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06-06-2025 Meeting Minutes BOCJune 6, 2025 1 PERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS June 6, 2025 MEMBERS PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT Kyle Puryear Katherine M. Cathey, County Manager Jason Thomas Michele Solomon, Clerk to the Board Sherry Wilborn Antoinetta Royster Donald Long The Board of Commissioners for the County of Person, North Carolina, met in recessed session on Monday, June 6, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Boardroom 215 in the Person County Office Building located at 304 S. Morgan Street, Roxboro, NC. Chairman Puryear called the meeting to order and recognized a quorum was present. A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Thomas and carried 3-0 to approve the agenda. Commissioner Royster arrived at the meeting at 9:01 a.m. SWEARING-IN CEREMONY Chairman Puryear introduced the Honorable Deborah L. Barker, Clerk of Superior Court. Ms. Barker administered the Oath of Office to Commissioner-Nominee Donald Long. Chairman Puryear congratulated Commissioner Long. 2025 COMMISSIONER COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS Chairman Puryear advised the Board that before them is an amended copy of the 2025 Commissioner Committee Assignments. He asked Commissioner Long if he was in agreement with the committee assignments that are being assigned to him. Commissioner Long stated he was in agreement with the assignments. June 6, 2025 2 June 6, 2025 3 RESOLUTION APPOINTING REVIEW OFFICERS Clerk to the Board Michele Solomon advised the Board that NC General Statute 47-30.2, requires the Board of Commissioners of each county, by resolution, appoint a person or persons to serve as a review officer to review each plat before it is recorded to certify that it meets statutory requirements for recording. She stated that since the last resolution was approved on October 7, 2024, there has been substantial changes in County personnel that necessitates a new resolution. A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 5-0 to approve an amended resolution appointing review officers. June 6, 2025 4 June 6, 2025 5 REVENUE PROJECTIONS Tax Administrator Russell Jones provided the Board with changes in appraised values from the state. He stated that the state appraised properties are much different than what any other property in the County is. He stated that the state is appraising those annually and not at the local level. He stated that the state appraises your state utilities, and that they use the income approach. He stated that the catch is, if a company, like Duke Energy or Moriah Energy Center, is investing new money in a county, that does not necessarily raise their income. He stated that the companies invest the money here; however, investment does not equal income. He stated that the value may not change, but it changes the utility company’s piece of the pie. He stated the state appraisers take the total income for that public utility company, then go statewide, then go down to Person County. He stated that the amount of investment in Person County gives us a bigger portion of that net income. He stated that it is all but impossible to guess. He stated that it is very difficult to for him to predict revenue projections. He stated that he thinks Person County will continue to grow, and based on what he is seeing, Person County would have more tax base in the future. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET Chairman Puryear asked what would be the estimate if the set collections rate was raised from 97.5% to 98.5%. Chief Financial Officer Tracy Clayton stated that it would be $464,170. Puryear asked what was the collection rate. Tax Administrator Russell Jones stated that the collection rate is 99.27%. Puryear asked the Board if there were any thoughts on the requested positions being added to the budget. Commissioner Wilborn stated that she is hesitant to add positions to Animal Services, because the only way they are removed is by attrition, which would increase the work for HR. She stated that she feels that the Animal Control Supervisor position is not needed, as Animal Services is transitioning back to how it was before it shifted to the Sheriff’s Office, and the Supervisor position was not needed prior to this. She stated that she had a question about the Maintenance Technician position for Person Industries. County Manager Katherine Cathey stated that the position is being requested due to the expansion of the recycling line, the new machines, and the new workflow within the recycling center. She stated that they did reduce their part-time line item to allow for some additional funding to go towards this new position. Commissioner Long stated that the County is making an investment in equipment, and asked is there a new revenue stream that is going to be created by adding this person and this new equipment, or is it all just expenses that are being added. Cathey stated that the County anticipates higher revenues with the new equipment because of the separation procedures. June 6, 2025 6 Cathey stated that the new equipment is going to allow the County to be able to sort more effectively for sending things to the market, allowing separation and less contamination to get a higher rate of return for selling those goods. Long stated that we are talking about adding people and that we do not have a firm grasp of what kind of revenue increase we would have to offset those expenses. Cathey stated that she would have to go back and look at the departmental request and what was tied to it as far as revenues go. She stated that the County needed to do something within the recycling center because the equipment had been in place for a very long time and we were getting to the point where it was extremely difficult to maintain, as well as risks associated with that related to worker safety. She stated that the new equipment would allow staff to sort materials in a different way, handle a higher volume of materials, and create other efficiencies within the center. She stated that it was not going to be sustainable to continue to work with the equipment already in place. She stated that she could go with Long and tour the facility with him. Wilborn had concerns about the Assistant Chief EMS position and asked if this was something that could be addressed with increasing an overtime budget or some way to accommodate other than adding positions, which are not recommended in the manager’s budget. Emergency Services Director Thomas Schwalenberg stated that the issue is workload. He stated that when you look at the workload within the EMS division, they have three administrative staff including himself, and that model has not changed in 10-15 years. He stated that the workforce continues to grow, and that the current EMS Chief ends up spending the majority of her time dealing with operational issues and not dealing with the larger strategic administrative issues that they really need to focus on. He stated that it is a matter of bandwidth, so increasing overtime is not going to fix that issue. He stated that the issue is the amount of work that needs to be done and not having enough staff in place to do the work, which was the driving force behind that position request. Long asked how many units did the County have 10 years ago. Schwalenberg stated that he does not want to speak off the top of his head, and that he was not here 10 years ago. He stated currently there are 4 trucks that are staffed regularly, plus the supervisor vehicle. He stated that if you look at the call volume, and look at where they are at today, they really need 5 trucks on the road, which is a staffing issue, and they would need more people to be able to staff a fifth truck. Long asked how many calls are they responding to daily and yearly. He stated that daily call volume varies, and that last year they responded to 7,200 calls. He stated that the majority of transports are going out of the County. He stated that when a unit transports a patient to Durham, Duke, or UNC, he may lose that truck for two hours, meanwhile, calls continue to come in. He stated that yesterday, they ran out of four trucks in 10 minutes, while all four trucks were gone, they received a call for mutual aid, which is a regular occurrence, and could not assist. Long asked out of the 7,200 yearly calls, how many of those are emergencies. Schwalenberg stated that about 70% are advanced life support with the remaining 30% basic life support. June 6, 2025 7 Cathey stated that not including the Assistant Chief of EMS position in the recommended budget is not an indication that she does not see a need for that position or a benefit to County operations for that position. She stated it was just part of the exercise of trying to trim back. She stated that HR worked closely with the department to identify some of the duties that are currently being performed by the Division Chief of EMS, and where some of those duties could be carved out and reassigned to another position, giving that position some additional duties, which helps with professional development, and alleviating some of the pressure. She stated that this is an interim step to meeting a need, but certainly does not satisfy the need that the department has as the demand for services has continued to grow. Wilborn asked if there was a policy about supporting local businesses. She stated that it was brought to her attention that somebody wanted to order office furniture from a local vendor and was redirected to Amazon. She stated that she was told that there may be a policy or practice that is promoted. She stated that the County funds an entire department of three people that encourages, recruits, and supports small businesses here. She stated that small businesses here are going to be paying taxes and employing people here, as well as bringing in revenue. She stated if there is no policy in place, she would like to see one. Cathey stated that she could not point to any specific policy language around that. She stated that the County did implement Amazon Business last year. She stated that the County does get some money back from the purchases that are made through Amazon Business. She stated that the County is not discouraging local purchasing, however there is an option in place to price compare and to determine whether the price difference is significant enough to warrant ordering through Amazon to save on tax payer dollars. She stated that there is no policy in place that states that everyone must use Amazon Business. She stated that communication has been for staff to look at price comparisons and make the purchase that makes the most sense with the spending of tax dollars. Wilborn stated how do you know that every employee is price comparing. She stated that the local business is bringing revenue into the County in multiple ways and we are spending those tax dollars to fund a department to support that, so it is not necessarily just a black and white this product is cheaper here than it is there. She stated that we are trying to grow the local economy and what is the best way to do that. Long stated that local people being employed, that are paying taxes, and buying services here. Wilborn stated she had questions related to the increase in contracted services due to ArchiveSocial and NextRequest. Cathey stated that they are two different services provided by Civic Plus. She stated that the increase is an annual increase in the cost of subscribing to those two services. Wilborn stated in reference to the Fleet Management Budget, looks like it will be decreased. Cathey stated that it would be fewer vehicles purchased in FY26. She stated that was a way to reduce the overall budget for the upcoming year. She stated that in the current fiscal year the County purchased 28 vehicles, and 18 are recommended for FY26. Vice-Chairman Thomas asked if there were any more problems with the fleet management pertaining to the Sheriff’s Office. June 6, 2025 8 Cathey stated that the County has not received vehicles in a timely manner, and did not receive them as expected by implementing this program. She stated that for FY26, the County is working with Enterprise to place orders for those vehicles that have been identified in advance, and they will not be delivered unless funding is approved through this budget process. She stated from staff’s perspective, they would like to give Enterprise one more year to meet the expectations that were set when the County originally implemented this program for speedier delivery of vehicles than the County was able to do on their own. Long asked who was managing the fleet management program. Cathey advised that General Services Director Ray Foushee is the primary contact. Long asked how long did it take to come up with Enterprise as a vendor. Cathey advised that it was a lengthy process to get to Enterprise. Long stated that Enterprise has been given a timeline, and is the County working on identifying another vendor. Clayton stated that Enterprise is the only vendor in NC who could handle something this size. She stated that if it does not work, the County would have to revert back to the old way and come up with another policy of how to order vehicles and manage that process. Commissioner Royster asked how many vehicles we need from Enterprise to finish out this fiscal year. Foushee stated that the County has received 19 vehicles and is expected to receive more next week. He stated that the County budgeted for 30 vehicles, and they may come up four vehicles short of that quota. Thomas asked if Foushee has seen any improvement with Enterprise. Foushee stated things are getting better and working good from the maintenance side of it. He stated that the County would like to give Enterprise another year as this past year did not produce the results that the County had anticipated. Wilborn had questions related to the Grant Writer. Clayton stated that the Grant Writer is a contracted position, and is available to all departments, however, not all departments are utilizing the Grant Writer. She stated that she is a little disappointed with the lack of outreach from some of the departments to the Grant Writer. She stated that the way the Grant Writer works is that she researches the grants and sends departments what she has, and the departments have to put together a rough draft of the grant and then the Grant Writer takes it and makes it presentable for the grant itself. Wilborn stated that she had a question about the fire tax district. She stated her question was that the department request amount of the VFD unallocated for $931,000 was not in the Manager’s recommended budget and she wanted to know why. Cathey stated that the unallocated line item is calculated by what Jones projects will be the revenues based on the tax rate. She stated that the County looks at whatever is in that contracted services line item and then looks at each departmental budget. She stated for next year, all of the volunteer departments are getting a 2% increase based on their contract and that Timberlake got an additional $7,500 this year for their ISO bonus. She stated that the original request was based on a five-cent tax rate, and the recommended budget is based on a four-cent tax rate. The difference accounts for the reduction in the unallocated line item. Thomas stated that he attended the chiefs’ meeting last night and one major concern was the 2% was not going to be enough. June 6, 2025 9 Cathey stated that she communicated with the chiefs’ association in February, by memo, which explained where the County was in the budget process, and communicated to them that if any of the departments felt that the 2% increase was not going to be enough to meet their needs for the upcoming fiscal year for them to put together a request to submit to the Manager’s Office. She stated that there was a deadline set for March 10, 2025. She stated that they were given the opportunity to submit a budget request providing their revenue sources, anticipated expenditures, and what they would be requesting that would need to be funded over and above the 2% increase. She stated that she did not receive any requests from the fire departments. Puryear stated that the County is getting an interest rate of 4.39% and having a 40% reduction in interest rates. He stated that he understands that Finance has given a conservative number and that they would be working with a lesser fund balance than the previous year. He asked Clayton what the makeup of the interest earnings is, and how is that interest generated. Clayton stated that it is everything in a money market. She stated that the County keeps operating funds that do not earn interest at Truist. She stated that everything that the County does not need to sustain their operating budget is moved to NCCMT, where we are currently earning 4.39%. She stated, last year, when the County had more fund balance, we were earning 5.25%. She stated that last year the County anticipated $1.8M in interest, and she does not think that the County is going to make that this year. She stated that she believes the County will be about $100K shy of that. She stated that she is trending out what she anticipates to have in a balance within CCMT and a decent interest rate. She stated that she does not think she will be able to project even flat. Part of that is due to sales tax collections going down a lot. She stated that last month Person County was one of seventy-four counties across the state that saw a year-over-year decrease in sales tax revenue. She stated that at the Budget Retreat she provided the Board with an indication that she was seeing that as a trend. She stated that this is also going to be the year where we have an increase in refunds, which is money that we have to give back to nonprofits as a county. She stated that she does not anticipate having increased sales tax. She stated that she is hoping for flat, which means she has less money to earn interest on, which is why she stays conservative with this. She stated that if we increase that interest rate and come in under, we have to fill that gap with fund balance and that makes her nervous, since she is trying to maintain at least a flat fund balance going forward, hopefully to grow it. Puryear asked would Clayton be comfortable adjusting it to $1.2M and being a little less conservative. Clayton stated that the $1.1M was her being a little less conservative, as the County Manager recommended the $1M go up to $1.1M. She stated that she is working on a policy to transfer as much as possible into NCCMT on a weekly basis so that the County can earn more interest with a variable interest rate. Long asked how does the County determine which local bank to have their money in. Clayton stated that there are only a few banks in Person County that can handle that amount of money. She stated that a few years ago the County put it out for a bid, through an RFP process, and that the County talked to the banks and was sold that Truist was the one for the County at that time. June 6, 2025 10 Long asked how often does this get looked at. Clayton stated that the County does not look at this often, as it is a cumbersome, multi-year, painful process to transfer banks. Puryear stated that the revenues for state reimbursement for inmates is down by 75%, roughly 42% below previous year. Cathey stated that she does not think they have as many state misdemeanor confinement inmates as they anticipated. Clayton stated that when she asked, she was advised that they have to hold a certain number of beds for Person County citizens. She stated that the detention center has been a little more in use than it has been in the past for Person County citizens, therefore not having as many beds for the state inmates. She stated that is one of the reasons that the revenues have gone down. Puryear asked about the Register of Deeds fees and stated that we are over the projected amount for the FY25 Budget, and asked why the decrease by 12%. Clayton stated that part of the reason that you are seeing the increase in Register of Deeds fees this year, FY25, is because of a lot of changing hands and the larger purchases that the County has had. She stated that when she spoke to Lauren at the Register of Deeds, she is not anticipating that level of volume or those large purchases that would continue with the trend. Cathey stated that they do have an increase in one of their line items because they are going to implement a new process through the Register of Deeds office, where people can request their birth certificate, even if it is from another county. She stated that is expected to increase the revenues coming in to them. Puryear stated that Wilborn talked about the Grant Writer position, and he sees a decrease in revenue regarding grants. He stated that he wonders about the lack of participation from department heads to pursue other grants. He stated for example, PATS gets a transportation grant capital, you are down $52K on that, and obviously there would be a reason for that. He stated that he is asking, when you see the line item grants, and it is a decrease, is it just because they are ordering the vehicles that is related to the grant. Cathey stated that the County gets 90% reimbursement for the vehicles, and that is due to their replacement schedule. She stated that what they are ordering for next year is compared to what was ordered this year. She stated that with Emergency Services, they have lost some grant funding coming in for Emergency Management because that has been federal funding that comes through the state. She stated that you will see a reduction from the funding that the County is receiving through the 911 Board because they are pushing the County to spend down our fund balance that we have with them. She stated that in some cases, you will see a new grant for $760K coming in for Parks and Rec. She stated that County departments are actively seeking and going after grants. She stated that she has paperwork for Puryear to sign off on for a Veterans Services grant for approximately $15K. Clayton stated that she received paperwork yesterday, and Parks and Rec has a $25K youth sports grant that the County is anticipating. Puryear stated that he knows Parks and Rec is on top of things with grants, and he is not speaking on them per se, he is talking about other departments that are not utilizing the Grant Writer as Clayton had hoped for. He stated that is his point, seeing these lower revenues related to the department heads not utilizing the Grant Writer. Clayton stated that some of the lower revenues are related to this as well as leftover COVID money. June 6, 2025 11 Clayton stated that a lot of grants were pushed to the County during COVID, and then it carried over for a little bit, and that money is no longer available. Puryear stated that PATS fees for fares is down, and we have got a $20K decrease, which is 28% down from the previous year, and asked why was the expectation lowered. Cathey stated that it is kind of a shift for how they are accounting for their revenues. She stated that under PATS Medicaid Brokered services, it is going up by $25K, and you have a decrease in fares by $20K, and a decrease in Medicaid Transportation by $5K. She stated that it is not that the volume of service that is being provided is lower, but has to do with the types of services being provided, and the way that is being billed, and how the County is collecting those fares, and how the County is accounting for that. Puryear had questions related to the Sheriff’s Office Budget. He stated that having a Deputy Sheriff at a County Commissioner meeting is considered overtime. He stated that we are just under $1,800 of meeting the Sheriff’s request. He stated that he would like to see the Board put in that remaining amount, $1,779 to make that request fully funded, in the overtime line. Cathey stated that would bring the overtime line back up to $30K for the adopted budget for this fiscal year. She stated that they actually requested $31,320. She stated that below that line item, a new line item was created, a new overtime line item in the amount of $10K, for a total of $41,320 requested for overtime. Puryear stated that he would like to see $3,099 adjusted back in to fully fund the Sheriff’s overtime budget. He asked that Cathey explain the maintenance request for vehicles as they requested $168K, and it was reduced to $109K. Cathey stated that she did speak with the Sheriff’s Office about that request and based on their current maintenance trends and receiving new vehicles in this fiscal year, which they have not received, much of their maintenance costs this year is being driven by these older vehicles that are going to be replaced. She stated after discussion with them, they agreed that the $109K was an appropriate level to recommend. Wilborn stated that she wanted to speak about the nonprofits. She stated that last year she encouraged PCBIC that they should request a reimbursement of what they had invested over the years in the Mega Site, which would have allowed them to go out and replenish our supply of industrial property. She stated that PCBIC opted to ask just for some operating expenses of $62,800. She stated that this year they are asking for funding in the amount of $50K. She stated that she knows the value that this organization has brough to the County and its economic development program. She stated that she would want to support that request. She stated that it is difficult for her to understand, without having PCBIC here to say what they would be able to accomplish with $50K. She stated that there is no question what they could do if they had been reimbursed last year for what had been expended on the Mega Site. She stated that she would be in support of continuing to support PCBIC. She stated that $60K was given to Roxboro Housing Authority, maybe two years ago, and she does not think that this Board has any update from them on how or where that money was spent, and if it was used as it was intended. She stated that their agreement has no claw back, so it is moot. She stated that the PCBIC agreement does have that accountability within it, and she would like to hear from them, and what they could accomplish with $50K in the coming year, and how they anticipate using that money for the public good. June 6, 2025 12 Wilborn stated that she knows it is not recommended in the budget, but she wants to continue to support that group. Puryear asked the Board if all members are in agreement with adding $50K to that line item. Commissioner Royster stated that she would like to comment about the comment made about Roxboro Housing Authority. She stated that from her understanding, that money has not been used, and she believes that they did send some type of information to both the city and county, and they had to change the CEO/Director as he resigned. She stated that they had the shift in leadership and with that came trying to bring all of that information for that project back together. She stated from her understanding, the money is still there, nothing has happened, and it will be used as it was intended to be used, for a homeless shelter. Vice-Chairman Thomas stated that also was his understanding and agreed with Royster. Cathey stated that is also her understanding, and while no formal report was received, she did receive an email referencing the change in leadership. She stated that they still have the $60K that was allocated by the County to be used for the actual construction and furnishing of the homeless shelter at the time that is begun. Thomas stated that last year, the Board voted to help the Veterans Council by hiring a resource person, and asked did she ever get her office. Cathey stated that the County had a Veteran Services Officer (VSO) in place already, and that she was part-time. She stated that the Board did vote to make her a full- time employee. She stated that the VSO has an office at the senior center. She stated that there is a desire, and the Board voted in favor of moving her to the Human Services Center to be co-located within the Consolidated Human Services Department. She stated that is still the intent, however if the five positions are approved for social services, then the County would need to re-visit that space as a whole. She stated that there is some space available within the Health Department, Juvenile Justice, and Freedom House. She stated the space and needs will be further looked into. Puryear stated getting back to PCBIC and their request for funding, he asked the Board was everyone in agreement with Wilborn. Long stated that due to his involvement with PCBIC, he is recusing himself. It was the consensus of the Board to add the $50K request from PCBIC to the budget. Cathey stated that last year the County funded that item within the Economic Catalyst Fund. She stated that she left that amount within the Economic Catalyst Fund and added it into the Incentives line item for this year. She stated that she would recommend for next year, if they want to fund PCBIC’s request, that they reduce the Incentives line item within the Economic Catalyst Fund by $50K and add that to the PCBIC allocation line item. Long stated that there has been a lot of discussion in the community about some issues with the jail. He stated that his questions are not meant in any way to criticize the Sheriff, he is just asking questions as it pertains to the facility, its design, and maintenance. He stated he does not know exactly what the jail inspections may have raised. He asked is the County giving the Sheriff’s Office the tools to meet what they need to do. Cathey stated that they are in an aging facility that has a lot of problems associated with it. June 6, 2025 13 Cathey stated that there are ongoing maintenance issues that the County is currently addressing with the plumbing, as well as other maintenance concerns within that aging facility. She stated that you will see a larger addition to their budget to purchase a new stove and oven for the kitchen. She stated as far as the jail inspections report, whenever they receive them from the state, they are putting in a plan of corrective action to address anything that is cited in the report. Foushee stated that the building was built in 1993, and is falling apart. He stated that the chilling system was replaced, the boilers were replaced, replaced the water heaters, converted the HVAC to digital. He stated that right now the biggest issue is the water pipes, the city water, due to chlorine, is eating the pipes apart. He stated that the County will continue to put money in the building over the next few years to maintain it and get it where it needs to be. Long stated that he also had concerns from citizens in reference to the jail medical expenses. Cathey stated that the Sheriff has been very proactive in implementing a program once he learned about it through the Affordable Care Act to where they are enrolling any inmate who is coming into the jail into the Affordable Care Act program, so that they receive health insurance, for medical expenses while they are in the jail. She stated that this program is reducing the medical expenses that the County is responsible for. She stated that the budget does include an increase in that line item, just in case as a buffer for some of those unexpected expenses. She noted that one particular inmate drove up those bills really high over a period of time, and that individual is no longer a problem within the jail. Long acknowledged that this was a problem all over the state and not just unique to Person County. Puryear asked the Board if there were any adjustments to the recommended positions. Wilborn stated that she would go to that money they found with raising the percentage collection to 98.5%. Puryear asked the Board if all were in favor of raising the collections percentage to 98.5%. It was the consensus of the Board to raise the collection percentage to 98.5%. Puryear stated that looking at the EMS budget revenues, there is about a 23% increase. Puryear asked Schwalenberg if he was conservative with those numbers. Schwalenberg stated that the revenue comes from what they collect on transport, and that their rates went up, as well as the reimbursement rate. He stated that there are more people on insurance, which also increases the rate. Puryear asked if Schwalenberg was comfortable with increasing that line item by $25K. Schwalenberg stated yes. Puryear stated that he would like to see the interest earnings increase from $1.1M to $1.2M. He stated that the Animal Control Officer position total cost is $167,197. He stated that if that position is taken away, it would drop the tax rate from 64 cents down to 63 cents. Royster stated that she is in favor of that position for the Animal Services Department as it is needed. Thomas asked how many was on staff at Animal Services. Cathey advised that there are four full-time staff, and two Animal Control Officers, which will be going back from the Sheriff’s Office. Wilborn stated that it is hard for her to understand why the position is needed, as they did not need it before transitioning to the Sheriff’s Office. Puryear asked about the Solid Waste Host Fees. He stated that last year the County budgeted $880K, and received $986K. He stated this year we are budgeting $900K, and asked were we anticipating receiving more than that. June 6, 2025 14 Cathey stated that the County is budgeting slightly higher. Clayton stated that she could give $50K increase for the Solid Waste Host Fees. A motion was made by Chairman Puryear and carried 4-1 to remove the Animal Control Supervisor position from the recommended budget. Commissioner Royster voted in opposition. A motion was made by Commissioner Long and carried 5-0 to instruct staff to prepare a Budget Ordinance for FY25-26 to be presented to the Board at their next regularly scheduled meeting, reflecting the changes in effectively lowering the tax rate to 63 cents per $100.00. June 6, 2025 15 PERSON COUNTY ORGANIZATIONAL CHART County Manager Katherine Cathey presented the following pertaining to the Person County Organizational Chart. Current Chart with SOG representation on the right Proposed Revised Organizational Chart June 6, 2025 16 Cathey stated that the suggested revisions were to change at the top the Citizens of Person County to Voters of Person County, and to add the Advisory Boards, appointed by the County Commissioners, to the chart. Commissioner Royster stated that in looking at the chart, that what is green, the voters have elected. She stated that also within the organizational chart is departments that also serve those individuals who are not yet voters, and she wants to make sure that they feel included because you have a growing number of young people who are becoming more involved and want to know more about government, politics, and the community. Commissioner Wilborn stated that this is an opportunity to say, this is how your leaders are selected, and it is important for all, at any age to be engaged, and develop your own ideas about what you think makes strong government. Commissioner Long stated that he agrees with Wilborn. Chairman Puryear called a recess at 11:28 a.m. Chairman Puryear called the recessed meeting back to order at 11:40 a.m. Wilborn stated that it was brought up at the last EDC meeting about who does the EDC Board report to. She stated that the EDC Board stated that they do not understand their role and authority. Puryear asked the Board’s thoughts about the organizational chart. He stated that one thought that he would like to seek the Board’s opinion on, is to revisit something that was discussed 10-12 years ago around the EDC. He stated that when the EDC Board was created in 1985, the EDC Director reported to the EDC Board. He stated over time, that changed and that position fell under the County Manager. He stated that if there is interest from this Board, he thinks they need to revisit this. Long stated that that was a very successful model they had, and as a matter of fact, Governor Hunt was governor then, and he highlighted Person County’s program. He stated that a lot of industry came to Person County during that period of time. Wilborn stated that she has reflected on that time a lot. Puryear stated that he would like to see the EDC Department get back to a more modified format that would be effective. He stated that it gives the EDC more stake in the game, along with more responsibility with the Director reporting directly to the EDC Commission. Royster stated she was in agreement, and she knows that industry was booming during that time, and it was successful. Puryear stated that in reference to the Organizational Chart, the EDC Board would be to the side of the County Commissioners and then the EDC Director would go under the EDC Board. Cathey stated that the bylaws for EDC need to be looked at and revised, prior to changing the EDC Director to report to the EDC Board, as well as checking to see if there are any legal implications for this. It was the consensus of the Board to add the structure of the EDC department to the Board of Commissioners’ Meeting on July 21, 2025. A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 5-0 to revise the Person County Organizational Chart. June 6, 2025 17 Commissioner Long asked the Board if they wanted to address the Department of Social Services. He asked if the Board had considered creating a Human Services Advisory Board, that acts as a buffer between DSS and the Consolidated Human Services Board. Commissioner Royster stated that she was in agreement with Long. Cathey stated that she would provide an update to the Board at a later date. FY25-27 STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE County Manager Katherine Cathey presented the following: June 6, 2025 18 June 6, 2025 19 June 6, 2025 20 Commissioner Wilborn stated that they have been discussing Public Records request a lot and a certain group that like to abuse that. Vice-Chairman Thomas stated that he agrees with the changes. Commissioner Long stated the need for the removal of 3.2- UDO. He and Wilborn agreed to form a sub-committee for Planning and Zoning Ordinances. A motion was made by Commissioner Royster and carried 5-0 to approve the revised Strategic Plan. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 5-0 to adjourn the meeting at 12:23 p.m. ____________________________ ______________________________ Michele Solomon Kyle Puryear Clerk to the Board Chairman