Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Sheet 1  March 14, 2019  County of Greene, Virginia  THE GREENE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MET ON THURSDAY, MARCH 14,  2019 BEGINNING AT 5:30P.M. IN THE COUNTY MEETING ROOM.  Present were:  Bill Martin, Chair Michelle Flynn, Vice Chair David Cox, Member Marie Durrer, Member Dale Herring, Member  Staff present:  Brenda Garton, Interim County Administrator Tracy Morris, Finance Director Patti Vogt, Deputy Clerk Jim Frydl, Director ofl Planning and Zoning Melissa Meador, Director of Emergency Services  RE: CALL TO ORDER RE: SHERIFF  The Chairman called the meeting to order.  Sheriff Steve Smith said he was "shell-shocked" by the budget presentation last week. He knows the County is in al hard spot this year but he needs everything he asked for. Sheriff Smith reviewed the cuts that were made tol his budget request for FY 19-20. He felt he could probably work with overtime and was ok with part-time salaries as long as his request for additional positions is approved. The Circuit Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court are both adding additional days. He was concerned about nothing being allowed for unemployment compensation and asked where funds would come from to cover claims. He also noted the cut to medical expenses which covers random drug testing. He said the amount for radio maintenance won't be known until it is needed. The cut to telecommunications could affect the provision of mobile CAD service to fire and rescue. Sheriff Smith said he could work with the cut to training. He also said the funding for advertising, which is used to advertise for new positions, was totally  cut out.    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Sheet 2  RE: BOARD COMMENTS  Mr. Martin said he accepts the broad line he sees in the proposed budget. He does not see an emergency but a sign that we're taking a step back and he thinks this is going to be a tough year. He supports the addition ofap position in the' Treasurer's Office and suggested the salary raise for school staff be increased from 2%1 to 3%. Mr. Martin said he also wanted tol help the Sheriff with his requests or at least add one full-time deputy position for the courts. He said the Board can either find new revenue, cut expenditures, or use fund balance to cover the additional funding. Mrs. Flynn said Greene County is not "on fire" and there is no critical emergency. We are at aj pivotal point where wei need to look atl how we're doing business. Every Board, including this one, makes the best decisions with the information available at the time. She said she is proud to bej part ofal Board that has established a clear vision and mission and has tackled difficult situations and challenges to move our community forward. Every member oft this Board sacrifices because they believe in public service to the community. She appreciates the hard work that the Interim County Administrator and staff1 fhave put in this process, which has brought to light that there are some flaws in our approach to putting together budget requests. There are also flaws in the projected revenue figures provided. The Board responded to requests by taxpayers to spend down thei reserve and not raise taxes. The new County Administrator will begin in a few weeks and he may have a completely different approach. The Board has worked hard to get away from the atmosphere of departments being pitted against one another and she doesn't want to go back to that. She would rather take a slow and steady approach to fix what is perceived as broken rather Mrs. Flynn asked ifdepartments requesting new positions had looked at cutting other areas tos support a new position. She has heard that the raise for school personnel is not fair. She noted there are far more unfunded mandates in our public education system than anywhere else she knows ofi in our community. The mandated education level and training for most instructional, administrative, and support positions is far beyond what is required for other positions in our county and are harder to fill. There are rarely vacancies in the county government and positions are coveted. Recruitment and retention of school staff with minimum qualifications is becoming more competitive. She asked Board members to keep this in mind when moving forward with Mr. Herring said the Board can "pull the band aid off" and not do a gradual transition but ito could hurt the County more in the future. The population is growing and industry is coming. Mrs. Durrer agreed with previous comments saying we do not need a "band aid fix". She supports a deputy position fori the' Treasurer; atl least 1 full-time deputy for the Sheriff; and approval of the transition of Animal Control Officers to full-time positions. She said she appreciates the Mr. Cox agreed that we're not in crisis mode yet and said the tax rate should have been increased a little each year. It's not fair to throw a $.20 tax increase on citizens all at one time. This is the first time the budget has been thoroughly reviewed in great detail and he appreciates this much needed process. Mr. Cox said he would not be in favor of borrowing funds to operate. Mrs. Flynn said she also supports the position in the Treasurer's Office and another full- time deputy due to significantly higher demand by the courts. She also wished the tax rate had  than take drastic measures that will set us back.  considerations.  Wei need to keep moving forward in order to avoid losing in the future.  work done by Ms. Garton and Ms. Morris on the budget.    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Sheet 3  been raised in small increments over time. She said she would be in favor ofa smaller tax increase and taking more funds out of the reserve if that's what has to be done. Mr. Martin agreed that it RE: DISCUSSIONOF COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY19- Referring to a chart on fund balance, Ms. Garton said the actual year end fund balance was pulled from audits, the school and county loan funds werei removed from the FY 2017-2018 figure. The Board discussed adding the Deputy Treasurer position; the Deputy Sheriff position; and the transition of one part-time Animal Control Officer to full-time. Sheriff Smith said the full-time deputy position would be in the courtroom and will answer calls when court is not in session. The. Animal Control Officer could attend deputy training and assist deputies when needed. Major Swingler said they currently have two spare patrol cars and asked about the possibility of retaining a car that would have been turned in this year for the new deputy position. Mr. Martin said the Sheriff's Department vehicles are being taken to a local garage for service rather the County Vehicle Maintenance Facility. He suggested the Sheriff bring his vehicles back to VMF for servicing and the Sheriff's Office will not be charged for repairs and maintenance. SheriffSmith said that would bel hard tol beat and as long as the vehicles are serviced, he would agree. Major Swingler mentioned that service is taking less time at the local garage. Mrs. Flynn said that is something that can be monitored and addressed ifit becomes an issue. Ms. Garton said funds for fuel will have to be left in the line item but there would be no charge for Mr. Martin also noted ticket and summons revenue is down significantly for the current year. Ift that number were up to where it has been historically, it would help with the budget and future needs for staff. Major Swingler said deputies do not have time to run radar due to the large volume of calls being answered. Mr. Martin said it would be helpful if tickets were written to Major Swingler asked about the operating hours of the vehicle maintenance facility. Sheriff Smith said the county facility closes early in the summer and that creates a problem. Ms. Garton said she has already told staff at the VMF that they will not be changing to summer hours and that needs to be worked through with the new County Administrator. Mr. Cox said there needs tol be communication between the Sheriff and the VMF staffto schedule the maintenance of vehicles. Ms. Garton also said the markup on parts will be eliminated effective July 1, 2019 sO Mr. Herring wanted to discuss elecommunications and the CAD system for emergency service vehicles. Major Swingler said each fire department has the equipment in two vehicles and there will be equipment in two vehicles for the rescue squad. The requested amount is to cover the cost of data. Major Swingler said he did not think there were any other areas that could be cut further saying Ms. Garton had cut them pretty hard. The Board agreed to add $6,240 back to the It was noted that funds to cover unemployment claims were removed from departments  would have been wiser to raise the tax rate al little each year.  20  maintenance of vehicles.  benefit the county versus the state.  repair costs should decrease for all departments.  telecommunications line item for the Sheriff's Office.  and any claims for unemployment would be covered from the contingency fund.    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Sheet 4  Mr. Herring asked ift the changes will impact overtime and part-time costs. Major Swingler said he would need to check figures before answering that question. Mr. Martin asked if the ticket/'summons revenue could be increased for FY 2020 and if an estimate could be provided. Mrs. Flynn asked ift the Treasurer knew of any line item in her budget that could be cut to offset the additional deputy position. Mrs. Deal said she reviewed her budget and did not see where else she could cut. Mrs. Deal said she plans to work with the Commissioner of Revenue on Mr. Herring said, according to the information by the State, the locality may provide the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office with additional funding using a different formula than stated to accommodate the additional workload resulting from the requirement to review, redact and present footage from body worn cameras. Mr. Herring said $90,000 for a full-time position is a lot since Greene only has 171 body cameras. Mr. Hardin agreed saying he thinks this is a bad law. Mr. Herring asked if Mr. Hardin would be willing to work with the Board on this. Mr. Herring said $25,000 would be the amount per the formula. Mr. Hardin asked what could he fund with that money. Mr. Herring said the money could cover overtime and asked Mr. Hardin what he would suggest. Mr. Hardin said his policyi is to give the defense attorney the footage and he is then informed if there is a violation or problem. The part of the proposal that would force him to review all body camera footage has been delayed until July, 2020. Mr. Hardin said initially this position is county funded and he is required to keep track of time spent on the review of body camera footage sO ai formula to share the cost with the State can be developed. Mr. Hardin said he would be glad to discuss the matter with county staff. Mr. Herring suggested the Board change the amount to $25,000 in the budget knowing it may have to be increased at a later point. Ms. Garton suggested using a $60,000 figure. Mrs. Flynn asked Mr. Hardin ifl he considered reducing non-mandated staff to make up for the added position. Mr. Hardin said all his staff are funded by The Board moved on to discussion of the school budget. Mr. Martin suggested adding $254,000 for an additional 1% salary increase for school staff. Mrs. Flynn fully supported that proposal and said she would like to find a way to do more than a 2% increase for school staff. Mr. Cox said salaries also play into retention. Mrs. Durrer agreed with an increase if possible. It was the consensus of Board members to add 1% to the proposed salary increase for school staff and they then discussed using fund balance to cover the amount. Ms. Garton said anything the Board does in regards to use of fund balance that is less than last year is an improvement. Mr. Cox said he would rather add another $0.01 or $0.015 to thei tax rate to cover the changes. He did not want Mrs. Meador said there is a possibility she may know about a grant for the purchase of breathing apparatus for the fire departments before the budget is adopted. Mr. Cox asked how many units are needed. Mrs. Meador said the number needed is 75 packs and 150 bottles. Discussion about thej pay study for county employees followed. Thel last study wasi in 2007. Mrs. Flynn suggested that study oft the job descriptions andj pay scale needs tol be done at the same time. Ms. Garton said it is fairly typical for a new County Administrator to look at the way an organization is set up and make changes, sO there is some logic to doing the study at the same time  Major Swingler said he would provide that estimate after review.  the collection of the meals tax.  the Compensation Board or a grant.  to use additional fund balance for operating costs.    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Sheet 5  he is making changes. Mr. Cox said this study is way overdue. Mr. Martin suggested this be an item fori thenext County Administrator to address and that itl bei removed from thej proposed budget. Mr. Herring questioned $20,000: for the set up oft the enterprise center. Mr. Martin said the proposal is for ai new office for economic development, tourism and visitor center. It will be like Mrs. Durrer asked iff facilityrenovations could be split between two years. Ms. Garton said the original number in the budget was $250,000 which was reduced to $100,000. She suggested the Board could borrow the money needed to do all the needed renovations. It was the consensus Major Swingler said he could cut the part-time line item by an additional $15,000. He asked ifthe Board would allow the Sheriff's Office to keep a second vehicle to be used as a spare. Major Swingler also said he would suggest $20,000 could be added to the ticket revenue. Mrs.  ab business center with space available for rent.  ofBoard members to take that money out ofthe] proposed budget.  Durrer said tol keep in mind that not all tickets are paid. The Chair called a 10-minute recess.  Mr. Cox recommended the County purchase diesel school buses rather than gas. Dr Whitmarsh said she would appreciate an opportunity to speak with her Transportation Manager about gas VS. diesel. Mrs. Flynn said she would defer to staffv who made recommendations. Ms. Garton said the amount coming from fund balance for operating costs at this point is $312,267. The grand total from fund balance, including one-time expenditures, is $2,078,200. Mrs. Flynn said she is comfortable with that amount and she would love to see the tax increase at Mrs. Stephanie Deal, Treasurer, said she is concerned about the level of cash flow hitting al low point in April and pointed out that the separation ofu use of fund balance between operating expenses and one-time expenditures does not eliminate the impact on cash. In response to a question by Mrs. Flynn, Mrs. Deal said it is not common among localities to have some type of borrowing agreement with the bank. She felt the County is going to have to start putting money Mr. Cox suggested increasing the tax ratel by $0.065 and Mrs. Flynn suggested $0.04 while Ms. Garton recommended $0.05. Mrs. Durrer said she was leaning towards $0.05 but could goup or down. Mr. Herring said he felt $0.05 was good. Mrs. Flynn said she could agree to $0.05. Mr. Martin agreed with $0.05 also. The advertised rate would be 2 cents higher than the agreed upon rate. The Board discussed the advertisement ofas slightly higher tax rate than what the anticipated adopted rate would be. Ms. Garton gave examples ofthel Board increasing the allocation to schools or the additional unit for the Rescue Squad coming in higher than anticipated as possible reasons the Board would want to increase the tax rate. Advertising a slightly higher tax rate would allow the Board room to increase allocations above what is included in the proposed budget ift they sO  $0.04 rather than $0.05.  back into reserve sO we don'thave an issue.  desired.  The Chair called another short recess.    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Sheet 6  RE: RESOLUTIONS TO AUTHORIZE ADVERTISEMENT OF PROPOSED 2019 TAX Ms. Garton reviewed the two resolutions she had for the Board to consider. The first resolution states the proposed budget is balanced with a real estate tax rate of $0.82 but the rate advertised will be $0.84 and the ad will incorporate language to that effect. No other changes in Upon motion by David Cox, second by Dale Herring and unanimous roll call vote, the  RATES AND PROPOSED FY 19-20 BUDGET  rates were prepared.  Board approved the tax rate resolution. (See Attachment "A")  Recorded vote:  Bill Martin Michelle Flynn David Cox Marie Durrer Dale Herring  Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes  Motion carried.  The second resolution is to authorize the County Administrator to advertise the proposed Upon motion by David Cox, second by Marie Durrer and unanimous roll call vote, the Board approved the resolution authorizing the advertisement oft the proposed budget for FY 2020  budget for FY 2020 in the total amount of$94,766,011. in the total amount of $94,766,011. (See Attachment "B")  Recorded vote:  Bill Martin Michelle Flynn David Cox Marie Durrer Dale Herring  Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes  Motion carried.  Ms. Garton reiterated that the use off fund balance is $2,085,155 in the proposed budget for  FY2019-2020. RE: ADJOURN  The meeting scheduled for March 18 was cancelled and this meeting was adjourned.  -  Wak Whaf William Bryan Maryin, Chair Greene County Board of Supervisors  Ma  Mark B. Taylor, Clérk Greene County Board of Supervisors    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Attachment "A"  RESOLUTIONTO. AUTHORIZE THE. ADVERTISING OF THE CALENDAR  YEAR 2019 TAX RATES (FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020)  WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors has discussed the tax rates for calendar year 2019 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Greene County Board of Supervisors hereby authorizes the County Administrator to advertise the following tax rates for calendar year 2019  (Fiscal Year 2020) during their budget workshop,  (Fiscal Year 2020) and to do all things necessary to give this resolution effect:  Real Estate Public Service Corp. Personal Property  $0.84 $0.84 $5.00 $0.00 $2.50  Except Farm Machinery & Livestock Industrial Machinery & Tools  Adopted this 14th day of March, 2019.  Motion: lex Second: lkering Recorded Vote: David L. Cox Marie C. Durrer Michelle Flynn Dale R. Herring Bill Martin  Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes.  ATTEST:  UShhet William Bryan Martin, Chair Greene County Board of Supervisors  Brenda G. Garton, Clerk Greene County Board of Supervisors    Board of Supervisors March 14, 2019 Attachment "B"  RESOLUTION: TO AUTHORIZE THE ADVERTISING OF THE BUDGET  FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020  WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors has discussed the budget for Fiscal Year 2020 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Greene County Board of Supervisors hereby authorizes the County Administrator to advertise the attached budget for Fiscal Year 2020 in the total amount of $94,766,011 and to do all things necessary to give this resolution  during their budget workshop,  effect.  Adopted this 14"h day of March, 2019.  Motion: Cax Second: Tuver Recorded Vote: David L. Cox Marie C. Durrer Michelle Flynn Dale R. Herring Bill Martin  Yes Yes Yes Yes_ Yes_  ATTEST:  William  daat Greene County Board of Supervisors  hv /Brenda G. Garton, Clerk Greene County Board of Supervisors  Bryan Chair Martin,  Hhk