8-29-22 BOC Special Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Carver made a motion to submit the following as a goal, "advocate with the General Assembly to place Public Defenders in all counties or judicial districts in North Carolina." There are only 38 public defenders in the state. The County would be responsible for providing and paying for the space and the state would pay for the salaries and operations. Commissioner Carver requested to amend his motion to include considering compensation for court-appointed attorneys. Court-appointed attorneys are paid$65 an hour and$ 54/hour covers the cost of operations. Commissioner Lovick asked if there is room in the newly renovated courthouse for the public defenders. Dr. Crumpton said there is an office or two that are not currently being used that could house public defenders. We're hoping to jumpstart the process and decrease the jail population by getting individuals to trial. There are 20-30 people in jail with murder charges, plus COVID-19 has backed up the log of pending cases. Motion: Motion to add the goal to advocate with the General Assembly to place public defenders in all counties or judicial districts in North Carolina and to increase pay to the court-appointed attorneys. Mover: Bill Carver For: 7 - Arianna Lavallee, Dr. Andre Knecht, Robert Reives, Cameron Sharpe, Kirk Smith, Bill Carver, Mark Lovick Motion Result: Passed II.0 Discussion of Addition of Youth Commission Seat on Board of Commissioners After learning that the Cabarrus County Commissioners have a youth seated on its board in an ex officio position to provide input, feedback and represent Cabarrus County youth, Chairman Smith proposed adding such a seat to the Lee County Board of Commissioners and Lee County Parks and Recreation Commission and wrote a resolution in support of such a position. Commissioner Lavallee read the resolution aloud, a copy of which is attached and incorporated into these minutes, and made a motion to "allow a representative to be present at our Board of Commissioners meeting to provide input when asked by the Board, as an ex -officio member of the Board of Commissioners, noting this youth representative will have no voting rights." Commissioner Carver asked to strike "when asked"from the motion. Commissioner Reives voiced his concern about appointing a youth to the Board, but added that appointing a youth to any of the appointed advisory boards is fine. Commissioner Sharpe asked how many other counties are doing this in the state. Staff and Commissioners learned about this seat from Cabarrus County. Commissioner Sharpe asked NC Cooperative Extension-Lee County Director and staff coordinator for the Young Commissioner and Youth Council, Dr. Bill Stone, for his input. Dr. Stone said involving young people in local government is always a positive, but understands that clearer guidelines and defined roles should be provided before moving forward. He said we strive to be as nonpartisan as possible in both the Young Commissioners and Youth Council groups, and would be glad to provide additional information to the Board. Commissioner Lovick suggested reaching out to Cabarrus County to learn more about what they are doing. Commissioner Lavallee also felt that further research would be a good thing. County Attorney Whitney Parrish reached out to Cabarrus County Attorney's office for their policies and is awaiting a response. Commissioner Knecht wants everything set up prior to approving a seat and asked staff to put a presentation together to iron everything out. Commissioner Carver felt Commissioner Reives makes a good point and recommended to table this item. Motion: Motion to table the Addition of Youth Commission Seat on Board of Commissioners for further discussion. Mover: Bill Carver For: 7 - Arianna Lavallee, Dr. Andre Knecht, Robert Reives, Cameron Sharpe, Kirk Smith, Bill Carver, Mark Lovick Motion Result: Passed 3