APRIL 15, 2014
MINUTES OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
The Board of Commissioners of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, met in Informal Session in the Meeting Chamber Conference Room of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center located at 600 East Fourth Street, Charlotte, North Carolina at 5:00 p.m. and in Formal Session in the Meeting Chamber of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday,April15, 2014.
ATTENDANCE
Present:Chairman Trevor M. Fuller and Commissioners
Karen Bentley, Dumont Clarke, Patricia Cotham,
George Dunlap, Bill James, Vilma Leake, Kim Ratliff
and Matthew Ridenhour
County Manager Dena R. Diorio
County Attorney Marvin A. Bethune
Clerk to the Board Janice S. Paige
Absent:None
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-INFORMAL SESSION-
Commissioner Dunlap was absent when the meeting was called to order and until noted in the minutes.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Fuller, after which the matters below were addressed.
REMOVAL OF ITEMS FROM CONSENT
The Board identified item(s) 14-1720, 14-1725, 14-1726, 14-1727 and 14-1738 to be removed from Consent and voted upon separately.
STAFF BRIEFINGS - NONE
(14-1751)CLOSED SESSION – CONSULT WITH ATTORNEY
Motion was made by Commissioner Clarke, seconded by Commissioner Leake and carried8-0 with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to go into Closed Session for the following purpose: Consult with Attorney.
The Board went into Closed Session at 5:19 p.m. and came back into Open Session at 5:32 p.m.
Commissioner Dunlap was present when the Board came back into Open Session. He entered the meeting during Closed Session.
The Board then proceeded to the Meeting Chamber for the remainder of the meeting.
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-FORMAL SESSION-
Chairman Fuller called this portion of the meeting to order which was followed by introductions, invocation by Commissioner Ratliff, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag; after which, the matters below were addressed.
Awards/Recognition
(14-1750) Mecklenburg County's Volunteer Program Recognition
Motion was made by Commissioner Ratliff, seconded by Commissioner Leake and unanimously carried with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Dunlap, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to adopt a proclamation designating April, 2014 as National Volunteer Month in Mecklenburg County and to recognize and thank individuals who have and are participating in Mecklenburg County's Volunteer Program.
Sophia Hollingsworth, Citizens Involvement Coordinator, presented County volunteers to the Board.
A copy of the proclamation is on file with the Clerk to the Board.
(14-1749) Public Appearance
The following persons appeared to speak during the Public Appearance portion of the meeting:
Sean Birdon behalf of theBeverly Woods Elementary School Parents Facilities Planning Committeeaddressed maintenance needs atBeverly Woods Elementary. He noted recent problems with mole and plumbing. He spoke in support of the future replacement of Beverly Woods Elementary. He said the school was based on a design from the 1960’s.
Appointments
(14-1733) Air Quality Commission
Motion was made by Commissioner Leake, seconded by Commissioner Ratliff and unanimously carried with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Dunlap, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to reappoint Keith Long as Chair of the Air Quality Commission for the duration of his term.
(14-1734) Nominations/Appointments
Bicycle Committee
Commissioner Clarkenominated all applicants for appointment consideration to the Bicycle Committee: Tyteen Humes, Darryl Parker, and Kurt Robinson.
Commissioner Ridenhour ask that nominations remain open to allow others an opportunity to apply.
Commissioner Ridenhour said he was aware of at least one person that was interested in applying, who would have done so had the County’s website regarding vacancies been updated to show when nominations were occurring and the application deadline.
Motion was made by Commissioner Ridenhour, seconded by Commissioner Dunlap and unanimously carried with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Dunlap, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to defer further nominations untilthe May 20, 2014 meeting, in order to allow other interested applicants an opportunity to apply.
Domestic Violence Advisory Board
Commissioner Clarkenominated all applicants for appointment consideration to the Domestic Violence Advisory Board: Bakari Burton, John Murphy and Glenda Spann-Hinnant.
Note: An appointment will occur on May 7, 2014.
Juvenile Crime Prevention Council
Commissioner Dunlapnominated all applicants for appointment consideration to theJuvenile Crime Prevention Council: Renee Barfield, Heston Blake, Shalonda Gallman, Ryon Smalls and Paul Strickland.
Commissioner James noted Stephanie Carter-Tyson’s request to be reappointed to complete her unexpired term that she was removed from because of failing to meet the attendance requirement for 2013.
Commissioner Dunlap suggested the Board request feedback from the Chairman of the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council in response to Ms. Tyson’s letter requesting reappointment.
County Attorney Bethune said in order for the Board to consider Ms. Tyson’s request at the next meeting, she would have to be nominated.
Commissioner Dunlapsaid he would nominate Ms. Tyson in light of County Attorney Bethune’s statement and contingent upon a response from the Chairman of the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council regarding her attendance.
Note: Appointments will occur on May 7, 2014.
Public Arts Commission
Motion was made by Commissioner Dunlap, seconded by Commissioner Leake and unanimously carried with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Dunlap, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to reappoint L.M. Cathay Dawkins to the Public Arts Commission as the Community representative to complete his unexpired term expiring June 30, 2016.
Mr. Dawkins was removed from the Public Arts Commission because he failed to meet the 2013 attendance requirement. He asked the Board to consider reappointing him and his request was granted. Mr. Dawkins attended 75% of the regular Public Arts Commission meetings, but fell below the 75% requirement because of a sub-committee meeting that he was required to attend but was unable to. Therefore, in light of the missed sub-committee meeting, Mr. Dawkins’ overall attendance was 60%.
Region F Aging Advisory Committee
Motion was made by Commissioner Clarke, seconded by Commissioner Leake and unanimously carried with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Dunlap, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to nominate and appoint Dee Jones to the Region F Aging Advisory Committee for a two-year term expiring June 30, 2016.
She replaced Katie Spegal.
Small Business and Entrepreneurship Advisory Board
Commissioner Clarkenominated all applicants for appointment consideration to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Advisory Board: Mitchell Abdullah, Travis Bucholtz, Trymaine Gaither, James Guin, Eleanor McIntire, Michael Minnix, Sasha Tomaszycki and Rico Wagner.
Note: An appointment will occur on May 7, 2014.
Waste Management Advisory Board
Motion was made by Commissioner Clarke, seconded by Commissioner James and unanimously carried with Commissioners Bentley, Clarke, Cotham, Dunlap, Fuller, James, Leake, Ratliff, and Ridenhour voting yes, to reappoint Linda Ashendorf, William Harrison and Jacqueline Levister to the Waste Management Advisory Board for three-year terms expiring March 31, 2017.
Public Hearings - None
Advisory Committee Reports
(14-1589) Women's Advisory Board 2013 Annual Report
The Board received the 2013 Annual Report from the Women's Advisory Board.
Stephanie Gryder, Chairperson of the Women’s Advisory Board gave the report. She was accompanied at the podium by other members of the advisory board.
The report identified key issues and recommendations affecting the status of women in Mecklenburg County.
Summary of Recommendations
Women in the Workplace/Discrimination
•Promote visibility of senior female county officials
•Promote access to affordable childcare options
Wage Gap
•Support Equal Pay Legislation at all levels
•Support wage gap educational initiatives
Women’s Health
•Improve access to affordable health care
•Promote early screening and education opportunities
Homelessness
•Support ‘housing first’ initiatives
•Connect school social workers to existing support resources (Second Harvest, Urban Ministry, etc.)
Support Women’s Equality Day at $2,500 level in 2014
A copy of the report is on file with the Clerk to the Board.
Comments
Commissioner Dunlap said going forward he would like the Board to receive a report from staff regarding any action taken in response to recommendations received from the Women’s Advisory Board, per their annual reports.
Commissioner Leake echoed Commissioner Dunlap’s remarks regarding receipt of a status report going forward with respect to a response to recommendations received from the Women’s Advisory Board.
Commissioner Leake said she was particularly interested in receiving data on where the County stood as an employer with respect to equal pay for women.
Commissioner Bentley commented on the wage gap between women and men. She asked that the following information from the U.S. Department of Labor be included in the minutes for record purposes. Commissioner Bentley said this information would be useful if the Board was going to consider policy changes or adaptations to current policy. The title of the report referenced was “An Analysis of Reasons for the Disparity in Wages Between Men and Women.” The report was done by CONSAD Research Corp.
“During the past three decades women have made notable gains in the workplace and in pay equity, including increased labor force participation; substantial gains in educational attainment, employment growth, and higher paying occupations and significant gains in real earnings. In 1970, about 43% of women, age 16 and older were in the labor force, by 2007, over 59% were in the labor force. In 1970, only 17.9% of women, age 25 and older had gone to college; by 2000 almost half had gone to college and by 2006, one-third of the women in the labor force held a college degree, remarkable progress. In 2007, women accounted for 51% of all workers in the high paying management, professional and related occupations. They out-numbered men in such occupations such as financial managers, human resource managers, education administrators, medical and health service managers and accountants and auditors. In 1970, the median usual weekly earnings for women working full time was only 62.1% of those for men; by 2007, the raw wage gap had shrunk from 37.9% to just 21.5%. However, despite these gains, the raw wage gap continues to be used in misleading ways to advance public policy agendas without fully explaining the reasons behind the gap. The purpose of this report is to identify the reasons that explain the wage gap in order to more fully inform policymakers and the public. The following report was prepared by CONSADResearch Corporation. It presents the results of a detailed statistical analysis, the attributes that contribute to the wage gap and a synopsis of the economic research that has been conducted on the issue. The major findings are: There are observable differences in the attributes of men and women that account for most of the wage gap. Statistical analysis that include those variables has produced results that collectively account for between 65.1% and 76.4% of the raw gender gap wage of 20.4% and thereby, leaving an adjusted gender wage gap that is between 4.8% and 7.1%. These variables include a greater percentage of women, than men, tend to work part-time, part-time work tends to pay less than full-time work. A greater percentage of women, than men,tend to leave the labor force for childbirth, childcare, and elder care. Some of the wage gap is explained by the percentage of women who are not in the labor force during previous years, the age of women, and the number of children in the home. Women, especially working mothers, tend to value family friendly workplace policies more than men. Some of the wage gap is explained by industry and occupation, particularly the percentage of women who work in industry and occupation. Research also suggest the difference is not incorporated into the model due to data limitations, may account for part of the remaining gap, specifically, CONSAD’s model and much of the literature, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, highlight that women’s earnings focuses on wages, rather than total compensation. Research indicates that women may value non-wage benefits more than men do; and as a result prefer to take a greater portion of their compensation in the form of health insurance and other fringe benefits. Although additional research in this area is clearly needed, the study leads to the unambiguous conclusion that the differences in the compensation of men and women are the results of a multitude of factors and that the raw wage gap should not be used as the basis to justify corrective action. Indeed there may be nothing to correct. The differences in raw wages may be almost entirely the result of individual choices being made by both male and female workers. “
Commissioner Bentley said it was important for the Board when considering policy decisions, to avail itself to all of the evidence.
Commissioner Cotham encouraged members of the Women’s Advisory Board to reach out to Commissioners, or at least to her, for small group meetings to talk about various issues.
Commissioner Cotham addressed her knowledge and experience, having worked as an executive recruiter, of the differences in pay for women and men. Commissioner Cotham said this was a complicated issue and that the disparity was across the board with respect to occupations.
Commissioner Dunlap said what he took from the presentation with respect to pay disparity between men and women, was 1) the issue needed to be highlighted, 2) the County, as an employer,should not be found guilty of pay disparity between men and women, and 3) that the County promote equity across the board.
Commissioner Dunlap said he was confident the County Manager would do her own research to see where the County stood with respect to this issue and that if there’s a problem the County Manager would address that in her budget recommendation.
Commissioner Clarke noted the advisory board’s recommendation regarding improving access to affordable healthcare. Commissioner Clarke said to really address the issue of improving access to affordable health care for residents of NC, the expansion of Medicaid needed to occur for those who were up to 133% of the federal poverty level.
Commissioner Clarke commented on the NC General Assembly’s failure to expand Medicaid. Commissioner Clarke asked whether the issue of expanding Medicaid was discussed by the advisory board. The response was not in any length, but that it would be a “tangible” way to provide access.
Advisory Board Chairperson Grydersaid their discussion on improving access to affordable health care was from the perspective of encouraging the Board to push out information to residents regarding eligibility and how to enroll.
Commissioner Ridenhoursaid the Board would need to have further debate on the recommendations recommended before they could be implemented.
Commissioner James asked for clarity regarding the term pay equity audit. The response was that a definition would be provided at a later date. Chairperson Gryder said the point the advisory board was trying to make was that they wanted to make sure County employees were receiving “fair” pay across the board from the “highest levels to the lowest levels.”
Commissioner James said he believed persons doing the same job should receive the same amount of pay, but he wanted to make sure that a “pay audit” didn’t become “loaded up” with some of what he referred to as “political baggage;” that it’s not where you’re trying to create some sort of situation where “everything is balanced and everybody gets paid the same; and you’re making sure that men and women make the exact same thing even if their skills are different and their desires and goals are different.”
This concluded the discussion. The above is not inclusive of every comment but is a summary.
Chairman Fuller thanked the presenters for their report.
Manager’s Report
County Manager Diorio noted the following as part of her Manager’s report.
Control of Hepatitis A from potential outbreak
- Thanks was expressed to Health Department Director Dr. Marcus Plescia and his staff for all of their work to prevent an outbreak of Hepatitis A in the community
- Thanks was expressed to Dr. Tony Zeiss, President of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) and Janet Malkemes, Dean of the CPCC Cato Campus for allowing the use of their facility over the weekend as an immunization site
- Since Friday, April 11, 2014 nearly 2000 vaccinations were administered by the Health Department
- To date the initial case of Hepatitis A was the only documented case associated with the Pappa Johns restaurant in Cabarrus County
- Because of the location of the restaurant,the Mecklenburg County Health Department and the Cabarrus County Health Department worked in conjunction with each other, and their joint efforts were successful
- A video was shared of the events that took place over the weekend to avoid the potential outbreak of Hepatitis A
- Persons in need of the vaccine and would like to receive it, should go to the Mecklenburg County Health Department located on Beatties Ford Road from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. this week April 14-April 18, 2014.
(14-1771) Mt. Island Lake Marine Commission Update