The
Alleghany County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, November 2, 2009, at 6:30pm in the Board Meeting Room of
the County Administration Building,
348 South Main Street,
Sparta, North Carolina.

Present:  Chair Ken Richardson, Vice-Chair Randy
Miller, Commissioner Doug Murphy, Commissioner Steve Roten, County Attorney
Donna Shumate, County
Manager Don Adams, and Clerk to the Board Karen Evans.  Commissioner Milly Richardson was present
but arrived late.

Chair
Ken Richardson called the meeting to order.

Commissioner
Doug Murphy led the Pledge of
Allegiance and opened the meeting with a prayer.

Commissioner Randy Miller made a motion
to approve the agenda for this November 2, 2009, meeting.  Commissioner Doug
Murphy seconded the motion.  Vote 4:0.

AGENDA

Monday,
November 2, 2009

6:30 PM

6:30                Meeting Called To Order

Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer

Motion
on Agenda for November
2, 2009, meeting

Motion on Minutes for October 19, 2009, meeting

6:35    A.        Public
Comments—30 minutes

B.        Mary
Walker

RE:
Tax Appeals

C.        Larry
Davis

RE:  Loader at Transfer Facility

D.        Rescue
Squad Annual Report

E.        Martin
Starnes and Associates

RE:  FY2008/2009 Audit Presentation

F.
County Business

1.      DSS Budget Amendment

2.      Transportation Budget Amendment

3.      EMS Project Ordinance

4.      QSCB Update

5.      Other Business

6.      Closed Session—NCGS 143-318.11
(a) (6)—personnel

7.      Adjourn

Commissioner Doug
Murphy made a motion to approve the minutes for the October 19, 2009,
meeting.  Commissioner Randy Miller seconded the
motion.  Vote 4:0.

Chair Ken Richardson asked
for public comments.  None were
received.  He closed the public
comments portion of the meeting.

Mary Walker, Tax
Administrator, came before the Board to present a late application for Forestry
Use, and stated the Tax Office doesn’t have a problem with the
application other than it is late.

Commissioner Steve
Roten made a motion to approve late application.  Commissioner Doug
Murphy seconded the motion.  Vote 4:0.

Commissioner Milly
Richardson arrived at 6:35pm.

Mary Walker presented
a motor-vehicle appeal for a camping trailer with an

assessed value of $33,646.  She talked about she called a camping
dealer who recommended $27,420, which is the retail value.

Commissioner Doug Murphy and Mary Walker talked about the
owner’s opinion of $20,000.

Commissioner Steve
Roten and Mary Walker talked about the property owner did not produce a bill of
sale.

Commissioner Steve
Roten made a motion to approve the value the assessor recommended.  Commissioner Milly
Richardson seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

Larry Davis, Public
Works Director, came before the Board to discuss the situation of the loader
and its engine problems and can’t rebuild it because there is nothing to
build to.

Chair Ken Richardson
and Larry Davis discussed the reasons to repair this loader rather than
purchasing a new loader.  Larry
Davis discussed how the loader is used.

Commissioner Steve
Roten and Larry Davis discussed the loader is a 963.

Chair Ken Richardson
and Larry Davis talked about the general condition of the loader, and Larry
Davis recommending the replacement of the engine rather than rebuilding.

County Manager Don Adams reviewed a copy of the bids; Carolina CAT $23,397.24,
Advantage $25,304 with a new CAT motor, Advantage $18,054 with a rebuilt CAT
motor and Kemp Irwin $12,752.43 with a rebuilt private company motor.  He further reviewed the warranty
information for each of the bids being 1 year for the Carolina CAT bid and 6
months for the other bids.

Commissioner Milly Richardson and Commissioner Steve Roten
discussed Kemp Irwin’s bid.

County Manager Don Adams explained that Kemp Irwin’s bid is
through Iron Petal.  He further
explained this motor isn’t a CAT motor.  He explained that the other rebuilt
motor is through a CAT dealer.

Commissioner Steve
Roten and Larry Davis discussed having a new CAT motor.

Commissioner Doug Murphy and County Manager Don Adams discussed the shipping costs for the replacement
of the motor.

Chair Ken Richardson and
Larry Davis discussed having to currently rent a loader to get the work
completed.

Commissioner Milly Richardson and Larry Davis discussed last time
the loader went to Carolina CAT.

County Manager Don Adams explained the differences in the
warranties.

Commissioner Steve
Roten made a motion to go with Carolina CAT for a new motor.  Chair Ken Richardson seconded the
motion.  Vote 5:0.

Brandon Jones,
Captain with the Rescue Squad, came before the Board to present their annual
report.  He thanked the Board and
the County Manager for their assistance in the
emergency services area throughout the county.  He talked about their budget last
year.  He reviewed their number of
calls this year versus last year, number of man hours, number of training
hours, types of calls, number of members and types of certifications.

Chair Ken Richardson
and Brandon Jones talked about efforts that went into the training activity on
Saturday.

Commissioner Milly Richardson talked about the value of the
rescue squad.

Brandon Jones talked
about their call volume versus any of the fire departments’ call volume.  He further talked about starting
treatments on scene to assist patients.

Chair Ken Richardson
and Brandon Jones discussed the number of rescue technicians and what happens
if the number drops below eight.

Commissioner Doug Murphy and Brandon Jones discussed training
through the Community College and the Junior Rescue Squad.

The Board thanked Brandon
Jones.

J.P. Jones with
Martin Starnes and Associates presented the fiscal year 2008/2009 audit
report.  He reviewed the first
portion of the audit.  He described
the layout of the book.

County Manager Don Adams
encouraged the Board to read through this section and page 57 starts the
section where the information is presented in the format that the Board is more
familiar with.

J.P. Jones continued
reviewing the audit including the compliance reports, audit process, fund
balances, ad valorem taxes, other taxes licenses, restricted intergovernmental
revenues, human services expenditures, public safety expenditures, general
government expenditures, debt service, other governmental funds and the
enterprise fund.

County Manager Don
Adams discussed the fund balance is higher than anticipated during budget
time.

J.P. Jones mentioned
that the audit started the OPEB standard, as required.

Chair Ken Richardson
thanked J.P. Jones for the report.

J.P. Jones thanked
the Board and said for the County to contact him any time he is needed.

County Manager Don Adams provided an update to the Board regarding current
sales tax figures, collected more property taxes at this point, investments
have decreased, Register of Deeds and Building Inspections fees are coming in
as projected, lottery monies came in this year that was withheld last year, EMS
receipts are right on the mark, federal inmates are down and housing Wilkes County
inmates offsetting federal inmates.
He talked about the budget as a whole, the County has collected more
monies than this time last year.  He
explained that the next time to look at the budget will be when property taxes come
in again in January.  He reiterated
that the revenues are ok from where they were projected.

County Manager Don Adams presented budget amendment General Fund #7
in the amount of $23,416 for additional child care funds.

Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to approve budget amendment General Fund #7 in the amount
of $23,416.  Commissioner Milly Richardson seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

County Manager Don Adams
presented budget amendment Transportation Fund #1 in the amount of $2,402.  He explained that this is for an
insurance claim regarding an accident involving a deer.

Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to approve budget amendment Transportation Fund #1 in the
amount of $2,402.  Commissioner Milly Richardson seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

County Manager Don Adams
presented the EMS Building Fund in the amount of $244,519 and budget amendment
General Fund #8 in the amount of $45,128 to budget for the transfer to the EMS
Building Fund.  He reviewed the
project fund.

Commissioner Doug Murphy and County Manager Don Adams discussed the contingency amount.  The County Manager
explained that normally it is between 5-10%, this is 4.1% and used examples of
why contingency could be used.

Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to approve the EMS building
project ordinance.  Commissioner Doug Murphy seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to approve budget amendment General Fund #8 in the amount
of $45,128.  Commissioner Milly Richardson seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

County Manager Don Adams
reviewed revised analysis of the potential BB&T QSCB loan.  He explained that after talking to Louis
Lloyd, the closing costs will be $17,000, costs for title insurance and survey
work plus the proposed loan will not over 2% interest rate.  He further explained that BB&T will
have a pre-payment penalty associated with the loan, and there are no
provisions in the law that allows QSCB’s to be re-issued.  He stated that the annual debt payments
will reduce by $235,674 from 2009/10 to 2010/11 then will reduce by $340,517
from 2010/11 to 2011/12.  He
reviewed the QSCB loan amount of $3,339,586, amount of interest and payments at
4.5% then 2% then 0%.   He explained that the major difference is
between 4.5% and 2%.  He talked
about the water/sewer amounts.  He
said that it may be possible to find another bank next year but at no point has
he heard anyone thinking about 0%.
He explained that he went back to the national bank that may have an
interest next year and they stated a strong maybe, but they issued two this
year and will look at coupon rates.
He talked about they have to wait until the first quarter data comes in because
they will not consider this until March or April.

Commissioner Doug
Murphy, Commissioner Steve Roten and County Manager Don Adams discussed the debt
reduction amounts over a three year period and those being the Law Enforcement
Center and Sparta School.

Chair Ken Richardson
talked about the Board made the decision to go ahead and advertise for the
public hearing with the understanding to decide tonight which direction to go
on this project.

Commissioner Doug
Murphy stated that Commissioner Miller had a good point to keep looking, and
the Board has a decision to make on the data in front of us.

County Manager Don Adams
reminded the Board that this window of opportunity with BB&T is until December 31, 2009.  He explained that he has asked multiple
times about next year and Louis Lloyd doesn’t know about next year.

Chair Ken Richardson talked
about how the closing costs and interest rate came down from Thursday’s
meeting and explained that it is hard for him to imagine that the County will
get better than 2% interest.

Commissioner Doug
Murphy stated that the Board did instruct the County Manager
to pursue all things regarding the water/sewer issues.

Commissioner Steve
Roten stated that he will support the majority of the Board on this issue.  He asked what the school board thinks of
this.

County Manager Don Adams stated that he hasn’t spoken to the Board
of Education but did talk to Dr. Jeff Cox,
and they have experienced the same thing about not knowing of any other banks
out there.  He talked about this is
a timing issue because if the Board said go today, construction will be in
May.

Commissioner Doug
Murphy talked about the Board of Education has laid out a plan of what is
needed out there and he doesn’t think there are things that aren’t
needed there.  He said that he is ready
to proceed.

Chair Ken Richardson stated
that he feels like the needs are there and are necessary.  He talked about moving forward and still
try to get the best rates possible.

Commissioner Randy
Miller stated that he doesn’t like it but it has to be done.

Commissioner Milly Richardson said that Commissioner
Miller’s comment summed it up.

Chair Ken Richardson
and County Manager Don Adams talked
about the final decision will be the resolution after the public hearing.  The County Manager
explained the steps that will have to occur and some expenses will be incurred.

Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to move forward.
Commissioner Doug Murphy seconded
the motion. Vote 5:0.

County Manager Don Adams informed the Board that he has received a letter
of obligation of funds for the safety training facility.

Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to enter into closed session at 7:50pm under NCGS 143-318.11 (a)
(6)—personnel.  Commissioner Doug Murphy seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

Commissioner Steve
Roten made a motion to adjourn closed session at 8:10pm and reconvene the regular meeting.  Commissioner Doug Murphy seconded the
motion.  Vote 5:0.

Chair Ken Richardson
stated that no decisions were made during closed session.

Commissioner Milly Richardson made a motion to move forward to
fill the open position of full-time transportation driver.  Commissioner Randy Miller seconded the
motion. Vote 5:0.

Being
no further business, Commissioner Doug Murphy made a
motion to adjourn at 8:12pm.  Commissioner Milly
Richardson seconded the motion.  Vote 5:0.

Respectfully
submitted,

Karen Evans

Clerk to the Board

Attest:

Ken Richardson

Chairman