HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93010_1201IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
BRIEFING MINUTES
AUGUST 19, 2003
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met in Briefing Session on
Tuesday, August 19, 2003, at 5:00 p.m., in the Iredell County Government Center
(South Wing Conference Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC.
Present were:
Chairman Steve D. Johnson
Vice Chairman Godfrey Williams
Doug Madison
Marvin Norman
Sara Haire Tice
Staff present: County Manager Joel Mashburn, Finance Director Susan
Blumenstein, Planning Supervisor Ron Smith, Tax Administrator Bill Doolittle, Chief
Deputy Rick Dowdle, Fire Marshal Chuck Gallyon, Emergency Services Director Tracy
Jackson, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore.
CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Johnson.
Request from the Sheriffs Department for Jail Expansion Funding:
Chief Deputy Dowdle said the jail recently had 275 inmates, and this count was the
highest since 1997. He said due to the overcrowding in the facility designed for 201
inmates that 20 were transferred to Davie County where they were being incarcerated at
a cost of $40 per day, per individual. Dowdle said his population count was now at
232, but he expected over 20 "weekenders" to be added this Friday evening. He said
one reason why the overcrowding had occurred was a two-week backlog of Superior
Court cases, and another was the delay by the N.C. Department of Corrections in
transferring out some of the inmates. Chief Dowdle requested permission to proceed
with renovations at the former prison camp to alleviate the over -population problem.
He requested funding to upgrade the dorm for the housing of approximately 40 inmates.
(The septic system permit is for a capacity of 42.) Dowdle said repairs on the single -
cell areas would not occur at the present.
County Manager Mashburn said the county originally wanted a sewer line to
hook up to, and this would probably occur in the fimture. He said for now, however, it
appeared the county was having to spend as much in housing the inmates in another
county as it was to renovate the former prison site and use a septic system.
Support Services Director Vernon said the septic system would limit the number
that could be housed at the facility, but it was being viewed as a "stop -gap" measure for
the present.
Mashburn emphasized that long-term, the county still had plans to hook up to a
sewer line.
Blumenstein said that if the board approved the $188,755 request, the Five -Year
Capitol Projects Plan would need to be amended.
Request for a Discussion with the Volunteer Fire Departments (VFDs) not
Included in the County -Wide Tax Service District Regarding Possible Contract
Amendments: Joining the commissioners for this segment of the briefing session
were Stony Point VFD Chief Steve Lackey, Shepherds VFD Chief Kelly Robinson, and
Mount Mourne Chief Steve Knox.
Chairman Johnson said the main focus of the discussion was to talk about the
composition of the board of directors for the departments. He said to maintain public
confidence in the actions of the VFD's governing body, it was being requested that a
majority of the members on the board of directors be non -firemen.