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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO TODAY'S FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING.
THE AGENDA HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS SUBMITTED.
ALL IN FAVOR, MINUTES FROM OUR SEPTEMBER 24TH MEETING OF 2024.
MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS SUBMITTED.
ALL IN FAVOR, OUR NEW BUSINESS MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND PRESENTATION BY MS. ADRIANA BURNETT.
SO I HAVE A STORY TO TELL YOU.
SO I AM NOT A TYPICAL FINANCE PERSON, AS YOU PROBABLY HAVE REALIZED THIS BY NOW.
SO THE STORY THAT I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND I STARTED THINKING HOW PRIVILEGED WE ARE TO BE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS.
AND I DID MY NORMAL TWO MILE WALK.
YES, I DO WALK EVERY MORNING AND I FELT ENERGIZED AND I WANTED TO COME TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT NUMBERS.
AND I WAS TELLING MR. ALFRED BEFORE THIS MEETING, I AM ONE OF THOSE WEIRD PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY LOVE NUMBERS.
NUMBERS DO MAKE ME HAPPY AND NUMBERS DO TELL A STORY.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE NUMBERS, BUT I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE.
MY SON, FOR INSTANCE, HE THINKS THAT I'M A STRANGE PERSON BECAUSE I LOVE NUMBERS.
SO WHEN I WAS READING THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, AND BY THE WAY, MR. BROWN, I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME THAT YOU WANTED AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
SO WHEN I READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, I READ THE FIRST PARAGRAPH
BUT THERE'S A STORY BEHIND THAT DECREASE.
AND THE STORY IS ON THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF THE SAME EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
SO I WANT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS CONSOLIDATED FINANCIALS BECAUSE THE STORY, IT IS THAT WE ARE SPENDING MONEY ON THE FIRST QUARTER.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST QUARTER, ESPECIALLY THE CORE FUNDS, YOU SEE THAT THOSE EXPENSES ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR REVENUES.
BUT YOU MIGHT THINK, WOW, THAT IS NEGATIVE.
WHY AM I SPENDING MORE THAN WHAT I'M GETTING? BUT IT'S NOT NEGATIVE ON THE COUNTRY.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FIRST QUARTER.
WE ARE STARTING TO GET REVENUES FOR OUR TOWN.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT PREVIOUS QUARTERS FOR OTHER YEARS, WE ONLY GET 9% OF OUR REVENUES ON THE FIRST QUARTER.
SO THIS LOOK HERE MAKES SENSE BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE SECOND QUARTER, THEN WE GET 23% MORE IN REVENUES.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST TWO QUARTERS OF THE YEARS COMPARED TO THE OTHER YEARS, WE GET ABOUT 68% OF OUR REVENUES.
SO THIS LOOK THAT YOU SEE HERE, IT IS ACTUALLY A GOOD START.
SO YOU SHOULD BE SEEING A CHANGE.
WHEN YOU SEE THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE YEAR, YOU'LL SEE A CHANGE WHERE OUR REVENUES CAN POTENTIALLY BE HIGHER THAN OUR EXPENDITURES.
SO THIS IS A NORMAL LOOK, THIS IS A GOOD THING.
AND EVEN, EVEN BETTER, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CONSOLIDATED NUMBER, IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TWO, 13.9, IF YOU COMPARE THAT TO THE YEAR BEFORE, THAT'S ABOUT $2.5 MILLION MORE THAN THE YEAR BEFORE.
AND I KNOW IT'S NOT REFLECTED IN HERE, BUT IF I'M LOOKING AT, AT THE FISCAL YEAR 24, IF I LOOK AT THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR, THERE'S ACTUALLY A 10% INCREASE IN OUR FUNDS FROM LAST YEAR.
SO THE NUMBERS, THERE'S A STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS.
WE ARE VERY PRIVILEGED TOWN BECAUSE OUR REVENUES KEEP INCREASING.
WE ARE IN A GOOD PLACE FINANCIALLY.
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SO PLEASE DO NOT LOOK AT JUST THE 27 NUMBER OR THE 5.5 NUMBER HERE.THAT'S JUST MEANS THAT WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED ALL THE REVENUES THAT WE NEED TO RECEIVE YET.
I DO WANT YOU TO LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET NUMBERS, HOLD ON AHEAD, JEREMY.
TO GO BACK JUST FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES, LET'S STOP FOR THIS, THIS SLIDE AND SEE IF THEY, OR QUESTIONS I DO.
UM, IF YOU AND I WERE RUNNING A NORMAL FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS, THIS REPORT PARTICULARLY THE OPENING PARAGRAPH WOULD BE VERY DISTRESSING.
WE'RE NOT OPERATING A NORMAL BUSINESS HERE.
UM, I'VE BEEN SITTING WITH THESE FOLKS FOR, UH, SIX YEARS NOW AND HEARING THESE REPORTS AND IT CONCERNS ME THAT WE START OFF THE REPORT WITH A NEGATIVE.
OKAY? UH, BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS THAT IT'S NORMAL FOR OUR REVENUES, AS YOU JUST EXPLAINED, TO BE LOWER IN THE FIRST QUARTER THAN THEY ARE IN SUBSEQUENT QUARTERS.
THAT'S THE, THAT GROWS ALL ALONG.
AND SO TO ME, I WOULD SUGGEST MAYBE THE REPORT SHOULD SAY WE'RE FOLLOWING A NORMAL PATTERN.
OKAY? IT IS NORMAL IN THE FIRST QUARTER, REVENUES TO BE LOWER, UH, THAN EXPENDITURES.
THAT'S THE REASON WE HAVE THE RESERVES THAT WE DO.
SO THIS IS ALL A NORMAL PROCESS, BUT JUST CONCERN ME THAT WE START OFF BY SAYING THE TOWN'S NET POSITION DECREASED BY $15 MILLION.
OKAY? IT'S LIKE, IT'S LIKE, OH MY GOODNESS.
BUT EACH OF US KNOWS, AND YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S NORMAL.
UH, AND SO THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY POINT.
AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
AND I I WILL TAKE YOUR SUGGESTION TO HEART.
I STARTED READING THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ONE MORE TIME AFTER I GAVE THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO BE POSTED FOR YOU TO RECEIVE A COPY OF THAT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
AND I'M PUTTING MYSELF, I ALWAYS TRY TO PUT MYSELF IN OTHER PEOPLE'S PLACES BECAUSE IF I WERE NOT A FINANCIAL PERSON, THE FIRST THING THAT I WILL READ IS, IS DECREASING.
SO I WILL TAKE YOUR SUGGESTION TO HEART AND YES, GREAT, THANK YOU.
BUT I DO WANT, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE WATCHING AND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WE ARE IN A GOOD PLACE FINANCIALLY AS A TOWN.
AND THAT IS, I'VE BEEN IN FINANCE FOR, WELL, I DON'T WANT TO UPDATE MYSELF.
I LIKE TO THINK I'M VERY YOUNG.
UM, BUT OVER 30 YEARS OF FINANCIAL, OF FINANCIAL, UM, DOING THIS FINANCE AND THIS ACCOUNTING BUSINESS, UM, IT IS GREAT TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE THE NUMBERS LOOK THE WAY THEY LOOK AND IT'S GOING TO GET EVEN BETTER AS WE CONTINUE RECEIVING REVENUES.
SO TO YOUR POINT, YES, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT POSITIVE STARTS POSITIVE, BUT IT ALSO, IT'S ALSO MY ROLE AS YOUR FINANCIAL PERSON, FINANCIAL DIRECTOR FOR THE TOWN.
NUMBERS ARE WHAT THEY ARE, BUT IT'S JUST A MATTER OF COMMUNICATING THEM.
THE STORY IS IMPORTANT AS YOU SAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, ALFRED? UM, YES.
UH, SO JUST, UH, THE DEBT SERVICE FUND, UM, WITHOUT BEGINNING BALANCE OF 3.3, GET A DATE FOR 2024, UM, END OF SEPTEMBER.
WE'RE SHOWING A NEGATIVE THERE.
CAN YOU JUST SLOW DOWN AND SORT OF TALK US THROUGH THAT DEADLINE PLEASE? YES.
SO ONE THING THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE REMEMBER IS THAT WE DO HAVE BONDS THAT WE ISSUE BACK IN 2017, 2019.
SO WE DO HAVE A PRINCIPLE AND AN INTEREST PAYMENT THAT WE HAVE TO PAY.
IT'S ABOUT BETWEEN THREE TO $4 MILLION THAT WE PAY.
SO THE NUMBER THAT YOU SEE THERE AS EXPENDITURES, THE 4.3 IS ACTUALLY BASED ON THE DEBT THAT WE HAVE TO PAY EVERY YEAR.
UM, 232 IS ACTUALLY, SOME OF IT IS INTEREST EARNED.
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UM, SO THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE THERE ARE REAL NUMBERS.AND AGAIN, IT IS BASED ON OUR DEBT THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR OUR BONDS THAT WE HAVE ISSUE THAT WE ISSUE A FEW YEARS BACK.
I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE LOOK BACK.
SO IN 22 THE BALANCE WAS 11.2 MM-HMM.
I'M ASSUMING THAT'S YEAR END BALANCE.
SO WE ARE COMPARING ORANGES TO APPLES HERE.
UM, YOU ARE LOOKING AT QUARTER ONE VERSUS THE ENTIRE YEAR.
SO I THINK, UM, AGAIN, BASED ON MR. STANFORD'S COMMENT, UM, ONE THING THAT I, I FEEL, AND BASED ON YOUR QUESTION THAT YOU'RE ASKING, I NEED TO BRING A COMPARISON OF QUARTER TO QUARTER.
SO YOU'RE ABLE TO COMPARE WHAT HAPPENED IN THE QUARTER OF 24, 23 AND 22 COMPARED TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS FOR 23 AND 22, YOU'RE LOOKING AT AN ENTIRE YEAR VERSUS A QUARTER.
SO IT IS HARD FOR YOU TO MAKE A, A COMPARISON QUARTER AFTER QUARTER.
SO YES, TO YOUR POINT, UM, A NEW ADDITION.
AND I DO LISTEN, A NEW EDITION WILL BE ADDING THE, UH, THE QUARTERS SO WE CAN COMPARE THEM.
AND BY NET ACTIVITY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THREE MONTHS OF ACTIVITY, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REVENUES MINUS EXPENSES.
AND THIS IS HOW YOU GET YOUR NET ACTIVITY HERE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE 27, UH, THE 21.7 THAT YOU HAVE THERE, AND YOU SUBTRACT THAT FROM YOUR, THE 1 66 0.9, THAT'S HOW WE ARRIVED TO THE 1 45.
SO THIS IS THE REMAINING BALANCE THAT YOU HAVE, UH, OR THAT WE HAVE IN OUR BUDGET.
UM, I HAVE DONE, WHAT I HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST TWO MONTHS IS GIVING YOU SOME ACTIVITY INFORMATION ON THE MONTH OF JULY, THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
WHAT I'M DOING IN HERE IS ACTUALLY GIVING YOU JUST SEPTEMBER.
SO FOR SEPTEMBER, IF YOU LOOK AT THE GENERAL FUND, IT SHOWS THERE THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A NET ACTIVITY OF $7.5 MILLION.
SO THE TAP USES OF FUNDS THAT YOU SEE IN THAT GENERAL FUND FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, IT'S ACTUALLY, UH, PERSONAL EXPENSES OF $2.8 MILLION AND $1.1 MILLION OF OPERATING EXPENSES.
THOSE ARE THE TOP USES OF THAT, OF THE GENERAL FUND.
IN THE SAME MANNER, THE TOP SOURCES OR WHAT WE CALL REVENUES, IT INCLUDED $241,000 IN LOCAL A TAX THAT WE DID RECEIVE IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AND $310,000 THAT WE RECEIVE IN INTEREST EARNED.
AND THEN AGAIN, THIS IS THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE IN OUR BANK ACCOUNTS AND, AND OUR STATE ACCOUNTS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, GOING BACK TO THE DEBT SERVICE FUND, AGAIN, NO, FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT EXPENSES THERE.
AND THE TOP SOURCES OF FUNDING THAT WE HAVE IS $71,000 IN THE INTEREST EARNED AND $30,000 IN PROPERTY TAXES.
REMEMBER, THIS IS OUR FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR.
EXPECTATIONS OF GETTING PROPERTY TAXES IS VERY SMALL.
YOU SHOULD BE SEEING MORE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE TOWARDS THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER OF THE YEAR.
AS IT RELATES TO CIP, AGAIN, THE TOP USES OF FUNDS IS 1.3 FOR OUR FIRE TRUCKS AND $1.8 MILLION IN LAND ACQUISITION.
SO AGAIN, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, WE HAVE TWO LAND ACQUISITIONS FOR THE QUARTER.
ONE OF THEM WAS THE 26, UH, ACRES IN MITCHELLVILLE ROAD, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE WAS AN ENCHILADAS THAT WE JUST PURCHASED.
SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES, UM, FOR YEAR TODAY, THAT'S THE LOT ACQUISITIONS THAT WE HAVE SO FAR.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WE ALSO EARN INTEREST, UH, $47,000 FOR STORM STORMWATER.
WE HAVE $159,000 FOR PERSONNEL AND FOR OPERATING EXPENSES, WE HAVE ABOUT $77,000 IN STORMWATER MAINTENANCE.
UH, TOP SOURCES OF FUNDS INCLUDED $31,000 IN INTEREST EARNED AND $23,000 IN THE STORM WATER FEES THAT WE
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RECEIVED.THE CDC, UM, VERY SIMILAR $15,000 IN PERSONNEL AND OPERATING EXPENSES.
AND THE TOP SOURCES OF FUNDS INCLUDED $36,000 IN INTEREST.
WE HAVE HOUSING FUND, WE ACTUALLY USE ABOUT $15,000 FOR CONSULTING AND OTHER EVENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAD THAT WE USE THE HOUSING FUND FOR, FOR THOSE ACTIVITIES.
SO OVERALL FOR OUR BUDGET, WE ARE WITHIN BUDGET FOR THE QUARTER.
AND WE ARE ACTUALLY HAVE, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE HAVE A REMAINING BALANCE OF 1 45 0.2 QUESTIONS ON THIS SLIDE.
SO JOANNA, UM, I'M LOOKING AT THE 21 MILLION, UH, IN COMPARISON TO THE 145.
UM, WE'VE EXPENDED 14% OF OUR BUDGET IN A QUARTER.
UM, AM AM I READING THAT CORRECTLY? UM, AND IF SO, UM, WHERE DO WE ACCELERATE? SO DRAMATICALLY OUR EXPENDITURES.
SO FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, UM, I, I SEE THE FIRST QUARTER AS, UM, KIND OF LIKE A SLOW TIME FOR US AS A TOWN AS IT RELATES TO BOTH REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES.
HOWEVER, YOU DO SEE THAT THE LARGEST NUMBER THERE IS FOR THAT CIP.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE THAT I HAVE IS ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT CIP.
UM, AS IT RELATES TO GENERAL FUND, UM, MOST OF THE EXPENSES ARE FOR RUNNING OUR TOWN AND OUR, OUR, OUR OPERATING EXPENSES.
UM, AND THEN THE DEBT SERVICE IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE HAVING.
UM, ESPECIALLY WE HAVE UNTIL YEAR 28 TO, UH, YEAR 27, FISCAL YEAR 27 TO FINISH PAYING OFF THE BONDS SOME OF THE ORIGINAL BONDS THAT WE HAVE.
SO RIGHT NOW IT IS A SLOW START AND IT IS 14%.
UM, THE CIP MA AND TALKING, TALKING TO THE CIP TEAM, WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF CHANGE IN OR PROGRESS, PROGRESS ON SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT, THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON.
SO I'M HOPING, AND I'M SURE THEY'RE HOPING THAT, UH, THE PROJECTS CONTINUE ACCELERATING AS WE GET CONTRACTORS THAT WILL GET VENDORS.
SO IT IS A SLOW START RIGHT NOW, BUT, UH, I FORESEE MORE CHANGES ON THE SECOND QUARTER THAN THIS FIRST QUARTER.
AND WE'VE HAD THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT MM-HMM.
AND SO I PUT A LITTLE BIT OF A RED FLAG THERE FOR US TO BE AWARE OF.
STANFORD, ANYTHING HERE? NOPE.
UM, I WANTED TO TOUCH ON THE STORM WATER.
I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, A WORKSHOP HERE ON THIS TOMORROW.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR ON THIS, ADRIANA, AND I WANNA ALSO MAKE SURE THAT STAFF IS PREPARED TO GIVE FULL COUNSEL SORT OF AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHERE WE ARE.
UH, SO IF, IF I'M, IF I'M CORRECT HERE, I'M GOING BACK TO YOUR FIRST PAGE IN 22, HAD A FUND BALANCE OF TEN FIVE AND 23 13 1.
AND IN 24, 14 2, AS WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE APPROVED AS A BUDGET IN 25, WE LOOK TO SPEND ABOUT HALF OF THAT.
OKAY? SO LAYMAN'S TERMS, IT LOOKS AS IF WE ARE SAVING JUST AS MUCH AS WE'RE SPENDING IN THIS PARTICULAR ACCOUNT.
MM-HMM,
SO YOU'RE READING THAT CORRECTLY.
SO WE DO HAVE A $14 MILLION STORMWATER ON BALANCE RIGHT NOW.
UM, AS YOU REMEMBER, THERE'S A FEW THINGS THAT HAPPEN DURING, UH, AND, AND I DON'T WANT TO, I KNOW THERE'S A WORKSHOP TOMORROW EXPLAINING, UH, THE BALANCES AND EXPLAINING SOME OF THE EXPENSES.
BUT JUST A HIGH LEVEL, UM, STORM WATER IS, IS, IS A FUND THAT HAS BEEN ACCUMULATING AND GROWING.
SO THE QUESTION IS, AS WE CONTINUE REPLACING SOME OF THE PUMPS THAT WE HAVE, AS WE CONTINUE THE MAINTENANCE THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE OF THE STORMS, AND NOW ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH STORM WATER, THEN YES, WE NEED TO START UTILIZING OUR STORM WATER FUND TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THOSE EXPENSES.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE, WE, WE HAVE NOT.
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THE LAST SLIDE THAT WE HAVE IS CIP.AND WHAT I TRY TO DO HERE, INSTEAD OF GIVING YOU A BREAKDOWN BY PROJECT LIKE I HAVE DONE BEFORE, UM, I'M GIVING YOU THE, THE PROGRAM NAMES AS YOU CAN SEE.
AND I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SOME OF THE BIGGER NUMBERS HERE ARE IN TERMS OF THE FLEET, THE FLEET PROGRAM.
AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE GETTING OUR FIRE TRUCKS, SO THAT'S WHAT THAT $3.8 MILLION THAT YOU SEE THERE IS.
AND THEN WE DO HAVE INCOME 3.3 BECAUSE WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, LAND ACQUISITION, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE ACQUISITIONS THAT WE HAVE SO FAR WITH THE 26 ACRES OF MITCHELLVILLE ROAD.
AND ALSO IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE AND ENCHILADAS, UM, PARCEL THAT WE JUST PURCHASED TOO.
ANOTHER ONE THAT I WANT YOU TO SEE AND IS IN RELATION TO THE PARK PROGRAM, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE NUMBER IS NOW WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED $5.5 MILLION YEAR TO DATE.
ONE THING THAT I DO WANT TO MENTION ABOUT THAT, AND IF I CAN FIND MY PAGE HERE, THERE IT IS, THERE'S A FEW PROGRAMS THAT ARE PROJECTS THAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AS IT RELATES TO THE PARK PROGRAM.
ONE OF THEM IS THE PATTERSON FAMILY PARK.
UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ENC ENCOUNTERED THE MAJORITY OF THE BUDGET THAT WE IN, THAT WE BUDGETED FOR.
SO WE HAVE $2.7 MILLION FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT, AND WE NOW HAVE ENCUMBER $2.7 MILLION.
WHAT THAT MEANS AGAIN, IS THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE SIGNED CONTRACTS AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SOMETHING WITH THE, WITH THAT, WITH THE PATTERSON PARK PROJECT.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE FOR BEACH CITY ROAD AND DILLON ROAD, WE ALSO HAVE A SPEND ABOUT $76,000, AND WE HAVE ENCUMBER ABOUT $94,000.
SO THAT ONE IS ALSO IN PROGRESS AS WELL BASED ON OUR NUMBERS.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE, AND THAT'S ANOTHER DISCUSSION FOR TOMORROW, IS IN RELATION TO THE BEACH RENOURISHMENT.
WE HAVE ACTUALLY ENCUMBERED ABOUT $360,000 FOR THE FISHER REN NOURISHMENT.
AND I KNOW THERE'S A BIG WORKSHOP TOMORROW WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT FUNDING, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN IN RELATION TO THAT PROJECT.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE CIP.
THE QUESTION IS $9.8 MILLION DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A LOT RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY WE, UH, YOU APPROVE $74 MILLION AND WE HAVE, WE EXPENSES, THE ACTUAL EXPENSES IS 9.8, UM, I'M SURE THE CIP TEAM, AND I KNOW FOR SURE THAT THEY'RE WORKING VERY HARD IN MAKING SURE THAT THIS CONTINUES, UH, MOVING THAT ALL THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE ON THE AGENDA CONTINUE MOVING.
BUT, UH, FROM A NUMBERS PERSPECTIVE IS $9.8 MILLION, AND WE HAVE ENCUMBERED $11 MILLION.
SO ALTOGETHER WE ARE ON TRACK WITH OUR BUDGET.
SO OUR REMAINING NUMBER IS $53.5 MILLION FOR CIP.
SO THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE FOR YOU IS, UM, I KNOW YOU'D LIKE TO SEE DETAILS SOMETIMES.
IS THAT DETAIL SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE GIVING YOU ON THIS PRESENTATION? SO IS THIS ENOUGH AT THIS HIGH LEVEL ALFRED? NO.
I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UM, TANGENTIALLY LAST TIME, HOW WE HANDLE PROJECTS THAT LAST MORE THAN A YEAR.
AND SO I'M CURIOUS, UH, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, HOW SOON IN A BUDGET YEAR ARE YOU ABLE TO PREDICT WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE CIP BUDGET WILL BE SPENT? SO RIGHT NOW, UM, WE'VE BEEN HAVING A FEW MEETINGS EVERY, UM, SO FAR THIS MONTH WE HAVE ABOUT TWO MEETINGS WITH OUR CIP TEAM.
AS YOU PROBABLY RECALL, MY, MY TEAM HAS CREATED A NEW TEAM CALLED THE CIP FINANCE TEAM.
AND THAT TEAM WILL IS WORKING OR WORKING WITH THE CIP ENGINEERING TEAM TO BE ABLE TO DO BETTER PROJECTIONS ON WHERE WE ARE WITH DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
SO THE MEETINGS THAT WE HAD, AND, AND I DO WANT TO COMMEND RICHARD LOUDIN FOR THE GREAT WORK AND AMAZING WORK THAT HE'S DOING IN LOOKING AT EVERY SINGLE PROJECT AND DETERMINING THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF A PROJECT AND BEING ABLE TO DETERMINE, OKAY, HOW MANY YEARS IS THIS PROJECT GOING TO TAKE PLACE? SO FOR A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE,
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ARE WE CONTINUE DEFINING THOSE PHASES AND CONTINUE UNDERSTANDING THE PROJECT? AND WHAT IS THE EXPECTATION FOR THAT PROJECT IN THE DIFFERENT PHASES? MY GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO QUANTIFY BY PHASE BY YEAR HOW MUCH MONEY WE HAVE SPENT AND HOW MUCH MONEY IS LEFT FOR A SPECIFIC PROJECT.SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS AS IT RELATES TO HOW DO WE DETERMINE THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF A PROJECT, HOW DO WE QUANTIFY EACH OF THE PHASES? BECAUSE EVERY PROJECT IS DIFFERENT.
SO FOR ME TO TELL YOU, UM, OVERALL FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, WE ARE 25%.
EVERY PROJECT IS DIFFERENT, EVERY PROGRAM IS DIFFERENT.
SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOR US TO ACTUALLY GO IN DETAIL AND ANALYZE IN EVERY PROJECT TO BE ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH MONEY, UM, IS TAKING AND HOW MUCH MONEY IS LEFT.
UM, BUT I DO WANT TO, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS YET OR NOT, BUT ONE THING THAT I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE VERY PLEASED TO SEE IS THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE DONE AND SPECIFICALLY RACIAL LOVING HAS DONE IN BEING ABLE TO PROJECT WHERE WE ARE IN A SPECIFIC PROJECT.
SO WHAT MY TEAM IS, IS DOING BEHIND THE SCENES AND WITH RICHARD, IS VALUING, EVALUATING HOW MUCH MONEY AND WHAT IS LEFT.
BECAUSE WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO COME HERE AND TELL YOU, OKAY, FOR THE B PROGRAM, THIS A SPECIFIC PROGRAM, B RENOURISHMENT, WE HAVE COMPLETED X AMOUNT AND THIS IS HOW MUCH, AND THIS IS WHAT IS LEFT.
SO WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT WE ARE WORKING ON IT.
I APPRECIATE THAT AND THANK YOU FOR THAT DIRECTION AND LEADERSHIP.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF THIS, UM, AND IT MAY BE BECAUSE OF MY, MY BACKGROUND, UM, EACH ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS MIGHT REQUIRE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CONTRACTOR.
AND I, AND I'M WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE COUNCIL TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE DO NOT HAVE CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT.
SO HERE'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE SEEN AS, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR SIX MONTHS AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, AND I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROCUREMENT, UM, PRO, FOR THE PROCUREMENT AREA FOR OUR TOWN.
SO THIS IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE SEEN.
UM, AND TO ME IT WAS SURPRISING BECAUSE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO COME TO AN ISLAND? BUT THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS FINDING CONTRACTORS THAT WANT TO COME TO OUR ISLAND AND DO ALL THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
SO YOU MIGHT THINK, WELL, $74 MILLION, WHO DOESN'T WANT TO COME HERE AND WORK FOR ALL THIS WORK ON ALL THESE PROJECTS FOR $74 MILLION? BUT IT IS A CHALLENGE.
IT IS A CHALLENGE FOR OUR ISLAND TO FIND CONTRACTORS.
I, I, UM, REALIZE WE HAVE PROCUREMENT LAWS.
THAT MIGHT BE COUNTER OF WHAT I'M JUST GOING TO SUGGEST, BUT, BUT I WONDER WHETHER OR NOT AT SOME POINT IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD TO CONTRACT WITH A QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
SO THAT THAT PERSON, THAT COMPANY CAN DEDICATE RESOURCES TO MEET OUR SCHEDULE RATHER THAN OUR, DEPENDING ON THE PRIVATE SECTOR COMPETITION OF CONTRACTORS.
UM, PROBABLY TOTALLY ILLEGAL, BUT I THINK WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
AND WE DO HAVE A STAY, UM, RULES AND LAWS THAT WE DO NEED TO FOLLOW UP AS A MUNICIPALITY.
UM, IN MY OLD CORPORATE WORLD, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED JUST TO CALL SOMEBODY AND SAY, HEY, COME AND FIX THIS, OR COME AND DO THIS.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY OR FORTUNATELY, UM, WE DO HAVE TO REQUEST PROPOSALS.
WE DO HAVE TO BID OUR PROJECTS AND WE NEED TO SELECT THE CONTRACTOR OR VENDOR THAT, UM, NOT ONLY HAS THE EXPERIENCE AND CAP CAPABILITY OF DOING THE WORK, BUT ALSO, UM, IT MAKES SENSE FOR OUR TOWN FINANCIALLY.
UM, ONE THING THAT I DO WANT TO, TO MENTION AND IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY CLOSE AND DEAR TO MY HEART IS A SMALL BUSINESS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO DO, UM, AS IT RELATES TO PROCUREMENT
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IS HOW DO WE MAKE OUR PROPOSALS, OUR CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE MORE SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY? BECAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT MY FATHER THAT HAD A BUSINESS ALL HIS LIFE, AND I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT, UM, IT IS HARD, IT WILL BE HARD FOR A SMALL BUSINESS TO BID ON A CONTRACT LIKE THIS.NOT ONLY THEY DON'T HAVE THE, THE SIZE IN TERMS OF EMPLOYEES INSTEAD OF, UM, CAPACITY OR CAPABILITY OF HANDLING SOME OF OUR BIG PROJECTS.
BUT THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE GET AS SMALL BUSINESS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS? SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MY TEAM AND I ARE LOOKING ON HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE A SMALL BUSINESS IN OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
HOW DO WE MAKE IT SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY? OKAY, THANK YOU.
I WANT TO, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IS SOMETHING I ASK FOR.
UH, WE'RE MASSAGING IT A BIT HERE TODAY.
AND THAT'S GOOD, THAT'S HEALTHY.
AND I THINK THAT YOU FOCUSED HERE ON CIP AT OTHER TIMES YOU MAY FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE.
AND THAT'S GOOD IN TERMS OF KEEPING US INFORMED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
GOT A QUESTION THAT ALWAYS HAS BAFFLED ME.
FLEET PROGRAM, $7.2 MILLION, LARGELY FIRE ENGINE EQUIPMENT AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
WE'RE NOT LEASING THE EQUIPMENT YET, DOES SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO COME TO TOWN COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.
THAT WAS, UH, A RECOMMENDATION, UH, FOR A RESOLUTION TO START LOOKING AT THAT.
BUT WE'RE NOT LEASING THE EQUIPMENT YET.
BUT MY POINT HERE IS THE LEASE IS NOT GOING TO COST US $7.2 MILLION THIS YEAR.
WE'RE GOING TO ACQUIRE $7.2 MILLION WORTH OF EQUIPMENT WE ARE THIS YEAR.
AND WE WILL START MAKING LEASE PAYMENTS.
SO WHY DO WE SHOW A BUDGET OF $7.2 MILLION IF WE'RE NOT GONNA BE SPENDING IT? WELL, WE ARE SPENDING, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PAY OUR VENDOR.
SO WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH OUR VENDOR THAT WE HAVE TO PAY THEM 30 DAYS AFTER.
SO WE ARE PAYING MONEY RIGHT NOW FROM OUR HOSPITALITY TAX REVENUE.
SO THIS IS MONEY THAT IS COMING OUT.
SO THE LEASE IS, IS A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION, UM, TO PAY THE MONEY BACK TO OUR HOSPITALITY TAX.
BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE ARE DOING YET.
WE WILL HAVE TO COME TO TOWN COUNCIL AND PUT A PROPOSAL TOGETHER OF THIS IS WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO HAVE A LEASE.
AND WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS, PROS AND CONS.
SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE PAYING THE MONEY OUT OF OUR HOSPITALITY TAX REVENUE.
REMEMBER, I'M NOT A FINANCE PERSON.
I LOOK AT THINGS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF BABY STEPS.
AND I JUST, ARE YOU SAYING THAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND $7.2 MILLION AND THEN GET REIMBURSED THROUGH A LEASE? YES.
AND WHAT WE WILL DO IS, UM, IS EITHER A PROPOSAL THROUGH A TOWN COUNCIL, THROUGH THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING, OR WE CAN HAVE A WORKSHOP OR WE ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THESE TYPE OF, UM, ARRANGEMENTS.
UM, SO THERE WILL BE A, UH, EDUCATION COMPONENT TO, TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, UM, FROM A NON-FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, WHAT IS THE LEASE AGREEMENT AND WHAT, HOW DOES THAT LOOK FOR OUR TOWN? WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS ASSOCIATED WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT? BUT ALSO, RIGHT, RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO LEASE AGREEMENT, UH, OUR TOWN IS PAYING WITH OUR REVENUE MONEY.
WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AS WE HAVE $7.2 MILLION OF FIRE TRUCKS THAT WE ARE BUYING, WE ARE PUTTING THAT MONEY OUT NOW, AND THEN AFTERWARDS WE ARE GOING TO ARRANGE A FINANCING TRANSACTION OF SOME TYPE? THAT IS CORRECT.
THAT IS, UH, THANK YOU FOR SUMMARIZING.
THAT SEEMS KIND OF BACKWARDS TO ME.
UH, BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT HAS TO BE.
SO I UNDERSTAND WHY THAT'S THERE NOW.
THANK YOU FOR THE EXPLANATION.
UM, ONE THING THAT IS NOT REFLECTED IN, IN THIS PRESENTATION IS SOMETHING THAT I TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER A FEW MONTHS AGO, THERE'S THREE THINGS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, FOR ME AND MY TEAM.
ONE OF THEM IS THE PEOPLE COMPONENT, THE PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY.
I DO HAVE TO FINISH MY PRESENTATION BY GIVING CREDIT TO TWO PEOPLE IN MY TEAM.
AND BY THE WAY, EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF MY TEAM RE NEEDS TO BE PRAISED BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF WORK RELATED
[00:35:01]
TO FINANCE.UM, BUT I WANT TO MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT, AND SOMETHING THAT YOU PROBABLY ARE EXPECTING IS OUR 2024, UM, ANNUAL FINANCIALS, OUR AUDITED FINANCIALS.
AND THE REASON WHY I'M SAYING IT'S GOING REALLY WELL, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN FINDINGS OR SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS AS IT RELATES TO OUR AUDIT.
SO WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD AUDIT, I THINK IT'S ALWAYS REALLY SCARY TO HEAR AUDIT.
BUT WHEN YOU HEAR AUDIT IN THE CONTEXT OF IT'S GOING REALLY WELL, I DO WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO TWO ASSOCIATES OR TWO EMPLOYEES OF THE TOWN.
ONE OF THEM IS CRYSTAL ANO AND LORI MALIK BECAUSE THEY ARE MOVING THIS AUDIT.
AND I'M GOING TO PUT IN THE AGENDA FOR JANUARY 14 FOR OUR EXTERNAL AUDITOR TO COME AND TALK ABOUT THE AUDIT AND FOR YOU TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR NUMBERS AND HOW WE CLOSE OUR 2024 YEAR.
UM, ONE MORE THING IN RELATION TO PROCESS.
I SAID PEOPLE PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY PROCESS.
WE ARE LOOKING AT IMPROVING THINGS WITHIN OUR FINANCE TEAM AND WITHIN OUR TOWN.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING FROM CREDIT CARDS TO EXPENSES, TO CHANGING THE WAY WE PAY OUR INVOICES.
SO A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS HOW DO WE AUTOMATE OUR PAYMENTS? HOW DO WE MAKE IT MORE VENDOR FRIENDLY? UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE OUR REVENUE SERVICES AREA FROM A SHORT TERM RENTALS TO BUSINESS LICENSES.
SO PROCESSES ARE SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING TO CONTINUE IMPROVING WITHIN THE TEAM AND TECHNOLOGY.
SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE NEW IS WE ACTUALLY ARE IMPLEMENTING, FULLY IMPLEMENTING A SOFTWARE THAT IS GOING TO BE UTILIZED FOR OUR FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGETS.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE SEEING, UM, POTENTIALLY A DIFFERENT REPORTING FROM WHAT YOU'RE USED TO.
UH, OUR CALENDAR FOR BUDGETS IS GOING TO LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SHOWING YOU AND SHARE WITH YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I WANT TO COMMIT MY FINANCE TEAM AND ALSO THE TOWN STAFF THAT WORK VERY, VERY HARD WITH US BECAUSE IT'S MORE THAN THE FINANCE TEAM.
I KNOW THIS IS AN FNA COMMITTEE, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S THE WHOLE TOWN THAT WORKS VERY HARD TO, TO MAKE THINGS WORK THE WAY THEY DO.
AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
AND LIKE I TOLD MR. ALFRED EARLIER THIS MORNING, TALK TO THE PILLOW.
TOMORROW WILL BE ANOTHER DAY, A BRIGHTER DAY.
SO WE ARE DOING VERY GOOD AS A TOWN, EVEN IF MY FIRST PARAGRAPH IS, IS A NEGATIVE, BUT IT IS A VERY POSITIVE OUTCOME.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. B BURNETT? UM, I WANT TO, UH, TWO THINGS.
ONE, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON COUNCILMAN AMES COMMENT.
NOT THE ILLEGAL PIECE, NOT THAT PIECE
UM, BUT THIS COMMITTEE, UM, AND, AND THROUGH THE ENTIRE COUNCIL DID PUT TOGETHER A, A SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS, UH, UTILIZATION PLAN.
AND, YOU KNOW, TO ME THAT WAS JUST THE START OF US GETTING TO A BETTER PLACE.
TO YOUR POINT OF US BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, SENSITIVE TO SMALL BUSINESSES, I THINK WE CAN CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT THAT COUNCILMAN AMES IS SPEAKING OF AS FAR AS HAVING PEOPLE READILY AVAILABLE TO CHIP AWAY AT OUR WORK.
UM, AND I WANTED TO ALSO, UM, SHOW GRATITUDE.
UM, THIS, THIS COLUMN THAT YOU HAVE HERE, THE YEAR TO DATE ENCUMBRANCES, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WERE NOT NECESSARILY PRIVY TO OR, OR LOOKING AT IN THE PAST.
I THINK THAT HELPS US GET TO A BETTER PLACE.
UM, AND NOW THAT YOU HAVE THIS TEAM, UH, COMPILED, I THINK EXPECTATIONS AS WELL AS ACCOUNTABILITY WILL COME OUT OF THAT.
SO WE WANNA COMMEND YOU FOR, FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND FEEL FREE TO BRING BACK TO COUNCIL ANY CHANGES YOU THINK NEED TO BE MADE TO THAT PLAN SO THAT WE CAN BE IN A BETTER PLACE.
UM, I DO WANT, UM, I, ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR A LONG TIME.
YOU KNOW, THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY.
[00:40:01]
YOU FOR YOU TO ADVISE, ADVISE ME BECAUSE LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE SMALL BUSINESSES ARE BIG, VERY BIG IN MY BOOK.THE QUESTION IS HOW AS A TOWN WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB SUPPORTING, CONTINUE SUPPORTING OUR SMALL BUSINESS.
IF YOU HAVE CREATED SOMETHING FOR MINORITY BUSINESSES OR SMALL BUSINESSES IN GENERAL.
AND IF YOU HAVE SEEN SOMETHING ELSE THAT HAS WORKED, I'M INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW DO WE REFLECT THAT IN OUR PROCUREMENT? 'CAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO NOT JUST RELY ON, AND I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT THE VENDORS THAT WE HAVE.
WE APPRECIATE THE VENDORS WE HAVE, BUT HOW DO WE BRING MORE, MORE DIVERSITY, MORE VARIETY ON OUR VENDOR COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE? SO IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OF HOW TO DO THAT OR YOU HAVE SEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS WORKED SOMEWHERE ELSE, UM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW BECAUSE I WILL CONTINUE WORKING ON THIS.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY BIG AND DEAR TO MY HEART.
I I WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
UH, WE ALREADY HAVE THE PROGRAM IN PLACE, UH, FOR GIVING MINORITIES AN OPPORTUNITY WHICH IS APPROPRIATE AND WE NEED TO EMPHASIZE THAT.
BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER HOLDING A PUBLIC MEETING TO ATTRACT CONTRACTORS TO EXPLAIN THE CIP PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY, THE SIZE OF THOSE, AND THE PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING A CONTRACT.
WE MAY LEARN THAT SOMEONE SAYS, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, OR I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FROM ME.
UM, AND WHAT ARE MY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS? THOSE TYPES OF THINGS MAY BE HELPFUL IN PROMOTING THIS.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH A LOT IS BY ASKING, ASKING THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY THE SMALL BUSINESS AND WHAT IDEAS THEY HAVE, WHAT CHALLENGES THEY HAVE WITH SUBMITTING SOME OF THE APPLICATIONS.
DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? NO, SIR.
UH, WANT TO WELCOME COUNCILMAN BECCA, WHO'S IN THE CROWD AS WELL.
WE ALWAYS DRAW A HEAVY CROWD HERE AT F AND A, UM,
SO BEFORE WE ADJOURN, UM, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THIS WILL BE OUR LAST F AND A MEETING TOGETHER.
UM, SO I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO, UH, THANK MY COLLEAGUES, UM, AS WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF GOOD WORK TOGETHER.
UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GOOD DISCUSSION AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE ARE MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES IN THE WAY THAT WE DO OUR FINANCES HERE AT THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD.
SO, UM, APPRECIATION TO ALL OF YOU.
UM, AND, UH, WE WILL OFFER, UH, MR. AMES OR MR. STANFORD, UM, WHO ARE RETIRING.
ANY LAST WORDS,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, MR. BROWN.
I THINK WE'VE HAD EXCELLENT LEADERSHIP AND NOW I SEE THE EVOLUTION OF THIS PROCESS MOVING FORWARD IN A POSITIVE WAY AND I'M VERY PLEASED ABOUT IT.
AND I THINK DAVID AND I CAN LEAVE THIS PLACE KNOWING THAT IT'S IN GOOD HANDS WITH THE COUNCIL, PEOPLE WHO WILL REMAIN HERE AS WELL AS TWO MORE, MAYBE THREE.
UH, I WE'RE, WE'VE GOT A LOT TO TALK ABOUT AND WE'RE GONNA TRY TO TALK ABOUT AND A ALL OF THIS IN A VERY SMALL KIND OF PRESENTATION TO
[00:45:01]
THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO.UH, IF Y'ALL REMEMBER, UH, WE STARTED WORKING ON A NEW SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER OPPORTUNITY LAST YEAR, UM, BECAUSE WE KNEW, AND WE HAVE KNOWN THAT TRYING TO RECRUIT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO BE CLASS ONE CERTIFIED, WHICH IS WHAT THE STATE REQUIRED.
UH, YOU KNOW, TO BE IN OUR SCHOOLS AS SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, WHICH ARE, IS, IS A SPECIAL, I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT THAT IS REALLY SPECIAL CANDIDATE, UH, THAT WE CONSIDER TO BE THAT CLOSE AN ASSOCIATION TO OUR KIDS.
UM, AND, BUT WE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY FACTORS IT CREATES, NOT ONLY IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT WHAT OUR WHAT WHAT OUR COMMUNITIES AS WELL, BECAUSE THE SCHOOL IS A MELTING POT OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
SO HAVING THAT RIGHT PERSON IN THAT JOB AND THAT ROLE TO PROVIDE SECURITY TO OUR KIDS LEADERSHIP, TO OUR KIDS, UH, AND GIVING THE CONFIDENCE TO THE STAFF TO WORK IN THE SCHOOLS.
I MEAN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO FIND THAT RIGHT PERSON.
SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO FIND A CLASS ONE OR THE CLASS ONE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, IS ONE THAT GOES TO THE ACADEMY FOR 12 WEEKS, SPENDS 12 WEEKS FOR THE MOST PART IN COLUMBIA.
WE DO SOME OF THE TRAINING HERE LOCALLY, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE, UH, HAS TO BE DONE IN COLUMBIA.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT TO BE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS THAT REALLY DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR LIFE AND THEIR FAMILY TO GO TO COLUMBIA AND GO THROUGH BOOTCAMP TO BE A CLASS ONE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.
SO I HAD OUR TRAINING STAFF PUT TOGETHER A TRAINING SYLLABUS FOR A, WHAT WE CALL A CLASS THREE.
UH, AND IT WAS A CLASS THREE DESIGNATION FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.
WHAT THAT DID IS IT ALLOWED US TO CREATE A TRAINING SYLLABUS THAT WE COULD TAKE A PERSON, UM, YOU KNOW, OF, OF ANY AGE.
UM, AND THAT WE WOULD BRING THEM INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT ENVIRONMENT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BLUFFTON OR BEAUFORT OR PORT ROYAL OR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
UH, AND WE WOULD TRAIN THEM HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
ALL OF THEIR TRAINING WOULD BE DONE RIGHT HERE.
UH, IT WOULD BE EIGHT WEEKS, MAYBE A LITTLE MORE THAN EIGHT WEEKS OF TRAINING.
UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO START THIS, UH, THE, OUR FIRST CLASS.
WE'D LIKE TO START IT IN JUNE.
UH, THAT WAY WE CAN GET 'EM THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND BE READY FOR DEPLOYMENT, UH, WHEN SCHOOL STARTS IN AUGUST.
UH, I, I THINK IT'S AN AWESOME PROGRAM.
WE, WE, WE SENT THE TRAINING SYLLABUS TO THE ACADEMY THAT TRAINS ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
THEY APPROVED IT, UH, WITH THE BLESSING OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA TRAINING COUNCIL.
SO WE ARE READY TO GET THIS THING MOVING AND GET IT STARTED.
AND I THINK FOR US, UH, WE JUST NEED TO KIND OF TELL OUR CITIZENS, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR? UH, THE ROLE IS SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.
IT'S A CLASS THREE LAW ENFORCEMENT DESIGNATION.
UH, IT'S A UNIFORM POSITION, IT'S AN ARMED POSITION.
UH, THEY HAVE ARREST POWERS, UH, AND THEY HAVE ALL THE POWERS OF ANY OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER ON THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, UH, THAT THEY'RE ASSIGNED TO.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK, JOE, SHERIFF? I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING LEAD ON THIS.
UM, WE HAVE FOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN BLUFFTON THAT CURRENTLY ARE NOT STAFFED BY CLASS THREE OR HIGHER OFFICERS.
AND I THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM IS GONNA ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THESE POSITIONS AND IT'S GONNA PROVIDE MORE OF A SECURITY BLANKET FOR OUR SCHOOLS TO INCLUDE OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SO WE'RE DEFINITELY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WE'RE EXCITED TO BE PART OF IT.
WHO, WHO DO WE WANT TO ATTRACT? I THINK WE'VE GOT A, WE'VE GOT AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF RETIRED MILITARY FOLKS HERE.
THEY MAY HAVE CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS AND WITH THE, WITH THE PROGRAM THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER.
UM, THEY'LL BE HOME WHEN THEIR CHILDREN ARE HOME, NOT IN SCHOOL.
AND, UM, AND I'VE ALWAYS SAID, YOU AND I HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, SHERIFF, WE, WE NEED TO GET INTO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IF WE, IF WE WAITED UNTIL HIGH SCHOOLS WERE TOO LATE.
I'M, I'M GLAD THAT YOU TOOK THE LEAD ON IT.
UM, I'M EXCITED TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME PEOPLE IN, BUT I REALLY THINK THE YOUNG RETIRED MILITARY PEOPLE ARE, THEY'RE JUST MADE FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, AND WE'VE GONE THROUGHOUT OUR CAREERS, UH, IN THE COUNTY OF BEAUFORT AND WE'VE HAD CONVERSATION AFTER CONVERSATION WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M RETIRED, I'D LIKE TO FIND SOMETHING TO DO.
AND THEN YOU START TALKING TO 'EM AND THEY'RE A RETIRED TEACHER OR RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT, RETIRED FIRE DEPARTMENT, RETIRED MILITARY, RETIRED BANKERS, RETIRED, I MEAN, RETIRED, THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER.
AND THEY'RE STILL, STILL AT AN AGE THAT THEY COULD, UM, THEY COULD DO THIS JOB WITH NO PROBLEM AT ALL OF ANY KIND.
UM, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT, THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE.
[00:50:01]
I'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, THOSE THAT ARE STILL, THAT STILL FEEL LIKE THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT MAYBE HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED AT LAW ENFORCEMENT AS BEING A JOB, BUT BECAUSE OF THE PAY AND BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE WORKING CONDITIONS AND FAMILIES AND, AND ALL THAT, THEY JUST DIDN'T WANNA DO IT.BUT HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO MAKE $45,000 A YEAR STARTING PAY TO WORK BASICALLY THE SCHEDULE OF THE TEACHING AND SUPPORT STAFF OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS A PRETTY GOOD SCHEDULE.
IT IS, UH, TO HAVE BENEFITS, UH, TO BE IN THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND TO BE ABLE TO BRING THEIR MATURITY, UH, THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE AND, AND YOU KNOW, TO TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE KIDS WHO WILL BENEFIT GREATLY FROM JUST HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SOCIALIZE AND BE AROUND, UH, THESE FOLKS THAT BRING A LOT TO THE TABLE.
AND I, WE AND OUR COMMUNITIES.
YOU TAKE BLUFFTON AND BEAUFORT AND, AND IN THE COUNTY AND THEN IN PORT ROYAL, THOSE PEOPLE ARE HERE.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS TO DO.
AND I JUST THINK THIS IS AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO, YOU KNOW WHAT, JUST DO IT KINDA LIKE NIKE.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, THE TRAINING IS, I THINK THEY'LL ENJOY THE TRAINING.
AGAIN, IT'S ALL DONE RIGHT HERE.
THEY, THEY'LL STAY AT HOME, THEY'LL SLEEP IN THEIR OWN BED, THEY'LL HAVE THEIR OWN PILLOW, AND THEN THEY CAN COME TO TRAINING.
AND ONCE THEY'RE CERTIFIED, UH, THEN THEY'LL START THE SCHOOL YEAR, UH, AUGUST OF THIS YEAR.
SO, I MEAN, I KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY REPRESENTS THAT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, SO WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK THIS, UM, THIS PROGRAM'S GONNA DO IN TOTALITY FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? I THINK, I THINK THIS PROGRAM, ONE WILL BE ABLE TO GET US OVER THE TOP.
I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET A POLICE OFFICER IN EVERY SCHOOL IN BEFORD COUNTY, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
A POLICE OFFICER AND I, AND I, AND YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS.
THERE'S A LOT OF TRAINING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS JOB.
AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A SECURITY OFFICER.
THIS IS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE WELL TRAINED, UH, IN THIS.
AND I, I THINK THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK WITH THE YOUNG CHILDREN TARGETING THE RETIREES MM-HMM.
THEY'VE GOT THE LIFE EXPERIENCE FOR THE, FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
AND, AND TO GET THAT STARTED OFF.
SO I THINK HOW, HOW MANY, HOW MANY OPENINGS DO YOU HAVE FOR THIS PROGRAM? FOR THIS PROGRAM? WE, WE ONLY HAVE TWO CURRENTLY.
POSSIBLY A THIRD COMING ON BOARD.
I'VE GOT NINE JOE, I HAVE FOUR.
SO I MEAN, IN TOTAL, AND HERE'S THE THING.
IT, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU WORK AT THE CITY OF BEAUFORT OR THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, UH, OR PORT ROYAL OR FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
YOU KNOW, WE WANT YOU TO COME TO WORK.
AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BE A CLASS THREE SRO, DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU GO, DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU'RE EMPLOYED BY.
THE WORK ENVIRONMENT'S BASICALLY THE SAME.
THERE MAY BE A DIFFERENCE IN UNIFORM THAT YOU WEAR AT THE SCHOOL THAT YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO, UH, THE PAY.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE BASICALLY THE SAME.
SO ALL WE WANT PEOPLE TO DO IS PUT THEIR APPLICATIONS IN, GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AND EXPLAIN THE PROGRAM IN DETAIL.
AND IF YOU REALLY HAVE AN INTEREST IN IT, UH, THEN LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GET STARTED.
WHAT DO YOU THINK, JOE? YEAH, AND ONE THING THAT I WANT TO HIT ON IS THIS PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT, AND REASON BEING IS NONE OF OUR KIDS SHOULD FEEL AFRAID GOING TO SCHOOL.
UM, THEY SHOULD BE GOING TO SCHOOL TO LEARN AND NOT WORRYING ABOUT THEIR SAFETY.
UM, AND WHAT THIS DOES IS THIS PROVIDES ANOTHER LAYER OF SAFETY FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
UM, IT ALSO PROVIDES PEOPLE WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO MENTOR THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN.
AND SO, LIKE THE SHERIFF SAID, IF YOU TRULY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, UH, THIS IS A POSITION THAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WILL BE MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
I JUST HOPE THE APPLICATION START POURING IN.
AND IF YOU GET MORE THAN, THAN YOU NEED THEN AND, AND WE NEED TO GO TO BEAUFORT OR WE NEED TO GO TO, UH, THE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR, OR PORT ROYAL, WE JUST NEED, WE NEED TO PUT THESE PEOPLE TO WORK.
WE NEED TO FILL THESE VACANCIES, UH, AND LET'S MAKE OUR SCHOOLS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AS SAFE AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
AND I THINK THE UNIQUENESS OF THIS PROGRAM, THESE OFFICERS WILL BE TRAINED BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHILDREN IN THESE SCHOOLS.
THEY HAVE THE SAME DESIRES, THE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
SO I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
WELL, I MEAN, THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT IS THAT WE ARE, WE WILL BE DOING THE TRAINING TOGETHER.
IF YOU GET, IF YOU GET, IF YOU HIRE ONE OR TWO AND YOU HIRE FOUR, AND YOU KNOW, AND I CAN FILL THE NINE THAT WE NEED, WE'RE ALL GONNA BE TRAINING TOGETHER.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE ONE TRAINING SYLLABUS TO BENEFIT, UH, THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM.
I MEAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE, THIS, THIS PROGRAM IS FOR SOUTH CAROLINA
[00:55:01]
AS A WHOLE.THIS IS NOT JUST FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
BUT I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE GOING TO START THIS AND INITIATE, YOU KNOW, THE SRO CLASS THREE POSITION HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND WE'RE GONNA SHOW THE STATE IT WORKS.
AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE TRAINING TOGETHER, SHERIFF, IS YOU'RE CREATING A NETWORK BEFORE YOU EVEN GET STARTED.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO KNOW PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WHERE IF YOU CAN RUN INTO A PROBLEM, YOU HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE THAT YOU CAN CALL AND GET SOME ADVICE OR TALK TO THEM ABOUT THINGS GOING ON IN THEIR SCHOOL AND CURRENT TRENDS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR SCHOOL.
SO IT'S A GREAT COLLABORATION OF ALL THREE DEPARTMENTS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY GETTING TOGETHER, BECAUSE HAVING THAT NETWORK AND PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN RELY ON FOR ADDITIONAL ADVICE IS INVALUABLE.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT, I MEAN, I WANT, I WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO, TO MAKE THOSE PHONE CALLS OR GROW ONLINE AND RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST THE, THE, THE CLASS THREE SRO, UH, THROUGH ALL AGENCIES.
SO I THINK LINDSEY, IF WE CAN, I MEAN AT THIS POINT, I THINK IF WE PUT THAT INFORMATION ON THIS VIDEO FOR BLUFFTON, BEAUFORT, PORT ROYAL IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WEBPAGE AND PHONE NUMBERS, UH, I THINK WE'LL HOPEFULLY WE'LL START GETTING CALLS.
THAT SOUND GOOD TO Y'ALL? YES, SIR.
I'M MARIA WALLS, YOUR BEAUFORT COUNTY TREASURER.
IF YOU'VE EVER WONDERED WHAT'S E-BILLING OR MY BEAUFORT COUNTY, I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A SNEAK PEEK BECAUSE MY BEAUFORT COUNTY IS YOUR ONE STOP LOCATION ONLINE TO MANAGE AND PAY YOUR BEAUFORT COUNTY PROPERTY TAX BILLS.
SIMPLY TYPE IN MY BE FOR COUNTY.COM OR DOWNLOAD THE APP IN THE APP STORE AND YOU'LL CONTINUE TO LOG IN.
SO HERE YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE AS A GUEST.
IF YOU DON'T WANNA CREATE AN ACCOUNT OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN UP FOR E-BILLING, STORE YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION, AND MANAGE ALL OF YOUR TAX BILLS FROM A SIMPLE DASHBOARD SCREEN.
TO MANAGE YOUR PROPERTY ACCOUNTS IN YOUR DASHBOARD, SIMPLY CLICK LINK ACCOUNT AND TALK TO TAXBOT, WHO IS HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU IN SIGNING YOU UP.
YOU CAN SEARCH FOR A PROPERTY BY YOUR PIN, WHICH IS YOUR PARCEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, YOUR A IN, YOUR ALTERNATE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, OR SIMPLY USING AN OWNER'S LAST NAME AND MAILING ZIP CODE.
ONCE YOU'VE SEARCHED, GO AHEAD AND SELECT THE PROPERTIES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOUR PROFILE.
YOU CAN EITHER CHOOSE TO KEEP GOING OR LET TAXBOT KNOW THAT YOU'RE FINISHED BY PAYING YOUR TAXES, FINDING ANOTHER PROPERTY, OR SIMPLY GOING BACK TO THE DASHBOARD.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ALSO SIGN UP FOR E-BILLING, YOU CAN DO THAT BY CLICKING MANAGE E-BILLING AND SIGN UP EACH PROPERTY TO RECEIVE YOUR BILL ELECTRONICALLY.
WANNA KNOW WHERE YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION IS STORED OR YOUR RECEIPTS? GO AHEAD AND CLICK YOUR WALLET IN THE WALLET.
EACH RECEIPT YOU'VE PAID ONLINE IS AVAILABLE FOR OBSERVATION, DOWNLOAD AND PRINTING RIGHT HERE.
SIMPLY CLICK THE ICON IN THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER AND YOU CAN UPDATE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND MANAGE YOUR PAYMENT METHODS.
AN ADDED BONUS WHEN YOU USE AN ECHECK TO PAY ON MYBE FOR COUNTY, THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL COSTS.
YOU HAVE YOUR BILL AND YOUR ELECTRONIC RECEIPT ALL IN ONE LOCATION AND AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, WHATEVER YOU NEED IT.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT USING MY BEAUFORT COUNTY OR TAXES IN GENERAL, PLEASE CALL MY FRIENDLY STAFF AND I AT 8 4 3 2 5 5 2 6 0 0.
OR YOU CAN VISIT US@BEAUFORTCOUNTYTREASURE.COM.