Polk County, North Carolina



POLK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS’

PUBLIC HEARING & REGULAR MEETING

March 18, 2019 – 7:00 P.M.

R. Jay Foster Hall of Justice - Womack Building

Columbus, NC

MINUTES

PRESENT: Chairman Melton, Vice-Chairman Yoder, Commissioner Beiler, Commissioner Gasperson and Commissioner Johnson. Also in attendance were County Manager Pittman, County Attorney Berg, Clerk to the Board High, media and citizens.

1. Call to Order of the Public Hearing on the Proposed Amendments to the Polk County Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance – Chairman Melton called the public hearing to order. The purpose of the public hearing was to receive citizen input on Updating the Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance to: 1) Address a request from the Polk County Board of Commissioners in July 2018 in reference to Carriers on Wheels or Cell on Wheels (COW). Request was to make a recommendation to locate the towers in a way to be the least visibly disruptive to neighboring properties; 2) Incorporate small cell tower provisions into the Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance as mandated by federal law; and 3) Clarify standards, processes and definitions. The public hearing was properly advertised in the Tryon Daily Bulletin. Cathy Ruth, County Planner gave an overview presentation, a copy of which is hereby incorporated by reference into these minutes. Manager Pittman explained the wording included in section 301 was to include public interest for wireless networks to co-locate onto existing public towers to enhance wireless service for citizen safety.

2. Citizen Comments – Two citizens spoke during the public hearing.

3. Commissioner Comments – Commissioner Gasperson said having good cell phone and broadband service is a necessity.

1. Adjournment – Commissioner Johnson moved to adjourn the public hearing, seconded by Vice-Chairman Yoder and the motion carried unanimously.

4. Call to Order of the Regular Meeting – Chairman Melton called the regular meeting to order.

5. Invocation – Commissioner Beiler gave the invocation.

6. Pledge of Allegiance – Commissioner Gasperson led the pledge.

2. Approval of Agenda – Commissioner Johnson moved to approve the agenda as written, seconded by Commissioner Beiler and the motion carried unanimously.

7. Consent Agenda

A) March 4, 2019 regular meeting minutes.

B) Approval of the Appearance Commission by-law amendments.

Commissioner Johnson moved to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Commissioner Beiler and the motion carried unanimously.

8. Citizen Comments on Agenda Items – One citizen spoke concerning the health department.

9. Citizen Comments on Non-Agenda Items – There were none.

10. Resolution Recognizing Polk County Teachers and Staff – Chairman Melton recognized Bridgett Franklin, Sunny View Elementary Secretary and North Carolina School Hero nominee. Kevin Weiss, Sunny View Principal and Superintendent Aaron Greene were also present. Chairman Melton said Ms. Franklin is a representation of several Polk County teachers and staff who were also nominated as a NC School Hero. He encouraged the citizens to go on line and vote for a Polk County nominee.

Commissioner Gasperson moved to approve the resolution recognizing Polk County teachers and staff, seconded by Vice-Chairman Yoder and the motion carried unanimously.

11. Resolution Acknowledging the Execution and Delivery by the Polk County Board of Education of a Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract – Aaron Greene, Polk County School Board Superintendent, and David Scherping, Polk County School Technology and Accountability Director gave a presentation, a copy of which is hereby incorporated by reference into these minutes. They explained performance contracting is a method of financing, designing and building major projects that have a return on investment in avoided utility costs. It provides an option to replace obsolete and inefficient equipment using guaranteed utility savings to pay for the project. Mr. Greene stated he would bring the resolution back for approval when the Board of Education decides to move forward.

12. Polk County Staff Public Health Services Exploratory Report – Manager Pittman and Joshua Kennedy, Consolidated Human Services Agency (CHSA) Director gave a presentation, a copy of which is hereby incorporated by reference into these minutes. Manager Pittman explained the history of the health department in Polk County, and Mr. Kennedy reviewed the staff report analyzing the option of moving from a Regional Health District to a County Health Department. Commissioner Gasperson, the Polk County Commissioner representative on the RPM Health District Board, stated Polk, Rutherford, and McDowell is a very large geographical area, with Polk County only representing sixteen percent of the per capita. He said in 2016, when the Board was considering the CHSA, he did not vote for it because it did not include the Health Department, and it was only one of two counties with a CHSA that did not include the Health Department. Commissioner Gasperson said he is glad the County is now in the position to move forward and incorporate the Health Department into the CHSA. He asked Dr. Hudspeth of Blue Ridge Health if he was aware certain services are mandated to be provided for free. Dr. Hudspeth said he is aware of the policies and regulations. Chairman Melton acknowledged the previous Board of Commissioners for being proactive with the creation of the CHSA. Manager Pittman said he wanted the public to know that he has not received any complaints on the clinical side of the health department, and he read the last paragraph of the report, “Finally, we wanted to ensure the Commissioners that our review of data and information was focused on the enhancement of service delivery aspects that include location of services, the scope of services, and the fiscal considerations. We are in no way intending to demonstrate that a regional model is inherently flawed or cannot produce positive outcomes, but rather similar to the 1970’s, our consumers, our environment, and our organizational model needs have significantly changed over the past several years.”

Commission Gasperson moved that Polk County withdraw from participating in the RPM Regional Health District, and form the Polk County Health Department effective July 1, 2019, and he further moved to give the County Manager authority to enter into contracts and memorandums of understanding necessary to effectuate the transition, and he finally moved to direct the County Attorney to prepare a resolution to this effect to be effective March 18, 2019.

The Board discussed the process, and Vice-Chairman Yoder seconded the motion as stated, and it carried unanimously.

RESOLUTION TO MOVE FROM THE RUTHERFORD MCDOWELL POLK HEALTH DISTRICT TO A COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND TO AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY MANAGER WITH CONTRACTUAL AUTHORITY

WHEREAS, in the 1970’s the Polk County Board of Commissioners decided to maximize resources by joining with Rutherford County and eventually McDowell County in a Regional Health District (the “RPM Health District”);

WHEREAS, the decision proved to be successful and the RPM Health District provided quality services in a financially sound way for many years;

WHEREAS, health service needs have changed over the years in Polk County and the County has determined that reverting oversight of health services to Polk County will enable the county to respond more effectively and timely to the needs of its consumers and further that strategic planning and decision making would be specific to the unique needs of the county;

WHEREAS, in 2016 the Polk County Board of Commissioners modified its model of human service delivery and established a Consolidated Humans Service Agency (the “CHSA”) to cover all Polk County human service agencies;

WHEREAS, the Polk County CHSA is agile and able to adapt to the real time needs of the human services clients in our community, is designed to provide greater collaboration between partnering organizations and government agencies, and is able to assist and support individuals that live and work in Polk County by developing strategic initiatives that resolve root cause issues;

WHEREAS, in 2015 the Polk County Board of Commissioners supported a grant that brought a Federally Qualified Health Center to Polk County who currently serves uninsured and underinsured clients within Polk County and that could be contracted to provide many health services to the county;

WHEREAS, that by implementing the CHSA and bringing a Federally Qualified Health Center to Polk County, the County currently finds itself in a position to consolidate health and human services to enable it to maximize funds while enhancing and locally controlling the integrated health services.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Polk County Board of Commissioners has determined that it is in the best interest of Polk County to move from the regional RPM Health District and to form the Polk County CHSA Public Health Department. The Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the County Manager to have contractual authority to enter into any and all contracts necessary to effectuate the formation of the Polk County CHSA Public Health Department to include employment contracts.

13. Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance Amendments – Cathy Ruth, Planner was present and reviewed the amendments to the Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance.

Commissioner Gasperson moved that the written recommendation of the Planning Board regarding Plan Consistency be made a part of the record of this proceeding, and to approve the proposed amendments to the ordinance, incorporating the following modification to Section 301. (1) (c) No antennas shall be placed on the wireless facility or wireless support structure except those dedicated to public safety or in the public interest. Further, the Board of Commissioners find that the Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance is consistent with the 20/20 Vision Comprehensive Plan, adopted March 15, 2010, amended September 18, 2017.

Mrs. Ruth explained in reference to the citizen’s comment about not having cell service in the Hunting Country area, that cell towers are not a permitted use in the County zoning district of Residential 5 acre (RE5) which is where the Hunting County area is located. She said there are zoning areas in the county that towers are not a permitted use, and where they are permitted, the tower permits require a conditional use permit, which can make obtaining a permit more challenging. She asked the Commissioners if they would like the Planning Board to investigate any of these issues. Manager Pittman said a map can be provided that will list the underserved areas throughout the County.

Commissioner Gasperson moved to have the Planning Board study the option of allowing towers in areas that limited cell service, and address the requirements for obtaining a wireless communication tower permit, seconded by Commissioner Johnson and the motion carried unanimously.

14. 2019/2020 Polk County Audit Contract Proposals –Sandra Hughes, Finance Director said she requested a three-year audit proposal from four firms and received two proposals. One from the current county auditing firm Gould Killian, and one from Martin Starnes & Associates. Of the two proposals received, Martin Starnes was $11,450 higher than Gould Killian’s, and Ms. Hughes recommends continuing with Gould Killian.

Commissioner Gasperson moved to approve the audit bid from Gould Killian, seconded by Commissioner Johnson and the motion carried unanimously.

15. Manager’s Report – Manager Pittman said the County and the Town of Columbus both signed a letter of intent to begin the Charters of Freedom project at the Veteran’s Park. He also informed the Board the new street lights from Duke Energy will be installed on Wolverine Trail during spring break (April 15-19) to minimize the impact to the Polk County Middle School.

3. Volunteer Board Applicants for Vote – Commissioner Gasperson moved to appoint Charles Michael Rounds as an Animal Cruelty Investigator, seconded by Commissioner Johnson and the motion carried unanimously.

4. Volunteer Board Applicants for Review – The Commissioners reviewed the applications.

16. Commissioner Comments – Commissioner Yoder said he appreciates this Board of Commissioners working together to make unanimous decisions that will impact the future of Polk County.

Commissioner Beiler thanked all the teachers and staff for investing in lives of children in Polk County. He also thanked Manager Pittman, and Joshua Kennedy for their hard work.

Commissioner Gasperson said he appreciates this Board, and a Polk County Health Department is a paradigm shift. He said having a well-run environmental health department is essential for a rural community, as well as making sure every aspect of public health is taken care of.

Commissioner Johnson said he is looking forward to seeing the long term effects of services being provided efficiently within the County.

Chairman Melton thanked Sheriff Wright for attending the meeting, as well as the School Superintendent Aaron Greene.

17. Closed Session – Vice-Chairman Yoder moved to go into closed session for the purpose of attorney client privilege, seconded by Commissioner Johnson and the motion carried unanimously.

5. Return to Open Session - Commissioner Johnson moved to return to open session, seconded by Vice-Chairman Yoder and the motion carried unanimously.

18. Adjournment – Vice-Chairman Yoder moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Beiler and the motion carried unanimously.

ATTEST: POLK COUNTY BOARD

OF COMMISSIONERS

__________________________ __________________________

Angé High Tommy W. Melton

Clerk to the Board Chairman [pic][pic][pic][pic]

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