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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay_16_2012_Budget_Session_MinutesIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET SESSION MINUTES MAY 16, 2012 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met for a Fiscal Year 2012-2013 budget review session on Tuesday, May 16, 2012, at 5:30 P.M., in the Iredell County Government Center, (South Wing Conference Room), 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. Board Members Present Chairman Steve Johnson Vice Chairman Marvin Norman Renee Griffith Frank Mitchell Ken Robertson Staff present: County Manager Ron Smith, Deputy County Manager Tracy Jackson, Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, Assistant Finance Director Deb Alford, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. CALL TO ORDER by Chairman Johnson. Possible Revision to the Budget Review Meeting Schedule: Commissioner Griffith mentioned a potential conflict on May 31. Opening Comments: Chairman Johnson said the proposed budget was "solid," but a few individual items might need adjustment. He suggested for all board members to make cuts as each department was discussed. Johnson said, however, this would not preclude anyone from suggesting revisions at the conclusion of the review meetings. He said any funding that was cut from the budget would roll into the capital reserve fund The other board members were in consensus with the Chairman's suggestion. Estimated Fund Balance: Finance Director Susan Blumenstein provided the following estimated fund balance chart and said the fund balance as of a percent of the recommended budget as June 30, 2012 would be 21.34%. Available for Appropriation, Unassigned at June 30, 2011 $30,415,863 Reserved for Iredell-Statesville Schools 124,506 Reserved for Encumbrances at June 30, 2011 3,039,496 Reserved for Commissary, Federal Equity & Seized Funds at 06/30/11 411,981 Total Projected Revenue $ 158,629,828 Total Projected Expenditures (includes $1,664,000 Facility Cap Project) 158,355,944 Addition to Fund Balance 273,884 Estimated Fund Balance at June 30, 2012 $34,265,730 Recommended Budget, Fiscal Year 2013 Fund Balance as % of Recommended Buc 3160.566.560 Commissioner Robertson asked how much of the $34,000,000 was `rainy day funds" and how much was off limits in spending. Chairman Johnson asked how much the county was obligated by the Local Government Commission (LGC) to retain, and the staff's recommended cushion amount. Blumenstein said 8% was the LGC's requirement, but there was a recommendation to retain the same as like -sized counties which would be 18%. Robertson said there should be a $4 million to $5 million cushion. Blumenstein said yes. Capital Projects: Chairman Johnson said $1.6 million had been set aside for capital projects. He suggested that any money not used, as the projects were completed, should roll into the capital reserve fund. There were no objections to Mr. Johnson's recommendation. New Personnel Positions & Transfers: County Manager Smith reviewed the number of new positions proposed for FY 13, and well as personnel transfers from one department to another. A list showing the proposed departmental positions for the new year is as follows. Schedule of Personnel Positions Fiscal Year 2012. 13 (Full-time Positions with Benefits) Schedule D Pace 1 of 2 Vote 1 Vote 2 date 1 into, 3 Jote 4 dote 5 lutes 3 & 6 lotus 2 & 6 lots 6 Iola 6 Unfunded Positions FY12 Funded Additional Positions , Unfunded FY12 I FY13 Transfers between Depts Reinstate Unfunded Position New Positions Recommended Funded Positions FY13 Commissioners 1 1 _ 3 _ _ _ _1 3 6 Administration Human Resnumcs Elections _ 18 _ 6 1 20 4 12 _... 5 4 _.._ 12 7 Finance 39 Tax Assessor fax Collector 9 (2) _ (1)_6' 8_. 7 EMS al,—li fly Services 8 i 15 GIs Mapping 1 11 Real Property 13 2 913 1 Into Tech Services Register of Deeds 8 121 926 7 3 _ 10 12 4 _ 1 10 FacifitYs.ria s 2 1 14 4 Vehlcle SeMces ShedBs Office 3 142 83 3 145 Jail t _ 83 15 Animal Control 15 rECOM 24 1 � _ _ 2 27 EMS 1 _ 66 6 7 75 _. 6 Fire Marshal_ Emergency MOmt _. _. 1 —_ _-. 1 Inspections 7 _ 25 0) 10 (4) 20 P[amlng & Erasion Can 4 1 (1) 10 5 1 Central Permitting 5 Coop Ext Health Admin 1 1 1 11 76 11 Health -Clinical Svcs Environmental _ Health Ed&Enter Prep 1 9 75 16 1) _ _.. 15 1 3 4 0) _ 3 DSS 224 _ 224 2 Veterans Sti Public Library 2 _ 25 2 _ 25 Thunman Library Harmony Library Recreation _ 2 2 2 12 12 rote! General Fund 36 8d4 (2) 1 3 11 857 Vote 1 Vote 2 date 1 into, 3 Jote 4 dote 5 lutes 3 & 6 lotus 2 & 6 lots 6 Iola 6 Notes: t. Transfers 2 positions to Real Property to align budget with work assignments. 2. Transfers 1 GIS position to Planning & Eroslon Control 3. Adds now HVAC Technician position and transfers 1 position (Special Projects) to Facility Services 4. Reinstates 3 School Resource Officer positions with reimbursement from ISS. 5. Specially Services added in FY12. Transfers Scheduler/Dispatcherfrom EMS Specialty Services to ECOM. 6. Conical Permitting established with 5 positions transferred from other departments. 7. State is funding 75% ofdirectors position. 2 4.11 dote 5 Unfuntletl Positions 7/1/2011 Funded Pcenters FY12 Additional undd Unfunded FY13 Trans tars balon wa Uopartments ReinstateI Unfunded Poslllon Rerommend New Funtletl nos loons Positions FY13 Toman.".Uon [CATS Admin Operslians 1 3 16 _ _ _ 1 _ n 10 Total Transp.d.1ion 18 1 20 said want. 5 39 39 EMS al,—li fly Services 11 11 10 913 L_ 2 - 3 121 926 Total All Funds bt Notes: t. Transfers 2 positions to Real Property to align budget with work assignments. 2. Transfers 1 GIS position to Planning & Eroslon Control 3. Adds now HVAC Technician position and transfers 1 position (Special Projects) to Facility Services 4. Reinstates 3 School Resource Officer positions with reimbursement from ISS. 5. Specially Services added in FY12. Transfers Scheduler/Dispatcherfrom EMS Specialty Services to ECOM. 6. Conical Permitting established with 5 positions transferred from other departments. 7. State is funding 75% ofdirectors position. 2 4.11 dote 5 Commissioner Robertson said many times projects were contracted out, but the county had steered in a different direction for some services such as the EMS Specialty Services Division. He said at some point, an evaluation needed to occur to determine if savings had resulted by adding personnel to eliminate contracting out. Smith said available software, similar to what Facility Services was using, would help to make the determinations. He said the results could be shared with the board members. Capital Outlav Requests: Smith said most of the capital outlay requests involved (1) personal computers (2) vehicles and (3) technology. He said the EMS Department had large ticket items. Commissioner Robertson mentioned that $1,100 was being requested for a desk in several departments. Blumenstein said these were cubicle units or work stations. Chairman Johnson noted that $43,000 was being requested for a crime scene vehicle (4x4 Suburban). General Fund Expenditures by Service Type/General Fund Departments by Revenue Source/General Fund Expenditures Per 1 -Cent Ad Valorem Tax/General Fund Expenditures by Function/ General Fund Expenditures by Expenditure Type/General Fund Estimated Valuation & Schedule of Tax Rates & Valuations: These schedules or charts were then briefly reviewed. In regards to economic development being 2% of county funds, Commissioner Mitchell asked if this amount was similar to other counties. Blumenstein said the line item was actually for economic and fiscal development. She said accounting rules classified this as inspections, cooperative extension, planning, and central permitting. Blumenstein said the economic development departmental line item, which was a part of general governmental, was used to pay the economic development agencies. Overtime and Salaries: Blumenstein said there was an increase in overtime funding to fulfill departmental requirements. She said Cycle 4 and Cycle 1 salary adjustments were included this year in the budget. Blumenstein said performance pay of $392,770 was included in the budget, and this would be awarded based on job performance review scores. Blumenstein said the performance pay would not add to the employee's base rather it would be paid over 12 months. Total Taxable Value: Blumenstein said for total taxable value that only a 1.26% increase from 2011-12 to 2012-13 was being estimated. Johnson noted the $44 million decline in real property valuation ($17,944,951,890 compared to $17,900,000,000). Blumenstein said this was correct. She said tax appeals had now been included in the calculation. Tax Rates & Valuations: Blumenstein noted tax increase requests for East Alexander Fire (5¢ to 6¢), Mt. Mourne Fire (3.50¢ to 4.0¢) and Troutman Fire (5¢ to 6.5¢). Chairman Johnson asked about the Troutman Fire request due to its revenue doubling when it became a separate district. Blumenstein said Troutman developed a capital project forecasting tool. She said the department desired to set aside 100% of the additional money (1.5¢ tax increase) for an equipment reserve fund. Blumenstein said the funds would be able to fund all future apparatus and equipment. She said the department planned to make these purchases without incurring debt. Vice Chairman Norman asked if the county monitored this type of funding for the districts. 3 Blumenstein said no, and that it was a pass-through. She said, however, a copy of the districts' financial reviews were shared each year with the county finance department. Workers Comp: Commissioner Robertson noted the increase in workers comp ($610,720 recommended for FY 13 compared to $485,555 for FY 12). Blumenstein said there had been more claims, plus sizeable clinchers had resulted. She said workers comp was not flat, rather it ran in cycles. Blumenstein said the county was self- insured, and if the money wasn't spent it stayed in the fund. County Manager Smith said there might be a correlation between the workers comp claims and not having a full-time Safety Officer anymore. Commissioner Robertson said that from his past work experience, the department head was the person who should be insuring that all safety precautions were being followed. Blumenstein said fatigue resulted in injuries, and it was hoped that shortening the paramedic hours would lessen workers comp claims. Revenues: On beer and wine excise taxes, Blumenstein said nothing had been received this year from the state, but if funds were received, they would be added to the fund balance. Pertaining to elections, Blumenstein said the state would reimburse the county for coding that had already occurred. Court fees: Blumenstein said more people were being released on unsecured bonds and this was resulting in less court revenues. She said typically, when a forfeiture of a bond occurred, the funds came to the county and were then passed to the schools. Robertson asked why unsecured bonds were occurring. Blumenstein said there was an overcrowded jail, and the magistrates were trying to not incarcerate individuals with offenses less than felonies or violent crimes. Sheriff's Brants: Blumenstein said there would not be as many grants for the Sheriff's Office during FY 13. Sewer at Jail Annex at Hwv 21: Commissioner Mitchell said he understood that local inmates would soon be transferred to Ashe County at a cost of $1,800 per person a day. He said the staff was pumping the sewer at Hwy 21 twice a week which was also expensive. Mitchell asked if the county staff could meet with the city in an effort to extend sewer lines to the site. Smith said this could be done. Mitchell said the county did not need to delay any longer on this, especially due to the jail being so overcrowded. He asked Mr. Smith to act on the matter before the next meeting in order for the cost to be included in the FY 13 budget. Commissioner Griffith said a conversation had occurred with City of Statesville Assistant Manager Lynn Smith. Griffith said Mrs. Smith had suggested that the county select one representative to discuss the matter with one city representative. She said these two could be given the authority to negotiate the matter. Chairman Johnson said he had previously met with a Statesville delegation and advised them that the county was offering $300,000 towards the sewer line. He said this was not a final offer, rather it was an amount to start out with, plus the county would be willing to negotiate some zoning jurisdiction out Hwy. 21. Johnson said also that the Auto Auction, as a private party, had made a participatory offer towards the line extension. He said after this happened, the city sent the Auto Auction a letter indicating that it would cost $700,000 to extend the line with the total project being $1,000,000 which meant the city wasn't paying anything. Johnson said the Auto Auction then became uninterested. He said then, phased annexation with the city was discussed. Johnson said other arrangements had also been discussed, but it was already known that the city would benefit proportionately more than any of the other parties. 4 Commissioner Griffith said the jail had been visited and the conditions were not being exaggerated. Chairman Johnson asked the county manager to telephone the city manager and to inquire about two council members being appointed to discuss the matter with the same number of commissioners. Commissioner Griffith volunteered to assist in the matter. Commissioner Robertson said there was no sense in extending the sewer unless there were plans to build a jail. Griffith said she had been told that pre -fab pods that were self-contained could be purchased @ $2,200 a unit, and these included beds and sewage disposal areas. Johnson said some, but not much space was available in an existing building at the site. Mitchell said he was told there was one building where 100 inmates could be added if sewer lines were extended, and there was another building that could be used if a $4.5 million upfit occurred. County Manager Smith said contact would be made with City Manager Hites. Smith said he would also find out the options on the Hwy 21 site in regards to ownership by the state. Chairman Johnson said a firm number on how many existing structures were at the site and how many beds could be based there was also needed. Robertson added that a cost estimate was needed. Commissioner Mitchell said six months had been estimated as the length of time needed to extend the sewer lines. He said for a little more money, an extension could occur to the former Ebenezer School site. Departmental Budeets Commissioners — 410: No changes Administration — 415: No changes Finance — 430: No changes Human Resources — 421: No changes Information Technology — 445: County Manager Smith said several new projects would occur in FY 13 for the IT department. He said consolidation of all IT needs and personnel in the county was being reviewed. IT Director Nettie Feimster said efforts were being made to get the data center updated by using server virtualization. She said servers would be consolidated, and the staff was trying to obtain better backups. Feimster said that with virtualization, data could be replicated from one site to another and this would aid in disasters. She said a help desk job position was being reviewed because many times the staff members were away from their desks due to working in the field. Feimster said the help -desk person could help direct the work flow or advise the personnel on where they next stop should occur. Commissioner Robertson asked if all IT purchases were being reviewed by Mrs. Feimster to eliminate incompatible systems. Feimster said she reviewed the equipment requests with the exception of DSS and the Health Department. She said the state sometimes required them to purchase certain products or equipment. Feimster said the elected officials (Register of Deeds & Sheriff) also might bypass her review. Parks & Recreation — 655: Recreation/Parks & Facility Services Director Robert Woody along with Assistant Recreation Director Michelle Hepler and Program Specialist Ashley Beam discussed the proposed $1,373,320 recreation budget. Smith said a light -transit (24 passenger) vehicle was being requested. k, Woody said senior citizens would be able to gain entry and exit the vehicle easier than a van. He said that if approved, the van currently in use would be placed into surplus. Johnson asked how the vehicle would be purchased. Woody said there was a fee increase for adult programs, plus there would be more trips in a five-year period. Facility Services — 455: County Manager Smith said an architect, previously based in the inspections department, had been transferred into Facility Services and this added $64,306 to the budget. He said there was a new HVAC position ($53,563) being requested; however, the cost would be negated by the savings resulting from the discontinuance of air conditioning and heating repair contracts. Continuing, Smith said $64,000 was budgeted for a used bucket truck; $25,800 was included for a John Deere 4105 tractor, and a 3/4 ton truck would cost $19,450. Chairman Johnson asked the duties of the HVAC person. Woody said the goal would be to perform most, if not all, preventive maintenance and repair work in-house. He said some items such as large change outs, especially on top of a building, would probably need to be contracted out. Woody said currently the county was contracting out $201,642 in HVAC contracts, and this included preventive maintenance. He said $53,000 could be eliminated in just service calls, plus there was $14,400 that could be saved by taking over the maintenance contract at the Agricultural Center. Woody said boilers and chillers would have to be contracted out. Commissioner Griffith asked the cost to take the HVAC technician from a residential to commercial certification. Woody said this was not known, but the answer could be researched. Johnson said the educational component wouldn't be that difficult, but paying the salary with that certification might present problems. He said individuals with these certifications could make more money elsewhere. Woody said a tracking system would be used for the HVAC services. Library — 650: County Manager Ron Smith said the Library Director had asked how to proceed in reinstating the book funding that was cut last year. Smith said Mr. Messick was told to split the difference. He said one example would be reference materials where in FY 12 these were budgeted at $36,000 after being cut $10,500 during FY 11. Smith said Mr. Messick had requested an additional $6,000 for FY 13. Mr. Smith said this was an attempt to rebuild the budget even though it was unknown how the board would want to proceed in FY 13. Messick said that at the January 2012 planning meeting, he indicated that an increase of $107,000 would be needed to maintain the book collection. He said approximately one half of this amount, or $55,000.00, was used in the FY 13 budget. Chairman Johnson said the rest of the library budget appeared to be flat. Vice Chairman Norman asked if the hours of operation were contributing to the patron decline. Messick said no. He said that in FY 08-09, when reductions began, it was felt that instead of making cuts across the board, that funds should be concentrated in certain areas. Messick said movies and DVDs were not purchased, and this had contributed to the circulation drop. He said book usage had actually been increasing up until this year. Commissioner Griffith asked if the E -book rentals were up. Messick said this program only began in November 2011, and for this year, about 16,000 items had been loaned. He said there wasn't any data to compare with the figure. Mr. Messick said that for FY 13 there was a proposal to add E -books for young adults and juveniles. 6 Griffith asked what percentage of money was being directed towards books. Messick said about 15% of the total budget. Commissioner Robertson asked about the circulation numbers for the branch libraries. Messick said overall. the attendance was about the same. Chairman Johnson noted the utility cost increase. Messick said the finance office had developed estimates for City of Statesville utility rates and there had been an increase. Smith said there would be increases for all buildings using Statesville's utilities. Chairman Johnson said the board had made significant cuts in the book budget last year, and this was added to a budget that had already been cut. Johnson proposed for the book budget to "climb back up over a three to four-year period." He suggested a ten percent increase for the following: reference materials (up to $39,600), children's materials (up to $77,000), adult fiction (up to $66,000), and adult nonfiction (up to $55,000). Mr. Messick asked to be allowed to rework the figures if the board agreed on only a ten percent increase. Chairman Johnson said "to lump it all up." Messick said this would be a ten percent overall. Chairman Johnson said yes. He said that if the economy improved faster than anticipated, the book formula could be revamped. Messick asked if this would be a ten percent increase over the base budget from last year. He mentioned that $20,000 had been received in grant funds to start the E -Book Program. Messick said the total before this was around $247,000. He said ten percent of that would be $25,000. Messick said there wouldn't be an increase, if only the base were used. He said the base budget from last year, plus the grants, and then 10% of that figure would have to be used. Johnson said the difference would be $24,700 versus $28,200. Messick said roughly. Johnson said this was acceptable. Johnson said this would be his motion, and Mr. Messick had the discretion to make the reductions. (Mr. Johnson clarified this by saying there was an intent to cut the line items dealing with the reading materials and then to increase them by 10%. To arrive at a number, this year's budget would have to be increased by 10% and then $3,500 would be added. This applies to the branch libraries as well, with Mr. Messick having the same discretion.) VOTING: Ayes - 5; Nays — 0. Inspections - 562: Smith said this department during the last few years, had seen a significant funding decrease. He mentioned recent position changes such as: a person retired and no one was rehired in the position, one person was transferred to the Facility Services Department, and some employees were transferred to the Central Permitting Department. Smith said energy grant funds would soon cease for an individual who was being paid with this money. He said the county would then have to pickup the costs to pay the individual. Commissioner Robertson said the county would have to determine the need for the inspector when the grant funds ended. He said it had clearly been stated that when the grant funds were exhausted, the position was eliminated. VA Smith said the individual was an existing inspector, but when the funds ended the board would be notified. County Manager Smith said the inspections department head had inquired educational incentives being incorporated into the budget; however, these were not included. He said the incentives would be re-evaluated in the future. Chairman Johnson noted that now might be the opportune time for the inspectors to receive additional certifications due to development being stagnant. He said that if an inspector had an electrical and mechanical license they could provide both services. Commissioner Robertson said that in regards to incentives, the county would be getting what was incentivized. He said if performance and value were incentivized, then more of this would occur. Robertson said, likewise, if certificates were incentivized, then more of these would occur. He said the county could be paying for people to obtain certificates and then have to pay them more. Robertson said a bureaucracy should not be created. He said that in the animal control department the employees were obtaining certificates over a couple of days, such as a weekend, while some certifications in other departments took two years. James Settlemyer, a state licensed electrician, said a house wiring inspector could not inspect a commercial building. He said an HVAC person working on small condenser units could not perform larger jobs. Settlemyer said, too, that individuals working in all of the fields had to work in their area of expertise on a day-to-day basis; otherwise, they got behind and didn't know what they were doing. When asked, Blumenstein said the revenues for inspections would exceed what was budgeted for FY 12. Chairman Johnson asked to reserve the right to revisit the incentives. Planning & Erosion Control — 563: No changes. Chairman Johnson said the 2030 Horizon Plan was recently reviewed, and it was noted that it had been created to streamline and make it easier for Agri -business. He recommended for the Planning Director to look at the plan to determine if any areas could be designated for manufacturing or industrial. Johnson said it was much easier to recruit industrial clients if properties were already appropriately zoned. Central Permitting — 566: No changes. Register of Deeds — 450: No changes. ICATS — 622: No changes. Smith said that when consolidation occurred, for example, Facility Services with Recreation and ICATS with Planning, efficiencies were expected, but many times difficulties started surfacing. He said the Recreation Director was being pulled in two different ways and this was difficult for the staff. Smith said a similar problem was occurring in ICATS, especially on the operational side. He said a middle manager position was being proposed for ICATS, and this person would be on-site at all times. Smith said 75% of the ICATS director's position (Ben Garrison) would be used to offset the cost along with 25% of Raczkowski's salary. Chairman Johnson asked if anyone on staff could fill the position. Smith said no. He said probably someone from the outside would be hired. Elections - 425: Smith said 48% of the increase in this budget was due to the loss of Help America Vote Act funds. He said an increase in part-time salaries was due to the national election. Tax Administration - 436: Smith said this budget was decreased by $58,705 due to the transfer of an employee. Tax Collector - 437: Smith said this department had an increase of $15,000 for the foreclosure attorney, as well as an increase in postage and billing materials. 8 Reappraisal — 439: Smith said there was a $58,705 increase due to the transfer of an employee. Mapping/GIS — 438: No changes. Vehicle Services —460: Smith said anew part time office position (19 hours) was being recommended for Vehicle Services while the original request was for a full-time person. Commissioner Robertson said that if more hours were needed for the office position, the board could re-evaluate the situation. Chairman Johnson asked the fuel cost strategy for FY 13. Blumenstein said $150,000 would be in contingency, plus the departments had been advised to increase as well. Commissioner Robertson said that on gas to propane conversions, no data had ever been submitted from the departments where these transitions had occurred. He asked if the county was saving any money. Smith said the ICATS Department had converted a few vehicles, and the data on these could be presented. He said the sheriff's office had been asked, but nothing "hard" had been provided. Vice Chairman Norman asked Mr. Smith to request the data from the sheriff's department. Blumenstein said the assistant finance officer was already trying to compile some data. She said there were some discrepancies, and the sheriff's office was reviewing the data. She said it appeared the officers did not want to run the propane. Commissioner Griffith said that from what she was reading and hearing there were no cost savings in the private sector with the conversions. County Manager Smith said it might be good for the staff to prepare a year-end report on what occurred during the year. Adjournment: The board adjourned the review session at 9:10 P.M. (NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, May 22, 2012, at 5:30 P.M., in the South Wing Conference Room of the Iredell County Government Center, 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC.) Approval: 9 Clerk to the Board