BC 2012 01 27 Board Retreat - Laserfiche WebLink

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January 27, 2012 (Board Retreat) The Board of session in Helm's Friday, January 27, Present - Commissioners for Hall at Camp T. N. 2012, at 4:00 p.m. Page 946 the County of Cabarrus met in recessed Spencer in Concord, North Carolina on Chairman: Elizabeth F. Poole Vice Chairman: Larry M. Burrage Commissioners: Robert W. Carruth Christopher A. Measmer H. Jay White, Sr. Also present were Mike Downs, County Manager; Jonathan Marshall, Deputy County Manager; Pam Dubois, Deputy County Manager; Aimee Hawkins, Communications and Outreach Manager; Erica Nesbitt, Budget and Performance Manager; and Kay Honeycutt, Clerk to the Board. Karen Cimino with the Independent Tribune was also present. Chairman Poole called the meeting to order at 4:15 p.m. Welcome & Introductory Remarks County Manager Mike Downs welcomed staff and guests to Camp Spencer and generally reviewed the agenda for the two -day retreat. Economic Development Lori Clay, Chair of the Council for a Sustainable Local Economy and Shannon Johnson, Council for Sustainable Local Economy (CSLE) Project Manager presented a PowerPoint presentation entitled, "CSLE FY 2013 ". Information addressed included the following: Council's health report; mission statement; goals; next steps; initiatives for collaboration; why it matters; and a picture of the future and what a spin off means. Wayne King, Vice Chair of the CSLE, was also in attendance. John Cox with the Cabarrus Economic Development Corporation (EDC), advised the mission of the EDC is to recruit new businesses to Cabarrus County and to assist in the expansion of existing businesses. He also addressed the possibility of an "on- shoring" project (recruiting jobs from overseas) that would bring jobs back to Cabarrus County. Scott Lampe, Chief Financial Officer of Hendrick Motorsports and EDC financial advisor, commented on redundant economic development activities provided by the CSLE, Rowan - Cabarrus Community College, the EDC and the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce. He expressed his desire to eliminate these overlaps and advised of EDC's intent to ask the County and municipalities for additional funding for FY 12 -13 for recruitment and building inventory. Wayne King, CLSE Member, acknowledged the overlap in services provided and advised the agencies can work together and be beneficial to the community. A general discussion ensued. Issues addressed included the following: the need for a categorized inventory of land and buildings (including empty buildings) ; identifying and fostering entrepreneurialism; the lack of a government -owned business park; assistance is needed with regulatory issues for building renovations; existing small business owners feel excluded when new companies receive incentives and create less jobs than existing businesses; upcoming entrepreneurial training opportunities, etc. Mike Downs, County Manager, advised he and the city managers will continue to discuss this in the future. Emergency Management - Fire Study Update In May 2011, the Board approved a county -wide fire study and PSSI (Public Safety Solutions, Inc.) was hired in September, 2011, to conduct the study. After introductions by Bobby Smith, Emergency Management Director, Bob McNally and Les Adams with PSSI presented a PowerPoint presentation outlining: key staff, philosophy, experience, project goals /scope of work, project methodology, progress to date, risk assessment maps, calls and workload, response times, stations and apparatus, issues and trends, timeline / benchmarks, return on investment, etc. Mr. McNally and Mr. Adams responded to questions from the Board and anticipated the report will be finalized in April.