County to discuss highways
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 17, 2014 1:50 AM
Wayne County commissioners will tackle several transportation issues spread out over three different meetings this week.
Two will involve the Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority and the third, U.S. 117/Interstate 795.
Commissioners on Tuesday will consider amending the 1988 agreement with the city of Goldsboro that created the Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority, more commonly referred to as GATEWAY.
The meeting gets under way at 8 a.m. with an agenda briefing followed by the formal session at 9 a.m. Both will be held in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex.
The amendment would regulate the GATEWAY board's authority to change rates.
Commissioners began looking at the rates earlier this year after then GATEWAY Director Lynn Lamberth implemented a 200 percent increase in an attempt to make the system sustainable.
However, the county would have taken an budget hit in what its agencies, such as Services on Aging an the Department of Social Services, pay for transportation for their clients.
The rates were lowed by about 19 percent, but that was not enough for commissioners.
The county operates the human services or rural side of the system, while Goldsboro operates the urban side.
Under the proposal before commissioners on Tuesday, the responsibility for recommending changes in rate fees or charges would rest with the GATEWAY board.
However, no changes in the rural rates could be made without commissioners' written approval.
Also, urban rates could not be changed without the City Council's written approval.
Commissioners will meet again on GATEWAY at 2 p.m. on Thursday when they will attend the GATEWAY board's training for the rural and urban systems.
DOT Public Transportation Division Director Debra Collins will be in charge of the training session that will be held in the commissioners' meeting room.
The commission's Transportation Committee will also meet Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Lane Tree Conference Center, 2337 Salem Church Road.
Department of Transportation Chief Deputy Nick Tennyson will give an update on the U.S.117/Interstate 795 economic impact assessment study by Cambridge Systematics and Sanford Holshouser Economic Development Consulting.
Also on commissioners' Tuesday agenda are three items requiring board action that are formalities involving the tax department that are needed because of the retirement of longtime Tax Administrator David Ward.
Commissioners have appointed Allen Lumpkin, Ward's former assistant, as tax administrator.
The first item concerns the tax settlement.
State law requires that the tax collector make a tax settlement report for fiscal year 2013-14 and prior years. The report has to be accepted before the tax collector may be charged with the next levy.
The second item is a state requirement that when a tax collector leaves office that he or she deliver the tax records, tax receipts, tax scale certificates and all accounts to the new tax collector.
The final item is for commissioners to issue an order directing the tax collector to collect the taxes charged in the tax records and receipts.
In other business Tuesday, County Manager George Wood will update commissioners on the county's capital projects list.
The only item on the consent agenda is approval of a proclamation for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Public comments will be taken at 10 a.m. when people will have four minutes to talk about their topic of choice.