HomeMy WebLinkAboutExecutive Committee - Minutes - 8/10/2004L:\COMMITTEES AND BOARDS\EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE\2004\Exec Minutes 081004.doc
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BAYFIELD COUNTY
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Minutes, August 10, 2004
Bayfield County Board Room
Members Present: Kenneth Jardine, John Blahnik, Brett Rondeau, Harold Maki, Verne Gilles,
Neil Paulson
Members Absent: None
Others Present: Mark Abeles-Allison, Kris Kavajecz, Thomas Gordon, Steve Apfelbacher, Dee
Kittleson, Bill Kacvinsky,
Call to Order; Meeting called to order by Chairman Rondeau at 4:02 pm.
Motion Regarding Minutes of the July 20, 2004 Executive Committee Meeting;
Motion by Blahnik , Second by Maki to approve the minutes of the July 20, 2004 meeting as
presented. Motion Carried.
Northern Lights Debt Service Refinance Update. Abeles-Allison introduced Steve
Apfelbacher with Ehler’s & Associates. Mr Apfelbacher provided a background on the Nursing
Home financing. There are currently two bond issues in existence. The nursing home wishes to
refinance the 1997 Series bonds. A preliminary report regarding the refinancing proposal was
provided in the meeting agenda packet. Maki requested clarification of the amount of the current
debt and how the debt reserve works. Gordon explained that although the county finances the
nursing home, it has always been the intention of the county to turn over the ownership of the
nursing home to the non-profit organization when the debt is satisfied.
Abeles-Allison asked if the General Obligation Debt is also able to be refinanced at the same
time. Apfelbacher will check into this. Apfelbacher also stated that originally, the debt could
only be issued for 20 years.
Motion by Blahnik, second by Gilles to recommend that the nursing home debt refinancing for
the refunding bonds be considered by the full county board at the August Meeting.
Abeles-Allison read portions of a letter received from the Nursing Home Board with specific
wording to be included in the county board resolution.
Motion by Blahnik, second by Gilles to modify the motion to include a provision that upon
payment in full of these bonds and any other additional bonds, the Corporation shall have the
option to purchase the Leased Premises from Bayfield County for the sum of One Dollar ($1.00).
Motion Carried.
Presentation by various Department Heads whose oversight committee is the Executive
Committee regarding proposed 2005 budget and discussion on expenditure reduction and
revenue enhancement topics.
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Abeles-Allison explained that all departments that have the Executive Committee as their
oversight committee were invited to make a presentation to the committee if they wanted to.
Gordon gave a brief update on the requests being made by the County Clerk’s office. Remove
salary for Administrative Coordinator. Include $1000 for equipment for scanner in the elections
budget.
Maki raised a question regarding the countywide budget for computer equipment. Maki
requested a budget figure for all computer related expenses in the county. Abeles-Allison
explained that the majority of all computer related expenses are included in the Information
Services budget.
Blahnik explained that although GHT insurance increase rates have not been determined, some
will be 16%, with a few higher and a few lower. Figures will be available in September.
Kay Cederberg presented information regarding the Clerk of Court and Judge’s budgets.
Handouts regarding the budget narrative and proposed budget figures were provided. Cederberg
feels that the revenue has plateaued. Legal fees are expected to increase due to an increase in
indigent cases. Cederberg expects that legal fees for family services will double due to the
number of cases that fall into this category. Brief discussion was held regarding “mental health”
cases. The Clerk of Court will also be requesting a new line item this year for a data processing
interface with the Sheriff’s Department software program. Mileage, Lodging & Registration line
items will be reduced due to the combination of Register in Probate and Clerk of Court offices. A
Capital Equipment line item request is included for the redesign of the courtroom. Redesign
would be for safety and efficiency purposes. Video conferencing capabilities will also be
considered for the Courtroom. Overall, the budget request will be for about $40,000 more than
the 2004 budget.
Discussion & Possible Action Regarding Accounting Software. Bill Lewis.
Abeles-Allison introduced Bill Lewis and Gail Soulier to provide an overview of the software
programs being considered to replace the current County Clerk’s computer accounting program.
Bill Lewis explained that the county’s mainframe is about 20 years old and runs the tax and
payroll accounting system. The mainframe computer is no longer supported by the manufacturer.
Bayfield County is involved in a 4-county consortium working on a tax database software for the
counties. It is anticipated that the new tax system will be in place by the end of 2006. The
purpose of the discussion today is to talk about the accounting system. Currently, the county uses
IDI. The current vendor has new software available for use on the county’s internal network. In
addition, a demonstration has been viewed for a second software program. Lewis explained that
there is a significant cost difference between the two systems that are being considered. The
significant differences between the two systems were discussed. New World Systems will be
making a presentation on August 25th if any Executive Committee members would like to attend.
Paulson suggested putting together a summary of the two systems to show the pros and cons.
Financial Reports, July 2004 treasurer’s report and mid-year expenditure/revenue report
and capital improvement review.
Abeles-Allison handed out a copy of the YTD Treasurer’s Report and reviewed highlights. The
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total current fund balance is $17,298,175.09.
The committee may move in and out of Executive Session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes
§19.85,(1),(e) (g) for deliberation regarding public property where competitive issues are
involved; forestry land exchange in the Towns of Hughes and Iron River
Motion by Blahnik, second by Gilles to enter executive session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes
19.85(1)(e,g) for deliberation regarding public property where competitive issues are involved;
forestry land exchange in the Towns of Hughes and Iron River and invite Pat St.Germain, Tom
Gazdik, Mary St Germain, Dee Kittleson, Bill Kacvinsky, Mark Abeles-Allison and Kris Kavajecz
to participate. Roll Call Vote: All Yes, Motion Carried.
Motion by Maki, second by Jardine to return to open session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes
19.85(1)(e,g) for deliberation regarding public property where competitive issues are involved;
forestry land exchange in the Towns of Hughes and Iron River. Roll Call Vote: All Yes, Motion
Carried.
Motion by Maki, second by Gilles to conclude this meeting and forward all table all remaining
discussion items to the next meeting. Motion Carried.
Meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm.