[0:12] You have to go back.
[0:20] » We're doing
>> Yeah, we're
[0:47] This one's eating all the time.
[1:03] 9:00 in the morning.
[1:31] Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to our September County
[1:36] Commissioners meeting. It's uh a little
different time than what we normally do.
[1:41] It is at the first of the month, but
since uh the first Monday is the on the
[1:47] 7th, the last day possible for it to be
the first Monday, um we set up to meet
[1:53] on the first Tuesday of September. Glad
you're here tonight for conducting the
[1:59] business for the county. I see several
of our law enforcement officers here and
[2:04] others that are with us tonight. various
agenda items and we'll get to those as
[2:09] as we work through our agenda. So with
that, we welcome you all here again
[2:14] tonight. U Chaplain Bill Hatfield is
here for our invocation and we'll have
[2:20] our pledge of allegiance.
[2:32] Lord God, I want to thank you so much
for who you are and again as always for
[2:35] the freedoms that you've given us be
able to gather here to seek your face to
[2:40] cry out to you, the King of Kings, the
Lord of Lords. Oh God, we need your
[2:44] wisdom. As we look around, do we need to
make the right decisions for the people
[2:51] for the citizens of Randolph County?
Lord, I just want to thank you again and
[2:55] for the honor and the privilege of being
here tonight to be able to lead in
[2:59] prayer, to seek your face. I pray for
each person here that you would just
[3:06] touch them and just continue to to move
on their lives. I pray the decisions
[3:10] here tonight would be in order for what
you would want. Lord, you know, as
[3:16] voting may be going on, recognitions may
be going on, uh, everything that's going
[3:22] to happen in this meeting, I ask that
you would guide it. Thank you, Lord.
[3:26] Again, give these fine people the wisdom
they need, the boldness they need, the
[3:32] compassion they need, the listening ear
they may need as they listen to the
[3:36] citizens. Uh, you know the needs of our
county. You know the financial needs. Uh
[3:42] Lord, I just lift each of these up to
you God and I give you the praise and
[3:45] Lord, I give you the glory. In Jesus
name I pray. Amen.
[3:50] » Amen.
>> I
[3:54] to the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for it
[4:00] stands one nation
indivisibley
[4:07] for all.
>> Thank you.
[4:15] Okay, we have um one special recognition
item on our agenda tonight and I'm going
[4:21] to call on uh our director of social
services, Tracy Murphy, who will do the
[4:28] honors.
[4:33] Good evening, everyone.
Miss Davis, would you please join me up
[4:38] here in front of all of these fine
people? While she's coming, I'm going to
[4:42] read uh some of the accomplishments of
Miss Davis over the years.
[4:50] Don't be shy now.
[4:54] » Miss Davis retires from Department of
Social Services on July 31st, 2026.
[5:00] She started her career with us in
September of 1995.
[5:05] and she ended up as a universal intake
supervisor. There are many of her
[5:10] colleagues here tonight whom she has
encouraged and lifted up along the way
[5:15] to celebrate her in her retirement. She
became a great asset for our agency. She
[5:21] has always held herself and those around
her to very high expectations, pushing
[5:26] them to rise to the fullest potential.
She is a dedicated worker. Her impact
[5:32] will be felt for years to come. Her
family consists of her husband Brian,
[5:37] daughter Nicole, son-in-law John,
granddaughter Calie, and her hobbies
[5:42] include spending time with family,
especially that grandbaby whom we hear
[5:46] so much about, playing with her dogs,
and doing projects around the house.
[5:52] Her greatest joy has been seeing those
she has supervised grow and move up
[5:56] within the agency. She hopes her
leadership has impacted them and
[6:01] encouraged their growth and they are
here this evening with us to celebrate
[6:06] her. We appreciate um Miss Davis and
congratulations on a very welldeserved
[6:13] retirement.
[6:16] [applause]
[6:25] [applause]
[6:30] here.
[6:38] Maybe we want to recognize you on your
retirement, but to say a special word of
[6:43] thanks and gratitude to you. And I for
all of you folks here and all of you
[6:47] that work in the various departments in
the county,
[6:52] this this is hard to replace.
and those she's been here 31 years has
[6:58] made a tremendous difference in the
delivery of services in this county
[7:04] helping these other folks that have
followed you to be prepared to do their
[7:08] jobs and we just so grateful to you and
wish you all the very best take care of
[7:14] that little grandbaby and maybe come
back and visit every once in a while.
[7:19] God bless you. This is in grateful rec
appreciation to Libby Davis in
[7:25] recognition of 31 years of service
September the 1st, 2026
[7:31] by the Randolph County Board of
Commissioners. God bless you.
[7:35] [applause]
[7:40] [applause]
[7:51] All right. Before we go to our public
comment period, we want to approve our
[7:56] agendas for tonight. And uh I'll remind
the board we're adding one item to the
[8:02] consent agenda. That will be item R.
This is a budget amendment which
[8:07] recognizes previous decisions following
a public hearing by our board. This is
[8:13] the book the uh budget amendment for the
incentives for the environmental air
[8:19] system
project that has moved into our county.
[8:24] So we will add that to the consent
agenda. Any other changes to the consent
[8:29] agenda?
Do I have a motion to approve the
[8:32] agendas as presented?
>> So move.
[8:35] » Have a second.
>> Second.
[8:38] » Those in favor let it be known by saying
I.
[8:41] » I oppose. No, the agendas are approved.
So, at this time, we have our public
[8:48] comment period. And I would just add um
on our new business item tonight, we
[8:55] have a public hearing for another
economic development project for
[8:59] Asavant.
So, it will have its own public hearing.
[9:03] If anybody anybody's here tonight to
speak to that issue, we'll have it will
[9:08] have its own public hearing when we get
to that item on the agenda. So, with
[9:12] that having been said,
madame clerk,
[9:17] who do we have? Mr. Chairman, I'll read
the rules of procedure for the public
[9:21] comment period. The rules of procedure
are as follows. The public comment
[9:24] period will be limited to 15 minutes at
the beginning of the meeting. If more
[9:29] time is required, it will be at the
discretion of the board. Each speaker
[9:33] must give his or her name both orally
and in writing before speaking. Speakers
[9:39] will be limited to three minutes.
Comments are to be directed to the board
[9:42] as a whole and not to one individual
commissioner. Response, discussion, or
[9:48] action concerning issues raised during
the public input session will be at the
[9:53] discretion of the board. Speakers will
be courteous in their language and
[9:58] presentation. Speaker should not discuss
matters which concern the candidacy of
[10:03] any person seeking public office or
matters in current or anticipated
[10:08] litigation.
[10:11] Michael Moss.
[10:25] Good evening, commissioners. Uh first
off, my name is Michael Moss. Uh I own
[10:29] Windy Hill Farms in Ramsur and I've got
some exciting news to share with you
[10:34] just a little bit later. But first, I
want to thank you for the service that
[10:39] you provide to Randolph County and uh
the decisions that you make and the
[10:44] leadership and guidance that you provide
this county um and into the future and
[10:49] the things that we need to be doing. I
know your jobs aren't easy all the time
[10:52] and I've been sitting out here sometimes
when I've seen it that way. But so thank
[10:56] you for that. Uh back in February,
announcement came out that a longheld
[11:04] tradition around Randolph County, the
Liberty Antiques Festival was going to
[11:08] be sold.
There were a number of biders for that
[11:12] particular um festival. It's been a
longstanding one within Randolph County
[11:18] for 35 years. Many of you know Veto and
his family have curated a great show
[11:24] there.
There were out ofstate uh biders for it.
[11:28] It looked like the show was going to
leave. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to
[11:32] let you know that me and my family have
purchased the Liberty Antiques Festival.
[11:37] My son's here with me in the back. Uh
and we're going to curate it for another
[11:42] 35 years. All right. and we're looking
forward to the support that we will get
[11:48] from this esteemed body from my own
commissioner David. I'm sure he'll be
[11:53] right there with me by my by my side.
But um it's a great honor for us to be
[11:58] able to hold it here. It's got a
significant economic impact I believe on
[12:02] this county. We'll be working with Amber
and others within the group to try to
[12:06] understand what that true impact is. But
this a festival for all of Randolph
[12:10] County and it's here to stay. So, I
welcome each of you to come out. Uh,
[12:15] September 25th and 26th will be our
first show at our farm, Windy Hill
[12:20] Farms. We've got a lot of work to do to
get it there and get it to where it
[12:24] wants to go. Uh, but we've had such good
support from many of the departments in
[12:29] the local government here in Randolph
County, whether it be environmental
[12:32] health, whether it be in permitting
offices, whether it be with our
[12:36] sheriff's department, the our EMS,
everybody's worked really well with us
[12:40] and I just want to thank you for the
leadership that you've given those
[12:43] different departments because they're
outstanding. So, thank you. Welcome all
[12:47] of you to 10.
>> Yes.
[12:49] » And all of you,
>> you're here.
[12:51] » Thank you.
>> Thanks, sir. Uh we might put you on an
[12:54] inviting speaker list sometime today.
>> Okay, that'd be great. [laughter] Glad
[12:58] to do that. Whatever.
>> We're not It's great and sincerely and
[13:03] seriously appreciate your comments and
it's good to keep it here in the county
[13:08] and to keep it going.
>> Absolutely.
[13:10] » My wife will be there.
>> My wife frequents it.
[13:12] » Awesome. See you.
[13:18] Susie Scott.
[13:29] Sorry, got to get this where it can
reach me. My name is Susie Scott and I'm
[13:33] here to speak about the library. I
attended the first meeting in
[13:37] introduction of the new library trustees
and I was pleased to see the slide from
[13:41] the state library of North Carolina
which explained that a publicly
[13:46] supported library provides free,
equitable and confidential access to
[13:52] information for all people of its
community. I hope that the new board
[13:57] will follow that wise policy and support
the freedom to read. I also have a
[14:02] comment on the new library ordinance.
Since the library board of trustees is
[14:08] the final authority on challenged
material, I'm requesting that the
[14:12] ordinance be altered to include at least
one out of nine voting members who is a
[14:19] trained librarian. Thank you. Thank you.
>> All right,
[14:26] » Judy Saunders.
[14:53] I would like to make a few comments
about social security. According to the
[14:58] social security trust fund, it will be
depleted in 2034
[15:04] unless Congress decides to act.
The retirement age now is 67.
[15:14] As some may or may not know, there is a
cap on social security.
[15:21] The wealthy, once they have paid just a
little over $100,000 per year, do not
[15:28] pay into social security anymore.
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, they don't care
[15:36] about what things cost. They are not
interested in anything but themselves
[15:42] and their wealth. I want us to remember
that we have got to do something. And if
[15:50] the cap is lifted, then there will be
funds there for our children and our
[15:56] grandchildren. If it is not lifted,
social security will be depleted. The
[16:03] wealthy are not interested in the cost
of food, gas, or health insurance. We
[16:10] are the ones who pay and pay and pay.
Thank you.
[16:15] » Thank you, Miss Andre.
[16:19] » All right. Thank all of you tonight for
your public comments. And we will move
[16:26] first to approve our consent agenda. Is
there a motion to approve consent agenda
[16:30] as adjusted as amended?
>> So move.
[16:34] » Have a second.
>> Second.
[16:37] » Pick one.
>> Go ahead.
[16:39] » Those in favor, let it be known by
saying I.
[16:41] » I.
>> I oppose. No.
[16:43] » Consent agenda is approved.
on our new business.
[16:49] The first item tonight is to consider an
economic development incentive request
[16:55] for a savant. Crystal Gettys with the
economic development corporation is here
[17:01] to present the case.
[17:06] » Good evening, Chairman Fry,
commissioners, county manager. Thank you
[17:10] for having me. Um, I'm here to talk
about the what we label at the EDC is
[17:15] the Highway 311 South Site. This is 67.6
acre roughly rail serve site that we've
[17:22] been marketing for, well, it's been
available for over 20 years, way before
[17:28] my time. Um, it is owned by Asavant Real
Property Co uh Company LLC. I've been
[17:34] before you um previously in in the
recent months for uh grants that we have
[17:41] helped with and um and applied for on
their behalf to help with utilities that
[17:47] Asavant will be paying for outside the
grants. But tonight, the the EDC is
[17:53] requesting a total of $160,000
to be split between the county and the
[17:59] city of Randleman um in the amount of
80,000 each to support access
[18:06] improvements to this site. Currently, um
there is no access off of Highway 311
[18:13] and the access point is on the back side
of the property through an easement that
[18:18] is not conducive for industrial use or
traffic um should we land an industry
[18:24] there.
The project supports the the development
[18:28] of this 67.6 acre site for future
industrial use by extending water sewer
[18:34] utilities and improving site access from
Highway 311. As I mentioned, to include
[18:40] relocation of the current private
crossing over Norfick Southern's rail
[18:45] line, we've obtained two North Carolina
Railroad grants totaling $1 million, and
[18:52] they've been secured to offset the
water, sewer, and access improvement
[18:56] costs with the remaining costs being
covered by the property owner. To
[19:01] complete the access improvements,
approximately 4.31 acres must be
[19:08] acquired from the adjacent property
owner. This is where the current private
[19:13] crossing is located on the adjacent
property to this. RCEDC plans to
[19:20] contribute $9,200
from a unused and reallocated Duke
[19:26] Energy grant that was initially for the
industrial park across the road from
[19:32] this where Ross uh currently sits. Those
funds were uh the remaining funds were
[19:38] to be used for signage for the
industrial park. And when Ross came
[19:42] along, we no longer needed that. Duke
Energy authorized us to be able to use
[19:47] it across the road. So, we're going to
be contributing toward that as well. Um,
[19:52] [clears throat]
so once we we use that, um, again, we
[19:57] are requesting $160,000.
This is to help with the acquisition and
[20:03] the design and permitting of a relocated
private crossing that will be located at
[20:10] a signalized intersection directly
across from Wall Brothers Road where
[20:15] Ross entrance is. Um, this will help
with our permitting costs. Any excess
[20:20] cost to this will be absorbed by the
property owner. Our CEDC, as you know,
[20:27] is charged with supporting existing
industries of Randolph County, as well
[20:31] as recruitment of new industry, which
grows the tax base of the county and the
[20:35] municipalities where they are located.
Having sites that are marketable and
[20:40] include utilities, access, and due
diligence is crucial to our efforts in
[20:46] attracting new industry.
We at the R RCEDC appreciate your
[20:51] consideration to contribute the
requested funds that will in turn help
[20:56] provide a marketable rail serve site for
new industry. I am scheduled to uh be on
[21:02] the agenda for the city of Randleman on
Tuesday night for their approval of the
[21:07] other $80,000.
I am happy to answer any questions.
[21:12] We're excited about this site and we're
finally um gaining access to the site
[21:18] will expedite our efforts in starting
the construction of the utilities to
[21:23] serve the site.
>> And that'll be next Tuesday night for
[21:27] them.
>> Yes. Yes, sir.
[21:30] » Anyone have any questions of Crystal?
[21:36] » Thank you. I know in EDC we've we've
been hearing about this project for a
[21:40] long time and it's it's good to see it
starting to come come to shape for us.
[21:44] It's great.
>> Okay,
[21:46] » it's a good start.
>> We will now open the public hearing for
[21:51] anyone who wishes to speak to this
request. And again, it is um for the
[21:55] county request of $80,000 to be used for
the readiness of that site uh on old
[22:03] 311.
We will now open the public hearing. Is
[22:06] there anyone here tonight who wishes to
speak to this issue for or against
[22:12] either way
please come forward Mr. Small and state
[22:18] your name and address please.
[22:23] Lynn Small uh 4807 Walker Mill Road
Sophia Chairman Fry Commissioners
[22:31] I have three questions I would like to
ask about this 67.6
[22:36] 6 acre site.
First of all, has Kevin Franklin, the
[22:41] economic development corporation, the
county or asavant marketed this site to
[22:48] any data data center development up to
this point.
[22:55] » Crystal, do you want
>> No, don't tell us.
[22:59] » Thank you.
>> Yeah. Secondly,
[23:02] will the county ever market this site
for a data center going forward?
[23:13] » Your third question.
>> What's your third question?
[23:16] What's your third question?
>> And the third and I'll assume that you
[23:20] will since you won't answer didn't give
me an answer. I'll assume that you
[23:24] would.
>> We don't we don't
[23:25] » want all of your questions.
>> Yeah.
[23:27] » Oh, okay. Okay. Thank you. It's not that
we're not answering.
[23:29] » Third, uh if this 1 acre and 3.31 acres
are so important to develop this site,
[23:40] why that's the total of the two parcels
that you would be getting. Why did our
[23:47] economic development people wait until
the parcels were sold on June 10th of
[23:56] this year at exorbitant prices to decide
that we need that
[24:05] asant has owned this for years and as
[clears throat] was pointed out uh the
[24:11] county has been trying to develop it for
years
[24:14] » without the without the without the
change in in the rail access. It wasn't
[24:19] marketable.
But but but the question was why are you
[24:24] just now deciding that those two two
pieces of property
[24:29] uh one acre and 3.31 acres needed to be
bought just now after all this time
[24:37] » and they've just been sold to another
person company
[24:42] » for an exorbitant fund of
>> it's been available it's been available
[24:46] then we just if somebody wanted to take
it and hope these things get done. But
[24:53] it's been available.
>> The acorage you're speaking of has been
[24:57] discussed for years.
>> For years. Well, I know. But my question
[25:00] is, so why did
>> Let me finish your answer. I'm trying to
[25:03] answer your question. The property
owner, the previous property owner has
[25:06] been talked with for years and years
about this and has not wanted to sell.
[25:10] And now that they're gone, the new
owners were willing to sell.
[25:14] » You're speaking of the Cranford
property, right?
[25:16] » I'm sorry, I didn't hear. You're
speaking of the Cranford property.
[25:20] » Yes, that's right.
>> He He's been talked to and courted for
[25:24] years,
>> but suddenly
[25:26] » Well, we can't we can't make him sell
in.
[25:29] » I understand that, but I was just trying
to I'm just inquiring why. You know, we
[25:33] let him know.
>> It seemed odd that it would get sold. He
[25:36] knows we want it.
>> That's what I mean.
[25:39] » He's the one decided to do that. He's a
private property owner.
[25:42] » All right. Thank you, Commissioner Fry.
U the other thing I would say is ASAT as
[25:49] has been pointed out has been given a
million dollars by the railroad for the
[25:54] crossing
and it just sold 2.4 acres to Ulus Gas
[26:01] a mile up the highway near me for
215,000.
[26:06] If a savant in my opinion cannot manage
160,000
[26:11] towards making this crossing better,
it's not ready to develop this site. To
[26:17] me, asking for additional taxpayer money
is just simple corporate greed from a
[26:24] savant.
The county should be asking a Savant to
[26:29] reimburse some of the money the county
has already spent promoting this site
[26:35] rather than funding another handout.
Although this is a minuscule amount of
[26:41] money and I agree with that.
It demonstrates what happens when you go
[26:47] down the incentive uh pathway. Everybody
then expects a handout from taxpayers.
[26:55] Can we not come up with something that
will attract business other than just
[27:01] giving up my taxpayer dollars, my that I
hand over to the county every year.
[27:09] I just got through paying 2,900 in
property taxes on my 22 acres.
[27:15] That's the same amount that Asavat paid
on this 67 will have to pay. I don't
[27:20] think they paid it yet on this 67 and
uh.6 acres. So there that property was
[27:27] valued at 6 $6,750
an acre and they valued mine at 9,000
[27:32] right up the road. That's why I get dis
that's why I get disquled about property
[27:38] taxes. It's it's not a fair system. I'm
paying through the nose and ASA's
[27:44] getting a great deal and then they will
get an even better great deal down the
[27:49] road. So, I appreciate your listening.
Uh, but I do I did have concerns and do
[27:56] have concerns. I don't want a data
center in our area. It's it's bad enough
[28:01] that we have Ross. And by the way, our
road, Walker Mill Road that they've been
[28:07] bringing the gravel trucks in for three
months is coming apart. DOT was down
[28:12] there p fixing another hole today. I
didn't even think they were supposed to
[28:16] be on it. Been hauling gravel on it for
three months. Still continuing to fix
[28:21] that parking lot, I guess, for for Ross.
If you could get that fixed, I'd
[28:27] appreciate it.
>> Thank you, ma'am.
[28:29] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[28:33] Is there anyone else wishes to speak to
this request?
[28:38] Hearing none, we will come back to
session and um ask for action board
[28:46] action
questions.
[28:52] » Are you ready for a motion?
>> Yes. Crystal, did you have any you have
[28:56] any other response? The only thing I'll
say
[29:00] » come up here.
[29:08] » The only thing that I will add alluding
to the data centers is that this is a
[29:12] rail serve site and it's being marketed
as a rail serve site. um a data center
[29:17] would not fit that bill and part of the
North Carolina railroad grants are to
[29:24] recruit a rail served manufacturing or
distribution center.
[29:29] Do you know is this is this already is
this already is this already zone heavy
[29:32] industrial we know.
>> Yes, this site is zoned into industrial
[29:36] and it has been incorporated into um
Brandman's ETJ. It was in their ETJ.
[29:42] It's been incorporated.
>> Other questions? Crystal.
[29:48] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[29:50] » All right. What's the pleasure of the
board?
[29:54] » That's in my district chairman. So, I'll
be glad to make the motion
[30:00] to adopt the resol resolution
authorizing the county of Randolph to
[30:05] grant funds to Asavant Real Property
Company LLC
[30:10] for industrial site preparation and the
associated budget amendment contingent
[30:17] on Randleman approval next week.
>> Second motion and a second. Further
[30:22] discussion of the motion
hearing none. Those in favor of the
[30:26] motion to approve, let it be known by
saying I.
[30:30] » I oppose. No. And [clears throat] it's
approved. Thank you. Thank you, Liam.
[30:37] All right. Item B, um, consider the
project amendment for Randolph Community
[30:43] College, a U capital project ordinance,
the amount of $3 million. Th this is
[30:49] part of a process again that's been
going on for several months in
[30:54] discussion with the community college
and their needs. We've had public
[30:58] meeting comments here as our board when
our two boards met. Um this this will
[31:05] help with a couple projects and Dr.
Shaw, I would recognize Chris Yao who's
[31:10] current chairman of Randolph Community
College Board and Reynolds Lisk who's
[31:15] immediate past chair is in the audience
tonight and thank both of you for your
[31:20] involvement in this. Dr. Shaw, do you
want to make a comment?
[31:24] » Yes, sir.
[31:28] » Please add me too to the invited guest
list. [laughter]
[31:34] » Good afternoon. Thank you so much for
for this honor. It is indeed a pleasure
[31:40] to say hello and to say thank you for
considering this item. Uh we made a
[31:46] presentation this this at lunch to all
those who have given scholarships to the
[31:52] college and the topic was this is your
college. We appreciate everybody coming
[31:58] forward and helping but also the impact
that the college has had. So, we
[32:03] appreciate your investment in your
community college and we're going to
[32:08] make sure it's going to be put to great
use. Seven out of 10 individuals in in
[32:14] Randolph County do not have an associate
degree or above.
[32:19] So, that's my job to really change those
numbers to at least bring it up to the
[32:24] average of the state and the neighboring
counties. So uh again any help we
[32:30] appreciate the the promises that we will
put it to great use as for the plan that
[32:35] we presented in detail on uh last March
and uh I'll be more than happy to
[32:42] entertain any questions.
>> I think this helps you finish the
[32:46] completion of remodeling of a building
and 1 million is for deferred
[32:52] maintenance.
>> Yes sir.
[32:54] » on the campus and various various other
structures.
[32:58] Yes sir. Again we cannot really start as
you know for us to start any project we
[33:04] have to show the full funding for it to
the to to our board and also to the
[33:10] state. So as soon as you approve now on
uh on September 17th our board is going
[33:17] to approve it. It's going to go to the
system their their meeting is in
[33:21] October. So they will approve it and
that's going to really what is going to
[33:25] kickstart this project and it's going to
be going back and forth. The architects,
[33:29] the RFP and all that stuff has to go to
the state to be approved. But uh if we
[33:35] cannot show the entire money for it, we
cannot we're not authorized to start the
[33:40] project.
>> Any any questions of Dr. Shaw?
[33:45] No, I'd just like to say to um any of
our citizens that might be listening at
[33:50] home that um I think we all recognize
how critical RCC is to this to this
[33:58] county. It drives um economic mobility
and it also drives workforce
[34:04] development. So, thank you for the work
that's done there and thank you for
[34:09] those that serve on that board of
trustees. Yes, it is a blessing to be
[34:13] serving in this capacity. The economic
impact for the county last year was 142
[34:20] million
and we appreciate that. Again, many
[34:23] thanks to the the board and to our
trustee emmerites, Mr. Reynolds list, to
[34:28] to always be here for the college. This
is the third time he stood up and his
[34:33] present for the college. So, retirement
apparently he doesn't know how to do
[34:38] that.
I I would add if some of you might not
[34:42] be aware of such things, but in three
out of the last four years, including
[34:48] this current year that we're in right
now, Randolph Community College has been
[34:52] selected the number one community
college out of 56 55
[34:58] » 58 58 community colleges in North
Carolina. It's ranked number one three
[35:04] out of the last four years.
>> Yes, sir. Um,
[35:08] it's something to be proud of. And
>> yes, our our nursing was uh ranked
[35:12] number three against all colleges, all
universities, public and private.
[35:19] » Yes.
>> So, we're talking about UNCC Chapel
[35:22] Hill. We're talking about Duke. We're
talking about High Point University.
[35:27] So, none of them ranked higher than us
as far as nursing. [snorts]
[35:33] And I will I will add the structure of
this. It it's not a part of the county
[35:38] budget. We have a capital reserve fund
in the county. That is funds that this
[35:44] board sets aside.
When we don't fund a project that we
[35:49] thought we were, if we underspend a
budget, we keep them. We have a fund
[35:54] balance requirement set by this board.
Anything over that goes into our capital
[36:01] reserve fund. So these funds are coming
from that capital reserve and not from
[36:08] our regular county budget.
>> So that's the reason we're doing it in
[36:13] this process as opposed to when we
adopted our budget for 2627.
[36:19] I wanted to make that clarification
also.
[36:22] » Yes sir. Back then I almost had a heart
attack.
[36:27] But I appreciate I knew this board has
been always supportive of the college.
[36:32] The reason this Friday we're going to
celebrate our 64th birthday
[36:38] and on campus and you're all invited to
come and uh it's because of you. Again,
[36:44] without you this college would not exist
is is clear. 64 years.
[36:51] » All right. Any other comments from
commissioners?
[36:55] Mr. Chairman, I just want to say we
appreciate the board's uh patience there
[37:02] between trying to get the budget passed
and understanding if there were going to
[37:05] be recurring funds available or not and
then determining
[37:09] maybe there were going to be some
partnership opportunities with a state
[37:12] budget and then the state budget passed
and there were not. And so we appreciate
[37:16] your patience while we put this
opportunity together with
[37:19] » Thank you. reserve
>> fun. We we trust our commissioners more
[37:22] than anybody.
>> Yes.
[37:24] Yes.
>> All right. Thank you, Dr. Shaw. Thank
[37:28] you, sir.
>> Thank you, Chris Reynolds, Richard.
[37:31] Thank you.
>> All right. What's the pleasure of the
[37:34] board?
[37:38] » I'll make I'd be glad to make a motion
to approve the RCC capital project
[37:42] ordinance amendment number 19 for $3
million.
[37:46] » Second.
>> Motion second by Commissioner Allen.
[37:50] » Yes. Further discussion on the motion?
Those in favor, let it be known by
[37:55] saying I.
>> I oppose. No. And it is so ordered.
[38:00] Thank you all of you.
>> Next item. And I I want all of you to to
[38:07] pay attention to this. Um
this is a about a lot of history for
[38:13] Randolph County. And u I'm going to ask
U.
[38:19] County Assistant County Manager
William Joey Johnson.
[38:25] » Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, thank you. In uh
January 2026, the Randolph County
[38:29] Historic Landmark Commission designated
the original County Home Cemetery as a
[38:33] local cultural historical site located
at present-day intersection of Carowway
[38:38] Mountain Road and Old County Farm Road.
The site became the final resting place
[38:42] for 405 Randolph County citizens. Local
historian Ricky Alred has researched the
[38:47] site in depth and in 2025 published the
book the least of these caring for the
[38:53] poor in Randolph County 1794 to 1922.
Mr. Ared has asked to place a monument
[38:59] on the site at his expense to com
commemorate the lives of those resting
[39:03] there. Mr. Ared has worked with WY
monuments and memorials as well as
[39:08] county engineer Paxton authors to find
the best location for the monument. Uh
[39:12] there's a picture of the proposed
monument on the screen there. Um if it
[39:15] pleases the board, staff is requesting
you approve the proposed memorial and
[39:19] the at the original county home site.
>> The site is is accessible out there and
[39:26] it's on our historic site, is it not?
>> It is. Yes, sir.
[39:31] » But
it's
[39:35] it's called the potter's field in in
some areas. But um to have those folks I
[39:44] think only one grave is actually marked.
>> That's correct. Yes sir.
[39:47] » Identifiable right now.
>> Yes sir.
[39:50] » So 405
of
[39:56] unclaimed
bodies
[39:59] are buried in that
>> in that cemetery. And
[40:04] this seems a small amount to recognize
them. And
[40:11] if there was any family left, which is
not likely, but um and on to Mr. Aard
[40:18] for his willingness to to take this on
as a project is a special recogniz
[40:24] recognition of him also. So, uh, what we
need is approval to, um, place the the
[40:32] more memorial marker on the site.
>> Mr. Chairman, before we do that, could
[40:38] we have Mr. Alred to stand? Sure.
Because he's here. I stand up, Ricky.
[40:43] This is Ricky Alred. If any of you have
ever done any of the um cemetery walks
[40:48] at the historic cemetery in Ashboro,
then Ricky's the guy who knows all about
[40:54] all the people buried there, the spooks,
you know, whatever. He knows all that.
[40:59] And um he's a fellow Wake Forest
graduate. So, uh that makes him a good
[41:05] guy. But I would like to commend him for
seeing the value
[41:10] um of this of this property, the value
of the way it was used and the value of
[41:16] preserving it and for doing this at his
own expense. So, thank you very much,
[41:21] Ricky, for that. And it is um an honor
for me to make the motion to approve the
[41:28] proposed memorial at the original county
home site.
[41:33] Do
>> I have a second?
[41:35] Second.
>> Any other comments? And Mr. We do most
[41:40] grateful to you for your research
[clears throat] and bringing this to our
[41:45] attention and recognizing those long
pass.
[41:49] Any other comments or discussion? Those
in favor, let it be known by saying I.
[41:54] [clears throat]
>> I.
[41:55] » I. Oppos? No.
>> And it is approved. Thank you.
[42:00] Okay,
here's another exciting item. Our
[42:04] property revaluation.
Deborah Hill.
[42:15] I want y'all to see what she's carrying.
>> I promise not to read it off.
[42:24] » Good evening.
By North Carolina, General
[42:28] » Never. There you go.
>> By North Carolina General Statute
[42:33] 105286,
all counties must conduct a reappraisal
[42:37] of all real property at least every
eight years. However, counties can
[42:42] decide to advance a reappraisal of the
real property if the board of county
[42:46] commissioners adopts a resolution
providing an advancement of the
[42:51] reappraisal. The Randolph County, the
Randolph County Board of County
[42:57] Commissioners has adopted a four-year
reappraisal cycle. The last reappraisal
[43:02] was in 2023. The next reappraisal will
be effective January the 1st, 2027.
[43:09] The reappraisal is conducted by the
Randolph County Tax Department staff. Uh
[43:15] just some statistics. Uh the there are
28 counties left in the state that are
[43:21] still on a 8-year cycle. Most of those
are the small mountain counties or the
[43:27] counties down on the coast. Uh there are
72 counties that are on a shorter cycle.
[43:33] Anywhere from a seven-year cycle to a
three-year cycle. The three-year cycle
[43:37] is Wake County. Uh for 2027, there will
be over 30 counties in the state that
[43:45] will be having a re uh 2027 reappraisal.
Uh that's counting all the 2026
[43:52] uh counties that was postponed till
2027. So they're going to have to go
[43:58] back through it plus the counties that
was already scheduled for 2027. So it's
[44:03] going to be a busy time across the
state.
[44:06] The uniform schedule of value standards
rules used in appraising real property
[44:11] is to reflect the true value in money.
That's in other words, market value as
[44:16] defined by the North Carolina General
Statute 105283.
[44:20] The tax department appraisal staff has
spent much time analyzing sales data,
[44:26] market trends, conducting cost studies,
and gathering income information. All of
[44:31] this data was used to develop the
proposed 2027 schedule of values.
[44:38] I am presenting uh the schedule of value
standards and rules for the 2027
[44:44] countywide reappraisal of all real
property for the board's review and
[44:49] approval. And I have attached uh a copy
of 105317 which outlines the
[44:55] requirements for adopting the schedule
standards and rules.
[45:00] That standard of 317
uh prescribes the uh procedure that the
[45:06] county commissioners must adhere to for
the reappraisal process. I have attached
[45:11] a recommended date specific timetable
for the counties for the board. The next
[45:18] step is to have a public hearing to give
the public an opportunity to comment on
[45:22] the true value and present use
schedules, standards, and rules to be
[45:27] used in the 2027 reappraisal. A public
hearing must be published stating that
[45:32] these schedule, standards, rules, and
have been submitted to the board and
[45:37] that a copy is available for the public
inspection in the tax office. I
[45:42] respectfully request that the board set
October 5th for the public hearing for
[45:47] the proposed SK schedule, standards, and
rules for the 2027 reappraisal.
[45:53] If anybody has any questions, I'll be
glad to answer.
[45:56] » Anyone have questions?
This is based on
[46:02] property
trans transitions.
[46:05] » That's right. The market that's uh it's
all based off the the market trends.
[46:10] What the
current market is reflecting. We don't
[46:13] make the market, we follow the market.
[46:18] » Anyone have a question?
[46:23] » All right.
So, we are approving
[46:30] setting a public hearing is is what what
we're Yes. That will be
[46:33] » the next step will be the public hearing
and then
[46:35] » October 5th. Yes. A regular October
commissioners board meeting.
[46:39] » Yes. Yes.
Questions of Deborah?
[46:47] » Hearing none.
>> Mr. Chairman, uh, if you're ready for a
[46:50] motion, I'd like to make a motion to set
a public hearing for the the proposed
[46:54] true value schedules, standards, and
rules and the present use value,
[46:58] standards, and rules for October 5th,
2026 at the meeting starting at 6 PM.
[47:05] Do
>> I have a second?
[47:06] » Second.
Those
[47:11] um present use values are sometimes
referred to as farm deferred.
[47:16] » That is correct. That is correct. And we
do adopt them separate so that if
[47:20] there's a challenge to either schedule,
it doesn't postpone the other one. One
[47:24] can move forward if the other one is we
don't want to hold up one if the other
[47:29] one is challenged. And we also Mr. Allen
is very familiar with it because he
[47:34] serves on that uh advisory board. But we
do use the adopted schedules provided by
[47:41] the state as our schedules for the open
land, forest land, horicultural land. We
[47:47] use the state recommended
uh per acre value for that.
[47:53] » I I will say serving on that board, the
forestry numbers are very good.
[47:58] Sometimes the cash rents are based on
the agricultural lands a little bit
[48:04] tougher and there is some discussion
about how to value the farm deferred in
[48:11] a little bit more um fair manner uh
throughout the state. So, um, with the
[48:18] emphasis on property taxes that the
legislaturator's given, uh, this past
[48:24] year and and they'll be looking at it
next year, maybe we can get some funding
[48:28] to do some studies on how to update
that.
[48:31] » Okay. Because the cap rates are uh set
by the by the state.
[48:37] » Yeah. Yeah. This issue has been at the
forefront of our state association and
[48:43] local governments for the last year.
Some counties had to that had to reval
[48:50] in 26 had to do them over. Had to redo
their budgets.
[48:53] » Yes. And all those will have to be that
was notified in 26 will all have to be
[48:59] renotified of their new values in 27.
It's been a big job for those counties.
[49:04] It's been a big undertaking rolling
those values back and then they'll have
[49:09] to proceed for 27 just like they never
had 2026.
[49:14] » But most of that legislation or part of
it is to require local governments to
[49:19] adopt what is called revenue neutral.
>> Yes.
[49:22] » Our last two have been revenue neutral
in Randolph County and our tax rate
[49:28] hadn't changed I think in 15 years. So,
we'll be watching that as we go through
[49:35] this process next year. Further
questions and discussion.
[49:40] Those in favor of the motion to approve,
let it be known by saying I.
[49:44] » I.
>> I. No.
[49:47] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[49:48] » Go.
>> I shall return.
[49:52] » Okay. Next item is a request from our
district attorney
[49:59] Andy Gregson and our sheriff Greg
Seabolt
[50:03] concerning an issue I think that
concerns us all.
[50:10] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um Andy and I
both are very concerned about what we're
[50:16] seeing in our schools, what we're seeing
at uh coming out of these vape shops. Um
[50:23] the level of THC that's in these
materials that kids are buying, that
[50:28] kids are are smoking. And uh I'd like to
introduce you to a youth protection
[50:35] initiative on the use of THC
and schedule one substances.
[50:42] Um, have you got it loaded?
Okay.
[50:47] We um we have SRO's that have documented
over 79 drug violations in the previous
[50:55] school year and EMS handled 63 calls for
service so far in 2026 involving
[51:02] patients 18 years of age or younger.
And what we're concerned about is the
[51:11] ingredients that are in these products.
They're not regulated. Uh you don't know
[51:17] if you're getting 03%
or 10%.
[51:24] Um,
not only young people, but I had a
[51:28] church couple uh that's 80 years old
that was that went by and bought a uh
[51:36] some gummies at a vape shop and they
took one, didn't feel any any side
[51:43] effects, took another one, and it put
her in the hospital. And um you know,
[51:49] they're good people. They had two
daughters that were very concerned about
[51:53] what happened. Couldn't find out what
they had taken. Finally found out they
[51:58] stopped by the uh hemp store out here on
64 and bought some stuff for arthritis.
[52:05] So, it it's a concern not only for our
youth, but also for uh our general
[52:11] public. They don't know what they're
what they're taking and how much they're
[52:15] taking. Um,
our detectives have investigated 17
[52:21] reported juvenile overdoses in the
previous school year. And most of those
[52:27] overdoses, the common denominator was
THC.
[52:33] and
gummies, whether it's a vape or gummies
[52:38] or edible
um materials,
[52:43] they're putting unknown amounts of THC
in these uh products and it's causing a
[52:51] problem.
And you, if you notice the products,
[52:56] they look like um packages
that would be appealing to the youth. uh
[53:03] very colorful
and it looks like candy. As a matter of
[53:08] fact,
[53:11] in reference to the overdoses,
we had um it spread throughout Randolph
[53:19] County. Um as far as the schools are
concerned,
[53:24] we had several up in the Trinity area,
Archdale, Randomman. I talked to a
[53:29] teacher that made a statement if she was
not in the bathroom at Randomman
[53:36] there'd be 75% of the females going in
vaping and they have to monitor it
[53:43] monitor it very closely. Um
we are looking at possibly going into
[53:51] these vape shops. We've got 33 or more
throughout Randolph County. And our
[53:59] problem is once we go in, we have to
purchase a product. In order to find out
[54:06] what is in that product, we're going to
have to send it off and be tested to
[54:12] find out how much THC is in that
product. And and I know it's going to
[54:18] vary from product to product and also
from item in that package
[54:24] to another item in that package. You may
have five or six items in one package
[54:30] with different amounts of THC in those.
So, we're going to have to spend some
[54:37] money in order to do our job uh
effectively and find out how much THC is
[54:44] in the product. And
order to do that, we we've got to know
[54:51] that in order to config these people in
court. And I'm going to turn it over to
[54:55] Andy and let him talk a little bit about
um what he needs as far as testing. But
[55:04] there's a lot of convenience stores, gas
stations that are selling these products
[55:09] uh that well even I think it's called
cratom which is uh illegal. It's uh
[55:17] drugstore or gas station heroin. Um
you've got uh psilocybin psilocybin
[55:27] which is a mushroom they're selling and
um we need to do something about it and
[55:34] hopefully we can be one of the first
counties in the state. I know there's
[55:38] couple counties down east uh new
handover and Brunswick that are hitting
[55:44] a home run with the way they're
enforcing this. So, I'll turn it over to
[55:49] our DA and let him explain some more.
>> Thank you, Sheriff M, Mr. Chairman,
[55:55] county commissioners. I I don't stand in
front of you unless there is a crisis
[56:00] and we got a crisis. Now, this crisis is
not the making of anybody in this room.
[56:06] the the genesis of this program. I'm I'm
currently president of the Conference of
[56:11] District Attorneys for the State, and I
was asked to go participate in a press
[56:14] conference trying to put pressure on the
House of Representatives in North
[56:18] Carolina to pass House Bill 328, which
simply outlawed THC products to anyone
[56:25] under 21 and outlawed synthetic hair uh
cradle. That's it.
[56:31] It's already been passed in the Senate.
All of our legislators supported it and
[56:36] it could not even get out of caucus in
the house. So on the way back I was
[56:41] pretty mad and I started calling the
sheriff and I started calling some of
[56:45] you and say we need some help. Now the
problem is that state law allows whether
[56:50] we like it or not
3% of THC in products. That's because
[56:56] that's the threshold of when it becomes
intoxicating.
[57:00] Below that it is not. It's we it's been
sold to us as therapeutic. fine up to.3
[57:05] it's legal. The problem is, and this is
the elephant in the room, the last two
[57:10] attorney generals, for whatever reason,
have not asked for money for the state
[57:15] lab to test these products.
So, they have had free reign to sell all
[57:21] kinds of stuff. When we have gone into
these places, when law enforcement has
[57:25] gone in, they found products that
contain 10 to 20% of THC
[57:30] on the packaging. We've also found that
they are selling products with
[57:35] psilocybin in it, which like the sheriff
pointed out is not even arguable to be
[57:41] legal. It's a schedule one controlled
substance under state and federal law.
[57:46] It is a powerful hallucinogenic that
your children can walk into these retail
[57:51] spots and buy and nobody's going to ask
any questions. It's in gummies and it's
[57:57] in chocolate. Uh Curry back there can
give you the stats. They just seized 168
[58:02] pounds of product with psilocybin in it
in the city of Ashboro.
[58:09] 168 pounds.
People are charged. I can't say much
[58:14] more about that, but there are more than
50 locations we've identified selling
[58:18] this stuff in this county. I would
challenge anybody in this room to tell
[58:22] me how many grocery stores we got and
compare that. We've got 51 at least
[58:27] retail places we know of selling this
stuff.
[58:31] And we know from the packaging, from the
lab reports they have, very little of it
[58:36] is in compliance with the law. Now, the
problem is that we can't do everything.
[58:43] But when our children start overdosing,
you just heard the numbers. It's worse
[58:47] than that. The day reporting center for
juveniles tells me that almost every
[58:52] single juvenile that comes through their
doors is addicted to or is abusing THC
[58:56] products, primarily vapes.
My prosecutors in juvenile court tell me
[59:02] that almost every single court involved
juvenile has a THC problem. You heard
[59:08] about the overdoses. You heard about uh
the calls for service just this week at
[59:13] Ashboro on the first day of school. We
arrested a student with THC vapes
[59:19] selling it to his colleagues at school.
Where'd he get it? He walked into one of
[59:25] these stores and bought it because there
is nothing to keep a 13-year-old from
[59:29] buying this stuff.
And to make matters worse, some of this
[59:33] stuff doesn't just have THC or
psilocybin or something else in it. It
[59:37] has mercury, pesticides, because it's
coming from China.
[59:42] Okay? So, the feds are uh working on
this with us, state agencies, but the
[59:48] elephant in the room is the last two
attorney generals have not done their
[59:52] job. We've had this crisis in this state
for many years, and there's not been one
[59:58] single request to increase the state lab
funding. I can't do anything about that.
[1:00:03] You can't do anything about it. But we
have a chance for us if you will
[1:00:07] graciously allow us some money to test
these products. I have uh entered into
[1:00:12] verbal agreements with two certified
labs that we can make $100,000 get us
[1:00:18] about 400 tests and it's not it's it's
not going to fix the problem but maybe
[1:00:25] it'll put some people on notice to stop
selling to kids. I will say that the
[1:00:29] DA's are pressing the legislature to
give whether the AG asked for it or not
[1:00:35] to give some money to the lab so they
can gear up and test these THC products.
[1:00:40] They are challenging to test because
you're talking about small gummies,
[1:00:44] small vapes. It's it's not an easy
thing. I get that. But it's been a
[1:00:49] crisis throughout the state. Now, I will
say that we don't have a problem that's
[1:00:54] any worse probably than any uh where
else. But consistent with the sheriff's
[1:00:58] philosophy and my philosophy, we're just
not going to tolerate it. And I've stood
[1:01:02] before you and said that before is you
get more of what you tolerate,
[1:01:06] especially from criminals. And so the
decision is we going to just look the
[1:01:10] other way and say, "Oh, well, state
doesn't test it. We're not going to do
[1:01:13] anything or will you join us and and
give us $100,000 that we'll spend. We'll
[1:01:18] invoice the county. You can see all the
invoices. It's going to be forensic labs
[1:01:23] so that we can test these products and
quite frankly charge and prosecute some
[1:01:29] people. So that's what we're here for.
It's a crisis. I'm able to I'm I'm glad
[1:01:34] to answer. I'm sure the sheriff is. um
any questions you have, but we're
[1:01:38] working very very closely together. I I
appreciate he's he's already dedicated a
[1:01:44] lot of uh resources to it. Uh it's going
to stretch us a little bit in the DA's
[1:01:48] office. Um but that's okay. This is
worth it because we're primarily
[1:01:52] concerned about the children. So I I'm
I'm happy to answer any questions.
[1:01:59] » This testing [clears throat] clear would
be used by the sheriff's department as
[1:02:02] well as all our law enforcement agencies
in Randolph County. all the
[1:02:06] municipalities working together
>> used by our entities that are helping us
[1:02:11] with our undercover operations and um
yes it be used for that reason of
[1:02:19] testing.
[1:02:24] » So which is in the weeds a little bit.
So specifically you're saying
[1:02:29] Ashboro PD has some stuff that needs to
be tested right now. No, [laughter] the
[1:02:33] schedule one, anything that anything
that is not schedule six, the state lab
[1:02:37] will test. So you don't have to worry
about the psilocyic psilocybin schedule
[1:02:40] one.
>> Okay. So that's
[1:02:41] » so that that the state lab that'll go to
the state lab. Um what we're talking
[1:02:45] about is specifically THC in gummy,
vape, and candy form that the state lab
[1:02:53] does not have the ability to test.
[1:02:58] » If you go ahead,
>> do you remember how much it was
[1:03:01] I mean, I was at the presentation, but
I've forgotten to There were two
[1:03:06] different prices. It was much higher for
testing the gummies than it was for
[1:03:11] testing vapes.
>> It It's actually based on what type of
[1:03:15] quantification you want. If it we have
found a lab in Raleigh that will do a
[1:03:20] test that tells us it is more than three
times the state limit. That is $75 per
[1:03:27] item. There is a state accredited lab
and federal accredited lab in Winston
[1:03:32] Salem that will quantify exactly how
much of the the item is THC for $263 an
[1:03:40] item. They that also includes litigation
expenses. They will send a forensic
[1:03:45] scientist here to testify if we need it.
>> And if uh a death if there's a death
[1:03:52] involved in the case, we may want to go
that route,
[1:03:55] » you know, through Winston Salem. Um, but
we would probably utilize the $75
[1:04:03] price initially much as we can. We want
to make the money go far. I will say the
[1:04:09] legislature has told the DAs that they
they understand this is a problem with a
[1:04:13] state lab. So, this is not going to be a
recurring uh uh request. We hope the
[1:04:17] state lab's going to get the funding
they need to test this like every other
[1:04:22] drug they test.
And it not not only affects this, it
[1:04:27] affects EMS. It affects these other
departments and the families that
[1:04:31] they're working with every day.
>> Yes, sir.
[1:04:35] » It's um
>> it doesn't know any boundaries. C
[1:04:37] » can I just say that one thing the
sheriff said, which is a great point.
[1:04:41] When we talk to the parents in juvenile
court,
[1:04:45] they say to us, "Well, h how is this
harming my child when he can walk into a
[1:04:50] brightly lit store,
>> right,
[1:04:53] » in a strip mall beside Walmart and buy
this product? How can it be harmful? How
[1:04:58] can it be illegal?
>> They can buy it in sheets."
[1:05:00] » Yeah.
>> Yeah. It's because we've not been able
[1:05:04] to test these products and we've allowed
the wild west to spring up and people
[1:05:09] have gotten used to making money off of
it.
[1:05:12] » So when we and you can't divulge, can't
say anything, just say I can't. But when
[1:05:17] we test these products, is this going
after the manufacturers, going after the
[1:05:21] sellers selling it here or both?
>> Well, I'm a little greedy. I want to go
[1:05:26] after them all.
>> Okay, that's good. Do it. But but I mean
[1:05:30] it will be dictated by what we get, how
good the buy is, what we seize, what
[1:05:37] records we find. And it and I want to
stress, I've already heard from some of
[1:05:40] these vendors that they're running legal
businesses. If you're running a legal
[1:05:44] business, you got nothing to worry
about. But if you're selling products
[1:05:48] that violate state law, then yeah, I
think you probably ought to be a little
[1:05:51] worried
if we get the money to test.
[1:05:56] » Can I ask you a quick question? We've
spoke a couple of times about the the
[1:05:59] funding and and how it might be achieved
and I heard you talk a minute ago about
[1:06:04] all the agencies maybe having the
availability to tap into this. Would we
[1:06:09] have a way to centralize the the the the
invoices from that come through your
[1:06:12] office and then to us to to pay?
>> No, sir. What what will happen when law
[1:06:16] enforcement takes these items to the
lab, they will uh invoice whoever you
[1:06:22] tell us to at the county and you will
get an official invoice which will show
[1:06:28] the items and the officer requesting it.
And I want to point out to you that um
[1:06:33] you know what my hope is is that we get
some seizures out of this and we're able
[1:06:37] to replenish the fund. And um I I will
say we've gotten buy in not only of
[1:06:43] course from the sheriff but from all of
the agencies that every single agency in
[1:06:47] the county including the state agencies
who I'm not going to name know that we
[1:06:52] have a problem. We just had a meeting
the other day of about 40 stakeholders
[1:06:57] uh uh getting ready for this.
>> What we'll have to do is just try to
[1:07:03] monitor that if you all are awarded
funding as it's drawn down. I don't want
[1:07:07] one agency to go submit a whole bunch of
tests and and other folks don't have
[1:07:11] that opportunity.
>> The agencies are working together.
[1:07:15] » Mr. Holden, that's a great point. And
the agencies have agreed to a general
[1:07:19] outline of a plan and everybody is on
board about how we proceed and how many
[1:07:25] items we seize.
[1:07:31] Well, um
you will note on the the motion the
[1:07:38] recommended motion, it refers to the
strategic planning funds. Uh, I would
[1:07:43] just point out on our consent agenda
tonight, our recent check from um
[1:07:50] um wealth management, I mean from uh
waste management is for $357,682.
[1:08:00] That's the second contract we have with
them. And that money goes into the um uh
[1:08:07] strategic planning fund. And I think we
had about
[1:08:11] close to 300,000 left in there from last
year's. But this is the first time we've
[1:08:18] had opportunity to use strategic
planning funds in this kind of setting
[1:08:22] or this kind of a issue.
>> Yes, sir.
[1:08:26] » Mainly it's been for nonprofits,
>> but all the nonprofits are dealing with
[1:08:31] the issue.
>> Yes, sir. If I could just say, I think
[1:08:36] um I think that doing this would send a
strong message about the value of public
[1:08:43] health in Randolph County, about um the
value of our of our youth. I think it
[1:08:52] would send a message to our legislators
to hey, get together and let's let's
[1:08:58] raise that age to 21.
um and let's monitor these shops.
[1:09:04] Um so, u I think it would send I think
it would send a message because I
[1:09:10] certainly know the decisions they make
send me messages and so I think we can
[1:09:15] send a message with this. So,
if you're ready for a motion, I'll make
[1:09:21] one. But if you want more discussion,
I'll be quiet.
[1:09:24] » Well, I I will say um I serve on the
Trillium Government Board and and down
[1:09:29] in more uh more in Dair County. uh they
have commission there has adopted an
[1:09:37] ordinance regarding cratom uh and the
the regulating the the sale of I guess
[1:09:43] they have kind of stepped in and done
what the state was looking to do as far
[1:09:48] as goes. Um I don't know that something
we would look at that but I don't know
[1:09:53] how I don't know how that's going to
be enforceable down there but they have
[1:09:59] they've evidently seen the issue in uh
in Dair County and I don't think in Dair
[1:10:03] County necessarily being uh a hotbed for
that kind of thing really you think that
[1:10:08] being more vacation destination so
>> uh there are other counties are dealing
[1:10:12] with this other than you know
>> just us
[1:10:16] » and then taking more more extreme
measures
[1:10:20] um to regulate,
>> right?
[1:10:26] » Yes. Since I'm on since this is
discussed fairly often at state child
[1:10:31] fatality task force, I would like to
make the motion. I'd like to make a
[1:10:36] motion uh that we approve the $100,000
request
[1:10:43] for strategic planning funds from the
our district attorney and sheriff
[1:10:50] And did you include you did say plan?
>> Is there a second to the motion? Second.
[1:10:56] Second.
>> We have two seconds.
[1:11:00] » Further discussion
funding. Everybody understands what
[1:11:05] we're doing.
Those in favor of the motion to approve,
[1:11:09] let it be known by saying I. I. Post.
No.
[1:11:14] » Make it work, guys.
>> Thank you.
[1:11:16] » Thank you very much. I mean that. Thank
you,
[1:11:18] » sir.
>> Have at it, guys.
[1:11:23] » Okay. Next is update on our building
inspection fees. David, welcome.
[1:11:30] » Good evening, uh, commissioners,
chairman. Um,
[1:11:34] on Senate Bill 247, the North Carolina
General Assembly has uh implemented a uh
[1:11:41] significant administrative restructuring
within the state budget
[1:11:45] which will take effect on uh January
1st, 27.
[1:11:50] This change involves the transfer of all
building code administration,
[1:11:54] interpretation functions, appeals, and
personnel from the office of state fire
[1:11:58] marshal um and the department of
insurance to the newly established
[1:12:03] building codes and interpretations
bureau within the department of labor.
[1:12:07] To support this new bureau, legislature
has introduced a regulatory fee
[1:12:12] framework for the state building code
designated lo local municipal and county
[1:12:18] inspection departments as the primary
agents for fee collection.
[1:12:22] This memorandum serves to clarify the
procedures for collecting, tracking, and
[1:12:27] remmening specific regulatory fees
associated with local building permits.
[1:12:32] These fees are collected on behalf of
the state of North Carolina building
[1:12:36] codes and interpretation bureau which is
part of the reorganization that transfer
[1:12:41] building code enforcement oversight to
the North Carolina Department of Labor.
[1:12:46] This process will not affect the
operating budget of local governments um
[1:12:51] as
as the uh local inspection departments
[1:12:55] are function solely to collect agents or
collect fees for the state. However, it
[1:13:01] will increase the budget.
And a sample on the permit fees here is
[1:13:07] like a standard home.
Our standard 1,200 foot home is $630.
[1:13:15] The statemandated fee is going to be 25.
The electrical building and plumbing
[1:13:20] permits, each one's going to have a $10
fee. So the statemandated fee on
[1:13:28] that total would be $55. A commercial
permit is is about the same. $100 for
[1:13:35] the state permit and then $10 for
electrical plumbing and mechanical. Now
[1:13:41] the bad thing is like some commercial
buildings, you know, we only do like $60
[1:13:46] permit fee. So the state's going to be a
$100 fee in addition to that. And same
[1:13:52] with uh um demo permits and stuff like
that. Anything related to the building
[1:13:59] code gets these fees.
Um so a commercial permit fees 100.
[1:14:05] Residential permit fees are 25 and this
is all for general construction permits.
[1:14:10] Mechanical electrical and plumbing is
10. And residential demos and commercial
[1:14:16] demos are 25 and $100 respectively.
Um just in July
[1:14:25] we figured up the fees it's going to be
11 $111,000 for the month of July you
[1:14:30] have to submit to the state. So overall
it's going to be roughly between 100
[1:14:35] $130,000
in annual uh fees to the state.
[1:14:41] » So is that the state's portion David or
is that
[1:14:44] » that's just the state's portion? Hey, we
we we do the general uh homeowners
[1:14:49] recovery fund, which is a $1 portion to
us and $9 to the state. That's not
[1:14:55] included in this, but this uh fee here
goes all of it goes to the state.
[1:15:02] » Do you have the I guess if you're doing
that, I guess you got you got the
[1:15:07] capability of through your system just
to add these fees so it's not a as bad
[1:15:13] as it could have been. Yeah, we've been
working with it. Got it in test now. So,
[1:15:17] we're going to test it out and make sure
everything's right and then start it up
[1:15:22] uh January 1st 27.
[1:15:27] » This doesn't require action on our
board, but what this is make putting us
[1:15:31] in compliance with the state mandated
changes.
[1:15:36] » Yeah. And I know um Joey had said maybe
posted on the website the uh fee
[1:15:43] schedule. We just put it out there. You
know, they can call the Department of
[1:15:47] Labor, senators, or whoever approved it
is are
[1:15:51] » where they need to call.
>> If they're not happy.
[1:15:53] » No,
>> don't call us. We didn't do it.
[1:15:56] » Are these in effect right now?
>> No. January 2.
[1:15:59] » January 1st. [clears throat]
>> Yeah.
[1:16:04] » All right.
>> Yeah, Mr. Chairman, you hit it on the
[1:16:06] head. There's no action needed on your
behalf. We just felt we needed to
[1:16:09] publicly acknowledge that the fees are
going up and that we had nothing to do
[1:16:13] with it.
>> Right.
[1:16:16] » Any other questions of David?
>> Thank you. Appreciate it.
[1:16:22] » Okay. Last agenda item is a proposal for
the McGill Engineering for the waterline
[1:16:27] design at 0421 Liberty.
>> Good evening. Uh two months ago, I came
[1:16:35] before him and presented a resolution uh
which authorized the county manager to
[1:16:39] enter into an interlocal agreement with
Liberty uh to enable us to build a water
[1:16:44] line and sell water to Liberty by
willing it through Greensboro system.
[1:16:48] You approved that resolution. So, I'm
here to take the follow-up steps. Uh
[1:16:52] previously we did a preliminary
engineering report with McGill
[1:16:56] Engineering where they pro they looked
at the best route for this water line
[1:17:00] and they proposed coming off of uh
Greenspurs water tank there at Toyota
[1:17:04] setting a meter vault at an adjacent
parcel that the county still owns and
[1:17:08] then going south down Highway 421 to tie
into Liberty system. We then did a
[1:17:15] follow-up hydraulic uh study to model
that line to make sure that it was
[1:17:20] capable of, you know, filling Liberty's
tanks. And it found that it was that it
[1:17:24] was capable of a 12-in line could
provide 1 million gallons per day of
[1:17:29] water to Liberty. And it gave a
estimated cost of $4.9 million. So we
[1:17:35] now have asked Miguel to give us a
actual full design which include the
[1:17:40] planning, the surveying, the permitting
and helping us bid and doing
[1:17:44] construction administration. Uh the
total cost of this service is $394,000
[1:17:50] and well $500. Uh we also have a budget
adjustment tonight of that amount plus
[1:17:56] an additional 5% which brings it to
$414,225.
[1:18:02] And with that, I will ask that you
approve a contract with McGill
[1:18:05] Engineering for design, bidding, and
construction administration of a water
[1:18:09] line along Old 421 at a cost of $494,500
that you authorize the county manager to
[1:18:16] approve the contract and that you uh
approve the associated budget
[1:18:21] adjustment. I'll be glad to answer any
questions.
[1:18:24] I I'll just make a note to who whoever
wants to make the motion that the actual
[1:18:29] amount for the budget amendment is
414,225
[1:18:35] not not the 394 that that's listed that
includes the contingency, right?
[1:18:40] » Yes, that's yes, we have a a change
order policy which enables authorizes
[1:18:46] the county manager to approve up to 5%.
However, if we don't go ahead and and
[1:18:50] fund that, it would sort of defeat the
purpose. So
[1:18:53] » we're asking
>> is this integrated anyway in what what
[1:18:57] Greensboro's plans are or for the the
bigger the bigger
[1:19:02] » project?
>> We are working with Liberty and
[1:19:05] Greensboro now Greensboro and Liberty
are doing a interlocal agreement you
[1:19:10] know to to wheel that water through
their system and and uh and then we're
[1:19:14] doing an interlocal agreement with
Liberty to actually sell them our our
[1:19:18] water from the Pedmont Triad Water
Authority. Right.
[1:19:23] » You know what Liberty's water usage is
now per day? If this is going to give
[1:19:27] them a million dollar a million gallons,
what you know how much you're using now?
[1:19:32] » They're using around 250,000 gallons a
day.
[1:19:35] » So this plenty of
>> Yeah, that gives plenty for future
[1:19:39] » growth. Okay.
Commissioner Allen that the also the
[1:19:44] goal the the in intention is to give
them a redundant water supply in the
[1:19:48] future and and bring water up 49 um and
supply them from the south side with
[1:19:54] primarily water coming through 64
through the southern way and having
[1:19:58] essentially the Greensboro connection
simply be an emergency redundant
[1:20:02] connection. What we're doing here is
>> an an immediate effort to try to get
[1:20:06] them off of their wells. We saw an issue
over the past couple of weekends where
[1:20:10] they've had some failures and and that's
really strained their wells and taken to
[1:20:14] the point where they're having to put
restrictions on their existing customers
[1:20:18] which certainly doesn't allow future
capacity and growth. So, um all of these
[1:20:22] funds are coming from the the state
funding that was allocated for
[1:20:26] infrastructure development to try to get
our uh municipalities better
[1:20:30] interconnected and and sustainable for
long-term growth.
[1:20:36] » Question. Any other questions?
What's the pleasure of the board?
[1:20:40] » Mr. Chairman, that's my neck of the
woods. Uh, so I'll make a motion to
[1:20:44] approve the contract proposal from
McGill Engineering for the design build
[1:20:48] bid and construction administration of
waterline along 0421 at a cost of
[1:20:55] $414,225.
[1:20:58] Authorize the county manager to sign a
contract and approve the associated
[1:21:01] budget amendment.
>> Do I have a second?
[1:21:05] » Second. And I I'll just offer a
clarifying thing and I think Paxton
[1:21:09] mentioned it a minute ago, but the
contract itself is
[1:21:12] » 395. Okay. Okay. So, we need 3945.
>> All right. I'll just my
[1:21:19] » motion.
Yep.
[1:21:23] » Further comments, questions.
Those in favor, let it be known by
[1:21:27] saying I.
>> I oppose. No. And it's approved.
[1:21:32] » Thank you.
>> Thank you, Paxton. All right. This
[1:21:35] concludes our posted agenda for tonight.
Uh, County Manager, do you have any
[1:21:41] comments or
>> Uh, a couple of things I just wanted to
[1:21:44] bring attention to. U, one, thank you
for everybody being here on a Tuesday.
[1:21:48] This worked out really well. I know
staff prefers coming in on a Tuesday
[1:21:51] night after a Monday, not a Tuesday
night after a Labor Day. Um,
[1:21:57] well done. I don't know that the
calendar is going to set up perfectly
[1:22:00] for us to do this all the time, but it
worked out really well this year and we
[1:22:03] appreciate it. Um,
I wanted to mention I've had a couple of
[1:22:08] folks ask me about when the upcoming
chamber retreat would be. The Ashran
[1:22:13] Chamber doesn't do their traditional
retreat to Myrtle Beach like they did in
[1:22:16] the past. They now do a a chamber chair
celebration and so that is coming up in
[1:22:21] October. Um, this is the hundth year of
the Ashan Chamber and so they're doing
[1:22:26] two events. One on October 15th which is
a Thursday evening that'll be at AVS. I
[1:22:32] I'll get details to the commissioner so
Hopewood doesn't have to write them all
[1:22:36] down right now. Um and then the
following day, the 15th at the A Center,
[1:22:40] we'll have an the the actual kind of
retreat day, which will be the the um
[1:22:47] the chamber chair celebration is what
they call it now. It's a little harder
[1:22:51] than retreat. Sorry. Um but I'll get
details to you all. I just wanted to
[1:22:55] give you a heads up that that's coming
because I have had a couple of questions
[1:22:58] about upcoming opportunities to interact
with the chamber. That's it.
[1:23:03] Commissioners updates.
[clears throat] I would um we had our
[1:23:09] annual state conference in Durham County
a couple weeks ago and Commissioner
[1:23:13] Allen was um duty elected by the body to
second vice president of state
[1:23:20] association which will put him in line
to be the president in about four years.
[1:23:25] So
>> if I can get two two more two more
[1:23:28] elections. Yeah. So just make that any
other one. [applause]
[1:23:37] » Any other commissioners have anything?
>> I just also like to point out again that
[1:23:41] our wellness team uh presented what how
we got to the place that we have the
[1:23:47] program that we have now. So they they
presented Sam Barner and Ashley Dugens
[1:23:53] and uh Christy Wallace. So they did a a
great job. represented Randolph County
[1:23:58] really well. And then our um Randolph
County opioid settlement technical
[1:24:05] assistance team won a civic award. A few
of those were given out across our state
[1:24:13] and so they were recognized for the
outstanding work they've done. Uh
[1:24:17] Michael over here has been part of that
team. So, um, so we have those two and
[1:24:23] then we had, um, our chairman in one of
the sessions helping, you know, on a
[1:24:29] panel. And so, I just felt proud of
Randolph County. And hope was on our
[1:24:35] initiative, which was the our our I call
it our urgent care facility for county
[1:24:40] employees. That's really playing
[clears throat] great dividends. And we
[1:24:45] got a lot of feedback on that. I wish I
told our director if we'd had a little
[1:24:50] more publicity, I think more of the
counties would have been interested in
[1:24:53] what what was discussed at that uh at
that session. But overall, it was a good
[1:24:58] session and um well attended. I think
originally had 89 of 100 counties that
[1:25:04] were registered for that event.
>> Some of the feedback I got from people
[1:25:10] that were not in the session was they
knew their county couldn't afford it.
[1:25:16] So, so why come into that session and
it's like how can you
[1:25:21] » how can you not afford it? If you look
at the level at which we've been able to
[1:25:26] ensure our employees and how much we've
saved by doing that, it has more
[1:25:32] uh far more than paid for the program.
So, um so maybe there'll be counties
[1:25:39] that will look into it, implement some
parts of it. Uh we didn't get where we
[1:25:44] are overnight. Um, it's taken some
developments. So, so we'll see.
[1:25:50] » All right. Any other comments? Do I have
a motion to adjurnn?
[1:25:54] » Move.
>> We are ajourned. Thank all of you. Be
[1:25:58] safe. Thank you again for your
participation.
[1:26:13] » They've already had guys.