Board Meeting (8/15/2018)

Meeting Minutes and Notes

North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists

Minutes

August 15, 2018
State Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors

Raleigh, NC

Call to Order/Conflict of Interest Statement/Welcome and Introductions

The meeting was called to order at 10:05 am by Board Chair Rick Kolb. Other Board members present included Rick Garrett, Bill Miller, John Stevens and Kenneth Taylor. Executive Director Barbara Geiger and Board Counsel Mary Lucasse were also present. Mr. Kolb read the Conflict of Interest Statement as required by the State Government Ethics Act.  Dr. Taylor noted that, as the State Geologist and employee of the NC Department of Environmental Quality, he would refrain from participating in the deliberation or taking any action by the Board with respect to any matter involving an employee of the Department.

Approval of Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes of the April 17, 2018 meeting was made by Rick Garrett, seconded by Bill Miller and carried.  Motion to approve the March 23, 2018 and the June 14, 2018 and July 24, 2018 minutes of the Continuing Education Committee, with amendments to the June and July minutes, was made by Bill Miller, seconded by Rick Garrett and carried.

Financial Report

Dr. Taylor presented fourth quarter profit and loss statement and balance sheet.  Mr. Kolb made the motion to accept the financial report. The motion was seconded by Mr. Stevens and carried.

Administrative Report

Ms. Geiger reported that there are currently 1198 active individual licenses and 233 active corporate licenses.  She reported that there were 200 inactive individuals with 123 being out of state and 77 in NC.

Ms. Geiger presented to the Board, two requests for continuing education extensions.  Motion was made by Dr. Miller and seconded by Dr. Taylor to grant 90-day extensions to both individuals.  The motion carried unanimously.

Ms. Geiger shared comments that were received regarding CE with Board members.  Following discussion, Ms. Geiger was asked to respond to all comments regarding CE providing the general guidelines for CE that require activities to focus on geology. Ms. Geiger was also asked to explain to our licensees that CE for other licenses, such as engineering, does not qualify for credit by this Board unless there is also a geological focus. It was suggested that the next newsletter should include an article on CE explaining what the Board’s rules require. The Board stated that it strives to be consistent and to apply equitable standards when reviewing and taking action upon CE requests. When an activity is denied, the applicant is encouraged and welcomed to provide additional information and resubmit the activity for further review.  The Board noted that all CE must be geological in nature and that only the hours requested will be reviewed, not the entire conference.  This may cause multiple applications for certain conferences, depending on applications submitted. The Board also discussed requests for exemptions to the CE requirements for certain environmental work and environmental professionals. The Board asked the Executive Director to remind licensees who are considering letting their license expire due to the CE requirement, that under the rules of the Board they can seek inactive status and should be encouraged to remain licensed.

Legal Report

Mary Lucasse gave the legislative update noting that the most recent bill regarding occupational licensing boards did not pass, but these issues are expected to remain of interest to the legislature in the future.

The Board discussed the DHHS’s adoption of revised rules regarding Engineered Option Permits. Ms. Lucasse reviewed the positions taken by the Board and DHHS Wastewater Section during the EOP rules revision process.

As part of the required annual Board training per NCGS §93B-5(g), Ms. Lucasse educated Board members on NC GS §132, Public Records and records retention.

The memorandum regarding compensation (per diem) for Board members was reviewed and discussed.

ASBOG®

The ASBOG® Annual Meeting scheduled for October 29-November 3, 2018 was discussed.  Following discussion, motion was made by Dr. Miller to send up to three people to the meeting.  Dr. Bill Harris and Dennis LaPoint will be contacted to inquire of their interest in attending on behalf of the Board. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kolb and carried unanimously.

Continuing Education Committee Report

Approval of CE Applications

Mr. Garrett reported to the Board that the CE Committee had reviewed 11 applications for continuing education.  Of those, six applications were approved and 5 were deferred for further information. The Atlanta Geological Society was approved as a provider. On motion by Mr. Garrett and second by Mr. Kolb, the CE Committee’s recommendation on the 11 applications was accepted and approved.

There was discussion regarding how often to hold CE Committee meetings. The Board decided that CE Committee meetings should be held quarterly, unless 30 or more applications are received early in the quarter.

Dr. Taylor asked Ms. Geiger to give him a breakdown of the number of CE applications that are approved for out of State activities and in State activities.

CE Audit Procedures

The audit process of continuing education was discussed. The Board decided to audit 10 percent of its licensees – a total of 120 for the 2017-18 license year. In addition, all licensed Board members will be audited. Licensees may report CE that has not been previously approved, but will be required to submit an application for CE approval with supporting documentation to expedite entry of the CE activity on the pre-approved list and give other licensees access to these activities. Applications and a summary spreadsheet with comments will be uploaded to the DropBox account for Board review before the meeting. Proprietary information will be redacted. There will be a column for Board member comments. The audit will be reviewed by and action taken at the regularly scheduled Fall meeting of the Board. Motion was made by Dr. Taylor to follow the process as described. The motion was seconded by Mr. Garrett and carried.

CE Guidelines Update

This item was deferred to the November meeting.

Old Business

Newsletter

The Newsletter was discussed.  Topics were assigned as follows:

Stats from March ASBOG exam – Barbara Geiger (bg)

CE Corner – Mary Lucasse (ml)

Message from the Chair – Rick Kolb (rk)

CE links/Audit Process – bg

ASBOG update COE – Bill Miller (bm)

ASBOG update Annual Meeting – Dennis LaPoint (dl)

Board member profile – John Stevens (js)

Reunion of Past Board Members

The Board decided to host a reunion of current and past Board members at Boylan Bridge Brew Pub sometime this fall. Spouses will be invited. Past attorneys will also be invited.  More information will follow.

New Business

Texas Geology Board – Sunset Review

The Sunset Review of the Texas Board of Geoscientists was discussed by the Board. In light of the importance of protecting health and safety through occupational licensing, the Board agreed that ASBOG®, FARB and other Board related associates should present a united voice to and for the Texas Board. The Board decided to send a letter to the Texas Sunset Commission and ASBOG® explaining the importance and purpose of occupational licensing. Dr. Taylor volunteered to draft the letters.

2018 GSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition

It was noted that the GSA Annual Meeting and Exhibition will be held November 4-7, 2018 in San Jose, California.

Inactive Status requests received after July 31, 2018

Ms. Geiger noted that several requests for Inactive Status had been received after the July 1, 2018 deadline for renewal with late fees. The Board decided that these requests should be honored as the inactive license status and continuing education requirements are new to the licensees.

Working Session

Per NC GS § 143-318.11(6), motion was made by Dr. Taylor to move into closed session.  The motion was seconded by Dr. Miller and carried.

Dr. Taylor made the motion to resume the open session.  The motion was seconded by Dr. Miller and carried.

There being no further business, on motion and second the meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:27 pm.

Respectfully submitted:

Kenneth Taylor, Secretary/Treasurer

Coming Soon!