* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:10] SO WE'LL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. YOU'LL JOIN ME ON A PLEASURE, MY PLEASURE, FLAG. UNITED STATES. I DID IT YESTERDAY, SO I TURNED MINE OFF. OKAY. YOU AND ELIZABETH ARE ON, SO YES. YEAH, WE DO. OKAY. UM, ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA? YES, I APPROVE. OR EXCUSE ME. I MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE AGENDA. OKAY. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. A AYE. OKAY. PASSES PUBLIC COMMENTS. OKAY. NO PUBLIC COMMENTS. UM, MS. HAY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A, A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING? MINUTES OF NOVEMBER, THE 14TH OF DECEMBER? THE FIFTH? YES. GIVE ME ONE SECOND. I'M SORRY. I'M TRYING TO PULL THIS UP SO I CAN FOLLOW ALONG. UM, I WAS HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH INTERNET. ONE SECOND. IF YOU WERE IN HILLS AND HEAD, WE HAD A HURRICANE THREAT EARLIER TODAY. SO TORNADO THREAT. YES. I HEARD THERE WAS A TORNADO THREAT AS WELL. SO IT'S, IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS. UM, I MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 14TH, 2024 AND DECEMBER 5TH, 2024. OKAY, I SECOND THE MOTION. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY. AYE. OKAY. DULY. UH, MOTION THEN SECOND. AND APPROVE. ALRIGHT. FINANCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITY. CFO, CRO. YES, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. UM, SO IN YOUR PACKET IS A, UH, A FINANCIAL SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES. UM, THIS IS THE DOCUMENT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS, UM, IN FACT IN DECEMBER. AND IT WAS A FORMAT, ACTUALLY, I DO NOT CR TAKE CREDIT FOR THIS FORMAT. ALICE WALTON CAME UP WITH A FORMAT AND I FELT LIKE IT WAS, UH, A GREAT ONE PAGE VISUAL OF ALL THE RESPONSE, NOT ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT SOME PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES IN OUR AREAS. SO I FOLLOWED ALONG HER, UM, WITH HER FORMAT. UM, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SORT OF BEGIN THIS NEW NEWLY FORMED, UH, COMMITTEE WITH KIND OF A, JUST A BRIEFING ON THE AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FINANCE, UH, UNDER MY RESPONSIBILITY. UM, YOU, WHAT YOU WON'T SEE HERE IS TECHNOLOGY. IT IS ALSO PRIMARILY MY RESPONSIBILITY. UM, BUT, BUT MARK SHOHAN DOES A GREAT JOB AND THEY HAVE A SEPARATE CITY AS WELL. MM-HMM . ALRIGHT. SO, UM, SO I'VE CATEGORIZED THEM IN MAJOR AREAS. ACCOUNTING, UM, IS MAN, EACH OF THESE AREAS IS MANAGED BY, UH, A TEAM, A DIRECTOR, AND A TEAM. UM, AND PRIMARILY WE HAVE PAYROLL. UM, THAT'S, I PUT AT THE VERY TOP. THAT IS THE, UH, WE HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST EMPLOYERS IN THE COUNTY WITH ABOUT 3000 EMPLOYEES. UM, WE PREPARE QUARTERLY PAYROLL REPORTS, FINANCIAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPORTING, W2, ALL OF THAT. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. WE HAVE, UM, ACTUALLY THREE PEOPLE IN PAYROLL, ONE PERSON IN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. UM, WE DO DAILY ACCOUNTING JOURNAL ENTRIES. WE FACILITATE THE ANNUAL EXTERNAL AUDITS. SOMETIMES THEY COME A LITTLE MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ANNUALLY. UM, PREPARE THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORTS. UH, YOU SAW A REPORT OR YOU'LL SEAL A REPORT TODAY, I BELIEVE. UM, OR WE DID IT LAST WEEK, LAST TIME. I CAN'T RECALL AT THIS POINT. I THINK WE'RE DOING IT TODAY. OKAY. UM, AND WE MANAGE THE CASH FLOWS, MAKE SURE THERE'S CASH IN THE BANK TO BANK SHARE ALL THE PAYMENTS AND BILLS AND MONITORING INVESTMENTS FROM THE, THAT THE COUNTY TREASURER MAKES RECONCILING TO COUNTY LEDGERS. SO THAT'S JUST A, AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES. BUT, AND I'M NOT GONNA READ EVERY SELL OF THIS. I'LL LET YOU ALL, UM, DO THAT. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET IS A PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY THAT'S LED BY LIN WHO'S HERE TODAY. UM, AND SHE [00:05:01] IS ALREADY HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING. WE ARE WELL UNDERWAY TO THE NEXT BUDGET SEASON. UM, WE PREPARE THE BUDGET BOOK IN THAT AREA. THAT TEAM DOES. WE MANAGE THE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES OF THE REFERENDUMS, THE 8% PROJECTS, AND ANY OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS WITHIN HER DEPARTMENT, UM, THAT WE SERVICE LIAISONS TO THE CA UH, CLOCK COMMITTEE. UM, I PRESENTED LAST NIGHT, UH, A BOND UPDATE, WHICH YOU'LL SEE LATER IN TODAY'S MEETING AS WELL. AND IF I DON'T ATTEND SOME, OUR STAFF ATTEND. UM, AND RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOL. WE HANDLE ALL OF THE FLOW THROUGH PAYMENTS THAT, UH, ARE MANAGED BY THAT PROCUREMENT IS ACTUALLY IN, UH, THAT'S THROUGH KAYLEE YER. UH, WE HAVE A FEW PEOPLE OUT TODAY. ACTUALLY, FOUR OF OUR FIVE DIRECTORS ARE EITHER OUT SICK OR MANAGING LOVED ONES, UH, HELPING LOVED ONES TODAY. SO ME AND JENNIFER ARE, UM, INTERNAL CONTROLS. WE'VE, UH, REVAMPED OUR INTERNAL CONTROL, UH, AUDIT PROCESS. SO WE ARE ACTIVELY AUDITING OUR SCHOOLS. UH, WE WORK IN, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BOOKKEEPERS TO, UH, CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE TRAINED PROPERLY, THEY'RE FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURES, AND THEN RETRAINING THEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. I THINK WE HAVE TRAININGS ONCE A MONTH, UM, THAT ARE MANAGED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STANDING IN COMPLIANCE. UM, SPECIAL REVENUE IS, UH, UH, CAN I JUST ASK THE QUESTION PLEASE? YOU MA'AM. SURE. WHO HEADS UP INTERNAL CONTROLS? LLOYD, UM, THAT'S CINDY PHILLIPS. AND SHE MAY EVEN BE ON, SOME OF THOSE FOLKS MAY BE ONLINE TODAY WITH US LISTENING IN IF THEY'RE FEELING WELL ENOUGH. BUT, UM, SHE MANAGES E-RATE. UM, SHE DOES OVERSEES THE INTERNAL, UH, CONTROLS AREA AND PARENT SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS, OR PTAS, PTAS AND BOOSTER CLUB COMPLIANCE. UM, SHE APPROVES ALL THE JOURNAL ENTRIES, BOTH ACE AND BEAUFORT COUNTY, UM, QUARTERLY. SHE DOES ALL THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORTS OR COMPILES THE WORK OF ALL THE OTHER ACCOUNTANTS IN THE DEPARTMENT TO GIVE YOU THOSE. UM, AND SHE DOES ALL THE LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL IMPACTS. EVERY DAY WE RECEIVE SOMETHING FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT SAYING, THERE'S THIS BILL OUT THERE, HOW MUCH IS THIS? WHAT FISCAL IMPACT IS THIS BILL GOING TO HAVE ON YOUR DISTRICT? SO WE LOOK TO SEE, TALK TO THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE, WHAT, WHETHER DEPENDING ON THE DEPARTMENT, AND WE PREPARE THAT FISCAL IMPACT AND SEND IT BACK TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT. SO THERE'S THAT. THOSE COME PRETTY FAST AND FURIOUS THIS TIME OF YEAR, ACTUALLY. SO, UH, WE MONITOR THE TAX REVENUES IN HER OFFICE AS WELL. SHE AND I BOTH DO THAT TOGETHER. THAT'S A PRETTY INTENSIVE, UH, HIGHER LEVEL RESPONSIBILITY THERE. THE TAX THINGS AND BOND PAYMENTS SHE MAKES, SHE, UH, MAKES SURE THE BOND PAYMENTS ARE PAID TIMELY AS WELL. SO WE, WE KIND OF CROSS, WE'RE KIND OF CROSS-FUNCTIONAL, BUT WE HAVE SEGMENTED RESPONSIBILITIES AND SOME, SOME CROSSOVER. UM, MS. DENISE MATSON IS IN CHARGE OF SPECIAL REVENUE AND GRANTS. UM, SHE IS, SHE'S OUT TODAY AS WELL. UM, AND, UH, SHE MANAGES ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL ALLOCATIONS OR, OR, OR GRANTS THAT WE HAVE. AND IN ADDITION TO STUDENT ACTIVITIES. UH, SO SHE HAVE A STAFF ABOUT THREE LADIES THAT, UH, ASSIST HER IN TITLE ONE IDEA, ALL THOSE FEDERAL GRANTS AND ALLOCATIONS THERE. UM, AND WE MANAGE BJ ACE, THE, UH, OUR VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. UH, KATIE ABAR HANDLES MOST OF THE ACCOUNTING AND BUDGETING FOR ACE WITH HELP FROM OTHERS IN THE DEPARTMENT. UM, IT'S SORT OF A TRAINING GROUND. IT'S A THREE, THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. AND IT PREPARES, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S PREPARING HER FOR WORKING ON SOMETHING MUCH LARGER SIZE, BUDGET OF $300 MILLION AT SOME POINT. BUT SHE'S ALSO A BUDGET ANALYST AND, UH, DOING CROSS-FUNCTIONAL DUTIES THERE. FOOD SERVICE IS ALSO UNDER MY RESPONSIBILITY. THAT'S WHY WALTER MOONEY IS HERE TODAY. HE'S THE GENERAL MANAGER FOR THE NUTRITION GROUP. AND WE HAVE AN, UH, OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION TODAY. UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLIANCE THERE. UH, IT IS ALMOST SOLELY NOW THAT WE'RE ON, UH, COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY WITH ALL SCHOOLS, WHICH IS THE FREE LUNCH AND BREAKFAST PROGRAM. UH, IT IS ALMOST ENTIRELY, UH, USDA REVENUE, SO FEDERAL REVENUE PROGRAM. UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLIANCE THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT. AND, UM, HE OVERSEES THAT PROGRAM, UH, FOR US. AND, UH, THAT CONCLUDES MY SUMMARY. . ANYBODY QUESTION? UH, MS. HAY, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? COMMENT? NO, SIR. I DO NOT. I'LL PIPE UP IF I DO. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU, MA'AM. COLONEL, THIS [00:10:01] IS FANTASTIC. I, I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS, UH, LAID OUT LIKE THIS BEFORE. UH, THIS REALLY SHOWS IN ONE PAGE THE VAST RESPONSIBILITIES AND, UH, PIECES THAT HAVE TO BE MONITORED EVERY DAY. THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY, REALLY INVALUABLE. UH, THANK YOU. MM-HMM . UH, MS. GORDON, QUESTIONS, MA'AM? COMMENTS? UH, I DO NOT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UH, I DO WANNA THANK HER FOR THIS REPORT AND I'LL CATCH UP WITH YOU GUYS. YES, MA'AM. BUT I APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. I TWO BRIEF ONES. ONE IS, WHO HEADS UP ACCOUNTING FOR YOU? I DIDN'T. LORI MOCK, UM, LORI'S OUT TODAY AS WELL. UM, SHE'S USUALLY WITH US ON THESE MEETINGS. MM-HMM . UM, BUT SHE OVERSEES PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. THAT TAKES A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY THERE, MAKING SURE EVERYTHING'S RUNNING SMOOTHLY. UM, AND BASICALLY, UM, MAKING SURE THERE'S A LOT OF CROSS TRAINING GOING ON. 'CAUSE YOU HAVE ONE PERSON THAT KNOWS HOW TO RUN PAYROLL, YOU'RE IN TROUBLE AROUND THE . UM, SO SHE IS ACTUALLY THE BACKUP RIGHT NOW OF THE PAYROLL. BUT WE'RE TRAINING IN PROCESS OF GRADUALLY TRAINING ON, UH, ANOTHER STAFF MEMBER ON MORE AND MORE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THAT AREA. SO, UH, SHE FACILITATES THE EXTERNAL FINANCIAL AUDIT. SO SHE, WE HAVE A PORTAL THAT, UH, THE AUDITORS GIVE US ABOUT 300 ITEMS THAT THINGS THEY NEED. AND SHE FACILITATES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AUDITORS RECEIVE EVERY, UH, UH, A RESPONSE TO EVERY ONE OF THOSE ITEMS AND, AND THE FILES GO ALONG WITH IT. SO A LOT OF THE DETAIL FILES COME FROM HER AREA BECAUSE OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND PAYROLL. SO, BUT SHE, SHE AND I, AND THIS, THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE TO HELP RESPOND TO THE FINANCIAL AUDITS, BUT THAT'S A BIG AREA OF HERS. AND THEN MO CONSTANTLY MONITORING THE CASH, MAKE SURE THERE'S ENOUGH TO MAKE PAYROLL. WE HAVE PROPER AMOUNTS GOING TO THE TREASURER AND WATCHING THE INVESTMENT CHANGE DECISIONS THAT THEY'RE MAKING, THAT THEY'RE AUTHORIZED BY STATE LAW TO MAKE. SO WE'RE TRACKING THOSE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S IN LINE. UH, AND THEN RECONCILING BACK TO THE COUNTY ANY DEPOSITS THAT THEY RECEIVED THAT WE HAVEN'T REPORTED YET. SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO DO LIKE TWO TO THREE WAY RECONCILIATIONS AND BANK REC, BANK RECONCILIATIONS ARE MASSIVE HERE. , IT'S A FULL, IT'S A FULL ORDER OF BUSINESS THERE. I JUST HADN'T CAPTURED THE NAME. YEP. YEP. SORRY, LORI MOS, YOU SAW THE COLONEL, UH, SORT OF RAISE HIS EYEBROW IN APPRECIATION WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HE'D NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. SO, AND I LIKE TO JUST REITERATE THAT AS WELL. WELL, I HAVE TO HAND IT TO MS. WALTON. SHE, SHE CAME UP FORMAT I LIKED IT AND I STOLE IT FROM HER. . THERE YOU GO. . I, I LIKE THAT IT'S ALL IN ONE SPOT. AND IT REALLY SUMMARIZES THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES WE HAVE. THEN ONE VERY BRIEF QUESTION WITH THE CHANGES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS, NOT A LOT, SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS, AS YOU JUST MENTIONED, ARE FUNDED THROUGH FEDERAL DOLLARS. YES. ANY EARLY INTEL. LAST TWO FOR SOME OF, YES. UH, I ACTUALLY SAT ON A SEMINAR WITH A GROUP OF ATTORNEYS LAST TUESDAY, AND I DON'T RECALL THE NAME, FELMAN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WAS THE NAME OF THE LAW FIRM. UH, THEY WERE CLOSELY CONNECTED IN WASHINGTON, DC AND, UH, THE, THE MAIN THEME OF THE STORY THAT I RECEIVED OUT OF THAT WAS THAT ANY OF, UM, FEDERAL GRANTS AT, OR FEDERAL ALLOCATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY OBLIGATED, WERE ALL ALREADY RECEIVED FOR THE YEAR. WE'VE ALREADY BEEN AWARDED, UH, WE'RE ACTIVELY SPENDING AND CLAIMING REIMBURSEMENT FOR ARE SAFE. UM, THEY DIDN'T USE THAT PARTICULAR WORD. THEY, THEY USED, UH, UH, OBLI RESCINDING, AN OBLIGATION WOULD LITERALLY TAKE AN ACT OF CONGRESS TO RESCIND AN ALLOCATION THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN AWARDED AND OBLIGATED TO AN ENTITY. SO THESE GRANTS THAT WE'RE MANAGING ACTIVELY, TITLE ONE, TITLE THREE, UM, THERE'S PROBABLY SEVEN TO $10 MILLION IN THOSE TWO. UH, AND IDEA AND TITLE ONE DIS, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. AND TITLE ONE IS OUR HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS. THERE'S PROBABLY, I WOULD SAY ALMOST $10 MILLION BETWEEN THOSE TWO GRANTS. I HAVE NO CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, THE CONTINUATION OF TENANT AS USUAL FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR THAT, FOR THOSE TWO GRANTS. THE ONLY INDICATION THAT I'VE HEARD HAVE, UM, OF ANY SORT OF PAUSE OF OUR FUNDING WOULD HAVE THAT WE RECENTLY RECEIVED, UH, A STOP IT GRANT THAT HAS TO DO WITH BULLYING PREVENTION. AND WE WERE, UM, APPROVED FOR THIS GRANT, MULTI-YEAR GRANT. I DON'T RECALL THE EXACT DOLLAR AMOUNT, BUT WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP THE, UM, APPROVERS AUTHORIZED APPROVERS, MYSELF, [00:15:01] MS. MATTSON AND SO ON, AND THOSE THAT WERE CLAIMING THE EXPENSES. AND WE GOT TO A CERTAIN POINT AND WE WERE STOPPED. SO THE GRANT, THAT GRANT HAS NOT YET BEEN AWARDED OR OBLIGATED. SO WE ARE IN PAUSE ON THE GRANT THAT HAS NOT YET DONE. THAT IS THE ONLY INDICATION OF ANY EFFECT ON OUR, UM, THAT I HAVE SEEN AND THAT I'M AWARE OF. I DON'T FORESEE, UH, ANY MAJOR, UM, RESENDING OF ANY MAJOR GRANTS LIKE TITLE, UH, TITLE ONE OR IPA. THEY'RE CRITICAL NEEDS AREAS, UH, THAT, THAT I DON'T BELIEVE WOULD BE PAUSED. SO. OKAY. UM, THAT'S THE INDICATION. AND MY SENSE IS THAT IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH THOSE MAJOR FEDERAL GRANTS, BUT ANY NEW ONES MAY BE LOOKED AT A LITTLE CLOSER. UH, ONE OF THE NARRATIVES THAT'S SORT OF SEEPING OUTTA WASHINGTON IS THAT THEY REALLY ARE GOING HARD AT FTE. MM-HMM . SO THEY'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT IT REQUIRED TO ADMINISTER ALL THESE GRANTS AND THEN AUTOMATE. MM-HMM. BUT THE ACTUAL FUNDING MAY NOT BE AS MUCH UNDER THREAT AS IT FIRST APPEARED. SO THAT WOULD ALIGN WITH WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE SENSING MM-HMM . IF THAT'S TRUE. RIGHT. AND WE DON'T TYPICALLY HAVE, WELL, YEAH. FROM ADMINISTRATIVE STANDPOINT OF THE DISTRICT OFFICE, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF STAFF THAT MET ADMINISTER GRANTS HERE OR ALLOCATIONS. WE HAVE A, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT OFFICE, BUT THERE ARE POSITIONS THAT ARE PAID FOR IN OUR SCHOOLS THAT ARE TITLE ONE OR IDA FUNDED. UM, BUT I DON'T FORESEE ANY MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN THAT AREA. SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE TALKING MY FT AND YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AND IS IS IF THERE WAS SOME CHANGE AT THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LEVEL, THESE FUNDS THROW FLOW FROM THE TREASURY TO THE STATE MM-HMM . UM, SO I, I DON'T, NOT SURE HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE WE WOULD SEE OKAY. IF THAT THERE WAS A CHANGE IN THAT RESPECT. SO WE WOULD HAVE, YOU'VE ALREADY CONSIDERED IT, MS. , AND ADJUST AS AS NEEDED. SO. OKAY. THANK YOU MA'AM. ALRIGHT. MOVING. ANY COMMENTS, MS. HAY? SHE SAID SHE WILL PIPE IN IF SHE HAD ANYTHING. YES. I DON'T HAVE ANY AT THE MOMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. HAY, MS. UH, GORDON? NO, I THINK SO. COLONEL PARR, I MEAN, COLONEL . SEE, HE'S MEETING WITH ANOTHER COLONEL WHO IS OH SIX. SO I'M VERY DIFFERENT COLONEL GUY. THANK YOU. DAVID PARR IS ON AS WELL. OH, MR. CAR, ANY COMMENTS, SIR? QUESTION. I AM GOOD. AND I, I'LL ECHO COMMENTS. THIS, UH, UH, NEW FORMAT TO KEEP TRACK OF STUFF IS REALLY GOOD. THANK YOU. OUTSTANDING. MOVING ALONG MS. CFO CROSBY, NOVEMBER DECEMBER TRANSPARENCY REPORT, THE BOARD, UM, REPORT, IF YOU WANNA DO THAT FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT FOR US. SORRY, . YES, SIR. UM, SO THE MONTHLY BOARD BUDGET REPORT AS OF FEBRUARY 7TH, 2025, IT'S ABOUT A THREE PAGE REPORT THERE. YEAH. UM, SO NO MAJOR ITEMS TO REPORT. WERE AT 42% SPENDING AS OF JAN, UH, FEBRUARY 7TH, SO ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS INTO THE YEAR. SO WE ARE JUST SLIGHTLY OVER HALF, UNDER HALF, UM, OF BUDGET USED. UM, SO MAJOR AREAS, UM, WE HAVE, UH, THE BOARD'S, UH, SALARIES. WE HAVE CONSOLIDATED THE, THE STAFFING, UM, UH, THE TWO STAFFING POSITIONS, UH, ONE OF WHICH IS VACANT RIGHT NOW. UM, BUT, UH, WE HAVE BENEFITS COVERAGES. AND THEN, UH, AUDITING SERVICES WE'RE AT, UH, IS, IS, UH, ON FOURTH FROM THE BOTTOM. ON THE FIRST PAGE, WE'RE AT 74% SPENT. THAT'S BECAUSE THE BULK OF THE AUDIT WORK IS DONE. UH, WE WILL HAVE A ONE MORE BILL AT THE END OF THE YEAR FOR, THEY ALWAYS DO SPRING FIELD WORK FOR ABOUT A WEEK. AND THE, SO WE'RE LIKELY TO GET ANOTHER, UM, I WOULD SAY AT LEAST $6,000 ONGOINGS BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. AND THAT, UM, ITEM, UM, LEGAL SERVICES, ANOTHER AREA, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE WAY UNDERSPENDING UNDERSPENT THERE AT 34%. UM, SO MOST AREAS ARE PRETTY FAR UNDER INCLUDING TRAVEL, UH, IN STATE, OUTTA STATE, LOCAL, OR THE STIPENDS ARE 23%. AND SO, UM, NO, THE ONLY MAJOR, UH, SPENDING WE USUALLY [00:20:01] TYPICALLY HAVE IS ORGANIZATIONAL DUES AND MEMBERSHIPS. I THINK THAT IS ACTUALLY THE, UM, IS THAT COUNTY CHANNEL OR NO, IT'S THE C ASSOCIATION SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION. AND THAT COVERS OUR MICRO SCRIBE POLICIES WHERE OUR POLICIES RESIDE ON THE WEBSITE. UM, THEY MANAGE THE POLICY ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S PUT UP THERE AND UPDATED AS WE REQUEST. SO I THINK EVERYTHING LOOKS IN LINE AND, UM, YOU HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, GOOD. PLEASE. IT'S ITEM. OH, I'M SORRY. THERE SEEMS TO BE A DELAY. IT'S OBJECT NUMBER 5 5 4 0 0 0 ON PAGE THREE. IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS A TRANSFER OF SOME SORT. I'M JUST NOT ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING THOSE. AND IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE IT'S ASSOCIATED WITH A PROJECT NUMBER, UH, FOR EQUIPMENT. SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU KNEW WHAT THAT LINE ITEM WAS FOR. YES, ACTUALLY, UM, I SAW THIS IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT AREAS WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND ASKED ABOUT IT SPECIFICALLY. AND, UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A STORY. UH, SO EVERY YEAR WE HAVE GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS, PRONOUNCEMENTS THAT COME OUT. THERE WAS ONE PARTICULAR PRONOUNCEMENT THAT CAME OUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO REGARDING LEASES AND ANY EQUIPMENT THAT WE PURCHASED. UM, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS, UH, LIKE, I THINK IT WAS SHARP COPIER MACHINES. 'CAUSE WE HAVE A BIG LEASE WITH THE SHARP COPIERS. OUR AUDITORS AT THE TIME, NOT THOSE THAT DID OUR LAST MOST RECENT AUDIT, BUT, UM, IN THE FISCAL YEAR 23 SCHOOL YEAR, OR 2223 SCHOOL YEAR, THEY REQUIRED US TO RECORD AN EXPENSE AND A LIABILITY FOR A LEASE THAT WE NEVER, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A DUPLICATE PAYMENT. WE HAD ALREADY EXPENSED THE ITEMS, BUT WE HAD, THEY, THEY, THE AUDITORS CAME IN WITH A LAST MINUTE, RIGHT BEFORE THE AUDIT WAS COMPLETE AUDIT ADJUSTMENT, REQUIRING US TO ADD A $300,000 EXPENSE AND A LIABILITY ON OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. SO AS A RESULT OF THAT YEAR, HAVING THAT LAST MINUTE ADJUSTING ENTRY, WE BUDGETED AN FY 20, MAYBE THAT WAS 24 AND 25 FOR THE, FOR A POSSIBILITY OF A LAST MINUTE JOURNAL ENTRY THAT WOULD EXPENSE LEASES. WELL, WHEN WE SWITCHED AUDITORS FROM THE MACON AUDIT FIRM TO THE COLUMBIA AUDIT FIRM, THE NEW FIRM, THE MEMBERS SAID, YOU DON'T HAVE TO RECORD THAT JOURNAL ENTRY. SO THEY HAD A DIFFERENT OPINION AND WE DID NOT HAVE TO RECORD, UH, UH, WHICH DIDN'T AN ENTRY THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME ANYWAY. SO WE WERE LEFT WITH A BUDGET WITH NO SPENDING AND LEASE LIABILITY. SO THE REASON FOR THIS IS WE BUDGETED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING THAT LEASE EXPENSE DID NOT HAVE IT. AND WE REMOVED ALL OF THOSE BUDGETS FROM OTHER, EVERY AREA AND CONSOLIDATE IN THE BACK IN ONE ACCOUNT. AND SO I'M, SO WE WERE DILIGENT TO PUT IT IN THE BUDGET AND APPLY IT TO EVERY AREA THAT HAD THESE, UH, COPIER LEASES LIKE THE BOARD OR FINANCE AND HR AND EVERY OTHER CATEGORY. BUT WE ENDED UP NOT NEEDING IT. THANK YOU. LONG STORY. BUT, UH, WE ARE HAPPY NOT TO HAVE LEASE PAYMENT, UH, UH, RE ENTRY AT THE END OF THE YEAR NOW. SO, WELL, IT'S COMFORTING THAT YOU'VE ALREADY RESEARCHED IT AND CAN EXPLAIN IT TO US. AND THANKS MS. HAY FOR RAISING THAT. MS. GORDON. ANY FROM YOU, MA'AM? NO, THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT'S RIGHT, . NO, I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH MS. CROSBY AND HER TEAM EVEN FROM YES. TO YEARS . UM, BUT FOR ME, I, I, I HAVE VISION PROBLEMS, SO I, IT'S TAKEN ME A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO LOOK AT YOUR NUMBERS AND LINES MM-HMM . AND, UM, BUT I DO APPRECIATE YOUR TELLING US ABOUT THIS AND WINDOWS UP TO SPEAK , THIS WILL COME UP AGAIN BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN ASKING FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS TO DISCUSS THE COURT, THE STIPEND. SO, UM, I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE SHOULD PROBABLY DISCUSS FIRST BEFORE IT, IT COMES, UH, TO THE BOARD FOR ACTION. [00:25:01] THE WAY OUR STIPENDS ARE SET UP AND THE WAY THE COUNTY COUNCIL STIPENDS ARE SET UP ARE CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT. AND I BELIEVE THAT IS WHAT'S BROUGHT OF MR. MR. WILL SMITH'S, UH, TO BRING THIS UP, IS THE COUNTY COUNCIL STIPENDS INCLUDE YOUR TRAVEL AND ALL EVERYTHING ELSE. YOU HAVE A SET AMOUNT, ONE AMOUNT, AND I BELIEVE IT'S $25,000, IS THAT NOT CORRECT? ABOUT 25,000 HERE FOR EVERYTHING. AND SO THAT EVERY BOARD MEMBER HAS $25,000, AND THERE ARE WAYS THAT THE BOARD MEMBER CAN DECIDE THAT THE BOARD MEMBER SPENDS IT. I, AND I'M NOT SURE THE DETAILS, BUT I'M CERTAIN THAT THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO COME OUT OF FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS. IT COULD IMPACT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET DISCUSSIONS AS WE GO FORWARD. SO I, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, BRING THAT UP. I, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY WORTH, UH, DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH, UH, EITHER ROBIN OR TANYA TO, TO CHECK WITH THE COUNTY, SEE THAT THE SPECIFIC DETAILS, UH, ON THEIR STIPEND SO THAT THE BOARD IS AWARE OF THAT TO POINT. VERY GOOD POINT. IS THAT SOMETHING THE TWO OF YOU? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. SO WE CAN HIT HIM, HAVE AN ANSWER. WE DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ALREADY WITH OUR PAYROLL DEPARTMENT, AND THEY LOOKED BACK TO 2005 AND DID NOT SEE AN INCREASE SINCE 2005. NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS ONE MADE THAT YEAR OR NOT, BUT 20 YEARS, 20 YEARS INCREASE. I, I WILL TELL YOU THOUGH, POLITICALLY THAT, UH, ELECTED BOARDS THAT, UH, GO OUT FOR A INCREASE SOON AFTER AN ELECTION ARE NOT LOOKED UPON WISELY. THAT GENERALLY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO, UH, ELECTED BOARD, GOING TO HAVE SUGGEST A INCREASE, YOU DO IT ABOUT SIX MONTHS BEFORE RATHER THAN SIX MONTHS AFTER THE ELECTION. SO THAT, UH, IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE TAXPAYERS CAN BRING UP AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WILL HAVE AT LEAST HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON IT BEFORE THE ELECTION. THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY CAUTION I WOULD OFFER TO YOU. THAT'S A GOOD ONE. THAT'S A GOOD ONE. LET ME, MS. HAYES, HANDS UP. YES, MS. HAY. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, MY OTHER CONCERN ON THE STIPEND TOPIC, WHICH I KNOW THIS ISN'T ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, BUT IT WOULD ALSO BE A CONCERN ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD BE PERCEIVED BY THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL WHEN WE'RE PUSHING FOR FISCAL AUTONOMY. UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT THIS IS THE WISEST MOVE, IF YOU WILL. I ALSO DID MY OWN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ON WHICH I MEANT TO SEND TO THE FULL BOARD AND CAN DO, UM, ON ALL BOARDS IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND WHAT THEIR STIPENDS, IF ANY, BECAUSE SOME ARE NOT GIVEN A STIPEND AT ALL, UM, WHAT THEY ALL RECEIVE. BUT JUST IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, BEING ON FINANCE AND WHATNOT, AND JUST A BOARD MEMBER IN GENERAL AND HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC IS, I'M NOT SURE IN TERMS OF OPTICS THAT THAT WOULD BE THE BEST. YOU KNOW, DO WE WANT FISCAL AUTONOMY MORE THAN WE WANT STIPEND INCREASES, FOR EXAMPLE, OR WOULD WE PREFER FISCAL AUTONOMY OVER, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, VICE VERSA. UM, SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AS WELL. UM, MS. GORDON, DID YOU HEAR? WELL, THAT'S A GREAT POINT ABOUT THE, UH, PHYSICAL AUTONOMY, BUT I KNOW IT'S BEEN AT LEAST 30 YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT PHYSICAL AUTONOMY AND WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN EVEN, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY. I KNOW THERE'S SOME OPPOSITION AGAINST IT. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE STIPEND COSTS HAVE GONE UP, AS HAS GONE UP. BUT, UM, AND GOING TO THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, THERE ARE NOW 30, I THINK 36 6 SCHOOLS AND ACTIVITIES THAT YOU DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UM, I DON'T THINK ONE HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE OTHER, UH, PERSONALLY. UM, I, I THINK IF WE, AS A BOARD SIT DOWN WITH FINANCE OR WHOEVER SIT DOWN WITH AND LOOK AT, UH, A NOT, [00:30:02] AND THEN WHEN WE TALKED TO COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE, UH, SHOULD DO FISCAL AUTONOMY, I THINK MS. CROSSY HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, UH, GIVING US CREDENCE IN, IN SPENDING THE MONEY THAT THE PEOPLE HAVEN'T TRUSTED. SO I, I THINK, I THINK THEY'RE SEPARATE AND I THINK THEY SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AS SUCH. UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UH, WHAT WE'RE SPENDING, HOW WE'RE SPENDING IT, DO WE SPEND ALL OF THE MONEY THAT WE GET EVERY YEAR IN OUR BUDGET? I, I DON'T THINK SO. UH, WHAT WE'RE SPENDING IT ON, UM, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF, UM, AND DO DUE DILIGENCE, UH, WITH THE MONIES THAT WE, THAT WE GET. BUT I, I, I DO THINK THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FISCAL AUTONOMY, I THINK WE START WITH THIS LADY RIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM BECAUSE, UH, SHE WAS, YOU KNOW, A KID WHEN I FIRST MET HER , YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN SHE CAME ON BOARD AND SHE HAS CONTINUED, UH, TO, TO DO WHAT SHE DOES WITH THIS DEPARTMENT AND MAKE US LOOK SO GOOD. UH, EVERY YEAR. EVERY YEAR. SO, JUST A FLIP OF THOUGHT, IF WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR STIPEND, UH, LET'S LOOK AT THAT SEPARATE AND FISCAL ECONOMY. 'CAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE HARD PRESS RIGHT NOW FOR, FOR US TO GET, FOR SOME REASON. SOME PEOPLE DON'T THINK THAT WE DESERVE IT, BUT WE MAY MAYBE NEED TO PROVE TO THEM, NOR THAT WE DO, UM, MR. CARR, DR. CARR, DID YOU I'M HERE, YES. DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE CONVERSATION THAT'S ON THE WAY NOW? WELL, YEAH, I, I HAVE ACTUALLY A FEW CONCERNS ABOUT WE NEED TO MAYBE LOOK AT ALL OF THE STIPENDS AND, UH, MAKE SOME DETERMINATIONS IF EVERY ONE OF THEM NEEDS TO BE RAISED, OR ARE THERE CERTAIN AREAS THAT ARE MAYBE NOT FUNDED TO THE LEVEL THEY SHOULD BE, UH, ET CETERA, WITH THE IDEA OF SOME LEVEL OF FISCAL MANAGEMENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, ONE THING I WOULD, I WOULD SUGGEST AT THE TIME, WHENEVER IT'S APPROPRIATE TIME, AND I THINK THE POINT ABOUT, UH, IMPACT ON FISCAL AUTHORITY OR FISCAL ECONOMY IS VERY IMPORTANT, UH, IS THAT, LIKE YOU DID IN CONJUNCTION WITH MR. OTTING FOR THE IN OR OUT ON THE CUSTODIAL STUDY? VERY RIGOROUS FINANCIAL, YOU SOLICITED INPUT FROM ALL OVER THE STATE. I, I THINK OF ONE OR TWO OUTSIDE THE STATE. YOU ENLISTED EXTERNAL EXPERTS WHO WERE NOT CONNECTED WITH US SO THEY COULD PROVIDE A LITTLE BETTER SHINE OF OBJECTIVITY SO THAT POLITICALLY PEOPLE KNOW WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST, BE HONEST AND DO ETHICAL, UH, ANALYSIS. THE SECOND THING IS, UH, I'VE ALSO SEEN WHERE EVEN WHEN A BOARD WERE TO VOTE FOR AN INCREASE, THEY BASICALLY MOVE IT PAST THE TENURE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD. SO NO ONE CAN SAY THEY'RE SELF-SERVING. SO ALL OF US WOULD HAVE TO ROTATE OFF BEYOND A CERTAIN ELECTION POINT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HEY, YOU KNOW, IF THE PUBLIC DOESN'T WANT US BACK, IT DOESN'T BENEFIT US. SO, BUT, UM, TAKE YOUR TIME ON, ON REVIEWING THIS ONE. IT MAY BE A LONGER STUDY. OH, OH, THE, UH, FOURTH BOARD. YEAH. MM-HMM . OKAY. ALRIGHT. NEXT, UH, NEXT ITEM IS NOVEMBER DECEMBER. TRANSPARENCY. YES. YOUR, UM, SO THE FIRST REPORT, NOVEMBER, IT'S 76 PAGES. UM, I HAVE, UH, BRIEFLY LOOKED THROUGH THAT, UH, ALTHOUGH I SEE MANY OF THE TRANSACTIONS AS I'VE PROVEN DAILY, SO, UH, SO MY STAFF DO AS WELL. SO I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL HAVE IN THIS AREA ON THE NOVEMBER REPORT. MS. HAY? YES, I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION. IT'S ON PAGE 11. THERE IS A CHUNK OF RED NUMBERS IN RED, WHICH I BELIEVE ARE CREDITS. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, BECAUSE TYPICALLY WHEN CREDITS ARE DONE, IT SPECIFIES CREDIT, UM, AND IT BEGINS WITH, I BELIEVE, ITEM NUMBER 4 95. [00:35:04] YES. SO THAT IS BEAUFORT, UH, JASPER ACADEMY FOR CAREER EXCELLENCE. OUR VOCATIONAL SCHOOL, WE SHARE WITH JASPER. AND EVERY SINGLE MONTH, UM, WE BOTH JASPER AND BEAUFORT ALLOCATE FUNDS TO A, A SCHOOL. HOWEVER, SINCE BUFORT HANDLES MANY OF THE FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT FUNCTIONS OF THE SCHOOL, UM, WE DEDUCT THOSE EXPENSES FROM OUR PAYMENT WHEN PAYING ACE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, $9,000, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN OUR A BM MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT SERVING AND PURCHASING PARTS AND SUPPLIES FOR ACE ON BEHALF OF THEM. BUFORT PAYS THE BILL, AND B THEN CHARGE ACE AS AN, AS. WE DEDUCT THAT FROM THEIR MONTHLY PAYMENT. SO WE HAVE A SERIES OF MONTHLY PAYMENTS. WE MANAGE THEIR, UH, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. WE MANAGE THEIR TECHNOLOGY, WE MANAGE THEIR FINANCE. UM, AND SO YOU'LL SEE DEDUCTIONS IN ALL OF THOSE AREAS. AND THAT IS FOR A REIMBURSEMENT TO BACK TO BEAUFORT FOR THE COST OF THOSE SERVICES. UM, PERFECT. THANK YOU. YOU ARE WELCOME, MS. GORDON. I WILL BE HONEST, UM, FOR YEARS, UH, LOOKING AT THE LINE ITEMS MEANS NOTHING TO ME. UM, I MEAN, I CAN SEE THE EXPENDITURES AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, BUT I RELY ON YOUR INTERPRETATION THAT TO, YOU KNOW, TO ME AND, AND WHAT YOU'RE PUTTING HERE, UM, I I, I'M NOT A MATHEMATICIAN OR AN ACCOUNTANT, BUT, UM, HAVE TO GO ON FAITH THAT THE NUMBERS AND, UH, ARE CORRECT AND PRESENT IT TO US SO THAT WHEN WE TALK TO THE COMMUNITY, WE CAN SAY, THIS IS OUR BUDGET. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF CHAIRS AND WHATEVER. UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF TRUST IN THE SYSTEM AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IN YOU, UH, AND THE LINE ITEMS, AGAIN, LIKE I SAY, I CAN'T REALLY SEE THEM BECAUSE OF MY VISION, BUT I DO KNOW THAT I CAN'T GO THROUGH THESE LONG ITEM PERSONALLY AND AND VERIFY. SO WHAT YOU'RE PRESENTING TO US TODAY, YOU'RE SAYING IS GOOD TO GO. YES, MA'AM. EVERY ONE OF THESE TRANSACTIONS HAVE A, A DOCUMENT, FIND IT, WE CAN PRODUCE, UH, IF THERE WERE EVER ANY QUESTIONS, AND IT IS GONE THROUGH PROBABLY AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE OR MORE BEFORE IT IS, IT IS PAID IF IT'S CONSTRUCTION, ESPECIALLY REFERENDUM, IT'S GOT PROBABLY ALMOST 10, UH, APPROVERS BEHIND IT. SO YOU'VE GOT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT THESE DOCUMENTS BEFORE THEY GO AND, AND THINKING ABOUT HOW THEY RELATE TO POLICIES OF THE DISTRICT AND THE LAWS, UH, LOCAL, STATE, FEDERAL LAW. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. AND I, I'M QUITE SURE OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE, ARE HAPPY TO KNOW THAT AS WELL. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR EXPLAINING. I SERVED ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE FOR SIX YEARS. FOR SIX YEARS. I WENT LINE BY LINE ON THIS REPORT. UM, IT IS THE BEST WAY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE DISTRICT, UH, TO SEE HOW THE MONEY IS SPENT, WHERE IT'S SPENT. UH, BUT I'M NO LONGER ON THIS COMMITTEE, SO I DID NOT, YOU STILL VALUABLE INPUT . SO I, I DID NOT DO IT THIS TIME. UH, BUT I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN THE CROSSCHECK AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, BECAUSE EVERY QUESTION I HAD IN SIX YEARS WAS ALWAYS RESOLVED, UH, IN A MANNER THAT JUST SAID, OKAY, SOME, SOME OF 'EM, I SAID, WELL, I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT THAT WAY, BUT ALL OF THEM WERE RESOLVED IN A APPROPRIATE MANNER. AND I, I FOUND NO EXPENSES THAT THE PUBLIC WOULD SAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? UM, I ENCOURAGE THIS COMMITTEE CONTINUE THAT. UM, BUT I'M NOT DOING IT. WE'LL BE DONE. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. I PROBABLY WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE SORT OF SHARED THE CONVERSATION ABOUT VARIANCE HIGHLIGHTING VARIANCES SO THAT WE, [00:40:01] THE LEADERSHIP TEAM DIVISION IS AUTOMATICALLY DRAWN TO THOSE THINGS THAT EXCEED A CERTAIN PARAMETER. UM, SO, UM, WE DO PRODUCE THE TRANSPARENCY REPORT AND PLACED IT ON THE WEBSITE EVERY SINGLE MONTH. AND NOT THIS, THERE IS A LEVEL OF DETAIL REQUIRED BY THE STATE. WE, WE AT FAR EXCEED THAT WITH THIS REPORT. UM, HOWEVER THE REPORTING HAS GROWN OVER THE YEARS. UM, AND TO INCLUDE TWO OTHER REPORTS AS WELL, THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS REPORT. AND THEN WE CONSOLIDATED THAT AND IT SAID ANYTHING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND, WE WOULD CONSOLIDATE INTO MAJOR CATEGORIES AND NOT SEE 10 PAGES OF DETAIL. NOW WE'LL SEE ONE PAGE. UM, AND THEN THAT REPORT WAS ADDED. UH, THE DETAIL REPORT REMAINED AS WELL. SO NOW WE HAVE THREE TRANSPARENCY REPORTS, AND THAT IT, IT'S A, IT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR STAFF. IT, THAT'S NOT THE POINT. I'M, THAT'S NOT THE FULL REASON, BUT YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE AS WELL. REVIEWING THESE DOCUMENTS, I THINK THERE'S A BETTER WAY WE COULD DO THIS AND TO MAYBE CONSOLIDATE SOME, SOME OF THESE INTO ONE REPORT, UM, TO LOOK AT IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. UM, MR. DALLAS CAN, UH, CAN SUGGESTED LOOKING AT IT IN A VARIANCE, A METHOD OF VARIANCE, WHAT WENT UP CONSIDERABLY MORE THIS MONTH THAN, THAN THE LAST. UM, INSTEAD OF BRINGING YOU A HUNDRED PAGES OF REPORTING THAT YOU CAN'T READ BECAUSE THE LETTERS WERE TOO SMALL, PERHAPS WE CAN DO IT MORE THOUGHTFULLY AND STRATEGICALLY TO LOOK FOR THE THINGS THAT ARE MAJOR CHANGES FROM ONE MONTH TO THE NEXT, FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT. SO WE, WE ARE GONNA GET TOGETHER WITH OUR TEAM WHEN EVERYBODY'S BACK AND HEALTHY AND COME UP WITH A PROPOSAL, AND PERHAPS WE CAN BRING THAT TO THE NEXT MEETING AND LET YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT IN ADDITION TO THE NEXT STANDARD REPORTS THAT WE BRING. AND THEN IT WILL BE A, TO THE BOARD, IF YOU WISH, TO STREAMLINE THAT TO IT NOW. AND I HAVE TO CONSIDER, THERE IS A, A BOARD POLICY THAT DOES REQUIRE THAT I BRING ANYTHING A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR MORE MM-HMM . BOARD. SO UNLESS THAT'S CHANGED, I STILL NEED TO ABIDE BY THAT. SO I HAVE TO TAKE ALL THOSE THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION AS WELL. BUT, UH, I THINK WE COULD DO THIS A LOT BETTER THAN WE ARE. AND, AND THE, THE INFORMATION HAS GOTTEN SO VOLUMINOUS THAT IT'S SO DIFFICULT TO READ, UM, BUT IT'S ALSO, UH, STILL GONNA BE AVAILABLE. UM, THE DETAILS ARE GONNA BE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE, UH, FOR ALL THE PUBLIC TO SEE. BUT, UM, PERHAPS THAT COULD BE A SUGGESTION THAT WE HELP TO STREAMLINE THINGS A BIT FOR, FOR BOTH, FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED, INCLUDING THE, THE, UM, THE PUBLIC AS WELL. WHAT WHAT MAY BE WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION IS TO FULLY PLAN YOUR CONSOLIDATION MM-HMM . BUT BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY BRING IT IN TWO STEPS, BRING THE CURRENT REPORTS WITH SHOWING A VARIANCE BEYOND A REASONABLE DECISION OF THIS GROUP. WHAT IS, WHEN IS IT LIKE, UH, OVER AND SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED, HIGHLIGHTED A COLOR SO WE CAN SCAN THROUGH THIS, AND ACTUALLY YOUR CREDITS ARE IN RED IN THESE REPORTS. MM-HMM . BUT THEY'RE HARD TO SEE. RIGHT? AND SO, BUT IF YOU CAN HIGHLIGHT THAT PARTICULAR ONE IN SOME COLOR, SO IT'S LIKE, WOO, OKAY, ON THIS PAGE, AND YOU'VE ALREADY DONE IT IN THE CREDIT. SO I'M SAYING THANK YOU FOR THAT, FOR BEING FORWARD THINKING. UH, AND THEN EVERYBODY CAN SEE THE SAME REPORTS. NOW WITH THE IS HIGHLIGHTED, THEN WE CAN ADJUDICATE. DO WE WANNA CONSOLIDATE? BECAUSE TO THE COLONEL'S POINT, I REMEMBER I LEARNED A LOT WHEN I WAS SITTING IN THE FINANCE MEETINGS, OR EVEN WHEN HE WAS COMING INTO THE, UH, OPERATIONS MEETINGS, HOW HE WAS PINPOINTING THINGS. AND SO WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THAT, BUT THAT'S VERY REASSURING TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE. BUT, UH, WE, OUR EYES SHOULD BE DRIVEN TO THOSE THAT ARE MOST CRITICALLY IMPORTANT IN MEDIA. AND THAT'LL CONSOLIDATE THAT. IS THAT OKAY? YES. EVERYBODY OKAY WITH THAT? OKAY. MS. HAYES, HANDS UP. YES, MS. HAY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, I HAD, AS I WAS READING THROUGH THESE REPORTS, GOING LINE BY LINE, COLONEL GEIER WOULD BE PROUD. UM, I FOUND MYSELF WONDERING, , I FOUND MYSELF WONDERING BECAUSE I HAD THE SAME THOUGHTS AS CHAIR CHAIRMAN DALLAS. UM, AND MY, I DON'T KNOW, MY HUNCH IS THERE MUST BE A FINANCIAL AI PROGRAM OUT THERE WHERE YOU COULD UPLOAD THESE SPREADSHEETS THAT YOU, YOU CREATE THAT ARE SO PACKED FULL OF INFORMATION. AND I'M CURIOUS IF THERE IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THERE MUST BE THAT YOU COULD PUT PARAMETERS AROUND TO SEE THE INFLUX OR DECREASES AS MR. DALLAS WAS DISCUSSING, UM, TO KIND OF DO THE HEAVY LIFTING FOR YOU INSTEAD OF ANYONE ON THE FINANCE TEAM. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE CAN DOUBLE CHECK IT. THAT'S THE BEST THING TO DO WITH AI IF YOU'RE EVER USING IT, IS YOU ALWAYS WANNA DOUBLE CHECK YOUR WORK. BUT IF YOU COULD ALLOW IT TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING [00:45:02] FOR YOUR TEAM, UM, INSTEAD OF YOU ALL HAVING TO COMB THROUGH PAGE AFTER PAGE AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK BACK AT 2024, THE SAME TIME OF THE YEAR, 2023, SO ON AND SO FORTH, THERE JUST MUST BE A, SOME FORM OF FINANCIAL AI PROGRAM OUT THERE THAT COULD DO THIS FOR YOU SLASH US. UM, SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING TO LOOK INTO. OKAY? YES, SIR. UH, WE HAVE BEEN BEGINNING, IN THE BEGINNING STAGES IN OUR DEPARTMENT OF OF LEARNING AND, UH, AND, UM, PLAYING WITH OR, OR UTILIZING IMPLEMENTING AI AND INTEGRATING IT AS PART OF OUR WORK. UM, WRITING DOCUMENTS, COPYING THEM IN AI, LETTING IT MAKE IT EVEN BETTER. UM, TRY NOT TO LET IT WRITE IT FOR ME UNLESS I'M REALLY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE TOPIC AND IN A REALLY GOOD RUSH. BUT, UM, WE'VE BEEN BUILDING PRESENTATIONS, BUILDING GRAPHICS THROUGH CANVA. IT HAS AN AI COMPONENT AS WELL. UM, GOT A FEW PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY SAVVY WITH IT. AND SO I THINK THAT'S A VERY INTERESTING IDEA THAT WE COULD PLAY WITH AND, AND KIND OF FUN ACTUALLY, . SO, UM, WE'RE ALL KIND OF, THERE ARE SEVERAL OF US ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT AREA, SO WE'LL PLAY WITH IT. SEE WHAT WE CAN COME UP WITH. I THINK YOU, MR. ECHO, ECHO THAT, UM, I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. HEY, THAT IS FANTASTIC BECAUSE YOU COULD DEVELOP A SET OF ALGORITHMS FOR THE AI TO LOOK AT, AND YOU COULD BRING THE ALGORITHMS AND THE SCOPES TO THE BOARD AND SAY, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THE BOARD NEEDS TO KNOW, THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW. AND LET THE AI RUN THE ALGORITHMS AND GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU WANT. THAT THAT'S A FANTASTIC IDEA. YEAH. WE'LL, WE'LL GET, WE'LL START PLAYING WITH IT , AND, AND TO JUST PIGGYBACK ON WHAT'S BEEN SAID, THE STARGATE 5 BILLION THAT'S BEING CREATED, WE PUT THAT ON THE QUEUE FOR A WORK SESSION MM-HMM . SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT ALL THESE VARIOUS THINGS LIKE THE, THE, UH, COLONEL WAS TALKING ABOUT MS. HAY, BECAUSE YOUR TIME IS, IS SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND YOU HAVE SO MUCH COMPLEXITY. AND OUR THINKING IS MORE WE CAN RELIEVE YOU OF THAT. WE'RE OUR MOTTO IN OUR DEPARTMENT OF THIS WHEN WE DID SOME GOAL SETTING LAST YEAR, UM, IS WE'RE SMARTER, NOT HARDER, WORKS FOR US. AND WE'VE BEEN UTILIZING AI. UM, I DID A POWERPOINT THE OTHER DAY, AND I REALIZED AT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, I HAD TO GET IT DONE FOR THE FIRST THING THE NEXT MORNING. AND WITH THE HEALTH OF ANOTHER STAFF MEMBER, WE DID IT IN ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF, AND IT WAS 10 SLIDES OF GRAPHICS AND, UH, INFORMATION. IT WAS, AND IT WAS AWESOME. I MEAN, IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY GOOD. UM, BUT WERE USING IT IN A LOT OF WAYS, AND THIS IS A, HADN'T THOUGHT OF IT IN THIS AREA, BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE COULD PLAY WITH AND SEE WHAT WE CAN GET IT TO DO FOR US. AND I'M EVEN THINKING, CAN IT CREATE SOME DASHBOARDS FOR US TOO? THERE YOU GO. FORMS. FORMS. WOW. YEAH. SOUNDS GOOD. WE'VE DONE JOB DESCRIPTIONS. UH, I'VE DONE SOME, UM, STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES IN DIFFERENT AREAS. SOME POLICY WRITING, YOU KNOW, GIVE US SOME DATA, UH, SOME NARRATIVE HELP, AND IT'S CLEANING UP LETTERS AND MEMOS AND EMAILS AND CLEANING UP THE WORDING AND MAKING IT CLEAR AND SMOOTHER. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT. WELL, I, JUST TO SHARE THIS KIND OF HUMOROUSLY, UH, I AM THE OLDEST DINOSAUR AROUND CURRENT TECHNOLOGY, BUT I DID A, A SEVEN PAGE POSITION PAPER USING AI AND THAT YOU DON'T, YOU, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS, , THAT'S LIKE A HUMAN GROWING WINGS AND SIGNS. I KNOW. BUT I HOPE YOU FEEL THE SUPPORT THAT YOU'RE GETTING HERE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS NOVEMBER, RIGHT? YES, SIR. DECEMBER. DECEMBER. IT'S, UH, IN, UH, A SMALL NUMBER THIS YEAR OF, UH, UH, THIS, UH, MONTH OF ONLY 39 PAGES VERSUS IS INFORMAL 26. UM, THIS WAS A MONTH OF LESS SPENDING. UH, DECEMBER IS USUALLY RELATIVELY SLOW FROM SPENDING STANDPOINT AND THEN FEWER DAYS IN SCHOOL AS WELL. SO, UM, I'M SURE WE'RE GONNA SEE THAT PICK, PICK BACK UP IN JANUARY. UH, I HAVE NO OTHER SPECIFIC COMMENTS. I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, MS. HAY. ANY QUESTIONS, MA'AM? I DO NOT HAVE EVERY, ANY, EVERYTHING LOOKED IN ORDER. THANK YOU, MS. GORDON. NO, AND I, I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS ON THE AI AND, 'CAUSE I REMEMBER, AND I KNOW MS. BERRY DOES TOO, WHEN THE [00:50:01] FINANCIAL DOCUMENT PRESENTATION THAT YOU'RE DOING NOW, THEY WOULD BRING IN A BINDER, REMEMBER LEDGER UP THIS THICK MM-HMM . AND BOARD MEMBERS WOULD TRY TO LOOK SMART. THEY'RE ALL LOOKING AT LIKE, OH MY GOD. YOU KNOW? AND, UH, SO JUST SEEING THE STREAMLINE PAGES HAS MADE ME HAPPY, BUT KNOWING THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT OTHER MEANS THAT WE CAN ADEQUATELY, UH, THEY WILL DO TALKING POINTS ON, ON, ON THIS BUDGET. I, I APPRECIATE , UH, DR. CARR. I HAVE NO COMMENTS RELATIVE TO THE DECEMBER, UH, NUMBERS. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT ITEM IS THE NOVEMBER A HUNDRED THOUSAND REPORT OF PURCHASES UNDER OUR CONTRACTS OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. UM, THIS ONE IS SEVERAL PAGES, AND THEN THERE IS A CONSOLIDATED REPORT AT THE END OF THAT. UM, WELL, MONTH, NOVEMBER, TYPICALLY CONSTRUCTION AREAS ARE THE ONE, THOSE THAT HAVE THE MOST BIGGEST FLUCTUATION. I THINK I WOULD POINT OUT MCON CONSTRUCTION WAS 4.2 MILLION. LA UH, THIS YEAR WAS 866 LAST YEAR. UM, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT'S MOST, ALMOST ENTIRELY DIRECTED AT HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL. MM-HMM . SO, UM, THAT WOULD BE THE, SO WE THINK ABOUT THE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT ARE WELL UNDERWAY WHEN STEEL HITS THE GROUND AND THE BUILDING IS BEING ERECTED, THAT IS THE TIME WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE BIGGEST AMOUNT OF EXPENSES IN A, IN A CONSTRUCTION SITE. SO, UM, THAT WOULD BE THE ONE I WOULD POINT OUT THERE THE MOST. UH, OTHER THAN THAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. UH, WHAT ABOUT THE ONE ON PC SOLUTIONS AND INTEGRATION FROM NOVEMBER TO DECEMBER, PC SOLUTIONS, NOVEMBER ANNUAL, UM, TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE FOR SWITCHES AND, AND THE CLOUD? UM, SO THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR WE HAD 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 SCHOOLS. UM, THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. UM, SO IT WAS AN UP, SO IT WAS A DECREASE FROM ONE YEAR, FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR. UM, HANG ON, IT SUPPORT. SO I ASSUME THAT OUR, OUR WORK ON THE IT SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE FOR SWITCHES, UH, HAD FEWER SCHOOLS INVOLVED THIS YEAR AS WE COMPLETED THAT PROJECT. BUT I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH ANY DETAILS FROM MR. SHOHAN. OKAY. THANK YOU MA'AM. ON THAT, IF I MAY FOLLOW ONE MORE ON THE DECEMBER, THE SOUTH CAROLINA RETIREMENT SYSTEM, UH, 6.9 IN 2024 AND 4.3 IN 2023. AND I DON'T KNOW IF OUR BENEFITS COST WENT UP OR I'M NOT SURE IF I'M LOOKING AT THE SAME MONTH. THIS WAS NOVEMBER. OKAY. THAT WAS DECEMBER. YEAH. UM, I'M, UH, THIS ONE IS ON DECEMBER, THE OTHER ONE. OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT. THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT. SEE IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER AND 24 VERSUS A TWO PAYROLL PERIOD. THANK YOU, MS. THANK YOU . OKAY. ANY COLONEL, YOU NORMALLY, YOU NORMALLY I BOUGHT SOMETHING NOW , UM, DR. CARR? I'M GOOD. THANKS MS. GORDON. I'M GOOD. OKAY. ANYTHING, I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION ON THE DECEMBER, UH, 2024 CONSOLIDATED REPORT. AND I FEEL AS THOUGH THIS HAS BEEN ASKED BEFORE, BUT I COULD NOT RECALL THE ANSWER AS I WAS READING THROUGH, UM, THE INFORMATION, THE CHESTNUT HILL MENTAL HEALTH CENTER CHARGES, UM, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SHOW THAT THERE WERE ANY IN DECEMBER, 2023. UM, I ALSO COULDN'T RECALL WHO THOSE ARE FOR, IF IT'S STUDENTS OR EMPLOYEES. ARE THESE INDIVIDUAL PRIVATELY PLACED STUDENTS? SO ONE CHILD? MM-HMM. OKAY. SO THESE ARE PRIVATE PLACEMENTS OF INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, UH, BEING PLACED IN A FACILITY AND WE ARE PAYING THE FACILITY FOR THEIR ROOM BOARD INSTRUCTION, TREATMENT AND SO ON. UM, SO THAT TELLS ME THAT WE HAD A STUDENT THIS YEAR IN THAT FACILITY, BUT NOT LAST [00:55:01] YEAR. OKAY. UH, ROOM AND BOARD CHARGES, UM, ARE, ARE LISTED THERE. AND THIS IS FOR A FOUR MONTH, FIVE MONTH PERIOD. AUGUST THROUGH NOVEMBER. SO THERE'LL BE ANOTHER IF THE CHILD IS STILL THERE, UM, THE LAST HALF THE YEAR WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF PAYMENTS FOR THE NEW YEAR. THOSE WILL BE PLACED BY THE STUDENT SERVICES DIVISION. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, SECOND QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT. THIS. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM IS THE SECOND QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31ST, 2024. SO, UH, IT'S A BRIEF SUMMARY IN THE ONE PAGE SUMMARY NARRATIVE. UM, LOCAL PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS IS USUALLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE LOOK AT, UH, THIS TIME OF YEAR. UM, I BE, I GAVE A BOARD UPDATE LAST MONTH, UH, THAT WE ARE AT 38.3%. UM, EXCUSE ME, LAST YEAR WAS 38.3%. THE CURRENT YEAR IS AT 57.9%. SO LAST YEAR THERE WAS A DELAY IN TAX BILLS. WE DIDN'T GET THEM OUT TILL, THEY WEREN'T OUT, UM, FROM THE COUNTY AUDITOR'S OFFICE UNTIL, AND THEY WERE DUE IN DECEMBER. SO WE DIDN'T GET THE COLLECTIONS IN THE PRIOR YEAR THAT WE GOT IN THIS IN THE CURRENT YEAR. SO THEY'RE MORE ON TRACK THIS YEAR TO A NORMAL STATUS. UM, BUT THE REAL, THE REAL NUMBERS THAT WE MUST SEE ARE JANUARY AND JANUARY HAS NOT ARRIVED YET. UH, WE, THE COUNTY DOES HAVE TO DO ALL OF THE TIF CALCULATIONS THAT, UM, ARE, UH, TIF AGREEMENTS THAT ARE IN PLACE TO REMOVE TAXES FROM THE ACCOUNTS AND THEN RECONCILE AND SEND OVER TO US. WE SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE THEM WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. I'M HOPING IT'S NEXT WEEK. UM, WE MAY EVEN GIVE 'EM A CALL TO ASK FOR IT A LITTLE EARLIER IF THEY GET IT. UM, BUT, UH, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT AND THAT IS THAT INFORMATION THAT JANUARY INFORMATION IS TRUTHFUL, BOTH THE CURRENT YEAR AND FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. SO WE'RE, UM, ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THAT AND EVERYBODY'S READY TO GO WHEN SOON AS IT HITS OUR EMAILS. UM, TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE NOT REQUIRED THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE HAVE, WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD THE FUND BALANCE THIS PAST YEAR. AGAIN, I'M HOPING NOT EVEN TO TALK ABOUT THE 10 NEXT YEAR , BECAUSE WE, IT'S GONNA BE LONG GONE, THREE YEARS OLD, UH, BY NEXT YEAR. AND WE PLAN TO CONTINUE TO KEEP THE FUND BALANCE PERCENTAGE AT THE LEVEL IT IS NOW SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO KEEP A HEALTHY CREDIT RATING AND, UH, OTHER FACTORS, UH, AND TO KEEP THE TAN, UM, FROM NEEDING TO BE BORROWED AGAIN. UH, STATE REVENUES WE'RE AT 57 MILLION, UM, 42%. I'LL BE RIGHT BACK DOWN CALL. YES, WIFE AND, UH, PRIOR, YOUR COLLECTIONS WE'RE AT 42%, 42.4, SO WE'RE SLIGHTLY ABOVE WHERE WE WERE. UH, OUR SPENDING IS AT 42.6, JUST A LITTLE BIT BELOW LAST YEAR SPENDING AT 44.3. THAT COULD BE DUE TO A TIMING OF PAYROLLS AND THAT SORT OF THING. UM, NO MAJOR CHANGES IN SPENDING PATTERNS THAT I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR. UM, AND THEN, UH, WE'VE LISTED SOME OTHER FUNDS. PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, OH, THE LARGEST FUNDING SOURCE WE HAVE, UH, OTHER THAN THE GENERAL FUND WOULD BE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND. AND, UH, WE ATTENDED THE TALK MEETING LAST NIGHT, UH, AND THE 2019 REFERENDUM PROJECTS ARE 99.4% PAID AND ENCUMBERED AS OF DECEMBER 31ST AND 2023 REFERENDUM PROJECTS ARE 40% PAID AND ENCUMBERED. SO THAT MEANS ENCUMBERED, MEANING WE HAVE CONTRACTS IN PLACE FOR VENDORS, UH, FOR THE SERVICES OF CONSTRUCTION AND OR OTHER EXPENSES THAT, UH, PURCHASES THAT ARE NEEDED IN THE DIRECT REFERENDUM PROJECTS THAT ARE WHERE BEGINNING TO UNDERGO NOW FROM THE 2023 REFERENDUM. SO, UM, THINGS ARE IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. UH, I'M AGAIN, UH, ANXIOUS TO SEE THE NEXT MONTH AND I'LL BE GIVING A BOARD UPDATE ON THE JANUARY TAX REVENUES AT OUR NEXT, UH, BOARD BUDGET UPDATE, UM, FEBRUARY WORK SESSION. SO, UM, WE, SO WE'LL HAVE A VERY LARGE DISCUSSION AT THE END, AT THE MARCH WORK SESSION ON THE BUDGET. UM, AND SO WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT IT THEN. BUT, UM, THINGS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE SO FAR THIS YEAR AND, UM, WE EXPECT [01:00:01] THINGS TO, I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT. OUR EXPENDITURES AND OUR EXPENDITURES ACROSS THE LINE ARE BELOW BUDGET. THANK YOU. TIME. UH, SO I DON'T, THE ONLY ONE I SAW ABOVE BUDGET A LITTLE BIT WAS, UH, TECHNOLOGY, DATA SERVICE, UH, PROCESSING. AND THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH TIMES OF OUTLAY. MM-HMM . UH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S EXPECTED. MM-HMM . SO, UH, NOT, THERE'S NO RED FLAGS, UH, THAT I SEE. AND YOU DIDN'T MENTION ANY, SO I I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY AT ALL. UM, IT'S GOING TO, JANUARY'S GONNA BE VERY, VERY INTERESTING. MM-HMM . YES. YES. AND HOWEVER I PREDICT THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE INCREASES MM-HMM . IN REVENUE SIMPLY BECAUSE OF ALL THE APARTMENTS THAT ARE GOING UP. THAT'S ALL OUR REVENUE. AND THAT'S, THAT'S, I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW HOUSES BEING BUILT. 'CAUSE THAT MEANS KIDS. BUT I ALSO LIKE TO SEE THESE, UH, LANDLORDS WHO ARE GONNA BE PAYING 6% PART OF OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET. SO VERY, VERY GOOD. MR. CHAIRMAN. UH, OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM ANYONE? MS. HAY? SHE ALREADY NO, SIR. MS. GORDON, DR. CAR? I'M GOOD. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM, MA'AM. UH, SO OE OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION 18 SCHOOL FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES. UM, I'M GONNA DO, UH, JUST GO OVER A FEW, FEW ITEMS ON THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. UM, SO THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, UH, ADDRESSES SPECIFIC, UH, EACH OF THE SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION WITH THE BOARD POLICY, UM, EITHER CITED OR MENTIONED. AND SO, AND THEN, WE'LL, WE HAVE SOME, UM, MR. MOODY IS HERE AND WE HAVE A FEW SHORT VIDEOS FOR YOU, WHICH WERE EXCERPTS FROM A LARGER VIDEO THAT WAS A LITTLE LONGER. I, WE, UH, WE CHOSE TO TAKE THE SHORTER ONES AND, UM, NOT TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME TODAY, BUT I THINK THEY, UH, WE HAD A, UH, ACTUALLY A, UM, PUBLIC RELATIONS CREW OR, UM, WHAT DO YOU CALL THEIR DIVISION? OH, UH, IT WAS MARKETING DEPARTMENT. MARKETING DEPARTMENT. THEIR MARKETING DEPARTMENT. CAME TO BEAUFORT AND INTERVIEWED, STAYED ALL DAY DOING MULTIPLE DAYS, FOUR DAYS, FOUR DAYS, , AND INTERVIEWED STAFF, MYSELF, WALTER, OTHERS, AND WENT AROUND IN MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS AND TOOK VIDEOS AND, AND EXCERPTS OF FUN, JUST STUDENTS EATING LUNCH AND HAVING GREAT, UM, EXPERIENCES IN THE FOOD NUTRITION PROGRAM. AND THEN, UH, DISPLAYING SOME OF THE CATERING THAT WE'RE HAVING DONE. AND THE ACTUAL, WHAT IMPRESSES ME THE MOST, I THINK WITH THE NUTRITION GROUP IS THEIR FOCUS ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE FOOD, HOW COLORFUL IT IS, HOW VIBRANT IT IS, HOW PERFECTLY PLACED IT IS IN, IN THE, UH, LIVE WELL OR THE WELLS THAT, UM, IN THE, ON THE SERVING LINES. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH THAT, THAT THEIR ATTENTION TO THAT DETAIL. SO I'M NOT GONNA RAMBLE ON TODAY ALL ABOUT ALL OF THAT. I'LL LET WALTER SPEAK TO ANYTHING THAT HE, UM, IS PASSIONATE ABOUT IN THAT AREA TO, TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. BUT, UM, WE'LL GET STARTED ON THE OE. SO, OKAY, MR. MOONEY, OUR VERSION OF GEORGE LUCAS . SO, NO, THE VIDEOS WERE, THEY WERE, THEY WERE HERE FOR FOUR DAYS AND VISITED MULTIPLE SCHOOLS. I THINK WE WENT TO 14 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. WE, YOU KNOW, JUST HOW, HOW NUTRITION GROUP WAS DOING AND, AND, AND OBVIOUSLY IN BUFORD COUNTY WE INTERVIEWED, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE STAFF PRINCIPALS. UM, AND I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHARE ALL THE, THE VIDEO CLIPS AND ALL THAT STUFF WITH YOU. BUT I DEFINITELY DID WANNA TAKE UP YOUR TIME WITH AN EIGHT MINUTE, UM, VIDEO AND ALL THAT. SO WE, WE PICKED OUT TWO TO, TO SHOW YOU TODAY, YOU KNOW, UM, NUTRITION GROUP IS, UH, EXTREMELY HAPPY. OBVIOUSLY C-E-P-C-E-P WENT TO FULL SWING THIS YEAR. SO ALL SCHOOLS ARE ARE, UH, UNDER THE COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY. UM, YOU KNOW, MORE KIDS ARE EATING, UM, BOTH BREAKFAST AND LUNCH. SO WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER ABOUT THAT. OBVIOUSLY WE WANNA TRY TO GET EVERY KID INVOLVED IN THAT. AND WE DO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS TO KIND OF GET THEM INVOLVED IN THAT WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UH, NUTRITION EDUCATION, DIFFERENT FUN DAYS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF TO DO WHAT WE CAN. UH, I KNOW [01:05:01] COLONEL , WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE, UH, THE CULINARY STUDENTS AND WE HAVE GOT THEM INVOLVED ACTUALLY COMING INTO OUR KITCHENS AND ACTUALLY WORKING IN THE KITCHENS THEMSELVES JUST TO GET ANOTHER ENVIRONMENT. 'CAUSE I KNOW THEY MOSTLY TEACH TO GO TOWARDS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RESORTS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, BUT TO THEM SHOW, ACTUALLY COME IN, GET TO FEED THE KIDS KIDS, SHOW HOW WE COOK, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN FINE DINING RESTAURANTS AND ALL THAT. UM, IT GETS THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THAT AND THEY'VE BEEN HELPING WITH SOME CATERINGS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. UM, SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UM, WE'RE GETTING READY TO START SOME, UH, HYDROPONICS IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. UM, SO THE KIDS, AND WE'VE GOTTEN CLUBS BUILT UP AND ALL THAT. SO WE BOUGHT TWO UNITS, ONE FOR ROBERT SMALLS AND ONE FOR, UH, UM, RIVER EDGE ACADEMY. SO WE'LL SEE HOW THOSE GO ONCE THEY COME IN. UM, OTHER THAN THAT, NO, WE HAD OUR STATE AUDIT THIS YEAR. UM, NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS, WHICH IS GOOD. I KNOW THEY'VE HAD SOME DIFFICULTIES IN THE PAST WITH THE OTHER COMPANY. SO, UH, WE HAD NO, NOTHING WE HAD TO CHANGE. NOTHING. EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. THEY WERE HERE FOR FIVE DAYS. THAT WAS ANOTHER FUN EVENT AS WELL. UH, WE HAD ALL OUR INTERNAL AUDITS, UH, AND EVERYTHING'S COME BACK CLEAN, SO WE'RE, WE'RE VERY HAPPY. UH, OBVIOUSLY ALWAYS LOOKING TO IMPROVE AND, AND GO FURTHER THE TCL, UM, TIDES PROGRAM THAT STARTED UP WITH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR FEEDING ALL THOSE KIDS OVER THERE STILL. UH, AND I KNOW THEY'RE EXPANDING TO THE BUFORT UH, CAMPUS NEXT YEAR AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING WE CAN GET OUR, ANYTHING WE CAN DO FOOD SERVICE WISE, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO. SO WE PUT OUR INPUT IN ON THE NEW SCHOOLS BEING BUILT, UM, UH, THE MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, AND OBVIOUSLY THE REBUILD UNTIL, YEAH, JUST SO WE HAVE ALL THE AIR THAT WE NEED IN THE SPACE. 'CAUSE SOMETIMES WE, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION WISE, THEY FORGET LITTLE THINGS. LIKE THEY NEED MILK COOLERS IN THIS SPOT AND STUFF. SO WE'RE JUST PUTTING OUR INPUT IN THERE. SO, SO EVERYTHING WORKS SMOOTHLY ONCE THE KIDS ARE READY. SO THAT'S ALL. SO I'M JUST GONNA HIT A FEW HIGHLIGHTS ON THIS TWO PAGE SUMMARY, BUT, UH, JUST I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE OE, SO THAT'S WHY IT'S SO A LITTLE LONGER THAN NORMAL. MM-HMM . BUT, UM, AGAIN, WE'VE, UH, MOVED TO THE NUTRITION GROUP IN JULY 1ST, 2022. I, I WAS UN OVER THE PREVIOUS VENDOR. I'M EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THIS VENDOR AND THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE, THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE, THE PRESENTATION OF THE FOOD AND THE ATTENTION TO THE DETAIL, THE STAFFING THAT THEY HAVE. UH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WERE REALLY STRUGGLING WITH STAFFING, ESPECIALLY DURING COVID AND JUST BEYOND, BUT I THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE TYPICALLY AT, UH, 99 OR A HUNDRED PERCENT. YEAH, WE'RE RIGHT THERE AT 98% IN THAT AREA. SO, UM, WHICH HAS BEEN A, A CHALLENGING AREA TO, TO GET, UM, TO GET FULLY STAFFED AS, AS MANY OF OUR OTHER AREAS ARE ARE TO FILL AS WELL. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY EXPANSION TO ALL SCHOOLS WAS A LITTLE SCARY, BUT I, I BELIEVE IT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT'S WORKING. NO, IT ABSOLUTELY IS. YEAH. AND WHAT OUR BIGGEST THING WAS THAT WE DIDN'T WANT PARTICIPATION FOR STUDENTS TO GO DOWN. SO, AND WE SEE INCREASES IN THAT. UM, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, IT'S BEEN VERY VOLATILE OVER THE YEARS. THE AMOUNT OF MEALS THAT WE'VE SERVED BECAUSE OF COVID. UM, THE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUNDED ALL MEALS FOR FREE, UM, JUST LIKE IN 20 21, 22 TIMEFRAME. SO YOU SEE THE MEALS, YOU KNOW, BEING A THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. AND THEN THEY FELL DRASTICALLY THE NEXT YEAR. THAT'S BECAUSE THAT, THAT, UH, FREE FUNDING SOURCE CHANGED. AND WE WENT BACK TO A PAYING STATUS IN 22, 23. AND THEN, UM, AND IS THIS, WE'RE, WE'RE IN OUR, SO WE WENT BACK TO A NORMAL YEAR IN 23, 24, AND THEN FIFTH YEAR WE'RE IN A CEP FULL, UH, STATUS WHERE STUDENTS AREN'T PAYING AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS, UH, SUPPLEMENTING THAT PAYMENT IN THE FORM OF USDA FUNDS. SO, UM, REALLY 88% OF THE REVENUES IN THIS PROGRAM ARE, ARE, UM, FEDERALLY FUNDED. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF STIPULATIONS. UM, UH, ONE OF THE STIPULATIONS IS, IS, AND, AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING. WE DON'T WANT THE GENERAL FUND TO HAVE TO OFFSET OR SUPPORT THIS FUND. WE DON'T WANT IT TO HAVE TO, EVEN THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND TO SUPPORT THIS FUND IF THEY DON'T HAVE TO. SO WE USE, AND WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN HAVING PROFITS IN THE PROGRAM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, UP TO A POINT WHERE OUR CURRENT FUND BALANCE, IT WAS 9 MILLION LAST YEAR. IT IS NOW 8 MILLION. WE WERE ABLE TO BRING IT DOWN BY A MILLION DOLLARS BY REINVESTING BACK IN OUR CTI, OUR C KITCHENS AND CAFETERIAS. UH, WE HAVE BUILT SHADE STRUCTURES, OUTDOOR DINING SPACES. WE HAVE REPLACED. UH, WHEN YOU GO INTO THE CAFETERIAS, WE, WE ARE ON A MISSION TO MODERNIZE OUR CAFETERIAS, OUR MAKING SURE THEIR DINING SPACES, WHEN THERE IS AVAILABLE [01:10:01] SPACE TO DO THAT, AND THE POTENTIAL SHADE STRUCTURE. SO IF YOU SEE THOSE THINGS, THAT IS THE, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT FOOD SERVICE IS BUYING, AND I'D LOVE TO SEE THE PICTURES OF THEM. LOVE TO, UM, BE PROUD OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE ARE PUTTING IN THOSE, UH, KITCHENS AND CAFETERIAS. YOU CAN'T SEE THE KITCHENS AND IT, MOST OF THE TIME AND WHAT'S BACK THERE, BUT WE ARE PUTTING IN PIZZA OVENS AND BRAND NEW MILK COOLERS. WE FOUND OUT A LOT OF OUR MILK COOLERS ARE OUTDATED. SO WE STARTED OVER AND GOT ALL NEW ONES, ICE MACHINES, SERVING LINES, WARMING CABINETS, UM, MILK COOLERS, STEAMERS OVENS, WALK-IN COOLERS, DISHWASHERS, MAJOR. I MEAN, WE HAD A, A A MILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENTS IN OUR, IN OUR KITCHENS IN NEW EQUIPMENT. AND WE STILL HAVE THE FUNDING TO CONTINUE THAT PROGRESS GOING FORWARD. UM, SO WE ALSO EMBARKED ON SOMETHING THIS YEAR, WHICH I'M VERY PROUD OF, AND THAT IS DEEP CLEANING OUR KITCHENS. THEY HAD BEEN DEEP CLEANED IN QUITE A WHILE, MANY OF THEM. UM, AND SO WE EMBARKED ON SER WE, WE WENT OUT FOR BID, GOT SERVPRO, AND THEY DID EIGHT 20 KITCHENS BETWEEN THE SPRING AND THE SUMMER. AND I MEAN, THEY WERE ON THE FLOOR SCRUBBING AROUND EVERY LITTLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. WE SAW PICTURES OF IT. AND I THINK THAT IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. WE CAN DO ABOUT 20 A YEAR, SO WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET THE, UH, AT LEAST THE 12, WELL, WE'LL HAVE MORE BUILDINGS THAN JUST 12, BUT PROBABLY AT LEAST 13 MORE. WE CAN DO IT IN A TWO YEAR ROTATION. AND WE INTEND TO KEEP THAT GOING SO THAT WE HAVE PRISTINE, CLEAN, WE, UH, ELIMINATE HELPS TO REDUCE THE, UH, POSSIBILITY OF RODENTS IN THOSE AREAS. AND SO, UM, I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT AREA AS WELL. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF DINNER PRO AFTER DINNER PROGRAMS SUPPORTING OUR AFTERSCHOOL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AT 18 LOCATIONS, 31 SUMMER BREAK SITES SERVING FIVE TO 18 YEAR OLDS IN OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. AND OUR PARTICIPATION RATES IN BOTH PROGRAMS ARE 48%. SO, UM, WE'RE SERVING A LOT OF STUDENTS IN THE AFTERSCHOOL AS WELL, UH, WHICH JUST, UH, BASICALLY THOSE FUNDS, THOSE REVENUES COME RIGHT BACK INTO THE PROGRAM AND HELP US TO REINVEST. SO, UM, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING. WE MET TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE USE OF THE EXCESS OPERATING BALANCE FOR THE NEXT YEAR. SO WE'RE PLANNING THAT OUT. AND RIGHT AFTER THAT MEETING, WE WENT INTO A MEETING WITH THE ARCHITECTS AND, UH, ENGINEERS AND IN THE FACILITY'S OFFICE AND TALKED ABOUT DESIGN OF THE RIGHT CHOICES. KITCHEN THAT WILL BE COMING IN ABOUT TWO YEARS WOULD TAKE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION TO BE COMPLETED. SO WE TALKED ABOUT OUR NEEDS TO CATER TO FEED STUDENTS IN THE RIGHT CHOICES AREA WITHOUT HAVING THE FOOD HAVE TO COME OFF SITE. UH, THEY'LL HAVE A SERVING LINE IN THE BUILDING, JUST OFF MEDIA CENTER WHERE THE BOARD NEEDS. AND WE ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO JUST ROLL RIGHT IN THE COOK RIGHT HERE ON SITE AND ROLL RIGHT IN FOR ANY, UH, CATERING THAT MAY BE DONE HERE IN THIS BUILDING. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. OH YEAH. AND WE MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO SERVE SPOKES. WE HAVE ALMOST 200 PEOPLE IN THIS BUILDING. WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY HAVING GRAB AND GO OR SERVING SOME SMALL CHOICES OF LUNCHES HERE FOR THE ADULTS IN THIS BUILDING. SO, AS WELL, WE GOT A LOT GOING ON . SO WE'VE HAD A BUSY DAY TODAY. IT'S, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PART OF THE PRESENTATION. AND NOW WE'RE GONNA SHOW YOU THREE LITTLE VIDEOS THAT ARE ABOUT TWO TO THREE MINUTES EACH. OKAY. AND THESE ARE EXCERPTS OF, UM, SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, THESE ARE THE SOUND WE TURNED OFF MY SOUND OFF, SO I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO TURN IT BACK ON IT. SO HOW WE BRING TO LIFE OUR MOTTO OF CARING FOR PEOPLE SERVING GREAT FOOD REALLY STARTS AT THE TOP AND EVERY DAY WE, OUR PRIORITY TO CARE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR US. WHETHER IT'S THOSE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS, CARING ABOUT THEIR LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHETHER IT'S CARING FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S IN A CRISIS THAT'S A . HONESTLY, IT'S SOME DAYS IT'S MORE OF A PRIORITY, THE MEALS THAT WE'RE SERVING, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF OUR INDIVIDUALS, THOSE MEALS ARE NOT GONNA DELIVER TO OUR STATE. [01:15:17] WELL, YEAH. SORRY. VERY CONCERNED. THANK YOU. SO, GOT MUTED. SO WANT ME TO START AGAIN? OKAY. GOT IT. OR SEE, YOU CAN SEE IT'S MUTED. YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE SCREEN. IT'S MUTED. THERE YOU GO. STILL SEND IT BACK. YOU PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO IT. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET IT. WELL SHOULD HAPPEN MINE. SO YEAH. BUT I DON'T WANNA GET CAUGHT IN THAT CIRCLE AGAIN. SO GO AHEAD AND HIT YOURS. JUST A PICK QUALITY IF YOU CAN AT THE NEXT CORNER OVER THERE. AND THE OTHER THING IS THIS, THIS DEVICE [01:20:01] FELL OFF TO THE BOARD AND LEMME GO SEE IF I CAN DOWN MOVE. OKAY, MR. MOLEY, IF YOU'LL SEND IT OUT, SET IT OUT. , MR. CHAIR. I WILL MAKE A STATEMENT. GOOD. UM, WE ARE IN A VERY DIFFICULT FOOD SERVICE LABOR MARKET IN THIS COUNTY BECAUSE OF OUR TOURIST INDUSTRY. MM-HMM . AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, PEOPLE AT MCDONALD'S AT, UH, PARKERS ARE GETTING $15 AN HOUR, UH, STARTING SALARIES IN THESE PLACES. AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TALK TO RY COUNTY, CHARLESTON COUNTY. THEY, THEY MUST BE EXPERIENCING THE SAME KIND OF CHALLENGES. FOOD SERVICES IN THESE SMALL RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, I'M SURE DON'T HAVE THE COMPETITION THAT WE DO. SO I HAVE TO APPLAUD OUR CONTRACTOR HERE TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE PEOPLE IN A VERY DIFFICULT LABOR MARKET FOR THAT SPECIFIC SKILLSET. SO THAT, THAT'S SAYING AN AWFUL LOT, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE WITH, WITH THIS, UH, WITH THIS COMPANY. IT'S APPRECIATED. I APPRECIATE THAT. IT'S, THE OTHER THING IS, WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT, WHAT, WHAT YOU ARE AT 98%. YES SIR. WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET THERE? UH, PREVIOUSLY WE WEREN'T AT THAT LEVEL. NO, WE WERE NOT. UM, WE HAD TO REEVALUATE, UM, OBVIOUSLY STARTING SALARIES. UM, YOU KNOW, WE MAKE, UH, CONCESSIONS IN DIFFERENT AREAS. SO THE STARTING SALARY IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT ON HILTON HEAD AND BLUFF AND BEAUFORT AND ALL THAT. JUST 'CAUSE THE, THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WE HAVE AND THE AMOUNT OF COMPETITION AND ALL THAT. UM, WE DO, YOU KNOW, AS A COMPANY, WE'RE A FAMILY COMPANY. YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT BIG CORPORATE, WE'RE FAMILY OWNED. WE'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 50 YEARS THIS YEAR. UM, WE, WE WANNA TAKE CARE OF OUR PEOPLE. SO, UM, THAT'S WHAT WE HAD TO LOOK AT WHERE, WHERE THE SALARIES WERE STARTING SALARIES, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY WERE WHEN WE TOOK OVER FROM SODEXO. YOU KNOW, WE BUMPED EVERYONE IMMEDIATELY. UM, AND THEN JUST, IT WAS A SLOW PROCESS JUST BECAUSE THERE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, I THINK WE'RE AT 65, 70% STAFF WHEN WE TOOK OVER. SO IT DID TAKE A WHILE TO GET TO THAT POINT, BUT NOW WE'RE CONSTANTLY BRINGING MORE PEOPLE IN. UM, THERE'S TECHNOLOGY WISE, GEOFENCING, THE ADS ON FACEBOOKS AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF TO GET YOU OUT THERE. UM, YOU KNOW, GETTING INTO THE SCHOOLS, LET THEM KNOW, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A LOT OF, UH, PARENTS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY CAN WORK THEIR KIDS SCHEDULE BASICALLY BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, FIVE AND A HALF HOUR DAYS, UH, FOR THE PART-TIME WORKERS AND ALL THAT STUFF. SO IT WAS A LOT OF JUST DIGGING IN. AND LIKE COLONEL GUYER SAID, THE COMPETITION IS, IS, IS BRUTAL. UM, JUST FOR, YOU KNOW, GROCERY STORES, THEY'LL PAY SIX, $16, UH, ALL THE RESTAURANTS AND RESORTS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO, UH, IT'S A MIXTURE OF OUR, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE OFFER TIME-WISE, YOU'RE OFF ON HOLIDAYS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO THAT'S VITAL TO PEOPLE. UM, BUT YOU GOTTA LET THEM KNOW THAT'S STUFF UPFRONT. UM, AND THEN ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE OFFER AND WE TAKE CARE OF OUR EMPLOYEES. THAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE DO CARE ABOUT THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEING TAKEN CARE OF US. IF I CAN ADD, I I, I ALWAYS STOP IN THE DINING FACILITY WHENEVER I VISIT SCHOOLS AND WITHOUT EXCEPTIONS, WHEN I GO IN AND TALK TO YOUR STAFF AND GET VERY, VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK. UH, THEY'RE DEDICATED, THEY'RE POSITIVE, THEY'RE UPBEAT, AND YOU KNOW, THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE, UH, WHEN KIDS COME IN, YOU KNOW, GET THEIR, GET THEIR FOOD AND SO ON. SO, UM, I'VE BEEN VERY, VERY IMPRESSED. THANK, I APPRECIATE WHAT IT SAID WITH WHAT'S BEEN DONE YESTERDAY. LEMME ASK A QUESTION. YES, SIR. THEN, UM, IS THERE A, YOU KNOW, YOU DO, AND I AND MSOT COLONEL HAVE TALKED ABOUT HAVING A JOINT MEETING BETWEEN YOUR S AND FINANCE, UH, TO SHARE THE S BECAUSE WE HAVE SHORTAGES IN OTHER PLACES. WOULD THAT BE A WAY TO, WITHOUT EXPOSING YOUR QUOTE UNQUOTE SECRET SAUCE, THAT'S WHAT CUE YOU TO YOUR COMPANY. THAT'S A COMPETITIVE THING YOU'VE IDENTIFIED. WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK TO 'EM. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE LOOKING FOR TOTALLY DIFFERENT EMPLOYEES, SO YEAH, TOTALLY DIFFERENT EMPLOYEE, BUT THE WAY THAT YOU MODIFIED YOUR, THE PROTOCOL OF SUBOXONE, SODEXO, OR SUBOXONE, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S A MAGIC JOHNSON COMPANY USED TO BE. AND THAT'S BIG. SO, SO YOU BROUGHT SOME THINGS TO PLAY THAT THEY DIDN'T, AND SO THERE MAY BE AN OPTION FOR US TO LEARN FROM THAT. BE HAPPY TO HELP. OKAY. NO PROBLEM. EVERYBODY'S COMING IN. ARE WE READY? FAMILIES ALL HAVE TO WORK. GO AHEAD. [01:25:01] I FLIPPED TO GIVE US THE AROUND THAT. ENDED UP FIXING IT YESTERDAY. DON'T HEAR ANY SOUND. SO I UNMUTE MY UNMUTE ONE. SO THERE, ALL RIGHT, SO IT'S THIS ONE. IS IT THAT ONE THERE THAT YOU'RE UNMUTING. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTION? YEAH, NO, SEND SEND IT OUT. I'LL SEND IT OUT. IT'S NOT A PROBLEM. AND WE'LL, WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK. THAT'S FINE. ANYTIME THAT FAIR? ABSOLUTELY. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO GET, SIR. UM, MAY I REQUEST, UH, A MOTION, UH, ON THIS OE IN THAT THIS WILL NEED TO GO THROUGH COMMITTEE TO ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. SO THERE'S A MO RECOMMENDED MOTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SECOND PAGE OF THAT REPORT, UM, AND THE MEMBER TO MAKE IT, MAKE THAT MOTION. YES. YEP. MS. HAY, ARE YOU STILL WITH US? AND CAN MAKE THE MOTION. AND MS. GORDON, IS SHE MS. HAY STILL THERE? YES, I AM. I AM HERE. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. YOU'RE IN DEBT SERVICES, CORRECT? NO, NO. WE ARE ON THE LAST PAGE SERVICE OE 18 OH. OF FOOD SERVICES. OKAY. I'M SORRY, I SKIPPED AHEAD. UM, LAST PAGE. YES. I MOVE TO ACCEPT OE 18 MONITORING REPORT FOR SCHOOL FOOD SERVICES. AND, AND YOU WOULD LIKE FOR IT TO GO TO THE CONSENT AGENDA? YES, PLEASE. OR DO YOU NEED ME TO SPECIFICALLY STATE THAT? I WOULD LIKE, NEVER MIND. I WOULD LIKE THIS BE PART OF YOUR REPORT AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE THIS VIDEO SHOWED, NEVERMIND, WE'LL GET YOU AN OPPORTUNITY, BUT WE GOTTA MOVE ON. YEAH, NO, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. UH, SO THIS IS THE SAME UPDATE THAT I PROVIDED TO THE CLOCK COMMITTEE LAST NIGHT. UH, THIS IS A BRIEF UPDATE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH BOND ISSUES RELATING TO THE 2023 REFERENDUM. SO BACK IN AUGUST, WE ISSUED A $50 MILLION BAN BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE. SO A BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE IS BORROWING 50 MILLION ON A SHORT TERM BASIS, LESS THAN ONE YEAR. UM, AND YOU'RE ANTICIPATING IT TO BE REF, UM, REFINANCED BY A BOND A A YEAR FROM NOW, BASICALLY. SO, UM, THAT BOND WAS, WE HAD EIGHT BIDS, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD NUMBER, VERY COMPETITIVE, AND IT WAS A 3.15% INTEREST RATE BACK IN AUGUST. SO IN JANUARY, UH, WE TOOK A LOOK AT THE BOND MARKET. WE, WE HAD PREPARED TO, UM, PLAN TO DO A 182 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS BOND, WHICH WOULD PAY OFF THAT BAN AND THEN PROVIDE MORE CASH FLOWS GOING FORWARD. HOWEVER, THE LONG TERM BOND MARKET IS NOT FAVORABLE IN JAN WAS NOT FAVORABLE IN JANUARY, STILL NOT IN A GOOD PLACE NOW AS WELL. UM, A LOT OF CHANGES IN THE STOCK MARKET AND THE BOND MARKET WAS NOT AT A GOOD PLACE FROM A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE. SO WE HAD TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND MODIFY OUR STRATEGY. SO WE WANTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SHORT-TERM RATES, WHICH ARE BE MORE IN THE TWO TO 3% RANGE AS OPPOSED TO FIVE TO 6%, UH, INTEREST RATES. SO WE DECIDED AS A FINANCING TEAM, BOTH MYSELF, THE FINANCE, UM, FINANCIAL ADVISOR AND OUR BOND ATTORNEY DECIDED TO DO ANOTHER RELATIVELY SHORT TERM BOND. WE NEEDED TO, SO THE BAND WAS COMING DUE, IS COMING DUE NEXT MONTH IN MARCH, SO WE HAVE TO PAY THE WHOLE THING OFF AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THE CASH IN HAND TO BE ABLE TO PAY THAT OFF. SO WE ISSUED A $50 MILLION BAN TO PAY THAT OFF. UM, THAT BOND CLOSES ON FEBRUARY 15TH. SO I GUESS, OH, I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY, I THINK IT'S CLOSING TODAY BECAUSE I TALKED TO REGIONS BANK TODAY. UM, SO IT MIGHT BE THE 13TH OR 14TH. SO IT'S 15TH IS A SATURDAY. THAT LOOKED A LITTLE STRANGE TO ME. UM, BUT I DID HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH, UH, THE BANKING AGENT TODAY TO FINALIZE THAT CLOSING. UH, SEVEN BIDS WERE, UM, SEVEN COMPANIES BID ON THE BONDS, 2.75% INTEREST RATE IS GOING TO PAY OFF THE BAN. SO IT'S GOING INTO SOME, UH, IT'S A COMPLICATED PROCESS, BUT IT HAS TO, HAS A ESCROW, UH, INVOLVED THERE. THEY'LL PAY OFF BONDS FULLY IN MARCH. I GUESS I PUT IT IN ESCROW UNTIL THE PA PAYMENT DUE DATE OF MARCH, UM, OF 2025, WHICH IS INCORRECT ON MY SUMMARY THERE. [01:30:01] AND THEN IN MAY AND JUNE, WE'RE GONNA ISSUE A PERMANENT BOND. UM, SO WE CAN, WE HAVE ENOUGH CASH FLOWS TO HOLD US OUT UNTIL, UH, FOR THE REFERENDUM UNTIL MAY OR JUNE. UH, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THE BOND RATES TO IMPROVE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL, NEXT FEW MONTHS. AND THEN WE'LL ISSUE 131 MILLION THAT'LL BE, BASICALLY THAT WILL COVER THE FIRST YEAR OF THE BOND ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO ISSUE. WE'LL HAVE TWO MORE, UH, YEAR TWO AND THREE, ONE YEAR TWO ONE YEAR THREE, UH, TO FINISH OUT THE REMAINDER OF THE REFERENDUM. SO WE, UH, WE GET THE INFORMATION WE NEED AS FAR AS CASH FLOWS FROM THE FACILITIES OFFICE. THEY PROVIDE A SCHEDULE OF WHAT THEY'RE GONNA PLAN, WHAT PROJECTS THEY'RE GONNA DO AND WHEN AND WHEN THE TIMING OF THAT IS. UM, AND SO WE USE THAT DATA TO BUILD OUT THAT WHEN THEY NEED MONEY, AND THIS IS THIS PLAN, THIS FINANCING PLAN ALIGNS PERFECTLY WITH THAT. UH, WE ALWAYS GO ON THE CONSERVATIVE END. SO WE, WE MAKE SURE WE HAVE A LITTLE MORE THAN THEY THINK THEY'RE GONNA NEED IN CASE THEY GET AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. UM, UH, AND SO, BUT WE JUST MONITOR IT ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND LASTLY, UM, CREDIT RATINGS, UH, RIGHT, RIGHT. WE CAME BACK FROM THE BREAK. WE HAD TWO CREDIT RATINGS. UM, SO WE HAVE PHONE CALLS WITH A, A MOODY'S REPRESENTATIVE IN NEW YORK, AND THEN A STANDARD EMPLOYERS REPRESENTATIVE. THEY ASK A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR, UM, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN JUST TO GET, UH, JUST A FCO SCORE. IT'S ABOUT HOW THE GROWTH IN YOUR COMMUNITY IS, HOW YOUR ENROLLMENT'S DOING, HOW, HOW YOU'RE BEING AFFECTED, WHAT CHALLENGES YOU'RE EXPERIENCING IN TERMS OF REVENUE OR ENROLLMENT OR ANY OTHER AREAS, HOW LONG THE LONGEVITY OF YOUR CFO AND YOUR SUPERINTENDENT, HOW THEY'RE BUILDING, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SUCCESS AND THE REFERENDUMS THAT YOU HAD IN THE PAST. UM, SO IT'S A WHOLE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK OF WHAT YOUR, UM, AREA IS, LOOKS LIKE, THE SURROUNDING AGENCIES AND WHAT YOU, AND, AND ESPECIALLY WHAT YOUR FUND BALANCE LOOKS LIKE IN THE OPERATIONS FUND. SO WE WERE ABLE TO AFFIRM THE CURRENT RATES OF, UH, MOODY'S THAT ISSUES A A A ONE RATE. SP DOES AA, CAPITAL AA. AND THESE RATES ARE COMPARABLE TO SOME OF THE HIGHEST, UM, UH, RATES. THEY ARE, EVEN WITH THE HIGHEST RATES IN THE STATE, INCLUDING GREENVILLE, CHARLESTON, BERKELEY, AND OTHERS, A FEW OTHERS, UM, THAT HOLD THAT RATE. AND AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT'S PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING IN OUR AREA BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INDUSTRY. MM-HMM . GREENVILLE HAS HIGH RATES BE, AND THEY HAVE A, JUST A WIDE BREADTH OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND, UM, UH, INDUSTRY AS WELL AS OTHER TYPES OF, UM, TYPES OF ECONOMIC, UH, BENEFITS I GUESS IN THAT AREA. SO WITH THAT, THIS IS JUST INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY ACTION TODAY OF THE BOARD THAT I JUST WANT TO KEEP YOU IN, IN TUNE WITH THE FINANCING ON THE BONDS, UH, ON THE REFERENDUM PROJECTS AND KEEP YOU IN LINE WITH THE CLOCK COMMITTEE. AND EVEN THOUGH A FEW OF YOU WERE THERE LAST NIGHT AND, BUT THOSE OF YOU, UM, VIEWING WILL BE UP TO DATE AS WELL. AND THEN WE DO HAVE A, UH, DEBT PRESENTATION BY OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR EVERY YEAR AT THE WORK SESSION IN MARCH. SO MARCH 28TH I BELIEVE IS THE DATE. AND BRIAN ICK WILL BE HERE. AND TYPICALLY FOR, UH, FREDDY, PFIZER IS HERE AS WELL. AND THEY WILL GO INTO DETAIL. WE TYPICALLY HAVE A, ABOUT A HALF OF A DAY WITH HIM OR A FEW HOURS WITH HIM, AND THEN A FEW HOURS ON THE BUDGET THAT DAY AS WELL. UM, SO HE'LL GO INTO MINUTE DETAIL ABOUT THE STRATEGY, WHERE WE ARE, WHAT TAX REVENUES RECENTLY LOOK LIKE IN THE DEBT SERVICE FUND, UH, WHICH WE'LL GET HERE SHORTLY AS WELL WITH THE OPERATIONS AND, UM, AND WHAT WE CAN FORESEE IN THE FUTURE. SO HOW WE CAN, UH, CONTINUE TO DO MORE PROJECTS, HOPEFULLY WITHOUT A TAX INCREASE AND, UH, IF, IF THE BOARD CHOOSE SO CHOOSES AND AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE AND HOW WOULD CONTINUE OUR 8% BOND PROJECTS AS WELL. SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. OKAY. MS. MS. SAY HAS LEFT. OKAY. MS. BOARD IS NOT HERE. OKAY. AND WE DON'T REQUIRE A MOTION OR ANYTHING LIKE THIS, THIS SUGGEST SIR, JUST INFORMATION. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD PRESENTATION LAST NIGHT AND EXCELLENT DATA TO SHARE TODAY. UH, MR. UH, COLONEL GAR, ANYTHING, UH, DR. CARR, THIS WAS REALLY HELPFUL. I ENJOYED IT A LOT. THANKS. NO QUESTIONS THOUGH. THANK YOU SIR. UH, FUTURE TOPICS. I GOT THREE, I TOOK NOTES ON. [01:35:01] ONE IS, UH, DISCUSSION OF AI, INTEGRATION OF THAT INTO THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS FOR MORE EFFICIENCY. THANK YOU. UM, OTHER THAN THE STANDARD REPORTS, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NEW AT THIS TIME. UM, TYPICALLY WE TAKE EVERYTHING WITH A BUDGET TO THE FULL, UM, FULL BOARD THERE AND THERE'S NOT MUCH NEW THING. YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY THAT WORK SESSION COMES RIGHT AFTER WE GET TAX REVENUE, SO THAT IS THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION WE HAVE AND IF WE REPORT IT ON BUDGET A WEEK LATER OR TWO, IF THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE THE SAME INFORMATION. SO UNLESS, UNLESS THIS COMMITTEE WOULD LIKE TO DIVE DEEPER OR DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT INFORMATION, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT. BUT, UM, AT THIS TIME I JUST HAVE STANDARD REPORTS AND WE'LL BRING BACK THE, UM, UH, THE CURRENT REPORT WITH THE VARIANCES WITH COLORS AND, AND MAYBE CATEGORIZE THEM AND CONSULT, MAYBE PROPOSE A CONSOLIDATION OF, OF FORMAT OR SOMETHING IF WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE BEFORE THAT TIME. SO WE'LL, WE'LL FOCUS ON THAT. AND I THINK WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER PRETTY LARGE TASK AND THAT IS LOOKING AT THE MAINTENANCE, POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT SOME DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENT PA UH, STRUCTURE OF THAT WORK AS WELL. SO WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING ON THAT PROJECT FOR THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE. SO WE GOT A FULL LOAD . YES, SIR. AND WILL YOU CONSIDER BRINGING IN EXTERNAL PEOPLE LIKE YOU DID WITH PROFESSOR SWIFT? I CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT, YES. YEAH. MM-HMM. MAYBE NOT HIM, BUT SOMEONE THAT GIVES US THAT THIRD PARTY SCHOOL. SURE. YES. WE'RE GONNA, THIS ONE WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE CUSTODIAL HAS STAFFING AT EVERY DAY, INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL. RIGHT. MAINTENANCE DOESN'T CURRENTLY DO IT THAT QUITE THAT WAY. SO WE'VE GOTTA USE THE STRUCTURE WE HAVE AND MODIFY IT A LITTLE BIT AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT. SOUNDS GOOD. COLONEL, ANY MORE, MS. GORDON? ANY FUTURE TOPICS? DR. CARL, DID YOU WEIGH IN SIR? UM, I THINK A CONTINUED DISCUSSION ON STIPENDS AND, AND HOW THEY WORK AND HOW THEY'RE, HOW THEY'RE REALIZED AND ALL OF THAT PROBABLY WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. OKAY. SO WE'LL TEE THAT UP AT A MEASURED PACE THAT'S OKAY. AND GET THESE BIG ONES OUT. IS THAT ALRIGHT? ALRIGHT. OKAY. MS. HAMLEY, UH, YOU, YOU DIDN'T SAY MUCH. I LIKE TO LISTEN. , , I LISTEN AND LEARN EVERY TIME I . ALRIGHT. IS THERE, UH, SUPPORT FOR UH, ADJOURNMENT BY CONSENSUS, MA? OKAY. DONE. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. AND WE'LL GET YOU, UH, IN FRONT OF THE BOARD. NO WORRIES. I UNDERSTAND. BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO. THIS IS CHALLENGES ALSO SYNDROME. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.