[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6122750,"mediaKeyId","2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3","parentId",2694256,"title","Consultants recommend staffing, dispatch and facility changes in Burke County public safety plan","audioSeconds",6150,"startMs",8433000,"endMs",14583000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3&start=8433&end=14583","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3/thumbnail_8433000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6122750/Burke-County/North-Carolina/Consultants-recommend-staffing-dispatch-and-facility-changes-in-Burke-County-public-safety-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122750-9e7f4ffa98fd6767725629621d90aef1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136997&Signature=NCPnPozC1z9NyQgQzwzQ7PajjYRaViajEy2Im~q6vL8vH-57-816~gwqgmdF14XBOa0w6M7ldts0M1a3HFS0NCxburx-zXzkJiyNUNb07XXG2iuU6GuSAmUiZgJE5fHpxkjC6rJBjZvCs6qHZuFeGUG0sVj~XUVajEfp3euzQHwVgNFXteMg18jIeYCzbJwRf662vK6UASzV2ZolL26cW4wE2msG3NMHnrqvv6cWwKS5w5iqYCi5hEHdFrNjeEG05BOnRHr~7C8UBOLXfyw2MwAECLpvJboBrjHqNJOwjVowwodHAgXZXrWuJDCgf5VqdWESpeV1exYwwmI8j8ZMsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Burke County, NC","date","2025-03-19T17:00:06Z","article","Consultants working with the county presented a cross‑functional strategic review of Burke County public safety operations, recommending personnel, facility and technology changes across 911, EMS, the sheriff's office and volunteer fire services.

Why it matters: Public safety functions—emergency dispatch, emergency medical services, law enforcement and fire protection—account for significant recurring expenditures and have direct consequences for response times and life‑safety outcomes. The consultants said a combination of staffing, facility siting and technology fixes can improve performance.

911 (communications): The consultants recommended improving call‑processing times through better use of the county's existing computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) features, upgrading dispatch console ergonomics and continuing to build staffing and training. Consultant teams also recommended establishing a backup dispatch center (the county's community college was cited as a potential partner) and formalizing cross‑functional focus groups to strengthen relationships among dispatch, EMS, fire and law enforcement.

EMS: Reviewers led by Chief Scott Burnett found that call volume is growing and base locations are clustered in the county's center and west while demand is rising in the east. County EMS operates seven bases; consultants recommended continued planning for base relocation or additions so travel times and response outcomes can improve. Chief Burnett said local performance and facility investments already showed improvement in 2024 (his team reported that 2024 was the first year with a positive cash flow for utilities earlier in the meeting), but he emphasized competitive pay, a training coordinator, enhanced partnerships with volunteer rescue squads and careful base siting as near‑term priorities. He reported EMS had 81 positions and a roughly $7.9 million annual budget.

Sheriff's Office: The retired sheriff and consultants recommended adding personnel to reduce response workloads and expand investigative capacity. Recommendations included adding up to 16 deputy positions phased over four years to improve the county's sworn officer per‑1,000 population ratio (the consultants proposed rising toward a 1.7 deputies per 1,000 residents target). They also recommended a dedicated investigator for internet‑exploitation/child‑victimization cases, two K‑9 teams for drug detection and adding courthouse bailiff capacity tied to the planned courthouse expansion. The team noted sheriff's office staffing has been bolstered recently by reallocating several vacant detention positions to patrol.

Fire services and volunteers: The review highlighted rising costs for apparatus and equipment and national declines in volunteer rosters. The statewide volunteer headcount trend averages a net loss of about 3.5% per year; Burke County's net roster loss averaged about 1.4% per year over the same period. Consultants said countywide response times (turnout plus travel) vary by department and that many departments face the highest demand during weekday daytime hours when volunteers are least available. Consultants advised centralized recruitment and retention efforts, shared training, and consideration of district funding models or other stable funding mechanisms for apparatus and personnel.

Selected recommendations compiled by consultants included:
- Strengthen 911 call processing through CAD optimization and improved console hardware, and establish a backup dispatch center.
- For EMS: adopt targeted base relocations, a training coordinator, and competitive compensation and recruitment partnerships with volunteer providers.
- For the sheriff: phase staffing additions (4 deputies per year over four years), add a specialized internet crimes investigator, and create a K‑9 drug enforcement capability.
- For fire services: centralize recruitment and training support, consider funding standardization approaches, and plan for higher apparatus and equipment costs.

What commissioners asked: Commissioners discussed the feasibility of reallocating existing county positions versus adding new hires; the county manager described a \"position justification\" process in the budget office used to reallocate roles and said several positions already had been shifted to higher‑need functions.

Ending: Consultants said they will deliver written strategic plans for each public safety function that include prioritized actions, budgetary estimates and timelines. Commissioners were advised to take the recommended priorities into account during the budget and dot‑prioritization sessions the following day.

Quotes from the meeting:
- \"Call processing time improves so does all the service delivery areas improve,\" a 911 consultant said while explaining the outsized leverage of dispatcher workflow improvements.
- \"Recruitment and retention in 2025 is extremely competitive,\" Chief Scott Burnett said of EMS staffing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget / Strategic Planning Retreat - Day 1","oneSentenceSummary","A consultant team presented a cross‑functional public safety strategic review that recommends staffing increases for patrol and EMS, CAD and console upgrades for 911, new investigative capacity and K‑9 teams for the sheriff, and centralized recruitment support for volunteer fire departments.","taxTitle","Burke County, North Carolina","taxId",51046,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6122755,"Engineers report large unaccounted water and excess sewer inflows; AIA study to guide fixes and rate adjustments",4724,3180000,7904000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3&start=3180&end=7904","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3/thumbnail_3180000.jpg","/articles/6122755/Burke-County/North-Carolina/Engineers-report-large-unaccounted-water-and-excess-sewer-inflows-AIA-study-to-guide-fixes-and-rate-adjustments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122755-bf4d4308434a4e7c88b4e023d40d3b29/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136997&Signature=g42W75gR5OiFgL2HTf0NisZknqe5w2L9cl0pS8a-ZHYkgO8OtTtVu2ZeN2ba2shIldEBH2xgwbF1USj2ja5iKVdsBHnkM7dy3WSU8mgb-Gp45tn68Data-0i2CrIb89VCVN6g0pa5eESYCEsLWxoWhpEsqOYjVcsioSen~ynRz9ShExlm1EDIun6DDWXLYHROg5FuN2Z26QMGsixQHF17MsQ8z~pRLy1kRpmkQF6HSdUBy9dwhzl-Lf093OGe66VBjen8uuEw5ISuOcFzGoep1jPyoEf~-JNVWZv-H6r8kAwiiCoyuxoUhYD1c~soDIVyMocoucuwY9YOzF5CXnvCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Willis Engineers presented the results so far of an asset inventory and assessment (AIA) for Burke County's water and sewer systems, a project funded by a $500,000 grant from the North Carolina General Assembly.

Why it matters: The AIA will guide capital, operational and rate decisions for county water and sewer utilities. The study aims to identify physical defects in pipes and manholes, improve the county's GIS mapping of assets, and produce a long‑term financial plan that avoids subsidizing utility operations from county tax revenues.

Major findings and methods: The consulting team said it combined as‑built drawings, field reconnaissance, hydrant testing, 11 temporary flow monitors, smoke testing (about 50,000 linear feet of sewer line), and CCTV inspection planning to establish the inventory and diagnose defects.

Key network stats presented (study team):
- Water: roughly 2,300 county customer connections, about 100 miles of distribution pipe, 386 hydrants, five storage tanks and eight booster pump stations; Burke South is the largest system (about 437,000 gallons per day average).
- Sewer: about 185 customer connections, roughly 19 miles of collection line, four pump stations, 429 manholes and 12 miles of force main on the sewer side.

Unaccounted for water and sewer losses: Willis Engineers reported that the Burke South water system shows particularly high unaccounted-for water—roughly 48% in the data set supplied to consultants—while the countywide water systems combined show about 40–42% unaccounted for. Chuck Willis cautioned that the number likely represents a mix of metering, billing and physical loss issues that require further investigation.

On the sewer side, flow monitoring showed strong evidence of storm-related inflow. Willis showed a sample monitoring graph where a small rainfall event caused flows to spike from roughly 30–40 gallons per minute to more than 1,100 gallons per minute at a monitored location, a pattern consistent with inflow and defects in manholes and service connections.

Field defects and next steps: The firm reported about 20 broken cleanout caps and 52 manholes that emitted smoke during smoke testing, indicating likely points of inflow. The consultants said many manhole defects and a handful of mainline defects could be repaired to reduce I&I; manhole repairs and targeted CCTV would be the next field work.

Billing and accounting issues: The county manager and consultants emphasized there are also billing-accounting mismatches and intergovernmental complexities. Burke County buys water in bulk from several municipalities and sells to county customers; multiple purchase and resale arrangements complicate meter accounting and can make it appear the county is losing water when the discrepancy is in the billing data or in how master meters and retail meters are reconciled. Similar difficulties appear on sewer when municipalities feed wastewater into county collection systems and the county then transfers it for treatment.

Financial outlook: Efley told commissioners 2024 was the first recent year with a positive cash flow in the utility fund, largely because of improved metering at treatment facilities and preliminary operational improvements. Willis Engineers said the final AIA will include life‑cycle cost calculations, a capital improvement plan for the utilities, and a long‑term rate model to achieve self‑sustaining enterprise funds while smoothing rate changes for customers.

Selected quotes:
- \"The best thing we can do is just stop it all day until we figure it out. Obviously, that's not realistic,\" Chuck Willis said describing how persistent losses must be investigated in sequence.
- \"In 2024 was the first year of positive cash flow in a long time,\" County Manager Bridal Efley told the board while introducing the study results.

Next steps: The consultant team said they will complete manhole inspections and CCTV scopes over the next months, run life-cycle and rate modeling, and present a final asset management plan that will include recommendations for prioritized repairs, metering changes and potential interlocal agreement updates with municipal partners.

Provenance: Presentation and Q&A during the Burke County Board of Commissioners work session asset inventory and assessment segment.","Willis Engineers presented an asset inventory and assessment (AIA) funded by a $500,000 state appropriation. Early findings show high unaccounted-for water in the Burke South system, substantial infiltration and inflow (I&I) into sewer basins, and field defects identified by smoke testing and flow monitoring.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6122758,"Burke County managers outline five‑year capital plan, highlight courthouse and public health building options",3091,109000,3200000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3&start=109&end=3200","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3/thumbnail_109000.jpg","/articles/6122758/Burke-County/North-Carolina/Burke-County-managers-outline-fiveyear-capital-plan-highlight-courthouse-and-public-health-building-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122758-b963d189349320a8099d7d7c41d97183/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136997&Signature=SWT3S2kTLvDZOy3QQc64Q1mG7l6FFQ7iqN79CtGihWVjOfLnNddsI3TeyHZm~eo-q1AA~KlqeL8TyN9H5-tQZdro6R0wFivimwNNn1paQql5nPCUMH8p5As-1NQUbYvSTvNfNufpuyHi4-euJuF5GFZ4Sd1qSpB04ZDfhe~YcgDJs2i3P2D2aU9OaIvBr2~SV3WZbYxAAulq2MIImaEbh7krRiJPQ59MSCCKfWChn49VNwX6jdA0I9hW~86pkgp~6PT0F-lxZki42vEGxc6XnDojTRibeN2FGUHFDEfQSt5Dygfa96S57sikcZhvdcWszIrbQBA5zp~pSSGLtvWZsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County Manager Bridal Efley told the Burke County Board of Commissioners on the morning of the work session that the purpose of the next two days of budget workshops is to give the board information and collect direction for the 2025–26 budget cycle.

The capital improvement plan update included a review of the county's debt-management policies, a recap of projects the county has funded the past two years and a look at several large projects that remain unfunded. Efley asked commissioners to use an 11-dot prioritization exercise planned for the next day to help finalize the county's priorities for capital and operational spending.

Why it matters: The county is balancing near-term operational needs with a long-term plan for buildings, rolling stock, and utility assets. The commission's spending policies and the capital reserve size will shape whether projects are paid out of grants and cash or financed with debt.

Efley reviewed the county's adopted debt management benchmarks and current standing. He said the county's debt-service burden is well under the policy limit: \"the policy that this board has adopted is 15%. So no more than 15% of our total expenditure may be used in the payment of debt. Right now, we're at 4.4.\" He also said the county's 10-year payout percentage stands at about 78.5%, above the board's minimum of 50%.

On funding sources Efley said staff is continuing to pursue federal and state grants first, maintain a capital reserve (funded at roughly 1.1 cents on the tax rate, which he said equates to about $1,200,000 annually), use pay-as-you-go cash when appropriate, and employ debt proceeds only when necessary.

Major and nonmajor projects: Efley categorized projects as \"major\" (multi-year, building-scale investments such as the courthouse, animal services and EMS headquarters) and \"nonmajor\" (rooftop HVAC, roofs, rolling stock). He flagged several capital items as either funded or unfunded:
- Foothills Higher Education Center: about 37,000 sq ft available to the county; possible short-term reuse option.
- Courthouse: $3 million allocation included in the plan to add a courtroom and wiring upgrades tied to state IT systems; construction and wiring estimated at roughly $150,000 for wiring work alone.
- Foothills and senior center roofing and rooftop HVAC replacements: single building roof estimated at about $1.2 million; rooftop HVAC replacements are phased.
- Rolling stock: the county fleet was listed at about 256 vehicles; roughly 57% of rolling stock supports public safety.

Public health / Parker Ray building options: Efley and Greg Melton presented options for the 62,000-square-foot Parker Ray building (which currently houses public health, public safety administrative staff and a portion of the local school system): renovate in place with phased additions; adaptively reuse existing space; new construction (estimated ~$30–45 million depending on scope); or reuse underutilized space at Foothills. Efley cited the planning firm Chen Planning's recommendation that long-term space needs could grow to roughly 90,000 square feet based on programmatic planning.

Project status snapshots: Greg Melton (project staff) provided short updates on the courthouse, EMS headquarters and animal services construction schedules. He said the courthouse lower-floor work should be complete in late April and that the EMS masonry was near its top-out, with completion of the EMS site expected in December; animal services foundations were in place and that project was on track for an early 2026 finish.

What commissioners asked: Commissioners pressed staff about space planning for social services and whether remote workers could be brought back into county space once the school system vacates roughly 14,000 sq ft. Efley confirmed the county is tracking vacancies, projected moves and potential phased renovations to avoid overbuilding.

Ending: Efley said the next step is to take commissioner direction from the two-day workshop and finalize an updated capital improvement plan to be presented to the board within about 30 days.

Selected quotes from the meeting:
- \"The goal of the next 2 days is really to, give direction, allow our board commissioners to to give direction on on critical policy, as we work through the budget development process,\" Bridal Efley told the commissioners.
- \"The 10 year payout percentage is saying what percentage of your existing principal will you pay off over the next 10 years... Currently, we're at 78.5,\" Efley said while reviewing the county's debt policy metrics.

Sources: Remarks and slide materials delivered at the Burke County Board of Commissioners capital improvement plan work session (transcript excerpts).","County Manager Bridal Efley presented a third annual update to Burke County's Capital Improvement Plan, reviewing debt policies, funding priorities and major facility projects including courthouse work, EMS and animal services, and options for the Parker Ray public health building.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6122745,"County manager proposes twice‑yearly Citizens Academy to explain services and gather feedback",290,17245000,17535000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3&start=17245&end=17535","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2694256-ed959057bad6f820c046bf439229aaf3/thumbnail_17245000.jpg","/articles/6122745/Burke-County/North-Carolina/County-manager-proposes-twiceyearly-Citizens-Academy-to-explain-services-and-gather-feedback","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122745-b16513747e9504bca1b21ca64e9d2206/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136997&Signature=nyYwLINcD7-BcrFaOkhQXBI2wLFcWSKysCIj4SpJq9LDMmJmzPhPamxof5snOsbB3bqBhNwJ7ciauBlq53s1~UmpSPdO6HoEJBEiSTjX6896qaPY1lansS8u9rhp~STWtC8W8sMQZmx9Ah0mGww-XRLUCRNLRgS97ivc6b3sv4U7T6EMwRwff3pF6-QB2X8ZOHnFA2ErIeYcbg84zbuwV2k3Zmg22BWj-bIThzfwQi8SmAhVim1kf1V0zbxepXvCuiuNnoVU5Cp5UgyyNYXxxH4Cd8IACQ74P5EMvZRYWzJDw8U~rdmsjGt361KiRo3oSV-L7deiCvqdPeJNuYm9MQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County Manager Bridal Efley proposed creating a Citizens Academy as part of the county's community engagement strategy. The program would run twice a year (spring and fall), last around six weeks, and convene once per week for 60–90 minutes.

Why it matters: Efley said the academy is intended to increase transparency about county operations, give residents experience visiting facilities (courthouse, 911 center, landfill, EMS, water/sewer assets) and collect informed feedback that could be useful when commissioners set budget priorities.

Design and format: Efley suggested application‑based cohorts of about 15 residents, a mix of classroom briefing and site tours, and a schedule that pairs county staff and commissioners with participant groups. Possible topics include county government structure, capital planning, public safety, utilities and how the county budget integrates and funds services.

Next steps: Efley asked the board to consider the framework during the workshop's prioritization session and to provide staff direction on pilot timing and logistics.

Selected quote:
- \"What we've envisioned is a program that we think we could run twice a year, once in the fall, once in the spring,\" Bridal Efley said while describing the proposal.

Context: The Citizens Academy proposal followed the strategic presentations and is intended to deepen resident understanding and engagement ahead of the formal budget cycle.","County Manager Bridal Efley proposed a six‑week Citizens Academy to educate residents about county operations, facilities and budgets and to invite community feedback. The proposal envisions small cohorts, site tours and a dot‑voting prioritization exercise to link resident understanding to budget choices.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Consultants recommend staffing, dispatch and facility changes in Burke County public safety plan

Engineers report large unaccounted water and excess sewer inflows; AIA study to guide fixes and rate adjustments

Burke County managers outline five‑year capital plan, highlight courthouse and public health building options

County manager proposes twice‑yearly Citizens Academy to explain services and gather feedback