Board Meeting (8/17/2017)

Meeting Minutes and Notes

North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists

Minutes

August 17, 2017
State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors

1100 Dresser Ct. Raleigh, NC 27609

The meeting was called to order at 9:05 AM by Board Chair Rick Kolb. Mr. Kolb read the conflict of interest statement. Other Board members present included Rick Garrett, Bill Miller, John Stevens Steve Miller and Kenneth Taylor. Executive Director Barbara Geiger, Board Counsel Mary Lucasse and Shawn Maier were also present. Steven Stadelman, Novozymes North America, Inc. and Debra Ferris, COR 365 were also present. 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.

Welcome and Introductions

Approval of Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2017 meeting as amended was made by Kenneth Taylor, seconded by Bill Miller and carried. Motion to approve the June 16, 2017 minutes was made by Rick Garrett, seconded by John Stevens and carried.

Presentation by COR365

The presentation by Debra Ferris, COR365 was moved up on the agenda. Ms. Ferris explained to the Board the information technology software iCor and M-files, an information management, secure, accessible software program offered by COR365. COR365 is the firm that scanned the license files and currently stores the hard copy of those files for the Board. Following the presentation, Ms. Ferris was asked to provide the Board with a proposal. Ms. Lucasse recommended that the Board obtain two additional bids to comply with the State’s procurement requirements. Ms. Geiger recommended SharePoint and Office 365.

Financial Report

Dr. Taylor presented the 2015-16 audit prepared by CPA Shelton Hawley. Following review of the document, motion was made by Mr. Garrett to accept the report. The motion was seconded by Dr. Miller and carried. The fourth quarter profit and loss statement and balance sheet were presented and discussed. Dr. Miller made the motion to approve the financial report. The motion was seconded by Mr. Stevens and carried.

Dr. Miller asked if the Board could receive graphs showing financial trends as part of the financial report.

Administrative Report

Ms. Geiger reported that there are currently 1328 active individual licenses and 242 active corporate licenses. Thirty-seven licenses expired at July 1, 2017. Three licensees provided notice that they would not renew and did not request inactive status, one licensee passed away and 23 licensees requested inactive status.

She reported that the ASBOG® examination results from the March 18 exam resulted in 17 out of 26 candidates passing Part One and 8 out of 10 candidates passing Part Two of the ASBOG® examination. Nine individuals qualified for license and 14 GIT certificates were issued.

Ms. Geiger noted that there were 45 applications to be reviewed by the Board at the meeting.  Thirty-four for exam, 6 for license by comity, 2 reinstatement applications and 3 corporate applications.

Legal Report

Mary Lucasse gave the legislative update noting the General Assembly returned to Raleigh on August 3, 2017.  She reported and reviewed SB131, SB407, SB464/646, SB634, HB 566 and HB57 (SL 2017-28). Ms. Lucasse also reported that the same issues were being introduced on the Federal level and that there is currently a house bill in the US Congress to address issues with occupational licensing boards.

The letter written to Nancy Deal, NCDHHS regarding the EOP rules was reviewed and discussed. The new rules will be published in the guidance section of the website and an article will be published in the newsletter when appropriate.

As part of the required annual Board training per NCGS §93B-5(g), Ms. Lucasse educated Board members on NC GS §143, Article 33C – Open Meetings Law, reminding members that they should not deliberate regarding issues before the Board by email, telephone or in person. All Board business must be conducted in properly noticed, open meetings except if the subject matter under discussion is an exception to the Open Meetings Law.

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

ASBOG®

The ASBOG® Annual Meeting scheduled for October 31-November 4, 2017 was discussed.  Following discussion, motion was made by Dr. Taylor to send up to three people to the meeting.  Dr. Miller volunteered to attend the COE workshop, Ms. Geiger will attend the Administrators Workshop and Dennis LaPoint will attend the COE workshop and serve as the voting delegate for the Annual Meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Stevens and carried unanimously.

Old Business

Board Email Addresses

Use of the @ncblg.org email addresses was discussed. Dr. Miller and Mr. Garrett asked that Ms. Geiger resend them the email regarding activation.

November Meeting UNC-Charlotte

The November meeting was discussed. Ms. Geiger will contact Dr. John Diemer regarding details for meals and parking. Board members were advised to make their own travel arrangements. Dr. Taylor will have a State van available for those who are interested. The meeting will have a 10:00 am start time.

Online Complaint Form

The online complaint form was discussed. Ms. Geiger was instructed to have a button added to the homepage that would go directly to the form and to change the name on the tab to “Complaints”.

Strategic Plan

Discussion regarding the Strategic Plan was deferred.

Continuing Education Committee Report

Board members voiced concern regarding the 90 days prior to and 180 days after rule for making application for CE activities. Acronyms will be used for activities sponsored by Pre-Approved Providers.

Ms. Geiger was asked to contact ClickCulture and Cicada regarding online application and reporting of continuing education. It was suggested that a virtual demonstration by each company could be held in order that the new system be up and running in time for the 2018-19 license renewal.

It was suggested that edits be made to the current CE documents to clarify and explain the approval codes. Mr. Garrett made the motion to adopt the CE forms as amended. Steve Miller seconded and the motion carried. Motion to accept the Pre-Approved Provider list as amended was made by Dr. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Garrett and carried.

The CE Committee will meet once applications are received and entered into a database so that a report can be generated. A meeting will be scheduled, noticed and a consent agenda used.

Retention Schedule Document

The Board’s updated record retention schedule was discussed.  Ms. Geiger noted that Cultural Resources would be finalizing the document in the near future.

Review Statement on when to Report

Ms. Lucasse shared the draft memorandum providing guidance to licensed geologists on their obligation to report information learned during a site assessment. Dr. Taylor raised issues regarding additional citations to include in the memo. Other edits were suggested during the discussion. Mr. Garrett made the motion to approve the memo as amended. The motion was seconded by Dr. Miller and carried.

Electronic Communication

Board communication by electronic means was discussed. Ms. Geiger will prepare several articles for inclusion in an electronic newsletter including an article regarding CE including a suggested timeline, Inactive Status, Executive Director’s report with licensee and exam stats and an ASBOG update. Rick Kolb will prepare a Board Chair report. The newsletter will have a Board member profile each time to include a photo. Rick Kolb will be the first Board member to be profiled. The deadline for receipt of articles is October 20, 2017. Photos of Board members will be taken at the November meeting.

Board website/Social Media presence

The Board website and social media presence were discussed. It was suggested that the Board have a LinkedIn page. Ms. Geiger will ask her staff to create this page.  A CE tab will be created on the website and will have all documents related to CE posted on that page. Board members asked that the Compliance tab be changed to Complaints. Ms. Geiger will get proposals from ClickCulture and Cicada for development of the continuing education component of online renewal. A webinar or “Go to Meeting” interactive event will be scheduled for Board members to review each proposal in order to get the website up and running by March 2018.

Letters to DWM – Unauthorized Practice

Ms. Lucasse reported that the Board had received a report that the list of UST Service Providers maintained by the NC Division of Waste Management – UST Section may include companies not authorized to practice in North Carolina. Ms. Lucasse will research the firms and individuals in question and send an advisory letter.

New Business

Questions from DEQ – Brownfields Program

Ms. Geiger shared an email from Joselyn Harringer, project manager for DEQ - Brownfields Program with questions regarding air data and samples.

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 Rick Garrett and carried.

Dr. Taylor made the motion to approve the applications as acted upon by the Board.  The motion was seconded by Mr. Stevens and carried unanimously.

On motion by Dr. Taylor and second by Mr. Stevens, the Board resumed the open session.

There being no further business, on motion and second the meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:03 PM.

Respectfully submitted:

Kenneth Taylor, Secretary/Treasurer