TOWN OF COATS Board of Commissioners Thursday, March 23, 2023 Budget Workshop The Town of Coats Board of Commissioners meti in as scheduled budget workshop session on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. int the Board of Commissioners' Meeting Room at Coats Town Hall. Members Present: Mayor Chris Coats Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Beasley Commissioner Allen Mosby Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert Commissioner Shirley Allen Commissioner Marc Powell LCALLTOORDER Staff! Present: Nick Holcomb, Town Manager Connie Lassiter, Finance Director/Town Clerk Ken Storicks, ChiefofPolice Rodney Pleasant, Public Works Director Mike Collins, Parks & Recreation Director A quorum being present, Mayor Chris Coats called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Coats delivered the invocation and led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance. RESOLVED, to approve agenda. MOTION BY: Commissioner Allen Mosby, SECOND BY: Commissioner Shirley Allen APPROVED: 5-0, unanimously approved II. Department Head Operational Budget Presentation Town Manager Nick Holcomb introduced the budget work session as a chance for the department heads to share the needs int their departments and emphasized that this was in no way a balanced budget because revenues needed to be fine-tuned. A. Public Works Department Water Division Rodney Pleasant, Public Works Director, stated that most ofhis line items had stayed the same except for ai few small increases due to rising cost of services or items and highlighted the following: Water Purchases increase in rates: from Harnett County the postage for mailing (Postage line item decreased: as a result) Printing Utility Bills - increase in cost of printing as well as increase due to combining Capital Outlay request for an enclosed trailer for water supplies for $10,000 that would be more beneficial, but just received a quote to: fence in Public Works shop area for about the same amount as al Plan B option 1 Capital Improvement Plan - request of $64,0001 for. Jet Vac Trailer to clean out catch basins, wash out valve boxes that are: full of dirt and keep mud out of ditches when fixing leaks; the remaining cost of$21,000 would be paid from Streets because it can also be used toj pressure wash sidewalks and wash dirt away from utility/phone lines to prevent Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Beasley commented that the entire $64,000 budgeted for the current year had not been used. Mr. Pleasant replied that $50,000 was for the CIP and $16,000 was for Commissioner Marc Powell inquired ifthey were no. longer looking at a Ground Penetrating Radar they had wanted last year, Town Manager Nick Holcomb explained they would be proposing at the April meeting to buy the Ground Penetrating Radar and general inventory supplies due to the surplus from CIP ift there are no emergencies. Mr. Pleasant mentioned that the cuts emergency repairs. cost oft the best one on1 the market would be about $16,000. Street Division items: Public Works Director Rodney Pleasant conveyed the need for increase in the following line Street Signs - inventory was low and needed to raise up stop signs and get new posts Training - new regulations for obtaining CDL required driving school Capital Outlay - previously explained the shared cost with Water for. Jet Vac trailer Solid Waste Division Town Manager Nick Holcomb: mentionedi that we were holding steady on tipping fees due to staff being vigilant to prevent abuse oft the system. Mr. Pleasant added that his staff was tagging doors Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Beasley asked how many hel had on staff, and Mr. Pleasant replied that it was himself and three more. Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert asked ifhe was looking to add more staff, and Mr. Pleasant responded that they were doing fine now with what they had. and talking with people about putting out more stuff than they should. B. Police Department Chiefo of Police Ken Storicks announced that there were: not al lot of changes in most line items and highlighted the following: Communications - decrease because of consistent billing inj previous years Capital Outlay - request for Dodge Durango patrol vehicle with estimated cost of $52,500 which included equipment and tax and tags Chief Storicks requested to add an additional officer that would allow: for two officers for every shift to prevent the town from being left unattended in cases when a call or action may cause the need for an officer tol leave town such as taking arrestee to Lillington. Chief Storicks presented the Board with aj proposed organizational chart and copies of the presentation that was given to them last year when requesting an additional officer. Chief Storicks stressed the importance of 2 being prepared for the growth coming tot the Town and surrounding areas that could be resolved Chief Storicks presented the Board with a list ofall Police Department current salaries and proposed increases for each one in the department along with al list of current salaries in surrounding towns. He beseeched the Board to consider the increases because it was difficult to hire new employees at our current starting rate and current employees' salaries needed to be by the hiring ofone additional officer. adjusted accordingly for retention. C. Parks and Recreation Department Mike Collins, Parks and Recreation Director, announced that his goal for parks and recreation was to bet the best it could be with what we. have and not compare it to other municipalities. Mr. Collins highlighted changes int the following line items: Referees/Umpires: = decreased even though cost went up; some of the groups would not Janitorial Supplies - increased due to rising cost and no longer getting free toilet paper Hand Tools - increased because ofr need: for air compressor and cordless drills Landscaping - increased because already over budget in the current year; need fertilizer Office Supplies - increased because rise in cost for printer ink and paper Printing/Advertising - increased from $250 to $4,000 to place more ads inj paper for advertising registrations and anything going on at park Repairs Building - cost of material and labor to take care ofi needed repairs Capital Outlay - requested $15,000 for basketball court and goals; noted this would not be needed ifaj plan for basketball was included int the $50,000 grant plan Vehicles/Equipment - requested $30,000 for at tractor to avoid borrowing one from Public Works ifboth departments need it at the same time Park Improvement Project - requested $15,000 for an LED sign to promote events and bej participating and paper towels and seed to maintain grass; pesticides Tires - increased cost oft tires thet removal oft trees at the park D. Planning Department Town Manager Nick Holcomb informed the Board that there was little change in the Planning Department expenses and noted the following: Outside Contracts - $8,900 budgeted for the current year to payoff the last installment of the UDO decreased to $8,000 which would allow for paying engineer when there are Demolition Structures - decreased to $15,000 which would get about two potential construction documents for major subdivisions residential demolitions 3 E. General Management Town Manager Nick Holcomb noted items int the General Management expense lines as follows: Janitorial Services - increased significantly; had toj put out for quote for new cleaner Gas- increased due to sustained increase in costs; noted some of cost is offset on revenue Telephone/Email -i increased due to cost of emails being increased by Harnett County IT side for amount used by Fire Department F. Governing Board Town Manager Nick Holcomb noted items in the Governing Board expenses as follows: Elections - this is election year; estimated $5,000 cost library is no longer a department under the Town Coats Library - new line item to account fort the payment due to Harnett County since the Mr. Holcomb suggested that nonprofits could be discussed during the workshop on Saturday as well as salaries for each department. RECESS RESOLVED, to recess the meeting to Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. MOTION BY: Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert, SECOND BY: Commissioner Allen Mosby APPROVED: 5-0, unanimously approved Meeting recessed at 7:33 p.m. Connie G Town Clerk Chris Coats, Mayor hL 4 TOWN OF COATS Board ofCommissioners Saturday, March 25, 2023 Recessed Budget Workshop The Town of Coats Board of Commissioners reconvened the recessed' Thursday, March 23, 2023 scheduled budget workshop session on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. int the Board of Commissioners' Meeting Room at Coats Town Hall. Members Present: Mayor Chris Coats Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Beasley Commissioner Allen Mosby Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert Commissioner Shirley Allen Commissioner Marc Powell StaffPresent: Nick Holcomb, Town Manager ConnieLassiter, Finance Director/Town Clerk Ken Storicks, Chiefofl Police A quorum being present, Mayor Chris Coats called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Town Manager Nick Holcomb started with a: review of items from the recessed budget workshop to allow for additional questions or comments on those requests. Police Department - Request for Additional Officer Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, presented a graph to illustrate how the additional police officer requested by Chiefof Police Ken Storicks would allow for each shift tol have two officers which would provide police coverage at all times. Chief SRO Mid-shift1 2p-2a UnfilledPosition 6p-6a Dptective/lieutenant Mid-shift2 2p-2a RequestedPosition APatrolNight APatrolDay BPatro/Day BPatrolNight 6a-6p Discussion included the following: Difficulty hiring due to competing with other neighboring towns and the county Based on monthly report ofs stats hard to. justify additional officer Officer benefits offered in comparison to other nearby towns Population and square miles of Coats is less than the towns used for comparison in documentation given to Commissioners Suggested using retired officers on a part-time basis Uncertainty of current revenues supporting another officer Hard to justify to citizens that money is more important than their safety 1 Public Works - Request for Vac Tron Trailer Town Manager Nick Holcomb clarified the split in budget between Streets and Water: for the Vac' Tron trailer due to the use oft the equipment for purposes ofboth divisions. Parks & Recreation - Request for Tractor Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, explained that hel had already listed in the Manager Proposed budget column $3,500 for the purchase of attachments that Parks staff could use on the Public Works tractor instead oft the $30,000 department request for a new tractor. Comments from the Board: Don'ts see need for tractor with the limited number of fields to be maintained Parks Department could look for grants to purchase at tractor Already have at tractor available for use III. Capital Planning Presentation A. Salary & Personnel Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, recapped that last year employees were given a 5% across the board increase and that staffe expanded by adding one additional Police Officer and one full-time Parks employee. He mentioned that construction on subdivisions had: not started but when Mr. Holcomb informed the Board that salaries and raises being more targeted was his plan; keeping the budget simple and not growing thel budget, but pushing what expenses could be cut completed it would be one-third of our tax base. toward salaries and raises. B. Capital Planning Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, mentioned the potential grants available that he had informed them about during his update at the March gth meeting would require aj plan ifthe Board was Mr. Holcomb noted that the actual operating budget would look more simplistic because oft the CIP projects made possible by grant funding and provided the timeline for those projects: interested in doing a storm water project with park-like amenities. CIP Timeline 4/23 7/23 Bids & Construction $50k Parki Improvement GPO 10/23 1/24 4/24 7/24 10/24 Prep & Install AMI Meters CIP Survey Desigh NCDWIApproval Bids &A Award Construction $IMA ARPA Waterline Replacement GPO 4/23 7/23 10/23 1/24 4/24 7/24 10/24 2 Town Manager Nick Holcomb suggested that the Ground Penetrating Radar that was mentioned at the previous budget meeting could be purchased in the current budget year with surplus from CIP; planned to bring request before. Board at the April meeting. Board discussed the need for the Vac Tron trailer requested by Public Works: Isitr really needed? Will it be like other things purchased that are not being used? Potential for use due to what had been found with valves Other features with jetters help toi find lines versus cutting up: streets Ground Penetrating Radar will get more use than Vac trailer and save money in the long run Park Project Benefit from being able to clean out ditches Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, introduced the $50K Park project by stating that the tennis court was dilapidated and asked the Board to consider what project would spark the most participation and the impact ofit regarding the Boards' aims for the park operating budget. He presented the pros and cons oft two types of projects that had been mentioned at previous meetings. Grass Multi-Purpose Field Soccer /General Dedicate space for youth soccer program Multi-purpose field available for several outdoor uses Takes advantage of existing grading, fencing, lighting. Con: removes existing asphalt Con: additional money required for small basketball court Hard Multi-Purpose Court Basketball /1 Tennis /F Picklebal!/S Shuffleboard Multi-purpose court available for several outdoor uses Takes advantage of existing grading, fencing lighting. Con: Large expense for 1.5" asphalt overlay Con: Not used for youth basketball practice/games After much discussion of the two options and a suggestion ofa project at McKinley Point, Mr. Holcomb asked thel Board to choice between the following: 1. Grass Multi-Purpose Field 2. Hard Multi-Purpose Asphalt Court 3. Create aj project at McKinley Point 4. No confidence in anything presented sO far; need more options The consensus of the Board was to pursue the! Hard Multi-Purpose Court and have Mike Collins get quotes and then have work session to discuss. McKinley Point Plan Town Manager Nick Holcomb suggested the idea of work sessions regarding future plans, but he wanted to include any immediate things thel Board would like to see in the budget. He mentioned ideas like a shelter or farm vendor huts for al Farmers Market, digital sign and lighted Christmas tree. The Board liked the idea of the Christmas tree. 3 Mr. Holcomb mentioned adding al linei item to the street department ini the amount of $5,000 to take care of ppearancebcautifcation items such as flags, electrical, landscaping, trash cans, and benches. Major Increases and Additional Items to Consider Town Manager Nick Holcomb informed the Board of major increases: Harnett Regional Water increasing bulk water rates from $2.60/1,000 gallons to $3.00/1,000 gallon; suggested holding the customer water rates the same because the AMI meters would give more accurate readings; customers will see al higher usage; better Harnett IT increasing cost ofe each email individual email account from $4/month to tol hold rate steady unless things are tighter than we think $13/month Cleaning Service increase to $275/week Mr. Holcomb mentioned the following items for the Board to consider: Website update Microphones - need better option for sound Hey Gov - provides features that would replace Mobile 311 used for work orders; give citizens access to enteri issues online; transcribe minutes; capability to complete forms and send payment online Update Code ofOrdinance Pay & Class Study Powell Bill Street Funding Town Manager Holcomb asked the Board to consider some combination of the following streets for use of Powell Bill funding for 3,000': NPoole St & Odum 1,230 Winchester 980' Remington 1,300 Park Ln 700' Marlin 460' Nonprofit Funding nonprofits: Town Manager Holcomb urged thel Board to think on thei following ini regards to funding What are your goals? What do voters want to see? Are any nonprofits capable of accomplishing this? Calculating a fair cost forj performing this service 4 IV.ADJOURN RESOLVED, to adjourn the budget workshop meeting. APPROVED: 5-0, unanimously approved Meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m. MOTION BY: Commissioner Allen Mosby, SECOND! BY: Commissioner Marc Powell Cphk Connie Lassiter, Town Clerk Chris Coats, hL Mayor 5