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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 19 10Minutes CITIZENS’ BUDGET COMMITTEE Meeting Date: November 19, 2010 Conference Room 3 MEMBERS PRESENT: Carl Hensley, Chair Craig Mundt Dan Kurek Dana McSweeney (7:34) Ryan Strickland Edward Lounds Patricia “Pat” Ferrick Bill Hammer Ron Knaggs John Culverhouse (7:35) Jay L. McBee (7:35) Randy Ezell (7:41) MEMBERS ABSENT: Edith Hepburn Richard Pancoast OTHERS PRESENT: Faye Outlaw Lee Ann Lowery Eric Wickstrom Bill Hoeffner Don West Jennifer Hill Marie Gouin Wayne Teegardin Kathryn Hensley Mark Satterlee Katherine Barbieri John Ferrick Michael Quinn Stephanie Morgan Jim David Debbie Brisson Beth Ryder Audrey Jackson Toby Long Jack Southard Sophia Holt Liz Martin Ken Pruitt Laurie Waldie CALL TO ORDER Mr. Hensley called the meeting to order at 7:31 a.m. He announced that Commissioner Coward’s appointee, Patti Tobin, had resigned from the Committee. th APPROVAL OF MINUTES – OCTOBER 15 MEETING Mr. Hensley said Ms. Gouin had a correction for the minutes. Ms. Gouin referred to page 6 UPDATE ON FY11 FINAL BUDGET ADOPTION PUBLIC of the October minutes. Under HEARING, the minutes say “That generates about $11.2 million all together; $9.7 million Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 2 will go to the General Fund and Fine and Forfeiture. Those dollars will be put in reserves for FY12.” Only $1.5 million went to the reserves. Over $8 million went to balance the Fine and Forfeiture Fund. Mr. Knaggs asked what year. It is current year. Ms. Outlaw corrected a spelling error on page 3. In the fifth paragraph personal should be personnel. Mr. Knaggs made a motion to accept the minutes as amended. Mr. Mundt seconded the motion. The minutes were unanimously approved. UPDATE: SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS; CODE REGULATIONS & PERMITTING PROCESS – Katherine Barbeiri Assistant County Attorney Barbeiri came to the meeting to answer questions on the Sunshine Law. The email she sent stating that if there was a topic that could reasonably come before CBC, the members could not discuss it at the Small Business Concerns meeting. People on CBC are on other boards together. The distinction is as long as the meetings are open to the public, notices are posted and there are minutes being taken it is not a violation. She understood the Small Business Concerns meetings were not going to be open to the public, so it would be a violation of the Sunshine Law. Ms. Ferrick told of her previous experience. Ms. Barbeiri confirmed that as long as the meetings are noticed, open to the public and minutes are taken it does not matter if the public does not attend. The length of time for posting should be reasonable. The more time the better. Ms. Outlaw added that the Chamber is planning for the task force meetings to be Non- Sunshine meetings. They will not be noticed. Ms. Barbeiri confirmed that another member could attend the meeting if they did not participate. But she said they would be putting themselves in a situation that people might question. The more prudent thing to do would be to just have one member there. Mr. Lounds asked for an explanation of posting the meeting. Ms. Barbeiri explained there is a press box in the County building. We try to give as much notice as possible. It does not have to be published in the paper. She repeated that it would be more prudent if only one of them attended a Non-Sunshine meeting. Mr. Knaggs suggested it be a Sunshine meeting. It is a Chamber meeting. Ms. Outlaw th added that the first meeting is scheduled for December 8. Ms. Hensley added that there has been a preliminary meeting of the Governmental Affairs Committee. Mr. Lounds said the business community would like to have a place to express their feelings without it being published. Mr. Mundt asked if interested members could send information to the Chambers. Ms. Berbeiri answered they could. Mr. Mundt is the representative for the Committee. HEALTH CENTER UPDATE – Wayne Teegardin Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 3 Mr. Teegardin reported the name of the employee clinic had been changed to Employee and Family Health Center. There have been some construction delays (see attached PowerPoint presentation). They are planning employee promotions. CareHere is doing the recruiting. Mr. Hensley asked for an explanation of slide 6. Mr. Teegardin said it is either cost savings or cost sharing. The build-out costs are part of the number so the savings should be higher the second year. Mr. Mundt asked if the numbers include personnel. All the costs are inclusive. Mr. Lounds asked how many employees the numbers are based on. Mr. Teegardin answered about 650 employees. Mr. Knaggs asked about the hours of operation. Mr. Teegardin answered there will be a medical doctor, nurse practitioner, x-ray technician and clerical person. The hours have not been set. They will probably be later on Wednesdays. The clinic will probably be open on Saturdays. Mr. Mundt asked if Fort Pierce was interested. Mr. Teegardin answered that they want to get the clinic up and running smoothly before adding more patients. That is why they lowered the predicted cost savings. Mr. Lounds asked if there was any interest from the Fire District or Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Teegardin said there had been discussion at the beginning of the project. Both have since established their own relationships. Mr. Lounds asked if any non-County employees could use the clinic. They cannot. REALIGNMENT UPDATE Ms. Outlaw thanked staff for filling in the last meeting during her absence. She did not have a written report. She expected realignment to be complete by the end of the month. All of the consolidations have taken place. Some of the key changes are that Mr. Hoeffner has been appointed HR Director, Grants has been consolidated with OMB and a Grants Manager position will be posted. Ms. Outlaw has met with Ms. Gouin on the details of the Office of Management and Budget operation. Ms. Ferrick expressed her opinion that Central Services should be stand alone. Ms. Outlaw answered that sacrifices have to be made. Ms. Outlaw was concerned, but Central Services being a stand-alone department was not an option. She did check other municipalities. It is working well. Both Parks and Rec and Central Services have facilities management. Ms. Brisson has done a great job of getting up to speed on the Central Services operation. They are monitoring the changes and working through the glitches. Ms. Outlaw asked for patience to see how it works. If it does not, they will have to regroup. The County is not in a financial position to have 18 stand-alone departments. Ms. Ferrick said from experience she knows that when you put too much on one person Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 4 the responsibilities cut back on the time they have to do what they are good at. We have great Central Services and Parks and Rec departments. If you put too much on a person, something has to give. Neither of these departments, because of what they are, need to give. Ms. Outlaw said it was an excellent point. Part of what has to be understood is that when you are cutting staff, something has to give. Ms. Outlaw added that there is no way we can continue to operate this County, with the staff losses that have been incurred, without an impact in service. Ms. Ferrick said she does not know how Ms. Outlaw does it. Mr. Mundt said he has not seen degradation in services for the organization he serves. He is proud of the work the staff does. Mr. Lounds asked if there is a plan for FY 2012-2013. The future is coming fast. If you retired everybody that works for the County, you still couldn’t get to the needed number. PREPARATION FOR FY12 BUDGET PROCESS – Faye Outlaw Ms. Outlaw started her presentation with the members being given a copy of the memo she sent to the Commissioners (see attached) concerning the End of Year Summary. She explained the differences in revenue and expenses. The Sanitary Landfill did very well. The Golf Course lost revenue when they replaced the greens. The General Fund covers the deficit. They anticipated a loss and built in funding for the Sports Complex account. It normally loses a little less than $1 million per year. They have meetings, but it is a major challenge because of the agreements. The Building Code fund has taken the most layoffs because of the economy. The division has been reduced from 53 to 12 employees. She hopes it is stabilizing and will not need reserves this year. It would be incredibly difficult to reduce that staff any further. The Utilities Division is expecting to be able to pay their loan next year and start to repay the General Fund the following year. Mr. Knaggs asked for an explanation of why they need to borrow money when they have a balance. They combined some units. Would that be enough so they will not have to borrow money? Ms. Waldie explained that when the Utility combined the areas they planned for four years. Two of those years they planned on borrowing money from the General Fund. They are trying to cut costs. But they are already on a tight budget. The consolidated rates were covering costs except some of the debt service. Mr. Knaggs summarized that South Hutchinson is making money, $400,000 more than reported, because North Hutchinson is losing and they have to borrow money and the consolidation of the rates won’t get you back to break even. Ms. Waldie explained South Hutchinson is a separate district, two separate pots of money that cannot be comingled. They were combined for the report. South Hutchinson had their own financial difficulties and was almost in deficit. They have been stabilized. Then, the Utility went to North County. That was the last consolidation. They are still hopeful they don’t have to borrow as much as indicated. Ms. Waldie explained there is South Hutchinson Island that is one district. The Water and Sewer District includes Holiday Pines, Indian River Estates, North Hutchinson Island and the rest of North County. It is not just North Hutchinson Island. Mr. Knaggs asked how you get to the point that you do not need a loan from the General Fund. Ms. Waldie explained that they have to have capital and reserves. They were brought into the Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 5 rates. The Utility did some major cuts. Next year, they will pay all the debt service and obligations. The following year, they will start paying back the General Fund. Mr. Knaggs said next year the expenses for the North district should be less than the revenue generated. Ms. Waldie agreed. He understands the South can’t lend to the North. Ms. Waldie spoke with the Utility attorneys. There are resolutions and ordinances that prohibit the moving of funds. There are two different legal entities. Can the County borrow from South Hutchinson to pay the North? The attorneys say the district cannot loan money. There are bonds involved. Ms. Ferrick said it was all done by resolution years ago. No funding could intermingle. Ms. Ferrick asked that Ms. Outlaw introduce the new Property Appraiser, Ken Pruitt. Mr. Pruitt said he is looking forward to working with the group. Mr. Lounds asked if there was any expansion expected. Ms. Waldie said there was a possibility of moving to improve the wastewater system. They are in discussion with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Even though there is no growth now, they have to be prepared. He asked about plans for Taylor Dairy Road. She said it is planned for 2014. They keep moving it out until there is growth. It is in the books, but it is not in the first three years. Ms. Outlaw read the Other County Funds. They are still reconciling the Fine and Forfeiture Fund. It will hopefully be discussed at the next meeting. Mr. McBee left the meeting. Mr. Hensley asked about carryover. Ms. Outlaw answered that it goes into the Reserves. The Sanitary Landfill Fund is unique. They have a cash operating account. Mr. Lounds asked about Unincorporated Services. What, other than Environmental Regulatory Department, is funded from there? Ms. Outlaw answered Planning and Development, Environmental Resources and Animal Control. Cooperative Extension is not part of it. Mr. Lounds asked about their funds. Ms. Outlaw answered they are part of the General Fund. Staff will start brainstorming sessions for the FY12 budget after Thanksgiving. The approach will be similar to the past year. They will be exploring different revenue options. She does not expect to recommend a millage increase. They would certainly look at ideas from the Committee. The starting point for expenditure reductions will not be BOCC operations. Ms. Outlaw’s opinion is BOCC operations has born the brunt of cuts and reductions. Trying to continue services without 344 employees has not put her in the position to recommend more cuts. It is probably going to be an unprecedented year. She will look at opportunities to consolidate with the Cities of Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce. The schedule will not change much in terms of the components. We always start with st kickoff. Planning sessions have started. It will be after January 1. Part of the process will be department reviews with the County Administrator, Strategic Budget Planning, Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 6 Budget Reviews and Budget adoption. The true nature of Strategic Planning is not focused on the budget. Since so much was cut out of the budgets last year, the County Administrator reviews should be much shorter. She does not envision a line item review. She will focus her reviews on above base requests. There will have to be an offsetting decrease for any increase. That would be a challenge. She is expecting a streamlined process. Hopefully, there will be less challenges in reviews with the Commissioners. The Committee played a pivotal role in the adoption of last year’s budget. The input and recommendations were considered. Ms. Outlaw would like to discuss the role of the Citizens’ Budget Committee. She thinks CBC recommendations would make more of an impact if there is a letter from the Chair of the Committee, if the Chair meets with the individual Commissioners or if the Chair speaks at an informal or formal meeting. She thinks it is important for the Board to hear directly from the Chair. Ms. Outlaw would like the Committee to consider the Chair, or the person the Committee chooses, to sit at the table during Strategic Budget Planning meetings. She appreciates that the members attend the meetings, but she would like a visible role to be taken. Mr. Knaggs asked if they could do both. He was frustrated last year. She answered they could. Ms. Ferrick suggested an alternate if the Chair was not available. There is a vice chair. Ms. Ferrick suggested not having Citizens’ Budget Committee meetings when the time should be used to prepare for other budget meetings. Mr. Kurek stated that in the last meeting of the Port St. Lucie Budget Advisory Committee, they asked for a report from the City’s staff of the consolidation of any and all departments, with the County or other City, as well as the Police Department with the Sheriff’s Department. Since Ms. Outlaw brought it up, he wanted to let her know the committee there is pushing for it. The Committee is going to make a presentation of their recommendations before the City Council’s retreat. Mr. Lounds said there are two things that catch us off-guard. The biggest one is unfunded mandates. Do we have any feel for the future? Ms. Outlaw answered since there is a new Governor and House, it is premature to guess. The general sentiment is that there will be some adverse impacts. We have to wait and see what comes out of the session. Mr. Lounds said the BOCC has taken a hit on the budget and asked where that plays with the Constitutionals the coming year. Ms. Outlaw said in the past they started with the BOCC. Since it has been drastically cut already, she is not in a position to start with the BOCC. The Constitutionals will look at their budgets. She does not know if there will be a target number, such as a 10% cut. She will meet with them early on. It will be after the General Fund and Fine and Forfeiture fund balance numbers are determined. Mr. Lounds said the members were all appointed by a Commissioner or Constitutional Officer. He thinks part of their job is to go back to the appointee and discuss ideas. Mr. Knaggs asked about excess fee revenue. Ms. Outlaw did not bring that report. They Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 7 think $4.7 million for the General Fund. They projected $4 million. Ms. Gouin said there was a projection, but it was not budgeted. Ms. Outlaw asked if the amount was in the budget stabilization number. Ms. Hill added that there were some specific revenues that were identified as one-time funding for specific things that were taken to the Board. That $4 million went into a separate bucket, not all in the budget stabilization amount. It is split. Mr. Knaggs commented on the procedure, and Ms. Outlaw agreed that the money was taken out of the operating side and put on the one-time money side. Mr. Knaggs said last year they were looking three years out because that is where the cliff is. Are they looking one or two years out this year? Ms. Outlaw answered two. If she cannot come up with a plan to get beyond the cliff, there is no need to look past that. Mr. Knaggs asked about the General Fund and Fine and Forfeiture Fund. Ms. Outlaw said they are still reconciling and hope to have the numbers for the January meeting. When she has a firm number she will bring it to the Committee. She will then be in a better position to know where we will be by way of the gap for FY12 and FY13 so she can have meetings with Constitutionals. OTHER ISSUES Mr. Hensley asked the members to look at the 2011 meeting schedule. He asked if they wanted to schedule 12 meetings and cancel if necessary or only schedule suggested meetings now (see attached PowerPoint presentation). Mr. Knaggs asked why September was not on the list. Ms. Outlaw answered because of the Budget Hearings. In April, she would like the Committee meeting to be part of Strategic Budget Planning. Mr. Knaggs made a motion to use the attached schedule. Mr. Mundt seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved. Mr. Hensley asked if a December 17, 2010 meeting was necessary. After discussion, he made the decision to cancel it. Mr. Knaggs asked Ms. Outlaw what they had to do to implement her suggestion of the Chairman making presentations and having a seat at the table. Ms. Outlaw said she would give the Board an update and discuss it with them at the informal meeting scheduled for the next Tuesday. They suggested as many members as could attend the meeting in rd Conference Room 3 on Tuesday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m. Ms. Ferrick suggested the Vice Chair be the backup for the Chair at Board meetings. In January, the Committee will reorganize. Mr. Hensley and Ms. Outlaw thanked the members. ADJOURNMENT Citizens’ Budget Committee November 19, 2010 Page 8 Mr. Hensley adjourned the meeting at 8:55 a.m. Respectfully submitted by: Brenda Marlin The next CBC regular meeting will be held on Friday, January 21, 2011, at 7:30 a.m., in Conference Room #3, at the St. Lucie County Roger Poitras Administration Annex.