OFASTA COUNTY, SINCE. 1872  TOWN OF ASTATULA MAYOR AND COUNCIL SUMMARY MINUTES  COUNCIL WORKSHOP THURSDAY) JULY18, ,2022 2022-2023 BUDGET  Having been duly advertised as required by law, Mayor Mitchell Mack called the workshop to order at 6.12 pm. Mayor Mack gave thei invocation and led' The Pledge of Allegiance.  Members Present: Mitchell Mack, Mayor Gayle Sikkema Orital Issartel Zane Teeters Absent: Stephen Cross  Also] Present: Graham Wells, Town Clerk Wally Hoagland, Police Chief  Roll call was taken and there was one: residents present.  The council members present had previously been sent the proposed budget prior to the meeting and thel Mayorproceeded to go overt thef first draft." The clerks stated thatt the version they were looking at mirrored the finance reports that they were used to seeing and explained the different columns. He reminded Council that Ad Valorem taxes and the Solid Waste revenues are based on 95% of the projected tax revenue from the property appraiser and the number ofl homes multiplied by the rate perhome to cover the costi from GFLI Environmental. Thel budget is based on the current millage rate The Clerkalso gave: an update on thea amount of Communication: Services Tax that should be expected andt the rationale fort the number of new homes that we expect to have built this year which gives the best estimate for impact fee and permitting revenues. Franchise fees for electricity has a large increase due to the two increases that SECO had imposed, and the rate increase approved from Taking all oft the Revenues on page 1 minus all of the proposed expenses on page 2, the forecast was a$ $74,571 surplus. This was good considering that last year required a prior year carry forward amount of $39,772 to balance the budget. This budget was based on all foreseeable expenditures except for any salary increases. It was felt that the council, knowing the amount that was at hand, Once this was done, the totals would be added to the budget along with the corresponding FICA and Retirement. Ifa shortfall occurred, then the expenses would need to be cut or an amount brought forward from the prior year. Ift there was an excess, then the amount would be carried forward to future years (reserves). Either way thel budget has to balance between revenues and expenditures. The Clerk confirmed to Councilman Teeters that the budget included the open part-time police position and that $200.00 peri month! had beena added to cover! 50% oft thel health insurance premium.  of7.5000 mills.  council from 4% to 6%.  could debate and decide what thel level ofi increases could be.  Town ofA Astatula Budget) Workshop Minutes  July 18,2022 Page1of3    The Clerk brought up the Mayor and Councils stipend and asked if the council wanted to give themselves an increase in the budget. Twice they had not accepted an increase, but their pay was disproportionately low compared with other towns. Mr. Teeters said that the Mayors pay could be increased without an increase to council. It was suggested thata a decision be made after the election. On the Executive (Town Hall) Department (512), the Clerk: stated that the retirement rate from FRS increased: from 10.82% ofsalaries to 11.91%. Thel health insurance was increased with the new rates setinj Julyl by! Blue Cross. Liabilitylnsurancer was estimated with as sizablei increase waiting on the final rate from FMIT.The variation on capital expense was for the generator for town hall which would be Thel Financial & Administrative (513) departments sawa ani increase of$490.00 fort the Auditortocover the balance oft the ARPA compliance. There is a decrease in the accounting fees for $600.00 that the clerk] has taken on board. Thel level ofbudget for Legal fees (514) was discussed and $42,000 was felt to be necessary. Comprehensive Planning (515) was explained and offset against revenues for Public' Works (519) was discussed. The Clerk: said that only 60 percent ofthe salary and benefits was in 519, the other 40% isi in the Transportation Fund. Law Enforcement (521) was mainly fixed costs and offset by $64,400.00 funded for the School Resource Officer by the School Board. Protective inspections (524) has $1,200.00: added for training for) Jane. There is a corresponding revenue from permit fees which covers most of the department's expenditure. The Mayor went over Janes and Jennifer's goals and what additional resources were needed. Improvements to the cemetery were The change in Garbage/Solid waste Services (534) rates for the upcoming year were based on the new rate from GFL. The revenue budget is based on 95% as iti is collected on the tax roll to account for the discounts and the tax collector's commission. The revenue includes the proposed increase that was agreed but won't be finalized until September. If the increase of $11.45 per home is not Parks &1 Recreation (572) the future oft the Olive Ingram Community Building was discussed.. Special Events has been moved out oft the parks budget andi intoi its own Code (574). The Clerk felt that there was note enough money to cover all the events that the town was planning. It was agreed toi increase Itwas agreed tol hold overt thel budgets for' Transportation, Infrastructure and the Enterprise funds to the next workshop and finalize the General Fund by discussing and adding the salary increases. The Clerk said that with the changes already agreed the surplus for wages was now $66,571.00. The council were presented with a spreadsheet that had all the staff wages and salaries, including the additional part-time police officer. The spreadsheet allowed for the increase in the FRS rate and The Mayor brought upt the level ofi inflation of 9% and the increase in the minimum wage. The Clerk shared thet thoughts ofVice-Mayor Cross as hev wasi not present. Mr. Cross wantedi thel budgettoreflect the cost ofa public works director and given the increase in the health insurance cost, a 4% salary  paid in the currenty year.  planning & zoning reviews.  discussed.  passed on, theni it would create: a shortfall ofa approximately $8,700.  the amount to $10,000.00.  columns totaling the cost ofan 8% and 10% raise across the board.  increase.  Town ofA Astatula Budget Workshop Minutes July 18,2022 Page2of3    Councilman Teeters went overt the research that hel had done on police payi in all 50 states and Chief Hoagland gave examples oft the level of pay and increases in the surrounding cities and towns. He added that thei inflation raise should be taken into consideration and that raises had been held atl bay inj priory years when the town did not have the money. Thet town now does have the reserves and now Councilwoman Sikkema brought upt the increased cost oft the new healthcare plan and that they were considered part of the remuneration. Ms. Sikkema also said that an 8% raise from the numbers presented would cost $55,169 or $68,961 at 10%. The amount of surplus is $66,571 sO somewhere between the two percentages would likely be the figure. The wage level of the public works person The question was asked ifl he could be excluded from the increase as he was already paid sO much. Thel Mayor went over the differentr reasons that differentials in raises could bej justified followingl his Councilman Teeters continued with his research on thel level of pay for the Clerk: and thel level ofpay fora a City Manager which hel believed wast thej job that the Clerk was doing. He said that the clerk was overpaid for that position and underpaid for what he actually does. The Clerk disputed the figures but agreed with the principal of the argument Mr. Teeters was making. He added that the town needed more staffand had to make the choice whether to payi increases ora add new: staff members. The Clerk responded that additional revenues would be generated in the next few years when the new developments come online and additional customers are: added to the water system, but we: are not there quite yet. He emphasized that the town had come al long way over the past five years and that most of the staff and PD officers had worked through those lean years and remained faithful to the town. He felt that the raises in that time had been low, particularly during COVID and that the town now had the opportunity to reward those people for thej job that theyl had done. Thel Mayor decided tol leave the meeting there andi it was decided to meet again on) July 27 at 6:00p pm.  ist the time tol bring the payl levels up to that of other cities.  was discussed as he earnt more than Jane and some oft the police officers.  conversation with the HR attorney.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:37 pm. Respertfulysubmitted, ERI  Clerk   at 09  Zx  Town ofA Astatula Budget Workshop Minutes July 18,2022 Page3of3