Board of Commissioners Meeting Recap – May 6, 2024

Posted May 14, 2024

The Granville County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on Monday, May 6 at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center. The meeting featured the presentation of the Manager’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 and an update from the Granville County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC).

The recommended fiscal year 2024-2025 budget was presented at the May 6, 2024, meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners. The full budget document can be found on the Granville County website at this link.

The 2024-2025 County Manager’s recommended operating budget totals $87,236,613 with a Fire Protection Budget of $3,425,340. The proposed budget includes $27.6 million for Granville County Schools and $1,289,629 for Vance-Granville Community College. $3,471,265 for Granville Health System EMS operating expenses and $513,617 for the purchase of a new ambulance.

The proposed budget includes a recommended decrease from the current county tax rate of $0.84 per $100 valuation to a rate of $0.631 per $100. The recommended fire protection tax is recommended to remain flat at $0.06 per $100. The fire protection district includes all areas of Granville County NOT within the Town of Butner, City of Creedmoor, City of Oxford, and Town of Stem.

The County Manager’s recommended budget also includes the following key items:

– Additional 1% 401(k) match to county employees (up from the current 2% match).

– Maintain the existing merit pool to allow up to 4% salary increases.

– Increase funding to the county health plan from the current $4.2 million to $5 million to cover rising health insurance costs.

– Provide the county’s volunteer fire departments with pay for daytime drivers, grant match funds to leverage funding from the state and federal government, incentivize medical response training, and allow the purchase of new equipment and trucks.

– A formal capital improvement plan to renovate, build, or expand county facilities including the construction of the North Granville Senior Center, Courthouse renovation, and Granville County Schools and Vance-Granville Community College capital needs.

– Add three new full-time positions: Assistant Director of Development Services, Deputy Director of Social Services, and Social Work Program Administrator. All these positions would be 100% or 50% funded with revenue outside of county tax dollars.

Eddie Crews and Reverend Tolokun Omokunde provided a report on recent activities by JCPC. Ongoing programs coordinated by JCPC include Community Connections counseling service, Community Service/Restitution programs, Teen Court, Positive Action Program, and Trails to Success. In the past year JCPC has served 122 juveniles through these programs designed to keep juveniles out of the criminal justice system.

Other business conducted on May 6 included:

– The introduction of Finance Director Jennifer Baird.

– Approval of the JCPC County Plan for fiscal year 2024-2025.

– Approval of the JCPC membership list for fiscal year 2024-2025.

– Holding a public hearing and approving an amendment to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Nugget Comfort, LLC.

– Authorizing the County Manager to execute an accreditation manager contract for the Granville County Sheriff’s Office with Belinda L. Pounds in the amount of $19,999.81. Funding will come from a North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission grant.

– Reappointing Michael Smith to the Granville County ABC Board.

– Appointing Joe Stallings to the Economic Development Director position on the Granville County Tourism Development Authority.

– Appointing Adam McConnell to the Kerr-Tar Regional Economic Development Commission – Triangle North Board.

– Approval of an Emergency Communications Consulting Contract with Tonya Evans for a not to exceed amount of $30,000.

– Approval of a short-term lease for the 2^nd floor of 204 Williamsboro Street and a long-term lease for the entire facility after the 1^st floor becomes available later this year.

– Approval of an interlocal agreement with Granville-Vance Public Health for Opioid Community Development Specialist Services.

– Approval of an amendment to the previously approved contract with Portman Industrial, LLC to extend the examination period for the purchase of property at Triangle North Granville Business Park.

– Approval of the surplus of one county-owned vehicle.

– Approval of tax refunds, releases, and write-offs for April 4 to April 24, 2024.

– Approval of a property tax adjustment for a building destroyed by fire.

– Issuing a proclamation for May 5 to May 11, 2024, as Clerks to the Board of County Commissioners Week in Granville County.

– Approval of the March 18 and April 1, 2024, meeting minutes.

The next meetings of the Granville County Board of Commissioners will be the annual budget workshops scheduled for Monday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 15 at 9:00 a.m. at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center. An additional workshop will be held on Thursday, May 16 at 9:00 a.m. if needed. The next regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Monday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center.

To stay informed about upcoming meetings of the Board of Commissioners, visit the Granville County website at www.granvillecounty.org where you can sign up for the “Sunshine List” and follow the county on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GranvilleCountyGov.