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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19750513~5~4 Commissioner Richard Whitted stated he hyped the Board could resolve this issue before the 14th as that was the date of the Area Mental Health Hoard meeting. ~ The meeting then adjourned. Sam Gattis, Acting Clerk a7"( ~7 a~ Flora R. Garrett, Chairman THE MINUTES OF THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF CQM^1I55IONERS May 13, 1975 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, May 13, 1975, at 7:00 p.m. in the Commissipners Room at the Courthouse in xillsborough, N. C. Members present: Chairman Flora Garrett, Commissipners Nprm Gustaveson, Tan Pinney, Norman Walker and Richard E. Whitted. Members absent: None. Also present were 5. M. Gattis, County Administrator; and Betty June Hayes, Clerk to the Hoard. A. B. Coleman, Jr., County Attorney was absent due to an emergency. Chairman Garrett referred to Item #1 on the Agenda: (Acquisition of Northside School Property from Chapel Hill Board of Education) Commissioner Walker read the following comments: "1. As you all know I was appointed by the Hoard along with the County Manager, Sam Gattis, to negotiate with the Chapel Hill Schpol Board the purchase or acquisition of the Northside School property. 2. The Chapel Hill School Board wanted $100,000. for the property. I tried to reason with them that they had nothing to sell but a liability. My propositipn was the County would accept the property for the development of a Mental Health Center and other County related office spaces. Negotiation at this time broke down. 3. About this time we were getting a lot of pressure from Mental Health to pur- chase the property as they would lose the State grant of $350,000, if we did not move fast. This prompted me to take a look into the Grant application as I had never heard of a grant being approved so quickly especially since it had not come before the County Board fpr formal approval. (Sept. 15th - Dec. 2nd) 4. Pat walton stated the County Board did not have to approve the Grant that the Area Mental Health Board had the authority to do so and she quoted a Statute giving them the authority to approve $50,000. in County money for matching funds. This was proven not tp be true. Mr. Whitted and Pat walton further stated that the area Mental Health voted unanimously for its approval.. After careful study of the Mental Health Area Board Minutes and talking to members o£ that Board, they assured me they had never voted on the'.issue. 5. (A) The application states that Orange County has approved $50,000. in its ,1974'75 bddget period. This was known to be false information as the money has - not yet been appropriated. (B) The application further states that Person and Chatham Counties approved $11;765. for their share of the matching funds. After talking with members of the Person and Chatham County Board:':s of Commissioners they had not approved any money for a.'joint venture into an Orange County project. It is my understanding that by law this cannot be done except by a three County agreement which no attempt has been made thus far (by County Boards of Cpmmissioners) Person and Chatham Counties were not aware that the application had committed them to the money just mentioned. I have the letter from Dr. N. P. Zarzar (Director) congratulating the County Commissioners for their cooperation in approving this money. (That has not been approved).. 6. The application falsely states that the Area Mental Health Board has lease- hold interest fpr 25 years at $1.00 per yeaz. (on the Northside School property). 7. In bringing this to the attention of the Hoard they agzeed after much dis- cussion to bring in the persons from the State GranL• Office and others involved to ask if they were aware of the false and irregular procedure in which the -52~ Grant .application was filed. (A) I received a letter from Sa11y R. Cameron (Mental Health Grants Coordinator). (B) One from N. P. Zarzar (Director). (C) One from Raymond Sawyer (Facility Services) saying they could not attend. (D) These are the people who should have attended the meeting. (E) Instead they sent Mr. Pat Webb (Regional Director for 'the North Central Region). (F) At this time the Orange County Board fprced an illegal agenda on me and would not let me speak and make charges until they could set the tone of the meeting as they wanted it instead of how it really should have been. (G) Mr. Webb spoke about the need for Mental Health Services (which T have no argument)- (H) In a well greased attempt to cover up the charges I had made he was very - evasive. (I) I asked Mx. Webb if this was normal procedure? He said Yes although it. had never been used before and he would assure me that it wou~never happen again. 8. After not getting satisfactory answers from this grcup,.I contacted Dr. E. M. Tomlin (Chairman of the State Commission for Mental Health Services). In making my complaint to him he seemed very much concerned. He gave assurance that he would let me on the State Agenda at their next meeting. Also, he said he would visit me personally at my home within 2 days. Two weeks later I received a letter from Dr. Tomlin saying "I think it would be an exercise in futility since we have no legal power over this". 9. Another point I would like'to make is - We have all informally accepted the gracious offer from the Orange County School Board of the Old Grady Brown School which is more than adequate space for whatever we might use it £or. 10. Xn summation of what I have said, I would like to say that I favor the concept of the Mental EIealth Program. But, X am outraged by the action of the (1) Area Mental xealth Chairman; (2) the Director; (3) the North Central Regional Director; (4) The State Director; (5) and the Members of the Orange County•BOard of Commissioners for their support of a false application for a State Grant of $350,000. and a feeble attempt to cover it up. I have never been involved in irregular activities on the County level or in private business and I will not be involved in this. Therefore, my vote to accept the Northside Property from the Chapel kiill School Board will be NO. I will now ask the Clerk to the Board tp send a registered letter to David T. Flahefity, (Department of Human Resources) asking him to intervene and investigate this procedure, with a copy going to Governor Holshouser. At this time I feel that no serious crime has been committed because the $350,000. State Grant has only been approved and not received. But, once the money is received I feel that a serious crime will have been committed. The comments that I have made is not meant to embarrass this Board, only for its protection." Chairman Garrett inquired if there were any further comments. Commissioner Whitted moved that the Board accept the offer coming from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board and that procedures for title transfer be started for the Northside School property. Commissioner Gustaveson seconded the motion. Discussion ensued concerning a cease Agreement between the County and the Mental Health Board. It was agreed if the motion passed that it would be the proper time to instruct the County Attorney to contact the Mental Health Board's Attorney for title negotiations. (There are other comments made here by Commissioner Gustaveson but these comments are not audible due to noise On the tape). Commissioner.walker.inquired, "May I assume .that this letter will go tp ~- Flaherity without Board action?". Commissioner Gustaveson replied, "I don't think____that's your own business, if you want to send a letter to him, it's not a Board letter, it's an individual letter. That's up to you." Commissioner Walker replied, "If you have not errored, X want this cleared up, and of course, if you have errored I'm sure you want it cleared up too." Commissioner Gustaveson stated, "For the record, the Hearing has laid out all the pertinent information, I think it's clear. There's a long transcript available that spells out all of this and i think, Mr. Walker, that the response of the 526 Chairman and the Seard of Commissioners of Person County were unified in one accord. I thought this very clear, when he spoke to you - you're beating a dead horse." ~ Commissioner Walker asked, "Do you know who the Chairman is?" Commissioner Gustaveson replied, "The man who spoke was the Chairman of dental Health, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners yr member of the Board of Commis- sinner?"____"A member of the Board of Commissioners?"____"I thought he spoke very eloquent to you." Commissioner Walker replied, "He was not there." Commissioner Gustaveson, "He spoke". Commissioner Walker replied, "He was not there, Norm, that was Banks Berry. - You're referring to Ralph Lewis. You're mixed up." Commissioner Gustaveson replied, "Whoever he was, I thought_____". Commissioner Walker, "He was not there, clarify that." "So he only knew what somebody had told him. Charges that I have made, I have documented proof. Every charge I made T can prove, this letter, application, and vn tape." Chairman Garrett called for a vote on the motion. Commissioners Garrett, Gustaveson, Pinney, and Whitted voted aye. Commissioner Walker voted nay. Chairman Garrett declared the motion passed. The Clerk was instructed to write a letter of aggreciation to Mary Scroggs, Chairman of the Chapel Hill-Carrbvro School Unit. The County Manager was instructed to vvntact the County Attorney and to procede with the legal details of transferring the Northside,5chool property. Chairman Garrett referred to Item #2 on the agenda: (Selection of three persons as County Appointees to the Orange Watez-Sewer Authority.) Commissioner Walker nominated Paul Morris, Commissioners Garrett and Pinney as three County Appointees to the Water-Sewer Authority. The Board accepted these nominees. Chairman Garrett inquired if there were any other matters that should came be- fore the Board. Commissioner Whitted stated that Ms. Marie Williams had invited the Board members to attend a special meeting of the Parent-Teacher's Group at Orange High School. Commissioner Gustaveson stated that he felt that as the County moved along toward the negotiations with the Mental Health Center that an Advisory Committee should be established tq work with representatives from the Mental Health Group. nSscussion ensued. The Clerk to the Board stated that Mildred Kennedy had been appointed as a member of the Council on the Aging tv fill the unexpired term of Mezinda McPherson. However, the term o£ Mrs. McPherson would expire in June. upon motion of Commissioner Gustaveson, seconded by C~m.-nissioner Whitted, it was moved and adopted that Mildred Kennedy be appointed to a three year term as a member o~ the :Council on the Aging. Commissioner Pinney requested that the minutes reflect that he not be paid for this special meeting. Discussion ensued. Commissioner Walker suggested that each member waive the $25.00 per diem for this meeting. No action was talon on this suggestion. There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned to meet again Tuesday, May 20, 1975, at 8.00 p.m. Flora Garrett, Chairman Betty June Hayes, Clerk