Board of Supervisors March 3, 2020 Sheet 1  March 3, 2020  County of Greene, Virginia  THE GREENE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MET ON' TUESDAY,MARCH3,2020,  BEGINNING AT 5:301 P.M. IN THE COUNTY MEETING ROOM.  Present were:  Bill Martin, Chair Marie Durrer, Vice Chair Steve Bowman, Member Dale Herring, Member Davis Lamb, Member Mark B. Taylor, County Administrator Patti Vogt, Deputy Clerk Tracy Morris, Director of] Finance  Staffp present:  RE: SCHOOL BOARD  Members oft the School Board and staff present included: Ms. Sharon Mack, Chair; Todd Sansom, Vice Chair; Leah Paladino, Member; Jason Collier, Member; Jason Tooley, Member; Andrea Whitmarsh, Superintendent, Kristie Spencer, Director of Financial and Human Resources; Bryan Huber, Assistant Superintendent; and Kyle Pursel, Director of Administrative Service. Ms. Mack said the proposed budget is a whittled down must have list of needs including additional staff and programming. There is a significant investment that goes for support of behavioral staffing needs and programs and expansion oft the alternative education program to the middle school. The proposed budget includes an assistant principal at the primary school and an Schools are being expected to do more in raising children, teaching them to deal with social situations, deal with conflict, all while providing an education. Ms. Mack agreed with Mr. Ms. Mack said there is also a request for a 4% salary increase for staff that aligns with the average increase across the region. The CPI (Consumer Price Index) of2.5%, which is basically Greene has become a model division in many ways with innovative and creative ways to prepare children tol be successful ini their futures. All schools have been accredited for the last five years. Test scores are not the focus. Being able to generate children who can be successful in their futures is. Tests are one way of measuring progress. No test score can really measure how  increase inj pay for bus drivers.  Bowman that a community effort is needed to deal with that trend. the cost ofliving increase, was referenced at the last meeting.  prepared a student is to be successful in their future.    Board of Supervisors March 3, 2020 Sheet 2  Ms. Mack thanked the Board for their support oft the schools and asked Board members to Dr. Whitmarsh said enrollment for K thru 12 is 2,984 students and 40 preschoolers are housed at the primary school. There is a total of 473 staff members and of that number, 4% are administrators and 53% are teachers. Highly qualified staff is 93.44% and 66% of school staff The School vision is empowering our community's children for life-long success. Their mission is to engage all students through learning that is innovative, personalized, and relevant. Core values in strategic plan are collaboration and communication with all stakeholders; safe and supportive learning environment; efficient utilization of resources; and innovation and academic  please consider their requested budget.  resides in Greene County.  excellence.  School Board priorities for 2019-2020 include: Support the implementation of Innovate 2021 Provide competitive compensation and benefits for all staff  Focus on the support, recruitment, and retention of the most highly qualified educators, Dr. Whitmarsh reviewed the budget development process which began with a detailed analysis of needs and careful examination of utilization of resources for efficiency and effectiveness. Over $1.3 million in requests were considered and evaluated. There is thej potential ofa $250,000 cost impact with changes in funding for the Regional Special Education Program based on current information. Dr. Whitmarsh also reviewed data for fall enrollment, limited English proficient students, economically disadvantaged students, chronic absenteeism, and Retaining and attracting the highest quality and student focused educators remains a priority for the division. The School Board is advocating for a 4% salary increase for employees to remain competitive. Also, there are adjustments to transportation substitute pay and the bus driver scale as drivers are also very difficult to come by. The VRS rate increased by 5.3% to 19.17%. Good news is the health insurance increase was flat SO no additional increase there. The The Local Composite Index (LCI), which is the calculation oft the localities ability to pay educational costs, increased to .3446 up from 3321. This represents a 3.76% increase. The Schools did everything they could toi minimize thei increase for local funding and there is an minimal  leaders, and support staff  students with disabilities.  school still has vacant positions this year that they have not been able to fill.  amount of debt retirement, just under $18,000, for FY 2021.  Budget objectives include: Personnel VRS Rate Increase Positions  $2,082,550 205,000 70,000 753,000 $(1,037,938)  4% raise (including VRS & FICA) - 1,054,550  Transportation adjustment/pay) Non-Personnel: (decrease)    Board of Supervisors March 3, 2020 Sheet 3  The FY 2021 budget proposal includes:  Starting local revenue Expected federal revenue Expected state revenue Expected other revenue Projected annual revenue Total personnel costs (VRS, salary increase And new positions) Total non-personnel Additional local revenue requested Proposed FY 2021 budget  $17,465,112 $2,080,000 $20,380,438 $ 494,000 $40,419,550 $1,634,086 $(1,037,938) $596.148 $41,015,698  The request is for an additional $596,148 in local funding which is an increase of3.41% Ms. Mack addressed a question by Mr. Lamb at the previous meeting regarding a 4.81% salary increase for teachers. She explained that the figure is an average of two different populations of] people. Mr. Lamb said Dr. Whitmarsh had explained it to him earlier. Mr. Tooley said the school psychologist, counselor, and behavioral analyst are real needs to get students thel help they need. He felt the schools are moving int thei right direction. Mr. Lamb asked ift the School partners with the Department of Social Services. Mr. Tooley said the School is a mandated reporter. Dr. Whitmarsh said the School has a partnership with Region Ten to provide therapeutic day treatment workers to work with children with significant needs who qualify for Medicaid. There is less access to that for students with the current interpretation of Mr. Sansom acknowledged the hard work done by school administrators. Dr. Whitmarsh and her team continue to work long hours and set the positive and inspiring tone for all Greene County schools. Thel budget request is asking for what they truly need. No wants, only needs. Our schools have taken a giant step forward. He has heard only positive feedback on the building additions. Thereisagrowing: national crisis ini recruiting and keeping skilled and qualified teachers in the classroom. According to Forbes.com, on a national basis, 44% of new teachers leave the field within 5 years. Greene must bei the preferred choice in the region by educators and must stay competitive with pay for teachers. The proposed 4% salary increase makes the statement that we appreciate your work and we invest in our own future. Come to Greene where you are valued. Alternative education, special education, behavioral specialists, and mental health advocates are the newest warriors in the fight to raise our children right. Mr. Sansom urged the Board of Dr. Whitmarsh said additional information will bej provided as it becomes available.  regulations.  Supervisors to continue to see thei importance ofinvesting in our schools.  RE: SHERIFF'S OFFICE  Sheriff Smith said he is requesting 4 full-time patrol deputies and 2 full-time dispatchers. Hej provided data on population growth and increase in calls for his department. Greene currently has 12.5 patrol deputies with an average of 3,592 calls per deputy. There were 44,897 calls in 2019. Sheriff Smith shared information on fire, rescue, and animal control calls; circuit court hearings; general district court hearings; number of civil papers served; transport miles; and    Board of Supervisors March 3, 2020 Sheet 4  transport hours. Deputies have more to do than just law enforcement. They are counselors, grief counselors, and help parents with their kids. Sheriff Smith said he would not request additional positions ifhe did not have to and asked Board member to give consideration to hisl budget request. He also asked that his office be allowed to retain any money left over in his budget every year for capital improvement. He would use those funds to build a range. Greene is currently using Mr. Bowman said the Sheriff clearly needs a range and training facility. He referred to a study done by the County of Shenandoah several years ago. It was estimated that 50% oft the time deputies should be able to doj preventive control. Sheriff Smith said it is not near 50%1 but deputies do as much as they can. Greene is a very busy county. In response to a question by Mr. Bowman about the 6-month budget appropriation, Sheriff Smith said iti is al big problem for his department. Mr. Lamb questioned overtime pay. Major Swingler said $47,780 was paid in overtime last year. Deputies work al lot of overtime but are getting to the point that they would rather have the time off which is allowed when possible. Sheriff Smith said it is hard to compete with Albemarle County who pays really good money. He is afraid Greene will become a training ground if we can't get more: money for deputies and dispatchers. Major Swingler said it takes 1 Mr. Bowman asked what Next Generation 911 will do for time per call. Major Swingler said it is supposed to significantly cut time down and make it a whole lot easier for dispatch. Mr. Mr. Herring questioned coverage at courts. Major Swingler said the 4 new deputies are strictly for patrol. There are times when he has to pull a road deputy to assist in the transport of prisoners. The Department is fully staffed as far as deputies and has 1 dispatch position they are in the hiring process to fill. Mr. Herring asked what constitutes a call for a deputy. A call is Mrs. Durrer asked ift the Compensation Board will be providing additional funding. Major  Madison County'sr range.  Several vendors required payment of thet total amount.  year to train a deputy and 121 to 16 months to train a 911 dispatcher.  Bowman believes it will take longer.  anything that ties up a deputy.  Swingler said a request was made but he has no idea ifit will be approved.  RE: COMMONWEALTES ATTORNEY  Mr. Win Consolvo said there is not a whole lot of change from the previous year. He hopes to fill the position that is % grant funded and % county funded to make it a full-time position. The Compensation Board lists Greene County as number 5 on the list for needing an additional Mr. Bowman asked how appeals arel handled. Mr. Consolvo said any case that is appealed is handled by the lead attorney on that case or he will handle it personally. When it is appealed from the Circuit Court to the Court of Appeals, his office writes the briefi in opposition to appeal. Ifan appeal is granted, the. Attorney General's office takes it from that point forward. Mr. Herring asked ift the review ofbody camera footage is still a local funded item. Mr. Consolvo said yes unless it changes in thel budget this year. Greene County has 191 body cameras.  attorney. Mr. Consolvo said his office needs additional storage space for files.    Board of Supervisors March 3, 2020 Sheet 5  RE: TREASURER'S OFFICE  Mrs. Stephanie Deal thanked the Board for the additional position granted last year saying she has seen positive changes for her office. There was an increase of $100,000 in collections from July 1 to December 31 as compared to same time last year. Mrs. Deal said she completed educational requirements for master governmental treasurer certification and asked ift the County Mrs. Deal implored the Board tol keep our cash flow balances ini mind as they proceed with the budget process. The low balance was $3.3 million in October, 2019 which is about the equivalent of one current payroll. Reserve funds in the amount of$1.4 million were used to cover school debt service last year. Mrs. Deal said she is concerned about the cash flow balance if the Board plans to do that again this year. The reserve is at the lowest point since last April. Mr. Martin said the reserve balance is in compliance with the adopted policy. The balance is calculated as ofJ June 30 each year. Mrs. Deal felt the reserve should be appropriatelyinereased Mr. Herring said the position added was approved to work in the Treasurer's Office and for the Commissioner of Revenue. Mrs. Deal said she is getting her office straight first and then Mrs. Deal said credit card payments for taxes have stayed steady. She has plans to make things easier and more efficient. There is a 3% fee to use a credit card when paying and that feei is charged and collected by the credit card company. She plans to try to negotiate that figure down  would be able to fund increase that should come with that certification.  for emergencies.  the position will work with the Commissioner's Office on difficult accounts.  and also to offer a free way to pay like an e-check. RE: COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR  Mr. Taylor apologized for not having a proposed budget at this point in the process. To get to that, it is necessary to identify the revenue we anticipate for the coming fiscal year and we have experienced grievous challenges in securing projections ofrevenue from the Commissioner's Office. He said he appreciated the diligence and effort of constitutional officers and county staff Staff has been pursuing the updating of the real estate tax base and identification of proposed new revenue since late in December. As of late January, they were given a projection anticipating an additional $70 million in new construction to come onto County tax rolls which would have generated $574,000 in new: revenue at the current tax rate. That projection has been recast and decreased by 35% to a level that is projected to produce under $375,000 in new tax Mr. Taylor said he has followed a modified zero-based budgeting strategy. Budget submittals have been reviewed for opportunities to eliminate or reduce spending. His goal is to present al balanced budget without recommending a tax increase as taxpayers were asked to paya a There is an approximate 15% increase int the cost ofhealth insurance for county employees this year which amounts to around $233,000. There is a need for a new position of Clerk of the Works for the water impoundment project. There is a challenge in continuing to provide EMS service to the community. The County is currently funding all shift paid service on EMS under a contract with UVA. It has been ai number of years since our workforce has been asked or expected  in working on budget proposals and adhering to time constraints.  revenue.  significant five cent increase last year.    Board of Supervisors March 3, 2020 Sheet 6  to pay a greater share of the cost of their health insurance. Mr. Taylor believes there is room to make some adjustment to the employee contribution that will be fair to the workforce and the employer. The State should be supporting a great share of State supported salaries and an increase  for those positions. RE: ADJOURN  The meeting was adjourned. The Board will discuss the proposed budget again on. March  10th during their regular meeting.  - hat  William Mih  Bryan Martn, Chair Greene County Board of Supervisors  Mark B. Taylor, Clerk/ KIB Greene County Board of Supervisors