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MINUTES
WILKES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
FEBRUARY 16, 2010
PUBLIC CONCERNS - ROGER SMITHEY - Mr. Smithey stated he sat here as a Commissioner in 1990 when the State came in and asked about the County reevaluating property every four years instead of every eight years. He stated they said that would be better because there would not be such a big jump at one time. He stated he was very leery of that. He stated he does not like the State nosing into County business but they pushed it and had the County Manager to push it. He stated he voted for this reluctantly because he saw this as the State mixing in the County’s business. Mr. Smithey stated this has been done every four years and now the Board has put it off because property values are down. He stated it is probably not going to get any better in two more years from now or four more years from now because property is not going to come back. He stated he told Senator Faircloth in 1990 to vote against the Free Trade Agreement because there would be the most change in this country he has ever seen because you cannot trade with broke people. He stated Senator Faircloth just looked at him like he did not believe what he was saying. He stated Senator Faircloth came up to him eight years later in Statesville and told him he hit the nail on the head. He stated he told Senator Faircloth you cannot trade with the Chinese, the Vietnamese, or third world countries and come out on top. Mr. Smithey told the Board they might as well tighten their belts because there are going to be some of the hardest times trying to have a county government and probably laying off employees a day a week to make things work. He stated if you take it from the taxpayer and from the economy, they are going to spend it at Wal-Mart or some small business around. Mr. Smithey stated he told Tax Administrator Alex Hamilton five years ago that he watched Avery County in 1990 go through the same thing. He stated a bunch of Floridians came in and had the money to pay the big prices per acre and all they did was mess up the economy for the county. He stated he saw that happen in Alleghany County. He stated he built a home in Alleghany County for $150,000 and they came back with $350,000 or $375,000 and he laughed at them. He stated he told them he would see them in Raleigh and would take them all the way to the Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina. Mr. Smithey stated this is not going to be fun for the Board of Commissioners especially. He stated this is nothing and the Board is just getting started. He stated grants are going to get cut and it will not come flowing from the Feds. He stated they are going to promise it. He stated when he was a Commissioner they started off giving 80% of a grant and the next year it was 70% and the next year it was 60%, and the next year it was 50% and the next year it was 40% and it got down to 20% for Senior Citizens. He stated they were having to spend $16,000 for an audit just for the government and he was on the Senior Citizens Board and told them to keep their money because they were only making $4,000 and were telling them how to do everything and it was just a lot of government red tape. Mr. Smithey stated there is a piece of property on Highway 18 for sale for $64,000 below the property value the County has it at. He stated it has been for sale for eight years and has not moved. He stated his daughter just sold a house below tax value because there is nobody out there to buy it. Mr. Smithey stated he is buying a few homes for 30¢ on the dollar. He stated if a home is worth $100,000 he buys it for $30,000 because he trades in real estate. He stated this is one of the best times for a young person to buy a home because they are giving them away. He stated there is another 750,000 homes that are getting ready to drop on the market pretty soon all across the nation. Mr. Smithey stated the Board might as well tighten their belt and get ready for this. He asked Commissioner Charlie Sink if he is seeing things this way. Commissioner Sink stated different areas are doing different things. Mr. Smithey asked if he has seen anything go up. Commissioner Sink stated he has. He stated it might be folks that do not know what they are doing. Mr. Smithey stated it might be some of the Floridians. Commissioner Sink stated the man was not from Florida but he paid right at $7,000 per acre for land last year. Mr. Smithey stated he told Mr. Hamilton he saw this go on in Avery County in the 1990’s paying ridiculous prices. He stated he has bought property that was sold in the 1970’s for the big price of $2,000 or $3,000 per acre and has bought it back after twenty years for $1,000 per acre. He stated he only bought if for the timber value and not the land value because it is just mountain land. He stated he has a bunch of land if the Board wants it they can have it for the tax value on any of it. Mr. Smithey stated he is concerned because the standard of living has gone down and it will continue to go down some more. He stated he is concerned about our young people and all of that comes back to being able to buy a home and everything else that goes with that. He stated people have moved into Alleghany County and paid the big bucks and the locals cannot even buy a place because it is priced out of reason for the local people that have been there 250 years and that is not right. He stated the people that live in the area and have been there should be able to do that. He stated he can name other properties but there is no use in going through a list of properties. Chairman Zach Henderson stated Mr. Smithey has made his point and the Board understands what he is saying. He stated Mr. Smithey’s point is well taken.
PUBLIC CONCERNS - JAMES ELLEDGE - Mr. Elledge stated he is bad to get animals set out at his home and he has taken care of a number of them. He stated about a month ago someone set a cat out and he had been seeing it off and on and it is going under his mother’s porch. He stated he went out the other night and there were five, six, or seven cats out there. Mr. Elledge stated the following day he had his wife to call Animal Control which was last Tuesday. He stated they said they would be out in a day or so and she gave them his phone number. He stated he did not hear anything from them until he called the County Manager’s Office yesterday to be on Public Concerns. He stated someone called him and said County Manager John Yates had called about the complaint. Mr. Elledge stated he does not care who it is, if he is paying their salary and he calls he expects a phone call back. He stated if that is asking too much the County is in bad shape. He stated his tax dollars come hard and that is about the only service he gets he does not have to pay extra for. He stated he pays taxes on the school system but he does not have any kids in school but he thinks all kids deserve the opportunity for a free education. He stated he is thankful for EMS but if he uses it and his insurance does not pay he has to pay. He stated if he uses the Landfill he has to pay or pay someone to pick up his trash. He stated Animal Control is the only thing that does not cost him anything extra and it is a shame when you call you do not get a return call. He stated he did not expect them to drop what they were doing to come and catch the cat or set a trap to try to catch it but he did expect a phone call to tell him they could not come.
PUBLIC HEARING - ROAD NAME REQUEST - Chairman Zach Henderson declared the Public Hearing open concerning a road name request at 6:55 P. M. on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, with the following members present: Chairman Zach Henderson, Vice Chairman Gary Blevins, Commissioner Keith Elmore, Commissioner Luther Parks, and Commissioner Charlie Sink.
Also present were Tony Triplett, County Attorney; County Manager John Yates; and Alene Faw, Clerk to the Board.
Chris Johnson, County Planner, stated this Public Hearing is for the purpose of receiving public input on naming a private drive located off Highway 16 North in the Union Township. He stated the chosen name for the private drive is Leonard Lane.
There being no further comments regarding the road name request, Chairman Zach Henderson declared the Public Hearing closed at 6:56 P. M.
The Wilkes County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 7:00 P. M. with the following members present: Chairman Zach Henderson, Vice Chairman Gary Blevins, Commissioner Keith Elmore, Commissioner Luther Parks, and Commissioner Charlie Sink.
Also present for the meeting were Tony Triplett, County Attorney; John Yates, County Manager; and Alene Faw, Clerk to the Board.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Zach Henderson who welcomed those in attendance.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance were led by Commissioner Luther Parks.
MINUTES - Motion was made by Commissioner Charlie Sink seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and unanimously adopted to approve the Minutes of the Board Meeting held on February 2, 2010.
ROAD NAME REQUEST - Chris Johnson, County Planner, stated last month the Planning Department received a request to name a private drive in Union Township. He stated the name chosen was Leonard Lane. He stated a ten day notification was published in the local newspaper and letters were sent out to all property owners that would be affected and no opposition was received.
Commissioner Luther Parks asked where this is located. Mr. Johnson stated this on Highway 16 North just before crossing over the river bridge and is a mobile home park. He stated all of the property owners or renters have been notified.
Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to approve the road name request. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Gary Blevins and unanimously approved.
BLUE RIDGE OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION – COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT - Jessica Prevette, BROC Community Services Block Grant Director, stated she will be presenting their proposal for funding the Community Services Block Grant, program year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 for the 210 Program and the 212 Program. Ms. Prevette stated the first is for the Emergency Assistance Program. She stated their agency strategy for eliminating poverty is the 210. She stated the poverty cause name is a depressed local economy due to large scale job losses. She stated the poverty cause description is listed in the grant along with a list of all the plant closings in the three county area which includes Wilkes, Ashe, and Allegheny Counties and the down sizing of local plants which created many job layoffs as well, and the updated unemployment rates for the County. Ms. Prevette stated the Emergency Assistance Program through the Community Services Block Grant is their priority number one. She stated they have local resources available listed in the amount of $207,052. She stated the agencies are listed they collaborate with in the three county area. Ms. Prevette stated the resources they would love to have for this program is $250,000. She stated that would help them accomplish their goals of the agency in meeting the increasing needs of the Emergency Assistance Program. Ms. Prevette stated their long range goals for this program is to insure that the Emergency Assistance Program adequately responds to 3,900 emergency assistance requests by June 30, 2013. She stated their strategy for achieving their long range goal is mobilization of local resources to provide funds for emergency situations. Ms. Prevette stated the 212 is a one year work program and budget. She stated the project name is Emergency Assistance. She stated the project period is July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. She stated this will be plan year one of three. She stated their Office of Economic Opportunity funds requested for this project is $135,558. She stated the number of individuals expected to be served by this program is 1,300. She stated the implementation schedule is included in the grant and is broken down by quarters. She stated they expect to assist 300 in the first quarter, 350 in the second quarter, 350 in the third quarter, and 300 in the fourth quarter. Ms. Prevette stated the second one they have supports the Family Self Sufficiency Program which is basically the same. She stated the planning period is the same and the poverty cause name is unemployment, lack of skills, and inadequate income. She stated the poverty cause description is the same with plant closings and downsizing. She stated this program is priority number two through the Community Services Block Grant. Ms. Prevette stated the community resources available are $53,562. She stated the resources they would like to have to run this program is $200,000. She stated their long range goal is to move twenty-one families above the poverty guidelines by June 30, 2013. She stated the strategy for achieving the long range goal is to provide strategic planning, goal setting, and support services to low income clients that break down the barriers that prohibit them from becoming self sufficient. Ms. Prevette stated their One Year Work Plan and Budget for the Family Self Sufficiency Program is the same project period and this will be plan year one of three. She stated the Office of Economic Opportunity Funds requested for this project is $94,606. She stated the number of families expected to be served is twenty-eight. She stated the number expected to be moved above the poverty guidelines for this program year is seven. She stated their implementation schedule is to enroll seven families per quarter for a total of twenty-eight. Ms. Prevette stated for both programs they have a budget of $230,164 to work with. She stated they need approval of this grant to get it submitted to OEO in Raleigh.
Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to approve the Community Services Block Grant as presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and unanimously approved.
Chairman Zach Henderson thanked Ms. Prevette for what they do.
COMMUNITY CHILD PROTECTION TEAM ANNUAL REPORT - Social Services Director Donnie Bumgarner presented the Community Child Protection Team Annual Report as required: “Community Child Protection Teams in North Carolina were established in 1991 by Governor Martin. The Community Child Protection Team meets regularly to promote a communitywide approach to the problem of child abuse and neglect in Wilkes County. Members of the team along with he and Bill Sebastian from the Department of Social Services, are Lt. Mike Farrington representing Sheriff Dane Mastin; Tom Horner, District Attorney; Judy Mitchell, BROC Head Start; Billie Jo Scott from the Wilkes County Schools; Lynn Day, a member of the Wilkes Social Services Board; Dana Blevins, a mental health professional; Deborah Teeters who is the coordinator for the Guardian Ad Litem Program; Beth Lovette, Health Director; Dr. Ila Baugham who is a health care provider; Tim Murphy who is Executive Director of Our House; Tom Kilby, Chief Court Counselor with the Department of Juvenile Justice; along with Agency Attorney Paul Freeman who often helps with their meetings; and members of the Social Services staff. Supervisors at the Department of Social Services include Sonya Freeman, Hal Wilson, Denise Greene, Mary Henderson, Edith Bullis, and Cindy Coffey. The Community Child Protection Team meets twice each quarter at the Department of Social Services on the fourth Friday at 1:30 P. M. in the upstairs conference room. During the period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, the Team reviewed nine protective services cases. The Team is required to present an annual report to the Board of County Commissioners. Statistics indicate that Child Protective Services in our County continues to see a significant number of serious cases and often these cases involve very young children. The Department of Social Services currently has one hundred, sixteen open Child Protective Services Investigations, seventy-two open Family Assessment Cases, and fifty-one Case Management Cases. The Department has one hundred sixty-three children in Foster Care who were placed in the legal custody of the Department of Social Services by one of our District Court Judges. One hundred and seven children are in licensed placements and fifty-six are in relative/kinship placements. Of the one hundred and seven children in licensed placements, seventy-five are placed in Wilkes County and because of a lack of resources thirty-two are placed outside of the County. The Department completed twenty-seven adoptions last year and thirteen step-parent/relative/independent adoptions for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. Due to the number and seriousness of Child Protection Services Cases and Foster Care cases, the Department currently employs thirty staff in the Children’s Services area along with two additional On Call Social Workers who work after normal business hours. The two On Call Social Workers work a five day on and five day off rotation schedule and are responsible for any emergencies that may occur after 5:00 PM until 8:30 AM the next morning. Through this arrangement Child Protective Services are available through their staff seven days a week twenty-four hours a day to respond to any reports of Child Protective Services. In addition to the Community Child Protection Team meetings, the local Community Child Protection Team is responsible for providing leadership for scheduling and conducting Child Fatality Reviews. There was one Child Fatality Review conducted during 2009. There are a number of factors contributing to the number of child abuse and neglect reports in Wilkes County including stress due to the downturn in the economy, domestic violence, mental health issues, substance abuse including both prescription and non-prescription drugs, along with poverty. The public is more aware today of Child Protective Services and the reporting procedures more so than ever. During the past year, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Wilkes County Department of Social Services and the Wilkes County Schools was completed. This MOU establishes a mutual agreed upon protocol for ensuring all children are afforded the opportunity to obtain an education and to live free from child abuse and neglect. They appreciate the cooperation Social Services had with the Wilkes County Schools in developing this Memorandum of Understanding. A Memorandum of Agreement between the North Carolina 23rd Judicial District and parties involved in cases regarding abuse, neglect, and dependency in Alleghany, Ashe, Yadkin, and Wilkes Counties was also initiated in order to help build relationships that will improve the well being of children and families involved in the court system. The Community Child Protection Team supported and participated in the Vigil for Children and the Spring and Fall Child Abuse Prevention Team Conferences sponsored by Our House. This Vigil for Children enabled the community to gather together and stand up for children unfortunately recognizing that twenty-five children in North Carolina died last year due to child abuse in our State. The Spring Conference in April and Fall Conference in November provided two excellent conferences to promote the protection of children. The State has continued to promote the Community Child Protection Team Regional Plan. They are very fortunate to have Tim Murphy, Executive Director of Our House, to serve as the representative on the Regional Community Child Protection Team. They continue to emphasize the Safe Surrender and Relinquishment Program to help educate the public that there is a way for parents to voluntarily give their infant under the age of seven days to an adult, that is provided in North Carolina General Statutes, while expressing no intent to return for the infant. Under this Statute, the parent shall not be prosecuted for the abandonment of the infant and the parent is not required to provide their identity. Wilkes County is very fortunate to have a community with resources to assist with Child Protective Services. Along with the staff at the Department of Social Services, Wilkes County has an excellent Foster Care Program, private child placement services, an emergency shelter for abused and battered women, medical services for child medical evaluations, mental health services, daytime child care, as well as an active Child Abuse Prevention Team and the services of the staff of Our House. These agencies along with local law enforcement, the Guardian Ad-Litem Program, the Wilkes County Schools, the District Attorney’s Office, and the District Court Judges provide an excellent safety net for children who are at risk in Wilkes County. The Community Child Protection Team would like to thank the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Social Services for helping to provide the necessary resources to insure the protection of our children here in Wilkes County and would recommend the County continue to support annual training conferences for professionals such as social workers, school personnel, law enforcement officers, lawyers, and judges. The Community Child Protection Team would encourage even greater public awareness and parental education throughout the community to help train individuals on how to identify child neglect and abuse and the procedure for making a report of alleged abuse, neglect, or dependency. Due to the number of child abuse and neglect reports involving substance abuse of both prescription and non-prescriptions drugs, the Community Child Protection Team recognizes the growing need for substance treatment facilities in the County for individuals regarding education and prevention. In closing through education and collaboration the Community Child Protection Team feels the community can work even better together in the future to help protect all of our children. The agencies in Wilkes County involved with the protection of children are highly conscientious and deserve credit for doing an outstanding job in the area of Child Protective Services and hopefully everyone working together can help protect our children in the future even better than in the past.”
Chairman Zach Henderson thanked Mr. Bumgarner for the presentation and for the work he does to help protect the children in Wilkes County.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF RESTORING THE UNIVERSAL CHILDHOOD VACCINATION PROGRAM - Health Director Beth Lovette stated the Resolution in Support of Restoring the Universal Childhood Vaccination Program was passed at the December 14th Board of Health Meeting and they requested she bring this to the Board of Commissioners for their consideration. She stated this was impacted by the State Legislature with the adoption of this year’s budget and went into effect December 1, 2009. Ms. Lovette stated in the Resolution the second option refers to Senate Bill 710 that was introduced but not ratified in 2007 that recommended funding the Universal Childhood Vaccine Program in North Carolina by annual assessments paid by health insurers in proportion to their covered children, pediatric lives, that benefit from the Universal Childhood Vaccination Program. Ms. Lovette stated she participates with the Public Health Study Commission in Raleigh and they heard an excellent presentation about this from both the North Carolina Pediatric Society and from the State Health Director. She stated it looks like there will be some voluntary movement toward that with some insurance companies but likely legislation will be necessary to get 100% coverage for fully insured children to have their vaccines covered by the Universal Vaccine Program. She stated the intent of what the Legislators did was not a bad intent and was intended to have the Universal Vaccine that has been provided in the past to all children regardless of their insured status. Ms. Lovette stated the intent was to let the private companies began to pick up the tab but the unintended impact of that is that private physician offices and health departments that provide immunizations for children lose buying power and will have to front the cost of these very expensive vaccines in hopes they can recoup money from insurance companies which is troubling in these times. She stated one thing North Carolina has done quite well is to immunize children and this is definitely a step backward. She encouraged the Board’s consideration of this resolution. She stated she believes it is on the right track in Raleigh and resolutions coming from Boards of Commissioners such as ours would likely help push that along.
Chairman Zach Henderson stated if he understands it correctly the way it has been in the past a number of diseases have been eradicated that have plagued our society for years and years and years and this hopefully would put us back in that same direction again without making it so people had to pay that could not pay and putting an undue burden on agencies like the Health Department. Ms. Lovette stated that would also include private businesses such as private doctor’s offices as well.
Commissioner Luther Parks made a motion to approve the Resolution in Support of Restoring the Universal Childhood Vaccination Program. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Charlie Sink.
Vice Chairman Gary Blevins asked what the County is resolving. He asked if this is restoring to the appropriations process the $4 million cut to the immunization program in Division of Public Health and that this should restore the $4 million they cut last year. Ms. Lovette stated that is correct by either option #1 or option #2. She stated option #2 is the one that since this resolution was adopted by the Board of Health looks like it is having movement in these preliminary study sessions that are taking place before the Legislators come back to Raleigh. Vice Chairman Blevins stated this is a little scientific for a Board of Commissioners to know what is really the right thing to do here. He stated on this particular resolution he will defer to Ms. Lovette’s expertise so far as a recommendation. He stated what is done at the State level is probably going to be done independent of what the Board of Commissioners decide. He stated certainly all kids that cannot afford it deserve to be vaccinated for diseases that can be prevented because in the long run it saves money. He stated there must have been some reason they were reducing this initially. Ms. Lovette stated they wanted private insurance companies to pick up the tab. She stated this is a revenue situation like everything has been in Raleigh. Vice Chairman Blevins asked if this is not resolved will children that are unable to afford them not receive vaccinations. Ms. Lovette stated they would first be identified through the School System and would not be able to attend. She stated they would likely end up, if the private physicians office is not footing the bill for this vaccine, at the Health Department’s door and her budget would reflect the need to purchase vaccine that in the past has been provided to them through the State at no charge. Ms. Lovette stated it does ultimately boil down to what happens with the local budget but certainly this is a complex issue. Vice Chairman Blevins asked Ms. Lovette if she has a figure locally what the impact would be just for our County. Ms. Lovette stated she does not because it relates back to the definition for fully insured, to whether a particular insurance plan covers immunizations first dollar or a person has to meet a deductible or a co-pay, and it is quite complex. She stated the Pediatric Society clearly is at the same place the Health Department is and they have taken this up to the Public Health Study Commission. She stated from the Commissioners perspective they have to rely on the medical piece with the Board of Health but certainly dollars and cents wise it could have a negative impact on our County and every county.
Commissioner Keith Elmore asked if all Health Boards in the State are doing a similar resolution. Ms. Lovette stated it is completely up to the Boards of Health at the local level and their agenda items. She stated this is something that has been discussed at State meetings of Health Directors and she thinks a good number of Boards of Health and Commissioners will adopt this but certainly every County or every District Health Department has that decision to make.
Voting on the motion: Ayes - Unanimous
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF RESTORING
THE UNIVERSAL CHILDHOOD VACCINATION PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the 2009-2010 North Carolina budget reflects a recurring reduction of $4 million in state vaccine appropriations;
WHEREAS, this reduction limits the availability of certain vaccines to local health departments and private providers,
WHEREAS, local health departments and private providers must purchase these vaccines at retail prices to assure vaccines are available to those for whom the vaccines are recommended;
WHEREAS, North Carolina local health departments are mandated to enforce immunization requirements;
WHEREAS, all local health departments do not have the capacity to bill private insurance;
WHEREAS, parents of “fully insured” children must pay out of pocket for needed vaccines at agencies that cannot bill private insurance;
WHEREAS, parents of “fully insured” children may be subject to co-pays and deductible fees for needed vaccines;
WHEREAS, the impact of this reduction places children and adults at risk of vaccine preventable diseases;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners requests that the North Carolina General Assembly restore the Universal Childhood Vaccination Program by either:
1. Restoring in the appropriations process the four million dollar cut to the Immunization Program in the Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Human Services, or
2. Enacting legislation similar to Senate Bill 710 that was introduced but not ratified in the 2007 Session that would fund the Universal Childhood Vaccination Program by annual assessments paid by health insurers in proportion to their covered lives that benefit from the Universal Childhood Vaccination Program.
Adopted this 16th day of February, 2010.
WILKES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
/s/ Zach Henderson, Chairman
Attest:
/s/ Alene E. Faw, County Clerk
HEALTH DEPARTMENT – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AN INCREASE IN NC’S CIGARETTE TAX BY $1.00 - Health Director Beth Lovette stated the Resolution in Support of an Increase in NC’s Cigarette Tax by $1.00 was passed at the December 14th Board of Health Meeting and they requested she bring this to the Board of Commissioners for their consideration. She stated this resolution is to request the Legislators increase the cigarette tax in North Carolina by at least $1.00 per pack to bring it in line with the national average. She stated the Board of Health adopts a resolution like this to improve public health to reduce smoking, in particular youth smoking rates, because they know that if kids begin smoking younger they are more likely to be life long smokers and have negative health impacts. Ms. Lovette stated she is bringing this from the Board of Health because again it is a fiscal issue as well in North Carolina when they are short of revenue and the State is cutting resources not just to Public Health but to every area especially in the Department of Health and Human Services. She stated this is for the Board’s consideration.
Chairman Zach Henderson stated in this economy the Board is hesitant to talk about taxation for anything because it puts a burden on people. He stated since he is on the Board of Health he heard a discussion with some of the physician’s on that Board about the statistics that would support making it more difficult for youth to acquire cigarettes which is something Ms. Lovette just touched upon. Chairman Henderson stated that is the impetus for wanting this to be done. He stated it not only gains dollars for the State but it basically comes down to whether or not it makes it more difficult for a child, especially youth, to buy cigarettes in addressing something that is known to cause all sorts of health problems. He stated he heard some considerable discussion at length in the Board of Health discussions and most of the discussions were carried on by doctors talking about things he is not capable of understanding. Chairman Henderson stated he wanted to make sure this Board understands that statistically what is being asked is not just about gaining money but about trying to improve the health of especially youth. Ms. Lovette stated the resolution says that a cigarette increase of $1.00 would result in a 17% decrease in youth smoking rates preventing 89,500 North Carolina children from becoming addicted to adult smoking and saving 39,300 young people from pre-mature smoking related deaths. She stated the references are on the resolution. She stated this is pretty impressive and is the most remarkable policy change that can take place in one fell swoop in the North Carolina Legislature this year that would impact Public Health.
Vice Chairman Gary Blevins asked if this was proposed in the last Legislative Session and what transpired. Ms. Lovette stated there was a 35¢ tax increase. Vice Chairman Blevins asked if the tax was just increased this past year. Ms. Lovette stated it has been increased in the last two bieniums very gradually. She stated it started at 25¢ and then added 10¢. Vice Chairman Blevins asked what the tax is now. Ms. Lovette stated she does not know but she thinks it is 45¢ and North Carolina is the sixth lowest in the nation. Vice Chairman Blevins stated this would be a 200% increase this year. He stated he does not think the prospects are good for that to happen in the Legislature this year but he does not know as he is not a Legislative person but he does not think it will. He stated here in our County 25% of adults smoke and the State average is 20% so the County has 5% more smokers that the State and he thinks that needs to be worked on and get it down to at least the State average. Vice Chairman Blevins stated instead of punishing people that are smoking, the County needs to incentivize people not to smoke. He stated his concern is another $1.00 of tax on a pack of cigarettes is just going to punish a child where their parents continue to smoke and they do not get the nutrition they need. He stated this could have some other effect that the Board does not see in this resolution some negative effect that comes about through this tax. Vice Chairman Blevins stated not knowing any more than he does about this he is hesitant to support this type resolution at this point. He stated he was certainly in favor of the legislation that passed recently with regard to smoking in public accommodations. He stated he thought that was an excellent Bill and it was worthy of being passed but $1.00 tax on cigarettes for people at this point he does not know that it will produce the results the statistics in this resolution lay out. He stated he is frankly a little bit skeptical. He stated as the Chairman mentioned the environment for raising taxes on things is not good. He stated from his prospective he would encourage the Health Department to continue to provide education and incentives to people to reduce their smoking. He stated he thinks strides are being made in that direction as certainly at one time more than 25% of the people in Wilkes County smoked. Ms. Lovette stated it is hard to get a figure on the number that smoke in Wilkes County because they do not have a great way of capturing that but they do have a great way of capturing the number of pregnant women who smoke in Wilkes County because they put that information on their birth certificates and that is about twice the State average. She stated the Health Department has a special grant for prevention, the You Quit To Quit Grant from Chapel Hill. She stated the local Health Department does provide free smoking cessation. Vice Chairman Blevins encouraged people to do that and stated he is in favor of that. He stated he would like the smoking rate to drop to zero and that would be good for our country. He stated he is not convinced that adding $1.00 in taxes right now is the way to go about reducing that rate. Vice Chairman Blevins stated he is also concerned that the $329 million that it raises will be utilized not to reduce the smoking rate but for some other program that may not be worthy of the $329 million. Ms. Lovette stated the Board of Health does not tackle that piece. Vice Chairman Blevins stated the Board of Commissioners looks at it from a different perspective. He stated he respects what Ms. Lovette is doing and is trying to do but he is not sure a tax is the answer.
Commissioner Luther Parks asked from this time last year has the smoking rate been less with the 45¢ that has been added. Ms. Lovette stated it has not. She stated they knew when they passed that tobacco tax that it was not going to make a difference. She stated the folks that study this at the State and Federal level know exactly the tipping point for when you push into a point where people make a decision to quit because it is just too expensive to continue smoking. She stated there was not any measurable gain from the small tobacco tax that has been raised gradually over time. She stated that is just absorbed in folk’s pocketbooks. Ms. Lovette stated it takes a pretty dramatic tax to make a difference. Commissioner Parks asked the average price of a pack of cigarettes. Ms. Lovette stated she does not know but it may be $4. Vice Chairman Blevins stated he thinks it is $5.
Commissioner Keith Elmore asked if this is talking about children age 18 and under. Ms. Lovette stated it is youth in North Carolina and acknowledging that although it is illegal to purchase tobacco under 18, people under age 18 do so. Commissioner Elmore stated it is illegal and that is not a deterrent. Ms. Lovette stated it is a deterrent and that is a good law. Commissioner Elmore stated it does not stop them. He stated there is a warning on cigarettes that has been on there for fifty years that says smoking is hazardous to your health. He stated he does not think $1.00 will help. He stated it will deter some but he agrees with Vice Chairman Blevins that he has apprehension about a $1.00 increase in tax and what it would be used for.
Vice Chairman Blevins stated it is going to come down to how this plays out at the Legislative level notwithstanding what the Board of Commissioners decides. He stated they will play their political game and either do it or not. He stated they know where that tipping point is and how much they can get away with and how much they can afford to tax cigarettes and not get in trouble. Vice Chairman Blevins recommended keeping up the preventative programs and continuing to educate people on the hazards of smoking and no smoking in public accommodations. He stated all those things are good and moving in the right direction but he does not think taxes is the right direction right now.
Commissioner Elmore stated a lot of study was done to put this together. Ms. Lovette stated the North Carolina Alliance of Health is actually the author of the resolution and the footnotes and the reference points and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine as well has this as a policy initiative in their prevention action plan. Commissioner Elmore asked if there was any consideration of the economic impact to the State of North Carolina and if it would impact jobs. Ms. Lovette stated that has been studied over time but she does not have that information. She stated there is a website where you can look at a North Carolina page that speaks more to the tax burden of paying for sick people than it does to jobs in North Carolina. Commissioner Elmore stated that is something that if he were in Raleigh he would take into consideration. Ms. Lovette stated she will do a little research on that to send along with the Board of Health’s resolution to Representative Shirley Randleman and Senator Steve Goss. Commissioner Elmore stated there are five states that have a lower tax than North Carolina. He stated he has a question would this run business to other states with lower taxes. Ms. Lovette stated she does not think whose smoking in North Carolina has got to do with that. Commissioner Elmore stated he is talking about sales. Ms. Lovette stated if Commissioner Elmore is talking about crossing state lines to buy cigarettes, it is a powerful addiction.
Commissioner Charlie Sink stated he lost both of his parents as a result of smoking related and it would not hurt his feelings if the tax were $2. He stated there has to be some plan of attack. He stated there are health problems in all directions and if that is going to deter, these folks do not arbitrarily put these numbers together. He stated there is a method to the madness and it does have some reasonableness and he made a motion to approve the resolution.
Chairman Zach Henderson declared the motion dies for lack of a second.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT – COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT - Health Director Beth Lovette stated she would like to share some highlights of the Community Health Assessment with the Board of Commissioners. She stated it is important when they talk about community health to acknowledge the Health Department plays just a small role in the health of the community. She stated the whole system of care includes individual personal responsibility for health, the direct care provided by physicians and our hospital, the health of our schools and their health programs with physical activity and nutrition, and policy as well. She stated she wants to draw attention to a couple of things. Ms. Lovette stated this assessment is done every four years and is mandated by the State and funded by the County. She stated this is done in collaboration with the Healthy Carolinas Council here in Wilkes County. She stated the report indicates the top ten causes of death. She stated the top two flip flopped in the last four years and actually flip flopped with North Carolina. She stated it is important to point out that even though the top two causes of death are cancer and diseases of the heart they are better than the State rate in Wilkes County. She stated there are right many points in this Community Health Assessment to be thankful for and appreciative of and build on. She stated she does not want to give a terribly negative report because there are several areas where our statistics are better than the State. Ms. Lovette stated there are some areas of real opportunity and some that are very troubling. She stated a couple of those Social Services Director Donnie Bumgarner mentioned in his report. She stated the intentional self harm or suicide rate is on the rise which is of great concern. She stated unintentional injuries include such things as a lawnmower accident. She stated the driver of that for Wilkes County is unintentional deaths due to poisoning or overdoes mostly related to a combination of prescription drugs. She stated that is sometimes a combination of prescription drugs, sometimes a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, and sometimes a combination of prescription drugs and illegal drugs. She stated that is a cause of concern for them. Ms. Lovette stated the Healthy Carolinas Committee and the Health Department are working on that with the Substance Abuse Task Force and with the Chronic Pain Advisory Committee that looks to help physicians treat the pain in the community and help catch addictions early. Ms. Lovette stated there is another area of concern related to fitness inactivity and nutrition. She stated in Wilkes County they appreciate the collaboration they have had with the Wilkes County Schools and the Fitness and Nutrition Task Force to measure the BMI of school age children in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades as well as this fiscal year they have added third graders. She stated the trend mirrors the country. She stated they are really starting to see that about half of our children in middle school are either overweight or at risk of being overweight. Vice Chairman Gary Blevins asked if the chart is for all four middle schools combined. Ms. Lovette stated it is. She stated they study it separately but it is not remarkable. Vice Chairman Blevins stated it is a high rate. Ms. Lovette stated the Fitness and Nutrition Task Force works with the School Health Advisory Council that she chairs and they work all the time. She stated this is a big statistic to begin to try to change.
Ms. Lovette stated smoking while pregnant rates over time unfortunately for Wilkes County are higher than our peer county rates and about double what North Carolina is. She stated smoking while pregnant can result in low birth weight babies and premature deliveries and this is a very significant concern for our County.
Ms. Lovette stated the Community Health Assessment boiled down to four priorities. She stated three are the same as in 2005 and are fitness and nutrition, substance abuse, and access to care for the uninsured low income folks. She stated a fourth priority was pushed to the top this year during their Health Summit and that was a concern about mental health and access to mental health care. She stated that committee has met once and is a comprehensive group with representatives from New River, Smokey Mountain, private providers, and the hospital to try to begin to get some community coalition work together for this.
Ms. Lovette stated tomorrow the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be releasing counties ranked within the states across the nation, every state, and every county. She stated she has some preliminary information that tells that Wilkes County will be in the low 60’ so with 100 counties in North Carolina and 1 is the best and 100 is the worst, Wilkes County for the purposes of these county ranking will be ranked in the low 60’s. She stated after midnight tonight the information will be available on the website so they can understand whether their ranking is driven by economic issues or is more straight forward health issues. She stated this is not a perfect measurement and the data is a little bit old. She stated there is better data in North Carolina but they worked hard to get this done nationwide so they dropped the bar to the data that was available for every County. She stated this goes back to reminding us that the community’s health is not the responsibility of the doctor, the hospital, or the health department but is a broad community responsibility.
Vice Chairman Gary Blevins stated in the Wilkes ranks for the causes of death he is surprised that diabetes, which he has been hearing a lot about, is not listed as one of the top ten causes. Ms. Lovette stated Wilkes County actually has a little bit lower rate of diabetes than in other communities. She stated the Wilkes County Health Department offers comprehensive diabetic education and nutrition counseling. She stated on a lot of these if you look at somebody that died with a diagnosis related to a disease of the heart they might have a co-morbidity factor of diabetes that is not captured in this kind of data. She stated a lot of folks in the top four causes of death quite likely might have complications of diabetes along with them.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT – ANNUAL REPORT - Beth Lovette, Health Director, stated their Annual Report gives the Board some counts of services provided as well as highlights of community concerns as mentioned in the Community Health Assessment.
Vice Chairman Gary Blevins asked what has been the impact of the H1N1 flu on Wilkes this year and has it abated. Ms. Lovette stated it has ebbed to a great extent. She stated in North Carolina they are continuing to do flu surveillance and right now are at what is called localized flu which means spotty flu across North Carolina which you can have any time of the year. She stated what has been interesting is it continues to be of the H1N1 variety and they have not seen the seasonal flu hit Wilkes or North Carolina yet and she does not know why. Ms. Lovette stated that is just an interesting twist of fate. She stated they got the seasonal flu vaccine in earlier this year and with the H1N1 vaccine going out as well they vaccinated more folks in Wilkes County between the Health Department, private providers, drug stores, etc. than ever before. She stated the State Health Director says when you vaccinate a good percentage of the population you get something called herd immunity. She stated she is waiting like everyone else to see if we miss seasonal flu this year which would be a real gift. Vice Chairman Blevins asked if they still have the vaccine available for the H1N1 and if she would recommend that persons that have not had the vaccine receive one at this time. Ms. Lovette stated both the H1N1 flu and seasonal flu vaccines are still available, still recommended, and are still free at the Health Department. She stated the reason she would still go ahead with it is seasonal flu has not hit and they cannot predict will we miss it or have a May flu or something like that. She stated the CDC is still recommending vaccinations.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT - HEALTH DIRECTOR AWARD - Chairman Zach Henderson stated he wants to recognize Health Director Beth Lovette for a prestigious award she received, the Ronald H. Levine Legacy Award. He stated the press release reads: “Named for the former North Carolina State Health Director D. Ron Levine, the annual awards honor individuals whose work and commitment on behalf of the public’s health has resulted in significant, sustainable and positive improvements to health and quality of life in North Carolina. Beth Lovette, Wilkes County Health Director since 2002, was presented with the Ronald H. Levine Legacy Award for Local Innovation in Public Health. Lovette is known for her tireless leadership in improving health in the community and State and for advocating with policymakers and legislators for public health issues. Through boards and through partnerships with schools, hospitals, non-profits and other organizations, Lovette has worked to build collaborations, develop and implement action plans for the community’s health, improve children’s health and tackle childhood obesity, improve access to care for the uninsured, and address the high rate of accidental deaths due to prescription drug overdoses, as well as to expand health care services and build a stronger health care system in the community. Under her leadership, the Wilkes County Health Department was accredited by the State in 2006.” Chairman Henderson congratulated Ms. Lovette for that award. Ms. Lovette received a round of applause.
MCGRADY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT - PURCHASE OF A FIRE TRUCK - County Manager John Yates stated the McGrady Volunteer Fire Department wants to purchase a new fire truck at a cost of $198,000. He stated they want to borrow $168,000 of that amount. He stated they are not asking for anything from the County.
Vice Chairman Gary Blevins made a motion to approve the purchase as presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and unanimously approved.
AIRPORT RULES AND REGULATIONS - County Attorney Tony Triplett stated the Board has a copy of the Airport Rules and Regulations. He stated it is a charge of the Wilkes County Airport Board to periodically review, revise, and develop rules, policies and procedures for operations of the Airport. He stated there were a set of Rules and Regulations in place that dated back to when the Airport was first formed in 1991 and they had never been revised so the Airport Board undertook that project a couple of years ago and finished that project. Mr. Triplett stated there is an attorney on the Airport Board, Bill McElwee, and he took this on as a personal project and spent a lot of time and work on it. He stated the Airport Board looked at these rules and he worked with Mr. McElwee and before the Board is a new set of Rules and Regulations that are updated and hopefully address operations at the Airport from a current prospective. He stated it is the Airport Board’s responsibility to develop these but the Board of Commissioners have the final right to approve them. He stated this should have been done earlier but it was an inadvertent oversight.
Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to approve the Airport Rules and Regulations as presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Keith Elmore.
Commissioner Luther Parks asked if these Rules and Regulations are consistent with other airports in the area. Mr. Triplett stated they are. He stated they are taken basically as a grouping of rules and regulations from other airports similar to ours.
Voting on the motion: Ayes - Unanimous
CLOSED SESSION - Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to go into Closed Session to consult with the County Attorney and to give instructions concerning one or more potential judicial or administrative actions and to consult with the County Attorney to protect the attorney-client privilege. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Gary Blevins and unanimously approved.
Motion was made by Commissioner Charlie Sink seconded by Vice Chairman Gary Blevins and by unanimous vote adopted to adjourn back into regular session. No action was taken.
ADJOURN - Motion was made by Commissioner Charlie Sink seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and by unanimous vote adopted to adjourn the meeting of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners at 8:35 P. M.
Alene E. Faw, Clerk Zach Henderson, Chairman
WILKES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Approved:
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