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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExecutive Committee - Minutes - 9/20/2004Exec Minutes 092004 Page 1 of 3 Minutes of the BAYFIELD COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Monday, September 20, 2004 Bayfield County Board Room Washburn, WI Members Present: Brett Rondeau, John Blahnik, Kenneth Jardine, Verne Gilles, Neil Paulson Members Excused: Harold Maki Others Present: Mark Abeles-Allison, Thomas Gordon, Bill Kacvinsky, David Good, Scott Fibert, Kris Kavajecz Rondeau called the meeting to order at 10:05 am. Abeles-Allison made opening comments. The proposed budget provides a .32 drop in the mill rate, which equates to a $256,000 increase over the 2004 levy due to increased valuation. Abeles-Allison reported that a 10% increase was budgeted for Health Insurance. The actual increase has been announced at 9.5%. An overview of recent changes to the Health Insurance coverage were discussed. Bayfield County Economic Development Corporation (BCEDC): Abeles-Allison explained that there has been significant change in the BCEDC organization in 2004. Several proposed changes to the BCEDC structure and outreach efforts were discussed. Blahnik expressed strong opposition to the proposed expenditure for BCEDC. Various members provided thoughts on pros and cons to continuing funding to BCEDC. Gordon suggested hosting a summit of all entities with significant input into economic development to determine a strategy going forward. Comment that the county should consider making Economic Development a part of the Bayfield County structure rather than a separate entity. Blahnik requested a show of hands supporting various funding levels. Bruce Lindgren with BCEDC will be invited to meet with the committee on Sept 21 at 10:00am. Cheryl Hanson with the Northern Waters Library Service joined the meeting at this time. Abeles- Allison referred to the pages in the proposed budget that discussed the library request and proposed budget. The library service request was for an approximately 12% increase over 2004. The proposed budget includes a 3% increase, which would mean less than 100% funding, as was the practice in previous years. Hanson suggested that a compromise of a 6.4% increase, or $9,400, could be considered. The proposed 6.4% increase is primarily for the Iron River Library. Their usage has increased significantly. The 6.4% increase would cover increased circulation and not any increase in operating expenses. Kacvinsky left the meeting at this time. Paulson explained that in 2004 the library service received a 44% funding increase. He further explained that it is difficult to approve increases above those allotted to the other entities and departments of the county. Hanson reviewed the proposed distribution of funds to each library. A show of hands indicated that most committee members supported leaving the budget as proposed, at a 3% increase over 2004. Exec Minutes 092004 Page 2 of 3 Zoning: The committee discussed the proposed zoning department budget, which includes rehiring a sanitary code administrator. Abeles-Allison reviewed the YTD monthly zoning department report, which indicates the number and types of various permits and inspections completed. The committee reviewed recent inspection logs from the Zoning Department. Abeles- Allison explained that the summer seasonal assistant and contract septic permit application review are also included in the proposed budget. The new position is proposed to be offset by an increase in rates. Discussion centered around concern regarding enforcement issues. It was stated that enforcement requirements must be incorporated into any new position. Question from Paulson regarding the budget for Part-time and professional services line items and also suggested that several small line items be combined into one line item. Paulson questioned the Repair/Maintenance, education, and overtime line items in the Zoning Department budget. Why budget these items when nothing has been spent in them over the last couple of years. Comment from Paulson that if 80% of the workload in the department is related to permits, then 80% of the cost of the department should be covered by fees. Currently 56% of the cost of the department is covered by fees. Abeles-Allison will add wording to the budget that enforcement will be included as a requirement of the new position. The Zoning Committee will take action to state that enforcement will be included as a significant part of the new position. The committee took a break for lunch from 12:10 until 1:00pm. Criminal Justice Coordinator: Gordon stated that in order to extend the life of the new jail, one promising approach is to be pro-active and look at programming that will prevent or reduce recidivism and will provide alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders. He explained that the Criminal Justice Council has recommended the addition of this position. Discussion regarding the types of programming that could and are currently being offered. Information Services: Abeles-Allison gave an overview of the existing staffing and the computer technology demands in the county system. The committee discussed the budget allocation for the Capital Equipment line item. The committee recommended forming a long- range capital plan for the I/S Department. Accounting Software Upgrade: Good stated that he would like to see some dollars allocated within department budgets for training on the new accounting system. Forestry continues to provide a significant source of revenue for the county. Home Health budget reflects actual costs this year. Paulson stated that he believes there is a lot of overhead for the number of clients served. Jardine expressed concern that ALL citizens of the county must be able to received service before he would consider eliminating the home health program. Fair: Gilles explained that the personnel figures may need to be adjusted in this budget. The committee questioned whether the revenue section was understated. Gilles explained that revenue is understated because the revenue hinges on the weather conditions. Committee felt that it was more appropriate to budget what is anticipated rather than levying what “could” happen. The budget will reflect that the Secretary works for UW Extension 13% of the time and the remainder for the fair. Revenue will be adjusted to more accurately reflect estimated income. Exec Minutes 092004 Page 3 of 3 Register of Deeds: Abeles-Allison reported that the Register of Deeds office requested an additional half-time person. Abeles-Allison felt that an additional person for the summer months, 600 hours, would be sufficient at this point. He reviewed the current fee structure and explained the current conflict that exists where other offices provide the same documents at a lesser cost. Discussion regarding fees took place. Committee suggested that wherever possible, fees should offset the cost of the service being provided. County Clerk: Paulson posed a question to the committee regarding providing Gordon with a lump sum payment upon retirement for sick time accumulated while serving as Administrative Coordinator. This position was in addition to the County Clerk duties. A suggestion was made to clarify the legalities of this issue with Corporation Council. Highway: Abeles-Allison stated that the proposed budget levy for this department will remain the same as 2004. The auditors project a deficit in the 280 fund, which identifies that the county is subsidizing the state operations. Abeles-Allison reviewed the requests of the Highway Department and comments received from the Highway committee relevant to the budget. Interdepartmental Fund: Abeles-Allison reviewed specific line items in the Interdepartmental fund. Specifically: the airport funds that were requested in 2004 were carried over to 2005 (these funds are from excess revenue, not levy dollars). BART allocation was briefly discussed. Treasurer is estimating slightly higher revenue in 2005. The county’s cash balance has been reduced over the past 3 years due to the jail project and unfunded liability pay-off. Because of this and the lower interest rates, the revenue in the treasurer’s office has been decreased significantly over recent years. A slight increase is estimated in 2005 due to anticipated higher interest rates. Auction proceeds of $150,000 is included in the budget for 2005. It is estimated that approximately 30 properties will be ready for sale in 2005. Capital Improvement Fund: One-time projects are funded through this fund. Excess revenue is used to pay for these items. Abeles-Allison reviewed the items included in the budget for 2005. Each item was discussed. Abeles-Allison explained that the $75,000 for basement renovation was contingent upon finding tenants for the space. Question from Good if the County parks are self-supporting. Needed repairs to the Barnes dam and Eau Claire locks were briefly discussed. Funds for comprehensive planning and strategic planning should also be included in the budget in future years. Paulson commented that our dispatch center does not provide medical assistance. This is an item that should be considered in the budget in coming years. Motion by Blahnik, second by Jardine to adjourn. Motion Carried. Meeting adjourned at 3:05pm.