Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLaw Enforcement Activities at Jordan lake COUNTY OF CHATHAM COMMISSIONERS HENRY DUNLAP, JR., Chairman EARL D. THOMPSON GUS MURCHISON, JR. CARL THOMPSON MARY HAYES HOLMES P. O. BOX 87 PITTSBORO, N. C. 27312 ORGANIZED 1770 707 SQUARE MILES MARVIN K. HOFFMAN County Administrator ROBERT L. GUNN County Attorney November 12, 1987 Honorable Robert B. Jordan, Lieutenant Governor Honorable Liston B. Ramsey, Speaker of the House Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations North Carolina General Assembly Raleigh, N C. 27611 Dear Governor Jordan and Speaker Ramsey: I am responding to the General Assembly's request for a report on Chatham County's use of an allocation of $25,000.00 to partially offset the county's expenses associated with law enforcement activities at the Jordan Lake. Chatham County has used these funds to provide Sheriff Department patrol personnel at the Lake. The Department provides a uniformed sergeant who is assigned full time (40 hours/week) at the Lake from July 1 through Labor Day and from May 1 to June 30. Additionally, other paid personnel are assigned to work at the Lake from Labor Day until the following May on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday basis (24 hours/week) until next May when a total of 64 man hours per week will be provided when the lake activities pick up. For this fiscal year the personnel costs associated with this assignment are estimated to be $23,427. Additionally it is estimated that approximately 12,000 vehicle miles will be logged on patrol activities associated with the Jordan Lake. Attached to this letter are several computer print-outs which record the activities at the lake for the period of time from January 1 through November 10, 1987. The Sheriff Department recorded 649 incidents of various types in the patrol areas at the Jordan Lake These incidents range from quite serious to minor in nature. However, since the State Division of Parks personnel do not presently have the power of arrest all these incidents involved the Sheriff Department. Please let me also direct your attention to the fact that area rescue squads responded to the lake area 102 times. Some of these calls involved life threatening situations and others were of a less critical nature. All required the investment of a substantial amount of manpower. When drownings were involved the commitment of personnel and equipment extended over several days. The Rescue Squads in Chatham County have advised us that they do not feel that their boats which were sized for river and pond type operations, are entirely suitable for use on the Jordan Lake. They advise that operations on the Lake have threatened their own safety because of the choppiness of the water and because of having personnel working off their smaller boats. They point out that adequate equipment for the Lake would be too large for them to use in their normal response areas and would drain needed financial resources from their primary needs. They have asked the County to attempt to secure state assistance in purchasing the specialized rescue boats needed at the Lake. A final print out involves the fire department responses to the lake area. The North Chatham and Moncure Fire Departments responded 125 times in 1987 and half of these calls were emergency medical service first responder calls for sick or injured persons Neither fire department receives assistance from the state for the lake related calls and since the lake property is exempt from taxation the departments do not receive fire taxes or any payment in lieu of taxes The fire departments respond but it is an expense to them. The Chatham County Commissioners appreciate the support which it has received from the General Assembly in recognizing that the County has incurred costs associated with having the Lake facilities in this county. Recognizing that 27,000 visitors per day will come to the lake and that a total of 3,000,000 visitors per year are to be using the facilities, we feel that the workload for the county in terms for law enforcement, fire, rescue, landfill and other services will continue to expand in the future. We therefore hope that you will continue to allocate funds for the current and expanding demands for services. If I may furnish any other information that will be of use to the General Assembly, I will be happy to do so. Sincerely yours, Marvin K. Hoffman County Manager RUN: 13-NOV-87 CHATHAM CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT. PAGE 1 CFS03 * * * * * POSSE INCIDENT SUMMARY 01/01/87 THRU 11/10/87 Sheriff RUN: 13-NOV-87 CHATHAM CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT. PAGE 2 CFS03 * * * * * POSSE INCIDENT SUMMARY 01/01/87 THRU 11/10/87 Sheriff RUN: 13-NOV-87 CHATHAM CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT. PAGE 1 CFS03 * * * * * POSSE INCIDENT SUMMARY 01/01/87 THRU 11/10/87 Rescue RUN: 13-NOV-87 CHATHAM CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT. PAGE 1 CFS03 * * * * * POSSE INCIDENT SUMMARY 01/01/87 THRU 11/10/87 Fire Use of $25,1.1 I Appropriation for Law Enforcement at Jordan and Kerr Section 19, Chapter 830, Laws of 1987 Sec. 19. Of the funds appropriated to the Department of Justice in Section 2 of this act, the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be used by Chatham County during fiscal year 1987-88 and the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be used by Vance County during fiscal year 1987-88 for law enforcement at the public access and camping areas during peak use times at Jordan Lake and Kerr Lake. Chatham and Vance Counties shall report, before December 1, 1987 on expenditures of these funds to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations and to the Fiscal Research Division.