549
<br />
<br /> The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met in recessed
<br />session in the Commissioners' Meeting Room at the Cabarrus County Governmental
<br />Center in Concord, North Carolina on Friday, May 29, 1992, at 5:30 P.M.
<br /> Present - Chairman: Carolyn B. Carpenter
<br /> Commissioners: William G. Hamby, Jr.
<br /> Jeffrey Lo Barnhart
<br /> Kenneth F. Payne
<br /> Absent - Commissioner: Billy J. Simmons, Jr.
<br /> Also present were Mr. John Vo Witherspoon, County Manager; Mr. John Day,
<br />Budget Officer; and Mrs. Frankie F. Bonds, Clerk to the Board.
<br /> Chairman Carpenter called the meeting to order at 5:35 P.M. She recognized
<br />those present who wished to address the Board regarding funding requests for
<br />Fiscal Year 1992-93.
<br /> Mrs. Becky Frieze, Director of the Concord Downtown Redevelopment
<br />Corporation, requested $8,000.00 for Fiscal 1992-93 to be used to develop a
<br />recruitment business brochure for downtown Concord. She noted that the money
<br />would be returned if the Corporation did not receive funding from the City of
<br />Concord for the next fiscal year. According to Mrs. Frieze, the Corporation will
<br />be unable to operate solely on the municipal service district tax.
<br /> Mr. J. L. Benton, Jr., described the operation and activities of Wildlife
<br />Care, a non-profit organization which cares for injured and orphaned wildlife.
<br />He requested that the Board approve the $3,500.00 appropriation which had been
<br />recommended by the County Manager in the proposed 1992-93 annual budget.
<br /> Ms. Laura Marlow, Executive Director of the Cabarrus Arts Council, asked
<br />for continued funding from the County. She requested an allocation of $5,000.00
<br />along with a $5,000.00 challenge grant.
<br /> Ms. Donna Rogers, volunteer with the Cabarrus Animal Protection
<br />Association, requested approval of the $5,000.00 request submitted by Mrs. Betsy
<br />Carpenter. She stated this funding would allow the Association to extend the
<br />following services: spay/neuter, education, cruelty investigations, and
<br />rehabilitation of injured animals.
<br /> Dr. Ed Tyson, Interim Superintendent for the Cabarrus County Schools,
<br />reviewed the requested funding for the Schools for the next fiscal year. He
<br />noted that the Local Current Expense budget had been balanced within the four
<br />percent (4%) increase provided by the County. In addition, Dr. Tyson reported
<br />that the State had passed the remaining 50 percent of the cost of utilities onto
<br />the local Board of Education. He reviewed a letter from Dr. Daniel Freeman,
<br />Superintendent-Elect, requesting the $2.5 million in airport settlement funds
<br />for the following four projects: Concord Middle School, a new elementary school
<br />in the Rocky River area, a new Winecoff Elementary School, and the technology
<br />needs for all County schools.
<br /> Mrs. Kaye Amos, Chairman of the Cabarrus County Board of Education, stated
<br />a critical need for facilities funds for the Schools. To help meet these needs,
<br />she asked that the Board allocate the airport settlement funds to the Schools
<br />for the improvement of facilities.
<br /> Mr. Lew Davidson, President of the Old Courthouse Theatre, asked for an
<br />allocation of $10,000.00 to the Theatre for the following purposes: $2,000.00
<br />to fund the Nutcracker performance: $5,000.00 to employ a Youth Director; and
<br />$3,000.00 for the expanded growth of the Theatre.
<br /> Mr. Tony Scott of the Cabarrus Minority Business Council renewed an earlier
<br />request made in January for a one-time contribution of $12,000.00 for the Small
<br />Cities Development Program. He expressed concern that no contact had been made
<br />by County officials since January and that his request had not been included in
<br />the budgeting process for 1992-93. Mr. Troy Watson of the Charlotte Area
<br />Business League explained the proposed Program would help minority businesses
<br />get started in the county and in turn help to improve the local economy. They
<br />asked that the Board voice its support for the program even if no funding is
<br />available at this time.
<br /> Mrs. Sue Casper, District Supervisor with the Soil and Water Conservation
<br />District, and Mr. Terry Best, District Manager, requested additional funding for
<br />that department to provide for the publication and mailing of a newsletter and
<br />to meet increased travel needs for employee training. Increases requested
<br />included $400.00 in Printing and Binding (Line Item 32), $400.00 in Postage (Line
<br />Item 325), and $2,200.00 Travel (Line Item 610).
<br /> Chairman Carpenter recessed the meeting for dinner. After dinner, Chairman
<br />Carpenter reconvened the meeting in the Commissioners' Conference Room.
<br />
<br />
<br />
|