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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY,
[1. CALL TO ORDER]
THE MEETING OF FINANCE ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.MEETING TO ORDER IS MONDAY, MAY 20TH, 3:00 PM IF, UH, EVERYONE COULD RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE.
I ALLEGIANCE TO TESTIFY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INVIS WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE ARE ABROAD.
[3. PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT]
THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.[4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]
TO APPROVE THE AGENDA, BUT I THINK, UM, WE HAVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGENDA.SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE THAT WE TO GO.
UM, I'D SAY WE DO FOR OF NUMBER SEVEN.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT TO, UH, AMEND THE AGENDA TO HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
FOLLOW ITEM NUMBER SIX PRIOR TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.
UH, SO MOTION ON THE TABLE TO MOVE OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION AT THE END TO, UM, CAN TO BE, BE NUMBER BETWEEN NUMBER SIX AND NUMBER SEVEN.
UM, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? YES, SIR.
SEEING NO DISCUSSION, UH, WE WILL APPROVE THIS WITHOUT OBJECTION.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION? SEEING NO OBJECTION.
SO I CAN NOW ASK FOR SOMEONE TO APPROVE THE AGENDA WITH THE AMENDED CHANGE.
IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT.
AND, UM, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NO DISCUSSION? WE WILL APPROVE THAT WITHOUT OBJECTION.
SO WE HAVE MADE THE, UM, AGENDA, UH, UH, CHANGE WITH THE AMENDED, UH, CHANGE THERE.
SO, UM, AGENDA HAS BEEN APPROVED.
[5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- February 26, 2024, April 15, 2024 and May 1, 2024]
THEN TO APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 26TH, 2024, APRIL 15TH, 2024 IN MAY 1ST, 2024.UH, CAN I HAVE A, A, UH, MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE PLEASE? MOTION.
I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE.
SO, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? RETIREMENT MUST BE NICE.
SO, LET'S THEN MOVE ON TO OUR CITIZENS' COMMENT PERIOD.
ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK DURING THE EXISTENCE COMMENT PERIOD MEETING, WE'LL LIMIT THEIR COMMENTS AND SPEAK TO NO LONGER THAN THREE MINUTES.
SPEAKER WILL ADDRESS THE COUNCIL IN A RESPECTFUL MANNER, APPROPRIATE TO THE DECORUM OF THE MEETING.
REFRAINING FROM USE OF PROFANE, ABUSIVE, OR OBSCENE LANGUAGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BUFORD COUNTY RULES AND PROCEDURES.
UM, IS THERE ANYONE FROM THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK DURING OUR, OUR ALRIGHT.
SEEING NO ONE FOR THE, UM, CITIZEN'S COMMENT, UM, I'D LIKE
[EXECUTIVE SESSION]
TO HAVE SOMEONE MAKE A MOTION FOR US NOW TO GO INTO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT WAS CHANGED ON OUR AGENDA.MR. CHAIRMAN? I SECOND MR. ALRIGHT.
UH, ANY, ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NO DISCUSSION, WE WILL DO THIS WITHOUT OBJECTION AND SEEING NO OBJECTION.
WE ARE NOW IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE WILL THEN MOVE ON TO OUR AGENDA.
[7. BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT FY 2024-2025 BUDGET PRESENTATION]
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, UH, BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, FISCAL YEAR 20 24, 20 25.MS. TANYA CROSBY, BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, MS. CROSBY, TO HAVE YOU BACK AGAIN.
UH, WANTED TO RECOGNIZE MY TEAM.
ALSO, I HAVE A, A, A LARGE GROUP TODAY.
SO, UM, DR. RODRIGUEZ, FIRST OF ALL, AND, UH, MY ENTIRE TEAM HERE IN THE BUDGET OFFICE AND INTERNAL CONTROLS IS HERE TO HELP ME OUT WITH ANY HARD QUESTIONS AND, UH, SUPPORT TODAY AS WELL.
SO, UH, IN INTEREST OF TIME, I'M GONNA JUST JUMP RIGHT IN AND GO AHEAD.
WE HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION WITH SOME, UM, KIND OF OVERVIEW, AND THEN WE HAVE A, A FLYER, A ONE PAGE FLYER THAT I'LL REFERENCED, UH, LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
SO, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S SOME GREAT THINGS HAPPENING IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS OBTAINED THE NUMBER ONE POSITION FOR STARTING TEACHER SALARY.
SO TWO YEARS AGO, UH, WE REALLY MADE AN EFFORT BY
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COMBINING SOME THINGS, UH, AND, UH, PUTTING A LOT OF, UH, UH, INVESTMENT INTO OUR TEACHERS.AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, MOVE OUR TEACHER SALARIES FROM 53RD OF 77 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE TO NUMBER ONE.
AND SO THIS PAST YEAR, THIS YEAR, WE'RE ABLE TO STAY IN THAT TOP SPOT, UH, FOR AN A SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR.
UM, BUT THINGS ARE GETTING REALLY COMPETITIVE, UH, IN THE STATE ACROSS THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE, UH, WE COULD GET, UH, DETHRONED FROM THAT SPOT THIS YEAR.
SO WE HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL STAY IN THE SPOT, BUT, UH, WE'LL STILL CONTINUE TO, UM, MAKE RECRUITING AND RETAINING HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS, REALLY OUR TOP PRIORITY FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UH, WE HAVE SOME GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE, UH, AND HAVE BEEN, UH, ACCEPTED FOR SUPPOSED TO RUN THIS, AREN'T I? OKAY, THERE WE GO.
UM, MSAP IS, IS OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND MED TECH PROGRAM IN MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS.
SO, MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES AND OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THAT.
CUSA ELEMENTARY WAS NAMED AS OUR 2023 NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL.
AND WE HAVE MANY PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED AT NO COST TO STUDENTS AND FAMILIES, PARTICULARLY DURING THE TIMES WITH, UH, WITH THE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR COVID RELIEF, WHICH FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT NOW WILL BE EXPIRING, UH, AT THE, IN THE FALL OF THIS YEAR.
UM, COLLABORATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE BEEN, UH, ABLE TO DO.
REALLY JOINED WITH MANY OF OUR CHURCHES AND FOOD BANKS AND VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITIES, WHICH HAVE BEEN HUGELY BENEFICIAL TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, WE COMPLETE, WE ARE NEAR COMPLETION OF OUR 2019 REFERENDUM PROJECTS.
SO THOSE WERE APPROVED FOUR YEARS AGO, AND WE'RE WRAPPING THOSE UP VERY RAPIDLY, AND WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE IN THIS PAST NOVEMBER PASSED A ANOTHER REFERENDUM, WHICH WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FOUR AND A HALF, FIVE YEARS.
UH, CONTINUE OUR PATH OF, UM, RE REFURBISHING SCHOOLS AND GETTING SOME OF THE, UM, REPLACEMENTS OF THINGS THAT ARE SORELY NEEDED.
UM, BEAUFORT, JASPER, ACE, OUR VOCATIONAL SCHOOL WAS RECENTLY AWARDED.
PAL IS FINEST, UH, WHICH WAS VERY EXCITING.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UH, WE HAVE THE HONOR OF HAVING THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR FOR THIS YEAR.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. RODRIGUEZ.
AND, UH, WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
SO, BUT WITH SOME OF THOSE, UH, GREAT THINGS ARE ALSO SOME OF THE SAME CHALLENGES THAT I BROUGHT TO YOU LAST YEAR.
SO, LABOR SHORTAGE, I'M SURE YOU'RE FEELING MANY OF THESE SAME THINGS AS WELL.
UH, LABOR SHORTAGE, PARTICULARLY IN TEACHERS, CRITICAL NEEDS, TEACHERS AREAS, PARTICULARLY BUS DRIVERS WE'RE SEEING.
UM, SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THE AREAS THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, SHORTAGES IN, UH, RISING COSTS FOR GOODS AND SERVICES.
THEY'LL CONTINUE TO, THEY MAY NOT BE AS RISING AS RAPIDLY AS THEY WERE, BUT THEY'RE CERTAINLY KEEP BEING KEPT AT A HIGH LEVEL.
FOOD, GASOLINE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, RISING HEALTHCARE COSTS, YOU'RE GONNA SEE 11.7% INCREASE IN THE EMPLOYER SHARE OF HEALTHCARE THIS YEAR.
SO SIGNIFICANT, UM, INCREASE THERE.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, CHILDCARE IS AN ISSUE FOR OUR, UH, EMPLOYEES AND SUPPLY CHAIN DELAYS.
WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CERTAIN AREAS LIKE REFRIGERATION WITH SCHOOL CAFETERIAS, ANYTHING WITH A REFRIGERATED EQUIPMENT THAT WAS HAVING MAJOR ISSUES, UM, BUSES, TWO YEAR DELAYS AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
SO REALLY SOME, STILL SOME SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES WE'RE FACING.
UM, OUR BUDGET IS VERY MUCH INVOLVED, UH, ENGAGED, UH, OR BUILT WITH, UH, ENGAGEMENT FROM OUR COMMUNITIES.
SO WE, EVERY CIRCLE IN THIS GRAPHIC IS TOUCHED IN SOME WAY, UM, BY OUR STAFF.
AND WE, WE REACH OUT, WHETHER IT'S ONLINE OR IN PERSON.
UM, AND SO EVERY ONE OF THEM, EVERY CATEGORY HAS INPUT.
UH, IN FACT, THE BOARD EVEN TOOK IT ON IN THE, IN JANUARY TO ACTUALLY HAVE AN EXERCISE WHERE THEY, UH, HAD A LIST OF PRIORITIES AND ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH AN EXERCISING OF PRIORITIZING THOSE.
SO THAT HELPED US TO FINE TUNE SOME OF THE AREAS THAT THEY REALLY WERE INTERESTED IN SEEING US, UH, ALLOCATE OUR RESOURCES TO.
AND SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE AREAS THAT, THAT FEEDBACK GENERATED.
UM, FOUR MAJOR AREAS, COMPENSATION, COMMUNICATION, CLIMATE, AND LEADERSHIP.
SO TEACHER PAY IS ALWAYS AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST.
WE HAVE 3000 EMPLOYEES WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, 2000 OF, ALMOST 2000 OF WHICH ARE TEACHERS.
SO, UH, OTHER EMPLOYEES PAY AS WELL.
UH, ALWAYS, ALWAYS AT THE TOP.
SO THOSE ARE PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, SCHOOL STAFF, DISTRICT STAFF.
AND THEN CRITICAL NEEDS SUPPLEMENTS WAS SOMETHING VERY, UM, A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE BOARD THIS YEAR.
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CRITICAL NEEDS BEING SPECIAL EDUCATION IN PARTICULAR.UH, THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR BIGGEST AREAS OF, UH, NEED.
AND IN OUR, UM, TEACHER AREAS.
COMMUNICATION, AGAIN, WE DO LOTS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE, WE'RE RIGHT NOW DOING, UH, STRATEGIC PLANNING AND OUR REBRANDING AS WELL.
SO THERE'S ALSO NOT ONLY BUDGET, UH, ENGAGEMENT, BUT ALSO OTHER AREAS AND JUST BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND STRENGTHENING THOSE AS WE'VE DONE, UH, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UH, COMMENT OF WORKING CONDITIONS, MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, SAFETY AND SECURITY IS A, A HUGE PRIORITY FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND WE SEE THAT A LOT IN OUR, UH, REFERENDUM PROJECTS.
AND THEN, UH, FINALLY LEADERSHIP, JUST HAVING THE ACCOUNTABILITY, INVESTING IN OUR EMPLOYEES, UH, THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TAKING ACTION WHEN NEEDED.
SO, UM, JUST A BRIEF SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE ARE, UH, IN THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR.
THIS IS THE DISTRICT SALARY SCHEDULE FOR SEVERAL OF OUR, UH, EITHER NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS OR PEER DISTRICTS.
UM, SO BUFORT IS AT 48,566 CURRENTLY IN OUR TEACHER SALARY SCALE.
CHARLESTON WAS JUST, UH, HAIR, UH, LESS THAN US, ABOUT 400, ALMOST $500.
UM, ANDERSON GREENVILLE WAS ABOUT $500 LESS.
AND THEN YORK, UH, FOLLOWING ALLENDALE AND JASPER ARE IN THE 46 40 $5,000 RANGE.
UM, THE ONE WE'RE WATCHING IS CHARLESTON.
SO WE SAW AN ARTICLE RECENTLY THAT THEY WOULD BE MOVING TO 55,000 THIS YEAR.
UM, AND SO, UH, THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS YOU WHERE WE WILL BE.
UH, AND SO THE STATE MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE, UM, THAT IS BUDGETED AND PROPOSED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE IS $47,000.
UH, WE ARE PROPOSING TO GO UP $2,500 TO BRING OUR BASE TEACHER SALARY TO 50 1066.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR TEACHERS RECEIVE A $1,500 SUPPLEMENT, AND THAT, UH, IT COMES IN THE FORM OF TWO PAYMENTS HALF IN THIS FALL, HALF OR HALF IN, UH, THE WINTER, HALF IN, AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
SO IN ALL THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE IS 52,566.
AGAIN, THIS IS A FIRST YEAR STARTING TEACHER SALARY.
AND SO, UH, YOU CAN SEE 51 IS NOT QUITE GONNA GET US TO THE 50 $55,000 RANGE THAT, UH, CHARLESTON IS PROPOSING.
UH, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE STILL IN THE RUNNING FOR ONE OF THE TOP, WE BELIEVE, UH, SPOTS IN THIS STATE.
SO AS WE, UH, BUDGET FOR OUR NEXT YEAR, THE TOTAL PRELIMINARY BUDGET IS 359 MILLION.
UH, 70% OF THAT IS INSTRUCTION, DIRECT INSTRUCTION OR INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT.
SO IN THE SCHOOLS, UH, PEOPLE SUPPORTING THE SCHOOLS, UH, LEADERSHIP IS 42 MILLION, ABOUT 11%, AND OPERATIONS IS 66 MILLION.
SO THAT'S GONNA INCLUDE TURNING ON THE LIGHTS, THE INSURANCE, AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO AGAIN, THERE'S FOUR SORT OF MAJOR BUDGET PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE.
UM, AND WE'VE HAD THESE SAME, UH, FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT'S ALWAYS RIGHT AT THE TOP, THE TEACHER QUALITY, MAINTAINING A TEACHER SALARY, A COMPETITIVE TEACHER SALARY, AND CONTINUING THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, PROVIDING A SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENT IN OUR BUILDINGS, INVESTMENTS IN OUR BUILDINGS, AND OUR PROTOCOLS.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK AROUND CRISIS RESPONSE IN OUR DISTRICT AND PARTNERING WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND OTHER, UH, AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY THAT HAVE WONDERFUL COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
AND THEN FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP, WE'RE MAINTAINING, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING CLEAN AUDITS.
WE HAVE A SUFFICIENT FUND BALANCE TO COVER SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BORROW A TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE EACH YEAR.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR WE'VE EVER BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, AND THEN THAT HELPS US IN TURN TO MAINTAIN A, A ONE CREDIT RATING AS WE'RE GOING OUT ISSUING BONDS FOR THE REFERENDUM PROJECTS.
SO WE'RE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HAVING, UM, STRONG FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP.
SO, AND THIS SLIDE PROVIDES AN JUST TO KIND OF CATEGORIZATION, BUT BASICALLY THE MAIN, UM, MESSAGE HERE IS THAT EMPLOYEE COMPENSATIONS, UH, THE INCREASES IN THIS BUDGET MAKE UP 51.6% OF THE BUDGET INCREASES.
SO, UM, THE TOTAL INCREASE IS 38.8 MILLION, UH, WHICH IS A 12% INCREASE.
UH, AND SO THE OTHER CATEGORIES, UH, INCLUDE SCHOOL STAFFING ALLOCATIONS, WHICH WOULD BE ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, SPECIAL EDUCATION PRIMARILY.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE, UH, INCREASING NUMBERS IN THOSE CATEGORIES.
SO WE'LL, UH, NEED TO CONTINUE TO STAFF OPERATIONAL INCREASES.
WE'VE HELD VERY, VERY, UH, FLAT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
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UH, WE'RE SEEING, WE'RE GOING TO SEE MAJOR INCREASES IN OUR CUSTODIAL, UM, CUSTODIAL CONTRACT.WE'RE GOING OUT FOR BID, UH, AND WE'RE NEEDING TO RAMP THAT UP A LITTLE MORE TO GET BETTER SERVICES.
AND, UH, WE HAVE A MAINTENANCE CONTRACT AS WELL, AND OTHER INSURANCE, UM, SECURITY SERVICES, SROS, EVERYTHING IN EVERY CATEGORY, AND YOU'VE PROBABLY SEE IT IN YOUR BUDGET AS WELL.
UM, SO CHARTER SCHOOL FINALLY, AND OUR VOCATIONAL SCHOOL, SO THAT'S RIVERVIEW AND ACE COMBINED.
UH, THE INCREASES IN THOSE TWO BUDGETS BASED ON A FORMULA, UH, BOTH ON STATE LAW ARE, UH, $1 MILLION.
AND THERE ARE 2.7% OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND SO, UM, THESE ARE THE REVENUES THAT, UH, SUPPORT THE EXPENDITURES.
UH, WE ARE EXPECTING TO, UH, WITH A 121.8 MILS TO GENERATE $223 MILLION, UH, STATE REVENUE, 134 MILLION.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE GRAPHIC WHERE THE BLUE, UH, SECTION OF THE PIE IS LOCAL SUPPORT, AND THE YELLOW IS STATE.
UH, OUR DISTRICT IS MUCH HEAVIER ON THE BLUE SIDE THAN MOST OTHER, MANY OTHER DISTRICTS.
OTHER ARE, OR MORE BALANCED OR LEANING TOWARD THE OTHER, MORE STATE SUPPORT, UM, BECAUSE OF OUR INDEX OF TAX PAYING ABILITY AND, AND FEDERAL REVENUES ARE STAYING, UM, JUST WITH A LITTLE BIT OF IMPACT AID AND E-RATE REVENUES, AND THEN SOME TRANSFERS IN LIKE INDIRECT COST FROM SPECIAL REVENUE GRANTS AND SO ON.
SO THE MAIN MESSAGE OF THIS SLIDE IS WE ARE REQUESTING NO MILLAGE INCREASE IN THIS BUDGET.
AND AGAIN, UM, THE, THE BREAKDOWN OF EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION, SCHOOL STAFFING, ALLOCATIONS, OPERATIONAL AND CHARTER ARE THERE, JUST MENTIONED THOSE.
AND SO THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES WILL MOVE FROM THREE 20 TO 300 IN AND PROPOSED TO MOVE TO 359 MILLION WITH 50%, UH, 51% OF THE INCREASES GOING ATTRIBUTED TO EMPLOYEES.
AGAIN, THE, UH, SO I WANNA MENTION AS WELL, UH, USUALLY OUR, UH, OUR BOARD DOES APPROVE BOTH AN OPERATIONS AND A DEBT SERVICE BUDGET.
AND WE ARE REQUESTING NO INCREASE IN EITHER, UH, EITHER BUDGET, EITHER MILLAGE.
AND SO, UM, THERE IS NO REQUEST OR NO CHANGE FOR AN INCREASE
SO THIS BUDGET, UH, HAS BEEN THROUGH, UH, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH THE BOARD, UH, TWO MAIN MEETINGS WITH EVERYTHING, ALL REVENUES AND ALL INFORMATION COMBINED FROM THE STATE.
AND ALTHOUGH THE LEGISLATURE IS FLUCTUATING WITH THE HOUSE VERSION, THE SENATE VERSION, THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE AND SO ON, WE BELIEVE THERE ARE NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES IN THE BUDGET BASED ON, UM, THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM WHERE WE ORIGINALLY PROPOSED THIS BUDGET.
SO WE DON'T EXPECT ANY MAJOR FLUCTUATIONS.
UH, BUT TOMORROW NIGHT, TOMORROW EVENING, WE WILL BE PRESENTING A, A FINAL, UH, ROUND, UH, INFORMATION TO THE BOARD, UM, BASICALLY SUMMARIZING EVERYTHING WE'VE PROVIDED SO FAR AND HOPING AND PROPOSING THAT THEY, THE BOARD CERTIFY THE BUDGET, UH, BOTH THE OPERATIONS AND THE DEBT SERVICE.
TOMORROW EVENING, WE'LL BE AT HILTON HEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND THEN WE HAVE A SERIES OF MEETINGS WITH YOU ALL, UH, STARTING AFTER, AFTER MEMORIAL DAY.
AND FINALLY, I WANTED TO MENTION, UH, OUR ONE PAGE HANDOUT.
SO, UH, WE PROVIDED THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST YEAR, AND THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE HANDOUT THAT SUMMARIZES BASICALLY EVERYTHING I JUST SAID.
UM, SO I THINK I SENT IT IN AN EMAIL AND IT CAME THROUGH YOUR DOCUMENTS AS WELL.
FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION.
UM, IT JUST SORT OF TALKS ABOUT WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR INCREASES, AND WE ARE, UH, SHARING THOSE WITH OUR BOARD.
WE'VE SHARED THEM WITH THE BOARD, THE PRINCIPALS, AND SO ON.
SO THAT'S A GREAT PLACE TO, TO LOOK IF YOU HAVE, UH, CONSTITUENTS OR OTHERS, UH, WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE BUDGET.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS FOR, UH, MS. CROSBY? I HAVE ONE.
UM, THE 51% INCREASE, IS THAT INCLUDING THE SALARIES, RETIREMENT BENEFITS, AND HEALTHCARE? IS THAT WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE IS BROKEN DOWN FOR? FOR THAT? YES.
YES, THE BENEFITS ARE, WE INCLUDE THOSE IN THE BENEFIT PACK IN THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE.
UM, THEN HOW MUCH DID THE STATE RAISE THEIR, UM, BASE PAY TO 40, HOW MUCH? 45, UH, 40, $47,000 WAS THE AMOUNT THEY WENT TO.
BUT THEY RAISED, UH, TEACHER SALARIES ON THE STATE SCALE, $4,500.
UM, THEY DO NOT, SINCE THAT FORMULA, THEY, THEY SEND FUNDING THROUGH
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THE STATE AID TO CLASSROOMS FORMULA, WHICH THEN IS APPLIED TO A INDEX OF TAX PAYING ABILITY.SO BUFORT DOES NOT GET A FULL 4,500 FOR EVERY TEACHER IN THE DISTRICT.
SO THAT'LL BE MY NEXT QUESTION.
SO WE, UH, WITH THE FUNDING THAT WE HAD AVAILABLE, WE WERE ABLE TO DO 2,500 INCREASE AND GO TO 51.
SO WE'RE $4,000 ABOVE THE TEACHER SALARY SCALE ON THE STARTING TEACHER SALARY.
UM, I DIDN'T MENTION THAT WE ARE, UM, PART OF THIS, AND I, IT'S ON THE HANDOUT OR THE FLYER THAT WE ARE PROPOSING A SUPPLEMENT TO, UM, CRITICAL NEEDS TEACHERS.
SO SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND IT WOULD BE A 6% OF THE BASE TEACHER SALARY.
SO FOR A $50,000 TEACHER BASE, TEACHER SALARY, CLOSE TO A BASE TEACHER SALARY, THAT WOULD BE ABOUT A $3,000 SUPPLEMENT EACH YEAR AS WELL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, MR. I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION THEN.
UM, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY, UM, TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENT.
UM, UM, I THINK, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S, UM, A WELL DESERVING HONOR.
SO JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS PUBLICLY.
UM, YOU, YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, CONTINUING TO ADVOCATE FOR STATE FUNDING TO SUPPORT LEARNING OUTCOMES AND STATE MANDATES.
'CAUSE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT I THINK IS WHERE I WOULD, WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO BE.
SO I'LL START WITH THE, UH, STATE MANDATES, AND I WILL, I MAY HAVE TO ASK FOR DR.
RODRIGUEZ'S SUPPORT ON THE, THAT'S WHY I ASKED QUESTION ON THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PART.
SO, UM, AS WELL, ONE PARTICULAR STATE MANDATE THAT CAME ABOUT, AND IT MOST LIKELY AFFECTED THE COUNTY AS WELL, 'CAUSE IT WAS A STATE, UH, ALLSTATE EMPLOYEES, WAS THE UNFUNDED MANDATE FOR PAID PARENTAL LEAVE.
SO THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED A YEAR AGO, UH, SO NOT THIS LEGISLATIVE YEAR, BUT LAST YEAR.
AND IT CAME WITH NO FUNDING FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UM, AT THE TIME WE BUDGETED $250,000.
UH, THIS YEAR WE'RE HAVING TO INCREASE THAT BUDGET, $800,000 BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO COST APPROXIMATELY A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO, UM, THOSE 30 DAYS FOR, UM, FOR MATERNAL LEAVE AND 10 DAYS FOR PATERNAL, AND, UH, WE HAVE SUBS.
SO THOSE ARE PAID DAYS, AND THEN WE HAVE SUBSTITUTES AS WELL.
UM, IT'S A DOUBLE-EDGED, UH, UH, IT'S A DOUBLE HIT FOR US, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT IT'S A GREAT BENEFIT FOR EMPLOYEES, BUT IT JUST CAME WITH NO STATE FUNDING.
SO THAT'S ONE MAJOR EXAMPLE OF LEGISLATIVE IMPACT THAT WE MAY HAVE.
UM, DR. RODRIGUEZ, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT? FIRST OF ALL? UH, GOOD AFTERNOON.
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR RECOGNITION, BUT AS YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A GREAT TEAM.
AND, UH, I'M BLESSED TO WORK WITH A, A GREAT TEAM, NOT JUST THE ONES HERE, BUT, UH, OTHERS, UH, ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, THAT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC IS ENGLISH, UH, LANGUAGE ARTS AND, UH, MATHEMATICS.
AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC NATIONWIDE, UH, IN, UH, MATHEMATICS, UM, THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION INDICATED DECADES IMPACT IN MATHEMATICS.
UM, SO THERE'S AN ACCELERATION IN RECOVERY EFFORTS, UH, ACROSS SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, IN THAT, UH, IN THAT ARENA.
I'M, I'M PROUD TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT, UH, WHILE WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO IN BUFORT COUNTY, OUR LANGUAGE ARTS SCORES ARE THE HIGHEST THEY'VE BEEN SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE CURRENT STATE ASSESSMENT.
UH, SO EVEN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC IN LANGUAGE ARTS, WE MANAGE TO CONTINUE, UH, TO GROW, UH, ALONG THE WAY.
AND IT'S BEEN A STEADY, UH, UH, GROWTH, UH, A COUPLE POINTS EACH YEAR.
UH, SO, SO THAT IS WHERE WE SIT IN TERMS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.
IN TERMS OF MATHEMATICS, WE FELT THE IMPACT, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S DECADES IMPACT, UH, BUT WE DID FEEL THE IMPACT.
AND WE ARE STILL CONTINUING TO WORK, ALTHOUGH WE'RE SHOWING GROWTH IN MATHEMATICS, UH, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT WHERE WE WERE PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.
AND SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO CLAW AND CLIMB OUR WAY OUT OF THAT.
AND I THINK IT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE, UH, UH, MATHEMATICS HAS BECOME MUCH MORE, UH, IT'S A DIFFERENT CURRICULUM THAN WHEN WE WERE IN SCHOOL,
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UH, IN TERMS OF, OF MATHEMATICS FOR STUDENTS.AND, AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT SCHOOLS SEE.
UM, AND SO I THINK AS, AS THAT SHIFT TOOK PLACE, UH, IN SCHOOLS, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, JUST, YOU KNOW, REALLY PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, UM, UM, THE IMPACT IN MATHEMATICS REQUIRES A MUCH MORE, UM, HANDS-ON AND A MUCH MORE CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THE STANDARDS IN MATHEMATICS THAN THEY USED TO MANY YEARS AGO.
AND SO, CONSEQUENTLY, THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC, UH, UH, DIDN'T LEND ITSELF FOR A LOT OF THAT HANDS-ON, UH, INTERACTION AND, AND ALL OF THAT, UH, DURING THAT TIME PERIOD.
AND WE ARE, WE ARE STILL FEELING THAT.
IN ADDITION, UH, TO THAT, I THINK ANOTHER CHALLENGE THAT WE CONTINUOUSLY FACE, AND THIS, THIS IS FOR ALL SUBJECT AREAS, I THINK IS, UM, REALLY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AREA.
UM, AS, AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, THAT, UM, ABOUT 50 TO 60% OF STUDENTS THAT COME INTO KINDERGARTEN COME IN ABOUT A YEAR TO TWO YEARS BEHIND, A YEAR TO TWO YEAR BEHIND.
SO WE HAVE SOME EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMMING THAT WE DO FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS.
UM, BUT EVEN AT 4-YEAR-OLD LEVEL, WE SEE THEM COMING BEHIND.
SO RIGHT OUT OF THE GATES, YOU SEE, UM, UH, STUDENTS THAT ARE COMING IN A, A SIGNIFICANT CHUNK THAT ARE ONE TO TWO YEARS BEHIND, AND OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS DO A GREAT JOB IN, IN TERMS OF TRYING TO CATCH THAT UP.
BUT IT, IT, IT IS A TALL TASK.
AND SO I THINK THAT, UM, IT, IT'S GONNA TAKE MORE THAN JUST THE EFFORTS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD ARENA, PARTICULARLY PRIOR TO, UH, PRE-K FOUR, UH, REALLY, REALLY MORE BIRTH THROUGH, THROUGH THROUGH FIVE, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, UH, STUDENTS ARE ARRIVING AT KINDERGARTEN, UH, READY FOR KINDERGARTEN.
AND I THINK THAT IS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN TRYING TO, TO, UH, TURN THE, UH, THE TABLE ON THAT, BECAUSE OTHERWISE MANY OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE PLAYING CATCH UP FROM, FROM THE MOMENT, UH, THEY HIT THE SCHOOLS IN KINDERGARTEN, UM, 20, 20 YEARS AGO, UM, I READ AN ARTICLE THAT, UM, STATED BASICALLY WHEN THE, WHEN THE CHILD COMES, UM, IN SCHOOL, BE, UM, AT THE, UM, NOT READY.
ARE WE CLOSING THAT GAP OR IS IT STILL THAT, OR EVEN GOTTEN WORSE? YEAH, THAT'S REALLY A, A GREAT QUESTION.
I, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE CLOSING IN SOME CASES AND WORKING AT IT, UH, ALL THE TIME.
UH, BUT CLOSING IT IN SOME CASES.
AND I THINK, UM, UH, WHAT YOU FIND IS THIS, RIGHT? IN ANY GIVEN YEAR, IF YOU ASSUME ONE YEAR'S WORTH OF GROWTH FOR THE CHILD, THAT'S ONE TO TWO YEARS BEHIND, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.
AND, AND WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE, SAY, UH, A GROWTH RATE IN A CLASSROOM OF ONE AND A QUARTER, ONE AND A QUARTER YEARS GROWTH, OKAY? THAT IS REALLY ASTRONOMICAL.
WHEN YOU CAN GET THAT LEVEL OF GROWTH, NOT JUST THE ONE YEAR'S WORTH OF GROWTH THAT, THAT YOU WANT, BUT YOU'RE ADDING A QUARTER YEAR TO THAT, OKAY? WHEN THE CHILD COMES IN ONE YEAR BEHIND GRADE LEVEL, YOU NEED FOUR CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF THAT ASTRONOMICAL GROWTH, RIGHT? IN ORDER TO GET BACK ON TRACK.
WHEN A CHILD COMES IN TWO YEARS BEHIND, YOU NEED EIGHT YEARS OF THAT VERY SAME ASTRONOMICAL GROWTH ALONG THE WAY, YOU'RE ALMOST HIGH SCHOOL.
RIGHT? AND SO THAT IS WHY THE EARLY INTERVENTION IS IMPORTANT.
THAT IS ANOTHER REASON WHY, UH, IN THE REFERENDUM, UH, 2023 REFERENDUM, WE HAD AN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER IN ORDER TO EXPAND THAT AMOUNT OF STUDENTS WE SERVE IN PRE-K FOUR, UH, THE ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT'S BEING BUILT, UH, THROUGH THAT REFERENDUM IS GONNA HAVE SOME, UH, UH, PRE-K SEATS THERE AS WELL.
RIGHT? AND SO, REALLY THE, THE ABILITY TO EXPAND ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, FOR US, IT'S, IT'S PRE-K FOUR, RIGHT? BUT WE REALLY NEED, I'M BEING HONEST, WE NEED, UH, INTERVENTIONS BEFORE, UH, FOUR YEAR OLDS, UH, THAT WE NEED, UH, IN ORDER TO HELP FAMILIES, UH, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING THE THINGS THAT SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS BEING KINDERGARTEN READY BY THE TIME THEY HIT KINDERGARTEN.
[00:30:01]
OKAY.'CAUSE YOU, YOU HIT ON SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT.
I WAS, I'M AN EX MATH TEACHER, SO I TAUGHT THE WAY WE ALL LEARN.
PLEASE EXCUSE MY DEAR AUNT SALLY.
IT'S HANDS ON, IT'S CONCEPTUAL.
AND THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU TALK TO PARENTS, LIKE WHEN I'M AT THE LIBRARY AND SOMEBODY SAID, I CAN'T DO THIS NEW MATH, YES, IT'S REALLY NOT NEW MATH.
SO A CHILD UNDERSTANDS INSTEAD OF SAYING, OH YEAH, I JUST DO THIS STEP NEXT, THIS STEP NEXT.
AND THAT'LL HELP OUR CHILDREN IN THE FUTURE WITH LEARNING.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR DR. RODRIGUEZ OR MS. CROSBY? I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
I WAS LOOKING AT THE CALENDAR.
THEY HAVE POSTED, I'M ASSUMING WE'RE NOT TAKING ACTION ON THIS TODAY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T CERTIFIED IT.
SO DOES THIS GO TO A COMMITTEE LEVEL BEFORE IT GOES TO COUNTY COUNCIL NEXT MONDAY OR NEXT TUESDAY? TYPICALLY IT DOES.
UM, BECAUSE THAT SCHEDULE UP THERE SAYS IT'S GOING, IT IS GOING TO COUNTY NEXT WEEK OR THE WEEKEND MONDAY, NEXT TUESDAY.
I, IF WE HAVE BY TITLE LEGAL, RIGHT? YES, BY TITLE WE ARE THE COMMITTEE.
IT'S BY TITLE ONLY, BUT WE'RE NOT APPROVING IT TODAY BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN CERTIFIED TODAY.
NO, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO, UM, ACCEPT IT.
ACCEPT IT, AND MOVE IT TO COUNCIL WITH THE RECOGNITION THAT WE WILL GET THE FINAL NUMBERS AND, AND FROM THEM.
JUST KIND OF AGAIN, FOR TITLE ONLY, SO THAT WAY WE, WE CAN MOVE IT FORWARD AND WE CAN HAVE IT APPROVED BEYOND THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
SO IT'S A GOOD QUESTION THOUGH.
SO I WOULD ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE, UM, UH, APPROVING THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL BUDGET AS PRESENTED, PROVIDED THAT IT IS CERTIFIED BY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
ANY, UH, ANY DISCUSSION WITH REGARDS TO THAT? SEEING NO DISCUSSION? IS THERE ANY OBJECTION? SO AGAIN, THIS, WILL WE MOVE FORWARD THEN? UM, SEEING NO OBJECTION, IT HAS BEEN APPROVED.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU MS. CROSBY.
YOU DO WONDERFUL JOB AS USUAL.
AND MR. RODRIGUEZ, AGAIN, THANK YOU.
I NOTICED THAT YOUR HAIR'S A LITTLE MORE WHITER THAN IT USED TO BE, BUT YOU'VE STILL GOT MORE THAN I DO.
SO YOU'RE STILL DOING, UH, IT'S CALLED WISDOM, IS WHAT THAT'S CALLED.
THE STAFF HAD A BRIEF CELEBRATION FOR, FOR THIS RECOGNITION THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY HAD PICTURES, SOME, THE FOUR YEARS THAT WERE UP THERE.
AND I DON'T WANNA TAKE TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, BUT AS I WAS WALKING IN, I LOOKED AT THIS PICTURE AND I THOUGHT, OH MY GOD, THIS CHILD'S KILLING ME.
[8. RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO COUNCIL OF A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT GRANT FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF PROJECT RT6]
MOVE ON THEN TO, UH, NUMBER EIGHT ON OUR AGENDA.AND THIS IS A RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO COUNSEL OF A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT GRANT FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF PROJECT RT SIX.
MR. MUNSON IS, UM, GOING TO, UH, PRESENT THAT TO US, SPECIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
THIS IS ANOTHER, UH, EXAMPLE OF JOHN AND KELLY WORKING WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES TO HELP THEM GROW.
AND THEY'VE WORKED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO BRING DOWN ANOTHER HALF MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR A LOCAL BUSINESS TO EXPAND.
AND, UH, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE DONE, I THINK THREE TIMES HERE IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS, WHERE WE JUST HAVE TO, AS THE COUNTY ENTITY RECEIVE, AND WITH THEIR HELP MONITOR THAT THE EXPENDITURES HAPPEN PROPERLY.
AND THEN THE COMPANY BECOMES REIMBURSED.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THEIR TOTAL INVESTMENT IS, THEIR INVESTMENT IS $3 MILLION IN THIS GRANT.
IT'S A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO SUPPLEMENT THAT, TO EXPAND CAPACITY AND HIRE, UH, 28 NEW INDIVIDUALS.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEN FOR A MOTION TO, UH, APPROVE OR DENY THE, UM, TO MAKE A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT, OVERSEE AND, UH, THE SUBGRANT FOR PROJECT RT SIX.
IS THERE SOMETHING, THE MOTION, SO MS. TABER, AND THEN, UM, UM, IT'S ISN'T MR. DAWSON, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION WITH REGARDS TO THAT? ALRIGHT, SEEING NO DISCUSSION, WE'LL APPROVE THIS WITHOUT OBJECTION.
SO IT IS, UH, WE BE MOVED FORWARD TO AS A RESOLUTION TO COUNTY COUNSEL.
[9. RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO COUNCIL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS TO HARGRAY AND ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT FOR USE OF FUNDS WITH HARGRAY FOR BROADBAND SERVICE EXPANSION ON ST. HELENA ISLAND (FISCAL IMPACT: $163,000; funded by ARPA, Account 2330-40-0000-54110; site development)]
ON THEN.NUMBER NINE, ON OUR AGENDA, RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO COUNSEL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHOR AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT.
ARPA FUNDS TO HARRAY AND ENTER AGREEMENT FOR USE OF FUNDS WITH HARRAY FOR BROADBAND SERVICE EXPANSION ON ST.
UM, ISLAND, UH, FISCAL IMPACT IS $163,000.
IT'S FUNDED BY ARPA, UM, AND THE ACCOUNT NUMBER IS THERE.
AND, UH, MR. PATRICK HILL, OUR ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS, MR. HILL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH, UM, OUR LOCAL BROADBAND PROVIDERS TO INCREASE OUR BROADBAND FOOTPRINT THROUGHOUT THE RURAL AREAS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
HELENA, WE, UH, HAD SOME, UH, FAMILIES REACH
[00:35:01]
OUT TO US SAYING THAT THEY HAD NO BROADBAND AVAILABLE.UM, WE WERE PRESENTED, UM, WITH AN ACTION PLAN BY HARRE TO INCREASE THE BROADBAND, UH, ON ST.
HELENA, UH, TO SOME OF THE RURAL AREAS.
AND, UM, THEY WOULD LIKE US TO CONTRIBUTE, UH, 163,000 OUT OF OUR 700,000 BROADBAND ALLOCATED ARPA FUNDS.
AND I DID ASK HARRE TO COME ALONG IF YOU GUYS GOT ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING THAT, UH, I CAN'T ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY FAMILIES? UM, WE HAD, WE HAD FIVE FAMILIES REACH OUT TO US, UH, STATING THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING.
BUT, UM, THIS WHOLE PROJECT WILL REACH 284 HOUSES OR LOTS.
UM, SIR, ARE THESE GONNA BE UNIVERSAL LINES THAT ANY OF THE COMPANIES CAN UTILIZE, OR IS THIS SPECIFIC TO HARD GRADE? UM, THIS IS JANE.
YOU PROBABLY ANSWER THIS ONE BETTER THAN I CAN.
I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T FULLY HEAR THE QUESTION.
I'M JANE CHALEY WITH HARD GRAY.
JANE, ARE THESE GONNA BE, UH, UNIVERSAL LINES THAT ARE PUT IN THAT OTHER COMPANIES CAN USE? OR IS THIS A, A MONOPOLY THAT'S GOING IN DOWN THERE? WELL, WE DON'T LIKE TO USE THAT WORD, BUT UNFORTUNATELY NO, NO ONE ELSE COULD USE THESE.
AND THIS IS A, THIS IS AN ALLOCATION OF FUNDS, NOT A, NOT A LOAN TO GET IT BACK? NO.
ARE THEY GONNA HAVE ANY DISCOUNTED RATES DOWN THAT WAY FOR US? CONTRIBUTING? UH, WE HAVE PROMOTIONAL OFFERS TO START FOR ANYBODY THAT COMES ON BOARD.
BUT NOTHING SPECIFIC AT THIS POINT.
SO, LIKE I SAID, THIS IS NOT A, THIS IS NOT A LOAN, RIGHT? THIS IS NO, NOT A LOAN ACTUAL CONTRIBUTION TO A PRIVATE COMPANY.
THE FOR PROFIT, IT'S, AND IT'S FROM THE RURAL BROADBAND FUND.
SO I SUBMITTED A QUESTION, MR. ROBINSON, SO JUST TO SHARE WITH THE REST, I ASKED HOW MUCH MONEY WAS IN THIS ACCOUNT? 700,000.
AND I WAS CURIOUS ON PAGE, WHATEVER PAGE IT SAYS IT HAS THE CHART, PAGE 10, YOU KNOW HOW YOU DETERMINED COUNTY FUNDING.
AND SO I WAS TOLD IT WAS ABOUT A THIRD WAS OUR SHARE, IS THAT CORRECT? RIGHT THERE.
OH, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THE, HOW WE CAME UP WITH THE FUNDING.
SO, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE A PUBLIC COMPANY.
WE HAVE TO PRESENT, UH, TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVAL FOR FUND ANY KIND OF FUNDING.
AND WE HAVE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS WHEN WE'RE BUILDING ANY SORT OF EXPANSION AND OUTLAY OF CAPITAL FUNDS.
SO IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET APPROVAL TO SPEND THE OTHER TWO THIRDS OF THAT MONEY, IT HAS TO HAVE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT WITHIN EIGHT, UNDER EIGHT YEARS.
SO BASICALLY THE ONLY FUNDING THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS TO PUT US RIGHT IN THAT TOP OF THAT WINDOW SO THAT I COULD GET THE FUNDS FROM THE BOARD.
THE, THE PROBLEM THAT WE, WE ENCOUNTER WHEN WE DO, WHEN WE LOOK AT RURAL BROADBAND IS THEY ARE RURAL.
UM, SO IT, THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS TO BUILD OUT ARE, ARE VAST AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF FOLKS, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DENSITY IN POPULATION, SOME OF THESE AREAS.
A LOT OF THE PROVIDERS HAVE BEEN STATING THAT, THAT IT'S HARD TO REACH SOME OF THESE PLACES BECAUSE THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS LOW.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY COLLABORATION WITH THE OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS TO FUND THIS WITHOUT THE USE OF ARPA? UM, NOT FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH LIKE BRIGHT SPEED AND COMCAST, UH, UH, IN THE OTHER AREAS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, NAMELY DISTRICT ONE, BIGGEST STATE ROAD, YOU KNOW, DALE, STUFF LIKE THAT.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ON THAT.
UM, SEE, I, I KNOW THIS IS NEEDED OUT THERE IN THE RURAL AREAS AND I, I DO NOT WANNA DERAIL THAT, BUT I DO HAVE AN ISSUE USING PUBLIC FUNDS FOR, FOR ESSENTIALLY A PRIVATE PURPOSE WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF REIMBURSEMENT.
UH, TOM, I'M LOOKING AT YOU OVER THERE AT LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
IS THERE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE ARPA HOW THEY MADE A SPECIFIC CATEGORIZATION FOR THIS? CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT'S, HOW THAT'S UTILIZED TO ME? NO, SIR.
I CANNOT, UM, I HADN'T BEEN INVOLVED WITH IT, WITH IT SINCE IT CAME OUT.
UM, HANK I THINK HAS, IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT.
IT, IT IS A FEDERAL, I KNOW IT'S A FEDERAL PLAN THAT ALLOWS THE USE OF IT.
SO WITH THE ARPA FUNDS, ONE OF THESE SPECIFICALLY SPELLED OUT USES OF THE PUBLIC FUNDS WAS TO HELP RUN THESE LINES INTO THE RURAL AREAS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THE DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR RETURN FOR A COMPANY IS NOT THERE.
SO IN THE ARPA LEGISLATION, IT TALKS ABOUT THE BASICS WITH HEALTH AND REPAYING US FOR THINGS THAT WE DID FOR PREMIUM PAY.
AND ONE OF THE NEXT ONES IS ABOUT BROADBAND TO RURAL AREAS.
SAME THING WITH WATER AND SEWER IN CERTAIN AREAS, BECAUSE THESE ARE THE BASIC NEEDS THAT THE UPFRONT COST IS SO HIGH, UH, AS WE'VE SEEN BY THE MARKET NEVER DOING IT.
UH, THEY'VE, THAT'S WHY IT'S ALLOCATED TO DO IT.
AND SO MY, MY ISSUE THOUGH WITH, WITH THE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY IS THEY'RE A QUASI-GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY COMPARED TO A PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT COMPANY.
THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY ISSUE I HAVE.
BUT THERE ARE NO QUASI-GOVERNMENTAL INTERN INTERNET PROVIDERS IN THE AREA.
SO, SO THAT'S REALLY, YOU HAVE TO FIND THE PERSON THAT SERVES THE AREA, SOMEBODY THAT'S WILLING TO GO THROUGH A, THEY WENT THROUGH A LOT.
ORIGINALLY THE ALLOCATION WAS THAT WE WERE GONNA
[00:40:01]
PAY FOR THESE WHOLE LINES TO BE RUN.AND SO WE TRIED TO WORK WITH THE PROVIDER AND WITH THE STATE SO THAT THEY COULD DRAW DOWN ADDITIONAL MONEY.
SO WE ONLY FUNDED A THIRD OR LESS AS OPPOSED TO THE WHOLE THING.
WELL, WHY WOULD, WHY WOULD WE BE FUNDING THE INSTALLATION OF THOSE LINES FOR A PRIVATE COMPANY TO USE IF WE EVER WANTED TO GET THERE? THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT THERE.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET THERE.
THEY, THEY, THEY CAN'T DO IT THEMSELVES.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY AS A PRIVATE COMPANY TO DO IT.
I MEAN, YOU DO, BUT THERE'S NO, AGAIN, THEY WON'T, IT'S EASY TO, TO RUN IT TO BLUFFTON OR DOWNTOWN BUFORD BECAUSE THERE ARE, ARE, THERE'S DENSITY OF POPULATION.
I I MEAN, I'M NOT HERE TO JUSTIFY WHY THEY PASSED THE LEGISLATION, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT'S THERE FOR.
IT, IT'S EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND THEY'RE VERY, VERY FAR APART TO, TO EVEN JUST GET THERE.
SO ONE OF THE, THE REASONS THAT I THINK PATRICK AND I STARTED TALKING TO BEGIN WITH IS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE LINES CLOSE, BUT IT'S STILL A VERY, AS YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE TO REACH THERE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, UM, UH, FIRST I, I WANT TO THANK, UM, HAR GRAY, UM, FOR TAKING ON THIS INITIATIVE.
AND I WANT TO THANK PATRICK, UM, FOR FINDING, UH, COMPANIES THAT, UM, WILL BE, UH, WILLING TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN THE RURAL COMMUNITY.
UM, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET BROADBAND OUT ON ST.
HELENA IN THE RURAL AREAS FOR, FOR YEARS.
AND WE FINALLY GOT SOME FEDERAL FUNDS AND STATE FUNDS TO DO SO.
AND WE HAVE THREE OR FOUR COMPANIES.
THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
BUT NOBODY'S COMING TO THE TABLE.
SO WE ARE TAKING ANYBODY WHO WOULD COME TO THE TABLE, HARLEY IS COMING TO THE TABLE, BRIGHT SPEED.
IF THEY WANT TO COME TO THE TABLE, THE COMMUNITY WILL ACCEPT THAT.
WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS IS BASICALLY BROADBAND, UH, OUT IN THE RURAL AREA.
NOT ONLY FOR, UM, UH, INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO FOR CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY CANNOT GET ACCESS TO THE INTERNET FOR SCHOOLS.
AND A LOT OF, UM, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NOW ARE DOING, UM, UM, MEDICARE OR HEALTHCARE PROVIDING OVER THE INTERNET.
UM, AND YOU CAN'T REACH OUT TO FOLKS IF THEY DON'T HAVE WIFI TO GET ON THEIR PHONE OR THEIR COMPUTERS.
UM, I, I JUST WANT TO COMMEND THEM.
UM, SO YOU KNOW, THOUGH, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T BELIEVE IN SO SOURCING, BUT UH, IF NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO COME TO THE TABLE, I'M GOING TO ACCEPT THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE WILLING TO COME TO THE TABLE.
SO I'M GONNA MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE, UH, UM, APPROVE THIS REQUEST TO SEND IT UP TO COUNTY.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT HAS TO GO TO, WE HAVE, IT WOULD BE THREE READINGS.
SO IT'LL BE SENT TO, SENT TO COUNTY COUNSEL FOR READINGS.
RESOLUTION, BECAUSE EARLIER YOU GUYS APPROPRIATED ARPA MONEY TO VARIOUS BUCKETS YOU MAY RECALL.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE ASKED COUNSEL TO DO IS WHEN THESE KINDS OF THINGS COME FORWARD THAT YOU DO A RESOLUTION.
SO THERE'S A PAPER TRAIL OF THESE THINGS.
UM, I WOULD, UM, I WANT TO THANK, UM, PATRICK FOR SECOND BRINGING IT FORWARD.
UM, AND THE COMMUNITY MET, UM, AND THEY MADE A PROMISE AND HERE WE ARE TODAY.
SO IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION? YEAH, I HAVE A QUESTION.
SO WHEN I'M LOOKING AT PAGE 10, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY OF THESE HOUSES HAVE CHILDREN IN IT? BECAUSE WHEN I SPOKE ABOUT ARPA LONG AGO TO MR. GLOVER'S POINT, WE HAVE CHILDREN DURING THE PANDEMIC THAT HAD TO SIT IN A LOT AT MCDONALD'S OR THE LIBRARY TO GET INTERNET.
SO DO WE KNOW AT ALL HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE IN THESE HOUSES OR NO, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T PULL THOSE NUMBERS.
'CAUSE WE NEED TO REACH THE CHILDREN.
THEY'RE AT THE BIGGEST DISADVANTAGE HERE.
I, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
AND I, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAD THE MEETINGS, REALLY WANTED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO BE THERE TO, TO INDICATE, BUT THEY WEREN'T THERE.
SO I WOULD IMAGINE THERE ARE SOME THAT THERE ARE CHILDREN THERE.
THERE'S, SO THERE'S A LOT OF EMPTY SPACE IN BETWEEN WHEN WE'RE BUILDING MY QUESTION, I'M SORRY.
ARE YOU FINISHED? WELL, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE POINT THAT WE REALLY NEED TO TARGET AREAS THAT HAVE CHILDREN.
OTHERWISE YOU HEARD THE SUPERINTENDENT.
WITHOUT BROADBAND, THEY'RE FALLING FARTHER AND FARTHER BEHIND BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S ON THE COMPUTER.
SO I JUST WANT US TO BE, HAVE THAT IN THE BACK OF OUR MIND.
I HAVE ONE QUESTION THEN A COMMENT.
UM, WHEN READING THIS CHART, I, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND IT, THE TOTAL FUNDING'S 451,000 AND SOME CHANGE.
THE 1 63, IS THAT 1 63 COMING OUT OF ARPA MONEY? YES.
[00:45:01]
THE DIFFERENCE LEFT THAT WE HAVE TO PAY OUT OF GENERAL FUND ARPA.ARPA? SO IT'S JUST THE 1 63 IS ALL WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA LIE THOUGH, I DO SHARE THE SAME CONCERN AS, UH, MR. BARTHOLOMEW.
UM, HAVE WE CONTACTED THE OTHER INTERNET PROVIDERS OR IS THIS THE ONLY CONTACT WE MADE WAS TO HARRAY? UM, THE ONLY CONTACT WE MADE WAS TO HAR GRAY.
UH, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO COMCAST.
THEY GOT A BIG GRANT FOR A LOT OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
I DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GONNA BUILD OUT.
SHE DIDN'T HAVE A TIMELINE, UH, SPECIFIED OF WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO IMPROVE THE LINES ON ST.
SO, UM, YEAH, THAT COULD BE THREE YEARS FROM NOW.
I, I A HUNDRED PERCENT UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS AND THE SERVICE THAT NEEDS TO GET DONE.
I DO HAVE A PROBLEM SPENDING TECHNICALLY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
IT'S TAXPAYER DOLLARS FOR A PRIVATE COMPANY TO MAKE A PROFIT WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE.
I MEAN, THEY ARE GONNA MAKE PROFIT ON THIS AT SOME POINT AND THEY WILL BE CHARGING PEOPLE TO USE THIS INTERNET SERVICE IN EIGHT YEARS.
UNDERSTAND, THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD OF YOUR MONEY.
UNDERSTAND IN A FULL BUSINESS.
UM, HARRE IS DOING VERY WELL FOR A REASON.
UM, SO IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE HURTING FOR MONEY, THAT'S FOR SURE.
UM, WITH THAT SAID, UM, I HAVE NO DISCUSSION, BUT I WILL RECUSE MYSELF FROM THIS VOTE.
SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE, WE HAVE I HAVE A QUESTION.
UH, AND I APPLAUD, UM, CONSTABLE GLOVER AND PATRICK, UH, AND THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM GRA FOR ACTUALLY, UH, DEVELOPING THIS PLAN AND MOVING FORWARD WITH IT BECAUSE IT IS A DIRE NEED IN ALL OF OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES.
AND SO I'M GOING TO HAVE, UH, SOME COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND, UM, AND GET THE PROCESS STARTED AS WELL.
BUT MY CONCERN IS, UM, I HEARD THE COMMENT MADE THAT THERE'S, UH, 700,000 AND THIS BUDGET FOR 700,000 OPERA, UH, MONEY FOR BROADBAND.
IF, IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECTLY, AND I WANT STAFF, UH, TO ACTUALLY RESEARCH THIS, TO VERIFY WHEN THAT, WHEN THE OPERA FUNDS CAME INITIALLY TO BEAUFORT COUNTY AND WE RECEIVED OUR PORTION AND WE WENT THROUGH THE LINE ITEMS OF DISTRIBUTING THE OPERA FUNDS, IT, WHEN IT CAME TO BROADBAND, 700,000 WAS ALLOCATED TO, FOR CONSTABLE GLOVER DISTRICT AND $700 WAS ALLOCATED FOR MY DISTRICT.
AND SO I'M BEING TOLD NOW THERE'S ONLY A BALANCE OF 700,000 FOR IN ACCOUNT AS A TOTAL.
SO WHEN BOTH DISTRICT WERE AWARDED THE 700,000, WHERE ARE WE NOW WITH THE, WITH THE MONEY THAT WAS ALLOCATED TO BOTH OF THESE DISTRICTS? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN IN THE FUTURE OR, OR GET THAT INFORMATION FROM? YEAH, AND WHILE WE ARE DOING THAT, UH, ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT WAS MADE AT THE TIME, UM, MR. DAWSON, WAS THAT, UM, WE WERE NOT PUTTING A LOT OF MONEY IN THAT CATEGORY.
I DON'T KNOW THE AMOUNT NOW, BUT I AGREE WITH YOU FINDING IT AMOUNT.
IT WAS EITHER 500,000 OR SEVEN, BUT RIGHT.
BUT BOTH, BUT THE STATE WAS THAT, UM, THEY WERE TO USE THOSE FUNDS AS LEVERAGE AS STATE AND LOCAL FUNDS COME DOWN.
UM, AND I THINK THIS IS LEVERAGING THOSE FUNDS RIGHT NOW, UH, WITH HARRE.
AND I THINK MAYBE HARRE IS GETTING A GRANT FROM THE STATE OR IS THEY'RE NOT.
WELL THEN I COMMEND YOU I INFORMATION, THIS IS THE ORIGINAL WAITING FOR, UH, THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ORDINANCE BY WHICH WE ACCEPTED ARPA AND PUT INTO BUCKETS.
AND IT WAS $700,000 FOR BROADBAND BAND.
I WAS ABOUT TO SAY, I DON'T THINK WE DECIDED PUTTING IT INTO SPECIFIC DISTRICTS, WE JUST SAID RIGHT.
IT WAS A TOTAL OF 700,000 IN THE INNOVATION CATEGORY.
THAT'S WHY I HAVE PUT ALL THE MAN GLASSES ON.
I'M GOING TO GO BACK AND FIND MY PAPERWORK.
I, I KNOW I GOT IT SOMEWHERE AT HOME, BUT IN THE LINE ITEMS THERE WAS EITHER 500,000 OR SEVEN.
I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER OF, BUT IT WAS FOR, UH, ST.
AND THEN IT ALSO SAYS FOR THE SHELDON BIGGEST ESTATE, UH, NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
ON, ON IN THAT ALLEGATION SHEET.
SO PATRICK, IS THERE ANY EFFORT IN THAT DISTRICT TO OH, OH YES.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, REALLY HONESTLY, I, I FEEL LIKE WITH WHAT, WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON WITH HARRAY AND THEN WHAT, WHAT THE, THE UPGRADES THAT ARE COMING WITH COMCAST, I REALLY FEEL LIKE ST.
HELENA IS REALLY GOOD, IN GOOD SHAPE.
I REALLY FEEL GOOD ABOUT, ABOUT, UH, THE ISLAND.
UM, WE'RE REALLY CONCENTRATING ON, UM, NOW MR. DAWSON'S AREA.
UH, SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOME ADDRESSES OF FOLKS IN THAT AREA THAT DON'T HAVE SERVICE, SO WE CAN GET WITH THE PROVIDERS THAT ARE CLOSEST TO THOSE ADDRESSES THAT DON'T HAVE SERVICE, AND HOPEFULLY BRING ANOTHER PRESENTATION TO YOU AGAIN, OF A TACTICAL PLAN TO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT BROADBAND IN THOSE AREAS,
[00:50:01]
UH, WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE IT.WELL, I, I COMMEND YOU, PATRICK, ON YOUR EFFORT OF ACTUALLY GETTING IT DONE, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE FUNDING IS THERE TO WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A SHORTAGE AND HAVE TO STOP THE PROCESS.
AND I THINK IT WAS STATED TO, TO START WITH, THAT THE, THE ACCOUNT THAT THIS IS COMING OUT OF THE, THE ACCOUNT THAT IT MENTIONS HAS $700,000 IN IT.
SO THAT MEANS THAT THE $700,000 FOR THAT BROADBAND WAS THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE, BUT OBVIOUSLY GO BACK MR. DAWSON AND DOUBLE CHECK TO SEE, 'CAUSE I, MY MEMORY CAN'T TELL ME WHAT THAT IS AND OBVIOUSLY IT WOULD BE WHATEVER, WE'LL VERIFY IT.
SO, SO WE HAVE, HAVE DETERMINE THAT, UM, THE, THIS, THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE USE FOR THIS MONEY.
TOM HAS A, TOM HAS A QUESTION.
MR. CHAIRMAN, CAN I ASK COUNCILMAN LOGAN, ARE YOU RECUSING YOURSELF 'CAUSE YOU HAVE A CONFLICT OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO ABSTAIN? UH, I WILL.
I YOU WANT ABSTAIN PERSONAL INTEREST? I CANNOT VOTE ON THIS.
IT'S A CONFLICT OF JUST MAKE SURE YOU SIGN SOMETHING WITH THE CLERK, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
UH, TOM, ARE ARPA FUNDS ABLE TO BE, UH, SENT OUT ON A LOAN TYPE BASIS FOR WHERE WE'VE HELP HELP WITH THIS EXPANSION, BUT GET THE TAXPAYER MONEY RECOUPED? LIKE I SAID, I HAVEN'T BEEN INVOLVED IN I AT ALL.
I DON'T KNOW IF HANK KNOWS THE ANSWER TO THAT.
I, I DON'T DO DO A LONG TERM, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S NOT A FINANCIAL HARM TO ANYBODY.
MONEY WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DEFINITION OF EX OBLIGATION AND EXPENDITURE AND IF EXPENDITURE COULD BE RECOUPED.
SO THAT'S A FINANCE, OH, MAY I JUST SAY ONE THING? I DO KNOW THAT THE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES SENT SOME CORRESPONDENCE OUT TO ALL THE COUNTIES, UH, LAST WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE.
UM, AND IT WAS A MESSAGE FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA BROADBAND OFFICE AND THEY WANTED ALL COUNTIES TO OBLIGATE COMMIT FORMALLY BY MAY 15TH.
UM, ALL OF THE BROADBAND FUNDS THAT WERE ALLOCATED TO THE COUNTIES FOR USE THE ARPA FUNDS FOR USE FOR BROADBAND, THEY WANTED US TO SPEND THEM OR OBLIGATE 'EM BY MAY 15TH.
SO I DO KNOW THAT, THAT THEY DO WANT US TO, UM, NAME A PROVIDER AND GET THOSE FUNDS SPENT.
AND THAT'S, AND AS FAR AS THE LOAN GOES, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK SO.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY LOANS.
IT'S, IT IS ALL GRANTED FUNDS.
ALRIGHT, SO WE, UM, HAVE A, UM, UH, MOTION AND A SECOND IS ANY OTHER DISCUSSION BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE ON THIS? SO ARE WE, WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE THE MAY 15TH COMPLIANCE OBVIOUSLY SAYS THE 20TH, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S NOT A COMPLIANCE ISSUE.
AND THE RULE IS THAT WE HAVE TO OBLIGATE IT BY THE END OF 24 AND SPEND IT BY THE END OF 26.
THEY'RE JUST WANTING PUSH THE BROADBAND, BROADBAND PART OUT.
IF THEY'RE GOING INTO ROUND THREE OF THE FUNDING.
UM, ANY MORE DISCUSSION BEFORE WE TAKE THIS TO VOTE AND DO WE NEED TO ROLL CALL OR IS THERE ANY OBJECTION? AND AGAIN, THIS WILL GO BEFORE COUNTY COUNCIL FOR ONE READING, BUT IT WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THAT, FOR THAT READING, THAT ONE READING.
UM, SO IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO US MOVING THIS TO COUNTY COUNCIL FOR A PUBLIC HEARING? FIRST READING COUNCIL.
UH, CHAIRMAN, WHEN YOU SAY PUBLIC HEARING, I MEAN IT'S, IT'S, UH, GONNA BE A PUBLIC MEETING, BUT I DON'T THINK THIS HAS TO BE AN ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARING, DOES IT SARAH? I'M JUST READING EXACTLY WHAT CAME OFF OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S ON OUR PACKET.
IT'S ON THE A IS WHAT WE DO FOR RESOLUTIONS? NO, IT'S A PUBLIC MEETING.
I MEAN, UNLESS HARPER REQUIRES SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
THEN IT'S A, IT'S A PUBLIC MEETING, BUT IT WON'T BE ADVERTISED FOR A PUBLIC HEARING LIKE WE DO ORDINANCES, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I'M, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE AGAIN, I WAS JUST READING, UH, WHAT WAS ON OUR, UM, OPTIONS FOR CO COUNCIL MOTION.
MOVE FORWARD TO COUNTY COUNCIL FOR FIRST READING AND PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED.
I DON'T SEE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
NO, THIS IS, I DON'T SEE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
THIS IS ITEM EIGHT RESOLUTION.
YOU READING THE NEXT ONE? I GOT THE NEXT ONE.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO THAT NOTE, THIS WOULD NOT BE FOR A FIRST READING, THIS WOULD NOT BE FOR A PUBLIC HEARING.
IT'S RESOLUTION TO GO TO COUNTY COUNCIL FOR A SO IS THERE ANY OBJECTION? NO SEEING, NO OBJECTION.
UM, WE WILL MOVE THIS FORWARD.
UM, AND, AND OBVIOUSLY MR. CUNNINGHAM, UM, RECUSED HIMSELF FROM THE VOTE.
ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON THEN TO THE ONE I WAS JUST REFERENCING.
UM, AND, UM, RECOMMEND APPROVAL
[10. RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO COUNCIL OF AN ORDINANCE TO MAKE APPROPRIATIONS FOR COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICTS FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2025; TO LEVY TAXES FOR THE PAYMENT THEREOF; TO ADOPT SERVICE AND USER FEES; TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXPENDITURE OF SAID TAXES AND OTHER REVENUES COMING INTO THE COUNTY; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO (FISCAL IMPACT: The ordinance will outline the Revenues to be collected and the estimated expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2025)]
TO COUNSEL OF AN ORDINANCE TO MAKE APPROPRIATIONS FOR COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICTS FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, BEGINNING JULY 1ST, 2024, AND ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2025 TO LEVY TAXES FOR THE PAYMENT THEREOF TO ADOPT SERVICE AND USER FEES TO[00:55:01]
PROVIDE FOR THE EX EXPENDITURE OF SAID TAXES AND OTHER REVENUES COMING INTO THE COUNTY AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO FISCAL IMPACT.THE ORDINANCE WILL OUTLINE THE REVENUES TO BE COLLECTED AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025.
I THINK WE HAVE OUR WHOLE STAFF HERE.
UM, INTERIM, UH, COUNTY COMM, MR. JOHN ROBINSON.
AND, UM, MR. ROBINSON, GO AHEAD.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN AND COMMITTEE.
WHILE WE GET THE, UH, PRESENTATION UP, I CAN START WITH SOME THANK YOUS.
OUR, UH, FINANCE STAFF HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY TO PRODUCE WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE TODAY.
WE HOPE THAT THE RESULT OF TODAY ENDS IN A MOTION, UM, THAT YOU ACCEPT THIS, UM, UH, BUDGET PROPOSAL AND MOVE IT FORWARD FOR COUNSEL FOR OUR FIRST READING.
UM, TO START WITH, UH, TO START WITH TODAY, I'M GONNA DO A QUICK EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, UH, 10 OR SO SLIDES THAT I'LL, I'LL DISCUSS.
UM, THEN WE HAVE, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, HR, UH, DOCUMENTATION TO, TO COVER AS WELL AS OUR BUDGET DIRECTOR VALERIE IS HERE, UH, TO VALERIE.
THERE'S VAL, UH, AND VAL'S GONNA GO THROUGH THE, UM, THE DIFFERENT LINE ITEM BUDGETS AND THE DIFFERENT FUNDS TO EXPLAIN EACH OF THOSE, UH, THAT WAS SENT OUT TO YOU OR PRODUCED IN THE BUDGET BOOK THAT YOU HAVE HAVE.
SO WE'LL GO THROUGH EACH OF THOSE TABS, UH, THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF TABS IN THE BUDGET BOOK THAT WE MAY NOT, UM, TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO.
UH, THE FRONT OF THE BUDGET BOOK HAS THE EXCEPTIONS.
UH, SO ANY OF THE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS ARE LINE ITEM BUDGETS THAT HAVE, UH, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.
UH, BUT OF COURSE, STAFF IS HERE, IS HERE PREPARED TO ANSWER ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS.
UM, SO I WILL BEGIN WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERVIEW.
UH, ADMINISTRATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND POLICY SET BY COUNTY COUNCIL THAT GOVERN DAILY OPERATIONS AND ENSURE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED CONTINUALLY AND EFFICIENTLY AND THROUGH SOUND FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY WHEREBY THE EXPENSE IS E EQUITABLY SHARED AMONG CITIZENS.
UH, THE KEY WORD IN THAT, IN THAT STATEMENT TO ME IS EQUITABLE.
IT IS, IT IS OUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, CONSIDER THAT EQUITABILITY AS, UM, THE MOST, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT AN ADMINISTRATION DOES TO ALLOCATE PUBLIC FUNDS EQUALLY, EQUALLY SHARED AMONG ALL ITS CITIZENS.
MOST OF MY PRESENTATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REVOLVES AROUND THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS THAT WE DID IN FEBRUARY.
UM, DURING, IN, DURING THAT MEETING, WE TALKED ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF INITIATIVES THAT THAT, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL HAD FOR ADMINISTRATION TO TAKE IN THE FY 25 BUDGET YEAR.
AND WHAT I'VE DONE IS, UM, ADDRESS THOSE ITEMS THAT IMPACT THE BUDGET.
SO WE HAD MANY, MANY THINGS THAT WE DISCUSS, BUT THESE ITEMS SPECIFICALLY ARE THOSE THAT WE WOULD NEED TO ADDRESS IN THE BUDGET IN ORDER TO, UH, TO MANAGE THEM.
SO YOU MAY NOT SEE AN ITEM HERE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
UH, AND THAT WOULD BE BECAUSE IT DO, IT DOESN'T COST US MONEY IN OUR BUDGET TO ACHIEVE THAT, OR, OR PERHAPS IT WASN'T, IT DIDN'T MEET THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PRI PRIORITY THAT YOU AS COUNSEL DECIDED YOU WANTED TO, TO TAKE ON FIRST.
SO SOME OF THOSE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT, I'LL REMIND YOU THE CATEGORIES THAT WE HAD WERE QUALITY OF LIFE.
WE TALKED ABOUT STAFF COMPENSATION AND ADJUSTMENTS, UH, FOR COMPENSATION TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE.
UM, PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION WERE A FEW BIG TOPICS WE DISCUSSED IN, UH, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY WE TALKED ABOUT INVESTMENT IN PASSIVE PARKS AND PARKS AND RECREATION SPECIFICALLY.
UM, I, THE, ONE OF THE COMMENTS, UH, THAT WAS MADE WAS TO NOT ALLOW ALL OF THE MASTER PLANS THAT WE'VE CREATED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS SIT ON A SHELF AND NOT ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS.
SO MOST OF THE ITEMS THAT WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT ARE TO WORK TOWARDS MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS OUR MASTER PLANS, UM, ESPECIALLY IN PARKS AND RECREATION, BUT ALSO INCLUDES OUR FACILITIES AND FACILITIES MAINTENANCE.
AND IN, IN OUR INTERNAL INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL.
WE TALKED ABOUT IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I'LL DISCUSS BRIEFLY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, BUT IT IS OUR REMODEL OF OUR ADMINISTRATION, UM, WING AND OUR ADMIN LOBBY, AS WELL AS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, SOURCES, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE'LL DISCUSS SOME AREAS OF DEFERRED INTERNAL FACILITIES AND CAPITAL NEEDS.
DURING THE STRATEGIC PLANNING, WE TALKED ABOUT THE BONDING PROCESS, AND THAT STAFF WOULD, UM, WOULD EXPLOIT A BONDING PROCESS
[01:00:01]
TO SEE IF THERE WERE OPPORTUNITIES THERE FOR US TO, UH, TO BOND AND MAKE SOME OF THOSE NEEDS.SO, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT BRIEFLY.
WE'VE ALREADY HAD SOME PRESENTATIONS FROM FIRST TRY ON, ON OUR, OUR FINANCE, UH, FOLKS THERE THAT HAVE HELPED US WITH THAT.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, EXTERNAL FUNDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, INDIGENT CARE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOP, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
ALSO, MORE, UH, DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD DURING OUR, UM, STRATEGIC PLANNING.
SO I WILL GET TO EACH OF THOSE THINGS.
BUT THE FIRST MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I WANT YOU TO SEE IS THAT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET PROPOSES NO MILLAGE INCREASE.
UM, SO THIS, UH, THERE'S A MUCH MORE DETAILED, UH, MILLAGE, UH, PLAN THAT, UH, VAL WILL SHARE WITH YOU.
I BROKE THIS DOWN TO WHAT OUR MILLAGE WAS LAST YEAR IN EACH OF THESE AREAS AND OUR MILLAGE THIS YEAR.
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HERE IS THAT THE TOTAL MILLAGE REMAINS THE SAME.
SO MO NO MILLAGE INCREASE TO OUR CITIZENS.
WE MOVED SOME MILLAGE FROM ONE LINE ITEM TO ANOTHER.
UM, BUT WE ENDED UP WITH THE SAME RESULT FOR THE, FOR THE END OF THE YEAR.
MOST OF THAT IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE VALUE OF A MILL HAS INCREASED THIS YEAR AND IS PROJECTED TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO EIGHT YEARS.
SO THAT'S VERY POSITIVE FOR, UH, FOR BUDGETS.
YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER WHEN ALL THE FIRE CHIEFS WERE IN AND ALL OF THEM REPEATEDLY SAID, NO, NO MILLAGE INCREASE.
AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE VALUE OF THE MILL INCREASED.
SO IT, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT, AND BEAVERT COUNTY IS NO DIFFERENT.
UH, SO FIRST I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT.
UM, QUALITY OF LIFE SLIDE AND STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR CLASS AND COMPENSATION.
I WILL REMIND YOU THAT, UH, UM, MAG IS OUR, UH, CLASS IN COMPENSATION COMPANY HAVE NOT FULLY COMPLETED THEIR, UM, UH, THEIR REPORT YET.
WE DO EXPECT THEIR REPORT TO BE COMPLETED BY JUNE 10TH.
AND, UH, THEY WOULD, THEY WOULD COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE ON JUNE 17TH TO PROVIDE THEIR FULL PRESENTATION.
HOWEVER, THEIR PRELIMINARY NUMBERS, UM, AND MANY OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH THEM, GIVE US THESE THREE DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE WE CAN IMPROVE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION NOW.
AND THIS, ALL OF THESE CHANGES FALL WITHIN OUR EXISTING BUDGET AND DON'T REQUIRE ANY INCREASE FOR US TO MEET THESE NEEDS.
SO, UM, FIRST WHAT MAG DID WAS, UM, EVALUATE, UH, 1,109 EMPLOYEES SPECIFIC, UM, UM, SPECIFIC EMPLOYEES, SPECIFIC INPUT FROM EMPLOYEES, UM, OF THOSE 340 SPECIFIC JOB CLASSIFICATIONS, AND I LOOKED AT EACH OF THESE JOB, JOB CLASSIFICATIONS AND DETERMINED WHETHER THE PAY BAN FOR THOSE JOB APPLICATIONS WERE APPROPRIATE.
UH, MANY OF THOSE PAY BANS, UH, NEEDED TO MOVE.
SO THE PAY BAND RECOMMENDATION MOVED, UH, 631 EMPLOYEES THAT WOULD BE BELOW THEIR RECOMMENDED PAY BANS.
SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE DID, LOOKED AT THOSE PAY BANS, ADJUSTED THOSE PAY BANDS, AND THEN DETERMINED THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AND HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST TO MOVE THOSE EMPLOYEES INTO THE RECOMMENDED PAY BANS.
AND YOU SEE THAT THERE, THAT CORRECTION IS $2,372,000 FOR US TO MAKE THAT.
THE NEXT, UH, PART OF THAT WAS INTERNAL EQUITY.
SO THE INTERNAL EQUITY IS THE EVALUATION OF AN EMPLOYEE'S DUTIES, COMPRESSION WITHIN, UH, WITHIN A SPECIFIC JOB, AN EQUITABLE LENGTH OF SERVICE, UH, COMPENSATION OR CORRECTION.
UH, SO ALL THAT HAD THAT LONGEVITY SOMETIMES HAS TO DO WITH A COMPRESSION AS WELL.
THERE WERE 446 EMPLOYEES THAT WERE NOT PROPERLY COMPENSATED WITHIN THEIR PAY BAN DUE TO ONE OF THOSE INTERNAL EQUITY, UH, FACTORS AND THE COST TO CORRECT THAT.
AND THIS WILL, THIS IS LIKELY TO DECREASE.
THE COST, THE INITIAL COST WAS $2,735,460.
UH, THIS IS LIKELY TO DECREASE, UM, THE, UH, INFORMATION THAT, UH, MAG HAD, OR THEY, THEY INTERPRETED IT, THEY LOOKED AT AN EMPLOYEE'S START DATE VERSUS THEIR DATE OF JOB.
SO IF SOMEONE WAS PROMOTED INTO A JOB, SO THAT LONGEVITY, UM, THAT LONGEVITY PORTION OF THAT INTERNAL EQUITY ADJUSTMENT, THAT NUMBER WILL LIKELY DECREASE, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY.
JIM, CAN I JUST ASK ONE QUESTION? YES, I DO.
UM, ARE THERE ANY EMPLOYEES IN NUMBER IN THE 631 ALSO INCLUDED IN THE 4 46? IT IS LIKELY, YES, SIR.
SO, SO ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES WERE LOOKED AT GLOBALLY, EACH ONE AT A TIME.
NOW WHAT, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT AT THE END THAT EVERY EMPLOYEE WILL,
[01:05:01]
WILL FILL ALL THREE, BUT ALL WILL FILL AT LEAST ONE.UM, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, CORRECT? NO, MA'AM.
AND IT DOES WHAT ELECTED OFFICIALS, UH, EMPLOYEES INCLUDE.
SO THESE, THESE ARE ONLY THE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE PART OF BEAUFORT COUNTY'S CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION SYSTEM.
DOES THAT INCLUDE THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE? OFFICE? SO IT IT DOES, IT INCLUDES THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
AND WHO'S IT EXCLUDE? THE MAGISTRATE SHERIFF AND THE MAGISTRATE, YES.
THANK, SO EV ALL, ALL DEFENDANT? YES, SIR.
THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE? NO, NO, NO.
THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE IS NOT MANAGED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY OR COLTON COUNTY.
SO IT'S NOT INCLUDED, BUT THE MAGISTRATE.
UH, THE LAST, THE LAST, THE TREASURER WAS INCLUDED TOO.
SAY AGAIN? THE TREASURER? YES, SIR.
UM, THE LAST COMPONENT OF THAT IS A RECOMMENDATION OF A FLAT RATE ADJUSTMENT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.
UM, WHICH IS A, A 4% IS A RECOMMENDED 4% INCREASE.
UH, AND THIS IS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, UH, WITHIN THE CLASS AND COMP FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO, AS I SAID, UM, THE REPORT FROM OUR CLASS AND COMP STUDY, UH, IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED ON JUNE 10TH.
THEY WILL, UH, THE PLAN IS TO COME TO FINANCE COMMITTEE ON JUNE 17TH FOR THEIR PRESENTATION.
AND, UM, THE HOPE THEN IS TO HAVE COMMITTEE ACCEPT THAT, UH, CLASS AND COMP STUDY BY RESOLUTION.
UM, UH, OTHER IMPORTANT, UH, THING TO RECOGNIZE IS IF WE IMPLEMENT THIS, WHEN DO WE DO IT? UM, SO IF THIS IS ACCEPTED BY COMMITTEE AND COUNSEL, UH, APPROVED IN OUR BUDGET, THEN UH, HR WOULD BE LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT THESE THREE CHANGES IN THAT, UM, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER TIMEFRAME.
UH, IT COULD HAPPEN A LITTLE SOONER THAN THAT, BUT IT TAKES A LITTLE TIME TO GET ALL THIS, UH, DONE IN, IN OUR PAYROLL SYSTEM.
UH, SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS, UM, THIS ISN'T, THIS ISN'T DONE.
UM, SO OUR MAG, OUR CLASS AND COMP, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THEIR FULL NAME? MAG MANAGEMENT ADVISORY.
I KEEP SAYING MAG, SO I WANTED TO GET THAT OUT THERE.
UM, THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN, THAN JUST THIS.
THE MAINTENANCE PLAN IS SO IMPORTANT FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WHAT'S NEXT? IF WE CORRECT THE PROBLEMS NOW, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE STAY ON TOP OF THEM IN THE FUTURE.
AND THE MAINTENANCE PLAN DOES THAT FOR US.
UH, SO THEY WILL SHARE WITH US, UH, THIS MAINTENANCE PLAN AND HOW WE CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS OR LONGER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REMAIN AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE.
SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT THEY'LL BRING FORWARD ARE THE, UM, APPLICATION OF A LONGEVITY PROGRAM.
THEY'LL SHOW US WHAT A LONGEVITY PROGRAM SHOULD LOOK LIKE OR CAN LOOK LIKE, AND WE CAN BRING THOSE BACK LATER FOR, FOR A COUNCIL'S, UH, REVIEW.
UM, AS WELL AS THE, UM, MERIT BASED PROGRAM.
SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR PAY, FOR PERFORMANCE, FOR MERIT BASED ON PERFORMANCE.
SO WE CONNECT, UH, MERIT BASED INCREASES TO EVALUATIONS.
UH, AND THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS LAST YEAR AND LOOKING AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS TO APPROACH EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION.
AND THIS PROGRAM PUTS ALL OF THOSE TOGETHER.
THIS YEAR IS A, IS A COURSE CORRECTION.
THESE THREE ITEMS THAT, THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR ARE COURSE CORRECTION TO GET US ON TRACK.
AND THEN AS WE CONTINUE FORWARD, UH, WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT LONGEVITY MERIT, AND THEN CONTINUE, UH, FORWARD WITH, UH, CPI ADJUSTMENTS OR, UM, OR SUCH.
ALL OF THESE ARE A REALLY, AN EXCELLENT PROGRAM.
AND BEING THAT IT'S COVERED WITHIN OUR BUDGET AND NOT HAVING TO INCREASE MILLAGE IS EVEN MUCH MORE POWERFUL.
THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, LAST YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO SALARIES AND BROUGHT OUR MINIMUM SALARY UP TO $15 AND 25 CENTS, I THINK IT IS, WHERE WE GOT, UM, THESE ADJUSTMENTS.
JUST THE THREE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS YEAR.
HOPEFULLY THIS PAY BAN 2 0 7 WILL BRING AN EMPLOYEE'S MINIMUM SALARY UP TO 1802 AND A PAY BAND 1 0 1.
SO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, THE TWO HUNDREDS AND THE ONE HUNDREDS, ONE HUNDREDS ARE PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES.
SO YOUR DETENTION CENTER AND EMS AND THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE
[01:10:01]
A, UM, A LONGER WORK WEEK BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF HOURS THEY WORK IN A SHIFT, IT BRINGS THEIR SALARIES UP TO 19, THEIR MINIMUM SALARY TO $19 AND 18 CENTS AN HOUR.SO THAT IS, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR STAFF TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH THE MARKET.
UM, WILL THE REST OF THE STAFF THAT'S ALREADY CURRENTLY ABOVE THAT GET THE SAME INCREASE? SO, I, I'M TRYING TO, LET ME MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY.
MEANING, IF THE RAISE WAS A DOLLAR, WILL OUR CURRENT STAFF ALREADY GET A DOLLAR RAISE AS WELL? SO IF I BACK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT, THAT FIRST PAY BAND CORRECTION.
SO WE MOVE ALL THE PAY BANDS AND WE MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S INSIDE THE PAY BAND.
AND THEN THAT INTERNAL EQUITY MAKES SURE THAT A PERSON COMPARED TO THE OTHER FOLKS IN THEIR JOB ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE INSIDE THAT PAY BAND.
AND LAST IS THAT 4% INCREASE OVERALL.
SO I COULD NOT SAY THAT EVERY, IF ONE EMPLOYEE GOT A DOLLAR INCREASE, ANOTHER EMPLOYEE WILL GET THE SAME DOLLAR INCREASE, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TREAT THEM EQUITABLY WITHIN THAT PAY BAND.
UM, MAYBE, MAYBE I'M WORDING IT IMPROPERLY THEN.
IF, SO, LET'S SAY, IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE OTHER SLIDE.
LET'S SAY THAT 1918 USED TO BE 18.
THAT PERSON IN THAT POSITION, SAME JOB, AND THERE WAS ANOTHER PERSON AT 20.
IS THAT PERSON THAT WAS AT 20 GONNA GO TO 21? IF THE PERSON THAT WAS AT 1818 WENT TO 1918, ARE THEY GONNA GET THE SAME COMPENSATION RAISE CATHERINE AS THE STARTING EMPLOYEE? SO, JUST ONE, UM, TWIST AROUND WITH WHAT HAD JOHN JUST EXPLAINED.
WE'LL DO THE, BRING TO MEN FIRST, THEN WE'LL DO THE 4%, AND THEN WE'LL TACKLE THE INTERNAL EQUITY, WHICH WE'LL TACKLE THAT PIECE.
'CAUSE IF SOMEONE IS NOW COMPRESSED UP AGAINST THAT PERSON AS A 20, THEY WILL BE IN THAT ELIGIBLE POOL OF THE INTERNAL EQUITY ADJUSTMENT.
THAT'S WHY I HAVE A WHOLE TEAM OF FOLKS TO PULL ME OUTTA TROUBLE.
AND IT TAKE, IT TAKES A LOT OF EXPERTS IN THE FIELDS TO GET IT RIGHT.
I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT WORK.
THAT IS AMAZING FOR OUR, FOR OUR STAFF TO BE ABLE TO RIGHT SIZE OUR COMPENSATION AND REALLY MAKE US AN EMPLOYEE OF CHOICE GOING FORWARD.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ON, ON THIS BEFORE I MOVE FORWARD? OKAY.
UH, SO THE NEXT, ONE OF THE NEXT THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN QUALITY OF LIFE WAS THE, UH, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION.
DURING OUR, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN.
UH, WE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT PALMETTO BREEZE, UH, QUITE A BIT.
AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE BUDGET, UH, THEY REQUESTED, UM, $717,639, WHICH IS A 53% INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT NUMBER, IT SEEMS LIKE, OH MY GOODNESS, THEY'RE ASKING FOR A LOT.
HOWEVER, GOING, GOING INTO THE 2024 BUDGET FROM THEIR 20 FY 23 BUDGET, THEIR FY 23 BUDGET WAS APPROPRIATED FLAT IN FY 24.
SO THEY SAW NO, NO INCREASE IN FY 24.
WHILE THE MARKET HAS INCREASED AROUND THEM, ALL OF THEIR COSTS CONTINUED TO INCREASE FUEL AND ALL THE TRANSPORTATION THINGS THAT GO ON.
AND IN FY 25, THEY HAD, UH, NOT QUITE AS MUCH OF AN INCREASE, BUT A SIMILAR INCREASE REQUEST.
SO WHILE IT APPEARS TO BE A 53% INCREASE, WE'RE MAKING UP FOR THEIR LOSSES LAST YEAR.
UM, SO YOU'LL SEE THAT, UH, REQUESTED IN THE BUDGET.
I HAVE, I HAVE A QUESTION, MR. YEP.
UM, I'D LIKE A FEW MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE BUFORT COUNTY HAZMAT TEAMS. 'CAUSE I KNOW THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS DO THAT TRAINING AND THEY ARE FIRST RESPONDERS.
BUT WHO, WHO IS THE, THIS BUFORT COUNTY HAZMAT TEAM? CERTAINLY, I'LL, I'LL, I WASN'T GONNA SKIP IT.
SO THE, SO THE FIRST ONE IS FUNDING FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY HAZMAT TEAMS. UH, SO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, THE HAZMAT TEAMS ARE, UM, MADE UP OF MOSTLY FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, MEMBERS, UH, FROM MULTI JURISDICTIONS.
THERE'S A SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, HAZ HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM, UH, AND THEN A NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM.
UH, AND EACH OF THOSE ORGANIZATION TAKES ON A LITTLE DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR PERSONNEL AND TRAINING.
UM, THE, UH, THE SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM IS MANAGED BY THE HILTON HEAD FIRE DISTRICT.
THEY HOUSE ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT, UH, AND, UM, QUITE OFTEN THE, THE TRAINING AND THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY HAZMAT TEAM, IT'S A LITTLE SPREAD OUT, A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, FOR A LONG TIME, THE, UM, LADIES ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT HOUSED THE SEMI TRACTOR
[01:15:01]
TRAILER.AND THE BURTON FIRE DISTRICT HOUSED THE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT, UH, FOR A LONG TIME.
SO EACH ORGANIZATION, UM, DOES A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR OWN PART.
THE FUNDING THAT EACH OF THESE DEPARTMENTS GET, WHETHER IT'S FOR TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT, ONLY COMES FROM AN LEPC GRANT.
AN LEPC GRANT COMES THROUGH THE, UH, THROUGH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, THROUGH THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER.
AND IT'S VERY LITTLE MONEY, ABOUT $27,000.
UM, IF I REMEMBER THAT NUMBER RIGHT.
SOMEBODY'S PROBABLY GONNA TELL ME I'M WRONG, BUT IT'S AROUND THAT, UM, WHEN THEY GO TO, UH, REPLACE EQUIPMENT, UM, JUST ONE SCBA, SO THIS IS A SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS.
SO, UH, THEY'RE NOT, THEY DIDN'T, THEY WERE NOT ASKING FOR A LOT MM-HMM.
SO THIS IS A $50,000 IN ADDITION TO WHAT THEY, UM, IT'S NOT FOR PERSONNEL COSTS, IT'S FOR EQUIPMENT COSTS.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY? THAT'S CORRECT.
I WASN'T CLEAR ON THAT, SO I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT.
THIS IS JUST TO USE, TO SUPPORT THEIR OPERATION.
LUCKILY, LUCKILY, WE, WE DO HAVE, UM, HAZARDOUS MATERIAL RESPONSES, BUT NOTHING SIGNIFICANT THAT COST HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS YET, IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE, UM, RESPONDERS WHO, MANY OF THEM DO IT FOR FREE, UH, TO, UH, TO RESPOND TO THESE TYPES OF INCIDENTS.
IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN THE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND EQUIPMENT THAT THESE, UH, UM, RESPONDERS NEED EACH, UH, TO BE SAFE.
IF WHAT I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, EACH, UH, FIRE DISTRICT IS DOING THEIR OWN HAZMAT TRAINING IN THEIR BUDGET, THEN THE, THE TEAMS DO THAT TOGETHER.
SO, NORMALLY, UH, FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS, UM, UM, CHIEF WEBB WITH THE, UH, BURTON FIRE DISTRICT MANAGED THE TRAINING FOR THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY HAZMAT TEAM.
SO THEY WOULD PUT TOGETHER A TRAINING AND BRING FOLKS FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT SURE.
FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND DISCIPLINES TO, UM, TO DO THAT.
SOME OF THOSE FUNDS ARE ALSO, CAN PAY FOR THAT TYPE OF TRAINING.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF GRANT MONEY FOR TRAINING AS WELL.
SO THIS IS JUST A LITTLE PIECE OF WHAT THEY NEED.
UH, SO THE 50,000 IS FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY? YES, SIR.
UM, AND IT'S PROBABLY A DROP OF WHAT THEY REALLY NEED.
UM, THE, THE NEXT ONE I HAVE LISTED IS FOR THE MARINE WATER RESCUE SQUADRON.
SO THERE'S A, WE HAVE A, UM, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SUPPORTS THE LOCAL MARINE RESCUE SQUADRON NOW, UH, THEY, WE HAVE A COUNTY FACILITY IN PORT ROLL THAT THEY UTILIZE WITH A, UH, KIND OF GATED AREA OUT BACK.
IT GIVES 'EM CLOSE ACCESS TO THE WATER.
UH, THEY GET A SMALL STIPEND, UH, FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
UM, THEY DO THINGS LIKE GOLF TOURNAMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO RAISE FUNDS.
UM, THEY'RE, THEY GET QUITE A FEW, WELL, WHEN THEY GET VESSELS, THEY GET REPLACED VESSELS FROM DNR.
SOMETIMES THEY MIGHT GET AN ENGINE, SOMETIMES THEY CAN, THEY CAN GET A TRAILER, BUT IT'S USED EQUIPMENT THAT THEY'RE GETTING ALL THE TIME THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SERVICE.
A LOT OF THE FOLKS ON THE SQUADRON PAY FOR THE FUEL FOR THE VESSELS OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS.
UM, SO THERE IS, UH, THIS $40,000, THEIR REQUEST WAS MUCH GREATER, UH, UM, A NEW BOAT MOTOR FOR ANY ONE OF THEIR BOATS.
UM, SO BEAUFORT COUNTY, WHAT THEY DO FOR US IS SUPPORT EVERY FESTIVALS THAT WE HAVE, WATER FESTIVALS, WHEN WE'RE DOING A, A CONCERT IN THE PARK, THE FOLKS THAT ARE, THAT ARE KEEPING OTHER BOATS AND NOISE AWAY FROM THE PARK, THAT'S MARINE WATER RESCUE.
DOING THAT WHEN THERE'S A STRANDED BOATER OR VISITOR OUT IN ONE OF OUR RIVERS OR, UM, OR OCEAN MARINE WATER RESCUE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE GOING OUT TO DO THAT.
AND THEY'RE A COMPLETELY VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION THAT'S SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY OR BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
YOU SEE 'EM IN THE PARADES WITH THEIR, UH, AIRBOAT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT SOME DURING THE STRATEGIC PLAN AS WELL.
UM, THERE, THERE ARE GREAT GROUPS THAT DO A GREAT SERVICE FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY RESIDENTS AND, AND OUR VISITORS.
WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT QUITE A BIT.
UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, UH, AS BEAUFORT COUNTY TO, UM,
[01:20:01]
INVITE OUR CITIZENS TO OUR, UM, UH, OR MAKE OUR BUILDINGS MORE INVITING FOR OUR CITIZENS AND, AND DIFFERENT WAYS FOR US TO ENGAGE OUR CITIZENS.UM, I'LL, WE TALKED ABOUT THE ALREADY IN PROGRESS REMODEL FOR THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING THIS CHAMBER, UH, THE ADMINISTRATIVE HALLWAY AND THE, UH, THE ADMIN LOBBY.
UM, A LITTLE HISTORY, THE, THIS PROCESS STARTED IN 2021.
THE FIRST DESIGN THAT WENT OUT, THE FIRST SCOPE OF WORK FOR AN RFP TO DESIGN THE UPFIT HERE STARTED IN 2021.
THAT HAS BEEN REDONE AT LEAST THREE TIMES.
UM, CHANGES IN, IN ADMINISTRATION.
EACH TIME THERE'S SOMEONE NEW LOOKS AT THE NEW PLAN, I DON'T LIKE THIS.
WE'RE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
UH, WE ARE FINALLY AT A POINT WHERE THIS, WHERE THE DESIGN IS READY TO GO OUT BID FOR US TO GET THIS PROJECT.
NOW YOU SEE THE MONEY, THERE IS $1.2 MILLION FOR THE PROJECT THAT IS NOT ALL FROM THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
ONLY A FRACTION OF THAT IS FROM THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
ONE OF THE NICE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE WHEN OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, FUNDS, IS CREATE A ROLLOVER ACCOUNT.
SO IF WE HAVE FUNDS IN ONE YEAR THAT WE, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND ALLOCATED, BUT NOT USED YET, WE CAN MOVE THOSE FUNDS TO THE NEXT YEAR AND THEN ADD SOME TO THEM.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR.
IN 2024, THAT DESIGN FINALLY CAME FORWARD WITH A NUMBER THAT WAS $826,000.
THAT $826,000 WASN'T ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT.
THEN, UM, WITH A FEW CHANGES AND, AND HONESTLY, WE REDUCED THE COST DRAMATICALLY IN THIS ROOM ITSELF.
UM, WE ADDED, UH, $350,000 FROM THIS YEAR'S BUDGET SO THAT WE CAN COMPLETE THIS PROJECT.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAD TO BE DONE HERE INCLUDED, UH, LIGHTING, AUDIO WORK, UH, SOME OF THE AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT IN, IN HERE IS OLD AND NEEDED TO BE UPDATED, AS WELL AS SOME COSMETIC CHANGES.
I WAS GONNA SAY, I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF REMODELING THE LOBBY.
I WOULD SPEND THE LI A VERY SMALL AMOUNT HERE OTHER THAN THESE GODAWFUL CHAIRS.
I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE NEW, BUT I'M NOT A JUDGE AND I'M SHORT AND WHATEVER, BUT I JUST DON'T WANT TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY IN THIS CHAMBER.
UNLESS IT'S FOR HEALTH REASONS.
BECAUSE MONEY COULD BE SPENT ELSEWHERE.
WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT THAT, BUT IN HERE, AUDIO, I GET THAT'S FINE.
BUT THE REST, I MEAN, WE CAN LIVE WITH THIS.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE.
I, I WILL TELL YOU SOME OF THE PLANS I LOOK, I, THAT I SAW WERE DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THIS CHAMBER WITH ALL NEW WOOD AND ALL TYPES OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, SO THE, THE CURRENT PLAN LEAVES THE CENTER SECTION AS WOOD THAT'S EXISTING, CHANGES THIS OUT HERE TO DRYWALL, WHICH IS NICE AND EASY.
UH, THAT WOOD COMES DOWN, SOME DRYWALL GOES UP AND IT GETS PAINTED.
UH, THERE'S A LITTLE CHANGE TO THE DICE, BUT THE DICE DOESN'T MOVE, UH, WHICH IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SAVINGS.
THE ONE THING IN THE PLAN THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN THE DICE TO GIVE YOU SOME MORE ROOM, IS THAT BENCH GETS A LITTLE NARROWER.
WE TOOK, UH, I THINK THREE TO FIVE INCHES OUT OF THAT DESKTOP SO THAT THERE'S MORE ROOM BEHIND THE DICE FOR THOSE BIG CHAIRS,
SO NOT A, NOT HUGE CHANGES IN THE CHAMBER.
UM, SOMETHING THAT YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS MORNING WAS SECURITY IN YES.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO JASPER COUNTY'S COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING.
UM, YOU GO THROUGH, UM, A ONE AND YOU GO THROUGH SECURITY THERE.
THEY LOOK, THEY LOOK AT YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS.
CITY OF BUFORD, TOWN OF PORT ROYAL, ALL THEIR MEETINGS YOU GO THROUGH, YOU GO THROUGH, WE'VE HAD, THIS ISN'T, YOU'VE INHERITED THIS, THIS ISN'T YOU.
BUT AT OUR, OUR DOOR, WE'VE HAD THIS FACILITY TO GO THROUGH THAT NOBODY GOES THROUGH FOR SECURITY REASONS.
AND NOW WITH THE CHANGES IN THE STATE LAW ON CARRYING WEAPONS, I THINK WE REALLY, AS PART OF THIS NEED TO LOOK AT, AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE PERSONNEL TOO TO, UM, QUOTE ONE, EVERYBODY THAT COMES IN.
BUT I THOUGHT YEARS AGO THAT WAS BUILT.
SO THAT COULD BE USED TO CHECK PEOPLE COMING IN THE BUILDING.
SO I CAN, I CAN CHECK WITH OUR CIP FOLKS.
THAT THERE JUST, JUST, I MEAN, AT ONE POINT WE DID, WE HAD SOME KIND OF METAL DETECTOR THAT WAS AT THE FRONT DOOR, AND NOW WE HAVE THREE DOORS AT THE FRONT DOOR.
THAT'S KIND OF CHIMES A LITTLE, A LITTLE BIT.
[01:25:01]
I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE THAT, OH, THAT DEVICE WENT IN THE NEW ARTHUR HORN, RIGHT? YEAH.SO THAT DEVICE WAS HERE AT FIRST AND THEN WENT INTO THE NEW AUTHOR HORN FOR SECURITY.
I MEAN, THOSE THREE, WELL, WE CAN CERTAINLY, UM, THOSE THREE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING IT FOR THEIR, UM, PUBLIC MEETINGS AND FOR THEIR COUNCIL MEETINGS.
SO, UM, AND THESE NEW CHANGES ARE KIND OF, IT'S GONNA BE THE WILD, WILD WEST, I'M AFRAID.
WAS, UM, I HOPE NOT WITH PEOPLE CARRYING YES, MA'AM.
SO ANYWAY, SAFETY AND SECURITY SHOULD ALWAYS BE AT THE, WE WERE THERE, I THOUGHT MENTIONED THAT.
I HAD ONE OTHER COMMENT ON THIS ONE.
IT'S KIND OF SKIPPING DOWN TO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET SOFTWARE, WHICH I'M SURE IS GREATLY NEEDED.
BUT WHEN WE WERE MEETING ABOUT H TAX AND A TAX, UM, IT WAS BROUGHT UP THAT THERE'S A PRO, THERE IS A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO BETTER TRACK AIRBNBS.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US, IT WOULD HELP OUR PUBLIC TOO, BECAUSE OUR HOTELS AND MOTELS ARE PAYING.
AND, UM, IF THERE, THERE IS A PROGRAM, UM, THAT CAN BE USED APPARENTLY TO TRACK AIRBNBS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS, BUT, UM, I, I THINK MISS CHRISTMAS AND OTHERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT, OR SOMEBODY IS, CHUCK'S PROBABLY MM-HMM.
MAYBE CHUCK IS, THERE'S SOFTWARE OUT THERE, THERE'S A SOFTWARE.
THERE'S ONLY TO, THERE'S A SERVICE THAT DOES IT, UH, A NOW VERSUS A SOFTWARE.
I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR TO THE HOTELS AND MOTELS THAT ARE PAYING THEIR, THEIR FEES THAT THE AIRBNB SHOULD BE TOO.
CERTAINLY WE CAN, UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH COSTS MADE SOME NOTES FOR THAT.
THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BENEFIT, UM, HT TAX AND ATAC.
SO I'LL SEE IF THERE'S, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE THOSE DOLLARS WE CAN TO FUND THAT TYPE OF SERVICE.
SO ACTUALLY, IF YOU REMEMBER MR. STEWART, MR. WELLS TALKED ABOUT THAT.
SO THEY HAVE THE NAME OF SOMETHING, BUT THEY, THEIR THOUGHT WAS THAT WE'RE NOT COLLECTING ALL OF OUR H TACS AND ATACS THAT WE'RE DUE.
AND SO THIS WOULD KIND OF BE LIKE, IT BE A CHECK PUNCHING PEOPLE DOWN.
WELL, I WOULD, I WOULD AGREE WITH THEM THAT WE PROBABLY ARE NOT.
UM, BUT FOR EVERY SOFTWARE PROGRAM WE CAN INSTALL, THAT HELPS US FIND THOSE PEOPLE.
THERE'S A SOFTWARE PROGRAM THAT HELPS THOSE PEOPLE HIDE.
SO WE, WE WILL CERTAINLY INVESTIGATE THAT.
I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THAT AFTER, AFTER THAT MEETING.
AND NOW INSTEAD OF IT REALLY JUST BEING SOFTWARE THAT YOU BUY, IT'S A SERVICE THAT YOU, THAT YOU, SOMEONE PROVIDES FOR YOU.
BUT IT'S CERTAINLY THINGS WE CAN LOOK AT.
UM, SO WE CAN GET RIGHT INTO SOME OF THE, UH, SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT REALLY, THERE'S A, THERE'S A LOT OF EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT IN SOFTWARE.
UH, AND THESE ARE JUST A FEW, UM, THAT, THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT.
THESE ARE NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, BUT THEY'RE MA THERE'S A LONG LIST OF, OF RENEWAL PROGRAMS, UH, THAT WE USE.
QUESTA IS A SOFTWARE, IS A FINANCE BUDGET SOFTWARE PROGRAM.
UH, WE, UM, TWO YEARS AGO HAD I HAD A SOFTWARE, A FINANCE, SOFTWARE BUDGET PROGRAM THAT WAS USED.
THIS PROGRAM HAS SOME PRETTY UNIQUE THINGS.
THE BUDGET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE IS, IS REALLY COOL.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WEBSITE, THAT TRANSPARENCY, PART OF THAT IS REALLY, UH, THE CRITICAL PART FOR P PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
SO THERE'S SOME WAYS FOR US TO USE THAT, UM, TRANSPARENCY TOOLS AND ENGAGE OUR PUBLIC IN A MORE EFFICIENT, UH, AND EFFECTIVE MANNER.
UM, NEXT IS A PROJECT MATES SOFTWARE PROGRAM.
THIS IS A PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT CAN BE USED.
IT'S MOSTLY FOR THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, UM, UH, PLANNING OR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT.
UH, BUT IT HAS TOOLS BUILT INTO IT THAT, UH, CAN HELP US ACROSS A FEW DIFFERENT PLACE.
THIS CAN HELP US MANAGEMENT, DOC MANAGE DOCUMENTS, MANAGE THE COST OF PROJECTS.
AND WITH A RISING COST OF PROJECTS, IT'S NEVER MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO PUT THOSE RISING COSTS IN A GANTT CHART.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT A GANTT CHART LOOKS LIKE, UH, A GANTT CHART, UH, COMPRESSES A CALENDAR AGAINST COST AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING OUR METRICS AS PROJECTS, UH, MOVE FORWARD.
SO IT'S GONNA BE A REALLY POWERFUL TOOL WHEN WE'RE SPENDING LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY TRYING TO BUILD THINGS.
UH, THE LONGER THOSE THINGS TAKE, THE MORE THEY COST.
UH, SO THAT'S A REALLY HELPFUL PROGRAM.
IT'LL HELP WITH WORKFLOW PLANNING.
AND THEN IN THE END, THAT ANALYSIS AND REPORTING STAGE, AGAIN, IT'S GOT A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PORTION OF THAT.
SO THAT AS THIS SOFTWARE, UH, IS, UH, AS DATA IS INPUT BY STAFF, THERE'S AN OUTPUT MODULE THAT, UH, UH, CAN BE DISPLAYED FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SO THEY KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING AND CAN SEE
[01:30:01]
THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING TOWARDS, TOWARDS PROJECTS.UH, GRAN GRANICUS ENGAGEMENT TOOL IS ANOTHER.
THIS IS FOR OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER.
THIS IS A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TOOL.
UH, THIS HELPS TO FACILITATE, UM, CENTRALIZE AND COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO THE FOCUS OF THIS GRANICUS SOFTWARE IS A FOCUS ON COMMUNITY'S DIRECT INPUT.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU NOTICE ABOUT OUR WEBSITES IS THERE ARE PLACES ON OUR WEBSITES THAT SAY, YOU CAN COMMENT, COMMENT HERE.
THIS TYPE OF SOFTWARE ENGAGES, UM, THE CUSTOMER WITH, WITH A TWO-WAY TYPE OF COMMUNICATION THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO.
SO, UH, A LOT MORE PERSONAL KIND OF ATTENTION TO THAT CUSTOMER THAT'S SEEKING AN ANSWER.
UM, SO THAT WAS, UH, WELL, I JUST COVERED THREE OF SEVEN DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT ARE, THAT ARE IN THE SOFTWARE, ARE IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR FOR US TO, UM, TO CONSIDER, UH, ALL OF THEM HAVE SOME, UM, COMPONENT TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY, TRANSPARENCY OR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WHICH IS WHAT WE WERE FOCUSED ON THERE.
IMPROVEMENTS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THAT IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
UH, BUT THAT IS THE NAME OF THE GAME.
UH, IT, IT IS, UH, IT IS WHERE FOLKS FIND THE MOST OF THE, MOST OF THEIR INFORMATION, EITHER THE READING, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA, OR THEY'RE READING THE PA THE E EDITION OF THE NEWSPAPER.
UH, SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THAT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS MORE THAN JUST A WRITTEN PAPER ANYMORE.
BUT, UH, MULTIMEDIA TOOLS THAT WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE PUBLIC ARE SO IMPORTANT.
UM, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS HERE ABOUT THESE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE? ALRIGHT.
NEXT IS, UH, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY.
WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME DURING OUR STR STRATEGIC PLANNING, TALKING ABOUT, AGAIN, MASTER PLANS, GETTING MASTER PLANS OFF THE SHELF, MAKING SURE THAT WE INVEST IN PROPERTIES AND PARKS THAT WE ALREADY OWN BEFORE WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR FOOTPRINT.
UM, THAT COMMENTS, UH, DURING STRATEGIC PLANNING WHERE WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE, UH, SOLVE THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE NOW BEFORE WE CREATE MORE AND TAKE ON MORE.
UH, SO THIS, THAT WAS THE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL THAT I HEARD AND THE DIRECTION WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, SO YOU'LL SEE, UH, PUT THIS NUMBER UP HERE, 38.9% INCREASE IN THE BUDGET.
IT SEEMS LIKE A BIG NUMBER FOR THE DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET, BUT THEIR DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET WAS NOT VERY BIG TO START WITH THAT 39, 38 POINT, WELL, 39% REPRESENTS A $200,000 INCREASE IN THEIR BUDGET.
AND IT'S SPEC, A SPECIFIC LINE ITEM FOR PARKS AND, UH, FOR OUR PASSIVE PARKS PROGRAM, UH, TO ALLOW THEM TO DO SOME PARK PLANNING, SOME HYDROLOGY WORK, WHICH IS SOME SPECIALIZED SURVEY OF A PROPERTY TO SEE WHERE WATER IS MOVING.
UH, MANY OF THE PIECES OF PROPERTY WE HAVE IMPACT.
ITS IMPACT NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES.
AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY TO PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORS, UH, AND PROTECT OUR OWN PROPERTIES AS WATER MOVES BACK AND FORTH.
SO THAT IS, UM, THAT HYDROLOGY AND ENGINEERING ASSESSMENTS OF THOSE PROPERTIES, UH, IS AN IMPORTANT THING THAT WE WILL DO THIS YEAR.
DEVELOPING THOSE PLANS WILL HELP US TO, TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY, UM, IS PINE VIEW PARK? I THOUGHT I'D HEARD AT ONE OF THE OTHER MEETINGS THAT IT WAS 2025 READY TO GO.
IT, IT MIGHT, IT MIGHT BE ON THERE.
I CAN ASK STEPHANIE REAL QUICK.
PINEVIEW IS A-C-A-C-I-P PROJECT.
'CAUSE THE LIST WOULD BE REALLY BIG.
THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS HERE.
UM, SO THAT IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD THING.
UM, WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION.
SO NOW'S A GOOD POINT TO RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, THE PASSIVE PARKS ON THESE PROGRAMS ARE FUNDED THROUGH THE, THROUGH REALLY VARIOUS SOURCES.
SOME OF THEM ARE IN THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
SOME OF THESE COME, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ARE FUNDED BY IMPACT FEES, SOME BY GRANTS, AND THEN A FEW BY THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, SO IN THE, IN THE PLAN, UH, FOR FY 2025 OR FY 25 IS CAMP ST.
MARY'S PARK, UH, CRYSTAL LAKE PARK, $120,000 FOR SOME, UH, WALKWAY TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS.
AND YOU SEE THAT, THAT IS A CIP ITEM.
SO THAT WAS A CIP ITEM THAT WAS FUNDED IN FY 24.
THAT ROLLS OVER INTO FY 25, UH, FORD SHELL RING, WHICH IS ON HILTON HEAD, UH, FOR OUR PARK CONSTRUCTION.
UM, FORT FREMONT, $500,000 IN THERE FOR STAIRS AND SAFETY, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
[01:35:01]
RIVER PARK AND, UH, WHITEHALL PARK.UH, THERE'S CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN WHITEHALL PARK RIGHT NOW.
UM, SINCE YOU TALK ABOUT CRYSTAL LAKE, IS THAT, UM, THE WALKWAY, UM, IS THAT TO CONTINUE THE BOARDWALK OR IS THAT TO IMPROVEMENT TO THE BOARDWALK DE AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT CRYSTAL LAKE WAS THAT YOU HAD SOME NATURAL PATHWAY AND YOU HAD SOME BOARDWALK.
SO ARE WE GONNA HAVE SOME COMPLETE BOARDWALK OR ARE WE GONNA STAY WITH SOME NATURAL AS WELL AS THERE IS? YES.
THERE'S, UM, A PORTION OF IT THAT WE WANTED TO REMAIN NATURAL.
BUT IT HAS, UM, THERE'S A, A SMALL SECTION ON THE SOUTH SIDE THAT IS VERY LOW LYING AND VERY CLOSE TO THE WATER, AND IT HAS ERODED MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF ROOTS AND TRIP HAZARDS.
SO WE'RE JUST PUTTING A BOARDWALK OVER THOSE ROOTS TO GET TO WHERE THE DEEPER SAND IS AND THEN STILL HAVE A NATURAL PORTION.
UH, DIFFERENT FROM PASSIVE PARKS, BUT STILL RECREATION IS PARKS AND RECREATION.
SO AGAIN, UM, MANY PROJECTS FUNDED THROUGH MULTIPLE SOURCES.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE IN OUR, UH, FY 24 BUDGET ARE INVESTMENTS IN MC RILEY POOLS.
YOU'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT, UH, INVESTMENTS IN POOLS FOR, UH, FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
IT WAS IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET AND THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, UH, THIS IS, UH, FINALLY GETTING TO THE HVAC AND ENVELOPE, UH, OF THOSE BUILDINGS TO PROTECT THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN THERE ALREADY.
UM, SOUTH SIDE PICKLEBALL COURTS OR IN THERE, UH, SEVERAL PROJECTS FOR CHARLES LYNN BROWN.
UH, CHARLES LYNN BROWN HAS SOME, UH, PHASE TWO OF RESTROOM RENOVATIONS.
UH, THE JIM, UH, JIM FLOOR, UH, RENOVATION, UH, AN ENTRYWAY AWNING, UH, SO THAT IT'S A, A LITTLE BETTER PROTECTED AND THE WATER MOVES OUT OF THAT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE DID SEVERAL PROJECTS THERE THIS YEAR.
IF YOU, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE AND VISIT, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO BY.
UM, IT, IT LOOKS, UH, AMAZING AS COMPARED TO WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE A SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
UH, A COUPLE OF OTHER PROJECTS ARE, UM, BOOKER T WASHINGTON CENTER, UH, REMODELS $145,000 THERE.
SOME WORK IN THE SCOTT CENTER FOR ANOTHER $115,000 AND SOME, UM, WORK AT THE BOUNDARY STREET TENNIS COURTS, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE LESS EXPENSIVE PROJECTS, BUT NO LESS IMPORTANT.
UM, THE, UH, THE TENNIS COURTS THERE ARE WELL USED AND, UM, DESERVING OF SOME ATTENTION.
YOU PROBABLY GONNA ASK WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK.
PERHAPS I'M NOT SEEING IT, BUT MY SPLASH PAD'S NOT IN HERE
BUT CAN YOU TELL ME, WHERE IS BOOKER T WASHINGTON? SINCE I'M FROM THE NETHERLANDS DOWN THERE.
WHERE'S HANK LEFT? IT'S IN MY DISTRICT.
IT'S UH, IT'S OUT ON HIGHWAY 17 HEADING NORTH TO CHARLESTON.
UH, WHEN YOU COME EITHER THE OVERPASS AND GARDENS CORNER.
UM, BY THE, IF YOU'RE COMING 21 OUT OF BEAUFORT, YOU, YOU, UH, THEY ARE FROM THE OVERPASS RATHER THAN GOING UNDER.
BUT WHEN YOU GO DOWN 17, IT'S THE FIRST TRAFFIC LIGHT YOU GET TO ON OBVIOUSLY 17 HEAD IN CHARLESTON.
IS THE REMODEL GONNA MAKE IT REALLY WELL USED? BETTER USED? YES.
IT'LL BE BETTER THAN WHAT IT IS.
BUT IT'S A STEEL BUILDING THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE LATE SEVENTIES, I BELIEVE IT WAS.
AND WHERE IS SCOTT CENTER? IN SCOTT? YEP.
BECAUSE I WAS GONNA GO TO LADIES ISLAND.
WE HAVE THE LADY THAT COMES EVERY DAY.
I MEAN, EVERY COUNCIL MEETING THAT WE DON'T HAVE RECREATION FACILITIES ON LADIES ISLAND, STATE OF THE ART.
SHE WON STATE OF THE ART LADIES TOO.
I KNOW WE SAW YOUR AREAS TOO, TOO.
WHAT ABOUT ON THOSE? THERE'S NOT.
SO WE'LL, WE CAN, WE CAN, UH, LET ME SEE WHAT'S, WHAT'S NEXT.
ALRIGHT, SO THERE, THERE ARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES, UH, TO INVEST IN COMMUNITY CENTERS.
UH, PART OF OUR OPERA ARPA DOLLARS, WE HAVE, UH, $3 MILLION OF ARPA DOLLARS, 1 MILLION, UH, FOR EACH OF THE RURAL DISTRICTS.
AND THEN $1 MILLION TO SPEND ON DUSKY.
UH, NONE OF THOSE PROJECTS CAN BE DONE FOR THAT $1 MILLION.
UM, THE ESTIMATE NOW FOR ANY ONE OF THEM IS $2 MILLION.
UM, THE ONE ON DUSKY WILL COST MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
UH, THOSE, UH, THOSE ARPA DOLLARS, UH, THAT ARE THERE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE REACHING THE END OF THAT.
WE HAVE TO OBLIGATE THOSE ARPA
[01:40:01]
DOLLARS.UH, THAT'S PROBABLY A CONVERSATION FOR ANOTHER DAY ON HOW WE USE THOSE OPERA DOLLARS OR REPURPOSE THE DOLLARS WE HAVE, UM, TO A APPROACH THE NEEDS OF THOSE COMMUNITY CENTERS.
UM, THERE IS, AND WHEN I TALK ABOUT IN A, IN A MOMENT HERE, UH, BOND OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR US TO INVEST SOME OF OUR BOND PROCEEDS IN OUR PASSIVE PARKS OR IN OUR PARKS AND RECREATION CENTERS.
UM, SO IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MINUTE AS WE MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS THE BOND.
AND THEN THAT MIGHT MAKE A LITTLE MORE SENSE TO YOU.
DID I MISS, OH, NO, I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE SPLASH PAD YET.
I, I WAS QUIET THE WHOLE TIME.
MR. TURNER DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY REC SETTING.
WE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON THOSE.
WHAT IS THIS FOR? I, I MEAN, I'M, I'M NOT OBJECTING, I'M JUST ASKING.
I BELIEVE THAT'S GONNA IMPROVE THE PARKING.
I KNOW WE, WE PUT A LOT OF MONEY IN IT.
I WISH I HAD ALL THOSE ANSWERS, BUT, BUT I'VE GOT FOLKS THAT KNOW, SO I WAS CURIOUS.
PROGRAMMATIC WISE, UM, THE, UM, CHARLES LYNN BROWN.
SO THERE WAS, UH, I JUST READ THIS ONE THE OTHER DAY.
THERE'S A PROGRAM THERE NOW THAT IS DANCE CLASSES, UH, A FEW DIFFERENT KIND OF DANCE CLASSES.
SO, UH, MR. BROWN, UH, OUR NEW DIRECTOR FROM PARKS AND REC HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN FINDING THOSE 70 30 PROGRAMS WHERE FOLKS WANT TO COME IN AND, UH, PROVIDE A, A, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PROGRAM IN THAT, WHERE THEY RECEIVE 70% OF THAT AND THE COUNTY RECEIVES 30% OF THAT COST, THAT JUST THAT RENTAL.
SO I'VE SEEN, UM, UH, SOME, A TYPE OF MARTIAL ARTS, UH, CLASS THAT THEY WANTED TO DO THERE.
AND THEN THIS DANCE CLASS, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING THAT.
UH, MY REAL QUESTION WAS, UM, UH, ARE THERE ANY PLANS FOR THE, UH, COUNCIL OF AGING TO BE, UH, PART OF THAT SITE AS WELL IN THE FUTURE? JUST THROWING THAT OUT.
UM, WHEN WE DID OUR, UH, CIP DISCUSSION EARLIER WITH YOU, UM, I WASN'T ABLE TO BE AT THE MEETING, BUT I HAD LARRY TO BRING IT FORWARD FOR HIM.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE SPLASH PAD AND THE WATER SLIDES OUT AT THE BURWELL CENTER FOR, UH, FUTURE, UH, PROJECTS.
UM, SO WE HAD SOME OF, WE DID HAVE SOME OF THAT DISCUSSION ABOUT SPLASH PADS.
I'VE REACHED OUT, UH, THIS MORNING ACTUALLY TO OUR, UM, MUNICIPAL LEADERS AND ASK ARE THEIR INTEREST IN THE MUNICIPALITIES, UH, FOR, FOR SPLASH PADS.
AND REALLY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THOSE KIND OF APPLICATIONS, IT REALLY COMES ABOUT LOCATION AND DENSITY.
WHERE, UH, WHERE OUR FAMILIES, WHERE OUR KIDS AND WHERE ARE THE PARKS THAT THEY USE.
UH, THE ONE THAT'S BEING BUILT IN BLUFFTON ISN'T A GREAT LOCATION CENTER OF TOWN.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THAT INVESTMENT, UH, IT, IT IS WHERE CAN WE BUILD THIS STRUCTURE THAT WE CAN HOUSE IT, WE CAN MAINTAIN IT, AND THAT FOLKS WILL USE THAT.
UM, SO I REACHED OUT TO 'EM MUNICIPALITIES TO SEE IF THERE ARE SOME INTEREST THERE.
UM, AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE GET BACK.
AND MAYBE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNTY TO BE A GOOD PARTNER IN THAT, DEVELOP THOSE IN THE, IN THOSE MUNICIPALITIES AND, AND IN AND SUCH ALLOW THE MUNICIPALITY TO MAINTAIN THAT PERPETUAL MAINTENANCE OF THOSE PROPERTIES.
UM, I WAS ON THE SOUTH SIDE TASK FORCE.
BUT, UH, THE LAST SURVEY WHEN THEY DID IT AND DECIDED WHAT TO DO AT SOUTH SIDE SPLASH PADS WAS WAY UP ON THE LIST.
BUT, UM, THEY DECIDED TO DO THE PLAYGROUND FIRST BECAUSE OF FUNDING.
UM, BUT YEAH, IT WAS, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S ROOM AT SOUTH SIDE PARK FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THERE'S ROOM PROBABLY IN PORT ROYAL TOO.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, IT WAS WAY UP ON THE LIST AND VERY POPULAR.
UM, WANTED TO DO IT WAS THE COSTS WERE MORE THAN A PLAYGROUND
THE MAINTENANCE WAS MORE, THE DESIRE FOR THEM IS WAY UP ON THE LIST AND THE COST OF THEM IS WAY UP ON THE LIST.
AND THE ROUTINE, THE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF THAT NEVER ENDS.
UH, SO THAT YOU HAVE TO FACTOR THAT IN THE WEIGHT OF THAT MAINTENANCE.
UM, IT'D HAVE TO BE A JOINT PROJECT.
I DON'T THINK THE CITY OF BEAUFORT COULD, COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON THEIR OWN.
THAT WAS A DECISION THEY MADE.
WELL, THAT, THAT WAS MY THOUGHT AS WELL.
AND, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT I ADDRESSED, UM, MRS. RENICK'S
[01:45:01]
REQUEST AND, AND I DID REACH OUT TO, UM, TO THE MUNICIPALITIES TO SEE IF THERE WAS INTEREST THERE BECAUSE I DO AGREE.I I THINK THAT WOULD BE A WELL USED, UM, A WELL USED, UM, YOU KNOW, FACILITY IN THE COUNTY AND, UM, YOUR MUNICIPALITIES AND THE COUNTY THERE WHERE IT WAS COULD CERTAINLY BENEFIT FROM THOSE.
JUST THINKING YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE NUMBERS BEHIND IT.
UH, WASN'T BLUFFTON SPLASH PAD LIKE SIX 50 OR 700? OH, I, WE DEFINITELY JUST SPENT MORE THAN THAT ON A PLAYGROUND LAST SUMMER.
SO I WAS, I'M SPEAKING ABOUT A PLAYGROUND AT SOUTH SIDE, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE, THE ONE THAT'S IN PORT ROYAL IS AN INCLUSIVE, WHICH MEANS HANDICAPPED CHILDREN CAN USE IT.
THE ONE AT SOUTH SIDE IS NOT, AND IT'S DONE BY THE CITY OF BUFORT AND IT WAS LESS THAN THAT.
BUT MAINTENANCE IS A BIG TICKET TO, TO MY, MY ONLY QUESTION WAS, I WAS GONNA PIGGYBACK WITH THAT WAS, I MEAN, DEPENDING ON THE FUNDING OF WHATEVER WE'RE DOING HERE, ARE WE EXPLORING WHERE WE CAN FIND THOSE FUNDS TO DO THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES OR SET SET ASIDE FUNDS TO PURCHASE LANDS FOR FUTURE REC CENTERS OR EXPANSIONS OF REC CENTERS? ARE WE ACTUALLY TAKING INITIATIVE FOR THAT OR ARE WE JUST LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE CURRENT THINGS WE HAVE? BECAUSE I MEAN, WE'RE DOING OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR PICKLEBALL COURTS TOWN OF BLUFFTON DOING THEIR OWN SPLASH PAD.
THEY PAID FOR THAT, THEIR OWN OUT OF THEIR OWN TAX DOLLARS, HOWEVER THEY DECIDED TO DO THAT OR WHETHER THEY, THEY USED ARPA FUNDS, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE WE HAD FUNDS SET ASIDE FOR SOME OF THIS BEFORE.
WELL, WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR RECREATION.
AND I BELIEVE WE SET ASIDE LIKE ALMOST SOME MILLION DOLLARS, I THINK FOR ST.
HELENA'S SPLASH PAD AT ONE POINT.
HELENA'S SPLASH PAD IN PLAY AREA 1,000,002 50.
YEAH, YOU COULD, YEAH, YOU CAN THROW THAT ONE AWAY.
WHAT
WELL I BELIEVE LADIES ISLAND WAS ON THERE TOO.
I BELIEVE THERE'S MONEY DIVVIED UP.
I'M JUST SAYING SOMETHING WE SHOULD PROBABLY LOOK INTO BEFORE WE FINALIZE ANY OF THIS, BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE WHEN, LIKE MR. DAWSON WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, SO THE MONEY WE SET ASIDE, I THINK THERE WAS MONEY SET UP ASIDE FROM ARPA FUNDS FOR PARKS AND REC.
AND IF YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THE DEADLINE'S COMING UP AND WE HAVEN'T USED IT YET OR SET IT ASIDE TO PUT IT IN MOTION TO USE, WE WOULD LOSE IT.
OKAY, SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ARPA FUNDING FOR THAT PROJECT.
I'M PRETTY SURE WE SET FUNDING ASIDE FOR THAT MORE THAN A COUPLE MILL.
I THINK HANK SAID IT NEEDED TO BE SPENT BY THE END OF 26.
BUT HAS TO BE DESIGNATED OBLIGATED.
IT'S GONNA GO BY THE END OBLIGATED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I'M JUST, IT'S LIKE BURWELL'S WATERPARK AND CAMPGROUND WAS ALLOCATED A MILLION DOLLARS.
HELENA SPLASH PAD PLAY AREA 1.25 NEW RIVERSIDE PARK BLUFF IN A MILLION DOLLARS RECONSTRUCTION AREA, NATIONAL HISTORIC PARTS NETWORK AND SIGNS PROGRAM 350,000.
SO WE'RE NORTH OF TWO POINT OR 3.5 MILLION THAT IS SET ASIDE RIGHT HERE THAT WE DO HAVE TO USE.
I MEAN WE CAN, IF MR. GLOVER'S SAYING THAT HE DOESN'T WANNA USE IT OVER THERE FOR THAT SOME MONEY DON'T TAKE THE MONEY.
BUT MY POINT IS, WE DO HAVE THIS MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO ALLOCATE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
WE NEED TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TOGETHER.
MAYBE, MAYBE THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO HERE IN BEAUFORT.
BEAUFORT IS SAYING THEY CAN'T DO THE FUNDING THEMSELVES AND TEAM UP OR WHEREVER.
IF YOU GUYS DON'T WANT IT, I PROMISE YOU I CAN FIND A SPOT FOR IT AND BLUFF IT.
WELL, CERTAINLY I'LL, I'LL DO SOME DIGGING AND WE'LL SEE IF, UH, IF THAT, IF THAT, IF THOSE DOLLARS REMAIN IN ARPA FUNDING IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN REPURPOSED FOR SOME OTHER USE AT THIS POINT.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE TO DIG THOSE OUT.
SO THE, UM, WELL, CAN I ASK ABOUT THE PICKLEBALL COURTS? WHY ARE WE BUILDING MORE IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT HILTON HEAD'S BUILDING A BUNCH AND I BELIEVE BLUFFTON ISS BUILDING, UH, HILTON HEAD IS JUST GOT A CONTRACT SIGNED.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S HILTON HEAD ITSELF, BUT SOMEBODY IS BUILDING THEIR OWN PICKLE PICKLEBALL COURTS INSIDE THE OLD SAM'S CLUB.
BLUFFTON HAS BEEN DISCUSSING MORE AS WELL.
UM, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE AND SPLIT THESE WELL SOUTH SIDE.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE EXISTING COURTS THAT WERE CONVERTED FROM TENNIS COURTS AND THIS WOULD ADD FOUR MORE COURTS.
IT INCLUDES, WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT SPLASH PAD.
IT INCLUDES, WELL, I'M SORRY, IT INCLUDES A FULL SIZE BASKETBALL COURT TOO.
THERE'S THERE'S MORE IMPROVEMENTS THERE THAN JUST THE, THAN JUST THE PICKLEBALL COURT.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST MORE NO.
IT INCLUDES A FULL-SIZED OUTDOOR BASKETBALL COURT.
THAT PROJECT HAS BEEN WORKS FOR TWO YEARS.
IT'S BEEN WELL OVER A YEAR THAT IT WAS, UH, DESIGNED AND, AND IT'S TAKEN SOME, SOME TIME AND WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE TO GETTING THAT
[01:50:01]
DONE, UH, OR GETTING THAT OUT FOR BID AND AWARDED.UM, SO THERE IS STILL, UH, THERE IS STILL SOME OPPORTUNITY TO FUND SOME PROGRAMS. AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT IN, UH, IN THE BONDING PROCESS.
UH, SO A LITTLE, A LITTLE LATER, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE, UH, BOND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE, UM, WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE BOND.
HERE'S THE, THIS PORTION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
SO, UH, MR. CUNNINGHAM, YOU MENTIONED THAT, UM, WAS, WAS THE COUNTY INVESTING IN OUR EXISTING, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR EXISTING BUILDINGS, OR WE TRYING TO BUILD NEW STUFF.
AND THE ANSWER FROM STRATEGIC PLAN WAS, WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF WHAT WE OWN.
WE HAVE TONS AND TONS, WELL, LOTS AND LOTS OF REQUESTS, UH, TO, FOR IMPROVEMENTS OF ALREADY COUNTY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND EVERY TIME WE ADD, UH, A NEW PROGRAM OR A NEW PLAN TO THAT, SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE TO OUR EXISTING STRUCTURES GET PUSHED BACK A LITTLE BIT FARTHER, UM, WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, THEN THE BONDING PROCESS WOULD BE A GREAT LEAP FORWARD IN THAT, IN THAT, UH, PROGRESS.
SO TO ADDRESS THESE DEFERRED INTERNAL FACILITIES AND CAPITAL NEEDS, WE, WE DISCUSSED THIS DURING THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE BROUGHT IN, UM, OUR, UH, FINANCIAL ADVISOR FROM FIRST TRY ON, AND HE WENT, OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
HE WENT OVER, UH, SOME OF THOSE BONDS, UH, OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IN WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE BOND PROCEEDS.
UH, PART OF THAT, PART OF THAT BOND, UH, FOR US IS $68.3 MILLION IN CAPITAL PROJECTS.
UM, THE BULK OF THOSE PROJECTS WOULD FUND A REPLACEMENT OF THE, OF A PUBLIC WORKS, UH, A NEW PUBLIC WORKS BUILDINGS, UH, THE, UH, SITE EVALUATION CONCEPTUAL PLANS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE NEARLY COMPLETE NOW.
UH, WE MAY HAVE TO REVISIT THOSE, UH, BECAUSE THE COST IS, UH, IS, HAS CLIMBED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THAT STRUCTURE.
UM, BUT WHERE THE OPPORTUNITY HERE IS, UH, ORIGINALLY IN THAT BOND OPPORTUNITY WAS ABOUT $10 MILLION THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT FOR, UH, BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.
$8 MILLION OF THAT WAS FOR TO, TO ASSIST WITH THE NEW HOSPITAL.
$2 MILLION OF THAT WAS GOING TOWARDS WORKFORCE HOUSING.
UH, AS WELL AS, UH, BUILT INTO THAT WERE, UH, WERE FUNDS FOR EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES.
THERE WAS $6 MILLION IN THERE FOR, UH, TCLS AND THEN $6 MILLION FOR USCB.
WELL, SINCE THEN WE LEARNED THAT USCB DOESN'T NEED THAT FUNDING.
SO THERE'S $6 MILLION OF POTENTIAL BOND BOND PROCEEDS THAT YOU CAN USE.
YOU CAN, UM, WHEN WE COME, SORRY, WHEN WE COME FORWARD WITH A BOND ORDINANCE, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SAY, WE DON'T WANNA BOND THAT $6 MILLION.
WE'LL REDUCE OUR BOND ORDINANCE.
I'M GONNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT THAT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST THAT $6 MILLION IN PARKS AND REC PROGRAMS IN OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS IN SOME OF THE UNCOMPLETED WORK IN OUR, UM, UH, PASSIVE PARKS.
SO WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, WHERE CAN WE GET THOSE DOLLARS FROM? THERE'S $6 MILLION POTENTIAL IN BOND PROCEEDS, UM, THAT CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE.
WE ALSO HAVE ALL THOSE BOAT RAMPS FROM THAT STUDY.
AND WE ALSO HAVE THE COOLER TRACK HANGING OVER OUR HEADS.
WELL, WE ARE WORKING ON, WE ARE DOING SOME WORK IN THE COOLER TRACK.
WE'RE DOING A CONCEPTUAL PLAN FOR THAT RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT SCOPE OF WORK TO DECIDE WHAT SHOULD THAT SITE LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE THE POTENTIALS FOR THAT SITE? AND WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THE CONCEPTUAL PLAN.
WE HAD, WE HAD A BALANCE OF FUNDS, UH, THAT YOU APPROPRIATED TO BUY THE LAST, IT WAS 20 ACRES, BUT AT 16 OR 14 ACRES THAT IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE BALANCE OF THOSE DOLLARS.
UH, DUR WHEN YOU MADE THAT, UM, APPROPRIATION WAS ALLOWED US TO USE THOSE DOLLARS TO, TO DO THAT CONCEPTUAL PLAN.
SO, UM, WHERE WAS I AT THOSE BOND PROCEEDS? UM, UM, AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PORTION OF THIS, THE EXTERNAL ENTITY FUNDING, AND THIS IS WHAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT, HIGHER EDUCATION CARE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THESE ARE ALSO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT DURING A STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS.
THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WAS THE INVESTMENT IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UH, HE CAME TO YOU AND ASKED FOR I THINK, $19 MILLION OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
WE, UH, WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION.
WE ADJUSTED THE, THE MILLAGE YOU SAW FROM THE, FROM THE VERY FIRST SLIDE WE INCREASED
[01:55:01]
THAT, THAT MILLAGE OR THE REQUEST IS TO INCREASE THAT MILLAGE FROM 0.3 TO 1.3, ADDING ONE ONE MILL PER YEAR.SO THIS YEAR IT'S LIKE $2.7 MILLION EACH EACH YEAR.
UH, AS THE MILLAGE INCREASE, THAT NUMBER WILL INCREASE OVER TIME.
UM, SO THAT IS EXPECTED TO GENERATE THAT $2.7 MILLION.
UM, THIS YEAR WE ALSO INCREASED THE MILLAGE, UH, FOR THE ENGINEER CARE PROGRAM.
UH, WENT FROM 0.6 OR 0.4 MILLS TO 0.6 MILS.
IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN DAVID CHEATWOOD WAS HERE AND DESCRIBED THE, UH, THE BOND OPPORTUNITY AND HOW WE MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE IN THE BOND OPPORTUNITY THAT, UH, INCREASE IN MILLAGE, UH, TO THE ENGINE CARE HELPS TO OFFSET THE COST OF THAT $8 MILLION BOND FOR THE NEW HOSPITAL AND THE $2 MILLION BOND REQUESTS THAT, UH, THE HOSPITAL HAD FOR, UH, WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SO THAT INCREASE IN THE MILLAGE FOR THEIR ENGINE AT CARE COVERS, THAT COVERS THAT DIFFERENCE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THE EDUCATION PORTION OF THAT, AND THIS IS THE, UH, REQUEST FROM TCL THAT WE, THAT WE, UH, CAN ADDRESS THIS WAS THAT INCREASE FROM BY 0.1 OF ONE 10TH OF A MILL.
AND THIS OFFSETS THE COST OF THE $6 MILLION BOND, UH, FOR TCLS WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER.
UM, LASTLY, THE LAST THING I'LL TALK ABOUT THE BOND AND, AND I THINK MAYBE DENISE MIGHT TALK ABOUT IT SOME MORE IF THERE'S MORE QUESTIONS WHERE THERE SHE IS.
UM, SO STAFF INTENDS TO PREPARE TO PREPARE FOR YOU A BOND ORDINANCE TO COME TO COMMITTEE SOMETIME IN LATE JUNE.
UM, IF APPROVED, THE BONDS WOULD BE ISSUED IN THE SE LATE IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF FY 25.
UH, AND THE PAYMENTS WOULD BE DEFERRED UNTIL THAT SAME TIME IN FY 26.
SO IF WE WERE TO, THERE'S A LONG BOND CALENDAR, A RECOMMENDATION OF A BOND CALENDAR.
UH, AND IF WE GO THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, BONDING THIS, UH, THESE DOLLARS IN THAT LATE SECOND QUARTER, UM, WE WOULD, UM, ONLY HAVE, WE, WE WOULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO NOT HAVE TO ADJUST THE DEBT MILLAGE GOING INTO NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL, UM, VALUE OF THE MILL INCREASING.
UH, SO THAT IS REALLY NICE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DEFER THAT BOND PAYMENT FOR THAT 12 MONTHS TO NOT HAVE TO OBLIGATE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET TO INCREASE THE DEBT MILL TO COVER DEBT WE CREATE NOW.
UH, SO THAT'S THE SPECIAL PART OF THAT.
ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND SOMEBODY SMARTER THAN ME TO TALK ABOUT
SO, UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU, AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I SHARED WITH YOU IS THIS, UH, BUDGET THAT, UH, WE'RE HOPING YOU FORWARD TO COUNSEL TODAY REQUIRES NO INCREASE IN MILLAGE.
UM, I TRIED TO REALLY, UH, PRESENT TO YOU TODAY, THE THINGS THAT YOU REQUESTED THAT STAFF DO IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
THOSE THINGS THAT COST US OR NEED, THAT WE NEED TO PLAN FOR IN OUR BUDGET.
OF COURSE, THERE WERE MANY THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED THAT REALLY DON'T HAVE A DOLLAR ATTACHED TO THEM.
THERE ARE SOME ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE.
UM, IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK ME, I'M HERE TO ANSWER.
UM, THERE'S MUCH MORE PRESENTATION TO GO.
UM, I WANNA GO BACK TO THE, IN INDIGENT, UM, INDIGENT CARE.
UM, AND YOU, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, BEAUFORD JASPER, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COMP HEALTH.
AND THEN YOU'RE INCREASING BEAUFORT HOSPITAL, UM, TWO TENTHS OF A MILL.
YOU'RE INCREASING THE TWO TENTHS OF A MILL, RIGHT? MM-HMM,
UM, IN, IN YOUR LANGUAGE, UM, THE, THE HIGH ED ALLOCATION, UM, BASICALLY STARTED OUT THE SAME WAY AS BUFORD, THE INGEN CARE.
UM, THE REMAINING OF THE FUNDS IN THERE, THAT ACCOUNT WILL BE DIVIDED BETWEEN, UH, USC AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE.
UM, IN THE OTHER LANGUAGE, IN THE INDIGENT K UM, LANGUAGE.
UM, YOU'RE GIVING, LET ME BACK UP.
LET ME ASK THIS QUESTION HERE.
[02:00:01]
IS IT FOUR 10TH OF A MILL FOR EACH ONE? WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU FOR JA FOR COMP HEALTH? YES.YOU, FOR JAPER COMP HEALTH HAS THEIR OWN MILLAGE.
AND THEN INGEN CARE IS INDEPENDENT OF THAT, WHICH THEY GET POINT SIX IS 0.66 TENTHS OF A MILL.
SO THE INCREASE IN OF TWO TENTHS OF A MILL COVERS THE BOND? NO, I'M, I'M, DID I READ IT WRONG? LET'S LET DENISE HAND NO, NO.
YOU, YOU PROBABLY, YOU T CARE, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT INDIGENT CARE ONE'S.
THE HOSPITAL, BMH, AND THE OTHERS TO BEAUFORT, JASPER INDIGENT CARE, THEIR BUDGET REQUEST WAS NOT, UH, AN INCREASE.
THE BEAUFORT, JASPER HEALTH, THEY DID NOT ASK FOR ANY INCREASE IN FUNDING, BUT THE HOSPITAL DID.
SO WE INCREASED FOR THE WORKFORCE? NO, NO.
AND THEN THE HOSPITAL BILL FOR THE OTHER PART? YES, SIR.
SO THAT WHEN THEY BUILD THE NEW HOSPITAL IN TON, I GOT, I GOT, I GOT, HE SAID THAT THEY COULD PROVIDE INDIGENT CARE THERE.
SO IT STILL GOES TOWARD INDIGENT CARE.
THAT, UM, SO THAT'S ALMOST A MILL FOR INDIGENT CARE, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME? FOUR TENTHS OF A MILL FOR BEAUFORT, JASPER HEALTH, INDIGENT CARE.
SIX 10TH IS A MILL FOR, FOR INDIGENT CARE FOR BEAUFORT MEMORIAL.
WELL, COMBINED, THEY WOULD BE COMBINED.
THEY WOULD BE A MILL, BUT THEY'RE INDEPENDENT.
THEIR FUND, THEY HAVE TWO SEPARATE FUNDS IN OUR CHART OF ACCOUNTS.
THEY HAVE EACH THEIR OWN FUND.
WHEREAS THE HIGHER ED, THEY SHARE A FUND.
AND THEN THE SI THOUGHT, I THOUGHT THEY BOTH SHARED, BUT YOU TOLD ME.
IT'S NOT, OH, I DON'T KNOW WHY.
YOU ALRIGHT? THERE'S ABOUT 150 PAGES LEFT
UH, ARE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR ME? ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR, NOPE, MR. ROBINSON? NOPE.
LET'S TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK.
OH GERALD, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
WE'LL FIND IT SOUTH OF THE BROAD.
ACROSS ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? SOUTH OF THE BROAD? I'M HERE TO SUPPORT IT.
I'M JUST SAYING WE CAN BUILD A WHOLE NEW RESTAURANT.
BLUFFTON AND A WHOLE NEW REON OVER HERE.
LET'S DO, IT'S YOU WANT A WATER ACTIVITY PARK? WELL, I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.
WE USED TO HAVE A SKATING RINK.
THEY DON'T HAVE A SKATING RINK ANYMORE.
BUSINESSES, BECAUSE WE STILL GOT A LOT TO GO BROWN.
MY HOUSE, BECAUSE I'M GONNA GET TO THIS, ALL THESE NEW POSITIONS.
ALRIGHT, LETS, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED AGAIN.
SARAH, ARE WE READY? YES, SIR.
BACK ON MR. ALTOFF FLOOR IS YOURS.
LOOK AT YOU KNOWING HOW TO SPELL, PRONOUNCE THE LAST NAME.
UH, SO HERE WE ARE AFTER MONTHS AND MONTHS OF PREPARATION AND MEETINGS.
WE ARE HERE, DENISE AND I, TO PRESENT YOU WITH A BALANCED BUDGET.
UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, I JUST KIND OF WANNA SAY A FEW THANK YOUS TO SOME PEOPLE WHO HELPED US THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
OF COURSE, THE DEPARTMENT HEADS WHO MET WITH US, UM, AND ENTERED THEIR, THEIR BUDGETS AND, UM, GAVE US THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE, UM, DECISIONS, UM, KNOWLEDGEABLE DECISIONS TO, TO GET TO THIS POINT.
THE FIRE CHIEFS, THE AUDITOR ASSESSOR, TREASURER'S OFFICE, THE CIP TEAM AND MANY, MANY OTHERS.
UM, SO WHILE PREPARING THE BUDGET, UM, THE LINE ITEM BUDGETS BY DEPARTMENT, WE HAD THE FOLLOWING PRIORITIES IN MIND.
THE COMPENSATION STUDY ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION WITH A 4% ADJUSTMENT ADJUSTMENTS TO BRING ALL SALARIES TO AT LEAST MINIMUM IN THEIR RANGE.
AND AN ADJUSTMENT TO AVOID INTERNAL COMPRESSION ISSUES.
DUE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED TWO ADJUSTMENTS, IT'S APPROXIMATELY A SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR PROPOSITION, UM, THAT WILL BE PRESENTED LIKE YOU HEARD IN JUNE.
UM, BUT WE DID GO WITH THE TOP OF THE LINE LEVEL THAT WE PLUGGED INTO THIS BUDGET AND THEN, OF COURSE BALANCED IT FROM THERE.
UM, WELLNESS INITIATIVES WERE KEPT IN MIND FOR LONG-TERM
[02:05:01]
REDUCTION IN CLAIMS EXPENSES.WE ADDRESSED DEFERRED FACILITIES NEEDS AND CAPITAL NEEDS, UM, BY LOOKING INTO THE BOND ISSUANCE IN THE FALL.
AND THEN WE WANNA SUPPORT INITIATIVES OF T-C-L-U-S-C-B AND BMH TO PROVIDE THE WORKFORCE TRAINING, THE HOUSING AND THE CONVOCATION CENTER.
AND WE'RE GONNA ALSO LOOK AT MODIFYING AND ADOPTING THE NEW PURCHASING PROCEDURES TO SAFEGUARD THE COUNTY CITIZENS TAX DOLLARS AND ENSURE THOSE FUNDS THAT ARE BEING USED ARE IN AN ETHICAL AND TRANSPARENT WAY AND ARE USED STRICTLY FOR THE VITAL OPERATIONS OF COUNTY DEPARTMENTS.
SO, UM, NO, THAT, THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD SLIDE TO BE ON.
SO THAT'S THE, THE SNAPSHOT SLIDE.
SO JUST AS AN OVERVIEW, THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS $154,295,203.
THIS IS AN INCREASE OF ABOUT $6 OR 4% FROM FY 24.
THE, UM, THE REVENUE BUDGET INCREASES ATTRIBUTED TO THE PROPERTY TAXES, UM, COMING IN AT ABOUT 4 MILLION WITH THE MILLION, THE VALUE OF THE MILL BEING AT ABOUT 2.7 MILLION.
INTEREST ON INVESTMENTS WENT UP AND THEN STATE AID TO SUBDIVISIONS.
THE EXPENDITURE BUDGET INCREASES WERE THE PAYROLL CONTINGENCY FUND INCREASED BY 623,000 TO HELP US FUND NEWLY APPROVED POSITIONS IN THE GENERAL FUND.
THE SALARIES INFRINGES INCREASED BY ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION DUE TO THE COMP AND CLASS STUDY.
AND WE MOVED THE GARAGE FUND, UM, TO THE GENERAL FUND FROM AN INTERNAL SERVICE FUND.
AND THAT BUDGET FOR THAT DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT 2.68 MILLION.
SO AT THE BACK OF THE GENERAL FUND SECTION, WHICH IS SECTION THREE OF YOUR BINDER OR OF THIS PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, GO ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THIS DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW ONE OF THE HOT TOPICS IS THE DIRECT SUBSIDIES IN THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES.
UM, SO THIS SLIDE HERE, THIS PAGE IN YOUR BUDGET BOOK, UM, DETAILS, THE, UH, REQUESTED RECOMMENDED, UM, FUNDING FOR THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES.
UM, AND THEN WHERE IT LINES UP IN THE BUDGET TOTAL.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT A $3.7 MILLION RECOMMENDATION FOR THOSE.
UM, AND I'M SORRY, SARAH, I FORGOT I HAD THE THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN.
DO YOU WANT US TO ASK QUESTIONS AS SHE GOES, OR WAIT UNTIL THE END? YOU CAN DO WHATEVER.
UH, LET'S GO AND ASK QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, ON THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE UP THERE, IT'S JUST A COMMENT ABOUT THE MILITARY ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE.
LAST YEAR THEY HAD A SPECIFIC PROJECT GOING ON REGARDING, UM, THE, THEY HAD A TASK FORCE FOR THE NAVAL HOSPITAL.
SO, UM, AND THAT, I WOULD ASK THAT THIS YEAR, THAT KIND OF BE A, LIKE A PLACEHOLDER FOR THEM.
I, I HAVE A QUESTION AS, AS WELL, UH, GOING BACK TO THAT, UH, FUND SNAPSHOT, JUST ON THE COUNTY COUNCIL LINE, I SEE 2023 ACTUALS, IT SHOWS ALMOST $8 MILLION.
BUT THE 2025 PENDING BUDGET IS JUST A LITTLE OVER A MILLION.
WHAT'S THE, AND THE 2024 REVISED BUDGET SHOWS UP AS 5 MILLION.
WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE DISCREPANCY THERE? 'CAUSE IT SAYS IT'S DOWN 77.8%.
I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD'VE SPENT $5 MILLION ON.
THE VERY BOTTOM LINE ON THE, ON THE SNAPSHOT WHERE IT SAYS COUNTY COUNCIL DOWN THERE.
AND IT SAYS FOR THE 2025 PENDING BUDGET, 1.08, UM, MILLION DOLLARS.
BUT THEN 2024 AND 2023 SHOW SINCE FIVE AND 8,000,003 POINT, IT WAS THE LAND PURCHASE, IF YOU GO TO 3.6 MILLION WAS FOR A LAND PURCHASE.
AND THAT WAS JUST PUT UNDERNEATH.
SORRY, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT WAS MOVED THERE BEFORE IT WAS PAID.
UM, SO BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE, THIS WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW, UM, TO KIND OF PREFACE THE GENERAL FUND DEPART BY DEPARTMENT, I KNOW ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS IS, YOU KNOW, WHY THERE'S SUCH A HIGH PERCENTAGE CHANGE, AND A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS COME WHY THE SALARIES AND WAGES LINE ITEM IS HIGHER.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE WENT AHEAD AND PUT IN THE DATA THAT CATHERINE HAD ALREADY ACCUMULATED FROM MAG.
AND LIKE I SAID, THE TOP OF THE LINE FOR EVERYTHING.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE.
CATHERINE CAN PROBABLY ANSWER THEM.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHERE IT IS ATTRIBUTED.
SO WELL ALSO, SOME OF THEM HAVE INCREASES IN PERSONNEL, WHICH YOU PUT ON THIS OTHER
[02:10:01]
SHEET.YES, WE, YEAH, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT NOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE MM-HMM,
THESE CH BUT THESE NUMBERS ON THIS FIRST SHEET REFLECT THE SNAPSHOT, REFLECT THE SALARIES TOO, CORRECT? YES.
SO IF THEY HAD AN INCREASE IN PERSONNEL, THEN THAT WOULD BE AN INCREASE.
AND IF THERE ARE POSITIONS ON THE NEW POSITION REQUEST, THEY'RE SHOWING UP IN THE PAYROLL CONTINGENCY LINE.
IN THE PAYROLL CONTINGENCY LINES.
SO UNLESS THEY'RE ALREADY HIRED, IF THAT NEW POSITION IS ALREADY HIRED OR, BUT THEY, THEY WOULD NOT BE IN THERE UNTIL JULY ONE.
LET, LET ME ASK YOU THIS THEN.
ALL THE VACANCIES VACANCY, THEIR BUDGETED PAYROLL, JUST LIKE THEY ARE THIS YEAR.
WHEN I, WHEN I LOOK AT THE STRONG WATER BUDGET AND THERE'S ALMOST A MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR.
IS THAT PAYROLL? IS THAT SOMETHING ELSE? BECAUSE THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE A SHORTAGE OF PAY OF EMPLOYEES NOW.
SO WOULD IT BE IN THE CONTINGENCY BUDGET OR IS IT GONNA BE IN THEIR BUDGET? STORMWATER'S BUDGET ONLY BY $87,000.
I'M SORRY, I CALL 'EM THE SAME, BUT YEAH,
SO YEAH, SO THEIR, THEIR BIGGEST INCREASE YOU CAN SEE IS FROM THEIR PAYROLL.
SO ALL THEIR PAYROLL LINE ITEMS ARE 44% INCREASE.
AND THEN THEY ALSO HAVE AN INCREASE IN THEIR NON-PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LINE.
BUT THE PAYROLL IS WHAT I WAS ASKING.
AND SO THAT'S, THEY THEY ASKING FOR MORE EMPLOYEES THAN THEIR BUDGET? NO.
AND THEN DO THEY HAVE MONEY IN THE CONTINGENCY AS WELL? THEY NEED A LOT OF PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHAT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THEY, WELL, THEY HAVE A LOT OF BASIS MONEY.
IS THIS MR. GLOVER? IT COULD BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT MAYBE SOME OF THEIR, AND MOST OF THEIR EMPLOYEES OR SOME OF THEM ARE UNDER THE MINIMUM BEFORE THE STUDY WAS DONE.
AND THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE TOO.
NOW PROBABLY, I DON'T KNOW IF, CAN I SPECIFICALLY, NOW'S A GOOD TIME FOR CATHERINE TO, UH, TO EXPLAIN, UM, HER CURRENT FTE POSITION AND HER, UM, VACANCIES REPORT.
INDEPENDENT, UH, I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE PRESENTATION FORM A COUPLE THINGS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE MADE IT INTO THE, UM, AGENDA PACKET, BUT PERHAPS EMAILED OUT THIS MORNING THAT LOOKS SIMILAR TO THESE THAT I'M HOLDING HERE.
UM, SO THERE'S ONE THAT JUST COVERS THE VACANCY SUMMARY.
THIS REPORT WAS PULLED AS OF, UH, MAY 12TH.
SO IT BREAKS DOWN TO INFORM YOU HOW MANY, UH, CURRENT VACANT POSITIONS WE HAVE.
AND I BELIEVE WHAT VALERIE IS EXPLAINING HERE IS THAT THOSE SALARIES FOR THE VACANT POSITIONS YOU WOULD NOT SEE IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEMS, BUT INTO THE PAYROLL CONTINGENCY FUND.
UM, THE OTHER SUMMARY THAT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE AS AN FTE SUMMARY, SO THIS IS GONNA TIE INTO ANY NEW POSITION REQUESTS THAT, UM, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION IS PUTTING BEFORE YOU AS AN APPROVAL FOR YOU TO RECOMMEND.
UM, I BELIEVE THEY'RE BOLDED TO, YES.
I BOLDED THE LINES THAT HAVE AN INCREASE.
IF YOU WANTED FURTHER DETAILS ON WHAT THOSE POSITIONS WERE, THERE WAS A SPREADSHEET THAT WAS PUT INTO YOUR AGENDA PACKET THAT CAN KIND OF TELL YOU WHAT THOSE TITLES WERE AND WHETHER OR NOT, UM, ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF IS RECOMMENDING YOU TO APPROVE THEM.
SO I'M HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE IF YOU WANNA COVER ANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALLY.
SO, UM, LET ME GIVE, SEE IF I HAVE THIS STRAIGHT.
SO IF THEY INCREASE THEIR FTE PROPOSED MM-HMM,
CATHERINE, UM, ON, DID WE GO WITH THE FLEET CONTRACT, DENISE? NO, MA'AM.
OH, THAT EXPLAINS WHY WE HAVE TO HIRE MORE AUTOMOBILE SERVICE TECHNICIANS.
I THOUGHT WE WERE DOING THE FLEET.
YEAH, WE'RE DOING, WE'RE DOING THE FLEET INTERNALLY.
UM, BUT, BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS, WHAT WE'VE BEEN BEEN DOING IS THE GENERAL FUND HAS BEEN SUPPLEMENTING THAT GARAGE FUND THEIR OPERATIONS WITH GENERAL FUND FUNDS.
SO WE CLOSED DOWN THE INTERNAL SERVICE FUND AND MOVED AS A DEPARTMENT OF THE COUNTY BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
AND UM, SO THEIR BUDGET ACTUALLY WENT DOWN FROM THE CURRENT YEAR TO NEXT YEAR.
UM, BECAUSE THIS YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW WAS THEIR FIRST YEAR WITH IT, NOT WITH US NOT BEING IN CONTRACT.
AND SO IT WAS A TESTING PERIOD FOR THEM TO LEARN TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHO ALL THEY NEEDED FOR PERSONNEL, YOU KNOW, WHAT TOOLS THEY NEEDED AND WHATNOT.
SO IT WAS KIND OF A LEARNING YEAR THIS YEAR.
SO NOW THAT THEY KNOW AND, AND HAVE
[02:15:01]
BEEN OPERATING HOW THEY'VE BEEN OPERATING, THEY'VE LEARNED THAT THEY COULD SAVE SOME MONEY AND THEY'VE CUT THEIR BUDGET FOR, FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.AND LOOKING AT YOUR INCREASES, WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE ON THE BOTTOM FOR PLANNER ONE AND PLANNER TWO FOR GREEN SPACE.
WHY AREN'T THOSE FUNDS BEING COMING OUT OF GREEN SPACE? THEY WILL.
SO ALL THOSE AREN'T YEAH, ALL OF THESE ARE NOT, UM, COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
WELL, IT SAYS IT AT THE BOTTOM IS COMING OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND.
BUT IT SHOULD BE COMING FROM GREEN SPACE, I WOULD IMAGINE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE REFERENDUM CALLS FOR SALARIES TO BE PAID.
AND IF IT CAN THEN WE CAN CODE THEM THERE SO WE CAN MAKE THAT CHANGE TAB BOOT CATCH.
I GUESS I WAS ALSO WONDERING WHY ALL THESE YELLOW AND THEN MS. HOWARD EXPLAINED TO ME ABOUT THE ANIMAL SERVICES THAT WE DON'T HAVE THIS CONTRACT ANYMORE.
SO WE'RE, SO WE'RE GONNA PICK UP ALL THESE EMPLOYEES.
AND PROBATE COURT, THEY NEED MORE CLERK, DEPUTY CLERK.
SO IT SAYS HERE, SO PROBATE COURT REQUESTED, THEY'RE ADDING A JUDGE AND, UH, ONE ASSOCIATE JUDGE.
WHAT IS BEING RECOMMENDED, UM, IS THE ASSOCIATE JUDGE ONE FULL-TIME DEPUTY CLERK AND ONE PART-TIME DEPUTY CLERK.
I MEAN, I KNEW DSN NEEDED PEOPLE IN STORM WATER NEEDED PEOPLE, BUT WHEN YOU SEE IT ALL LAID OUT IN BLACK AND WHITE, IT'S KIND OF SCARY HOW MANY PEOPLE WE NEED IN LOTS OF DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AND I, THAT'S ONE REASON I'M REALLY PUSHING FOR OUR CLASS IN COMP TO GET FULLY ADOPTED AS RECOMMENDED TO GET THOSE SALARIES UP.
UM, IF SALARIES IS THE ISSUE FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, THAT SHOULD CERTAINLY IMPROVE THAT NUMBER.
UM, IN ADDITION TO OUR NEW RECRUITING SYSTEM THROUGH NEO GOV, WE HAVE ALREADY IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS THAT WE'VE LAUNCHED, SEEN A BIG INCREASE IN INCOMING APPLICATIONS.
SO WE'RE REALLY HOPING SOME THINGS THAT WE DID THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR, IN ADDITION TO HOPEFULLY HAVING THE CLASS IN
DO WE HAVE THEIR VACANCY NUMBERS AS WELL? I HAVE THEIR VACANCY NUMBERS.
UM, BUT ON THE, THE NEW POSITION REQUEST, I DID NOT RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS A REQUESTED NEW POSITION.
UH, JUST WANTED TO KNOW VACANCY NUMBERS FOR, UM, SCHOOL BOARD FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
AND I DON'T, YES, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT 1 47 AS OF TODAY, BUT PEOPLE ARE LEAVING FOR SUMMER.
IT USUALLY RUNS AROUND 60 DURING THE, THEY CAN'T FILL 60 POSITIONS.
QUESTION ON, SO SHOWING THE 268, UH, VACANT POSITIONS, AND OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF THOSE ARE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, SO I WAS JUST LOOKING TO SEE, SO WHAT, WHAT IS THE AMOUNT FOR THE CONTINGENCY FUND THAT, THAT EQUALS THOSE MANY PEOPLE THAT WE'VE, WE'VE GOT.
SO HOW, WHERE IS THAT? WHERE DO WE FIND THAT? OR HOW DO WE FIND THAT? OR WHAT IS THAT AMOUNT? I THINK THAT'S A VALERIE QUESTION.
'CAUSE WE, WE, WE CHANGED THE ORDINANCE LAST YEAR TO ANY VACANCIES IN THE DEPARTMENT.
WE HOLD THOSE FUNDS IF IT WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN, UH, REQUEST FOR A SALARY.
SO THAT'S WHERE I WAS JUST EXACTLY WHY I WAS WANTING TO KNOW WHAT THOSE NUMBERS WOULD BE.
SO WE PUT 4.7 MILLION IN HERE IN THE BUDGET.
IT'S LIKE A POINT IN TIME, SO YOU CAN'T, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LEAVE AND PEOPLE COME.
SO YOU CAN'T FULLY FUND ALL THE VACANCIES.
SO WE PUT AROUND NUMBER OF 4.7 MILLION IN THERE THIS YEAR.
OKAY, BUT WHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU FIND THAT? THAT'S, I THOUGHT THAT'S THE QUESTION HE WAS ASKING.
OH, IT, IT'S ACCOUNT 5 6 0 1 0 NON NON-DEPARTMENTAL.
I CAN REMEMBER WHAT ACCOUNTS WERE NON IT JUST LET US KNOW WHERE IT IS.
WELL, AFTER THE REVENUES IN THE EXPENDITURES, WHICH I DON'T HAVE PAGE NUMBERS ON MINE.
SORRY, I THINK IT'S PAGE ONE 12, MR. IT'S NON-DEPARTMENTAL IS THE FIRST EXPENDITURE DEPARTMENT.
I SEE IT $16 MILLION, BUT IT'S NOT IN THERE PENDING.
THAT'S THE TOTAL NON-DEPARTMENTAL.
IF YOU LOOK RIGHT ABOVE IT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE 4.7 SHE'S TALKING ABOUT.
SO THAT INCLUDES SCHOOL AND SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT OR DOES IT NOT INCLUDE THAT? IT DOESN'T INCLUDE SCHOOL.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T HOLD THE PARENT, THE SCHOOL'S PAYROLL PEOPLE.
BUT, UM, AND IT WOULDN'T INCLUDE, IT DOESN'T INCLUDE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DOES IT? I DON'T SEE ME EITHER.
IF WE DON'T HAVE THEIR NUMBER, WE WOULDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH TO HOLD BACK.
'CAUSE HAVE WE REQUESTED THAT NUMBER FROM THEM? FROM SAID ONE, THE, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
[02:20:02]
ONE, TWO.ALEX, YOU GOT ON THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WHEN YOU YEAH, IT WAS REQUESTED FIND NEW REQUESTED.
WHATS REQUEST FOR DEPARTMENT? WHAT IS TOGETHER FOR BUFORT? WE NOT RECEIVE IT.
BECAUSE I ASKED A COUPLE COUNCIL PEOPLE AND NOBODY KNEW.
WHAT IS IT? IT'S AN AGENCY THAT STARTED TOGETHER FOR BUFORT YEARS AGO.
COZY, RIGHT? IS IT? YES, IT'S UNDER COZY.
IT'S THE COMMUNITY SERVICES GRANT FROM WHICH ALL GRANT AWARDS ARE DRAWN.
UM, IT SHOULD REMAIN UNTOUCHED AND, UH, IS SOLELY UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE COMMITTEE AND THE ADMINISTRATION.
AND IT'S EXPENDED BY COUNCIL RESOLUTION.
THEY HAVE TO COME AND REQUEST THEIR MONEY.
I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T REMEMBER WHERE IT WAS CALLED TOGETHER FOR
NOBODY CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
DO, DO, MR. CHAIRMAN, DO YOU WANT US TO GO THROUGH INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE AT THIS TIME ON THE SHEETS FOR THE GENERAL FUND OR WE, UM, WHAT DO YOU WANT DO OR DO YOU WANT US TO WAIT TILL WE GET TO OUR, OR SEND THEM TO MEETING, COUNCIL MEETING OR SEND THEM OUTSIDE? OR YOU WANT US TO SEND THEM? YEAH, WE, WE PROBABLY NEED TO SEND THE QUESTIONS THAT WAY IT WOULD SAVE US AND THAT WAY THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO RESPOND.
'CAUSE AGAIN, IF NOT, WE WILL BE HERE TILL MIDNIGHT.
THAT'S WAS, LET'S KIND OF MOVE THIS FORWARD.
AND IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING I, I GUESS SEND IT TO, UM, TO YOU VALERIE, IS THAT YES, THAT'S OKAY.
COPY MR. ROBINSON AND SENT TO VALERIE AND, AND COPY.
AND THEN I, I THINK WE CAN COMPILE THOSE QUESTIONS.
YOU CAN SEND 'EM BACK AS A, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S QUESTION BACK THAT WE GO BACK EVERYBODY THEN ONCE WE GET THOSE QUESTIONS.
DAVID, YOU READY FOR DINNER? IS THAT WHAT
YOU CAN, BUT ERIC HAD TO LEAVE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OH, WE CAN ANSWER, BUT WE CAN TRY.
OH, MR. ROBINSON COULD ANSWER THIS ONE.
EMS HEADQUARTERS AND EMS ONE STATION 7 MILLION.
WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO THE, THE FUNDING THAT'S IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT, PART OF THAT IS $1.5 MILLION THAT WAS BROUGHT FORWARD FROM 2020 FROM FY 23 MM-HMM.
AND THE, AND THEN THIS YEAR THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL $5 MILLION.
AND THIS IS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES HEADQUARTERS BUILDING.
SO WE'RE GONNA REBUILD SOMETHING ELSE THERE.
THAT IS THE PLAN, BUT THERE IS NO PLAN YET.
SO WE HAVE TO FIND PROPERTY AND A DESIGN AND A BUILDING AND THOSE THINGS, BUT, BUT THE FUNDING CONTINUES TO, TO BE THERE.
THERE WAS, I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME A PLAN, MAKE A PLAN AND THE COOLER TRACK WASN'T A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
AS, AS PART OF THE COOLER TRACK, ONE OF THE PIECES OF PROPERTY THAT WE PURCHASED HAD A, UM, A REQUEST, I WON'T SAY IT'S A REQUIREMENT BECAUSE IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT, BUT THERE IS A REQUEST THAT WE USE A PORTION OF THAT PROPERTY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO FIRE AN EMS STATION AND THAT'LL BE PART OF THE, UH, CONCEPTUAL PLAN THAT COMES FORWARD.
SO WOULD IT, WOULD IT BE THE HEADQUARTERS OR, UH, NO SIR.
IT COULD BE, UM, UH, CERTAINLY THERE'S POTENTIAL.
WE COULD, WE COULD BUILD A HEADQUARTERS OUT THERE.
BUT AT THIS POINT THERE'S, THERE'S, RIGHT NOW THE PLAN IS TO REPLACE THE ARTIFICIAL BUILDING OR THE STRUCTURE IN ON DEPOT ROAD.
WHERE THERE'S, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY.
UM, SO THERE WAS A FACILITIES MASTER PLAN THAT'S ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD THAT EVALUATED THAT BUILDING AND THERE WERE SOME OPTIONS TO REMODEL OR REBUILD THE EXISTING STRUCTURE, FIND A NEW PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT WAS CENTRALLY LOCATED AND BUILD THAT, UH, BUILD THAT NEW STRUCTURE.
AT ONE POINT THERE WAS A CONVERSATION ABOUT A JOINT PROJECT WITH THE MILITARY, UH, TO, TO BUILD A PROJECT OR TO, UM, TO DEVELOP THAT PROJECT.
UH, SO THAT IS, SO IT'S ALL ON THE DISCUSSION PLAN RIGHT NOW? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, BUT THERE'S SO MANY OPTIONS ON THE TABLE AND THE COOLER TRACK IS, IS ANEW TO US.
SO THERE'S A NEW OPPORTUNITY THERE AS WELL.
TO ME, IT JUST SEEMS LOGICAL TO PUT IT SOMEPLACE LIKE THAT.
CENTRAL LOCATION AND, AND IT'D BE THE HEADQUARTERS FOR, BUT YOU CAN HAVE SATELLITES ALL OVER THE COUNTY.
[02:25:01]
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? VALERIE'S LIKE, OH MY GOD.SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AGAIN, PLEASE SEND 'EM TO VALERIE AND, AND MR. CHRISTMAS AND MR. ROBINSON AND, UM, THEY CAN THEN GET THE QUESTIONS, ANSWERED THEM AND SEND 'EM BACK OUT TO ALL OF COUNSEL.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST THING TO DO, NOT JUST BACK TO THE PERSON WHO HAD THE QUESTION, BUT EVERYBODY GETS THE GET, GETS THE ANSWER BACK.
SO, UH, OUR DIRECTIVE IS TO MOVE THIS TOWARD, TO COUNSEL.
EXCUSE ME, MR. CHAIRMAN, WHAT WOULD, WHAT DID, I'M SORRY I MISSED IT.
WHAT DID YOU SUGGEST HAPPEN WITH THE QUESTIONS? UM, THAT, UH, THE QUESTIONS GO TO, UM, TO, UH, VALERIE, TO DENISE AND TO JOHN.
AND THEN THEY, THEY WILL ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND THEN IT COMES BACK TO EVERYONE AS A WHOLE GETS THE QUESTIONS AND THE ANSWERS BACK FROM FOR, FOR COUNSEL.
THE ANSWERS ARE GONNA BE EMAILED TO YOU GUYS ALL REMEMBER, PLEASE DON'T REPLY TO ALL IF YOU GET INFORMATION JUST OKAY.
YES, WE, WE GOT IT TO THANK YOU SIR.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO, UH, WE THEN NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE.
IS THERE A SECOND? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S ASKING.
UM, SO IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT ALL.
IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION? HE NO DISCUSSION.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO US MOVING THIS FORWARD? SEEING NO OBJECTION.
UH, THIS WILL BE MOVED THEN TO COUNSEL AND, UH, THANK YOU MS. ALOFF.
MR. ROBINSON MADE THAT LESS PAINFUL THAN WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN, EVEN THOUGH
[11. RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO COUNCIL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF JUSTIN COOKE TO THE SEABROOK POINT SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT FOR A PARTIAL TERM WITH THE EXPIRATION DATE OF FEBRUARY 2027]
RECOMMENDED APPROVAL TO COUNSEL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF JUSTIN COOK TO THE SEABROOK POINT SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT FOR THE PARTIAL TERM WITH THE EXPIRATION DATE OF FEBRUARY 20TH, 27TH.IS THERE A MOTION TO DO THAT? I'LL MAKE MOTION.
IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT.
IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION? SEEING NO DISCUSSION, WE'LL APPROVE THIS WITHOUT OBJECTION.
SO IT HAS BEEN APPROVED AND THEN WE HAVE TWO
[12. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS APPOINTMENTS & REAPPOINTMENTS]
APPOINTMENTS.UH, WE'LL TAKE THESE BOTH AT THE SAME TIME UNLESS SOMEONE OBJECTS IN ONE THEM SEPARATELY.
BUT BUFORT COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, UH, MR. TIMOTHY NEWMAN, UH, FOR A FOUR YEAR TERM EXPIRATION OF 2028 REPRESENTING DISTRICT TWO AND THEN KEEP BUFORT COUNTY.
THIS IS FOR, UH, JESSICA RE, UH, FOR A TWO YEAR TERM WITH EXPIRATION DATE OF 2026 FOR DISTRICT TWO AS WELL.
IS THERE A MOTION FOR THAT? I MOTION THAT.
IS THERE A SECOND? I HAVE A QUESTION.
IS THAT AN AFFILIATION? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AFFILIATION TO ONE OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS? UM, DO OH, NO, NO, IT'S NOT JUST CALLING FOR CLARIFICATION, THAT'S ALL.
UM, SO, UH, I'LL MAKE THE SECOND THEN MAKE THE SECOND THEN.
IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION? NO, NO DISCUSSION.
UM, THE, THESE BOTH WILL BE APPROVED TOGETHER WITHOUT OBJECTION.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION? I JUST DISCUSSION, UM, MS. OCTAVIA, IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THAT? WE, WE HAD HAD A VACANCY FOR DISTRICT TWO ANYWAY.
UM, DID I SEE AN EMAIL ABOUT THAT? OH, DISREGARD THAT.
WELL, IT WAS BECAUSE DISTRICT EIGHT, SO DISTRICT TWO.
IS THAT FOR THE KEEP DISTRICT SEVEN? YEAH, DISTRICT.
I JUST READ THE EMAIL REAL QUICK.
ANY MORE DISCUSSION? SAID IT WAS OKAY? YES.
ANY OBJECTION TO ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE TWO NOMINEES? SEEING NO OBJECTION, ELAINE MUST THEY ARE APPROVED.
AND IS THERE ANY OTHER THING THAT SHOULD COME BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE? SEEING NONE.