Tag Archive for: #countyofvance

TownTalk: Commissioners Tap Fund Balance To Pay Overdue Bills, Health Care Overruns At Jail

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Vance County Commissioners are tapping the county’s fund balance to take care of a couple of bills – to the tune of more than $822,000 – that involve health care at the local detention center.

Of that amount, $352,000 will be used to pay past due invoices, some dating back to 2019, that were not paid by the county’s former finance director.

County Manager C. Renee Perry told commissioners during the Dec. 2 meeting that the former finance director had failed to process invoices from Prime Health. Perry said Prime Health, during the same period, experienced staffing shortages which further exacerbated the delays in processing invoices.

“We are committed to resolving this matter efficiently,” Perry told commissioners, “while maintaining our partnership with Prime Health, ensuring continued high-quality health care services for the Vance County Detention Center.”

Perry said, going forward, the county will put in place an enhanced tracking system and hold regular reconciliation meetings to make sure payments are made in a timely manner.

Commissioners also approved using another $470,000 to pay for the health care of inmates, some of whom aren’t even housed in the local jail.

The payment is based on the jail’s average daily population, which lately has been over-capacity, “so costs are increasing significantly,” Perry noted.

The $470,000 will pay for overages between July and December, as well as the six-month contract extension. At Perry’s recommendation, the commissioners approved renewing the contract for six months, through June 2025, instead of an annual contract. The plan is to try to get the next contract based on the fiscal year (July-June) and move away from the calendar year-based contract. The commissioners also asked for information about how many inmates are housed in other detention centers and how much that costs the county.

Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones told commissioners that he recently arranged for two inmates to be taken to the jail in Edgecombe County, but they were sent back to Vance County because of bad behavior.

In another incident at the Vance County facility, an inmate sprayed four detention officers in the eyes with a combination of bleach, feces and urine.

Board Chair Sean Alston asked the manager to do some research to determine how much money the county has spent for capital improvements and maintenance on the jail over the past two years.

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The Local Skinny! Vacant County Director Roles Now Filled

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Back in February, Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry was just a few months into her new job. On top of gearing up to prepare the county’s annual budget and getting up to speed on some of the unique challenges and opportunities across the county she was now responsible for, Perry also faced having to fill a good handful of county positions, including five directors of departments.

Perry turned a negative into a positive at the time, and said back in February that she chose to see the vacancies as a chance for her to build her own leadership team.

When Vance County announced Tuesday that it had selected a new Social Services Director, that “team” is officially complete.

Sandy Weaver began her new role as DSS director effective Oct. 1, as did Jeremy T. Jones as assistanc county manager.

And Perry won’t celebrate her first anniversary as county manager until Nov. 1.

One by one, the vacancies have been filled:

·       Budget and Finance director – Stephanie Williams;

·       Animal Services manager – William Coker;

·       Planning director – Sherry Moss;

·       Elections director- Haley Rawles;

·       Economic Development director – Ferdinand A. Rouse;

·       DSS director – Sandy Weaver

·       Chief Code Enforcement Officer – Bob Rosch

The code enforcement office is located in the same office as planning, but it will function as a separate department with Rosch as the department head, county staff noted.

TownTalk: Renee Perry’s First 8 Months As County Manager

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Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry has been on the job for eight months, and during that time, she’s had plenty of issues to deal with – filling vacant positions, finalizing the county’s budget and getting up to speed about ongoing challenges involving possible restructure of the fire services, a revaluation and dismissal of a key county official.

For a “glass-half-empty” person, navigating these sometimes choppy waters could be overwhelming. But Perry’s glass seems to always be  at least half-full, and when she came on board, she said she was “excited to begin the journey.”

Perry’s first day on the job was Nov. 1, 2023, having been the deputy county manager in Halifax County.

She viewed numerous director vacancies in four county departments not as negatives, but as opportunities to build her leadership team and move forward. One director took another position within the county, another left citing family needs, and others left the county to pursue other opportunities. The finance director, however, was dismissed in February 2024 amid a cloud of suspicion of fraud and other allegations that remain under investigation.

And, one by one, those vacancies have been filled: Budget and Finance director, Animal Services manager, Planning director, Elections director.

On Tuesday, Perry announced that Ferdinand Rouse would begin his role as the county’s economic development director on Monday, July 15.

All the while, Perry was putting together the county’s budget with the added wrinkle of considering results of a property revaluation that occurs every 8 years and guiding commissioners to set a palatable tax rate that would allow the county to continue planning several capital projects, including a new jail, EMS building, 911 call center and more.

And there’s still four months until Perry celebrates her first year of occupying the county manager’s office.

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TownTalk: GPS In County Vehicles

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As of just a few weeks ago, vehicles that are owned by Vance County are now equipped with GPS tracking devices.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said installing the devices is being done “as a matter of safety and for fleet tracking.” The cost is roughly $9,300 a year, but that doesn’t include vehicles used by the Sheriff’s Office. They don’t have the equipment – yet.

There is some debate between Sheriff Curtis Brame and other county officials about whether the county has the authority to place the GPS trackers on vehicles used by the Sheriff’s Office.

Brame has said he is not in favor of putting the devices on his patrol cars, even though they are county-owned vehicles.

There was discussion at a June 13 county budget work session, during which Perry stated that County Attorney Jonathan Care said the sheriff’s vehicles could be included, but Brame read a statement that supported his claim that the county doesn’t have jurisdiction over the vehicles in his fleet.

The county doesn’t have power over the sheriff’s office or of its personnel; Perry said the board of commissioners “is still considering attorney guidance” in the matter.

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The Local Skinny! County Budget Includes $60K For McGregor Hall

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The newly adopted FY 2024-25 Vance County budget includes a $60,000 appropriation for McGregor Hall, which represents the full amount requested by the performing arts venue. Executive Director Mark Hopper told WIZS News earlier today that he is “absolutely elated” with the commissioners’ action.

“It’s the first step toward making this facility function in a way that every other facility functions in the state,” Hopper said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning. “It’s a really important first step.”

Commissioner Archie Taylor is also on the board of the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation. He said Tuesday that McGregor Hall attracts tourism dollars to the county each time an event is held there.

“As a commissioner, I look at our community as a whole, what is beneficial for Vance County, not for any particular organization,” Taylor said. He referred to a recent economic impact study completed by N.C. State University, which concluded that McGregor Hall has a multi-million dollar impact on the county, bringing outside dollars through sales tax and hotel/motel tax revenues.

The Henderson City Council included a $5,000 one-time grant to McGregor Hall in its recently adopted budget, representing just more than 6 percent of the total amount – $75,000 – that was requested.

City leaders have discussed the purchase of a downtown property currently owned by McGregor Hall for a price in the range of $255,000. When asked whether the sale would move forward, Hopper said “the city has not contacted us.”

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TownTalk: Does Vance County Know Where Its Money Is?

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Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry has confirmed that there is an open investigation into the practices of the county’s former finance director after a recent audit found deficiencies in financial processes that involves $1.1 million in county funds.

The audit presented at the June 3 Board of Commissioners meeting revealed that the former finance director “wired, from the County’s bank account, funds equating to approximately $1.1 million dollars through the end of fiscal year 2023, with subsequent wire transfers occurring into fiscal year 2024.”

Katherine Bigelow had served as the county’s finance director since 2019. She was dismissed in February 2024; on May 10, Perry sent an email to county staff informing them of Bigelow’s “recent passing.”

The county has 60 days from the June 3 audit report presentation to present a plan of action to the Local Government Commission.

In an email to WIZS earlier today, Perry said the audit – a public record – disclosed some of the information, adding that there is little else she can say at this point, per the FBI.

“The County was deprived of its monetary resources, resources which should have gone to covering legitimate expenditures and projects which the County has undertaken,” the audit report stated.

The audit report identified four “significant” audit findings: budget violation, reconciliation of records, internal controls and timeliness. In his presentation to commissioners, Thomas Price said his team at Whiteville-based Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams, and Co., P.A. noted that the county failed to comply with General Statutes by not having a two-signature process in place as it pertains to county funds.

This lack of secondary approval or oversight allowed for the finance director to post entries in the county’s financial software; the audit pointed to lack of sufficient training and cross-training practices to ensure proper handling of financial matters.

Citing timeliness of the numbers and the accuracy of the numbers they were provided, Price said they discovered issues that they couldn’t get satisfactory answers for.

“By November, she (Bigelow) wasn’t giving us information in a timely way,” Price said.

Price conceded that his team could have done a better job briefing Perry – who only came on board in November 2023.

“At that point, we didn’t suspect foul play, but we didn’t know,” Price said.

Over the past three or four months, county staff and the audit team have communicated weekly – sometimes daily, and Perry said, “We’ve had conversations…moving forward, things will be different.”

Commission Chair Dan Brummitt said he would like to see an agreement “defined in writing. There appears to have been some miscommunication along the way,” he said. Brummitt said he would go so far as to create an Audit Committee, made up of commissioners and others with accounting experience.

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TownTalk: More Information on Revaluation and Tax Rate Increase

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Vance County commissioners are divided on the issue of how often to conduct a property reappraisal and revaluation – state law requires the revaluation occur at least every 8 years, but many counties have opted to have them more often.

According to Commissioner Sean Alston, only about 20 percent of the state’s 100 counties – 22 counties – are on an 8-year cycle.

Wake County, for example, does a reval every two years, but others have chosen to be on four- or six-year cycles.

But local commissioners do not, so far, anyway, see eye to eye on what the frequency should be.

It was a topic of discussion at the June 13 budget work session, and at that time, the commissioners agreed on tabling the discussion for now and revisting it next year.

Commissioner Sean Alston said the county didn’t need to wait 8 years for the next revaluation. Judging from citizens’ responses to the most recent revaluation, many were surprised at the jump in property values.

Having revals more often “reduces the shock value,” said Commissioner Archie Taylor. “Our community was shocked this time,” Taylor said.

Commissioner Leo Kelly said he leans toward revals every four or six years. “The real estate market is volatile,” Kelly said.

The cost of a revaluation right now is in the neighborhood of $700,000, a figure that Commission Chair Dan Brummitt balked at shelling out more often than every eight years.

Alston and Kelly, however, said spending the money for more frequent reappraisals could reap benefits – in addition to not overwhelming property owners with large increases, more frequent revals could put the county in a position where it could return to a revenue-neutral rate, maybe even lower, said Kelly.

In arriving at consensus on the 10-cent tax increase per $100 valuation, Taylor said he didn’t want to pay the higher tax bill, but he was willing to do so.

“I want my county and my community I live in to get better,” he said.

Alston said the county can’t keep “using Band-aids” to create temporary fixes. “We’re running out of Band-aids…we have to have growth.”

The Vance County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 24 and could formally adopt the FY2024-25 budget at that time.

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TownTalk: The Future of McGregor Hall

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In six short years, Henderson’s McGregor Hall has earned a reputation across the area – and region – as a quality venue for hosting concerts, performances and competitions.

Executive Director Mark Hopper booked perhaps the venue’s most important act last month, however, when the Henderson City Council held its April meeting inside the facility for a one-man show: Hopper took center stage seeking financial support for the 1,000-seat theatre.

Hopper asked the Council for $75,000; County Manager C. Renee Perry told WIZS News that the county received a request for $60,000.

The recommended 2024-25 budget presented Monday to the City Council does not have a line item to support McGregor Hall; Perry told WIZS News that there is nothing in the county budget at present either.

The county commissioners are expected to receive the 2024-25 recommended budget on Tuesday, May 28.

Municipal and county budgets are supposed to be adopted by July 1, which is the start of the new fiscal year, and time is of the essence for McGregor Hall.

“What we need is help with our debt service,” Hopper told the City Council in April. “We will not survive 2025 without support.”

In his April presentation to City Council, Hopper said the venue, although doing very well at the box office, is drowning in mortgage debt. One quarter of the total revenue goes to service the mortgage.

Hopper is the lone full-time employee, and he works alongside five part-time employees and several hundred volunteers.

McGregor Hall is under the governance of the nonprofit Embassy Cultural Center Foundation and is propped up with solid local partnerships, dedicated individuals and business sponsors.

WIZS previously reported on the recent economic impact study that showed McGregor Hall has contributed $9.2 million to the local economy over the past four years – $5.1 in lodging bookings alone. The county benefits from motel/hotel tax revenues; the city and county benefit from taxes generated from the more than 30,000 guests to its rental events, namely in the form of 15 weekends of spring dance competitions.

Hopper said that every single dollar of investment to McGregor Hall brings a return of $31 to the community.

About 40 percent of revenues come from ticket sales, which Hopper said is in keeping with the industry standard. Grant funding, rental fees and concessions each kick in 10 percent and 20 percent from local business sponsors.

It would mean a lot for local government leaders to put a price tag on what it means to have a top-notch venue in Henderson and Vance County that draws patrons from the Triangle to southside Virginia – both to watch performances as well as to be on stage for shows.

Hopper said McGregor Hall is helping to change the perception of Henderson and Vance County, one performance at the time.

TownTalk: Sheriff Brame Discusses Detention Center With County Commissioners

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As Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame sees it, this county needs a new jail, no two ways about it. He’s said it before and he said it again during an April 15 commissioners’ work session, during which commissioners reviewed several options from an architect’s needs assessment and received an update on current conditions from the sheriff.

Commissioners agree that something needs to be done, but as the old saying goes, “All it takes is time and money.”

Replacing the jail comes with a $42 million price tag, according to the assessment by Moseley Architects. An expansion would cost north of $31 million and repairing the existing facility would cost more than $5.2 million, according to the architect’s report. Board Chair Dan Brummitt speculated that even if the board decided now to build a new jail, it would be between five and eight years before the first detainee would be housed there.

There are no easy answers to the challenges that face the aging jail, but Brame said he’s worried about the lack of basic safety measures being in place – for detainees and for staff.

He said the jail has 20 staff openings right now, and that overnight staffing is sparse at best. Hiring is difficult, he said, partly because of the salary offered and partly because of the jail conditions.

“Pay does help,” Brame told commissioners. “We do need an increase in pay. But they will not come because they feel unsafe … those inmates could take over the facility any time they want to.”

The county recently spent half a million dollars to replace security doors at the jail, but Brummitt said they were not installed properly and the Georgia company that installed them has not returned to finish the job to the county’s satisfaction.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said she would look at the terms of the contract to determine if the county has any recourse in the matter.

There are other more routine maintenance issues that need attention, and the jail does have an employee who handles them, but other issues like replacing light fixtures and moving outlets away from inmates’ reach are things that require an electrician.

And tradespeople don’t want to do the work because it’s unsafe.

“We have an unsafe facility down there,” Brame said, “from the doors, to how it’s designed, to staffing.”

Commissioner Sean Alston said there are federal grants to apply for help with paying for a new jail and he is hopeful that recent talks with Don Davis and others are going to pay dividends in that area.

Perry said she had submitted to Davis two capital projects for funding consideration – the jail and a new EMS building.

It all comes down to safety, Brame said. “We’ve got a lot of dangerous people in our facility,” 40 in jail for murder. Between June 2021 and July 2022, there were 26 major incidents that occurred in the jail, including death, rape and assault.

From 2019 to 2024, Brame said there were 636 incidents at the jail that came in to 911 – from the jail. “Ninety percent of our people are violent offenders,” Brame said.

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