Commissioners add animal shelter project ordinance amendment and reimbursement resolution to consent agenda

Harnett County commissioners agreed to add to the consent agenda a project ordinance amendment and a reimbursement resolution to support an animal shelter and adoption center project.

Coley (County staff) introduced the item and thanked county staff who had worked on the special-use permit that the speaker said the planning board approved unanimously. County finance staff (identified in the meeting as Honeycutt) explained the project ordinance details: the initial project budget included administrative costs of $32,641; the amendment before the board would add $300,300 to cover anticipated land acquisition and additional administrative costs such as surveys and site work. If approved, the speaker said, the current project budget would be $332,641.

"On this project ordinance, you can see that the current, budget ordinance appropriates $32,641," Honeycutt said. "The intent of today's project ordinance adjustment is to increase that project by $300,300 and that is to anticipate anticipated land purchases and additional administrative fees... If approved today, that would authorize a total current project budget of $332,641."

Honeycutt also described a reimbursement resolution that, if adopted, would allow the county to reimburse itself from future debt proceeds for project costs incurred before the county issues debt. She said the local government can reimburse eligible capital costs within 18 months after the debt issuance. Honeycutt told the board that staff expects to return later with additional amendments showing construction and fuller project cost estimates; recent conversations staff cited placed the full project cost at about $10,000,000.

The presenters said staff is completing due diligence, including soil work and a Phase I environmental study; once those are done they would proceed with land purchase. The board instructed staff to add the ordinance amendment and reimbursement resolution to the consent agenda for the next formal meeting, where commissioners will vote to approve the measures.

The item was presented as part of routine capital project accounting: a project ordinance for work that lasts longer than 12 months and a reimbursement resolution for future debt issuance to pay earlier project expenses. No roll-call vote on the ordinance or the reimbursement resolution was recorded at the meeting; both were placed on the consent agenda for formal action at a subsequent meeting.