The Catawba County Board of Commissioners  met at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 7, 2012, at the 1924 Courthouse at 30 North College Avenue in Newton.

PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Dwight Herman came forward to request the Board review the County’s zoning ordinances regarding setback requirements for building on properties which contain or are adjacent to cemeteries.  The property at issue is within the City of Newton and falls under that City’s zoning ordinance but Mr. Herman was requesting the County review its zoning ordinances and address the setbacks in these situations so that this did not become an issue in the future for another family.  Chair Barnes directed staff to research possible setback requirements regarding such properties and bring a recommendation back to the Board.

Larry Pope came forward and requested the Board commit to having an early voting site in Hickory for the elections in November 2012.  Due to a shortage of funding, there had been only one early voting site for the May 8th Primary and that was located in the Main Library in Newton.  Mr. Pope felt that this had caused a hardship for people in Hickory and for those who were dependent on public transportation.  County Manager J. Thomas Lundy stated that the concern had been brought to the Board members’ attention and  there would be an early voting site in Hickory for the November elections.

Mr. Pope presented a second concern regarding the Greenway Transportation System.  He had experienced several times when the bus did not make its scheduled pickup and when he contacted Greenway, dispatchers were unable to reach the drivers to determine their locations.  He continued on to say the new shelters that were being installed throughout the system failed to provide protection from the elements.  County Manager Lundy, who represents Catawba County on its seven member Board, said he would look into the dispatch problems and the protection provided by the new shelters.

PRESENTATION
The Board issued a proclamation recognizing May 20-26, 2012, as Emergency Medical Services Week. The proclamation commended Emergency Medical Services for providing lifesaving care for those in need, twenty-four hours per day, seven days a weeks, and spotlights the benefits Americans receive from these highly trained, knowledgeable individuals and the reduction in national health care costs resulting from these services.

APPOINTMENTS
Upon the recommendation of Commissioner Dan Hunsucker, the Board appointed John Dollar for an unexpired term in the citizen member category on the Public Health Board.  Mr. Dollar’s term will expire June 30, 2013.

CONSENT AGENDA
A. The Board authorized the piggyback exception as outlined in North Carolina General Statute143-129(g) for the purchase of a Property Appraisal and Land Records system in the amount of $539,525 including software and implementation services, to Tyler Technologies, Incorporated.

The CAMA system currently used by the County provides property valuations for more than 86,000 parcels of real property within the County and has been used and updated for more than 20 years. It provides limited functionality that has created inefficient work flows and is not compatible with other County systems. The system is no longer sold and updates will not be available in the future. The County’s next four year revaluation is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2015. Due to an estimated software conversion time of nine to twelve months, a new solution needs to be in place by late 2012 or early 2013 to provide adequate time for completion of the 2015 revaluation. Based on these factors, during July 2011, staff began the process of finding a replacement product by evaluating several systems used by other counties with a focus on North Carolina requirements. Three of the systems appeared to be viable candidates: NCPTS Land Records and CAMA system by Farragut Solutions; Patriot AssessPro by Patriot Properties; and iasWorld by Tyler Technologies. After viewing demonstrations of each product, checking with current customers and receiving informal quotes for each of the systems, it was determined that iasWorld by Tyler Technologies offered the solution that best meets the overall requirements of Catawba County for now and into the future.

In order to stay on schedule with the 2015 revaluation calendar, a decision was made to pursue a piggyback of a contract awarded to Tyler Technologies from Loudon County, Virginia in January 2012, for the iasWorld system. State law allows local governments to purchase without a separate bidding procedure from any contractor that has, within the past 12 months, contracted to furnish the item to (1) the federal government or any federal agency; (2) the State of North Carolina or any agency or political subdivision of that state, or (3) any other state or agency or political subdivision of that state, if the contractor is willing to extend the same or more favorable price and other terms to the local government. The Board must award the contract at a regularly scheduled meeting and notice of the intent to award the contract without bidding must be published no less than 10 days prior to the meeting at which the contract is awarded.

The existing project account has a current balance of $195,025. The additional recommended Capital Projects budget for fiscal year 2012/13 is $350,000 for a total of $545,025 projected as available funds. Staff does not expect the total expenditures for this fiscal year to exceed $195,025. According to North Carolina General Statute 153A-13, “a county may enter into continuing contracts, some portion or all of which are to be performed in ensuing fiscal years. In order to enter into such a contract, the county must have sufficient funds appropriated to meet any amount to be paid under the contract in the fiscal year in which it is made. In each year, the Board of Commissioners shall appropriate sufficient funds to meet the amounts to be paid during the fiscal year under continuing contracts previously entered into.”

B. The Board renewed a lease with Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare for the Lifeskills facility located behind Catawba County Public Health. As Catawba County’s Mental Health Board implemented the State’s Mental Health Reform Act, it formed a non-profit organization, Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare (CVBH), to deliver comprehensive services to adults with serious conditions of mental illness and developmental disabilities. It was designed to provide the crisis interventions, short and long-term supports, and treatments necessary to effectively sustain this targeted population. Its formation included outpatient, day treatment and residential services to assure a continuity of care and an integration of those services that clinically belong together. As a freestanding non-profit organization, CVBH has taken on the responsibility of a major portion of high-risk services that had been previously operated by the public sector, through a contractual arrangement with the County.

With the divestiture of Mental Health services by the State of North Carolina, CVBH began leasing the former Mental Health main building and the adjacent Lifeskills facility in January 2007. Since that time, CVBH has been recognized for providing valuable services for Catawba County citizens who struggle with matters of mental illness and developmental disabilities. In 2010, CVBH moved from the former Mental Health main building into its own facility in Hickory, but continues to lease the County’s Lifeskills facility to provide some of those services. This current lease is set to expire on June 30, 2012.

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS
The Board endorsed a formal Merger Agreement for the formation of Partners Behavioral Health Management. At its October 3, 2011, meeting, the Board adopted an “Intent to Merge Agreement” which outlined the intentions of Mental Health Partners to join with Crossroads and Pathways Local Managing Entities (LMEs) to form a single managing entity for the purposes of over sighting the delivery of mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services to the citizens of the eight counties of Catawba, Surry, Yadkin, Iredell, Burke, Lincoln, Gaston, and Cleveland. This was a joint response to action by the North Carolina General Assembly that requires Local Managing Entities to serve a population of at least 500,000 people by July 1, 2012. This merger will result in a population of 906,746 with approximately 140,000 Medicaid covered lives. This merger is also the basis for this new entity to perform as a Managed Care Organization and its being a Medicaid 1915 (b) (c) Waiver program, effective January 1, 2013. In response to a Request for Application to operate a merged waiver site, the State has approved the submitted plan.  Mental Health Partner Director John Hardy stated he believed this merger would ensure that recipients of these services would get what they needed for the right reason, for the right duration, and at the right cost.

This formal Merger Agreement is the final document that completes the process to merge these three LMEs into one new entity known as Partners Behavioral Health Management or Partners BHM. The content of this agreement is very similar to the “Intent to Merge Agreement” with language being more final in nature. Each of the respective LME Boards has approved this document and is in the process of seeking endorsement from the respective eight counties’ Boards of Commissioners.

CLOSED SESSION
At the request of County Manager J. Thomas Lundy, the Board moved into Closed Session pursuant to General Statute 143-318.11(a)(6) to consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee.  No action was taken upon return of the Board to open session.

CALENDAR
The next Board of Commissioners Meeting will take place on Monday, May 21, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.   Budget Hearings with Departments will take place on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 from 8:00 to 5:00 p.m.  The Budget Public Hearing and Wrap Up will take place on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.