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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-17-2006-7cORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 17, 2006 Action Agenda Item No. ']-~ SUBJECT: ABC Board Report DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners & PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No County Manager ATTACHMENT (S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Rod Visser, 245-2130 1012/06 Letter to ABC General Manager Information Provided by ABC General Manager PURPOSE: To receive a report on ABC operations in Orange County from Dan Sykes, the General Manager for ABC in Orange County, and to provide any comments or questions to Mr. Sykes. __BACKGROUND: Based on a request by the Board, a letter (attached) was sent to Orange County ABC General Manager Dan Sykes with an invitation to attend the Board of Commissioners' regular meeting on October 17, 2006 to provide a presentation and general .update on ABC operations in Orange County. The letter noted that the Board was interested in information regarding ABC's total gross sales, total profits, and total disbursements. The Board's interest in learning, about ABC's use of technology and any efforts to determine the general residence location of ABC customers, possibly via their zip code, was also included. Mr. Sykes has responded favorably to the County's invitation to attend the meeting and will provide a brief presentation on ABC Board activities and operations and respond to any questions. In preparation for the meeting, Mr. Sykes has also provided background materials which are attached. FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the presentation and to provide any questions or comments to Mr. Sykes. , Orange County Hillsborough North Carolina .Manager's Office October 2, 2006 Mr. Daniel W. Sykes, General Manager Orange County ABC Board 122 Highway 70 East Hillsborough; NC 27278 Dear Mr. Sykes: Established 1752 At the request of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, I am writing to extend an invitation to you to attend the Board of Commissioners' regular meeting on October 17, 2006 to provide a presentation and general update on ABG operations in Orange County. Areas of specific interest that have been noted by Board members include ABC's tatal gross sales, total profits, and total disbursements. Comsnissianers have also expressed an interest in learning about ABC's use of technology and any efforts to determine the general residence location of ABC customers, possibly via their.zip code. The Board's October 17`h meeting is at the Southern Human Services Center at 2501 Homestead Road 9n Chapel Hill. Please let me know if this date is convenient with your schedule. If so, it would also be helpful if you could provide any supporting materials for your presentation by Monday, October 9, 2006 so that we can distribute them to the Board ahead of the meeting. - Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, ~~ Rod Visser Interim County Manager cc: Tom Heffner,.ABC Board Chair 200 S Cameron Street ~ PO Box 8181 ~ Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2300 - Fax: (919) 644-3004 Agenda Item ~'G -Special Presentations ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' MEETING Orange County ABC Board Presentation Presenter: Dan Sykes, General Manager of the Orange County ABC Board 7:30 PM, Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Location: Courthouse, Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill • Overview: o The five-member Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is appointed by the BOCC. o The ABC Board's specific responsibilities and regulations regarding operation of the ABC System are mandated by NC General Statutes and rules of the North Carolina ABC Commission. o My job, as the General Manager, is primarily to oversee the day-to-day operations of the ABC System. ® Operations: o Facilities: ^ ABC stores: seven retail stores and one "Liquor-by-the-Drink" (LBD) store; which services ABC permittees such as restaurants, hotels, bars, etc. ^ Warehouse/Main Office Complex (Hillsborough). o Personnel Head-count: ^ Full-time employees - 28 (an increase of two since March, 2005). ^ Part-time employees -varies by season from 9 -11. o Prices are uniformly established statewide by NC ABC Commission. Statement of ABC Board's Mission The Orange County ABC Board is an independent political subdivision of the State of North Carolina that purchases, distributes, controls and sells spirituous beverages to the eligible citizens of, and visitors to, this County. This is accomplished consistently with the applicable laws of North Carolina and rules of the NC ABC Commission. Our united goal is to achieve a balance in four important areas: o providing the highest level of customer service, o maintaining a dedicated workforce, o contributing net profits to designated Orange County systems, and, o maintaining sufficient working capital for expansion and improvements. BOCC Meeting 10/17/2006 Page 1 of 7 pages Agenda Item -Special Presentations ® Accomplishments in the last 12 months o The Board's single most important accomplishment in the last 12 months was up-fitting and opening an additional ABC store in Meadowmont Village on August 4, 2006. o Other important accomplishments were: ^ Distributing net profits of over $568k last fiscal year (FY05/06). [$90k to the City and County schools' systems, $78k to the Sheriff's Department and the Chapel Hill Police Department, and $400k to the Orange County General Fund.] ^ The School distribution is prorated based on the number of projected students as determined by the respective school system. School System Projected Students $ Per Student $ Distribution Chapel HiIllCarrboro 10,824 $ 5.06 54,769 Orange 7,013 $ 5.06 35,486 Total 17,837 $ 90,255 ® Required Distribution = 7% ($57k) or $ 3.19 per student ^ For Law Enforcement, the minimum distribution requirement was 5% (or $44.Sk). The actual distribution was $78k or (8.8%). ^ General Fund: In addition to the $400k paid to the General Fund an additional $43k was paid for retired employee health insurance benefits. ^ Collecting and paying-out over $2.4 million in total taxes which were related to gross sales in last fiscal year. ^ State Excise and sales taxes $2.000k ^ Mixed Beverage $ 362k ^ Rehabilitation $ 38k Total taxes based on gross sales $2,400k Budgeting distributions of net profits for the current fiscal year (FY06/07) to be over: $589k. [$96k for the public school systems, and $93k for law enforcement and $400k for the Orange County General Fund,]. ® School distribution is prorated based on the number of projected students as projected by the respective school system. BOCC Meeting 10/17/2006 Page 2 of 7 pages Agenda Item -Special Presentations School System Projected Students $ Per Student $ Distribution Chapel HiIIlCarrboro 11,200 $ 5.31 59,472 Orange 6,806 $ 5.31 36,140 Total 18,006 $ 95,612 Required Distribution & actual distributions will not be computed until the actual results financial are known after year-end. ® Law Enforcement: Sheriff's Department $84k and Chapel Hill Police Department $9k for a total of $93k. Minimum requirement, 5% (or approx $41k). o General Fund: $400k plus $491c in retired employee health insurance benefits. ^ The Board established a policy in August 2005 to provide education and rehabilitation distributions solely to Orange County Public School Systems. In cooperation with the "Coalition for Drug-and-Alcohol-Free Teenagers", the Board printed the following message on a year's supply of paper bags used in the retail stores: YOU Can STOP Underage Drinking * Don't Allow Underage Drinking in Your Home. * Report Underage Drinking to Law Enforcement. Surveyed Mixed Beverage Permittees (Restaurants/HotelsBars) to ensure they are receiving the services they expect and to determine means for improvements. Survey results revealed that customer satisfaction was well above average. Also, as a result of the survey, the hours of operation of the Carrboro distribution center were extended an additional two hours in the afternoon to allow later pick-ups. Created an employee training program for retail employees: primary objective was comprehensive training. This is now and ongoing procedure. ^ Sponsored several training classes which were taught by NC ABC Commission education instructors. One class was for ABC store personnel and the other three classes were for ABC permittees (restaurant employees). BOCC Meeting 10/17/2006 Page 3 of 7 pages Agenda Item -Special Presentations A comprehensive review ofpoint-of--sale and inventory software & hardware providers was performed by the staff. As a result, updated software and hardware was purchased for all stores. Also, DSL was installed in all stores to process credit cards faster and to enhance computer communications. In addition, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) will subsequently be developed to disseminate information to all facilities. ^ Comprehensive review of the current banking situation. All banks in the area were considered but in the end SunTrust was the preferred banker. ^ Review of credit card processors; the primary objective was to reduce bankcard expenses and this was accomplished. ® Threats: The threat of privatization of the sale of spirituous beverages appears to be an ongoing concern. It seems that every two years or so a bill is presented to study the current system's method of the sale of spirituous beverages. To deter privatization, the Board plans to provide attractive and well-lighted stores in convenient locations, provide excellent customer service, and also to provide the best selection of products in the area. • Activities in Progress: o Completion of aster-friendly employee handbook: primary objective is to facilitate its reading. (Completion was due earlier; the delay is because new policies are pending.) o Review facilities for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Primary objective is to make facilities compliant. (Completion was due earlier but was delayed pending a thorough review of modernization required to certain stores.) o Gift Card Program: Measures have been taken to make gift cards available in ABC stores. Rollout is projected for mid-to-late November. o The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASH) introduced a standard which requires government entities to estimate and provide funding for promises made for "Post-employment Benefit Plan other than Pension Plans". The ABC Board is responsible for health insurance benefits of employees retiring through the Local Government Employee Retirement System (LGERS) with 15 or more years of service. Employee data retiree data has been forwarded to an actuary for an estimate of the net-present-value of the future liability. In theory, a trust (or similar) will subsequently be established to provide assets to offset this un-funded liability. The annual funding amount will be based on several variables so BOCC Meeting 10/17/2006 Page 4 of 7 pages Agenda Item -Special Presentations the annual affect on net income is unavailable at this time. o Internal controls are being analyzed to ensure policies and procedures are in place to assure management and the NC ABC Commission that internal controls are reasonably adequate. Several policies have been added recently such as "Code of Business Ethics" and "Whistleblower" policies. Additional policies are in the draft stages. o A study of the Board pay and benefits is currently underway to determine how the Board's compensation package compares to the County's and also to other ABC Boards. o Emerging issues that the Board has identified and are currently addressing: o The Board recognizes the need to carefully monitor the locational and functional issues regarding the Board's physical facilities. o Major issues regarding the facilities are the age, location and method of ownership (lease vs. ownership). This issue, as well as the possibility of opening new locations, continues to be of primary interest. o A warehouse & main office complex is needed to replace the current facility. The current warehouse/office complex which was built in 1959 and has been expanded and renovated several times. Remaining land is insufficient for additional expansion. o The Board has leased its stores in Chapel Hill since its inception in 1959. One facility's lease expires in two years and the Board would prefer to purchase land and build (or purchase a suitable building to up-fit). o New residential and commercial construction in the southern part of Hillsborough indicates that an additional ABC store will soon be needed to accommodate the added population. o Several stores owned by the system (Hillsborough, Mebane, Eno) were built in the seventies and require modernization. ® Activities to be Accomplished within the Next 18 Months: o Complete activities in progress (above). o Concentrate on real estate issues mentioned above. o As a recurring Board items, the Board normally reviews the status of projects- in-progress at the December Board meeting; then discusses and develops additional goals/objectives, and sets priorities. BOCC Meeting 10/17/2006 Page 5 of 7 pages Agenda Item -Special Presentations • Financial Standing: o Available Cash and certificates of deposit (as of 6/30/2006 -does not include reserve for retired employees health insurance) _ $1.4 million. o Working capital as of 6/30/2006 was $1.86 million, which was above the minimum requirement, but about 50% less than the maximum allowed by NC ABC Commission Rule .0902. (Amount allowed was $3.7 million -See Note 8 to F/S). o Excess Cash: The reason for the accumulated cash is to fmance future expansion, replacement of leased facilities, and modernization of certain existing facilities as discussed above. Cash will start being disbursed shortly after suitable real estate is located and purchase is approved. o Income Statement Information: ^ Overview: Comparative Income Statements - FY02/03 through FY06/07 -See Attachment "A" -Spreadsheet. This sheet provides trend analysis information for afive-year period. ^ Sales - FY02/03 - FY06/07 - (Attachment "B" -Graph). This graph depicts the types of sales and increases. • Sales are normally broken down between retail customers and ABC permittees (often referred to as "Mixed Beverage" or "Liquor-By-The-Drink" customers. • Sales have increased substantially for the period presented. -- ^ Breakdown of Sales Dollars: Taxes, Cost-of--Sales & Gross Profit - FY02/03 - FY06/07 (Attachment "C" -Graph). "Sales" minus "Taxes &Cost-of-Sales" equals "Gross Profit". Gross profit refers to the funds left, after paying for the product and related taxes, • to pay bills, • make distributions, and • to re-invest in the enterprise (buy equipment, real estate, etc.). The "Gross Profit %" has remained virtually constant over the last several years. ^ Breakdown of Gross Profits: Gross Profits, Operating Expenses, and Operating Income - FY02/03 through FY06/07 - (Attachment "D" - Graph). "Gross Profits" less Operating Expenses equals Operating Income. ^ Non-Operating Income (primarily interest income) is added to Operating Income to provide "Net Income Before Distributions". This is a one-line entry on Attachment "A". A graph is not provided. BOCC Meeting 10/17/2006 Page 6 of 7 pages Agenda Item -Special Presentations Distributions - FY02/03 - FY06/07 - (Attachment "E" -Graph). Although, distributions to the General Fund have remained constant for several years, payments to other County-related beneficiaries have increased substantially. Distributions Plus Retiree Health Insurance Expenses - FY02/03 - FY06/07 (Attachment "F" -Graph). In earlier years, the BOCC and the ABC Board resolved to reduce the County's Distribution by Retiree Health Insurance Expenses; however, this is not depicted as such on the fmancial statements, because it is a non-cash transaction. This graph includes Distributions Plus Retiree Health Insurance Expenses. Using computer technology to capture customers' zip code information. o Currently, no customer information is collected. However, according to our point-of--sale software supplier; this technology can be made available if needed. However, according to the software supplier, there has been no demand from other ABC Boards for this option. o In the retail industry, customer's demographic information is captured to: ^ Target advertising information (such as mailers, radio ads, etc). ® Target geographical areas for future locations. o Questions regarding obtaining customer information: ® Will customers be willing to provide information without being irritated? Several ABC store managers that I discussed this with stated that their customers are unwilling to provide personal information of any type. Therefore, asking for a zip code may irritate some customers to the point they will customers to shop in another county. ^ Will collection by zip codes yield useful information since there are so few zip codes in the geographic area? ® Are there other methods already in-place to obtain reliable information on retail purchases? ® Who will interpret the information and how will the data be used? ® Is the information needed on a continuous basis or can random sampling be used on a periodic basis to produce similar inferences? o Answers to these questions, will enable the ABC Board to determine the importance of capturing the information; and if so, the answers will also assist the Board in prioritizing the implementation. BOCC Meeting 10/1'7/2006 Page 7 of 7 pages O ~' <L M O N O .~ C N -a ~ CD ~ ~ U ~ ~j Q U ~ ~ C (] tll o ? -~ U ~ -a n. OUo`_ '~ i` U ~ N CO ~O ~ ~ t.t_ CO O Q 1.. 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