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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-03-22 adj M.B. 43,Pg. 298 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 1) An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on March 22, 1993, at 1:00 P.M., Meeting Room 7, County Office Building, McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. PRESENT: Mr. Edward H. Bain, Jr., Mr. David P. Bowerman, Mrs. Char- lotte Y. Humphris, Mr. Charles S. Martin (arrived at 1:11 p.m.) and Mr. Walter F. Perkins. ABSENT: Mr. Forrest R. Marshall, Jr. OFFICERS PRESENT: County Executive, Robert W. Tucker, Jr.; Deputy County Executive, Richard E. Huff, II; Assistant County Executive, Robert B. Brandenburger; and Executive Assistant, Roxanne W. White. Agenda Item No. 1. The meeting was called to order at 1:06 P.M. by the Chairman, Mr. Bowerman. Agenda Item No. 2. Work Session: 1993-94 County Budget: Mr. Bowerman asked Board members to think about providing the County Executive with some guidance on the budget following today's work session. Mr. Marshall has already indicated his desire for a tax rate decrease. Parks & Recreation, Patrick Mullaney, Director, Present. Requested $921,738; Recommended $908,803. Mr. Huff said Parks & Recreation's budget is broken down into seven major divisions; a new division was added this year for the Teen Center program. The overall budget increases by $53,782 (6.3 percent) to a total of $908,803. This reflects a 4.4 percent increase in salaries, a 4.6 percent increase in benefits, a nine percent increase in operations and a $6575 (100 percent) increase in capital item replacement. Significant increases are $12,715 in part-time wages, $3960 in health benefits and $8760 in health services for hepatitis shots. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no recommended changes. Parks & Recreation - Administration. Requested $158,360; Recommended $154,605. Mr. Huff said the Administration budget increases by $849 (0.6 percent) reflecting a 1.6 percent increase in salaries, a 5.2 percent decrease in fringe benefits and a 3.2 percent increase in operating expenses. The only significant change in this department was the distribution of workers compen- sation changes to each division for a total decrease of $2183 in this divisio- n's budget. The expanded program request for a temporary office assistant ($3750) to work from mid-May through August to assist in general office duties during the season of heavy usage of County parks and facilities was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Parks & Recreation - Maintenance. Requested $351,300; Recommended $349,825. Mr. Huff said the Maintenance division has nine full-time employees. The budget increases by $24,320 (7.5 percent) reflecting a 3.4 percent increase in salaries, an 11.5 percent increase in benefits, an 8.1 percent increase in operating costs and a $6275 (100 percent) increase in capital equipment. Significant changes include a $2347 (100 percent) increase in workers compensation, $1365 (19.2 percent) increase in vehicle equipment and fuel, a $1895 (100 percent) increase in safety equipment and supplies, $2325 to replace three worn out commercial grade weed trimmers, $2400 to replace three two-way radios, $1050 to replace two commercial grade wet/dry vacuum cleaners and $1550 to replace a tractor mounted post hole digger. The expanded program request for equipment ($1475) was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Parks & Recreation - S,,mmer Swim. Requested $206,948; Recommended $206,948. Mr. Huff said the Summer Swim program's budget increases by $12,752 (6.4 percent) increase in salaries, a 9.4 percent decrease in benefits and a 28.4 percent increase in operating expenses. The only significant change in this division's budget was the increase of $4800 in health services for OSHA required hepatitis shots and an increase of $9760 (6.3 percent) to cover increased costs of lifeguard wages. There were no expanded program requests. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adj°urh~~in~i~ (Page 2) There were no changes recommended. M.B. 43, Pg. 299 Parks & Recreation - Athletic & Classes. Requested $85,823; Recommended $85,337. Mr. Huff said the overall Athletics and Classes division's budget increases by $8307 (10.8 percent) reflecting a 20.8 percent increase in salaries, a 73.5 percent increase in benefits and a 3.6 percent increase in operations. Significant increase include a $3245 (37.8 percent) increase in part-time wages to hire higher quality gym supervisors and to increase the number of teams in the adult youth and basketball leagues. Increasing the number of teams in the league is revenue neutral as costs are returned in user fees. Additional increases in the budget include $1845 increase in instruc- tional services for classes and $1540 in health insurance costs for the program supervisor. The instructional service increase is revenue neutral as the costs are returned in service fees. The expanded program request to expand the Adult Basketball Program is revenue neutral and therefore has been funded. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Parks & Recreation - Community Centers. Requested $44,309; Recommended $44,309. Mr. Huff said the overall Community Center budget increases by $985 (2.3 percent) reflecting a 5.8 percent increase in salaries, an 8 percent increase in benefits and a .5 percent increase in operations. There were no signifi- cant increases in this division's line item budget. There were no expanded program requests. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Parks & Recreation - Special Activities. Requested $74,998; Recommended $67,779. Mr. Huff said the Special Activities division's budget increased by $6569 (10.7 percent) reflecting a .4 percent decline in salaries, a .5 percent increase in benefits, a 31.9 percent increase in operations and a $300 (100 percent) increase in capital purchases. Significant increases in line items are $3240 increase for hepatitis shots as required by OSHA, a $1270 increase in the County's share of joint City-County therapeutic recreation program and $1897 increase in automotive insurance. The expanded program request of $3455 for Cale and Agnor/Hurt Playground Programs was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Parks & Recreation - Teen Center. Requested $53,860; Recommended $0. Mr. Huff said the Teen Center was appropriated $5930 in the current year. The County's next fiscal year share for operations is $19,328. Also requested was $36,595 in contingency money for either rent or purchase of a suitable site. The 'Teen Center is not funded in the recommended budget, however, it is in essence a committed project. Motion was offered by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Bain, to add $19,328 for Teen Center operations on the list of unfunded items to be considered. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall Parks a Recreation - Rivanna Park. Requested $100,272; Recommended $100,272. Mr. Huff said Rivanna Park's budget decreases by $2658 (2.6 percent) over FY 1992-93 due to realignment of the County's share in the total budget based on usage. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Donna Selle, Executive Director, Present. Requested $1,108,011; Recommended $1,098,641. Mr. Huff said the Regional Library's budget increases by $30,691 (2.9 percent). This does not include Northside Library. The expanded program request of $9370 for increased hours at Crozet and Scottsville was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. . "-' M.B. 43, Pg. 300 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjo~ M~eting) (Page 3) Ms. Cyndy Caughron, Ms. Christine Baker and Ms. Shirley Dorrier, County representatives on the Library Board were also present. Ms. Caughron invited Board members to the Library to see some of the festivities that are currently going occurring. She asked Board members to fully fund the Library's budget request. Ms. Caughron said the Library is growing, circulation has increased, the number of residents using the Library has increased and the number of materials has increased. Even though the Library had a 14 percent increase in circulation in Albemarle in the past year and the rent at Northside increased by a small amount, the budget is down by $29,000 from the previous year. This year the budget includes increasing the hours of the two part-time positions in Scottsville and Crozet. Circulation at those libraries have increased. Ms. Caughron reminded Board members that the Northside branch was opened without an increase in staff. Staff was pulled from the other branches for Northside without hiring any new people at those branches. That means that everyone is working in the system at top capacity and they do not have any backups for people on vacations, emergencies and illnesses that take them away. Mr. Bain asked what is the current circulation at Northside for the City and County and what percentage is the City paying. Ms. Selle said the circulation at Northside is approximately 300,000; the usage from Albemarle is 81.02 percent and the usage from the City is 18.98 percent. Mr. Bowerman asked if there was any other county usage at Northside. Ms. Selle replied "yes"; that is reflected in the regional costs. Mr. Bowerman asked how many books were originally placed in Northside and how many are currently there. Ms. Selle said there were 20,000 books on opening day at Northside; 30,000 books as of June 30, 1992; and today there are 40,000 books. Mr. Perkins asked if the Library has some carryover funds available. Mr. Huff replied "yes"; a request for those funds will be coming to the Board at its next regular meeting. There were no changes recommended. Jefferson Madison Regional Library - Northside. Requested $343,479; Recommended $343,479. Mr. Huff said the County's share of Northside's branch decreases by $69,345 (16.8 percent) reflecting the first year of the City of Charlottes- ville's payment of $80,464 for its share of services and a $10,000 decrease in one time book purchases for Northside. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Virginia Discovery Museum, Peppy G. Linden, Director, Present. Request- ed $21,000; Recommended $21,000. Ms. White said the FY 1993-94 budget request is $21,000, a $1000 (eight percent) increase over FY 1991-92. In the past the County has received a · Local Government Grant from the Virginia Commission of the Arts ranging anywhere from $1000 to $2500 depending on state funding. The FY 1992-93 allocation includes $1000 from the Commission. Level funding of $21,000 is recommended for the Discovery Museum, which includes an anticipated $1000 grant from the Virginia Commission of the Arts. There were no expanded program requests. Ms. Linden thanked the Board for its support of the only youth museum in Central Virginia. Last year their admissions exceeded 41,000 which represents an eight percent increase. According to their guests book they had visitors from 44 states and 23 countries. On ten separate days last year the museum had to close its doors briefly because it had reached the fire code maximum for attendance. Young people came on field trips to the museum last year from 20 sites in the County. The museum has not added a staff position in five years so it is dependent on volunteers who contributed more than 5400 hours last year. One-half of the volunteers come from Albemarle County. Ms. Linden then highlighted some of the museum's special programs. There were no changes recommended. Piedmont Council of the Arts, Cat Maguire, Executive Director, Present. Requested $7,500; Recommended $7,210. Ms. White said Piedmont Co%mcil of the Arts requested an increase of $500 over its FY 1992-93 allocation of $7000, which included a $1000 grant from the Virginia Commission of the Arts. Funding is recommended atthe baseline level of $7210 which reflects a three percent increase over the total FY 1992-93 appropriation. This allocation includes a projected $1000 grant from the Virginia Commission of the Arts. There were no expanded program requests. March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adj°~ Meeting) (Page 4) M.B. 43, Pg. 301 Ms. Maguire said Piedmont Council of the Arts is dedicated to promoting, coordinating and serving the arts that enrich the lives of everyone in this region. They are the only cultural agency in this area of Virginia that supports the whole arts community. They support local artists anda~t organizations through their services, i.e., employment opportunities, promo- tional assistance, fiscal and management consultation, equipment and space use. The needs of the community at-large are met not only through service to direct members, but also by community outreach programs, i.e., ARTS ALIVE and Arts in Education. ARTS ALIVE was initiated in 1989 and provides access to the arts to undeserved populations while the Arts in Education Program works in coalition with community schools to enhance and enrich arts related education available to the areas young people. Piedmont Council of the Arts has been very active with the County's school system. The organization attempts to support the art curriculum and teachers in the school system. She estimates that in 1992 they served over 35,000 people through their various sources; Ms MagUire said she appreciates the recommended three percent increase, but asked the Board to consider funding the full request. Their programs continue to provide and expand services to the community particularly for Albemarle County in the area of education. They also continue to work in advocacy community outreach and economic development. As art services continue to expand operating costs continue to rise which is the reason for the requested $7500 which reflects the same ratio relationship to their total operating budget. Ms. Maguire said this support enables Piedmont Council of the Arts to leverage public dollars as well as private sector dollars. There were no changes recommended. Literacy Volunteers, Connie Porter, Executive Director, Present. Requested $11,300; Reconnnended $9,860. Ms. White said Literacy Volunteers requested a budget of $11,300 of which the Program Review Committee recommended a baseline of $9860 (three percent). The additional request was to fund salary and fringe benefit costs to increase the coordinator's hours and to fund a five percent increase in rent. The program expects to serve approximately 86 County residents this year which is approximately 43 percent of their program services. Funding is recommended at the baseline level of $9860. Ms. Porter said this organization provides a service that serves a need. They are increasingly seeing more and more people come through their doors who are getting more difficult to help. This is an awesome task and any way the Board can see to help would be appreciated. There were no changes recommended. WVPT, Arthur Albrecht, ~eneral Manager, Present. Requested $6,804; Recommended $0. Ms. White said WVPT's request represents .3 percent of their total budget of $2.5 million. This is based on a request of ten cents per capita. WVPT makes a request to 19 other cities and counties in its service area. Of those 19, they are currently supported by eight cities and counties. The range of support is from two cents to eleven cents. Funding is not recommend- ed. Mr. Albrecht said the County schools uses WVPT's instructional service which is paid for by the state government since they provide access to about 100 film titles in the Encyclopedia Britannica Library. WVPT now has 22 child care provides in Planning District Ten who took training from them and received a resource book to learn how to use effectively in their childcare center. It is an effort to encourage childcare providers and parents to use children's television programming in a more structured way. Mr. Bowerman said he feels strongly about providing some sort of funding to WVPT. He thinks the services they offer to the community are valuable. Most people in the County have access to WVPT. He appreciates the fact that WVPT raises a large sum of funds continually through fundraising efforts. He considers funding their request a symbolic contribution on the part of the County to recognize the significant contribution WVPT makes to the community. He would like to do provide some funding even if it is less than ten cents to recognize their service. Mrs. Humphris said she would like to also provide some support although it bothers her that it would be funding a new program. Even though she is cognizant of all the service that WVPT provides the community, she can see other public television stations coming to the County requesting funds. There were no changes recommended. Paramount Theater, Sheldon Anderson, Director, Present. Requested $41,900; Recommended $0. Ms. White said the Paramount requested $41,900 for the first phase of March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 5) M.B. 43, Pg. 302 its restoration with a budget of $119,400. The City of Charlottesville provided $37,500 and $40,000 will be raised from private contributions. The funds will be used to renovate the lobby so that it can be used for fund- raising receptions and to allow the community to safely see the theater. The entire amount of $41,900 is considered a new program request. Funding is not recommended at this time. Mr. Anderson said the Paramount Theater has been fortunate this past year to have support from a number of private donors in the community. They hope to raise $2.0 to $3.0 million to get this project off the ground up. The last few months they have quietly raised $40,000 to begin the master plan fund underway which will help address the issues of the long term use of the theater. The state has showed its support by passing a personal property and real estate tax exemption bill during the last General Assembly Session. Funds from the City will allow them to do repair some badly stabilization work needed on the building. Mr. Anderson said if they do not get some support from the County, they may have a more difficult time getting the work done in a timely manner and stopping further deterioration of the building. This project is important to the City and County because it is the best kind of economic development; largely private. They will be restoring an historic building; the historic preservation value alone on this project is signifi- cant. They feel their charge is also to do an affirmative community outreach. It is important that the entire community utilize the facility. There are some excellent educational opportunities involved in the Paramount. Offering first-class entertainment would provide another reason for tourists to stay in Charlottesville. They want the Paramount to serve as a cultural center piece for Charlottesville. Mr. Anderson said recognizing that there are budget constraints and that the Board may not be able to fund the entire request, he asked for some sort of symbolic contribution from the County. It would send a valuable signal to the private donors they will be addressing. Mr. Bowerman asked what is the direct benefit Albemarle County school children might receive if this project goes forward. Mr. Anderson said they want to have an aggressive educational program. It is recommended in their draft master plan to hire an educational director as some time, but in the interim he feels there will be opportunities for the City and County schools to utilize the facility for cultural activities, on-the-job training programs and outreach. Motion was offered by Mr. Bain, to add $20,000 for the Paramount Theater to the list of unfunded items to be considered. Mrs. Humphris seconded the motion. Mr. Martin asked Mr. Bain if he would be willing to amend his motion to $10,000. He cannot support $20,000. There is a lot of needs to be considered which he think will be a more beneficial use of funds. Mr. Bain said he would prefer to leave it at $20,000. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: Mr. Martin. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Thomas Jefferson Visitors Bureau, Bobbye Cochran, Executive Director, Present. Requested $91,645; Recommended $91,645. (Mr. Bowerman left at 1:59 p~m.) Mr. Tucker said the Visitor's Bureau budget increases by $16,367 (21.7 percent) to a total of $91,645. The major increase is due to a one time $5000 roof repair and to a five percent increase in the County's share of services. There were no expanded program requests. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. The County's share of the total budget is based upon a ratio of sales tax and lodging tax collections. There were no recommended changes. Planning & Community Development, Wayne Cilimberg, Director, Present. Requested $799,225; Recommended $726,915. Mr. Brandenburger said Planning's budget increases by a total of $24,791 (3.5 percent) reflecting a 4.8 percent increase in salaries, a 6.7 percent increase in benefits, a 2.8 percent decline in operations and a 62.2 percent decline in capital purchases. Significant changes in the line item budget include a $5280 increase in health benefits and $22,428 increase in salaries due to reclassification of positions and merit. Expanded program requests include $17,685 for a Housing Coordinator; $15,418 for a part-time planner; $16,905 for automated data processing equipment and $1600 for furniture. The Housing Coordinator position was designated as a priority. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. None of the program increments are included in the recommended baseline budget. Motion was offered by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mrs. Humphris, to add $17,685 for a Housing Coordinator to the list of unfunded items to be consid- ered. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: March 22, 1993 (Afternoon AdjoUrned Meeting) (Page 6) AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins and Bain. NAYS: None. ~.-,/~J ABSENT: Mr. Marshall a~d Mr. Bowerman. M.B. 43, Pg. 303 Redevelopment & Housing, Karen Morris, Director of Social Services, Present. Requested $175,614; Recommended $169,344. Mr. Huff said the Redevelopment and Housing budget increases by $9726 (6.1 percent) to a total of $169,344. This total reflects a 3.1 percent increase in salaries, an 8.3 percent increase in benefits, a 25.7 percent increase in operations and an $865 increase in capital equipment. Significant changes in the line item budget include a $2450 increase in professional services, a $2090 increase in health insurance and a $1000 increase in data processing equipment. The expanded program request in the amount of $6270 for automated data processing equipment was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. Zoning, Amelia McCulley, Zoning Administrator, Absent. Requested $360,365; Recommended $336,900. (Mr. Bowerman returned to the meeting at 2:02 p.m.) Mr. Brandenburger said Zoning's budget increases by $12,449 (3.8 percent) to a total of $336,900. This total budget reflects an increase of 4.7 percent in salaries, six percent in benefits, 5.2 percent in operations and a decrease of 86.3 percent in capital purchases. The expanded program requests were not recom- mended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. Mr. Bowerman commented that the Board was a little ahead of schedule and would come back to this item when Ms. McCulley arrived. Soil & Water Conservation District, Steven Meeks, G~sy Moth Coordina- tor, Present. Requested $28,586; Recommended $27,521. Mr. Brandenburger said the Soil and Water Conservation budget increases by $3017 (12.3 percent) for a total budget of $27,521. In FY 1992-93 funding of $7880 was approved to administer the Water Resources Protection Act. Of the total FY 1993-94 recommendation of $27,521, $8200 will go to the WRPA implementation program. Significant increases in fringe benefit costs were due to failure to budget health insurance and VRS payments for a total of $2068. There were no expanded program requests. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. ~yps¥ Moth, Steven Meeks, Coordinator, Present. Requested $31,950; Recommended $21,400. Mr. Huff said the Gypsy Moth budget increases by $700 (six percent) to $21,400. The expanded program request in the amount of $10,550 for the Spraying Program was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. There were no changes recommended. (At 2:10 p.m., the Board recessed. The Board reconvened at 2:22 p.m.) At this time the Board went back to the Zoning Department's budget. Ms. McCulley amended Zoning's budget request to delete the three LAN connections in the expanded program requests. She was able to fund this request in the current fiscal year with a less expensive wiring system. The site plan mylar storage cabinet is badly needed because they are going to be completely out of space and will need to find some way to store the site plans. Mr. Martin offered motion to add $3050 for a site plan storage cabinet to the list of unfunded items to be considered. Mr. Perkins asked how long the site plans are maintained. Ms. McCulley said the site plans are kept indefinitely. They are mylar; which is in a form where they can be reproduced on a blue print machine. Mylar is a durable plastic that can be kept for decades. Mr. Perkins asked if there is a need to keep them that long. Ms. McCulley said, "yes" It allows easy access when somebody makes changes and it is the one record in the entire County of the final approved site plan with all the specifications. These plans need to be kept because property changes hands and new owners make changes to the site. The only other place where a record is kept is in the office of the architect or engineer who drew the plans. Mr. Bain asked if the drawings are kept in Planning or some other office. Ms. McCulley said Zoning is the only depart- ment that keeps the mylar. There may be other paper copies on file in another M.B. 43, Pg. 304 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 7) office; but this could hopefully~.~elp reduce the number of paper copies. Mr. Bowerman asked if this cabinet is fire-proof. Ms. McCulley replied, "yes" Mr. Bowerman asked what would be the effect on Zoning if all of the mylars were lost in a fire because they were not protected. Ms. McCulley said hopefully there are duplicate paper copies of the latest plans. If they did not have a paper copy, they would contact the designer to get a copy. Mr. Bowerman asked if it would be a problem if ten years from now these plans were not available. Ms. McCulley said the scenario she would envision more is if the paper copies were no longer legible because the blue prints faded. Zoning need a copy of an official approved plan to see if the site is in compliance. She has found cases where sites were developed ten years ago and are still not in compliance. Mrs. Humphris seconded the motion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the follOwing recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, Charlie Goodman, Extension Agent, Present. Requested $83,663; Recommended $82,778. Mr. Huff said Extension Service's budget increases by $11,769 (16.6 percent) reflecting an 8.9 percent decline in salaries, a 7.4 percent increase in benefits, a $20,000 (312.5 percent) increase in operations and $3500 decline in capital equipment purchases. Significant changes include a $5775 decline in compensation for extension agents and a $20,000 funded initiative for rent to move Extension Services outside of the County Office Building. The expanded program request includes $20,000 for rent needed to move Exten- sion Services. Funding is recommended at the $82,778. This level of funding includes the $20,000 increment for rent. There were no changes recommended. Albemarle Housing Improvement Program, Theresa Tapscott, Executive Director, Present. Requested $627,296; Recommended $320,520. Mr. Brandenburger said ABIP requested a budget increase of $19,689 (+25 percent) for operations and of $22,000 (+55 percent) for grants and loans for a combined increase of $41,689 (+19 percent). The increases in the operating budget were for new office space (+147 percent, $11,000) and equipment, and to make the housing specialist a fully County funded position; the grants and loans were requested for rehab and emergency repair. The expanded program requests were not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended for AHIP at the baseline level, which includes a three percent increase in their "as usual" budget and an increase of $11,000 to pay for additional space. AHIP will be returning approximately $11,000 for unexpended FY 1990-91 funds, which can be used to fund the additional rent increase. Mr. Doug Frame, President of AHIP, said preparing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year was challenging. The baseline budget recommended by Mr. Tucker is certainly one they can live with at AHIP in a business "as usual" mode. Funding another Emergency Repair Worker and one-half of the requested rehab technical assistance staff would enhance AHIP's ability to increase its production and take advantage of more outside funding opportunities. This would bring AHIP closer to its goal of rehabilitating five percent of the County's substandard housing per year. In addition to the above, the loan and grant funds listed in this year's budget under necessary initiatives are a key element in the ultimate success of any expansion of AHIP. He reemphasized AHIP's desire to work with the County and other housing groups to design a program that will provide affordable housing options for low income renters. The AHIP Board has taken a position that rental housing must be a priority item in the upcoming years in its present program largely excludes renters. Mr. Martin asked if the County is in the position of implementing such things as Down Payment Loan Fund and Construction Financing Loan Fund. Ms. White said the Program Review Committee felt that loan funds should be evaluated by the Housing Coordinator. One of that position's tasks would be to look at how these loan funds could best be used and where is the best place to get the best investment on those funds. Mr. Bain asked for an explanation of the following statement by the Program Review Committee: "The Committee was concerned about the dramatic increase in activity proposed by ABIP and suggests that such activity be increased incrementally as funding becomes available. It was the Committee's understanding that much of the expansion would involve contracting with the private sector." Ms. Tapscott said some of the funding AHIP is working with this year is through the Federal HOME Program. Those funds can only be used for either subcontracted services or general contractor payment. All of the services have to be procured per the Virginia Procurement Act. The block grant money is targeted to specific whereas the HOME funds can be used County- M.B. 43, Pg. 305 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 8) wide. AHIP saw this as an opportunity to experiment in using general contrac- tors as opposed to its own crews thereby serving a larger area of the County. That is why AHIP requested an additional estimator and outreach person to cover those activities outside of its targeted areas. Mr. Bain asked if increasing the staff by one carpenter would make a difference in the program. Ms. Tapscott said a key in increasing emergency repair work will involve AHIP's ability to secure financing for materials and subcontracts. She thinks AHIP could increase its output by 50 to 75 percent with additional funding. In reality having an extra person to do work is not going to help them double capacity, if they do not have the funding to pay for the materials and subcontracts. Mr. Martin offered motion to add $25,935 for expanded rehabilitation program and $26,035 for expanded emergency repair program to the list of unfunded items to be considered. Mr.~Bain seconded the motion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: None. ABSENT:. Mr. Marshall. Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Nancy O'Brien, Executive Director, Present. Rec~uested $58,120; Recommended $47,730. Mr. BrandeD_burger said TJPDC requested a total of $80,211 from Albemarle County. Funding is recommended in the amount of $47,730, an increase of $590 (1.3 percent) to include the base TJPDC budget and the Legislative Liaison. The Housing Resource Developer is funded through a contract item in the Planning Department's budget. The expanded program request for a mapping and demography center in the amount of $10,392 was not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. Mr. Bain asked why the request showed $58,120 and the budget analysis showed $80,211. Ms. White said approximately $22,090 of the $80,211 is shown in the Planning Department's budget for the Housing Coordinator's position. Ms. O'Brien said the mappin9 center is a regional mapping center which will enable the County to get a head start on using a Geographic Information System. This funding would allow the County a mapping technician 50 days a year and development of an up-to-date mapping center. The localities in the Planning District can realize a substantial savings by working together. The City of Charlottesville did not support joining the center. Mr. Bowerman asked if this would be an ongoing commitment. Ms. O'Brien said it is long term, maybe three to five years. Mr. Bowerman asked what happens if Albemarle was the only county that participated. Ms. O'Brien said the County would not save as much money. Mr. Bowerman asked why this center would be important to the County. Mr. Brandenburger said it is worth the funding investment since TJPDC is in a position to move forward. It could be a wise use of funds from the standpoint of creating data bases which may be transferable directly to the County. Mr. Bowerman asked why is it beneficial to the citizens of the County. Mr. BrandeD_burger said it could help provide information quicker and more accu- rately. Ms. O'Brien said there are two good ways to look at the GIS to see whether or not it is useful to the County. It is a way to rearrange data already on hand in the form of a map. It provides the ability to layer various pieces of information such as slopes, soils, roads and streams on one map which is useful in some aspects of planning. This information can also be used in transportation planning. Mr. Bain offered motion to add $10,392 for mapping and demography center to the list of unfunded items to be considered. Mr. Martin seconded the motion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Monticello Area Community Action Agency, Ken Ackerman, Executive Director, Present. Requested $44,135; Recommended $41,490. Ms. White said MACAA is requesting a 9.56 percent increase in County funding primarily for an increase in base costs and salary adjustments (7.5 percent). The program for which the highest percentage increase is requested, Project Discovery, (10 percent, $1,265) may receive additional state funds to allow for its expansion. MACAA estimates 318 people in Albemarle County will be served through its programs. MACAA's local share formula is based on the percentage of staff time devoted to providing services in each jurisdiction. This is 27 percent for base support in Albemarle. The local share for Project March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 9) M.B. 43, Pg. 306 Discovery is based on the level of service in Albemarle County. There are no expanded program requests. Funding is recommended at the baseline increase of three percent. Mr. Ackerman said three percent is less than $1000 of MACAA's base increase. MACAA is having problems maintaining its salary scale at the current level. This would be the second year in a row that MACAA is unable to provide a salary adjustment. The requested 9.56 percent increase is not a lot of dollars. He asked that their full increase be considered. Mr. Martin offered motion to add $2645 for full funding of MACAA's request to the list of unfunded items to be considered. Mr. Bain seconded the motion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Messrs.. Martin, Perkins 'and Bain. NAYS~ -Mrs. Humphris and Mr. Bowerman. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Charlottesville TranSit Service (CTS), Pantops/Route 29, Helen Poore, Director, Absent. Requested $173,165; Recommended $31,565. Mr. Brandenburger said the Transit Service budget increases by $2065 (eight percent). The expanded program requests in the amount of $141,600 were not recommended for funding. Funding is recommended at the baseline level. Mr. Martin felt that the Board should give some consideration to adding bus service to the Pantops Mountain area. Mr. Martin then offered motion to add $60,00 for bus service to the Pantops Mountain area to the list of unfunded items to be considered. Mr. Bowerman said this is one of the areas he thinks the Board needs to consider for a service district. Mr. Bowerman said for lack of a second, the motion died. There were no changes recommended. City-County Revenue Sharing Agreement; Debt Service; Capital Improve- ments Transfer. Mr. Tucker said the 1982 Revenue Sharing Agreement requires that the annual amount be calculated each January for payment the following January. This amount is agreed upon by the County Executive and the City Manager and is based on several factors, including population, tax base, assessment ratio and a growth sharing contribution. Mr. Tucker had no other comments on the Debt Service or Capital Improve- ments Transfer. They are all straight-forward items. There were no changes recommended. Agenda Item No. 3. Status Report - Recycling Program. Mr. Tucker summarized the status report on the County's recycling program prepared by the Recycling Program Coordinator. The program is basically funded in the proposed FY 1993-94 budget with the exception of Item 5.3 - Licensing Requirements. Staff has been discussing with the haulers an amendment to the County Code which would require licensing of haulers in order to standardize the service of recycling in the County. Mr Robert McKinley, Recycling Program Coordinator, has been working with the hauler's association in developing an ordinance and discussing the issue. Today staff is request- ing that the Board adopt a Resolution of Intent to amend the County Code in Chapter 16, Articles I and III, and set a public hearing for April 14, 1993. Mr. Tucker said another issue is a subsidy to the haulers to provide them with some funding, retrofitting or equipment relative to recycling. Although recycling is not mandatory, the proposed ordinance requires that all haulers with a permit who operates in the county offer recycling. There are three methods by which the County could directly subsidize the hauler's recy- cling program: 1) a monthly subsidy paid to each hauler based on the total number of customers; 2) a monthly subsidy based on those households partici- pating in recycling; and 3) a subsidy based on the tonnage of recyclables collected by each hauler. These suggestions were taken from case studies and after looking at how other jurisdictions handled the issue. Mr. Tucker pointed out that under the proposed ordinance, the County would provide for the processing andmarketing of newspaper and co-mingled materials and to a certain extent avoidance of a tip fee since recyclables will be off loaded prior crossing the scales at the Landfill. Mr. Tucker said this is not an inexpensive venture. In the report the section on various subsidy options indicate that the County is providing indirect subsidies for the processing, labor and maintenance at a cost of approximately $151,108 and depending on M.B. 43, Pg. 307 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 10) which option the Board chooses that would be an additional subsidy for the retrofitting or purchasing of equipment. Mr. Tucker said this information is provided during the budget process in the event that the Board would like to add some type of subsidy to its list of unfunded initiatives. Finally he would suggest that the Board adopt the Resolution of Intent so that the County can move forward with the ordinance. If the ordinance is adopted on April 14, it is requested that the effective date be July 1, 1993. Mr. Randy Layman said the haulers did not have adequate time to fully review the proposed ordinance although they were involved in some phases of the process. There is some language in the ordinance that needs to be clarified. There are not a lot of counties in the eastern part of the United States that have this type of recycling program. Some counties subsidized their haulers by $3.50 to help start-up the initial cost to decrease the overhead for a two to three year period. It is not mentioned in the report, but he thought the discussion involved a subsidy of $2.50 for three years per household for 100 percent household and decreasing the subsidy each subsequent year. The hauling industry is in a tough financial situation. In the last two to three years the haulers have had a 40 percent to 45 percent tax added to them in Landfill fees. These recycling fees are an added burden and the haulers are not willing to ask the homeowners to take on these costs. The City is subsidizing 100 percent of its households at $2.35 per month for its recycling program. Most of the haulers do not have the money to purchase the equipment nor the revenue to fund it with once they get the equipment. He asked that the Board approve a subsidy and that it not adopt the proposed ordinance or licensing requirements at this time. Mr. Bain suggested that a Board member meet with the recycling committee to discuss the proposed ordinance. He thinks that if the Board adopts the ordinance, it needs to seriously consider a subsidy. Mr. Tucker said if the Board adopts an ordinance, it may want to deal more with the reporting aspect to make sure that reporting by businesses are done. Reporting is the compo- nent that staff does not have a good handle on. Mr. Layman pointed out the Ivy Landfill's budget today is approximately $26.0 million. The private haulers are paying approximately $2.5 million in Landfill tipping fees. Mr. McKinley said the County is near to meeting its 1995 recycling goal of 25 percent. The County's share of that 25 percent is not high. The recycling program had only about 280 tons and the balance of the County's recycling is done by businesses. They are missing a lot of businesses because, for example, some grocery stores ship their cardboards to their home office. That information is not getting reported. The part of the ordinance that deals with reporting was meant to capture those businesses that are falling through the cracks and was not meant to put an added burden on the haulers. (Mr. Bowerman left the meeting at 3:35 p.m.) He is sure that if there was adequate reporting from businesses, the County's program would be more than 25 percent. Mr. Bain asked if the County could encourage and promote recycling and leave out the requirement for licensing. Mr. McKinley said, "yes", and that generally this will not add much of a burden on businesses. (Mr. Bowerman returned at 3:37 p.m.) Mr. Bain asked if the County could go ahead and improve the containers and access at the Landfill without doing anything else. Mr. McKinley said that is a fairly expensive proposition, if the County keeps the current system. Although it would require an extensive change at the Landfill, a system was designed where the haulers could directly dump the materials into roll-off containers. The cost was estimated to be between $65,000 and $75,000. He thinks it needs to be revisited to see what else could be done without spending that much money. Mr. Bain asked if there was any discussion with the haulers about doing nothing and leaving the situation as it is. Mr. McKinley said he does not know that it was ever discussed in any depth. There was some discussion of the terminology in the ordinance of "shall collect" versus "offer collecting" in the ordinance. "Offer" could mean a continuation of what we have now. The customer has the option of recycling and paying the additional costs. If the wording is changed from "shall" to "offer" then potentially we might need other systems because the entire community may not be served. Mr. Bain said it thinks it may make more sense to work on the reporting part of the program. Mr. Bowerman said there is no economic incentive under the current system to recycle. He does not think the haulers should have to subsidize the program themselves. There needs to be incentives. Mr. Bowerman said he does not want to lose the opportunity to do something meaningful in the next year. Mr. Bain said one possibility is to establish a contingency account. Mr. Bowerman said he would be more comfort- able doing that rather than allocating a specific sum of money to something he does not think is the right way to go. Mr. Bain said he thinks some time needs to be spent refining the language in the proposed ordinance. M.B. 43, Pg. 308 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page Mrs. Humphris said she has a problem with the concept of using tax- payers' dollars to subsidize a program which allows recyclables to go into the Landfill. If recycling is not made mandatory, the County will be paying for people's trash that should be kept out of the Landfill. Recycling is impor- tant, but in these tough budget times, if the County can meet its state mandates through a more sophisticated reporting program, that is the direction it should take. Mr. Bowerman said he supports anything that encourages recycling that diverts trash from going into the Landfill thus extending the life of the Landfill because in the long run that will be beneficial to the community, but, there are a lot of needs facing the Board. Mr. Bain offered motion to include $200,000 for recycling in a contin- gency fund to be added to the list of unfunded items for consideration. Mr. Martin secon4e4 themotion. Mrs. Humphris said she will support the motion, but she will be very unhappy and opposed to this unless it has a component that provides a subsidy only for people who recycle and is not just a blanket across-the-board subsidy for trash collection. Roll was then called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. The Board then decided not to adopt the resolution of intent to adopt the Recycling Ordinance at this time. Staff is to refine the language in the Ordinance and bring it back at an appropriate time. Agenda Item No. 4. Salary Supplements for State Funded Positions Report. Mr. Tucker said the report (copy on file) addresses requests from Constitutional Officers and the Registrar for the County to consider supple- menting the salaries they receive from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The review was limited to the offices of the Commonwealth's Attorney, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Sheriff's Department, Registrar and Joint Security Complex. Information on each of the offices was solicited from a core group of juris- dictions used by the County for purposes of wage comparisons. This group was chosen because of their proximity to Albemarle and their population. Mr. Tucker said the localities that do provide supplements do so in various methods. Mr. Tucker said should the Board begin supplementing salaries, staff strongly recommends that a condition of such supplement be an agreement that the office involved strictly adhere to the County policy manual to avoid differences in holidays taken, the method by which leave is computed, and the method by which grievances and disputes are resolved. Mr. James Camblos, Commonwealth's Attorney, said he thinks his office already complies with County holidays and policies. This is one of the highest cost of living areas in the state. There are a lot of attorneys in this area. There are some trade-offs with being a Commonwealth's Attorney. His salaries need to be competitive with the rest of the state and localities that have the same demographics. He has some good prosecutors in his office and does not want to lose them. He does not know how to deal with the tug-of- war going on between the state and the localitY. He does not knOw how to convince this Board that his office needs to have some more money. When the state does not back off and the County does not back off, his office is left holding the bag. He needs more money for the lawyers in his office. He has a professional staff and it is wrong for them to be where they are on the pay scale. He wants to be able to hire good, quality attorneys. He thinks criminal prosecution is. an important factor. Mr. Camblos said the County receives in excess of $100,000 in revenue from cases prosecuted each year that his office does not have to prosecute. The law requires that his office prosecute on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia. They do not have to go out into the community and do community service. He is not required to prosecute a case for the County of Albemarle, although those cases are important and his office will continue to do them. He thinks he has a better staff than some of the other Commonwealth Attorney offices' in the are. Mr. Terry Hawkins, Sheriff, said his office has been adhering to County policies with regard to leave, holidays, sick, vacation, grievance procedure, etc., since he has been Sheriff. This morning he conferred with City Sheriff Rittenhouse and his basic entry level position, with the City supplement, is $3500 more than his (Sheriff Hawkins) starting salary. There is a more dramatic difference between the two salaries as the deputy advances up the ranks. He has two deputies who make $1600 less than the Police Department starting salary and $1500 less than the City Sheriff's office. He does not think he will get a supplement from the State. He thinks that his staff is going to have to be looked at as regular County employees. M.B. 43, Pg. 309 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 12) Mrs. Shelby Marshall, Clerk~of the Circuit Court, said she has no qualms with the fact that the Commonwealth Attorney or Sheriff needs more money. She has been where they are now. She filed a suit against the County several years ago. She is happy with her office the way it operates. They take state holidays according to the State Code; they close when the Court closes; and they adhere to the County policies on vacation and leave time. At this time she would be opposed to going under any sort of agreement with the County because she does not want to go backwards since she has been there once. If the Board seriously looks at supplementing salaries, she has two persons in her office that she could make a strong case for increasing their salaries. Those persons have been there the least amount of time and have not received a pay increase, other than a two percent increase, for almost three and one-half years. Mr. James Heilman, Registrar, said his situation is a little different than the other Constitutional Officers. His one employee is totally under the County. As far as himself, he does not come under the Compensation Board as does the Constitutional Officers. Registrar salaries are not known until the appropriations bill is adopted the last day of the General Assembly session. The Registrar in the City of Charlottesville has a higher salary than he does because she receives a supplement from the City. His salary is lower on the County pay scale than the lowest assistant department head in the County. One possible solution would be to put him under the County's merit plan so that he would be eligible for the pay for performance merit system. Mr. Bowerman said he has given this issue a lot of thought. The Commonwealth's Attorney and Sheriff run for their positions. The people who work for them make a choice as to whether they want to work for state wages, but the public deserves a certain level of performance from its public officials. He thinks the County is going to have to assume a certain finan- cial responsibility for the quality of personnel these Constitutional Officers attract. He does not know how that can be done this year. He thinks the state is ignoring its responsibility. He does not know how the Board can address this issue this year. He thinks the Board can address the Registrar. He thinks the citizens deserve a certain level of competency. He thinks adding the Registrar to the County's merit pay plan should be considered. Mrs. Humphris said since serving on the Jail Board they have hired two administrators. She does not think they would have been able to get a competent person to accept the job with its high level of requirements unless the person had some other source of income beyond the state salary. The position requires a high level of ability and the person to be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The salary of this position and the other employees at the Jail is lower than what it should be. Mr. Martin said he agrees something need to be done with the salaries, but he does not think the Board can take on such a large responsibility this year. He would like to see the Board do something in this area. Mr. Perkins said he feels basically as Mr. Bowerman, but the Board also needs to look at the salaries other people in the area are getting. The Board also needs to take into consideration that there are unemployed people in the County. Mr. Bain said the more localities that provide supplements, the more responsibilities the state will want those localities to take on. He would prefer to go to Richmond and talk with the legislators before he would be willing to supplement these salaries. This is another example of the state not doing what it is supposed to do and he is not willing to encourage them to continue. Mr. Camblos asked why the Board would not commit to doing this next year. Mr. Bowerman said it would not be binding next year. He thinks the Board should commit to spending some time with its state representatives to see if additional funding could be given for supplements next year. He talked to Delegate Van Yahres and Delegate Robb last week and both showed a willing- ness to try to work closer and look at the mandates. He does not think Albemarle's problems are unique. He then thanked the constitutional officers for coming to the meeting. Mr. Martin asked if putting the Registrar on the County's merit plan would require a budget item. Mr. Bowerman asked who would evaluate the position. Mr. Tucker said the position would probably be evaluated by the Deputy County Executive, but he (Mr. Tucker) would rather look at the issue and the ramifications. He can provide the Board with some advantages and disadvantages. Mr. Heilman commented that he is not sure evaluation of the position is legal. There was no further discussion. Mrs. White distributed to Board members the following information based on Board recommendations: March 22, 1993 (Page 13) (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) M.B. 43, Pg · 310 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FY 93-94 PROPOSED BUDGET BEGINNING RESERVE FUND COUNTY EXECUTIVE ADJUSTMENTS plus reduction Scottsvi[le Rescue Squad plus Juvenile Detention H~ budget reduction plus Joint Security budget reduction plus VRS Life Insurance savings plus savings Emergency Operations Center TOTAL COUNTY EXECUTIVE ADJUSTMENT 650 13,925 815 80,000 6,875 $102,265 TOTAL RESERVE FUND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (BOS)' CHANGES:GENERAL GOVERNMENT Board of ELections part-time Office Assistant Board of ELections termina[ bags/fiLe Cabinet Trial Advocacy Course ~, Corrmonweatth's Attorney Part-time secretary - Sheriff's Oepartment High Band radios - Sheriff's Department Traffic Officer with metorcycte Patrol Officer · Property CLerk (part-time) Narcotics Investigator .~ :: ConfLict ResoLution Course - PoLice Fire Prevention - Inspections equipment F i re/Rescue expanded t rai ni ng Maintenance fire/rescue training center JCFRA - Hepatitis shots OAR - Third year salary upgrade Comprehensive Services Act Matching Funds CharLottesviLLe Free CLinic SARA - CAP Program JASA - AduLt Day Care Program JABA - Adult Day Care Transportation JASA - Case Management JABA - MeadowS/Free Union Congregate Meats SHE - additional baseline funding Teen Center Paramount Theater Housing Coordinator Zoning - MyLar file cabinet AHIP - Expanded Carpenter Position AHIP Expanded Rehab Program TJPOC- Mapping Center MACAA - additional baseline funding Recyct ing Contingency TOTAL SOS CHANGES - GENERAL GOVERNMENT TOTAL RESERVE FUND 4,655 1,030 1,200 8,980 20,000 71,095 52,670 8,115 51,240 3,000 565 1,835 1,000 15,000 3,725 81,320 4,600 35,750 5,460 6,240 6,430 28,110 925 19,328 20,000 17,685 3,050 26,035 25,935 10,392 2,645 200,000 746,015 BOB CHANGES - SCHOOL DIVISION Additional funding for schools 100,000 TOTAL BOS CHANGES - SCHOOL DIVISION 100,000 TOTAL RESERVE FUND $551,800 $654,065 (91,950) (1.091.950) Mr. Bowerman said the purpose of the above list is for the Board to attempt to come to a consensus to provide direction to the County Executive for a tax rate t6~take Public hearing. The options are: 1) move forward with the County EXecUtive's recommended budget; 2) move forward on the County Executive's recOmmended budget with additions to use up the unallocated reserve; 3) retain the entire list of items and cut in other areas; 4) retain all the items and fund a tax rate increase; or 5) throw out all the additions and fund a tax rate decrease or any combination of the above. Mr. Bowerman said he would like to see the additions recommended for the Police Department retained, although he would be willing to delete the patrol officer, property clerk, the narcotics investigator and conflict resolution course. In a priority basis he would vote to keep the traffic officer with motorcycle and then the property clerk. In the Sheriff's office he could be convinced to drop both the high band radios and to a lesser extent the part- time secretary. If the Board funded everything on the list for the Police Department and Sheriff Department, it would cost $375,000. Mr Martin said the $81,320 for Comprehensive Services Act matching funds is one of those things that he feels the Board almost has to do. The County would be in a position to have some local control over this money. He has thought about a one percent reduction in categories in cost centers, excluding the School Division. He thinks the funds requested by JABA, SHE and similar programs are small amounts in the scheme of things, but they are so important to the people being affected. If he had to make cuts, he would prefer to get rid of one large item and keep 15 small items because the small~ items serve more people. M.B. 43, Pg. 311 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 14) ~ Mrs. Humphris said she thin~s~ the following items need to remain on the list: JCFRAHepatitis shots, comprehensive Services Act Matching Funds, SARA CAP Program, SHE, Housing Coordinator, two AHIP Programs and of lesser interest to her is the recycling contingency. Mr. Martin said he sees the recycling contingency as something that can be reduced. Mrs. Humphris said those are things that are essential to her to keep in the budget. The items she named total $202,650. If there is any more funds available beyond her priorities, she would like to see them go to the School Division. Mr. Martin said he does not disagree with Mrs. Humphris, but he is not sure he wants to eliminate the two AHIP positions. He would like to include the Teen Center on the list of items to be funded. He also believes that the Charlottesville Free Clinic is providing a serVice that needs some support and the amount is a small amount that could go a long way. Mrs. Humphris agreed. Mr. Bowerman asked about the JABA Programs. Mrs. Humphris said she was going along with staff's recommendation and not fund any of them. Mr. Bain said he thinks it is important to fund some of the programs. To him that is more important than CAP These are people at totally different ends of the spectrum. Mr. Perkins said he feels that Board members are trying to fine tune the budget. All of these are worthwhile programs, but the Board pays the County Executive to develop the budget. He has done that. At the beginning of the budget process he stated his goal which was a tax rate decrease. That cannot happen even if part of this list is funded. The assessments increased 18 percent in the White Hall District which was higher than any of the other districts. This Board has to draw the line somewhere. He thinks the Board needs to go along with the County Executive's budget recommendation as closely as possible. Mr. Bain said the Board has an obligation to its citizens. There are shortfalls in the School budget and he thinks they are essential items. He does not think the police can adequately do their jobs with the current personnel. He thinks the traffic officer position is important and he thinks the request from the Board of Elections is important. Mr. Bowerman asked if anyone agrees with Mr. Perkins' position to pursue a tax rate cut at this time. Mr. Martin said he would vote for a tax rate cut if there was someway to discriminate, to give that cut to the people who really need. He cannot agree with making that cut across-the-board when there are people demanding services and willing to pay for those serVices, and then there are people who are more than able to pay for the services. There are a lot of people in his district who are willing to pay their taxes just as long as they are given a good school system. He also could not vote to increase the tax rate because he would have to raise it for those people who really cannot afford to pay the increase. Mr. Bowerman said based on the discussions, the two options are that the Board forward to the County Executive a budget that deals with a $0.72 real property tax rate, taking into the account the items it wanted funded and dealing with the Schools and recycling contingency as the major items to balance the budget. The second option would be a $0.73 or $0.74 real property tax rate increase. Mr. Bain said he is willing to look at one of those options. Mr. Martin said he is not interested in an increase. Mr. Bowerman said he is more interested in a reduction in the personal property tax rate with an increase in the real estate rate. Mr. Bain said he is willing to look at that option Mr. Bowerman said he would like to see a balanced budget with no reserVe at a $0.72 real property tax rate; he would like to know what could be funded at a $0.73 real property tax rate; and, what could be funded with a $0.74 real property tax rate with a one cent reduction in the personal property tax rate and putting $400,000 into the contingency. Mr. Bain said there are certain areas in the Schools he wants cut. He will not leave the priorities to the School Division. Mrs. Humphris said she is willing to look at the three proposals. They cover all the bases. She is not supportive of a property tax increase. She cannot see increasing the tax burden when it is unfairly placed on people who do not have the ability to pay. Agenda Item No. 5. Draft Statement for 1993-94 Spring Preallocation Hearing. Mr. Bowerman said he would read the statement at the hearing. Mr. Tucker asked Board members to communicate to him any comments they have concerning the statement. M.B. 43, Pg. 312 March 22, 1993 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 15) Agenda Item No. 6....Other ~tte~:s Not Listed on the Agenda from the BOARD. There were no other matters. Agenda Item No. 7. Adjourn to March 24, 1993, at 3:00 P.M. At 5:08 p.m., motion was offered by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Bain, to adjourn to March 24, 1993. Roll was then called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Chairman