GRANVILLE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: The Granville County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on Monday, December 4 at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center. The meeting featured the election of Commissioner Timothy Karan (District 6) as the new Chair and Commissioner Jimmy Gooch (District 7) as the new Vice-Chair. Both will serve in these roles until December 2024. Karan is in his fourth term on the Board of County Commissioners after first being elected in 2010. This is the second time he has served as Board Chair after previously holding the same role from 2016-2017. Karan also served as Vice-Chair in 2014- 2015 and 2022-2023. Gooch was appointed to the Board of Commissioners in 2020 and elected to his first full term in 2022. This is his first time serving as Vice-Chair.

In other business, the Board of Commissioners approved a request from Social Services Director LaToya Toussaint to add seven positions to manage the anticipated workload increase from the recently implemented expansion of Medicaid eligibility in North Carolina. Caseloads are expected to increase by 45% as approximately 3,000 to 4,000 residents in Granville County become eligible under the new requirements. Toussaint requested that the Board of Commissioners approve seven positions (four Medicaid Eligibility Case Workers, one Medicaid Supervisor, one Trainer/Quality Assurance, and one Accountant). These positions are all partially cost-shared with the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

The Board of Commissioners also conducted the following business on December 4:

• Received an update from Human Relations Commission Chair Rev. John Gooch.
• Approved the 2024 meeting schedule.
• Approved the board, committee, and liaison assignments list.
• Approved 2024 bonds for county officials (Finance Director, Tax Administrator, Sheriff, and Register of Deeds).
• Approved a pump station site maintenance contract for Triangle North Granville Business Park from E. Christian and Son at a cost of $13,912.50.
• Approved a resolution of support for a grant application from Granville County Public Schools to the NC Department of Public Instruction to construct a new middle school facility at the former G.C. Hawley site in Creedmoor.
• Approved a compensation increase for members of the Jury Commission from $300 per year to $500 per year.
• Approved a proposal from Civic Plus to host and provide a content management system for the Granville County website and to complete a full redesign and deployment of the county website at a cost of $62,734.50 for year one and a recurring cost of $22,464.30 beginning in year two.
• Approved a proposal from Civic Plus to provide agenda management software and services at a cost of $14,266.50 for year one and a recurring cost of $14,178.15 beginning in year two.

• Reappointed Ethel Anderson (District 1) and Gary Kanady (District 6) to the Kerr Tar Advisory Council on Aging.
• Reappointed Zelodis Jay (District 1), Tony Cozart (District 4), and Timothy Karan (District 6) to the Granville Health System Board of Trustees. The next meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center.

To stay informed about upcoming meetings of the Board of Commissioners, visit the Granville County website www.granvillecounty.org where you can sign up for the “Sunshine List” and follow the county on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GranvilleCountyGov.