BC 2005 02 07 WORK SESSION - Laserfiche WebLink

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February 7, 2005 (Work Session) Page 79 The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met for an Agenda Work Session in the Multipurpose Room at the Cabarrus County Governmental Center in Concord, North Carolina on Monday, February 7, 2005, at 3:30 p.m. Present - Chairman: Carolyn B. Carpenter Vice Chairman: Robert W. Carruth commissioners: Robert M. Freeman Joni D. Juba Coy C. Privette Also present were John D. Day, County Manager; Frankie F. Bonds, Clerk to the Board; and Kay Honeycutt, Deputy Clerk to the Board. Chairman Carpenter called the meeting to order at 3 : 30 p. m. Commissioner Juba was not present for the beginning of the meeting. Commissioner Privette gave the invocation. Purpose of Work Session Mr. Day briefly reviewed the sessions. He said the work sessions Board to discuss items more thoroughly. Day had a list of items to be discussed. purpose and format of agenda work will provide an opportunity for the There was no prepared agenda, but- Mr. Commissioner Juba arrived at 3:40 p.m. and was present for the remainder of the meeting. Agreement with the Economic Development Corporation John Cox, CEO of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce and Cabarrus Economic Development Corporation (EDC), presented a prepared statement concerning economic development in Cabarrus County and the EDC. Highlights of his presentation included the following: (1) Numerous economic strengths of the region; (2) A statistical report on the economic return on the County's financial investment; (3) Recent successes of the EDe; (3) The effect of negative press reports on recruitment efforts and employment process; and (5) An itemized budget for the EDC. There was discussion by the Board regarding. economic development efforts in Cabarrus County, the restructured EDC and the- membership of the EDC Board of Directors. Board members expressed concern that the Towns of Midland and Mt. Pleasant do not have a member on the EDC Board of Directors. Also, Commissioner Privette requested a breakdown of the salary line item in the EDC budget. Toby Prewitt, Chairman of the EDe Board of Directors, explained that the Towns of Midland and Mt. Pleasant do not have a seat on the EDC Board of Directors because they do not have a professional manager. He stated the current EDC by-laws say the "managers" shall be members of the EDC Board. Mr. Prewitt stated he was sensitive to the needs of the two towns and agreed that further discussion on this matter was needed. Mr. Cox reported the base salaries for the EDC employees as requested by Commissioner Privette. By consensus, the Board agreed to put the Agreement with the Economic Development Corporation on the February 21, 2005 Agenda as an "Old Business" item. House Arrest Program The following officials joined the Board for discussion on the use of "house arrest" to reduce the jail population: Senior Resident Superior Court Judge W. Erwin Spainhour; Chief District Court Judge William G. Hamby. Jr.; District Court Judges Michael G. Knox and Martin B. McGee; and District Attorney Roxann L. Vaneekhoven. They objected to the use of pretrial house arrest and highlighted the following issues during discussion with the Board: (1) A Superior Court Judge has no inherent or statutory authority to put a person on pretrial house arrest; (2) probation Officers are not trained to supervise those in pretrial release; (3) Deputies would need to be trained and equipment purchased for the Sheriff's Department to implement a house arrest program; (4) House arrest is unsuitable for those arrested for a violent crime; (5) Legal ramifications of law enforcement officers supervising those persons who have not been convicted of a crime; and (6) Cost of the additional crimes committed by those on house arrest.