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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 06-03-2010 APPROVED 8/17/2010 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET WORK SESSION June 3, 2010 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a budget work session on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Valerie P. Foushee, and Commissioners Alice Gordon, Pam Hemminger, Barry Jacobs, Mike Nelson, Bernadette Pelissier, and Steve Yuhasz COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff inembers will be identified appropriately below). 1. Sportsplex Presentation John Stock, Manager of the Triangle Sportsplex, made a PowerPoint presentation. Orange County SportsPlex •Budqet prepared on conservative basis given economic uncertainty at time of finalization. •Despite pool shutdown for resurfacing and ice rink closure to repair subfloor, Current Year results are trending strong. •A revised "Stretch Budqet" has been included with this presentation for illustrative purposes. RFP believes a $200K operational bottom line contribution is attainable for 2011 from the combination of increased revenues over those submitted in the budget & lower than budgeted expenses. •A Historical perspective is pertinent since 2011 will mark a $1.OMillion Improvement in bottom line contribution versus results attained by prior management. Operational Highlights •Pool shutdown for resurfacing and ice rink closure to repair subfloor had a major negative impact on Current Year results, with each of these departments losing at least a month of revenues. Although some variable expenses were reduced, the combination of lost revenue and fixed costs resulted in a net negative impact of approximately $80K. •However, since January 2010, monthly results have significantly exceeded budget and the prior year. Full year results will therefore more than overcome this $80K loss from the pool/rink closures and result in a full year$115K positive bottom line ( before interest and depreciation). •Pools resurfaced and major upgrade to comply with Virginia Graeme Baker Act. •Pool filters refurbished using operating funds (rather than capital). Major improvement in water quality and lower water consumption. •Ice rink subfloor successfully repaired. Failure due to design flaw when rink was originally constructed. "Tunneling" repair procedure engineered by RFP without requiring invasive destruction of concrete rink floor. Savings versus competitive quotes of approximately $750K. •Each department introduced at least two new major sustainable revenue generating programs. •Significant growth in Fitness Memberships. •Major expense reduction programs to combat the effect on revenues from the weak economy plus pool/rink disruptions resulted in a 7.5% reduction in expenses from the prior year. Orange County Sportsplex Stretch Budget The largest area of growth has been fitness membership and the smallest area of growth has been aquatics. The Sportsplex is in its strongest position since John Stock has taken over management. Growth •The upgraded fitness facilities and equipment continued the trend of significant year over year growth with 750 new members for a total of 3150. •We had originally projected capacity at 3,000 so there was considerable focus on time of day offerings to different categories of inembers to smooth out attendance peaks. •With additional new programs, membership is estimated to grow to 3,400 in 2011 which will place pressure on existing space and equipment. Proqramminq •See attached slide. Sportsplex is fully compliant with leading edge industry trends. Orange County Sportsplex Fitness and Membership ACSM top fitness trends for 2010 compared to Sportsplex offerings: 1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals: All Plex trainers fully certified. 2. Strength training: Core Program 3. Children and obesity: Implemented November 2009 4. Personal training: Major source of increasing revenues 5. Core training: Two major programs offered 6. Special fitness programs for older adults: "Pace Setters" program introduced 7. Functional fitness: FreeMotion Equipment 8. Sport-specific training: "TNT" program launched in 2009 9. Pilates and yoga: Core programs 10. Group personal training: Introduced in 2009 11. Outcome measurements: Personal Assessments for all members 12. Spin Classes: Extremely popular at the Plex 13. Boot Camp: Second session to commence (25 in first class) 14. Physician referrals: From UNC and Duke. Looking to expand scope. Fitness Memberships graph Ice Rink Operations •Rink heavily impacted by the facility renovation and subsequent shutdown for subfloor repairs. But strong revenue resurgence since December. Overall a very solid and sustainable revenue base. •Adult and Youth Hockey leagues are strong. Focus on safe, fun and sportsmanship based activities. Sportsplex features the strongest adult developmental/instructional hockey league in the Triangle. •Major growth in hockey "learn to play" and development programs. •Growth in Skate School with new "Saturday Academy" to bridge gap between USFS learn to skate and elite competition •One of only 2 Synchro programs in NC. Three nationally ranked age specific teams. •New light and sound system to stimulate Public Skating sessions. Emphasis on fun and variety. •Home of 2011 NCAA Collegiate Club Hockey season ending tournament. Home of USA Hockey Ironman Tournament. •Practice site for US Figure Skating Nationals in 2011. Pool Operations •Revenues negatively impacted by month long closure to resurface pools and renovate for compliance with Virginia Baker Graeme Act ( 60% of all public pools in NC are still not compliant and at risk of closure by inspectors). New Homestead Pool and re-opening of Chapel Hill Community Pool negatively impacted overall public swimming and lane rentals. •Offsetting the above was significant growth in swimming lessons and programs. New classes have been added during the week and weekends with excellent results. •With new roof top air quality units; better trained staff; upgraded water quality procedures/equipment plus newly up fitted filters has resulted in best water and air quality ever. •Conservative revenue budget given Triangle and County wide pool competition. We will act aggressively to grow pool revenues with new fun activities for public swim sessions; new Swim Team; additional group swim class offerings; introduction of private lessons and small group training. KidsPlex Summer Camp •Summer 2010 anticipated average of 145 Campers per week (up from 100 last year). Prior year impacted by construction activity and weaker economy. •Expanded Counselor in Training (CIT) program to attract young teens with few other summer camp options for kids in this age category. Program full for summer 2010. After School •Average 92 Students per week. Up from 80 last year. Further growth expected next year. Additional high quality staff hired. Pre-School •To open Fall 2010. Currently enrolling. Capital Furnishinqs • $35K requested primarily to support expanding Kidsplex program. •Cubbies request will be reduced by $5K as RFP has donated half of required new KidsPlex Cubbies. Equipment •Major expenditures are for Pool upgrades. Bacterial contamination is one of the biggest concerns in the Aquatics industry and state of the art UV systems highly diminish this potential threat. • Pool starter boxes are needed to continue hosting meets and for safety. Commissioner Pelissier asked how many more years of debt there is on the Sportsplex and Financial Services Director Clarence Grier said that is approximately eight years out. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the relationship between the Senior Center and the Sportsplex now that they are fully operational. John Stock said that there is very large participation with seniors in the Sportsplex. Commissioner Jacobs thanked John Stock for working with the Sportsplex Advisory Committee. He said that the relationship has benefited the Sportsplex. 2. Outside Aqency Allocations: Process Overview and County Manaqer Recommendations, FY 10-11 Frank Clifton said that this is the most difficult portion of the budget process. He said that he had to cut every other County function, so he also had to cut outside agencies. He said that he focused on the safety net organizations and their relationships with County government. He also looked at the size of the agency's budget and the impact that the County dollars had on that agency. Lastly, he looked to see if there were alternative forms of funding for these agencies and he took that into consideration. He said that all agencies were reduced some, if not eliminated. Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said that they did a distributive system of the funding this year, and they incorporated volunteer boards that were working with certain departments in these agencies' areas. She said that it is not a one size fits all process, but it was taken on a case-by-case basis. She gave some history about this process. In 2008, the Board of County Commissioners approved an official scorecard, as well as a narrative that the raw score was not the determining factor as to how any particular dollar amount would unfold, but it was a matter of guidance for information. Attachment 2 is a matrix, which shows how the workload was distributed. Attachment 4 was the revenue analysis, which shows how the County funds factor into the overall budgets. She said that the bottom line is that there is an overall decrease in the amount of funding being proposed for allocation in the upcoming fiscal year. There was only one new agency added for funding and that was to replace EI Centro Latino. Frank Clifton said that one of the conditions he placed on this replacement agency is that he made a recommendation that would hinge on EI Centro Hispano having a facility in Orange County. Another issue is that the Women's Center has an increase because it will be taking over several advocacy functions that were previously handled by the Commission for Women. Commissioner Yuhasz made reference to Attachment 3 and the last couple of pages and asked about the daycare center at Northern Human Services Center. Frank Clifton said that there is no formal agreement on this, as far as he knows. He does not know if it is one agency or two agencies that operate this. Commissioner Yuhasz asked for a complete list of non-county functions in county buildings and the in-kind contributions that are involved. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the Women's Center, Attachment 5, page 7, and the funding going up $24,000. She asked if there was actual support for the Commission for Women in terms of staff support. Frank Clifton said that in Attachment 2, page 3, the Women's Center is listed and these functions were partly done under the Commission for Women and now the Women's Center will be responsible for coordinating and staffing these events. Gwen Harvey said that there is willingness on the part of the Women's Center to assume these duties and carry them forward in a seamless fashion. The Women's Center has also been very aggressive about wanting to recruit and sustain the volunteer talent that is available on the Commission for Women. There have also been discussions about the future that would be encompassing of all human rights and civil rights, including women. Commissioner Gordon said that it is important to try and coordinate these agencies and functions so that they can continue to function effectively. Commissioner Gordon made reference to page 3 of Attachment 5 - EI Centro Hispano - and she could not tell what they were doing and when they were going to open an office in Carrboro. She noticed that the rating was only 42 and it is a new agency. She asked exactly what this agency does and how it could overcome the score, 42 out of 100. Gwen Harvey said this was one of the applications reviewed by HSAC and they wanted to fund an agency that could be an ombudsman for Hispanic services in Orange County. She said that they were looking at a location in Carrboro in conjunction with the Latino credit union but she was not sure if that had come to fruition. Discussion ensued about the services offered by EI Centro Hispano. Commissioner Gordon said that she was concerned about not funding Child Care Services Association, since they do provide a specialized service and they did show her that they do not overlap County services. She would like to flag this for further discussion. Frank Clifton said that his rationale was that the budget is over$34 million and it asked of the County about $30-40,000. The appropriation for child care subsidies is about $2 million. He said that 8% of the funding goes to administrative costs. In addition, the Orange County Partnership for Children asked for$3,000 and administrative costs also come from this. He saw the CCSA as having a very large budget with Orange County providing only about 1%. This particular agency has resources — Smart Start and More at Four—for funding. Commissioner Hemminger thanked the staff for all of the documentation and that the process was much more clear and objective than last year. However, she is not comfortable funding a baseball organization that does not serve many minorities or females. The County runs a baseball program and it does not get $10,000 like is recommended for HYAA. She cannot justify this recommendation because there are so many other athletic organizations. She would like to do something in the wildlife category, especially Piedmont Wildlife. Frank Clifton said that the County has been a long-time supporter of HYAA and he did recommend reducing the funding by about half. He did not want to cut this "cold turkey". He has had discussions with the athletic department of the County to partner in some cases. Regarding the animal support groups, he had a hard time distinguishing between these wildlife agencies and quantifying these functions. Commissioner Pelissier said that she would like more information on all of the organizations related to aging, since there was not that much information related to the ratings. She made reference to Attachment 4, page 2 — Middle School/After School program — and said that it would be up to 111% of the funding between the County and the municipalities. It was answered that this must be a mathematical error. Commissioner Pelissier said that she does want to stick with the recommendation of no funding for Child Care Services Association because the referral services serve all individuals regardless of income for free. Since the focus is on safety net services, her concern was that this was a service to individuals who are not necessarily of low income. Commissioner Nelson made reference to the Women's Center and said that he is concerned that the focus is mostly Chapel Hill and Carrboro. He is concerned about how there could be a guarantee that there is outreach outside of this area. Frank Clifton said that Tara Fikes will be overseeing this process. Commissioner Nelson said that the Commission for Women made special efforts to do programming in northern Orange County and he wants to make sure that this continues with the Women's Center. He would like to see benchmarks in the contract that the Board looks at after the first year to make sure this is being done. Commissioner Nelson agreed with Commissioner Hemminger's comments about athletics. He would also like to flag funding Child Care Services Association, because the funding sources are tied to the programs that they fund. He does not think that the 8% administration fund is relevant, but the question is whether this program meets legitimate needs in the community. The issue of who it serves could be addressed by requiring that the money be spent in a certain way. Commissioner Jacobs said that he wanted more information on the entities that were not funded but had previously been funded in the past. He said that if an agency gets a score of 89, then it should probably be funded over another agency with a much lower score. Also, there was no information about why the American Red Cross was not funded and it had a high score. Frank Clifton said that the Red Cross is a very large organization and many residents already contribute to this agency and $4,000 would not have a huge impact on this agency. Commissioner Jacobs said that Duke Hospice is another entity that was not funded because it has a budget of $12 million. He said that one of his concerns is that he wants to know how long Orange County has funded these types of non-profits. He has concerns about zeroing agencies out when the County has been funding them for a long time. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to funding HYAA and said that there was an angry email sent from this organization because there was a feeling that it was misrepresented. Regarding why one and not the other athletic organizations, he thinks that it was the only entity providing baseball in that part of the County for a long time when the County began funding it. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to page 12 and how the Board would have a discussion after an organization was cut out of the budget already. Gwen Harvey said that the avenue of conversation has not been closed. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if there have been discussions between DSS and Adolescents in Need about whether there are duplications of services. Social Services Director Nancy Coston said that there have not been discussions about these children at this point. She has been consulted about the tasks that DSS provides in the schools (social workers), but she has had not had a discussion with the Adolescents in Need. Commissioner Yuhasz said that it was explained to him that this program reaches children who are not eligible for DSS services. Nancy Coston said that the school social workers can serve anyone and students do not have to be low-income to be served. If the children are eligible, then DSS will bill Medicaid. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he would be hesitant to drop Adolescents in Need, especially since the County has funded it for almost 30 years. Frank Clifton said that staff does not have any idea why the Board of County Commissioners has funded some of these agencies over the years. Commissioner Gordon made reference to JOCCA in Attachment 2, page 11, and that the evaluator said that the other county has reduced its funding. She asked why this was being reduced and what the other county was doing. Nancy Coston said that this agency was reviewed by the DSS Board and JOCCA runs many programs at the Skills Development Center. The application said that JOCCA needed funds for overhead and administrative costs and the funds could not be recouped from federal grants. It does serve Orange County residents. Chair Foushee said that she had the same concerns about JOCCA as did Commissioner Gordon since the County does provide in-house services. Regarding CCSA, she would like to know how many children are on the childcare subsidy waiting list. Regarding athletics and funding, she said that the Board should establish a policy for other athletic organizations to apply for funding if it funds HYAA. Regarding KidsCope, she would like to know if the County has made any contact with Orange County Schools about the lease with KidsCope. Probably part of the increase in funding is related to the lease payment. Frank Clifton said that he would hope that between now and the first of next year that the Board would give staff more guidance on the outside agency review process. Commissioner Gordon suggested flagging the agencies that have been brought up and leaving the others the same as the Manager's recommendation. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would be comfortable flagging things for discussion, but he would not be comfortable saying that the County is done with certain agencies. Frank Clifton said that the next work session is June 8th. He recognizes that many recommendations are difficult to accept. He said that he did set aside $500,000 as flex money for the Board to make adjustments as needed. Chair Foushee clarified that the Board only needs more information on the agencies that were flagged and that there is consensus on the others. The following agencies were flagged: Adolescents In Need, American Red Cross, Child Care Services Association, EI Centro Hispano, JOCCA, Triangle Wildlife Rehab, HYAA Staff will bring these back as a summary for the Board to discuss. 3. Pay and Benefits Study Report Human Resources Director Michael McGinnis made a PowerPoint presentation. There was an additional sheet (blue). FY 2010-11 Manager's Recommended Budget Pay and Benefits Budget Work Session June 3, 2010 Background — Total Compensation Plan Orange County has provided employees with: -High level health & supplemental benefits -Annual in-range salary increases and/or COLA -Generous leave benefits Previous personnel services cost reductions - FY 08-09 0 6 month freeze on non-critical vacancies -FY 09-10 o Suspension of 401(k) for non-sworn employee o Voluntary furlough 0 2 retirement incentive programs 0 12-month freeze on non-critical vacancies Continuing challenge -Maintain value of total compensation package -Avoid laying off permanent employees Past Pay and Benefits Actions (table) FY 2010-11 Benefits Recommendation Employee and Retiree Health Care Plan -NCACC/Cigna Projected Rate Increase of 10% -7% FY 10-11 Recommendation ($275,000) -Options for minimizing the projected increase will be recommended in fall Dental Care Plan 401(k) contribution (non-sworn remains suspended)' FY 2010-11 Pay Study Recommendation Funding Pay Study Actions funded @ $60,000 -Study of 1/3 classifications in Jan-May `10 o Administrative and Labor Related Positions o Classifications o Findings -22 positions identified for reclassification -17 positions will receive adjustment by policy -13 title changes FY 2010-11 Six-Month Hiring Freeze Six-month hiring freeze projected saving of $750,000 -Current and future positions will be frozen for 6 months -All vacant positions will be evaluated for possible elimination -Critical position vacancies will be filled through internal process if possible FY 2010-11 Vacant Positions Vacant positions determined to be non-critical will be eliminated Employees in non-critical positions will be transferred into critical vacancies Vacant positions created by transfers will be evaluated for elimination FY 2010-11 Voluntary Furlough Voluntary Furlough (projected saving $50,000) -Employees may request voluntary furlough (must be approved by Department Director) FY 2010-11 Other Benefits (No change) Life Insurance Holidays Flex Comp Plan Personal Leave Days Employee Assistance Program Petty Leave Retirement SportsPlex Discount Annual Leave Longevity Pay Sick Leave 401(k) (sworn LEO) Living Wage @ $10.12 Commissioner Yuhasz asked about the retirement incentive programs and how much was actually saved. Frank Clifton said that he would get this information. Michael McGinnis said that it is close to $800,000 now because the vacant positions have stayed vacant. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if this figure took into account the additional health care costs. Frank Clifton said that this is an existing cost, so it is not additional. Commissioner Gordon asked about the 17 positions that will receive adjustment by policy. Michael McGinnis said that the total cost of this would be about $25,000. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the living wage. It was frozen in 2007 and on page 12 it says that it will affect 107 temporary employees. He said that many of these work a variety of hour ranges and he asked about this. Michael McGinnis said that the only temps that fall in that category are interns or seasonal employees and not the regular temporary employees, which are making over$10.12. There are now 250-300 temporary employees. Commissioner Jacobs asked how many temporary employees work more than 30 hours and Michael McGinnis said that he would get that information to the Board. He said that efforts were made when he came on board to move more temporary employees into full-time positions. Commissioner Jacobs asked for data about the improvements in the temporary employee pool. Commissioner Pelissier said that she would like to see a narrative on the living wage since groups have said it should be about $15.00/hour in Chapel Hill and slightly less in the rural areas. She wants to be clear that this is at the poverty level as opposed to a living wage. Commissioner Yuhasz said that none of the full-time employees are getting raises, but if the temps need a living wage, then the County should look at increasing it. Frank Clifton said that the number looks dramatic, but some of these employees only work one or two days a year, such as for the election. Commissioner Jacobs asked for some information for the fall regarding what specific efforts the County has made for employing handicapped or Hispanic populations for any vacant positions. Frank Clifton said that he would provide the entire demographic staff listing. 4. County Departments Michael Talbert made reference to Section 31 of the budget book and said that he and Paul Laughton would give the highlights on each department: • Sheriff The total budget is just over$11 million and the net budget is about $8.3 million. Most of the revenue generated is fees for prisoners. This is the second largest department in the County. Two Deputy Sheriff 1 positions have been eliminated. The Sheriff has a very large fleet and there are many vehicles with over 150,000 miles. The proposal is to fund 12 vehicles this year. The other large change is healthcare for prisoners. A contract was signed in October 2009 with Southern Health Partners for$260,000 for the coming year. This will eliminate the need to transfer prisoners out of the prison for healthcare. Frank Clifton said that the Sheriff has been working with the legislature to secure federal funds for 800 MHz radios, and that would be a large expenditure. The County may need to match grant funds by 2013 or even the entire purchase. Commissioner Pelissier asked about the effect of eliminating two Deputy Sheriff 1 positions. Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said that the department just reorganized to meet the budget. Commissioner Gordon thanked the Sheriff for pursuing outside funding to support his operations. Commissioner Jacobs asked the Sheriff about his space limitations and Sheriff Pendergrass said that the plans are in, but it will take time to allocate the funds. • Asset Management and Purchasing Services Paul Laughton said that this is on page 5-1 of the budget document. He reviewed changes in service delivery and operations. The total expenditure is approximately $6.4 million. There is a decrease of about $1.6 million from 2009-2010. In April 2010, the Board approved 5.5 FTE positions being eliminated. The budget also includes the elimination of a vacant Office Assistant position and a reassignment of the Central Services Clerk 1 position to another position within the County. This reassignment will cause the County to no longer have the main switchboard operation. It also includes holding vacant for six months a custodial position. Regarding custodial services, it eliminates the contracts for custodial services for County buildings. This will now be done in-house. The only increases are to cover gas, oil, and diesel and a reserve for deductibles. Commissioner Yuhasz asked what would take the place of the switchboard and Asset Management and Purchasing Services Director Pam Jones said that there is a new phone system and this can be managed. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if there were any parts of the AMPS budget that hinge on other budget decisions being carried out with other departments. Pam Jones said that anything related to facilities affects her budget. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the Fiscal Year Objectives and said that there is no mention of replacing water fixtures. Pam Jones said that the reorganization of the department has brought about a lot of changes and one of those is that someone will be assigned to put together the sustainability program. Commissioner Jacobs said that there are some good opportunities for videoconferencing and carpooling and this would help save in the mileage line item. Commissioner Jacobs asked about custodial services and Pam Jones said that the custodians in Orange County are some of the best. She said that the custodians came up with a plan to take on the buildings on their own, but this is predicated on staying fully staffed in this department. She said that the custodians have agreed to pick up the slack of losing the custodial contract and they have refused to have a decreased level of service in this area. • Board of Elections This was on page 7-1. The total expenditure budget is $445,000, which is a decrease of approximately $185,000. Most of this is attributed to only having one election in 2010-11. It includes reducing one-stop voting from four locations to two locations. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the Elections Director would be opposed to having four one-stop voting locations if there was enough money and Tracy Reams said no. • County Attorney This is a new department. Last October, the Board hired a County Attorney. There are only a few changes since then. The Civil Rights Specialist moved from the County Manager's Office to the County Attorney's office. There were no questions. • Emergency Services This was on page 16-1. The total expenditure budget is $6.6 million, which is an increase of $400,000. This is a very large department and budgeting 100% salaries has an impact on the total budget, including the increase in the retirement leave percentage. These two items alone account for$220,000 of the $400,000 increase. There has been some reorganization in the department. The department has reclassified vacant Deputy EMS Director positions and Staff Officer positions to six FTE positions for paramedics. There are some decreases in non-permanent personnel, training, and telephone expenses. There are some increases in the contract service line item, mostly related to the Code Red notification system. He continued going through the various increases. Frank Clifton said that the State is proposing legislation that will modify how 9-1-1 is used. It can only be applied to receiving the call and not sending a dispatch. The State has reduced the amount of the fee, so there may not be a huge amount of money available. Secondly, there is nothing budgeted to increase communication services and he believes it is time to open up discussions with the towns about assuming some of these costs. He said that improving EMS is going to be a long-term, phased issue. Commissioner Pelissier asked about the times when no ambulances would be available, as projected, and why this would increase substantially. Emergency Services Director Frank Montes de Oca said that the numbers of calls will continue to go up, so this balances up the number that he would like to go down. Also, it takes awhile to hire paramedics. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the structure fires doubling and what this means and Frank Montes de Oca said that they need to do a better job of fire prevention education and outreach. Frank Clifton said that the Planning department is now doing fire inspections with certified inspectors. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to response times and Kim Woodward said that this means 90% of the time and it is an average. The response times in the northern end of the County are actually longer. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would be interested in seeing information on response times in various areas of the County because it is misleading when you look at the average. Frank Clifton said that this is a reporting process that is used statewide. Commissioner Nelson left at 10:05 p.m. • Housing and Community Development This was on page 21-1. Staff summarized this information. Regarding the Homelessness Partnership Program with the towns of Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro, there is a surplus of funds from prior years and the County will not contribute to this in 2010-11. Commissioner Jacobs thanked the Manager and Tara Fikes for the continued support of the Urgent Repair Program. Commissioner Jacobs said that there was going to be discussion about the renaming of this department and Tara Fikes said that there is a proposal coming forth soon. • Human Resources This was on page 22-1. This has a budget of $683,000, which is a reduction of $118,000 from last year. There are some changes in service delivery (elimination of the vacant Policy and Compliance Officer, reduction of countywide operations in temporary employment funding, and a reduction in the advertising budget). No questions. • Information Technologies This was on page 23-1. This has a budget of $1.9 million, which is an increase of $170,000. This includes holding vacant for six months a Systems Analyst, which is a savings of $23,000. There are decreases in overtime and telephone costs. The increases are attributed to annual maintenance in software support and other items. Commissioner Gordon asked about the IT Strategic Plan and Chief Information Officer Todd Jones said that a lot of the plan is looking forward to the next five years. • Social Services This was on page 32-1. This is the largest department. The total budget is $18.4 million, but $12.2 million is state and federal reimbursements. One of the biggest changes this year is a loss of $1 million and a piece of it was due to the current budget containing additional revenues, but not the expenditures, from the State in one-time reimbursement fees from the Hillsborough Commons purchase. There has also been reorganization and there are eight positions that will be eliminated through retirement promotion or reassignments. He continued to summarize the reductions. Social Services Director Nancy Coston said that the eight positions being eliminated will have an impact on services, but she tried to minimize the impact as much as possible. Commissioner Pelissier asked about the child care subsidies that were reduced about $800,000 and she asked how this would affect the services. Nancy Coston said that in the past there has been a federal allocation and there is no impact. This year, she does not know what the County will have for this. If there is not more money, then some children will have to be taken off the list. Social Services Director Nancy Coston said that the eight positions being eliminated will have an impact on services, but she tried to minimize the impact as much as possible. Commissioner Pelissier asked about the child care subsidies that were reduced about $800,000 and she asked how this would affect the services. Nancy Coston said that in the past there has been a federal allocation and there is no impact. This year, she does not know what the County will have for this. If there is not more money, then some children will have to be taken off the list. • Tax Administration This was on page 34-1. The total expenditure for this department is $2.2 million. This is a decrease of $80,000. There has been reorganization within the Tax Assessor and Revenue departments to form this one department. This did eliminate some vacant positions for a total of $100,000. Also, two vacant positions will be held vacant for six months. Staff continued to summarize the information on reductions. Commissioner Yuhasz said that there was discussion about increasing the Equalization and Review Board from 3 to 5 members and he asked if this would affect the budget and Jo Roberson said that in a revaluation year it could have substantial implications. In a normal year, it would not have substantial implications. Commissioner Jacobs asked to flag for the future having the Manager and staff bring back an analysis of having revaluations more often than every four years. Frank Clifton made reference to the information distributed about the adjustments made to the final budget action entitled, "Listing of Budget Additional Information Items to be included in the FY 2010-11 Budget", and he went through the list of changes. A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to adjourn the meeting at 10:38 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Valerie Foushee, Chair Donna S. Baker, CMC Clerk to the Board