HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05-24-2012 APPROVED 9/6/2012
MINUTES
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
BUDGET WORK SESSION
May 24, 2012
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on
Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the DSS Offices, Hillsborough Commons,
Hillsborough, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Bernadette Pelissier and Commissioners
Valerie Foushee, Alice M. Gordon, Barry Jacobs, Pam Hemminger, Earl McKee and Steve
Yuhasz
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Managers
Gwen Harvey and Michael Talbert and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff
members will be identified appropriately below)
NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT
AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
Chair Pelissier said that Commissioner Hemminger would be about an hour late.
1. Durham Technical Community College
Dr. Bill Ingram said that Durham Tech is asking for less money this year. Last year's
total appropriation last year was $600,521. This year's total request is $569,450, which
reflects the cost for operating the Orange County campus. It does reflect a potential increase
of 3% for those 2-3 employees that specifically are funded through Orange County. If the
state gives an increase for State employees — page 107 —then they would give money back
for these salary increases. He said that they are putting forward a reduction of$40,000 this
year and they have experienced a 10% decrease of students at the Orange County campus
this past year. He said that DTCC will be doubling their course offerings next year at the
Orange County campus.
Orange County Schools- School Board Chair ponna Coffey, Vice Chair Steve Halkiotis, and
Superintendent Patrick Rhodes
Superintendent Rhodes said that the OCS has requested an increase of$220 per
student and they will be appropriating monies from their fund balance as well. There is a
shortfall of$4.4 million for FY 2012-13. This is from the Federal loss of 50 jobs and the
Foreign Language Assistance Program to the tune of$1.6 million and a projected State
reversion of$2.5 million.
Donna Coffey said that if there was ever a time to put aside the formula for funding
schools, this is the time. She asked the County Commissioners to step outside the funding
target and look at the true needs. She said that OCS has not asked for a per-pupil increase
for three years. Also, this year's funding recommendation from the Manager is the lowest
percentage of the General Fund allocation since 1995. She said that OCS has done the best
that it can do with the funding, but there are state and federal budget cuts and more children
coming in. OCS has been asked by the County Manager to use its fund balance to pay
teacher salaries, but the current budget proposal already appropriates $1.4 million for next
year out of the fund balance. If an additional $2.1 million is appropriated, the reserves will fall
to about $1.2 million. She said that asking them to use 75% of their fund balance in one year
is not a good idea and it is counter to the current fund balance policy. She said that the
County Commissioners are the schools' last hope and she trusts them to do the right thing and
invest in the children.
Vice Chair Steve Halkiotis said that in 1986 he attended the Institute of Government's
class on how to be a responsible County Commissioner. He read the section on public
education from this class. He said that the one thing the County Commissioners and Board of
Education have in common is that they are all part of the party that cares for the people. He
asked the County Commissioners to not do politics on the backs of the children of Orange
County. He said that the OCS Board does this because they do it for a higher purpose —the
children.
Commissioner McKee said that he had asked at the two public hearings about the
money that will not be spent on the revaluation and he asked Financial Services Director
Clarence Grier about the total amount of savings, and it was $350,000. He asked if this could
be used toward education. He also said that the County moved radio purchases out of the
five-year CIP. He wants to look at all avenues of savings.
Commissioner Gordon said that the County Commissioners will do the best that they
can for both school systems.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to a document from the public school forum and
actual effort and relative effort by each County in North Carolina to fund schools. He brought
copies for each board and staff. This is through 2010, and Orange County was still in the top
three in the state. He thinks that the County has a proud tradition of supporting the schools.
He said that he has some questions about the abstract in the section. He found this very
confusing. He pointed out some discrepancies in the percentages —48.1% and 47.2%. He
wants to be clear what fair funding is.
Clarence Grier said that the 48.1% is based on the current expense, recurring capital,
debt service, fair funding, and long-range pay-as-you-go capital. There are some non-
mandated services such as school nurses, social workers, and school resource officers that
total about $1.9 million. This equals 48.2% of the general fund budget. The fair funding has
always been $988,000.
Commissioner Jacobs said that he thought that the fair funding allocation was
supposed to go to nurses, social workers, and resource officers.
Paul Laughton in the Financial Services office said that the County gets invoiced from
the school systems for the fair funding. It is sometimes on a quarterly basis.
Frank Clifton said that the problem is that OCS has asked for so much more than
CHCCS and the County cannot fully fund one and not the other. He said that the real issue is
that he does not believe that the County Commissioners should fund those requests without
creating new revenue. If it is done out of the County's fund balance, that will impact the
County negatively. He said that both school systems have fund balances that exceed the fund
balance policy. He said that CHCCS can do certain things that OCS cannot because of the
district tax. Orange County citizens have rejected a proposed district tax. He said that there is
no desire to keep the school systems from getting money that they need. However, there is a
fund balance policy, and there is room in the fund balance.
Commissioner Foushee said that the County Commissioners understand the school
systems' challenges and will do what they can.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the fund balance document and asked for
someone to walk them through it.
Clarence Grier explained the document.
ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOLS FUND
BALANCE CALCULATION
OCS Fund Balance 6/30/2011 �4,875,245
Fund Balance percentage per Board
policy
of Original Budgeted GF local expenditures
(minimum) 3.00%
(FY2012
Original General Fund Budget ) $23,989,85
Calculated minimum amount of fund balance° $719,696
Excess Fund°
Balance $4,155,549
FY2012-13 Increase in budget per pupil ($220.00)' $220.00
FY2012-13 Estimated Enrollment' 7,585
Requested increase in funding' $2,127,796
Proposed FY2012-13 Budget Appropriated Fund
Balance $1,431,698
Excess/(Shortage) Fund Balance remaining if OCS funded their
requested increasee
596 055
Total Unassigned Fund Balance (Footnotes C + E) $1,315,751
Orange County Schools would be over the minimum allowed fund balance by $596,055.
Note 1 - Formula for Funding the Increase in Per
Pupil
Base Per Pupil Pupil
Increase
Pupillncrease x Allocation = BaseA
148 $ 3,102.00 $459,096
Increase
Total Pupils x Increase = for All Pupilsg
7,585 $ 220.00 $1,668,700
Increase in Funding (Footnotes A + B) $2,127,796
Clarence Grier then explained the CHCCS fund balance calculation sheet.
CHCCS Fund Balance 6/30/2011 $10,328,358
Fund Balance percentage per Board policy
of Original Budgeted GF local expenditures
(minimum) 5.50%
Original General Fund Budget (FY2012) $61,078,312
Calculated minimum amount of fund balance� $3,359,307
Excess Fund
Balance° $6,969,051
�.,.
FY2012-13 Increase in budget per pupil ($67.00)' $67.00
12,
FY2012-13 Estimated Enrollment' 115
Requested increase in funding' $2,086,627
Proposed FY2012-13 Budget Appropriated Fund Balance2 $3,652,913
Excess/(Shortage) Fund Balance remaining if CHCCS funded their
requested
increaseE $1,229,511
Total Unassigned Fund Balance (Footnotes C + E) $4,588,818
CHCCS would be over the minimum allowed fund balance by $1,229,511.
Footnote 1 - Formula for Funding the Increase in Per
Pupil
Base Per Pupil Pupil
Pupil Increase x Allocation = Increase BaseA
411 $ 3,102.00 B $1,274,922
Increase
Total Pupils x Increase = for All Pupilsg
12,115 $ 67.00 A $811,705
Increase in funding (Footnotes A +
B) $2,086,627
Footnote 2 - Reconciliations
* Reconciliation to CHCCS FY 2012-13 Budget * Reconciliation of Excess Fund
Presentation: Balance
Excess Fund �
Fund Balance Amount Per Audit $10,328,358 Balance above $6,969,051
Appropriated Fund Balance FY 2012 $3,652,913 Less: Appropriated Fund Balance $3,652,913
Fund Balance -
CHCCS $6,675,445 Excess Fund Balance per County
Manager's Message $3,316,138
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Funding Scenarios - Per Pupil Funding Above the Manager's Recommmended Budget
2012-13 CHCCS Students 12,115
Current CHCCS Tax Rate (in cents): 18.84
1 Cent Increase Generates: $1,013,877
Proposed Per Pupil Increase
$ $67 $220
Funding Per Pupil 3,102 3,169 3,322
Cost of Per Pupil Increase - 811,705 2,665,300
CHCCS Current Expense $37,580,730 $38,392,435 $40,246,030
District Tax Effect of Per Pupil
Increase - 0.80 2.63
Revised CHCCS Tax Rate (in cents): - 18.04 16.21
Orange County's Cash Flow Activity(General Fund) FY 2011-12
County's Beginning Cash Balance (7/1/2011) $34,723,620
Cash Balance (as of 10/31/11) $13,294,911
Beginning Fund Balance (7/1/2011) $27,782,007
Fund Balance (as of 10/31/11) $6,353,298
Donna Coffey said that Superintendent Rhodes is looking at some examples that could
be hitting OCS in the fall and they may have to use the rest of their fund balance.
Superintendent Rhodes said that his wish is not to come to the Board as a bank. He
said that OCS has built up the fund balance largely by using the State's funding flexibility rules.
This will be greatly restricted this year. He said that there is still the possibility of big payouts to
the charter schools and they have to be prepared for that. He said that there is also a
possibility for a payout for homeschooled students, and that would mean an obligation of
$831,000 from OCS. This is a serious threat to funding. There is also a possibility of a 10%
reduction in Title I funding from the Federal government.
Donna Coffey said that this is a long-term problem and OCS is losing funding for 39
teachers, so if the fund balance is used this year, then next year OCS will be in the same
position asking for more funds.
Chair Pelissier echoed the sentiment of her colleagues and said that these are issues
that are not going to go away. She said that the schools have some of the same budget
drivers as the County does. She said that the County Commissioners need to support the
County employees too because they have not received a raise in three years.
Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools
Superintendent Tom Forcella said that he has only been here one year but he
understands how valuable education is to all. He said that both school systems have a very
collaborative relationship. He said that the schools using their own fund balance makes sense
to him and he sees the fund balance as the rainy day fund. He said that CHCCS has the
same concern as the OCS about the unknowns in the future. He said that he would caution
them all about the use of the local fund balance. They made a lot of choices in their budget
this year and they live in an area with high expectations. He made reference to salaries and
said that there are teachers that are making less money today than they were four years ago
because the costs have gone up but their salaries have not.
CHCCS Board Chair Mia Burroughs said that their board knows the economic recovery
is going to be slow. She said that they planned to spend 40% of the fund balance in one year,
40% the next year, and 20% the third year. She said that last year they spent $2.6 million,
they are budgeting $2.6 million for next year, and the third year is $1.3 million. She said that
she sees vulnerability here since they just asked the citizens to pass the '/4-cent sales tax.
Commissioner Gordon asked Clarence Grier why they would be decreasing the district
tax. Clarence Grier said that if the property tax were increased, the district tax could be
decreased to offset the tax increases that would have to be provided for the OCS. He said
that the County Commissioners would not have to do it, but the staff was just letting them
know what the decrease would be to be neutral.
Commissioner Gordon said that she would not want to see the district tax reduced.
Clarence Grier said that it would not be a loss in revenue if the district tax were reduced
and the property tax were increased.
Commissioner Jacobs thanked the staff and Manager for being so prudent. He said
that staff should have a conservative fiscal outlook, but this is a decision for the Board of
County Commissioners to make and not staff.
Clarence Grier said that the budget analysts will review each department's budget.
2. Sportsplex
Paul Laughton said that this is found on page 244 of the budget document. John Stock
was present to answer questions. Paul Laughton made reference to Attachment#4 that gave
a breakdown of the annual budget. He said that John Stock sent an email out to the Board of
County Commissioners yesterday with an update. He reviewed the budget highlights.
John Stock said that the 6% increase in revenue this year is because of investments
the Board of County Commissioners made in the facility.
Commissioner Jacobs read a note from a citizen thanking the County Commissioners
for taking over the Sportsplex and for doing such a good job.
3. County Departments
• Emergency Services (page 111)
Paul Laughton reviewed the budget highlights. The total expenditure budget for 2012-
13 for Emergency Services is $8.5 million. This is an increase of$565,000 in this year's
original budget. There are positions for next year—four Telecommunicators, six Paramedics,
and one Assistant Fire Marshal. The positions will be staggered.
Commissioner Yuhasz asked if the offsetting revenues were done by division and Paul
Laughton said it is in the line item detail.
Commissioner McKee said that the major capital expenditures would come back in the
fall.
• Sheriff (including Fee Schedule change requests)
Sheriff Pendergrass' budget is on page 217. Paul Laughton said that the overall
expenditure budget is $11.2 million, which is a decrease of$90,000. The decrease is related
to the capital outlay and purchasing vehicles out of that outlay. There is an increase in
operations of$80,000. There is also an increase of$42,000 for temporary personnel to
provide additional courtroom security coverage issues.
Paul Laughton made reference to fee schedule changes on page 327. There are
about 6-7 fee schedule changes.
Commissioner McKee asked about a request for 12 patrol cars and that the Manager
recommended six cars. He asked if additional cars could be added mid-year and Frank Clifton
said yes, if funding is available.
Commissioner Hemminger arrived at 8:43 PM.
Sheriff Pendergrass said that if there is some way to increase salaries this year
throughout the County, he would appreciate it because he is losing vital people that are going
to other municipalities for higher salaries.
• Register of Deeds
This was on page 214. Paul Laughton said that this is pretty much a flat budget. He
said that the economy has affected their revenues and they have reduced revenues next year
of$100,000. The revenues will fall short of the original budget.
• Child Support Enforcement
This was on page 67. Paul Laughton said that this expenditure budget is almost flat
next year. He said that the revenues have decreased about $210,000 from a reduction in
indirect cost-allocation plan for next year. There will also be decreased reimbursements due to
the move to the West Campus.
• County Attorney
This was on page 80. The budget is generally flat and there is a small operational
decrease. Chair Pelissier said that there is a revised organizational chart for this department
at the County Commissioners' places.
John Roberts said that this is still a new department and he moved some line items
around to reflect some changes. He said that the County Commissioners should pay attention
to outcomes, and he reviewed these (collections program, codification of general ordinances,
and no more backlog of closed general accounts).
• Elections
This was on page 63. The total expenditure budget is $557,000. There is a decrease
of$136,000 in this budget because last year there were three elections. There is an increase
in expenditures for voting machine maintenance costs. The capital outlay of$4,700 includes
the purchase of four alert systems for one-stop curbside voters.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there were federal election funds available and it was
answered that these have not been released yet.
Commissioner Foushee asked about the special election by Carrboro and if there was
any preparation for this. It was answered that it would cost about $18,000 and the Town of
Carrboro would be responsible for 100% of this cost.
• Library
This was on page 159. The total expenditures are $1.7 million, which is an increase of
$30,414. It is noted that the Hyconeechee Regional Library System will dissolve. Due to this,
there has been an increase in costs. Also, the funding for the Chapel Hill Library, which totals
$399,984, can be found on page 180 in the non-departmental section. This is 24% of the
expenditures.
Library Services Director Lucinda Munger said that on July 1St the dissolution will take
place of the Hyconeechee Regional Library system. For the first time, the library system will
be known as the Orange County Public Library and not as the Hyconeechee Regional Public
Library. The total items circulated for the fiscal year is about to surpass 400,000. This does
include e-books.
Commissioner McKee asked how the book drop was working and Lucinda Munger said
that citizens have been learning that this space is for book drops only.
Commissioner Jacobs asked about the status of providing library services for people in
northern Orange who were served by the Cedar Grove Library. Lucinda Munger said that
there seems to be an increase in circulation from this portion of the County. This will be
addressed in the strategic plan that the County will commence with UNC-Greensboro. The
strategic plan will be funded with federal funds.
Commissioner Jacobs asked for information about how much it would cost to be open
for 68 hours per week like the Chapel Hill Library is.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the e-Newsletter program and asked that the
County Commissioners be put on this. Lucinda Munger said that she thought they were on the
list, but she will check.
Commissioner Hemminger said that she wants the document to show that the County
Commissioners increased the contribution to Chapel Hill Library last year and not just this year.
Clarence Grier said that he will make a note in the budget.
Commissioner Yuhasz said that the County is looking at an increase of the Orange
County Library budget of$30,414. He thought that the amount of the Chapel Hill increase was
to be limited to the amount of the County increase.
Frank Clifton said that they separate out the proposed increase in employee
compensation for non-departmental until the Board decides. Once the Board decides on the
compensation, the library salary line items will be addressed.
Commissioner Foushee suggested not changing the numbers and just putting in a
footnote. She does not want to change from the standard.
Commissioner Gordon said that there should be cross references where there are
financial commitments made.
Commissioner Hemminger asked how many Kindles there were and Lucinda Munger
said 20. There is a small waiting list at all times.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the three-year strategic plan and the
southwest branch library and that it would be obsolete. He asked if the strategic plan would
look at the future of library service and how that will fit.
Lucinda Munger said that the consultant will be assisting staff to address this issue.
• Solid Waste (including Fee Schedule change requests)
This was on page 234. The expenditure totals are $14.9 million, which is an increase
of$2.6 million. Much of the increase is due to landfill closure costs. Also, the general fund
contribution to sanitation is almost $1.6 million, which is a slight decrease of$23,600 from the
prior year. The recycling division saw some decreases in curbside and food waste composting
contractual agreements and there will be some improvements at the High Rock Road
Convenience Center with a target completion date of July 2013. There are some fee schedule
changes on page 239.
Solid Waste Director Gayle Wilson said that this next year will be the last year of
revenue received for the jointly owned portion of the Greene Tract. The County, Carrboro, and
Chapel Hill will make the last payment in 2012-13. He said that Orange County again leads
the State in waste reduction, but the percentage remains at 56%.
Commissioner Jacobs asked about citizens paying for and getting less of a full serving
of mulch because the full scoop is too much for some vehicles. Gayle Wilson will look into
this.
Commissioner McKee suggested delaying the next Solid Waste Convenience Center
(SWCC) upgrade until the Walnut Grove Church Road site is up and running.
Gayle Wilson said that there will be a gap between the completion of the Walnut Grove
site and construction on the next site. The timing is up to the Board.
Commissioner Hemminger asked about the estimated costs for cleaning up the small
illegal dump sites and Frank Clifton said that it is in a reserve fund in the amount of$50,000.
There is also a line item in the budget for Rogers Road mediation.
• Tax Administration
This was on page 245. The total budget is $2.4 million, which is an increase of
$83,000 over this year. There are a couple of positions for next year. Approximately $180,000
needs to be kept in the revaluation fund budget for next year. The $350,000 savings is coming
from a transfer from the General Fund.
Tax Administrator Jenks Crayton spoke about the software that was giving lots of
problems. He thinks that the company will remedy the shortcomings. Property taxation is a
moving target and things have to be changed a lot.
• Information Technologies
This was on page 156. The total expenditure budget is $2.2 million. This is an
increase of$87,000. There is an increase in operations of$68,000, which is due to an
increase of$13,000 for software and licensing fees and an increase of$60,000 for new
applications that have been implemented.
Chief Information Officer Todd Jones said that this budget is similar to the current fiscal
year. There are also some standards for managing credit card data and costs associated with
that.
Frank Clifton said that UNC is doing the Information Technology Strategic Plan and that
it will probably come through this fall.
Commissioner Yuhasz asked about the taxation software and if Todd Jones had any
comment on its reliability.
Todd Jones said that North Carolina taxation law is very different from other states, so
the market for software that can operate well in North Carolina is very small. He thinks that the
decision that was made at the time was based on the information that they had. He still feels
that this was the best decision that could have been made. It is the same software used by
Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, and ten to fifteen other counties. He is working to make sure
the shortcomings are addressed.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the County had any leverage to correct the unreliable
software. She said that this is unacceptable.
Todd Jones said that the software is owned by the NCACC, so this is not a traditional
private vendor. The maintenance and enhancements are managed by a private firm.
Commissioner Gordon asked that this be pursued aggressively.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to page 26 in the CIP, where it says that capital
outlay is $0, but there is another whole part of the budget where there is almost $1 million. He
said that this year's budget is almost double last year's.
Todd Jones said that the difference is that there is $250,000 for the ILS system for the
library and an extra $200,000 to upgrade the older systems to Windows 7, etc. There are still
450 machines that have older software.
Commissioner Jacobs said that he is not comfortable with moving forward with the
Information Technology requests when there is not an Information Technology strategic plan.
Commissioner Gordon said that she wants to push the NCACC about this software
unreliability.
Commissioner Foushee said that this has been high on NCACC's agenda for the past
year.
Commissioner Yuhasz said that the County Commissioners need to get a better sense
of what this issue is regarding the reliability of the software.
• Board of County Commissioners
This was on page 59. The total expenditure budget is $677,431, which is an increase
of$80,000. There are three things contributing to the increase — contract for codification,
which is the UDO compilation that is $25,000; a proposal for a contract for Sound Advice,
which is audio and visual support for up to 70 meetings, which totals $37,450; and there are a
few additions in the line items, specifically related to operations.
Clerk to the Board Donna Baker clarified the contract for Sound Advice. She asked the
County Commissioners to please consider web-streaming all meetings. This would cost about
$60,000 and it is not in the recommended budget, but she would like the Board to consider
this.
Commissioner Yuhasz said that he thinks all meetings should be web-streamed.
Donna Baker said that she got an estimate to upgrade this room for technology and it
was approximately $80,000.
Commissioner Jacobs suggested phasing it in and doing the most important meetings
first.
• Planning and Inspections and Orange Public Transportation with Efland Sewer
(including Fee Schedule change requests)
Frank Clifton said that Planning Director Craig Benedict has taken on a lot of
responsibilities this past year.
This was on page 200. Planning and Inspections and Efland Sewer are within the
same pages. Planning and Inspections expenditures increased by $35,000 this year and the
majority of that increase is due to an additional proposed new position, 0.5 FTE in the Planning
Department and the other 0.5 FTE in the Health Department to help with the central permitting
process. The fee change for the Efland Sewer is on page 329. There is a proposal to modify
the rate structure for the sewer system to match the City of Mebane. For a revenue neutral
rate, it would be $13.20 per 1,000 gallons.
Craig Benedict said that the property development specialist position will help them
move forward with customer service where a person can answer questions in environmental,
well and septic, zoning, erosion control, billing, etc. This position will be cross-trained and will
help with economic development also. He said that the operational expenses are a little higher
this year due to putting more funding into code enforcement.
Commissioner Jacobs asked about the agreement with Mebane. He said that the rate
is going to be higher than the out-of-town rate and he asked if Mebane would be content not to
annex in exchange.
Craig Benedict said that the revenue that Mebane would get under the system would
be equal to the standard program for out-of-town rates.
Commissioner Jacobs asked about joint planning with Mebane.
Craig Benedict said that the subjects are being broached and he can meet with some
representatives and work on this before meeting with Mebane again.
Commissioner Yuhasz said that it would be appropriate to see what Mebane's land use
vision is before trying to mesh an unknown plan with the County's at this point. He suggested
waiting to see what Mebane comes up with.
Craig Benedict said that he is in contact with the City of Mebane and their consultant to
let them know that Orange County does have a land use plan. It does not seem that Mebane
has any problem with what Orange County is suggesting from Efland west.
The Board agreed to continue the meeting at 10:32 PM.
Lisa Henty gave some budget highlights on page 188 for OPT. Page 312 has the
proposed fee changes. Expenditures did rise slightly by about $68,000. Part of that is a
request for an additional $23,000 for flex drivers. Another large increase is in the motor pool
costs, which is about $17,000. There is also capital outlay of$7,000 for NCDOT reporting.
Commissioner Gordon said that the County needs to do a better accounting of OPT's
costs.
• County Manager
This was on page 83. The budget totals $824,000 and is an increase of$111,000,
which is associated with the Public Information Officer position as well as operational items
such as travel, training, and expenses.
Greg Wilder said that the Manager's budget as originally requested is a decrease of
$8,502.
Commissioner Jacobs said that there will be three Assistant County Managers and one
County Manager and only three people they will be supervising. He said that he would like the
third Assistant Manager position up for a vote on a future agenda.
Frank Clifton said that Commissioner Jacobs is correct and there have not been three
Assistant Managers in the past, but in the past there were more department heads. He said
that more responsibility is being moved to Clarence Grier and two of the Assistant Managers in
the County Manager's budget. Clarence Grier will be in the Financial Services budget. They
also have eliminated the Asset Management Position (AMS) director position.
Commissioner Jacobs said that this should be articulated outside of the budget
process.
Commissioner Gordon agreed with Commissioner Jacobs to put it on an agenda.
No other Board members wanted to vote on this item outside of the budget process.
• Financial Services
This was on page 121. The total budget is $3.1 million, which is an increase of$2.1
million. The majority of this increase comes from the risk management function coming under
financial services next fiscal year. There is also a request for the Risk Manager position that is
a new position but coming under the retirement of the current director as well as a position for
an accountant/internal auditor, which will be responsible for the reporting process for the grant
funding for the entire County.
A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner
Foushee to adjourn the meeting at 10:47 PM.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Bernadette Pelissier, Chair
Donna S. Baker, CMC
Clerk to the Board