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Home My Public Portal About05-15-2000 Budget Worksession 293 . MINUTES HILLSBOROUGH TOWN BOARD May 15,2000 7:00 PM, Town Barn The Hillsborough Town Board held a Budget Work Session on May 15,2000 at 7:00 PM in the HiUsborough Town Barn. Present for the Board Meeting were Mayor Horace H. Johnson, Sr., and Commissioners Frances Dancy, Evelyn Lloyd, Mark Sheridan, Brian Lowen. Absent form the meeting was Commissioner Kenneth Chavious. Staff present were Town Manager Eric Peterson, Finance Director Sherry Carter, Town Clerk Donna Armbrister, Planning Director Margaret Hauth, Town Engineer Kenny Keel, Public Works Director Pete Champion, and Police Chief Nathaniel Eubanks. Mayor Horace H. Johnson, Sr. called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM. 1. PUBLIC CHARGE Mayor Horace H. Johnson read the Public Charge. 2. ADDING ITEMS TO THE PRINTED AGENDA No Items were added to the Printed Agenda . 2. AUDIENCE COMMENTS A. Matters on the printed agenda There were no audience comments. B. Matters not on the printed agenda There were no audience comments. 4. ITEMS FOR DECISION - REGULAR AGENDA A. Consideration of a Resolution supporting House Bi111396 an Amendment to the Constitution of North Carolina to Recognize Health Care as a Fundamental Right of All Residents Upon a motion by Commissioner Sheridan, seconded by Commissioner Dancy, the Board approved the Resolution supporting House Bill 1396 an Amendment to the Constitution of North Carolina to Recognize Health Care as a Fundamental Right of All Residents as presented by a vote of 3-0. The motion was declared passed. A copy of the Resolution is hereby made a part of these Minutes as an Attachment. . Commissioner Lloyd arrived at the meeting at approximately 7:10 PM. 2'94 . B. Consideration of the EDD Workgroup's request to call a Public Hearing to consider establishing a Development Moratorium adjacent to the I85/NC86 Interchange Planning Director Margaret Hauth explained that the EDD workgroup is making great progress on cooperatively updating and improving the EDD manual. Their secondary charge of studying the 1-85/86 interchange has temporarily jumped to the forefront and the group is seeking action by the ToWn Board to help insure they can complete their task. Within 6 months the committee should complete its work on both areas, which is likely to include bringing at least the south side of the interchange into an EDD. In the meantime, the members are concerned that the 58-acre tract across from the truck stop (formerly known as Hampton Point) might submit a site plan for development that would be inconsistent with the committee's pending, recommendations. There have been a number of inquiries that could produce a site plan or subdivision application very soon. In order to preserve the fullest opportunity for the a)'ea, the committee, is recommending the Town to implement a short-term moratorium in the area. Upon a motion by Commissioner Lowen, seconded by Commissioner Lloyd, the Board moved to authorize the advertisement of a Public Hearing on June 6, 2000 by a vote of 4-0. The motion was declared passed. . 5. BUDGET WORK SESSION Town Manager Eric Peterson provided the Board with information on the availability of life insurance for the Mayor and Board Members. By consensus, the Board agreed to consider a Resolution to Provide Life Insurance for the Mayor and Board Members at their June lih Regular Board Meeting. Town Manager Eric Peterson reviewed the proposed Budget, departm~nt by department, with the Board. By consensus, the Board agreed to review the proposed Budget for Wastewater Collection and the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and re-consider the Non-Profit Agency Requests at their May 22nd Budget Work Session. 6. ADJOURN Upon a motion by Commissioner Lowen, seconded by Commissioner Dancy, the Board moved to recess the meeting until Monday, May 22nd at 7:00 PM by a vote of 4-0. The motion was declared passed. .. 6i~~~ Donna F, Armbrister, CMC Town Clerk 2 295 A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING HOUSE BILL 1396 AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF NORTH CAROLINA TO RECOGNIZE HEALTH CARE AS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF ALL RESIDENTS. . '. . WHEREAS, Representative Verla Insko introduced House Bill 1396 into the General Assembly of North Carolina, Session 1999 - 2000, to amend the Constitution of North Carolina, as follows: Sec. 38. Health Care (1) Basic right. Health care is an essential safeguard of human life, and there is an obligation for the state to ensure that every resident is able to obtain this fundamental right. No later than May 31, 2004, the General Assembly shall provide by law a plan that enables every resident of the State to obtain appropriate health care on a regular basis. (2) No money damages; other enforcement. Nothing in this section shall be construed as creating a claim for monetary damages against the State, a county, a municipality, or any of the agencies, instrumentalities, or employees thereof. The General Assembly may provide for other remedies to ensure adequate enforcement of this section. .WHEREAS, 15% of North Carolinas population, or over a million people, are without health insurance and this number has increased 57% over the last seven years which is a growth rate two to three times greater than the national average, and WHEREAS, 74% of uninsured adults in North Carolina are employed, and the majority of these lack coverage because their employer does not offer a health benefit or, if they do, it is too costly, and . . . WHEREAS, research has demonstrated that the uninsured, even those who are sick, chronically ill, or have special health care needs, get less health care than those who have insurance and are more likely to delay getting the care they need and less likely to use preventative services, and WHEREAS, Medicare does not currently cover prescription medications and the average out-of- pocket spending for health care of a typical elderly person is 23 % of their income, and WHEREAS, 30% of those financially eligible for Medicaid are not covered because of other restrictions, and WHEREAS, the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide health care for all its citizens, and (over) . . . . 296 '" WHEREAS, European countries, including the countries that have a multi-payer system, spend less than 10% of their Gross Domestic Product on health care, compared to 14% spent by United States citizens, and WHEREAS, a majority of citizens in the United States an9 in North Carolina believe that every citizen should have access to health care on a regular basis, and WHEREAS, the findings of the 1994 NC Health Study Commission found that insuring all North Carolinians was financially feasible. WHEREAS, HR 1396: · would not require that the state become a health care provider or insurer, · would not prescribe any particular mechanism to meet the obligation of providing access to health care for all, · would not expose health care providers to lawsuits just because they refused to provide care for a specific individual who demands it, · would not require that the state provide health care to illegal aliens, and WHEREAS, HR 1396 would put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot giving the citizens of North Carolina the chance to express their will on this issue in November and if passed require that the General Assembly provide a plan to ensure access to appropriate health care on a regular basis for all residents of North Carolina, and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE Town of Hillsborough BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS THAT: 1. We publicly endorse HR 1396 and support its passage by both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly during the 1999-2000 session so that the question of a constitutional amendment may be posed to the people of North Carolina during the general election in November 2000. 2. A copy of this resolution will be sent to Governor Jim Hunt, Senator Marc Basnight, President Pro Tempore, Rep. Jim Black, Speaker of the House, Rep. Bill Culpepper, Chairman of the House Rules Committee, and to the members of the North Carolina General Assembly who represent this county.