schedule. We had made up some time with getting the bid notice out. Unfortunately, we only had two bids to first go around. So we lost another week. Again, this is only clearing and groving. The more intense work, the road building, the water and sewer construction will be a little bit more involved. But in order to stay on task, I hope we would approve a motion to approve the contract contingent upon the county attorney's review and authorize the chairman's sign. Okay. So at this time I would entertain a motion to award the airport clearing and grub in phase one contract to F and S. Rating Company in the amount of $235,980.50, authorized chairman of the sign under the understanding that the contract will be reviewed by county attorney. Yeah, okay, I find it's name. Been a month. I'm not. I think they can only attorney approval. And so that's what the motion would be. It would be content to subundicate any attorneys for further. Okay. I got a motion, Mr. Conner. I'll say it for Mr. Dow. Questions. Mr. Edwards. Does this only include clear and engrossed? At this point yes sir it does. It's a grant project and the the the beards are under what the grant is so we may come back and I anticipate coming back at a later date upon the blessings of the granting agency to extend that work. We want to keep those grant funds in Duke and County. But as it stands without further action from this board, we're only talking about clearing and grooving and the amount just just specified. That's all you beat on. Yes, sir. And that was I think we discussed it before was it. He was allowed to burn on side. Yes, sir. He initially was not going to be allowed upon further investigation with determined that when precautions are taken in my opinion, it's not it's advisable from a cost perspective, but it is permitted to burn. Yes, sir. I'm sorry, I didn't know what it'd be and that close to the airport, I don't know if there'll be a problem with that. Yes, sir. Okay. Any further questions? Yes. The lack of someone chairs, Wayne. Okay, I just want to be clear that NEPT will take place until attorney Wilson reviews the contract. However, you're action that we go ahead and approve the chairman's sign with the thought that everything is going to be okay with the attorney reviewing the contract. Is that correct? Actually sir the chairman would sign after the review by the attorney. I will not sign it to Mr Wilson gets back to me approving it. Okay thank you. Any further questions? Thank you. Any further questions? Here in them, all in favor say aye. All opposed? Gary. Item number 11. Thank you, Chairman. Item number 11, 11 is more good news is my opinion. Incentives mean growth for the county. It means investment. It means jobs and this is a continuation of project freeze having had conducted the public hearing as required. Project Freeze involves the creation of 19 new jobs and approximately 2 million in local investment and there is a 5% match for a state grant of $170,000 bringing bringing the town's, I apologize, the county's contribution to $8,500. And we have budgeted these funds and our clients grants line item. And I'm asking for the board's approval of the contract documents being the grant agreement, they legally binding commitment, and the deed of trust documentation and authorize the chairman to sign. Pleasure to board. Motion to Mr. Connor. Thank you, Mr. Edwards. Okay, further questions. Mr. Chair, I have a question. Yes, Eric. Yeah, go ahead. My question to Director Tommelon is the approximate Estimation of the investment is two million is there Anything that we would definitely receive the two million was good to come in shorter than that good to come in shorter than that. There is a minimum threshold and forgive me I don't I don't recall if it's two million dollars but if it's not it's very close to it but there is a minimum threshold the jobs producing is that number and if those numbers are not reached, there's a preradish share of clawback that comes back to the county. So that is just an approximate estimation of the amount of funds that will come into the county. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Okay, thank you. Okay, Mr. Dahl. Sorry. You got the question. Yeah my question was there a time frame. And what should this occur? Yes sir. The building reuse requires that the jobs be produced within five years. They so much each year or just total within five years. There's so much each year or just total within five years. The company, traditionally in this case, and this is another good thing about what they're doing, they will not seek the incentive until they've actually produced the jobs in the investment and held those in place for six months. So it's essentially a zero risk for the county. It will not seek the incentive until they have produced the jobs and completed the remodeling of the facility. That's on paper. This is a promise. Well, they actually can't seek the reimbursement until we do the paperwork for them. So it's a done deal. Well, it's a great opponent. On that note, commissioners apologize. Mr. Summars, I'm already said this. I'm not sure he did. The last page of in the packet, which is exhibit H, it references a data trust. For the reason that he just said, will not be securing a data trust on the property because they're not seeking the funds until after the project has been completed and they have satisfied the Department of Commerce's obligations. Typically the money's being advanced and that's why we get the deed of trust to protect us in case they fail to fulfill their obligations. Here since I won't get their hands on the money until they have fulfilled their obligations we were comfortable with our dearest. You follow the questions. Here in the all in favor say aye. All opposed same time. Carry. Thank you for something. Thank you. That brings out of number 12. Mr. Tracy Simmons. Conditi. Good evening Mr. Chairman and fellow commissioners. On behalf of health I have several agenda requests for this evening. The first one is in regards to the ECU Health Dupline Hospital Foundation Community Benefits Grant. So this was a grant written on behalf of the health department to focus on pre-divities and diabetes treatment and prevention to promote self-maintenance and prevention of complications and improved quality of life for the uninsured and underinsured individuals. As a medical home patients can receive testing supplies such as a glucometer test strips and Lancets such labs as A1Cs and lipid panels, medication assistance have uninsured through our prescription assistance program and education to aid in the management of their diabetes. So I'm asking tonight to accept the ECU Health Duplen Hospital Foundation Community Benefits Grant for $15,000 and an improvement of a budget amendment for a fiscal year 2324. So there's the board. I got a motion. Mr. Dach. So you got a second. Mr. Garner. Any further discussion? Here and then all in favor say aye. All opposed. Same time. Carry. Okay. Thank you. I'm number 13 Second request is the North Carolina Office of Real Health medication assistance grant program This was a grant that was written to provide assistance to low income Uninsured and homeless populations to evaluate their optimal prescription drug choices and applying for free to evaluate their optimal prescription drug choices and applying for free discounted and or low cost drugs through public and private medication assistance programs. The department was awarded one of the North Carolina Office of Rural Health medication assistance grant program in the amount of $28,850 for two consecutive years. And that is all contingent upon the availability of funds and compliance with the contract requirements and this funds will go to support a portion of the salary in fringe for a bilingual medication assistance coordinator as well as supplies and software maintenance. Year one of the grant runs from August 1st, 2023 through July 31, 2024. So the requested action for tonight is acceptance of the North Carolina Office of Rule Health medication assistance program grant in the amount of $28,850 for two consecutive years of the same amount and approval of the budget amendment for 23, 24. Ladies and gentlemen, I've got a motion Mr. Garne. I've got a second Mr. Dow, further questions. Comments. This is not for drugs. This is just an acycloid to someone to assist and evaluate. Yes, so we currently have a medication just an acylerid to someone to assist in evaluating the cost of their drug. So we currently have a medication assistance coordinator that they've had for a number of years at the health department. And so this was someone to help pay for the administrative side of that to help them fill out the paperwork with the different drug companies and NC medicine and some of the other parties that we used to obtain their medications at reduced or no cost. This would be for chronic meds such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, depression, their chronic medications. In further questions? Here none, all in favor say aye. All opposed. Same sign. Carried. And move to time number 14. The next is, um, agreement agenda 117, which is funding for public health infrastructure of the local workforce development. This agreement agenda came after, um, some funds became available. So it was the pandemic emphasized the critical importance of a robust public health system. Public health departments need to continue their response work, apply lessons learned, and prepare for the future public health emergencies. The pandemic has simulated longstanding weakness and created new challenges to the public health infrastructure. The continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to continue to services it provides. This funding is to help the short-term critical infrastructure needs and to make strategic investments that will have lasting effects on local public health departments in North Carolina through supporting the fundamental capabilities. Investments and improvements to fundamental capabilities will help rebuild and modernize public health departments by positioning local health departments to better serve their communities. The scope of the workforce investment is to support these fundamental capabilities in wide and hiring, retaining, supporting, and training the workforce. Short-term outcomes will include increased hiring, training, and improvement and operational processes. Long-term outcomes will include increase in the size of the public health workforce, equit with stronger fundamental capabilities in order to better serve and protect the health of the communities. So the request tonight is to accept agreement and end of 117 public health infrastructure, local workforce development for $294,886 and a budget amendment for $23.24. President Bauer. The motion of Mr. Garne, the second of Mr. Dow. Public questions or comments? Here in them, all in favor say aye. All opposed, same side. Curious. Item number 15. This is for the reinstatement of a public health educator one position. So as mentioned previously, COVID-19 has brought awareness to specific gaps with our health care, including public health infrastructure, emergency preparedness and response and the social tournaments of health and equities. The purpose of this position is to perform administrative work in coordination and directing health education and promotion for the duties of the health department. This position requires independent judgment and a professional level of public health education with the primary responsibilities of planning and implementation of quality, comprehensive health education programs, including the proper selection use of education materials and methods. This position will ensure deliverables are met for all green and redendas coordinated or contributed to within areas of responsibility, which include AA514 Public Health Preparedness and Response, AA452, Breast and-Cervical Cancer Program, and 465 Cardiovascular Disease in WISE Women Program. Additionally, this position will assist with the aspects of the Dupland County Community Health Needs Assessment and the state of the county's health report, as well as the health department's accreditation-related public health mandated activities. I would like to ask for approval to reinstate a new public health educator one position at a grade 58 and this as this position was originally created in July 1st 2019 and was closed somewhere around 21-22. So this is the added position. Yes. The funding will be through COVID-19 funds and will be used in the agreement again to one 17. So it will be granted through October 2027 through the funds of what you just approved under a one 17. And you have nobody doing that work today? No. Mr. Chair, I can ask a question. Yes, sir. Director Kanigee, what happens after October 27th? Well, it's a grant-funded position, so if no, if no additional funds are acquired from the state or through grant funds, then that position would be abolished. So is the person that may be out of this position is understanding that it could go away after a certain time frame? That is correct. In the, one of the attachments, I included the job description, which is signed by the employee and myself, and at the top it says grant funded through October, 2027. They confirm that you've done this type activity prior where employees make up on and for a certain time frame has as well to funding and then at the end of that time frame, be it she is no longer there and they're okay with that understanding. Yes sir we currently have two positions that are grant funded through June of June of this year that was approved last year. Same thing. Do what was that, Commissioner? I'm sorry, go ahead. So they're aware of those positions. Okay. The people, excuse me. I think what his question is, is it at the termination of the grant of the employees aware that they will be at the pun of hiring. They will be made aware. I mean, it's at the top of their job description that they sign that they are, you know, and it's shared with him that this position is grant funded through October 2027 will be shared with them. The people that you know, there's no doubt any type of delay for us the advocates coming in with that position correct. Will there be delays? Mr. Dahl, are you saying, Frank, do you print that again? I'm sorry that the individuals know that that's a condition of the employment that hasn't prior that hasn't created any type of lag in the amount of applications that are submitted. Nice sir. Okay. The two people that you just believe you said to you that's working under the same type of deal for another grant. Are they capable or qualified to do this job? No. They're doing something totally different with case management. But they're going to run out. They're going to lose their job. Unless some additional funds are secured. And they're not capable of doing this job. No, sir. And stay in on. They're not capable of doing this job and staying on. They're not qualified. Do you have anybody employed that has the ability to do this job? No, sir. You have to have a public education degree. And we have one employee who's already in a public health education position, which COVID led us to understand that we need more public health educators for what public health is to do. And so the agreement agenda under AA117 was to provide counties additional funding for positions that were needed to do post COVID. positions that were needed to do post COVID. So you have nobody that is qualified to do this work. So if we do not pass this, then the job just will not be done and you won't get the funding. Correct? No, we'll get the funding. We just have to use the funding. But you have nobody qualified to administer minister for how do you use it? You want it will continue will sit in the revenue bucket until that expires in October 2027. We're guaranteed that 294,000 through October 2027 to be used to improve, increase our public health infrastructure here in Dupland County. But in order to demonstrate you got a higher qualified person? Yes. But I think what you, you know, I think what you're saying is that money's coming. Correct? And if you don't hire anybody, you sit on it for five years. The state gets it back if I don't spin it. But it comes to your account. It comes to our call. Just like all the other COVID money that's been accepted. The only point I'm trying to make clear is she don't have anybody that is qualified to administer out these services. So if we don't allow her to hire somebody, then there's the money is not going to be used here in the cap. That's correct. I just, that was my understanding of what, what I've read through. So I just wanted to make sure that was clear to the board. Also, it's very clear in what we've got in the writing that when the funds runs out, the job will disappear. We will not add a job to add to salary budget. It's very similar to what happened previously when there was no funds in the budget. We cut a position. So that's why I'm asking now to reinstate this position, which was initially approved in July of 2019 because now I have funds for that. So this should not increase the county cost. the county calls to talk. No, it'd be a loss to the county. Yeah. So because you have no one out there doing public health education for what public health is supposed to do. You're intention is to hire somebody to take care of the public health in Duke and the county to do outreach education That is correct person with the public health degree that can do that that is correct So at this point I entertain a motion to approve the creation of a grant fund public health Educator one position grade 58 34 8 67 95 at the Duke and County Health Department with the understanding that the position will be entirely funded by the grant funds and should the grant funds be exhausted at the end of that position shall be abolished immediately. I make the motion. Okay. We've got a motion from Mr. Dahl. I'll second Mr. Garner. Any further discussions? Yes, Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. So, Director Kanigee, these bonds have been made available as a result of COPE. the That is correct. According to the agreement agenda that was in your attachment, it states in there that the funds are there through October of 2027 up to October 2027. If they're spent two years, then it's gone. So we can run it out to 2027. That'd be clear. It's about to balance it there, correct? To be clear. here. This is the bottom of the here. Right? So that again, the front here. We clear the the front is right there and that allows you to request for the position to be reinstated. That is correct. This position in one additional position I'm asking for tonight will be 100% funded under AA 117 and nothing else for these two positions to build our public health infrastructure in Duke Wing County. Great. We have funding. Okay. Anyone who include no ad blurring tax dollars from Duke Wing County, all the money is covered for the Department of Health, including services, the agent of public health. And what I was hoping for is that those people that were running out of a job were qualified and you could move them in so that they wouldn't have to be unemployed. That's that was where I was hoping when I first read this but that's the reason I asked the question that did you have anybody qualified? Now you get to have a back seat. I was. Wait and let their money run out and then run this money towards them but if they're not qualified then I understand. For the questions. Hearing none all in favor say aye. All those? I Carried Thank you. You're good to go. I don't have a six thing the next one is a reclassification So this this position the nursing supervisor one position is already in our county budget and was approved So what I'm asking for is a reclassification of the nursing supervisor one position to be a public health nurse three position which this position will oversee our family planning of the nursing supervisor one position to be a public health nurse three position which this position will oversee our family planning program that we have and so as you can see in there is approval for a reclass from a grade 68 to a grade 67 public health nurse three position the funds are already in our budget. Pleasure to board. Motion to approve. Motion to approve. Okay, I got a motion from Mr. Branch. Second from Mr. Dow. Full discussion. Hearing none, all in favor say aye. All opposed, same side. Carried. All right, that was just out of number 17. And the last agenda item for the health department is the approval to create a public health three position entitled quality nurse specialist and accreditation. This position will be funded completely through the AA 117. I'm not going to get into everything you guys can see that. This position will serve as part of our management team and will oversee the Public Health Education Program for us as well as help lead the department's accreditation, which we have to be accredited, per general statute, as well as our community, community health needs assessment, which is coming up. So I would like to ask for approval to create a public health nurse 3 position. The role will be as a quality nurse specialist and accreditation at grade 67. Again, funds from COVID-19 and public health infrastructure AA-1-17 will be used to fund this position. It will be grant funded too, as well, through October 20, 27. Pleasure to board. Thank you. Got a motion from Mr. Garner, Mr. Down. Now, it's in for questions. My question is saying that it was on the other one. Do you have anybody that is qualified today that could do this? Mr. Branch, you said no. Okay. And my question is, you're creating a position with the same standards as the prior position with the non-estanding that if the funds run out that person will no longer have that position. That is correct. Can you follow the questions? Hearing none all in favor say aye. All opposed, same slide. Carry. Thank you. All right that moves on style number 18, Mr. Gary Road. All opposed same slide carry thank you All right that moves on number 18, but you're very rude Good evening, I'm here to proceed the annual tax plate for settlement Also Att attach the summary of the government and attachments that we did this year, plus a tax collection percentage sheet. The shows that our tax collection rate this year was the best it's been since 2018. You don't have any questions but anything. Okay, I'd entertain a motion to approve the tax collectors. Settlement statement for 2022, 2023 that year as presented. I got a motion from Mr. Dioh. Got a second from Commissioner Edwards. Any further discussion? Here in all in favor say aye. All opposed. Carry. Okay. Okay, I also had the order of collection. Maybe I'll sprinkle for that that allows me to use all means necessary to collect these taxes. All means necessary. All means necessary. Oh, means, Mrs. Smith. Oh, means, yes, yes, yes, yes. We going back to the walking tall mood. Right, right. He got plenty of backup, so that not there waiting to come in. Yes, sir. Okay, I'd entertain a motion to adopt the order direct in the empowerment to Mr. Geary Rose tax collector took the lake to 2023 taxes and allowed chairman to sign the same. To move. Move the Mr. Dough. Sir. Say to Mr. Garne. Any further discussion? Period none. All in favor say aye. All in the same sign. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you. Go get her money. All right. Moves out of number 20. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the board, I appear before you now regarding the contract for the demolition of the Magnolia Municipal Auditorium. Do you from County has been coordinating with the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency on a project to utilize Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funding available to the County from Hurricane Matthew to demolish the Magnolia Auditorium? The Adams Company, who is acting as the county's contractor to perform project related engineering inspection services recently advertised for bids for the demolition of the auditorium. On June 30, 2023, 10 AM bids were received, opened and read aloud at the Duke and County administrative building. Five bids were received four seasons demolition. The Corbett Group FNS grading company DPH General Contractors and Tarheil Concrete. Based on the information on the bid tabulation summary it is recommended to the county that we award the Magnolia Auditorium Demolition project contract to the lowest responsible bidder four seasons demolition incorporated at a bid price of $69,845. I would like to request that the contract be awarded to four seasons and that the Chairman be authorized to sign the Notice of Award which shall be contingent upon the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resilience is conserved. Pleasure to board. Hello. Same motion for Mr. Branch. Thank you for Mr. Dow. Any further questions? Comments? Here none. All they favor say aye. I don't know. Same sign. Curied. I don't know where 21. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the board. I appear before you now Same sign. Curie. I don't know. 21. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the board, I appear before you now to request the election of a voting delegate and an alternate voting delegate to the 2023 North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Annual Conference. The NCC's 116th Annual Business Session will be held in Wake County on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 2 p.m. with each county entitled to one vote on items that come before the membership, including the election of the NZACC's second vice president. I would advise that commissioners, Dale and Branch have indicated that they will be attending the NZACC's annual conference this year. Therefore, I would like a motion that would elect a commissioner as the voting delegate and also a commissioner as an alternate voting delegate. If I may step in right here, I would like to say that I think I remember Mr. Dale, Mr. Brank, last year you were the voting delegate and he was the auditor and I would recommend we just reverse that this year and and go for the both of you attended. So I get a motion on behalf of that motion by Mr. Garter second Mr. Edges. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. All the same side. And I'd like to thank both of you for your service. Thank you. Item number 22. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the Board. I would like to request that the GIS Administrator position currently assigned to the Tax Administration Office be transferred to the Information Technology Department and regraded. Currently the GIS administrator position at the tax office has a job description that is specific to tax functions related to the county's tax mapping system. The GIS administrator position was originally assigned to the tax office due to the fact that it was created only when it was created only the tax office utilized the system for tax mapping purposes however as Technology has evolved the GIS system has become more complex and far reaching today GIS is utilized by virtually all Departments more especially our e911 Merch's and Management Solar Water inspections environmental health DSS and Sheriff's Office just to name a few water inspections environmental health, DSS and Sheriff's Office just to name a few. It's also heavily used by others, including our municipal government partners, local businesses and industries and extensive leave by the general public. It is my opinion that in order for our GIS system to continue to grow, we must modernize the software platforms on which it operates and also have an individual who can prioritize work and manage projects across multiple departments. The IT department is a logical department to manage the foundation of all this all-encompassing system that will create, analyze, and map all of the data that makes up a modern GIS platform. The IT department has already developed and shared with me the foundations of a plan for website and security updates for disaster recovery and ways to address cyber security threats to our GIS system. In addition, as more and more applications are moving to the cloud, the IT Department can plan for and procure technology advances in the years to come to facilitate this migration that will offer faster innovation for the GIS system and also be more economical to maintain. The current GIS administrator position in the tax office has been vacant since November of 2021 due to a lack of qualified applicants. The position is currently graded at a grade 66. It is my opinion that based on the lack of qualified applicants and the range of pay being offered by surrounding jurisdiction that this salary is inadequate. Therefore, it is my recommendation to the board that the GI as administrator position be transferred from the IT department and then it be reclassified to a grade 69 with a starting salary of $59,636.20. That's my recommendation to the board. Mr. Chairman, I have the IT director here in the room as well as the types of nurse trader, emergency management coordinator who ever sees E-NM one mapping and addressing department if you'd like to ask them any questions. Pleasure to board. I'll make a motion so we can get to the discussion. Okay, motion, a commissioner garnered. Six. Second, a commissioner dial. Okay, other than question. Providing those two salaries. Yes, sir. It's currently graded at a grade 66 with a starting salary of $51,515.84. That range goes up to $77,273.76. And the proposed new grade commissioner, Garner, would be a grade 69, which has a base salary of $59,636, and 20 cent and a maximum salary of $89,454. And four cents. And the IP department's ready to take this on. Thanks, office, we want to give it that. Yes, sir. Any more questions? All in favor say aye. All opposed, same side, carried. You got your new job. Item number 23. Thank you, your new job. Item number 23. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would now like to put before you for your consideration a co-promotion agreement between Dukeland County and Romeo Entertainment Group incorporated. The Dukeland County Events Center wishes to enter into an agreement with Romeo Entertainment Group to co-promote a live concert event at the event center featuring a mutually agreeable artist on Saturday, December 9, 2023. The net revenue for the last two concert events co-promoted by Romeo and Duke and County have been $33,148,000 and $24,940 respectively. The county attorney has reviewed and approved the agreement as presented. And the Romeo is in negotiations with an artist at this time. It got a motion to approve, but Commissioner Darner, see, second, Commissioner Dail, further comment, questions? the Second by mission of dial for the comments questions Here and none all in favor say aye all opposed same sign Here Mr. Chairman if you remember this is where we add a mr. Mathis your emergency management planner the commission. The commissioners, Chair, good evening. Good evening. Good evening. I've come before you tonight to give a brief overview of a hurricane evacuation program that we're trying to implement in the county. The purpose of this is to give you some oversight on what the program is, what it means. If you have any questions from the citizens within the county. So the goal of the program is to implement some strategic evacuation zones within the county. From there, those evacuation zones will be publicized to residents, the citizens in the county and outside of the county and make sure citizens are aware of the danger zones that they are in related to flood waters and other hazards associated with hurricanes. So, a little bit about the program background. There is a tiered evacuation system that, again, highlights those vulnerable areas related to impacts caused by flooding hurricanes and after disasters, tropical systems. Those predetermined evacuation zones are in 21 coastal and inland counties right now. And that evacuation zone is going to help simplify and improve efficiency in evacuating residents of NEP. Zones are created numerous ways among different counties. Some of the zones are created using storm surge modeling for your coastal counties. Flood zones created by the National Flood Insurance Program, Historical River Data, Elevation County for Mapping, and then satellite in the previous hurricanes or tropical storms. So Dupland County zones we've created two zones, zone A's based off of famous National Flood Insurance Program, 100-year Flood Zone. It's a very simple zone. Zone B we put a little bit more time into. Zone B is the 500-year Flood Zone for the National Insurance Flood Insurance Program. It also takes historical river flood data from previous tropical storms and hurricanes, includes satellite imaging following the river crest and hurricane florets, and then land elevation contours ranging from 10 to 38 feet based off the scientific data from previous hurricanes and what the flood level was at the time. This image you can see the two zone zone A is going to be your red shaded area. That contains 3,457 address points. Zone B is the orange shaded area. It contains 2,625 address points. I do want to throw a caveat out that those address points also include residential, commercial, and agricultural. So it may not be 3,457 residences evacuated if we pull the trigger on that plane. So let's talk about prompts for evacuating zone A versus zone A and B. Those prompts or trigger points is discussed earlier, depending on a number of factors, such as anticipated rainfall amount through the duration of the system. Current river stage and future forecast in this graphic appear in the Chesavera Canyon Florence River flooding stages from the Northeast Gate to River in your Chinkham and also shows a prediction that we'll use to figure out which zones we need to evacuate. Storm service levels that may be affecting the Northeast Gate to River. Forward movement speed of the storm. A amount of seasonal rainfall prior to the storm. And then as always guidance from the National Weather Service and the National Air Center. All this data is published in a state website. The New Year's own website is very simple to use citizens can go in and type their address and address bar and it will zoom to their location and tell them whether they're in zone A or zone B. There's some very generic wording and instructions on what those zones mean, what we do with the zones and then some hopeful links to the county's website, our Facebook page as well as the reverse novel one system. The effects of implementation and what we hope to get out of implementing this program is to ultimately reduce the burden on shelters caused by coastal county evacuations. In previous events we've had numerous shelteries come into the shelters that are evacuating from Osler County, Appender County, your coastal counties, they get to the first inland county, they find and they stop. Unfortunately, our shelters can't handle that number of people. Another hope is that we help bring awareness to the areas that are at risk of flooding within the county and prevent potential isolation due to that flooding. By incorporating a strategic method for targeting evacuation is developed from the scientists that can restore it with that of the week created these two zones with. And lastly, increase any increased form preparedness and create a word Any questions, please. When do you want to implement it? If it's the pleasure of the board, I'll reach out to the state tomorrow and start the process. There will be some TV commercial advertisement on the weather channel as well as Facebook, post newspaper articles, and those sorts of outreach material. Anybody have any problem with doing one ahead? Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mark. All right. That moves without a number 24. Sheriff. Yes, sir. Are you doing sir? Good, by chance. Good, good. Just first of all, thank you for your time. Just here with you just to say, we've got a lot of good parking also. But in our case, thank you. I like the passing, yep. Thanks Sheriff. Thank you. I'll speak up a little bit, David. He said speak up a little bit. Okay. I just want to thank you for your time today. Right now, I'm just the past couple of weeks. I've been looking over reports, and over past 20 years and I'm officially requesting that we have a 236 bed facility. I'd like this report to be kept in the minutes for the file but if you will go to page 2. We have been looking at a jail for a long time. George Garner is the last sheriff who actually added to the existing jail. And if we look at the history in 1977, the HHS shut down the jail that time, the County appeal and it did not win the appeal. So the commissioners voted to construct the new jail and that was done in 1979. It was an open house. Then another addition was added in 1994 under Ship George Garner. Now this right here, I hope I'm not on where we're heading to, but the jail that we have now as long overdue is rated at 94 beds. Our population is up to 140 or more a day. We're having the house out of county for great expense to the taxpayers. Now if you go to page three, this is data from a report that was done by Motionsly Architects February 2, 2019. This just shows you what their projections were. 2013, it was 143. If we go to 2017, 140. I mean, well over that, if you count the people who are booked in and booked out between months. The peak population, if you got the bottom of page 3, 2013 projections, 166. 2007 is 140. I've spoken musically and according, best I can tell, the population in Dupland has dropped some. That might be because the census was done wrong. Not not sure but some of those numbers are being pulled from that Now my my great concern is if the detention centers closed The Board of Commissioners of County Manager and myself get a report every time it's in spaking and they're continually hitting us every time This is begging for items that we're trying to repair Every time and they're having more frequently my concern is if they come and they shut it down are the citizens prepared for that. As you can see we have almost every chief in the county for the police departments here. This is Attorney's Office is represented here. Henry Stevens is our support Superior Court of Judges represented here. This deal is not for me, it's not for the sheriff's office, but it's for the citizens of the Dupe County. I mean, we owe it to them because even our current jail is impacted in our citizens. Right now there's people who are getting unsecured bonds that shouldn't. There are people who are getting criminal summons instead of warrants that shouldn't. This has been going on far too long. Now if you look at page five, if they close the detention center at a population of 100, it'll cost $2.3 million a year. We're over that. $150. It'll cost $3.5 million. That's not count transportation cost it's not count where tarry vehicles it's not counting lost efficiency to the people Duke and County responding college not only that but impacts our local police departments because what they'll have to do the sheriff is response for inmates so they'll have to wait on the deputy to transfer our custody it's going back them up in their cities. If you look at 200 total population, it'll cost $13,000 a day or $4.7 million a year for a house out of county. And this is not just directed, this board has been going on for 20 years. Nobody has asked for this position, but my question to the board and to the citizens are we going to blame somebody else. This is our problem and we need to be decisive and deal with it. If we go back to passing current studies, Brennan Associates conducted a study and November 21, 2005 would be able to 300 bid facility support services and share a soft of office for $13 million. The county decided not to build. It cost too much. The second study, October 2008, Brennan Associates, 192 bed jail house, no share of office, $14 million. We decided not to build. Third study, January 12, 2019, by 231 bed jail on remote site, just under $30 million, decided not to build. Mostly August 24th, 2022, gave an estimate for $153 bed jail at $33 million. We didn't build. May 27th, 2023. The estimate for a two-pod, 156 pages, 33 million, 300 thousand. And that cost can be escalated by 5%. So in January, it'll be almost 35 million. The Sheriff's Office, the Tata Third Pod, would be $8 million. Escalate that cost is almost half a million dollars more just from now to January. So the total for three POD detention center right now is $41 million. If you escalate 5% January 2024, $43, and $400,000. Now this is where as a taxpayer personally, it bothers me. We had a chance to build a jail for $13 million and share a office of $300 billion and didn't do it. Why? Because it cost too much. But now it's going to cost us $15 million to build something. As a taxpayer, I'm not that curious. We keep on kicking the can down the road. Now, we don't have to build a gym. That's fine. But if we don't, we're still going to pay for it. We can pay up to $4 million a year. That's not acceptable in my book. Now, if you go to page eight, you can look, it's the cost of taxpayers. Category 1 on the far right hand side, that's the first study back in 2005 that have been $13 million. And that was for Sheriff's Office, jail, support services. If you go to Category 4, you can see we're at 51 and that's for a 236-bed jail and also a Sheriff's Office. Which is Sheriff's Office, I's office understands not on the table. We can live with what we have right now, but the jail is a necessity. If you really sit down and try to understand how jail operates and this design, you understand that you need a three-pot system. You can't just do it with two pods. There's a classification and I'll go into a study right here functionality. It has a three-poche jail, 236 beds. You can have two-poche males or a female. And at times, we have to keep people separate. If they're witnesses or code of finish, you can't stick them in the same pod. That's going to add cost if we don't go with the three pods. Now if you go to page nine at the bottom there's 156 beds facility. There's two two of our scenarios that you can do if you decide to go build that. The rule is opposite sex cannot be housed together. So under scenario one you've got one pod for males that 78 beds, one pod for females 78 beds. If we do a cost analysis out of county housing under that scenario, if we have 110 male inmates that's 32 over. So it's going to cost the county $700,000 a year just for housing. 140 under number two, that's where we're at today. It'll cost $1.3 million to house them out of county. That's where we're at today. It'll cost $1.3 million to house them out of county. If we do 175 mills, that's 97 over. You're looking $2.1 million. Now the second scenario is if we had all mills in both pods and females around county, just last week we had 35 females in the jail. We only have 16 beds so they're sleeping on the floor and we try our best to house in out of county is very difficult because the female population has risen all across the state and those rates can be up to a hundred dollars a day just to find housing but if it's 30 over you're looking at 800 thousand a year if there's 50 females over, 1.3. 75 inmates over, females is 2 million a year. And the last one, it puzzled me when I was looking back at it because if you look this board, and I'm not sure what the situation was, this board improved $25 million to build a jail. And I've tried to figure that out, I can't because each pod is $8 million a piece. The support structure is $20 million. That's the kitchen, the admin staff, and also the booking and the salivary board. It was my understanding that the board was planning on having a future expansion in possibly a third third pod but $25 million does not even build one pod of facility and I understand that mostly they are they just design and we have had numerous meetings with mostly said down we have not added anything special in this jail this jail only have three offices just like the one we have right now we've cut and cut and cut trying to save money. The state capital infrastructure fund gave $21.3 million to the county to put towards a detention center. Now I was in Raleigh several months back speaking to a senator and conversation came up about another building that we have in the county and they had gave us money for and his question was us how much money does Duke and County put with it. We expect the state of North Carolina to buy and pay for every building we have here. I say no. It just doesn't make sense because we're we're getting a jail for half price is what we're getting. Now I know it's not my job to run the county business, the county manager he has that. You don't have to make some hard financial decisions but it's not that we can't afford it. It's not that we can't afford it. The current tax rate is 0.73 it hadn't gone up in years and I've been out talking to the public. There are some commissioners who have told our citizens that taxes will be raised by a 10 to 12 cents. I don't understand that. That makes no sense to me at all. How can you say that when right now the fund bylets is 4.75 times what the state recommends. You can't go to the public and say we're going to have to raise taxes when you've got a slush fund. That's what it looks like. Now this earmark for other stuff, that's one thing, but we've got $27 million for jail, and we need to put money with it for the citizens. If you go to page 14, historical out of cost housing, this is just how much we paid from 12, 31, 2020 to 6, 28, 23. A half a million dollars. And that's going up because we're having to house more and more out of count. That's not counting the inmates we have at safe keeping. Those we have two or three out there a year out. So the conclusion, I hope that we can come together and move forward and be decisive because the longer we weigh the more cost the taxpayers, the more our communities are affected. We put off than ever. And what is it spending money on things that our county government is required to do so by law? We're required to house inmates. Now, they don't have to be housed in a different county, but we're required to house them. And we're going to have to pay for them one way or another. It's my responsibility to tell the board what is needed to keep the public safe. And I'm telling you today, we need a new jail to keep the public safe. If you want this county to function, if you want the court system to function, if you want probation to function, we need a new jail to keep our citizens safe and keep people locked up who don't belong outside, they need to be in a facility that can house them. That's not happening now. How many of you have been in the jail? I know Commissioner Garter has. I know you have. If you haven't been lately, walk through and just see what the condition of it is. I can see any time the inspector comes in and shut it down. There's plumbing issues that are prepared and break down. Billation issues. If the majority of the board does not want to build a new facility, the county can house all the inmates out of county at the cost of the taxpayer. And if you decide to build a new facility that's not adequate, it's still gonna be at the cost of taxpayer. So I've just asked, really decisive, and we look at the facts and try to figure out the best way forward. But right now, after looking at all the data, we need at least a 236-bit facility. Any questions at all? Is there any chance that there is anybody that could be it on a jail but one out there. I'm sure there's other people who can bid on it but my understanding of the county's already, I mean we have bid with modules since 2013, is that correct? And construction prices have gone up. Even this last report is a third party company who has estimated the cost. You can probably find somebody out there who will tell you what you want to hear and start building something but is it going to be adequate? That's the real question. It's going to be adequate. I mean we could add a square building onto the existing jail and house a hundred people but is it going to be able to do what we need to do? No. And we've already spent, I think, two or three million dollars with dark text. And my understanding, whenever they were here and we were going through that, we talked about some things that could be reduced to lay the program out, so where we could be able to get the two wings at about $30 million. That was what they were supposed to come back with. My argument with that though is they do not control how much it costs per square foot. They designed the building. They're architects. That's any company you get per square foot. They designed the building. They're architects. That's any company you get. They're going to design the building. You're not going to know how much it costs till they start accepting bids. That's it. I mean, and they put reports. We had opportunity to build it for $300 a square foot. We waited. It's going up to $600 or $700 a square foot. We waited again. If you go with another firm, you're probably putting this back to her three years. And if the state comes in and shuts down the jail, you're looking at a four million dollar payment just to house our inmates out of County. You don't pay one way or another. Yeah, we've already paid for something we haven't got. Me and college, we were promised. It was told to us it could be dead. Well, obviously, obviously, you both of you don't understand it very into the deep. I just look at you. I'm going to tell you right now, you're not still able to deal with $25 million. If you want to try it, you can. But I will go to the people in Newfound County because what you're doing is wrong. This has been 20 years we've sat here and kicked this can down the road. We could have built something for $13 million and they were looking 50. If this board continues to drag its feet, it's going to be more. In five years, would it be $75 million? And right now we've got $20 million from the state. But yeah, we don't want to put any money on it to build what we need. Yes, that's it. Yeah. Sheriff, I've always been here six months since the election. I don't know what, I'm not free of to what exactly what went on before I came on. That's what we came on at the same time. But I really feel like our board is making headway and coming to an agreement in constructing a jail. I firmly believe that we need a jail. I firmly believe that we will build a jail. But we also got to restrict our taxpayers and I tell people all the time, the typical taxpayer out here isn't gonna be housed in the jail. So, personally, I don't think it's fair to our tax payers to say, hey, we're going to build a $60 million jail, $70 million jail, whatever it is. And we've got to raise your taxes 10, 15, 10. Well, it's a pay for it. I think we are still in the process of hatching that out. Before you just jump to the conclusion that you have to raise taxes that much, I would rather look at county manager and ask if he's got a plan because it's too easy to scare the citizens by saying you won't have to pay taxes every time. I mean that's a recurrent thing. I understand this, Sheriff. This is our last meeting with our county manager. I understand there'll'll be a new one, but I'll like to hear from him. I mean, he runs the county's operation. He does the budget. I understand that y'all help him in that, but he has the finances and if it's if it's something we cannot afford at all, he should be able to tell us. So much that we have to raise taxes. He should be able to tell us. But just to pull something out of the air saying we're going to have to have a 10 or 15 tax increase. I need more evidence than that. And it's something I'm willing to go to the public with this and tell them because we do need a jail. That's our responsibility. And these would be adequate. If we're not going to build something adequate that works, we don't need to build it. And our taxpayers, if we have to pay for $4 million a year to house our inmates out of county, that's going to cost the taxpayers too indefinitely. Plus, we won't have employees here working for county. You can go ahead and furlough the jail staff. Do you want to do that when did we send mostly back and agree to pay them to come back for their design we're looking at the contract now for you mr. Jim well he what he gets that I've got a couple questions I get asked a lot did the The jail topic is one that I get. Question I'm about asked. I don't know that. I get asked a lot. We've got a prison that's not being used. Why? We have tried that. I think the chair was here when they voted for that was a sick camp as mental and security. The other issue too is just having you probably need four or six detention officers to run it. So you're looking at $50,000 in detention officers at least. That's over $250 a year and then they were having problems with people escaping. Now the county, I share if I would not want to use it. If you invest money in it, we're only leasing it for $4 a month. This cost is right now just to rent it. But we can't house inmates down there. It's not secure. You'd have to do major renovations. And I don't think it's a wise investment for the county just being money on something we don't even own. I thought you had a problem. This whole dorm is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, but those single sales for females. Well, what do you do when you have a female that needs to be in isolation? We don't have that option. We can stick them back in a single sale in the male side, that's in state violation. I mean, whatever we build, it needs to be in the middle of the night. All right, my next question is, we're using another Wayne County, I assume I'm on the low county, I saw it in the packet. What is their jail size respected to, that's a number of beds respected to the population? I don't know what to tell you. I think mostly they just started building a new jail out there and completed it. They're closing down an old section but I don't have that information. I couldn't tell you. I can. I mean obviously they are underpopulated if we're in. I mean that's I'm just curious. I don't know. In this in this pod system there's a lot of square footies that can cut out of it and you go back to every one of them single scene and you could know that commentary out. Is it required by law for you to have all that commentary? Yes. Is there a square footage number per inmate? Is it you got to have a hundred thousand square foot if you got one inmate or ten inmate Todd if you would it introduce yourself for the right Todd Davis most architects I think I've been the The Stanford's you're probably knew you probably seem yeah, yes, we can hear you commercial bridge All right, I just want to be here when I get it when you get a chance with chair Okay, go ahead before the man speak from motion. Go ahead. Mr. Branch. All right, at any time you can't hear me, make sure you yell. First thing first, Sheriff, thank you for coming and sharing information that you've shared best for. Yes, sir. I truly believe that the Board of Commissioners are aware of the fact that that needs to be a new jail. And why we go about that, that may still be one of our opportunities to figure that out, but you made some great suggestions here this evening. Now you're asked the question, who has been to the jail? When I took it upon myself, I think was in the month of May or April somewhere in there and I went over to the different kind of jail. And I would have to say it was the pliable at best. The condition of the Whittaker jail is currently in. No one should have to work there and no one should have to be housed there. Good. And I even had someone as a relative of a position at our home and my wife's office to call knowing that he was going to jail. And one of the requests was to send him to any jail other than that of Bupel Gail. Now he didn't do anything wrong, now he was somebody else, but he knew he was going to jail and didn't want to go to Bupel Gail. So that's there's a lot in terms of where Gail is at his car state, and I ask that we don't come together. We have kicked the can down the road, we have made suggestions. We have looked into bringing someone else into the game at the end of the day. I don't think there's anyone in the room. There's one outside the room that would say we need to move forward without building a new facility. The problems, as you know it. You mentioned that a senator facility. The problems, as you noted, you mentioned that a senator, someone I believe, at Act Sheet, Neter's Geekman County, brought the put in two, put money into an investment that they know they need. We can't lean on the state to stay to step up as a result of Representative Dixon and Senator Jackson, they stepped up and given us 21 million hours. I don't know if anybody else is out there doing that. And as a result of that, it's time for us to stop worried about what we don't know and act the burn, what we do know. Let's hope and say what could happen. This is the business. And then let's face this there risk. No one comes in the business to go out of business but it could happen. This is the business. And then this business there is no one comes in the business to go out of business but it could happen. The way that we operate now jail currently is not being conducive to business. It's been conducive to things that are not accurate. If I'll be respect, I'm not 100% sure how we got off the rails and thinking that we can build a jail for 25 million dollars. That's just not possible. Even if you're good, since you still without the first light bulb, not a chair, not a bill, not anything else that you need additionally to operate a jail. Tell them why that was presented in the matter that it was, where we need to put on that and really come together collectively and do what is necessary. For the better good of our citizens and of our employees that are currently putting their life at risk in that jail that we currently have. It's really simple. And nobody to prolong it any further, we know the day of ranking this year, it was our honest responsibility to put our best work forward to spend the money that's necessary and supporting our shared department so that we have a better quality of life for our staff. And yes, but those that have to go through these houses there as a result of doing things that was not accurate. Thank you for the time to spend. Okay. I've got to get my time in. I've been on this board since 2014 and I've been living in this county since 1994. And first of all, I'd like to say thank you for coming. All of you fell along for some of the officers. I worked with just about all of you that are here. And thank you for coming to support your local share. George back there and the appropriations that was given to us by our representatives, that they helped us secure the funds, which was a 21 million dollars. But I would totally support what you're trying to do right now. And I've supported this. I think the capacity is what? 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. 94. But it's bad. And I've seen some dumb decisions that was made. And I say that from a law enforcement perspective, like the matches office being moved from the jail to the old jail. I think that was inappropriate, but it happened. It's our jobs as commissioners to come up with a solution and to support the needs of our law enforcement. It's a health hazard, just don't off with. I personally think I can break out of it. I personally think I can break out of it. So, and I've looked at the jail from inside and out. Every time I go to the conference for the NCCC conference, I specifically go to Mosley's and the other architects to see what type jails they are building, the new jails that are out there. So as you can see, there's like Miss Angela Manor, I mean she's a concerned citizen. She didn't have to say what she did today, excuse me, but she's got a concern. I've been approached several times by different people. They have concern and I'm not going to reiterate what Mr. Brank said, but we need to do something. So that's my position. So I think that we can come up with the solution at some point in time. I don't know what it would be, but we all working on it. But I won't say anything else but I let you believe. But thank you all for coming. Mr. Garry, your question was for a good reason. Thank you. And for a program in the design of your facility right now, there's not any fluff in that. It's all driven by state standard rooms. What more kind of health and human services to generally detention branch requires. There's required day rooms phase. There's required square footage per cell. All that's not any fluff in this, like the Sheriff alluded to in the admin section. I think you have the same amount of options in your current jail is what we're at in the new jail. The sheriff has been pretty, pretty adamant about not having any fluff in this facility but making a function. The design that we're in right now in a previous meeting, the board elected for us to, and actually have paid us to, when we bid this project out to a contractor, let me back up just a little bit, the estimate that we're giving you, this is not mostly our tax cost. We hired a third party, that's all they do is estimate the structure cost. So to give you a good opinion of problem costs based on parent market. But when you were here at that meeting and I understand that, you said you were going to get this same company, I assumed to give you this cost estimate. And you said we're just like in Johnson County. And we don't need to be as they came in lower than what this crowd thought. So how can you see here in Tennessee, it's going to cost that. I don't need to be as they came in lower than what this crowd thought. So how can you see here in tell us this will cost that? I don't know that's an estimate but be it in half. We've already paid for that to happen. We let me tell you what we what we agreed to bid out was a two-wing facility with a third third-wing addition as a contingent to the bid, you would bid to turn the wings separately. So it was 156 bids and then another 70s or 80s, whatever that number is, pod to make it, we're being a two pod out with the office space in it for the kitchen and all that, knowing that that has got to be the same to service two pods as it is three pods. It's got to be the same size because we said we want to build it in a manner that if we have to go with two then we want to not be landlock or designed lock to have to build a whole brand new facility. And we don't know where that cost is going to be here. We can ask I can estimate it at 40 million dollars. To make it sound good. I mean, estimate it at tweed. Where you can, it's to play with words. But you also spoke to the fact that there were some changes that could be made like, you know, I don't remember if it was to the Sally Ford or something, you know, that it was designed to put a vehicle in and keep everything shut up. But, you know, my understanding, and when was this meeting? I'm just going to do that on the test meeting in October. Okay, so third, the third Monday in October, we issued the opportunity to make that project with the two wings, with the third wing option. And we've been waiting. That's where we're at. That's. And what you've come back with is nothing any different than what you have here before. What do we think you're going to do? any different than what you had you here before. It's one of the things you thought. We did exactly what you asked us. We're doing the extra wing as a dead alternate. What we gave you was per our contract at the end of design development is a updated third party estimate. And that's what was presented to Mr. Brinth's. We're on track to do exactly what she directed us to do. And where we can speak to do it. That's the process. I mean, we're in construction documents right now. I mean, we're on track to make the schedule that we say it. We're doing exactly what we say it. We can do it. I don't really know what the misunderstanding is. The only thing we did was caracontract, give you a third party estimate and when the estimate came back of what we're doing, that's where it's at. We've seen construction costs continue to escalate. We don't have any control over that. We're not way back and looked at the last six or seven projects and we do, we probably do 98% of what's done in this thing. And it's a reason for that. I mean, our designs are more operationally efficient and more safer to the people that are working. As far as adding, you know, whatever contractor, concrete and steel is going to cost everybody to same. You know, we don't have control over that. But we're exactly doing exactly what we told you to do, exactly what our contract says. And we complied with that contract and got a third party estimate. We've seen cost-first-square-footed over the last year and a half, two years, kill up two and 300 dollars, the square foot. That's contractor driven. Yes, sir, we made those cuts into the sally pool. We've got that third, we being a bid auction. We're as designed. So when we bid the base bid with the two pods, and then whatever money it put, whatever bid comes in, if the county elects, they can do the third part as they be at alternate It's exactly what we told you in October that's exactly where we're at today and I missed the meeting that you come back presented back to us This is the first time that I've had any information back from you Since we give you that children on the table. We have had continuous meeting with the staff and county managers office and county representatives. We come back before you when where I asked to come back before you. I think what he's saying is we've had a communication breakdown and I myself have not been a way made aware of any dollar figures and I don't think chairman has or anybody yet that's was the first thing I've seen since October and you had come back and shared with us the dual college estimate was 33 million 39 million what it is I think what what happened kill me said now we had meetings about once more four or five months once it was finalized, and everything we could, they went out, got third parties, give a estimate. That's like just getting in and make, in the make. That's why we're here. I'm here because I know 156 BIT is not gonna put us in place we need to be. It's gonna cost us more, but two five, and that's right now with Jeff. I was Right now, what was in May? What was present? Why did you come before it presented to cost before you come in here, jump down our front and accuse us for everything? And we haven't even seen the cost. They have not been presented to us as it was to be presented in the way that the contract was written. This board already said it was only $25 million. If I told him I wanted one bill for 40, he could try to get 45. He can't control construction cost. They don't control that. But it's doing boarded the issue you said back. It's been 20 years. Our make it 25. Mr. Jeremy, do you like new speed? years or 25. Is it legal? Sure. Lawyer said yes. You presented the money. We're all familiar with the admonition that's given in the scriptures that allow us to put this on the front of your desk up here. Blessed is the peacemakers. I'm going to try to be a peacemaker. Mr. Dyle and others have referred to the money that we got. And I'm going to be very, very careful. And thank you for the privilege of speaking. The current composition of this board has been in place since December only. Before that time, I've never had a board of commissioners be more aggressively asking the General Assembly for help and building a new jail. The genesis of my involvement goes by about a year before we were able to get the funds allocated that you made reference to. And that came as a result of in-depth conversation with Sheriff Wallace. I've known ever since I've been in the General Assembly that the jail wasn't adequate. It was a serious problem. And I think we're fortunate that we're not the only county like that. The state regulators understand that the vast majority of these counties in North Carolina have some inequities. So that's the reason they haven't forced the absolute rules and regulations that would really get us in trouble with the current jail. But in talking with Sheriff Wallace, he presented me Sheriff Stokes, I think, with one of the estimates that you referred to tonight. And what he gave me was the estimates on doing something on site versus a new jail. Don't hold me to these exact figures, but I believe at the time, and nothing was talked about doing anything other than here. We hadn't, I hadn't been informed that there was a likelihood that the best location would be an entirely new situation out where the current plans are. And so I believe the figure was somewhere between $35 and $40 million for a new situation. The other thing was to do an addition and upgrade over there was in the neighborhood of about 25 million. And I agreed with Sheriff Wallace that I would go to bat and get as close to 25 million as I could. That won't easy money to get. This board has been competent composed this way since December. They're not dragging their feet. They're doing due due diligence. We're going to build a jail. That decision has already been made. This board has made that decision. So to rehash all of the bad histories that that certainly we wish we could have done something about it. I think we need to move beyond that. There's nobody setting up here including Mr. Branch that don't believe we need a new jail. And I can guarantee you your legislative delegation, myself and Senator Jackson, we are convinced that it needs to be a new jail. What I interpret what they've done is to try their best to do their due diligence on this project. They didn't build duplies. The people that did could have built a house room, they could have built a jail. These people, none of these five did that. So I want us to move past the point of deciding or discussing whether we're going to have a new jail or not. We don't have a new jail. It's going to be nice. They and all of us want what the people can afford to do. Once the discussion took place about moving the jail like that, I was very opposed to that because of the original discussions that I had with which it was. And I told him that I thought I could get that amount of money to do the atom and we agreed on that. And I was opposed to the offsite, but once I became educated by some of the commissioners and other people, I think it's a very wise move to move out there in a new situation. We've got to get the money back. And so once that happened, and I think you and I, Sheriff Stokes had a conversation about the two parts, the three parts thing. And did I have to conversation with you that I thought we should build a new Sheriff's office? Yeah. So what I committed to you and what I committed to some of the commissioners was to go back and try to dip again. in. And if we could do the phase in type construction where that third pod could be easily added on at a future date, that I thought it would be wise to go with the smaller number of sales plus a shares office in that. Now, I'm assuming the architects can say whether or not that's possible. And I will stick to that, I would like to know before I leave tonight that is it the hundred is two parts a hundred and fifty six yards okay so a hundred and fifty six yards plus a sheriff's department is that the proposal that they would give them tonight? No, you have to assume. What was the proposal they would give? There's two points. There's an alternative for third points. There are points about England and the sheriff's office. That's just perfect. I think it's about $8 million. At this point, I think we would. I don't think I would have sheriff's office. I'd rather give one thing right. That's why we would be this. And do you think that way? I don't think so. I'd rather give one thing right. That's the way we do this. And do you think that way? And I don't think so. Share it on the list. OK, so we don't have a price on the 150 seats of the beds plus a share of the office. How long would it take to do that? It would have been. But we did, we did the program exercise of determining sheriff's office space. But 156 B.M.J. in adding the sheriff's office was never looked at because it was 181 B.M. currently you had a hundred dollars in that population. And so 156 B. If we would share a note, I think it's trying to say, and I'm not trying to put words in my office, that doing 156 B is just going to be overcrouted. Pretty much all day one. So he was saying, he would rather share it only speaking, but he would rather add more beds than add a sheriff's office, keeping sheriff's office where it's at so he's not over-prowded. Or we don't think with the design is we know when the sheriff's office to be tailored, but that didn't ever seem to be a priority, because the more beds were the priority to get the more equal. Keepers and those up. We need to keep pods as soon as they're on the 78 feet of the tomatoes. More people out there. Now the pods just demonstrate those pervisions. That's the big thing. We're going back. So what was presented, those figures that the the mission going to talk about? What was that a hundred and eighty one man? 136 and the third five alternate that's the full we did the study the band projections 2040 Year Projected to need 200 year that did the damage projected to need 200. And that's what the sheriff is referring to 236. I think we have the estimate that's on forum right now. Because that's what we gave you, an estimate at the end of schematic design, what we presented in the main, what we gave to the county was the end of design development and then we'll give a third estimate at the end of construction. So the figures I've got now is how many figures and how much number? of the three parts. So the base bed, which is the two parts, sorry, which is 156, 156, that's the 33 million, that's the two parts. And as we were instructed in the contract, we designed the ad alternate, the 33 million, that's two parts. And as we were instructed in the contract, we designed the ad alternate, the third part, to go on the back of that. It could be included in the original time, or if we had on right-wing, we could say. That was also, of course, simply. That price came out to be $8 million. So it's a full bill, that's 33 plus eight. Yes, sir. As currently estimated. Yes sir. As currently estimated, that's estimated. We, you will not know what the true price is until the VIDS actually come into its VIDS or general country. But that's why we get a third party that that's all they do is estimate. The one we are alluded to, Johnson County Johnston County was the right at the pandemic, and everybody was expecting prices to go through the room and it did. It came in extremely low. One that we'd be at six months later was almost $200 a square foot, more expensive. It was just Johnston County got them, but they hit it outside the contractor's park. The world was going to do it, and he's been waiting to get him over work, and said, their principal's got shot. We had no way of predicting that. Everybody thought of the pandemic. Supply change stuff. We actually advised them not to do the sheriff's office. We didn't think they had enough money. We said, we think the process would come into your house. You're not doing the shares. And then when the vids came in, $12 million under, then they said, oh, we get better prices than we expected. So we then moved into the second phase and then the shares office. Now we want all that. What have you brought back to us that you didn't bring to us in October? The estimate on what we gave to the county manager, that we got back in the third part, we're still on track doing exactly what you're supposed to do, what you talked about, the two pods, the 156-bed, and we've designed, we're in design development, and how actually the structure of this map, of that third pod that's being out as a alternative. So when the bids come in on the base bids, that's 100 b to 6. If they come in better, then you can say, well, we wanna add that alternative that's already gonna be designed and ready to do it. So they'll get prices on that too. You get to see what both of those are gonna be. That was the pleasure of the board to keep from saying we're going to do 180 soon because we probably can't afford that, or we don't know. So that's the way that was done. That's exactly what we were instructed. That's exactly where we're at. So the two five hundred and six weeks we finished 33 million dollars. That's the estimate we just got back to the end of the minute. And my understanding of sheriff is that if you've ever had this jail space, then you'll be able to share some of this at this point. Yes, because it comes to coming more, but having two bars, they won't pay that much. We're at a little over 21 million dollars, so 22 million dollars. That's 11 million, I'm sure. I committed back then to get back to the world. And all for that is a suggestion that we, nothing's gonna happen to construction costs that they're doing that way. The suggestion at all for you all is let's get started on this under-fit to 68. I will do my best to get you moved from where you're at with the 21 something. I'll get us as close to 33 as we can. Well, this board, though, does not share, I'm sorry, they do not need to criticize me. They have worked very hard to do this. And I'll continue to work with you. Representative Dixon, I want to thank you for that. Well, thank you for the money you have gotten us. And that was our plan. And we've been in conversation with him about trying to go back to the well before. But we were, I was at least, I don't speak for anybody else. But for my standpoint, when you sit here that night, you indicated that you thought that you could possibly get the two pods in 30 million dollars. And that's what you went back to the drawing board to do and made some changes. And I would appreciate it. You coming back to us and showing us that, not what we've had here tonight. I was all 4 billion to jail. But I don't feel like the way it's been presented tonight was in unity to where we were, when we were working with you before. And if I remember, I feel like the number was around 34 million when you were here before. When I read this in my package, 34 million, I feel like I've done nothing since I told them. We won't stand here and talk about how we kicked the cam down the road and how the commission has done that. I feel like they're right. I'm sorry to all the taxpayers that I agree for you to do the work and you've done nothing. Okay? That's the way I feel right now. If we want to accuse somebody, accuse me of wasting our money paying you because you ain't probably saying nothing to any different than what we have when you're here before. Because our intent was to get them jail started, do the two wings, lay it out for the third wing, and keep pushing the state to get us some more money. And at some given point, we'd either get somebody from the state or we'd add the third wing on with taxes. But you were going to stream line and get it back to us. It's what I thought we signed that forward. And that is not what we got. That's exactly what we did. I've got a quick control is the increasing construction cost. We have cut all the fluff out. We designed a 156 B and that alternate bar just like we talked about. We just got the updated estimate. We've cut anything and everything out. All the square footage is dictated by the state's name. I mean, have we come back? Have we been asked to come back and give you an update halfway through before tonight? Maybe you would have been a little bit better understanding. But yes, sir, we have. We've been working continuously since that last week. Well, what are the things? I was on set. Okay. You were asked to come tonight. Who asked you to come tonight and not come three or four or six months ago? And it's all from your care manager asking if I could be here tonight. But this standard operating procedure for mostly. Yes sir. The way his been presented tonight. So what have you showed us? I don't have anything. I don't have a part in what the sheriff is talking about. We were here. We were asked to come here to answer any questions. And then also to discuss the estimate that we sent to the camp. You don't answer any questions on that. But what if you should have? The updated estimate is 33 million dollars of doing what you asked us to do. Others to differences. The design development package for our agreement was given to the unit of the day that Mr. Prince and the UNDREF. On the day that we said we'd give it, and then after that, it's out of our hands with the county, how he chooses to share with you all that we provided the design development documents as we said with the included cost estimates. Just to interject, I know you might not see a lot of difference between the first time and now, but I do know you've had multiple meetings, managers, share-soft engineers, health quality, everybody. IT's maintenance, everything down to what the forest will be about, all that has been done now. That's something they can do as to something. Before they could even do that because they didn't even know how it's going to be designed. So we haven't been working. I don't you think they haven't anything just because you've got a 156 bed six months ago and now now they know actually what they're looking at building. Let's hear it. Go ahead, Chris Branch. Okay, first of all, I represent a Dixon thank you for being there tonight and thank you for what you share it and thank you for your sentiments and regards to being the peace maker. I want you to know that my voice is loud, it's loud and normal, it's because I'm talking through this phone and I want to make sure that I'm here. But again, thank you. But I want to be clear, regardless of 34 million, that is for 156 Bayes, correct? Yes. So we would be proceeding with 156 Bay six minutes, we would be advised that we will already be overcrowded. But the thought is we will have time to add a third part. In adding that third part, do we have any idea what those numbers would be currently and would it be the same if it took us less than two years to get the new 156 bed facility built now on that day one it will be crowded. It's 8 million now currently from the third pod. No projection on to you now I don't think. That's based on the character's tension price right right? And the powder they still going up. That's great. So now as I do, we may move forward at the 156. No, that we actually need more. And at that time, the number could be greater. And we are hopeful that representative will be able to help us out. But yeah, still there may be a delta in amount of money that we're going to need to build the third part. Yes, sir. What the board directed us to do? You're in a position right now in the design to do the 156 plus the additional 78. We're designing that. It's's just gonna be bid to the contractor The 156 is in what they call the base bed and then they're gonna bid an alternate And then when they bid that alternate our estimate is saying now that that's probably another eight million dollars for that Altie when that's bid the county can say we want to do all of that And so there is no more design because that's being designed county can say we want to do all of that. So there is no more design because that's being designed that's part of what our contractor said to do. It was actually our suggestion when you said you didn't you wanted to say closer to the 20-some million to do that as a bid alter. And in this day it would still say what are we doing? What have we done since the last one the sheriff touched on a little bit our mechanical electrical plumbing all of that has come into play for we were at back before was just a conceptual layout now we've got all the engineering pieces that's been put in it and all of that and so that data went to the cost estimator who could then give us a more realistic cost before it was based on a square footage cost. So to say that we had nothing since last time, there's been a ton of work putting you since last time. Well, what I wanted was for you to come back and give us what you did. You know, what the design was, how you wanna get to be it. Tell me why it's 34 million, it's the 30 that we talked about. That's not what I got tonight. What I got tonight is a deal that everybody's come to try to put pressure on us to make the decision that we already agreed to make. We're going to build a shape. Okay? But instead of you sharing with us what you've accomplished and why it's for me and higher than what we talked about when you left and then what the add-on's going to be, we've heard all the punishment we're going to get if we don't do it. And how we're going to ruin the county if we don't do it. That that's separate from my piece. But what you don't want if you presented. Well, if you presented I'm just saying the proposal that he has just said is exactly how it has gone down with the few construction projects that I have been involved in since I've been here. This is my first. I will be glad to come in front of you at any phase to hear this project and give. If I'll give you my self on number, if you wanna call me and say, look, I want you down here once a month to tell us what you've done. I'll be more than happy to do that. We come when the owners rep for the county contacts us in assets. I gotta call Thursday of last week and ask to be here tonight. And I'm here tonight. I'll be more than happy to come and show you what we've done to get the entire project at any time. We were we're all trust. Mr. Brown. Yes, I just want to be certain that my question is asked. The third part as it sits now is eight billion on top of the 34 million. Go ahead. Yes. So that's taken up from one fifty six to two thirty four. Two thirty six. Okay, 236. But if we don't move on that, that number could grow exponentially, correct? Actually, Mr. Brick, you've had a million number. You have that option once it goes to bid to the contract. I think he's saying, if you don't bid the third part when you construct the 156 bed two pods you wait four or five years down the road. Oh yeah. Are they going to escalate? Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean yes. I'm sorry. I'm just a guy. We got that part. We can take a parent's but on the front end now. We put on 56 nine that is not enough billions. And no way to turn around possibly depending upon the state and spectra and other things. But we put an additional there where instead of being asked to do something that we be be in trouble, as is under the jail being shut down possibly, with the information that shows to an alien that having to ship everyone out, isn't that a greater risk? I mean, if you don't have enough of me, it's always a risk to have to ship them to another camp. And that's probably not a need to answer answer that's probably more of a state question Do you have do you have the draw under the thing? On this being or this estimate that much you had County said Reviewed that to see the differences So who has reviewed that to see the differences? Mr. Chairman, it was on its apologize. Do you mean the difference in the fore plan? Yep. I mean, the difference in the things that he was going to go by and the little cap to help conserve the cost. I could provide that to you in construction documents. OK. Because I won't see it. OK. I don't have them printed. I guess I can print them out. You got the virus? We'll get you whatever. You want a full set of growers? We'll get those printed overnight or two. I want to say the differences. In what you had when ever you were here before, you had a layout that you presented and then you were going to go back and make some changes to try to help get us in a closer number where we want to be. And I want to see that accomplishment. And that's what I've been waiting on so that we could get started, so that we could turn the ship. And that's all I've been waiting for. Yeah. And I wasn't waiting on what I got tonight. This is not any way to turn the ship. This term, if I may? Yeah. I don't. I want to swage your fears and anguish somewhat. Yes, you have 21.3 that was graciously appropriated to us by the General Assembly. Your total fund balance is about 30.8 million. Undesigned is like 22.6. That was 2022 on it. That doesn't account for other ARPA funds that were put in the budget in 2023. So I'm expecting when your next audit comes in, at that number could go up to 29, $30 million on a sign of fund balance. So you do have some reserves because this board and previous boards have done a good job in the last five years of putting us in a position where we don't have to borrow all of the money. Plus we have this appropri all of the money. Plus, we have this appropriation from the General Assembly, which is a godsend. So, I would feel with your current balance today, I would feel confident in recommending to the board, if you had to, you asked me tonight how to finance it, I would say you're going to leverage the state of preparation and I would recommend to you that you take at least seven possibly more out of your fund balance put towards the project which gets you up to 28.3 and how you get to 35 or 44 million dollars that's when the discussions have to start as could you take more out of fund balance possibly? Are you going to have to borrow some money? That's very possible. How would you structure that debt? That's where we have to get into details. Can we absorb it with our current tax rate? That maybe a possibility? I can't say that it would be without looking at into the numbers and seeing exactly how much we have to click towards the project. But I don't want you to think that we're going to have to borrow all of the money. You have done a good job. You've got some savings. Your fund balance has gone from around 12 or 13% up to 38%. And like I said, you're gonna add it. I'm thinking $7, $8 million in your fund balance. When you get your net, it's out of the end of the calendar year hopefully. So that's just what I wanted to inform you about. Yes sir. Well, very plainly, when you were here before, we were asking you to streamline it, but give us something that was efficient. And we were waiting. I'm still waiting to see that. And I'm still waiting as a third or whatever time it is, because I haven't seen it tonight, okay? So, for Zontan Sur, you have not delivered the package that I budget for you to deliver. Okay, and if you deliver to the county manager, then I apologize to fact that he hasn't given to me, but that's what I thought that you were gonna come back to so that we could move on so that we could see What we could do and then try to figure out the money I'm just very what what we were tasked with What we thought would come to this evening is like what let's to answer any questions about that estimate that we said in any questions about that estimate that we said in May. Could have very brought you any, you could have come to any of the design. I mean, we're not trying to add anything, I'll be glad to show you anything, everything. We were prepared to answer questions about that estimate. That's what we were asked to do. I'm sorry that you feel like you think we've done that. But I promise you, sir, Aaron, it's been a long time. I'm not a broke man since the last time. Well, if we would swap chairs, and I told you before $34 million, and then you sent me back to figure out how to make cups, and you come back in and bring all this for our with you, which you know, I mean, they're here with you. I'm sorry. Yeah, they didn't come in this room until you come in this room. So, the situation is, it has come at me with this package. It has almost nothing to do with you turning in a more efficient bill. And that's why I received tonight. I want to build a jet. And I was left to build three wing jams. But I wanted to see us get efficient on the two wings and we'd add the third one when we could and it might be in the beginning but that's not what I got so I'm sorry for any misunderstanding that this is a long ways from showing me the efficiency that we sent you back to do so I'm sorry. We sent you back to do. So, I'm sorry. One, I just want to reiterate, I've got two different orders of business. I didn't have anything to do with that order of business that you did. My order of business is to be here, which is to explain new questions on the test. Well, for everybody else, that's not enough to come to this meeting tonight. The jetbacker, who was your project manager, who plays the architect. Well, just for the record, I didn't need anybody to force me to build a jail. I want to build a jail. Okay, so I'm done. Is it a way we can have a work session or something like that? Because nothing's gonna get done this evening. I'm just sitting here listening to everybody go back and forth about who said, what did something. And I can understand what you are talking about because I remember a discussion with you. I sympathize with you because I know what you do because I've looked at what you guys do business But is there with someone we can come have a work session or something like that to deal with this issue And I appreciate everybody coming out. I don't take offense to it because this is our job to do what we're doing right now sit in the fear but We need to come up with a solution and just going back before we wasted 45 minutes just going back before, but we can have a work session and discuss it in countries and kind of. I'm like, I'm like chairman of the義, I'm not going to see what we're worried about to remember the designs that you have on paper, put up on the screen for it, and then what the designers like today. So we can see you visually side by side and see what's been done, and see where we're hitting. I mean, that's just not what we've got. And you say you've seen that? So we can see the design. Okay, all right. And usually you say anything. So we can leave the design. Okay. All right. We can see you. What do you say to the other side? Okay. But once we get that, the chair work session will put together work session. Okay? Let's chair. Uh, can you just a brain? Let me sort of say it, sir. Down. You should. You do about to do it. Let'sanche. Mr. Chair. Let me sort of answer you, sir. Down. Mr. Chair. You're fading away. Mr. Branche. Yes, do you hear me? Yes, worst than it was, but try. Well, that's a shit. I've been carrying the nail in my car. I'm really out. I'm going to try really well. And that's been an opposition of you, but I am perfectly clear as to what's been presented tonight. We can even be able to 156 bands at 35 million, or we can be able to 236 bands at 153 million. If you're going to make the decision there, we're all going to be fortunate to make it later. to make it later. I think everybody is coming tonight. It's good that we can come to the calendar. We have a discussion. And then there's another day. We have the month round of the United or the Friday. But we'll have the month Welcome. All right. We have an anion item. Yes sir. Are you willing to go in too? Item number 25. No sir, I'm ready for the anion item if you are Mr. Chairman. Okay. As you know we're constructing a new transportation facility out at Dupland Commons and the facility is almost ready for paving. They're doing, they've done all the grading, they've hauled the rock in but we have a and the facility is almost ready for paving. They're doing all the grading, they've hauled the rock in, but we have an issue with parking behind the lowest-bred ag building. If I may, can you guys see this is the back of the lowest-bred building right here? This is the existing parking lot behind the lowest-bred ag building. This is the existing parking lot behind the Lewis Brett Ag building. This is the new transportation facility. They're going to be paving Angels parking lot within the next few days. We have gotten a price to pay this right here. It's 91 feet by 59 feet to add about 20 parking spaces in this grassy area between the transportation facility and the back of the Lewis Brit Ag building. Currently, I took some picture for you today. They're parking the county solar water vehicles and the trailer for the solar water department out here in the grassy area because the parking lot that's already existing behind the Lewis Britt Ag building is full with employee parking and other county vehicles. So what I did at George and I have been working on this project for several months and we asked Mr. Potts who is the project manager to give us a price while they're out there and already have their equipment mobilized To pave the transportation facility if they would pave how much of a cost is to pave the other one now We had gotten a price last year It was well over two hundred thousand dollars Mr. Potts gave me and Miss Phoenicia this Estimate today To pave that area, he says, well, he's got everything out there and ready, he can do it for $166,980. Now, I just wanted to bring it to the board's attention and ask you if this is something you'd like to move forward with because I don't think you're gonna get it done any cheaper. They're already gonna have the equipment, the manpower, and asphalt out there. So I've just put it before any cheaper. They're already going to have the equipment, the manpower and asphalt out there. So I've just put it before the board. Now how would we pay for it? It would take a fun balance of procreation. Is that picture in? No, we didn't know that because I just got it today. I know Mr. Colour is parking out there the other day. I took these photos today. Is the transportation parking lot and this will be connected? Yes. It would come off of the transportation parking lot right here and here in the parking lot. Can I see that one? Yes, sir. If y'all remember whenever we were having a meeting talking about purpose in the and the elevations and so forth of the parking lot. We asked him and George to see what we could get at the money we're there to try to see if it wouldn't save some money compared to where we were before. I thought that was on the other side, though. We got prices on both commissioners. The other side is way to expensive for us to tackle this year. Okay. So I mean, the situation is up to the board, but you're a little care in that, at least $50,000 savings from what the price was when we got a price on doing it in the fall. But it was not in the budget. So it's a situation that if we decide to do this project while they're there to save the 50, it will be a budget amendment and it will have to come out of fund balance because we balance the budget as yes. And it's, you know, to me, it's up to the pleasure board. Mr. Brenson talked to me about that's what we were doing. We came in here a little bit late. And what we decided was to bring it to the board and let the board decide. I think it's 91 by 50. 50 by 50. I think it's probably 21 parking spaces, curbing gutter commission. You know what the square foot was that park? That right there that would that would be 53 69 square foot. 911. We've been used to that. Is that right 59 commissioner down? Is that one? 51 159. Yes, sir. And that's with curbing gutter. He listed the the new parking lot is $143,405. Site plan and engineering $14,375. Supervision 74,75. Temporary facility is $17,25. We're total of $166,980. I have a copy. Did they have to do any subsurface strange or is all surface strange? It's all surface strange. It was already graded. Okay. That's the part. Okay. Do you want to go to the office? Do you want to see that? I saw it before I got. I'll have to go forward. I make a motion where you award a contract to Jacksonville. I mean, is that what I just need to take off or out of the change order or do you have a change order for Jackson builders to construct a parking lot behind the lowest-brit ag build in 59 foot by 91 foot curving gutter stone and asphalt and 21 20 spaces I believe the ministry yes sir for 166,980 dollars and that would the funds would come from the county's general fund balance. any further discussion? Mr. Branch? I'll give you a thousand. Here and then, all of the members say aye. All opposed to the same side? Carry. Thank you, commissioners. All right. Mr. Chair, number 25. Mr. Chairman, I don't have any announcements. It's getting kind of late. So if we could, can I get a motion to go into close session for personal matters pursuant NorthCon General statute 143 313 11 A6 and for legal matters NorthCon General statute 143 313 11 A3. So I got a motion by Commissioner Garne, second by Commissioner Edwards, any questions? All in favor say aye. Okay, we're officially going to the closed session. Thank you everybody for attending tonight. Sorry, I'll tip some on. Okay, we're officially back in open session at 915 on 17. Does anyone have anything that they would like to bring up? You have any announcements now you would like to make no service chairman? I do not okay any further business Thank you for your service. Thank you commission This Friday I think they have a reception this Friday against my better wishes. But yeah the 28th is my last day. I'll second that with motion. Okay I got a motion in a second to adjourn any fellow comments for questions here and none all that favor say aye. We are adjourned.