[1. CALL TO ORDER]
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UH, TO ORDER WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM AT THIS TIME UNTIL WE, UM, WE WILL JUST BEGIN WHERE NO ACTION IS GOING TO BE TAKEN THAT THIS MEETING ANYWAY, SO WE CAN PROCEED WOULDN'T BECAUSE THIS IS THE WORKSHOP SHOP.
UM, UM, WOULD YOU ALL RISE FOR THE PLEDGE? THE FLAG? I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
MR. GLOVER IS NOT IN THE ROOM YET.
I THINK HE'S FINISHING UP THE PHONE CALL.
THERE ARE FOUR MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
WE DO NOT CONSTITUTE A QUORUM AS YET.
[5. PRESENTATION OF FY2022 GENERAL FUND BUDGET REQUEST]
WHO WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN FROM ADMINISTRATION? UM, I WILL.I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL A BRIEF, UH, OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY OF WHERE THE BUDGET STANDS AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME.
UH, AND THEN WE'RE, I WILL BE TURNING IT OVER AND RECOGNIZING VARIOUS, UH, VERY, UH, UM, TALENTED FOLKS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
BE THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM THEM WITH REGARDS TO BUDGET PRESENTATIONS.
UH, THE LEAD, UH, PERSON FROM STAFF TODAY WILL BE MISS PINKY, HARRIET, WHO JOINED US WITHIN THE LAST FEW MONTHS TO BE OUR BUDGET DIRECTOR.
SO SHE'LL BE DOING A LOT OF THE PRESENTATION ON THE DETAILS OF YOU ALL FOR YOU ALL ON THE BUDGET.
WHAT I'M PRINTING, WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY IS A SUMMARY OF WHERE WE STAND WITH THE BUDGET AT THIS TIME AND NOT A FINAL BUDGET.
THIS IS TO GET YOUR INPUT BECAUSE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING, WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK ON BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE PARTICULAR ITEMS. UM, SO HAVING SAID THAT, I WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE DEPARTMENT HAS THE ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS AND MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, PARTICULARLY MISS HARRIET AND FINANCE FOR THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE, PUTTING TOGETHER THE BUDGET REQUESTS FOR THIS YEAR LATER ON TODAY, AS A PART OF MY WEEKLY REPORT TO YOU ALL, I WILL BE SENDING YOU AND PROVIDING YOU A COPY OF THE SUMMARY FOR THE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT.
YOU WILL RECEIVE A FULL PRESENTATION ON THAT AT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE COMING UP, WE ARE NO LONGER JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE.
WE ARE NO LONGER SUPPOSED TO CALL THIS THE CAFFER, UH, AS EITHER OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT OR THE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT.
THAT IS WHAT, UM, WE HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO CALL IT FROM YOUR OWN OUT.
SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE LANGUAGE THAT WE WILL BE USING, UM, AS MUCH AS WE CAN UNTIL WE, UNTIL IT BARS CURRENTLY, AS THE BUDGET STANDS AT THIS POINT, UH, WE HAVE $18 MILLION AND MORE REQUESTS THAN WE HAD LAST YEAR.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO PAIR THAT DOWN.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL GO OVER AND, AND PINKY, WE'LL GO OVER THAT IN MORE DETAIL.
SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE THOSE ITEMS COME FROM.
SO A LOT OF NEW PERSONNEL ON A NEW, UH, VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT ARE LISTED IN THAT.
AND THEN SOME OTHER THINGS WITH REGARDS TO NEW POSITION, YOU'RE RECOMMENDING TO COUNCIL THAT NO NEW NON PUBLIC SAFETY POSITIONS BE FUNDED THIS YEAR FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE WE'RE CURRENTLY CARRYING ON ABOUT $3.2 MILLION IN VACANT POSITIONS ON OUR BUDGET, IN OUR BUDGET THAT HAS NOT BEEN FIELD FOR SOME TIME.
SO WE HAVE ASKED THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND WE WILL BE ASKING THE DEPARTMENT HAS THROUGH THE ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS TO GO THROUGH THOSE LISTS, TO SEE WHAT WE CAN REALLY REMOVE FROM THE BOOKS.
AND IF ANY NEW POSITIONS NEED TO BE FUNDED FOR THAT, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT THOSE NEW POSITIONS COME FROM THE DELETIONS OF PREVIOUS VACANT POSITIONS.
SO THAT THERE'LL BE NO A BUDGET INCREASE ON THOSE ITEMS THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, ISSUES,
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UH, CURRENTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, AS YOU ALL KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY AND DETENTION EMS, WE HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME FILLING THOSE POSITIONS.SO WE CAN NOT DO THAT AND STILL MAINTAIN AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF SERVICE.
IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS, WE WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND DO THAT WITH REGARDS TO THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN.
WE HAVE NOT PROGRAMMED ANY SUBSTANTIAL FUNDING FOR THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, BECAUSE THAT IS STILL GOING ON AND BE UNFINISHED AT THIS POINT.
BY THE TIME WE PRESENT THAT TO YOU ALL AND GET YOUR FEEDBACK AND GET THAT APPROVED, WE WILL THEN HAVE TO GO THROUGH A PHASING ANALYSIS ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO AND IMPLEMENT A FACILITIES.
MASTER PLAN GAVE YOU ALL TO APPROVE THAT AS WELL.
AND THEN WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT FUNDING OF THOSE POSITIONS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO GO ON.
WE'RE GOING TO GO ABOUT DOING THAT.
SO WE HAVE NOT PROGRAMMED SUBSTANTIAL.
WE HAVE NOT PROGRAMMED SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS FOR FACILITIES PLANNING THE WAY OF NEW CONSTRUCTION.
AND ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE GOT TO GET MOVING ON IF AT ALL POSSIBLE THAT'S THE HIGHWAY TWO 78 CORRIDOR PROJECT AND THE IMPROVEMENTS TO LADY'S ISLAND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
UH, THOSE PROJECTS COUPLED WITH TRYING TO START NEW BUILDING PROJECTS WITH THE COUNTY IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE PROBLEMATIC FOR US TO MANAGE, UH, WITH OUR PRESENCE STAFFING LEVELS.
AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN NOT ADD ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO MR. FREY LICKS PLATE AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME.
AND CAUSE HE HAS A LOT TO DO ALREADY, UH, MANAGING THE INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE.
SO I WILL STOP THERE AND LET YOU ALL ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE TWO SUMMARY ITEMS BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE, THE OTHER ITEMS, THINK BY HAVING THOSE TWO THINGS.
UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, WE DO HAVE MR. LAWSON, UH, AS JOINED US INSIDE OF THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS AS WE'RE STILL ONE SHORT OF QUORUM.
SO WHAT WE PLAN TO DO WITH FACILITIES IS SOMETIME AGO WE ISSUED A $5.5 MILLION GEO BOND TO DO RENOVATIONS TO THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, BUT THAT WAS PUT ON HOLD UNTIL THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN WAS COMPLETED AND DEVELOPED.
AND WE'VE DECIDED WHAT THAT FACILITY AND MASH PLAN WOULD RECOMMEND.
SO WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO YOU ALL AT THE COUNCIL WITH THIS BUDGET YEAR IS THAT 5.5 MILLION THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE, UH, FOR BORROWING THAT WE USE THOSE MONIES TO COVER THE SIGNIFICANT MAINTENANCE AND RENOVATION NEEDS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO OUR EXISTING FACILITIES IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO THERE WILL NOT BE A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE, UH, FOR OUR FACILITIES PLANNING AND RENOVATIONS, BECAUSE WE WILL USE A 5.5 MILLION, IF YOU AGREE TO DO THAT, UM, THOSE RENOVATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO VARIOUS BUILDINGS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
AND THEN FINALLY THIS MORNING, BEFORE I TURN THINGS OVER TO PINKY, AND THIS MAY TAKE SOME TIME FOR DISCUSSION, UH, TIFFANY, IF YOU WILL PULL UP THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART.
WORKED OUR ACA TEAM HAS WORKED.
UM, I'VE WORKED WELL MOSTLY ON A WAY TO CONTINUE TO FLATTEN THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, UH, OF THE COUNTY.
AND I'M GOING TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU ALL THIS MORNING, THIS IS A GRAPH ORGANIZATIONAL CHART THAT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO CONSIDER AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS.
UH, THIS ORGANIZATIONAL CHART WILL CALL FOR THE COMBINING OF ONE DEPARTMENT AND THE CREATION OR RECLASSIFICATION OF THREE NEW POSITIONS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL.
SO IF YOU WILL START AT THE TOP WHERE YOU ALL, ESSENTIALLY, YOU ALL DIRECT THE DUTIES OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND THE COURT ACCOUNT SOLE, UH, ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, OBVIOUSLY THAT CANNOT AND WILL NOT, WOULD NOT CHANGE.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU WILL NOTICE ABOUT THE DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR POSITION IS THAT NO OTHER DEPARTMENTS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THOSE ENTITIES UNDERNEATH THIS NEW ORGANIZATIONAL CHART BECAUSE THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, AND MY OPINION NEED TO BE FREE TO WORK WITH THE HCAS WHO SHOULD BE OVERSEEING OTHER COUNTY OPERATIONS.
THE ONLY NON AAC, A RELATED DEPARTMENT, UH, WOULD BE OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT WOULD ANSWER DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AS SHOULD BE THE PRACTICE AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT HAS ALREADY BEEN MOVED UNDER THAT DIVISION.
I'M GOING TO START WITH ACA FOR FINANCE, UH, AND YOU ALL STOP ME AT ANY TIME.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR A COMMENT ABOUT ANY OF THIS, CURRENTLY, THE ACA FOR FINANCE IS ALSO
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THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR THE COUNTY.AS YOU ALL ARE PROBABLY AWARE IF YOU'RE NOT, YOU SHOULD BECOME AWARE OF THAT.
HAVING A CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER IN ACA UNDER THE SAME TITLE DOES NOT ALLOW THAT ACA MUCH OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT CHART ASSESSED OR REGISTERED DEVIATION RISK MANAGEMENT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERNEATH THEM.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE HUMAN RESOURCES UNDER FINANCE SINCE THEY HAVE TO INTERACT WITH PAYROLL ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND SO MUCH OF OUR BUDGET IS PERSONNEL RELATED.
SO THAT MAKES SENSE TO ALL OF US ON THE ACA TEAM.
SO WE WOULD BE ADDING A NEW POSITION THIS YEAR CALLED CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, UM, THAT WOULD FREE THE ACA FOR FINANCE UP TO FOCUS LESS ATTENTION ON DIRECTLY FINANCIAL AID THINGS AND SPREAD, UM, THE TIME OUT OVER VARIOUS OTHER DEPARTMENTS UNDERNEATH THAT PARTICULAR ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
SO I WILL PAUSE HERE AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
HEY, I'M SARAH, COULD YOU MAKE THAT CHART LITTLE BIGGER SOMEHOW? YES, SIR.
AND IF YOU CLICK, UM, IF YOU CHANGE YOUR VIEW TO SIDE BY SIDE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT CLEARER AS WELL.
SIDE BY SIDE GALLERY IS SIDE-BY-SIDE SPEAKER.
UH, I WOULD DO SIDE BY SIDE SPEAKER.
YEAH, IT DOESN'T MAKE IT, DOESN'T MAKE THIS CHART BIGGER.
I SUPPOSE IF HE'S JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH ONE AT A TIME, YOU CAN MOVE IT SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
I WILL ALSO EMAIL THIS TO YOU ALL TODAY.
UM, AS WELL AGAIN, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE WILL BE LIKE, WHY IS HE GOING OVER THIS WITH ME? HIS JOB IS TO DO THIS WHEN YOUR MINDS, HE WENT OVER THIS WITH US, AS I TOLD YOU ALL, AND MANY, MANY TIMES AS MY POSITION AS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, THAT I AM TO COMMUNICATE, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, UH, WITH THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
IF YOU DON'T NEED TO SEE SOMETHING OR DON'T WANT TO SEE IT, THEN I'M HAPPY FOR YOU NOT PAY ATTENTION TO IT.
BUT I WOULD RATHER YOU SAY THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE IT, OR DON'T WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT, UH, THAT MAY NOT SHARE IT WITH YOU.
SO I AM SHARING WITH YOU AS TO THE DIRECTION THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE ORGANIZATION AS A GROUP.
SO MOVING ON TO THE NEXT LINE, UM, CURRENTLY THAT WOULD BE, UH, CURRENTLY IN THE ACA FOR THAT POSITION OVERSEES ALL OF THOSE FUNCTIONS AND THEN EVERYTHING UNDERNEATH WHAT'S BEEN TERMED AS ACA FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES.
SO THERE'S MANY DEPARTMENTS IN THE CURRENT POSITION.
SO THIS WOULD BE A NEW POSITION THAT WOULD JUST BE TERMED DEVELOPMENT, RECREATION, AND THEY WOULD BE OVER PLANNING AND ZONING BUILDING INSPECTIONS AND CODE ENFORCEMENT WOULD COMBINE INTO ONE DEPARTMENT.
AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL WOULD OVERSEE BOTH INSPECTIONS, PERMITTING, AND CODE ENFORCEMENT, AND THEN PARKS AND RECREATION WOULD BE UNDERNEATH THAT.
AND THE ALL COG DUTIES WOULD BE UNDERNEATH THAT.
A, SINCE THERE'S SO MUCH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLANNING THAT HAPPENS WITH L COG UNDERNEATH THAT, UH, UNDERNEATH THOSE FUNCTIONS AS WELL, WE WENT OVER TO THE NEXT COLUMN IS THE ACA FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE, ESSENTIALLY THAT'S TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY, SOLID WASTE RECYCLING, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO EVERYTHING ON THE LEFT SIDE WILL BE UNDERNEATH THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR THAT WOULD BE FLEET STORMWATER, TRAFFIC, OPERATIONS, AND ROADS AND BRIDGES.
NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED WITH THAT OVER ON THE RIGHT SIDE, FACILITIES WILL STAY UNDERNEATH THAT ACA SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING AS THAT CONTINUES TO PROGRESS AND INCREASE CAPITAL PROJECTS, AIRPORTS, TRANSPORTATION, ENGINEERING, YOU WILL NOTICE IN THAT PARTICULAR, UH, CHART, THERE IS NO SPECIAL PROJECTS POSITION BECAUSE SPECIAL PROJECTS WILL GO, WILL GO AWAY.
AND THE PERSON IN THE SPECIAL PROJECT TROLL NOW WILL OVERSEE CAPITAL PROJECTS.
AND THAT WOULD BE MR. WILHELM.
WE ARE ALSO EVALUATING WHETHER OR NOT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO FLATTEN THIS PARTICULAR PART OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART BECAUSE FOR ONE ACA, TO OVERSEE THAT MANY, UH, VERY, UH, FUNCTIONS AND SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONS OF THE OPERATION IS VERY DIFFICULT AND DOES NOT PROVIDE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY.
UM, AND WHEN I SAY DAY, I MEAN A 24 HOUR DAY, AND THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN A 24 HOUR DAY FOR JARED TO DO EVERYTHING THAT HE NEEDS TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE PARTICULAR THINGS.
AS WE'RE DOING TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, TRYING TO, TRYING TO EVOLVE SOLID WASTE INTO
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AN ENTERPRISE FUND, DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE AIRPORT AND ALL OF THAT.SO IT MAY MAKE SENSE FOR US TO LOOK AT PROVIDING SOME SORT OF ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO THE ACA FOR THAT, SO THAT JARED, UH, CAN PROVIDE MORE ATTENTION TO YOU, YOU ALL, AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, BECAUSE, UM, UH, I, I HEAR A LOT OF, OF, IT'S A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALL ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM, AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE HE'S IGNORING YOU.
IT'S BECAUSE HE'S SO FOCUSED ON DOING ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT HE HAS TO DO ON A DAILY BASIS.
SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK THROUGH THAT.
ANYBODY HAVING QUESTIONS, OKAY.
MOVING ON TO PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, DETENTION CENTER, ANIMAL SERVICES, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WILL STAY THE SAME.
WE WOULD BE PROPOSING TO MOVE MOSQUITO CONTROL BACK UNDERNEATH PUBLIC SAFETY, AS IT WAS PRIOR TO, UM, THE LAST REORGANIZATION.
AND THEN WE WOULD BE MOVING THE FUNCTIONS OF DISASTER RECOVERY UNDERNEATH PUBLIC SAFETY AS WELL, A BOOK, JUST BECAUSE OF THE COMMUNICATION, THE COORDINATION THAT HAS TO TAKE PLACE, UH, FOR, FOR THOSE FUNCTIONS NEXT YEAR, NEW POSITION AS A RETITLE MONTH OF OUR EXISTING PERSON IN THE JOB, UH, PATRICK KEEL WOULDN'T BECOME AN ACA AND HE WOULDN'T BE AN ACA FOR, UM, A TEAM AND COMMUNICATIONS.
AND HE WOULD OVERSEE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS, GIS, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE AND BROADCAST SERVICES.
UM, THOSE ARE RELATED FUNCTIONS THAT MAKE A LOT OF SENSE FOR THOSE THINGS TO COMMUNICATE AND COORDINATE, BE IN COORDINATION, UH, TOGETHER.
AND THEN ACA YOU MEAN YOU SERVICES.
WE MOVED SOME DEPARTMENTS OUT OF THAT INTO THE ACA DEVELOPMENT, RECTORY ASIAN POSITION.
AND THOSE WOULD PRETTY MUCH STAY THE SAME UNDERNEATH THAT FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES, THOSE THINGS RELATED TO COMMUNITY SERVICES, AND ALL OF THOSE ITEMS WOULD STAY THERE.
ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE, DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS, HUMAN SERVICES, LIBRARY, VETERANS AFFAIRS, VOTER, REGISTRATION, AND ELECTIONS.
AND THEN THE FINAL ONE THAT LINE WOULD BE LEGAL AND RECORDS MANAGER AND UNDERNEATH LEGAL.
AND THAT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THAT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART.
I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR RECEIVE ANY COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK.
AND IF YOU DO, AREN'T ABLE TO DO IT.
DAN, YOU NEED TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ON IT.
AFTER THE FACT, WE WILL EMAIL THIS TO YOU ALL.
UM, I WILL EMAIL THIS TO YOU ALL AT SOME POINT THIS MORNING DURING THIS A BUDGET WORKSHOP SO THAT YOU ALL WILL HAVE IT.
THAT IS THE PROPOSAL THAT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT ANALYZE AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND COMMUNICATION TO ME ON WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM.
SO WE WOULD BE, UM, RECLASSIFYING ONE POSITION, UH, TO A HIGHER LEVEL THAT WOULD BE, UM, PATRICK HILL.
WE WOULD BE CREATING A NEW ACA POSITION AND A NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER POSITION UNDERNEATH US.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT IS, THAT CONCLUDES MODEL PART OF THE MORNING.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT NOW I'LL SHUT UP.
SO COMMENT AND A QUESTION AND I'M RIGHT.
SO THE COMMENT IS I'M, I'M ONE OF THOSE WINTERS WHO JUST NEEDS TIME TO LIKE JUSTICE FOR SURE.
AND THEN THE QUESTION WOULD BE WHEN IS THIS SUPPOSED TO TAKE EFFECT? I MEAN, IT WOULD TAKE EFFECT WHEN THE NEW BUDGET TAKES EFFECT ON JULY ONE.
I WOULD JUST POSE TO COUNCIL THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT IS IF WE GET OUR PERMANENT ADMINISTRATOR, IS THIS GOING TO CHANGE? SO THE TIMING IS A LITTLE LIKE VARIOUS, AND I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT AS A RHETORICAL QUESTION TO COUNCIL.
UM, I'M GOING TO NOW TURN IT OVER TO MS. HARRIET, AND SHE'S GONNA COME UP AND, UH, GO THROUGH A MORE DETAILED FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR YOU ALL.
SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY START SEEING SOME NUMBERS.
UM, LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU ALL ON MY FIRST BUDGET PROCESS WITH YOU.
UM, GENERALLY, LIKE WAS YOU'RE GOING ON THE ORGANIZATION? I DON'T SEE ANYTHING MAGICAL ABOUT WAITING TILL THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
I THINK YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT MR. RODMAN, UH, WE, WE WOULD, UH, WE WOULDN'T WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PROPER FUNDS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY COUNCIL AND THEY'VE HAD A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN, ON PROVIDING FOR THESE
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POSITIONS AND ALL.SO I WOULD PREFER THAT WE, UM, WE DO THIS AS A PART OF THE NEW FISCAL YEAR AND THAT WAY AS A GOOD CLEAR TIMELINE TO MR. HARVEY SHAWN'S POINT, UH, IF YOU ALL ARE, UM, WHENEVER YOU ALL DECIDE WHO THE PERMANENT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IS, UH, HOPEFULLY THAT WOULD BE, UM, WELL UNDERWAY, UH, AS A PART OF THIS BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS BEFORE JULY ONE, IN CASE THERE'S ANY MODIFICATION OR CHANGES THAT NEED TO HAPPEN TO THIS.
SO THAT'S WHY WE ARE AS FAR I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE WAIT UNTIL JULY ONE IS THE GREENWAY.
UH, I LIKE YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART QUITE A BIT.
I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE MAKING THE MOVEMENTS THAT YOU DID.
I'M ON TROUBLED WHEN IT'S IMPLEMENTED.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE $18 MILLION MORE REQUESTS.
WHAT'S THE REVENUE PROJECTIONS WITH REGARD TO THAT EXTRA 18 MILLION YOU'RE, YOU'RE GETTING READY TO HEAR THAT FROM MISS HARRIET.
SHE'S GOING TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU AND GIVE YOU THE REVENUE PROJECTIONS AND THE EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS.
I WILL BE ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR ME? THANK YOU ALL.
UM, SO THESE ARE, THIS IS A SPREADSHEET THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND, UH, THIS FISCAL UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR ACCOUNTS, OUR LINE ITEMS, OUR OVERALL CHART OF ACCOUNTS.
AND I KNOW THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION AT ONE TIME, AND IF YOU WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THE VERY, VERY BOTTOM.
SO THE GRAY AREAS AT THE VERY TOP ARE PLEASE.
SO THE VERY TOP AREAS ARE THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND THESE ARE THE FISCAL YEAR 22, WHICH IS THE FOURTH COLUMN TO THE RIGHT.
THESE ARE THEIR BUDGET REQUESTS, WHICH HAVE A FEW NOTES OVER TO THE RIGHT RIGHT SIDE, UM, REGARDING THEIR BUDGET REQUESTS FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR.
AND I'M SURE DURING THEIR PRESENTATIONS AT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING AND AT THE SECOND SCHEDULED BUDGET WORKSHOP, WE'LL GET A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, BUT WE WILL PROBABLY START WITH THE INTERNAL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS ARE RIGHT BELOW THE GRAY AREA, IF NEEDED, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE DIFFERENT COLUMN, THE ITEMS THAT ARE IN RED, UM, OR WHERE WE HAVE ALREADY MADE SOME, UH, DECREASES IN DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS.
BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE WE HAVE OFFSET SOME INCREASES AND WE'VE TAKEN THE ABILITY AT THIS, UH, DURING THIS BUDGET TIME TO CONSOLIDATE A LOT OF OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE SEPARATED OUT INTO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, BUT NEEDED TO BE IN ONE DEPARTMENT.
SO, UM, IN FISCAL YEAR 22, THIS IS GOING TO LOOK A WHOLE LOT CLEANER.
AND AS WE SCROLL DOWN THIS, UH, THIS SPREADSHEET, YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF, UM, MARKED OUTLINE, UH, DEPARTMENTS.
THAT MEANS THAT, UH, THAT IS A DEPARTMENT THAT IS BEING CONSOLIDATED INTO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT.
AND THEREFORE WE CLEANING UP ALL A LOT OF OUR CHART OF ACCOUNTS IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR.
TODAY, WE WERE ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE 21 DEPARTMENTS AND PREVIOUSLY WE HAD 21,000, UM, LINE ITEMS THAT WE PREVIOUSLY WORKED ON, BUT IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR 22, WE'RE GOING TO BE CLOSER TO THE 10,000, PROBABLY, UH, DO A LITTLE MORE CUTTING AND THE OTHER, UH, SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS AND SO FORTH.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT NUMBER WILL GET DOWN TO BE A LITTLE BIT CLEANER CAUSE WE WANT OUR CHART OF ACCOUNTS TO BE A WHOLE LOT CLEANER, UH, IN PREPARATION FOR OUR BUDGET DOCUMENT AND TO APPLY FOR THE GFR, UH, DISTINGUISHED BUDGET AWARD THAT BOTH WHITNEY AND I HAVE RECEIVED AT OUR PREVIOUS COUNTIES.
UM, AS WE SCROLL DOWN, WE HAVE DONE DEPARTMENT TOTALS AND WE HAVE FISCAL YEAR 19 ACTUAL AND THE FIRST COLUMN FISCAL YEAR, 20 ACTUAL IN THE SECOND COLUMN AND WHAT WAS APPROVED IN FISCAL YEAR 21.
AND WHAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED IN FISCAL YEAR 22, AS WE SCROLL DOWN THIS SPREADSHEET, AS ERIC MENTIONED, WE HAVE GOT A BIT OF AN INCREASE OF BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE REQUESTED FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, BUT WE ARE SLOWLY BUT SURELY WORKING WITH OUR ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS AND THE FINANCE TEAM.
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GOING THROUGH TO SEE WHAT WE CAN FUND IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR OR POSSIBLY USE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES TO REMOVE THESE LARGE EXPENDITURES FROM THE GENERAL FUND.DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? UH, I HAVE ONE, UH, YES.
IS THIS DOCUMENT COMING TO US SOMEHOW? YES, SIR.
UM, WE, OUR WORK, IT'S A WORKING DOCUMENT RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE TRYING TO CLEAN IT UP A LITTLE BIT MORE AND THEN WE WILL EMAIL IT OUT TO COUNCIL WHEN THE ADMINISTRATOR'S READY.
WOULD YOU JUST GO BACK TO THE TOP GRAY AREAS AND TELL ME WHAT THAT IS? AGAIN, THE VERY TOP FROM THE LINE FROM COUNTY COUNCIL DOWN TO THE 14TH CIRCUIT, SOLICITOR, THOSE ARE ALL, ANYTHING IN GRAY IS ELECTED OFFICIALS, DEPARTMENT BUDGETS.
AND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, IS THE, IS THE PROPOSED DIFFERENCE IN FUNDING FOR THIS COMING YEAR? IS THAT IT? YES, SIR.
ANYTHING THAT IS IN BLACK, IT WOULD BE AN INCREASE IN ANYTHING IN A RED IS A DECREASE.
I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS THAT I MIGHT, UM, ON THE COUNTY COUNCIL LINE, I'M ASSUMING THAT INCREASES DUE TO THE IT BEING THE FIRST FULL YEAR OF A PAYROLL INCREASE.
AND THEN WHEN THIS COMES TO US, IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF A COLOR CODED KEY? LIKE WHAT DOES YELLOW MEAN? WHAT DOES GREEN MEAN? ABSOLUTELY.
I STRUGGLE WITH CARS ON SPREADSHEETS.
UM, A LOT OF THOSE, UH, NODES, ANYTHING IN YELLOW IS A CHANGE IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR.
SO IT'S GOING TO LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
UM, AS, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, WE ARE MOVING, UM, UH, FUNDS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY ALLOCATED IN SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, WHICH SHOULD BE PAID OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, UM, AND ACCOUNTING FOR, FOR INSTANCE, UM, SOME OF THE BUSINESS LICENSE SALARIES AND SO, SO FORTH WERE PREVIOUSLY BEING CODED TO THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO, UM, ACCURATELY REFLECT OUR SALARIES AND THEY SHOULD BE PAID OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
SO, AND OTHER YELLOW AREAS ARE, UM, KIND OF REMINDERS FOR US TO GO BACK AND FOLLOW UP.
UM, AND THEN A LOT OF THE YELLOW AREAS OR DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAD GOT CONSOLIDATED INTO OTHER AREAS AND CLEANED UP A LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN ALSO SOME OF THESE YELLOW NOTES TO THE RIGHT, UH, REFLECT SOME CHANGES THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR IS PROPOSING FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
ANYTHING IN GREEN IS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE FUNDED.
SO, UM, AND FOR INSTANCE, ONE OF THE LARGEST INCREASES IN THE GENERAL FUND WILL BE THAT $6.6 MILLION.
UM, THAT WAS CURRENTLY, UH, GENERAL GOVERNMENT HEALTH BENEFITS.
AND THEY WERE BEING, UH, ACCOUNTED FOR IN A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, BUT THAT'S A GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE.
AND SO WE'RE TAKING IT OUT OF THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND AND MOVING IT BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
MR. DOMINANCE IS THERE, I CAN'T SEE THAT.
IF, IF IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, IF WE'VE BEEN, HAVE A VERSION IN THOUSANDS, UM, TO LOOK AT IT, IT'S A LOT EASIER TO HAVING SO MANY NUMBERS.
AND SECONDLY, I, I DON'T AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE IT OR NOT, BUT, UH, PARENTHESIS, THE NEGATIVES ARE ALWAYS EASIER TO SAY, RIGHT? IF YOU COULD DO ONE IN THOUSANDS, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ALL OF US, I BANK SURE THING.
CAN I ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, SIR, COVER A COUPLE OF OTHER UPDATES THAT WE'RE DOING TO THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR IS WE HAVE SEVERAL FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT.
UM, ONE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WHERE THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS THAT WE ARE CONSOLIDATING TO MAKE OUR CHART OF ACCOUNTS A LITTLE CLEANER, UM, AND WE ALSO TOOK, IT TOOK THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONSOLIDATE FUNCTIONS IN DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WERE SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT OUR DEPARTMENTS.
FOR EXAMPLE, UH, UTILITIES WILL ALL BE HOUSED IN FACILITIES MAINTENANCE.
UM, ALL IT RELATED SOFTWARES AND ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS WILL SIT WITH THE IT DEPARTMENT INSTEAD OF BEING BUILT OUT INTO EACH INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT AS IT IS NOW.
AND THEN, UM, AN IN ALL, UH, COSTS WILL NOW GO TO RISK MANAGEMENT WHERE IT'S BEING MANAGED VERSUS SPLIT OUT INTO EVERY INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT.
UM, THIS IS HELPING US KIND OF BETTER MANAGE ALL OF OUR COSTS AND THE APPROPRIATE AREAS.
[00:30:02]
IF I CAN ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THAT.UM, WHAT WE ARE STRIVING TO DO HERE IS CREATE MORE EFFICIENCY, NOT JUST IN THE BUDGETING PROCESS ITSELF.
UM, BUT ALSO IN THE CONTINUATION OF THAT, WITH THERE BEING A RIPPLE EFFECT ALL YEAR ROUND, AS INVOICES ARE BILLED TO US BY VARIOUS VENDORS AND THEY GO THROUGH THE APPROVALS PROCESS AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PROCESS WITH THE END RESULT, BEING A CHECK THAT HAS COME BACK TO THE PARTICULAR VENDOR.
WHAT SOME OF THIS ALLOWS US TO ACCOMPLISH IS A REDUCTION IN DUPLICATION.
MY DEPARTMENT HEADS INTO PREPARING A BUDGET.
UM, JUST FOR EXAMPLE, UM, MR. PHIL PHILLIPS DEPARTMENT WOULD NO LONGER HAVE TO TRY TO, UM, ESTIMATE OUT HIS PIECE OF THE TOTAL, UM, ELECTRICITY COSTS, FOR EXAMPLE, WATER COST OR, UM, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NEEDS SUCH AS THE TELEPHONE PAYS FOR COMPUTERS PIECE.
UM, AND MY CLASS, MR. ROSANO WOULD NOT BE HAVING TO BACK OUT THAT PIECE FROM DIFFERENT BUDGETS.
SO WHAT THIS ALLOWS US TO DO IS LOOK AT, UM, THE COUNTY'S EXPENDITURES, MY PARTICULAR LINE ITEM IN A TOTAL, AND THEN BUDGET FOR THOSE IN THE DEPARTMENT WHOSE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY MOST APPROPRIATELY FIT TO THAT LINE ITEM.
SO WE'RE CREATING A BIT OF AN EFFICIENCY THERE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS AND THEN CARRYING ON THREE THAT, UM, THE APPROVALS WOULD STILL BE DONE AT THE REQUISITE DEPARTMENT HEAD LEVEL, SO THAT EACH DEPARTMENT HEAD CAN VERIFY THAT THE USE BY THEIR PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT FOR ONE OF THESE LINE ITEMS IS APPROPRIATE REASONABLE AND LEGITIMATE EXPENSE OF THE COUNTY.
BUT ONCE FORWARDED TO AP FOR PROCESSING, WE THEREBY GAINS THE EFFICIENCY BECAUSE RATHER THAN BREAKING OUT, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN IT BILL OR UTILITY BILL ACROSS 200 OR 300 DIFFERENT, UM, LOCATIONS, COMPANY-WIDE WHEN YOU CONSIDER PARKS AND REC AND LIBRARIES AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS, WE COULD THEN RECORD IT TO ONE CODE ON THE WAY.
UM, AND THAT SAVES SIGNIFICANT TIME AND THEY CAME PROCESS OF EIGHT E REDUCES THE ERROR POTENTIAL FOR ERRORS IN THE DATA ENTRY PROCESS.
UM, AND JUST ALL IN ALL IS BETTER PRACTICE IN OUR OPINION.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, UM, JUST TO REITERATE A BIT OF WHAT PINKY'S TED AND THE CONSOLIDATION OF SOME OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, UM, IN SOME OF OUR FUNDS, THERE IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING CALLED THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF PHONES, PRINCIPAL, UM, THAT IS ISSUED OUT THERE BY MY STATE ACCOUNTING OFFICES AND OUR OVERSIGHT BODY IS GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTANTS DO AS A GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD ALSO KNOWN AS GASBY.
UM, MR. HARPER, SEAN, I'M SURE IT'S PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH FAS D.
UM, THAT'S THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD WHO REALLY APPLIES TO ALL THE PRIVATE IS THAT YOUR VET IN GOVERNMENT AND THE GOVERNMENTAL AREA ON THE PUBLIC CLIENTS ARENA, OUR OVERSIGHT BODY IS PRIMARILY GAS MAIN.
THERE'S THIS PRINCIPLE CALLED MINIMUM NUMBER OF FUNDS PRINCIPLE.
AND WE ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO APPLY THAT, UM, EFFECTIVELY AND WHERE WE CAN CREATE SOME STREAMLINING.
THAT IS WHAT WE WERE ATTEMPTING TO DO, UM, THIS YEAR.
SO WHAT YOU WILL WIND UP SEEING, UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT, AND PLEASE KEEP IN MIND RIGHT NOW, THE FISCAL 22 COLUMN REQUESTED IS SIMPLY THAT THEY ARE REQUESTS FROM EACH OF OUR DEPARTMENTS.
UM, THIS YEAR, THAT IS BY NO MEANS WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO YOU GUYS AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THEY ARE SIMPLY REQUESTS, YOU KNOW, AS WE WORK THROUGH THE DETAIL OF THOSE, AND WE'RE ABLE TO BETTER DETERMINE, UH, WHAT WE REALISTICALLY CAN FIND AND WHAT IS VITAL AND CRUCIAL AND NECESSARY TO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT LEVEL OF SERVICE TO OUR CITIZENS.
YOU MAY SEE MANY OF THOSE CHANGING.
UM, AND PARTICULARLY AS WE WORK TOWARD FUNDING, OUR COMPENSATION CLASSIFICATION STUDY, WHICH WAS PRESENTED TO YOU ALL DURING THE BUDGET RETREAT THIS YEAR.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT, UM, OUR, OUR EFFORTS TO CLEAN THINGS UP, UM, WE HAVE 20,000 ACCOUNTS IN OUR SYSTEM.
UM, AND CERTAINLY YOU CAN IMAGINE IS WE'RE PIECING TOGETHER A DOCUMENT OF THIS SIZE.
UM, HAVING ALL THOSE LINE ITEM ACCOUNTS, UM, CAN BE QUITE A CUMBERSOME PROCESS.
SO OUR END GOAL HERE IS TO STILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A, UM, VERY NICE PROFESSIONAL LOOKING DETAILED BON ITEM BUDGET, BUT ONE THAT IS EASIER ON THE EYES IN TERMS OF PRESENTATION.
UM, IT'S MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND WE FEEL ACTUALLY WILL ENHANCE, UM, THE READABILITY OF THE DOCUMENT AND THOSE WHO MIGHT ACTUALLY WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT'S MUCH EASIER TO DIGEST SINCE YOU LOOK THROUGH AND THEREBY WE HOPE INCREASED TRANSPARENCY WITH OUR CITIZENS.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT YOU'LL BE VERY PLEASED WITH OUR END RESULT AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THIS.
AND AS PINKY SAID, WE'RE WORKING TOWARD THE GFL, I DISTINGUISHED BUDGET AWARD, WHICH BEACH RECEIVED IN OUR PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT, UM, THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN IN OUR FIRST YEAR, BUT WE ARE TAKING STEPS IN THE CURRENT YEAR TO PLAN TOWARD THAT FOR FUTURE YEARS.
SO WE ARE HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY, UM, ANY QUESTIONS YOU
[00:35:01]
HAVE, UM, THIS MORNING AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THIS, UM, THE BUDGET PROCESS WOULD BE YOU IN THIS WORKSHOP.UM, BUT I JUST FELT LIKE I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN OVERVIEW, UM, ON WHAT IT IS EXACTLY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR.
UM, I THINK YOU ARE MODEST STATEMENT THAT YOU ARE CREATING A BIT OF INEFFICIENCY AND IS A TERRIBLE UNDERSTATEMENT.
I THINK THIS IS A, UM, A HUGE STEP FORWARD AND YOUR USE OF THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF FUNDS IS LONG OVERDUE.
SO I CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE PHILOSOPHY, UH, AND THE THEME THAT YOU'RE DEVELOPING HERE.
I THINK IT MAKES A GREAT DEAL OF SENSE.
AND I THINK THAT YOUR CLAIM OF A BIT OF EFFICIENCY IS ACTUALLY A BOATLOAD OF EFFICIENCY IS GOING TO BE SEEN HERE THE WAY YOU'VE GOT THIS ORGANIZED.
SO NICE WORK, THANK YOU FOR THAT IS MOST DEFINITELY A CONCERTED EFFORT.
WE HAVE A GREAT SCIENCE TEAM THIS YEAR, AND, UM, RATHER THAN HAVING JUST A FEW HANDS ON DECK, WE HAVE MANY, MANY HANDS MAKE FOR LIGHT WORK.
SO NOT THAT IT'S A LIGHT THING TO ACHIEVE, BUT WE ARE WORKING TOWARD IT COLLECTIVELY.
UM, WE'VE GOT GREAT SYNERGY RIGHT NOW AND THE MOMENTUM IS GOING, SO I'VE, I HAVE THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE PLEASED WITH THE END RESULT WHEN WE GET READY.
UM, I'M GOING TO LET MR. WILLIAMS, IF YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE EXPENDITURE PACE, LET HIM SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE REVENUE SIDE.
SINCE HE ACTUALLY WORKED MORE, UM, POORLY ON DEVELOPING OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS, UM, AND HE CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF THOSE, BUT AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL VIEW, UM, WE TOOK THE SAME SETUP, SAME FORMAT WITH TARA, YOUR ACTUAL DATA.
UM, WE TOOK THOSE AND INTUITIVELY APPLIED, UM, ACCOUNTANTS TO IT, INTUITION ON SOME OF THOSE WHERE WE COULD, UM, SOME OF THEM TEND TO BE A BIT MORE VOLATILE THAN OTHERS AND ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO PROJECT.
AND OF COURSE, AS YOU KNOW, ARE STILL, UM, TRYING TO NAIL DOWN THE VALUE OF THE DIGEST THIS YEAR AS ASSESSOR'S OFFICE COMPLETE CHANGES FROM FOUR TO 6% OR VICE VERSA.
UM, SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE CERTAINLY NOT SET IN STONE AT THIS POINT IN TIME, BUT GENERAL GROWTH THAT WE'VE SEEN, UM, IN THE DIGEST AND IN THE ECONOMY THIS YEAR, THEN WITH COLLECTIONS, FROM OUR REGISTERED LEADS OFFICE, WE FELT FAIRLY COMFORTABLE WITH ABOUT A 2% INCREASE IN OUR ENVELOPE, TAXATION, WHICH, UM, ALSO IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CPR, UM, THROUGH FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, WHICH IS 1.7.
UM, AND, UM, WE FELT LIKE WE WOULD THE VALUES THAT, THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE MARKET, THAT THAT WILL BE A REALISTIC PROJECTION.
SO THAT'S A LITTLE, LITTLE, UM, INTRODUCTION TO HIM, BUT I'M GOING TO LET HIM TALK A LITTLE MORE IN DETAIL ABOUT THAT.
SO, HEY, AS I'M PASSING IT OFF TO YOU NOW, UH, GOOD, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL.
UH, I HAD, UH, I'VE WORKED ON THE REVENUES.
UH, I'VE DONE AVERAGING TREND ANALYSIS ON ALL OF THESE NUMBERS.
UM, WE, WE HELD LAST YEAR, OUR REVENUES PRETTY WELL FLAT AS PROPERTY TAXES, AND WE REDUCED SOME OF OUR, UH, CHARGES FOR SERVICES AND LICENSES AND PERMITS.
WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT IT AS, AS A MORE OF A, UH, UH, A REGULAR YEAR, A YEAR THAT KIND OF HOPEFULLY THINGS RETURN TO NORMAL IS, IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE PREDICTING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN REVENUES, UH, FROM THE PRIOR YEAR'S BUDGET.
BUT IF YOU LOOK BACK THROUGH 2019 AND 20 IS KIND OF ON THE SAME TRACK, UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE I THINK OUR PROPERTY TAXES, UH, FOR 2021 OR WHEN WE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN WE BUDGETED FOR, I HOPE TO SEE THAT BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
UM, BUT, BUT THE BIG THING IS W WE'RE SEEING ABOUT A $9,000 JOB.
I'M NOT MILLION DOLLAR JOB IN PROPERTY TAXES.
UM, AND TH THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN, WHAT I DID THERE WAS I DID A TREND ANALYSIS OF THE PROCEEDING FIVE YEARS AND THE INCREASE IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AND THAT THEN DID AN AVERAGE AND, AND THEN BASE IT, IT WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FOR THIS YEAR AND ADDED A LITTLE BIT TO IT, BUT THAT'S REALLY THE, THE, THE BIGGEST THING IN HERE.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF INCREASES.
UH, THERE'S SOME MORE INCREASES KIND OF ACROSS THE BOARD IN SOME DECREASES YOUR Y'ALL DON'T WANT TO SAY, HEY, THERE'S $250,000 FOR THE INTEREST.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE $400,000 WORTH OF INTEREST LAST YEAR.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE FELT THAT WE NEEDED TO ADJUST THAT NUMBER, UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OUR, OUR, OUR PROPERTY TAXES BILLS DID NOT WENT OUT A LITTLE LATER, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO DRAW THAT INTEREST, UH, FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THAT WE DID IN PRECEDING YEARS.
SO WE ADJUSTED THAT ONE DOWN, BUT, UH, BASED ON THE TRENDS IN THE AVERAGES ON THE PRECEDING YEARS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHITNEY AND PINKY, AND I KIND OF FEEL THAT THIS IS A, A, A, THE $140 MILLION AS, AS A GOOD BASELINE BUDGET, UH, FOR OUR REVENUES RIGHT NOW.
[00:40:01]
AND IT MIGHT BE THAT AS WE ARE GOING THROUGH, UM, AND ADJUSTING, UH, THAT, THAT WE MAY, THEY MAY CHANGE HERE OR THERE, BUT THIS WAS A GOOD STARTING POINT.I THINK THAT'S THE WHOLE EXERCISE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS GETTING A, A STARTING POINT AND GIVING ON AN EXPECTATION OF KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, SO IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
THANK YOU, UH, COUNSEL, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IT'S VERY REFRESHING TO HAVE YOU HERE BECAUSE I WAS MY MAIN SHOW LAST YEAR WAS ACTUALLY, BUT WHITNEY AND PINKY HAVE LIFTED A LOT OFF OF ME.
I WOULDN'T GIVE A BIG THING OUT.
AND, UH, WE'RE PINKY GOT HIM CAME IN IN JANUARY AND, UH, HER KNOWLEDGE OF BUFORD COUNTY IS PRETTY PHENOMENAL FOR THE TWO MONTHS AND SHE'S BEEN HERE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, BOTH THEM, I, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE BEEN, UH, UH, ALREADY EMAILED THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, BUT WE'RE GOING TO CLEAN UP THE EXPENDITURE PIECE AND THE REVENUE PIECE.
AND WE WILL EMAIL THIS AS A COMPLETE PACKAGE TO YOU ALL, UH, INCLUDING THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART SO THAT YOU ALL CAN KEEP THINGS TOGETHER AND WE WILL TITLE IT.
UH, AND THE SUBJECT HAS WORKSHOP WITH THIS DATE, UM, FYI 22 WORKSHOP ONE, SO THAT YOU ALL CAN KNOW WHAT WAS PRESENTED, UH, AT EACH WORKSHOP THAT IS ALL WE HAVE THIS MORNING, OR FOR YOU ALL, UNLESS YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR US OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE THAT.
SO, UM, I WOULD JUST LET THE TEAM ON A VERY, VERY, UH, PROFESSIONAL JOB IS BEING DONE.
THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF HARD WORK THAT GOES INTO ALL THE THINGS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND IN THE ACCURACY OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
SO I'M JUST DELIGHTED WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL QUIZZES.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT TO EVERYONE.
UM, THIS IS AN OFF AGENDA ITEM.
FIRST OF ALL, I SEE THAT OUR, OUR TREASURER IS ON THIS MORNING AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
I APPRECIATE THE ASSISTANCE THAT MS. WALLS AND HER TEAM HAVE GIVEN TO US AS I ALWAYS AM APPRECIATIVE OF THAT, OF HER WORK, UH, WITH US AND HER ATTITUDE AND COOPERATION WITH US.
UH, SO THANK YOU, MARIA, UH, TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM.
I WANT TO ALSO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON GETTING US THROUGH A REAL, UH, RELATIVELY WELL, A VERY DIFFICULT PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION SEASON.
SO JOB WELL DONE, YOU'RE TO BE COMMENDED AND YOUR TEAM IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR THAT.
UM, FINALLY, UH, IT IS MY YOU YOU'RE WELCOME.
IT'S MY, UH, IT IS MY, UM, I HAVE SOME INFORMATION I WANT TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL.
THIS IS, THIS IS POTENTIALLY IT'S AN OFF AGENDA ITEM, BUT I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO MAKE COUNCIL AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
UH, PRIOR TO THE COUNCIL MEETING, WE HAD THE MASS COORDINATES ON THE AGENDA THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED MONDAY EVENING.
I HAVE INFORMATION THAT FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE TRYING TO ENTER THIS BUILDING MONDAY EVENING WITHOUT THEIR MASK ON, SINCE MARCH 15TH, I HAVE NOT ALLOWED.
AND I HAVE GIVEN INSTRUCTION TO MY STAFF TO NOT ALLOW ANYONE, ANY MEMBER OF PUBLIC TO COME INTO THIS BUILDING WITHOUT THEIR MASK ON.
AND IF THEY REFUSE TO WEAR THEIR MASK AND COME INTO THIS BUILDING, THEN THEY WILL BE REFUSED INQUIRY INTO THE BUILDING, OR THEY WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE BUILDING THAT WILL OCCUR AGAIN MONDAY EVENING.
IF WE HAVE FOLKS COMING TO THE COUNCIL MEETING THAT REFUSE TO COMPLY WITH THE MASK ORDINANCE, YOU ALL HAVE HIRED ME TO DO A JOB.
AND PART OF THAT JOB, AND PART OF MY ETHICS AS A CERTIFIED PLANNER IS TO ADHERE TO THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT I WORK IN.
AND I WILL BE DOING THAT MONDAY EVENING.
THERE WILL BE SECURITY DETAIL AT YOUR OWN SITE THAT WE'LL BE CHECKING PHOTOS COMING INTO THIS BUILDING, AS WE HAVE DONE WITH OTHER RECENT MEETINGS, AND THAT WILL BE OCCURRING.
UH, THEY WILL BE CHECKING FOR ANDREW FROM SECURITY STANDPOINT, AND ALSO IF THEY DID NOT OWN THEIR MOUSE, THEY WILL BE ASKED TO NOT ATTEND THE MEETING.
SO WHATEVER YOU ALL CAN DO TO ASSIST US WITH CONVEYING THAT INFORMATION
[00:45:01]
TO FOLKS WHO ARE COMMUNICATING SUCH PLANS THROUGH FACEBOOK OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA MEANS, OR OTHER PLATFORMS I'M ASKING FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE ON DOING THAT, IF YOU ALL DO AWAY WITH THE MASS FORM US AS A MAJORITY OF COUNCIL, THEN OF COURSE WE WILL COMPLY WITH THAT AS WELL.BUT RIGHT NOW WE HELP THEM HOUSE COORDINATES IN PLACE.
WE DO, I DO FEEL LIKE WE ARE OBLIGATED AT THE COUNTY LEVEL TO ENFORCE THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU ALL SO THAT YOU ALL WOULD KNOW MY PERSPECTIVE BEFORE MONDAY EVENING.
I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS IT WITH ANY COUNCIL MEMBER, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE ME A CALL.
W W HOW ARE WE GOING TO CONTROL INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE AN EXEMPTION? THEY CAN COMMUNICATE TO US SUCH EXEMPTION, UM, WHEN THEY ENTER THE BUILDING, WE ARE NOT GOING, WE'RE NOT MEDICAL PERSONNEL, RIGHT? YEAH.
MY ANSWER WOULD BE THAT IF EVERYBODY IS BLANKET TURNED AWAY AND SOMEBODY SAYS, WELL, I HAVE AN EXEMPTION, AND THEY'RE STILL TURNED AWAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE A BIGGER PROBLEM.
AND AGAIN, YOU ALL, YOU ALL HAVE BEEN TRUSTED ME WITH DOING THIS CORRECTLY AND EFFICIENTLY.
AND I THINK I'M GOING TO MAKE A STATEMENT HERE.
AND I DON'T MEAN THAT TO BE OFFENSIVE OR COMPETITIVE OR ANYTHING.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE DONE AN EFFECTIVE JOB OF ACTING IN A PROFESSIONAL AND EFFICIENT MANNER SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THIS ROLE THAT WILL CONTINUE MONDAY EVENING AS I GO THROUGH, UH, MANAGING THE OPERATIONS OF THIS BUILDING AND THE OPERATION OF THIS COUNTY.
AND WE WILL DO IT IN A WAY, SO THAT IS NOT OFFENSIVE.
AND HOPEFULLY NONCONTROVERSIAL ON OUR SIDE OF THE EQUATION.
SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THIS JUST WANT TO BE AT A CEREAL AND CONTROVERSIAL.
AND MY JOB IS TO DO WHAT THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND THIS THIRD GRADE CASE HAS ASKED ME TO DO WITH REGARDS TO COMPLIANCE WITH LOCAL ORDINANCES IN PLACE.
ERIC, WHEN THERE'S A ENTRY AS MR. SEAN POINTED OUT, WHEN SOMEONE MAKES A CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE A MEDICAL EXEMPTION, HOW DO YOU PREVENT, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH A FALSE CLAIM OF MEDICAL ATTEMPT? SHOULD WE HAVE ANY GUIDANCE TO HOW THAT FLAME WHERE MEDICAL EXEMPTION HAS TO BE BACKED UP? OR CAN YOU SIMPLY JUST FUNERAL STATEMENT? THAT HAS TO BE, HONESTLY, I'M NOT, I'M NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.
IF THEY MAKE THE CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE A MEDICAL EXEMPTION, I'M GOING TO LET THEM INTO THE BUILDING BECAUSE WE, WE CAN'T, WE, WE CAN'T PUT OURSELVES IN THAT SITUATION AT THE STAFF LEVEL OF, OF COMBATING THAT, BUT WE'RE WORRIED IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY OBVIOUS TO US.
I THINK SO WHO'S DOING THAT WITH A MEDICAL EXEMPTION, AND WHO'S JUST DOING IT TO TRY TO CIRCUMVENT THE RULES IN PLACE.
SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE CONTROVERSIAL.
I'M TRYING TO BE ADVERSARIAL WITH, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANT TO COME IN AND PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE, THEN THEY CAN DO THAT BY COMPLYING WITH THE RULES AND REGULATIONS IN PLACE WHENEVER THEY ENTER THE BUILDING.
IF YOU GOT TO DO AWAY WITH A MASK ORDINANCE MONDAY NIGHT, AND WE WILL ADJUST ACCORDINGLY, UM, IF SOMEONE MAKES A CLAIM THAT MEMBERS OF COUNCIL DON'T WEAR MASKS, WILL WE LET THOSE PEOPLE IN AS WELL? OKAY.
I, AGAIN, MY JOB IS TO CONTROL THE PUBLIC FLOW INTO THE BUILDING.
THAT'S, I'VE DONE SINCE MARCH 15TH, RIGHT? THERE'VE BEEN THE PROTOCOLS THAT DABO ESTABLISHED SINCE MARCH 15TH, AND THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE ON MONDAY EVENING FOR ENTRY INTO THE BUILDING.
I FEEL LIKE TO, UM, COMMUNICATE OR DIRECT COUNSEL AS TO WHAT THEY SHOULD DO.
UM, BUT, UM, I AM IN A POSITION TO MANAGE ENTRY INTO THIS BUILDING.
UM, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, WE, AS COUNCIL HAVE TO ABIDE TO THOSE RULES.
WELL, YEAH, I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT, BUT FOR THE PAST FEW MEETINGS, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVING TO ABIDE BY THOSE RULES GO AT ALL.
THERE'S AN ORDINANCE IN PLACE.
WE'VE TAKEN IT OUT TO ADHERE TO THAT ORDINANCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, GETTING OURSELVES STOOD THERE, GOING TO SHOW UP THE DOOR AND SAY THEIR OWN MEMBERS DON'T WEAR MASKS.
WHY SHOULD I WEAR ONE? I UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU NEED TO HAVE A COUPLE OF DEPUTIES THERE AND ESCORT ANY MEMBERS OUT THAT DON'T WANT TO COMPLY TO THE POINT THAT I BROUGHT UP EARLIER, THERE ARE MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS IN THAT ORDINANCE.
AND THEN NUMBER TWO, I MEAN, WE'VE HAD MEMBERS OF STAFF AND HAVE BEEN, UM, SHALL WE SAY CAVALIER WITH THE WEARING OF MASKS AND THE PUBLIC FOR THAT MATTER? SO, I MEAN LIKE HOW FAR DOWN THIS RABBIT HOLE WE WANT TO GO, OH,
[00:50:01]
WHERE, WHERE AM I, MY POSITION AND MY COMMUNICATION.YOU, I DON'T PLAN TO GO TOO FAR DOWN, ANY RABBIT HOLE.
I'M COMMUNICATING TO YOU ALL THAT APPLY AND ENFORCE THE ORDINANCE AS CURRENTLY IN PLACE MONDAY EVENING, AS I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE STAFF TO DO SINCE MARCH 15TH.
I DO TAKE MY MASK OFF WHEN I'M AT THE MICROPHONE, USUALLY BECAUSE MANY OF YOU ON COUNCIL SAY THAT YOU CANNOT HEAR ME WITH MY MASK ON, SO I HAVE NO CHOICE, BUT TO TAKE MY MASK OFF.
SO IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE BEING CAVALIER AT THE STAFF LEVEL.
IT'S JUST THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BE EFFECTIVE.
SO AGAIN, I'M NOT TRYING TO GET INTO A NEAT DISCUSSION ON THIS ISSUE.
I WANTED YOU ALL TO UNDERSTAND MY POSITION SO THAT I COULD COMMUNICATE THAT TO YOU.
HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU THINK WILL BE COMING ON MONDAY NIGHT, I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING, BUT WE ARE GOING TO BE PREPARED AND WE'RE PLANNING FOR IT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION DEAL.
SHOULD IT OCCUR? IN FACT, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HERE IN THIS, ALL OF US UNDERWAY.
ERIC, WHAT'S OUR CAPACITY HERE UNDER THE CURRENT RULES.
UM, THE NUMBER OF SEATS WE HAVE ROOM.
SO THE FIRST 25 IS ALL OF THEM WILL GET IN BECAUSE THE FIRST 25 WEAR A MASK.
THAT'S ALL WE HAVE, UNLESS YOU ALL HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, WE WILL EMAIL THE BUDGETARY ITEMS OUT TO YOU ALL, PROBABLY WITH OUR, A WEEKLY REPORT, UH, LATER TODAY, SO THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE TO CLEAN UP THINGS AND ADDRESS THE ITEMS THAT YOU ALL REQUESTED.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LAST ITEM I JUST DISCUSSED, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME A CALL.
I'LL BE GLAD TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU.
OKAY, CHAIRMAN, I'LL LET YOU, UH, TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU TO INTERN, SIR.
ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS BEFORE WE ADJOURN THESE MEETING? SEEING NONE WE'RE ADJOURNED AT 10:58 AM.