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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-03-24 adjMarch 24, 1993 (Afternoon-Adjourned Meeting) (Page 1) M.B. 43, Pg. 313 An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on March 24, 1993, at 1:00 P.M., Meeting Room 7, County Office Building, McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. The meeting was adjourned from March 22, 1993. PRESENT: Mr. Edward H. Bain, Jr., Mr. David P. Bowerman, Mrs. Char- lotte Y. Humphris, Mr. Charles S. Martin 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 2:00 P.M. by the Chairman, Mr. Bowerman. Agenda Item No. 2. Work Session: 1993-94 Budget. Matters for recon- sideration from other work sessions. Agenda Item No. 3. Set Tax Rates to be advertised for 1993. Mr. Tucker said at the last joint meeting of the Board and School Board, Dr. Paskel indicated there were some additional revenues that were coming to the school division. The School Board proposed providing an additional $48,000 to CATEC, which left about $140,000 in unallocated revenue. At an earlier meeting, the School Board requested use of carryover funds in the amount of $150,000. Combining the $140,000 and $150,000 would provide $290,000 of unallocated revenues that were not originally included in the school division's budget. Mr. Tucker provided the Board with a memorandum dated March 23, 1993, (copy on file) outlining six scenarios for the FY 1993-94 proposed budget. Scenario I includes selected priorities, recycling contingency added, $1.0 million to schools and no change in tax rates. Scenario II includes selected priorities, no recycling contingency, remainder to schools and no change in tax rates. Scenario III includes selected priorities, no recycling contingency, remainder to schools and $.01 increase in real estate tax and $.05 decrease in personal property tax. Scenario IV includes selected priorities, recycling contingency added, remainder to schools and $.01 increase in real estate tax and no decrease in personal property tax. Scenario V includes selected priorities, recycling contingency added, $500,000 to schools and $.02 increase in real estate tax and $.10 decrease in personal property tax. Scenario VI includes County Executive revised priorities, no recycling contingency, $500,000 to schools, $.01 increase in real estate tax and $.05 decrease in personal property tax, and retains minimum Board reserve fund. Mr. Martin said last year the Board had a fairly large reserve fund that was used throughout the year. He asked if that is normal. Mr. Tucker replied "no" . Mr. Martin said in the school division savings can be determined from turnover and attrition. He asked if that is possible in general government. Mr. Tucker said it is harder to determine a savings in general government because the individual departments are so much smaller than the school system. The turnover in general government is extremely small and would be hard to budget for. He also does not think there would be a significant savings because of the compression issue. Mr. Bowerman said he would like to add to the funded category in all of the scenarios funding for the "Board of Elections part-time office assistant ($4655). He is willing to fund the file cabinet for the Board of Elections, but not the terminal bags. Mr. Martin said using Scenario I, he reduced the recycling contingency to $100,000, eliminated the Paramount Theater, eliminated JABA - Case Manage- ment and Meadows/Free Union congregate meals, reduced the SARA - CAP Program by $10,000 and eliminated the traffic officer with motorcycle. With those modifications that left $342,000 to be funded. He would like for the Board to find some way to increase the amount given it to the school system and retain a small Board reserve of approximately $30,000 to $50,000. Mr. Bain said he is willing to consider Scenario IV. On that scenario he is willing to add funding for the Board of Elections part-time office assistant, add funding for the part-time secretary and high-band radios for the Sheriff's Department and reduce the recycling contingency to $100,000. That would bring a total of $432,953 to fund and a reserve of $650,000. He is willing to give the school system $625,000 and leave $25,000 in the Board's reserve fund. Mr. Bain then referred to the School Board's unfunded instruc- tional initiatives. He felt four gifted, four elementary music and four visual arts teaching positions, for a total of $560,000, should be funded. The remaining funds could address the compression issue. He did not include the additional $290,000 in the $625,000. March 24, 1993 (Afternoon-Adjourned Meeting) M.B. 43, Pg. 314 (Page 2) Mr. Bain said he is concerned that music and arts not be site-based. He thinks those curriculums are general functions of the schools and the adminis- tration should make sure that there are standards and criteria system-wide. Mr. Bain said it may sound like a generous salary for employees when the Board discusses a 1.3 percent salary adjustment and vesting of 2.7 percent, but in reality there is no real net take home difference. Using an average general government employee salary of $26,700 with a 1.3 percent scale adjustment and family health insurance coverage has a net take home loss to the individual employee of $21 per month. If the 2.7 percent vesting is added into the salary, that same employee would have a net take home of $8 after health insurance. Since the average salary in the school system is $15,500, the outlook is more negative. There have been a lot of comments made that the County provides other benefits to its employees, but health insurance is expensive. He thinks there are a lot of needs in the County, especially social service needs, that the Board has to recognize and take care of. Mr. Tucker commented to the Board that Mr. Bain addressed the issue of compression for the school division, but did not address it for general government. Mr. Bain then suggested that the funds allocated for the recy- cling contingency address the compression issue in general government. Mr. Bowerman asked Mr. Bain if he had given any thought to reducing the personal property tax. Mr. Bain said he thought about it. Mr. Martin said he looked at Scenario III, he reduced the five cent personal property tax to two cents and he added $100,000 for the recycling contingency which came to a reserve of $681,000 that he thinks the majority of which should be given to the school division. He does not support any tax increase. Mr. Bowerman said he also is not interested in a tax increase. He wants to provide at least $500,000 more to the school division. If the Board decides to increase the real estate tax rate, he would like to lower the personal property tax rate. Mrs. Humphris said she does not understand the fairness of providing a subsidy to the haulers when they go in and out of business all the time. She asked if that is a realistic proposal. Mr. Tucker said a subsidy would be difficult to do. There is a problem with the smaller haulers who are not recycling and must start retrofitting. It could be a matter of putting the smaller haulers out of business. Mr. Bain agreed that is the concern. Mrs. Humphris said she is concerned about providing a subsidy in the format suggested. Mrs. Humphris said she is opposed to a tax increase but she is aware that there are no items listed that are not essential services the people in the County need. Mr. Bowerman said he feels strongly that the School Board needs to implement some of its initiatives that have been put on hold for the past several years because it has been funding growth. He thinks that every dollar spent on remedial education is important. He is concerned about compression. He thinks that any reduction the Board can do on personal property is more equitable than a reduction in real estate tax. Mrs. Humphris asked if his scenario included increasing the real estate tax by one cent. Mr. Bowerman replied "yes", because he does not see any other way to deal with the School Board initiatives and the other needs in the County. Mrs. Humphris asked Mr. Tucker to discuss the issue of compression. It seems to her that private industry lives with employees bumping up against one another in salary. Mr. Tucker said every time the County adopts a pay plan, this problem occurs. Whenever the salary scale is changed, it can cause employees who have worked for the County for a number of years to be put in the beginning steps, which then allows people with literally no experience to be hired at the same salary as the person with the experience. The school system has this problem with its principals. The same Problem occurs with the police officers. It is expensive to rectify the problem when a new pay plan is adopted. Mrs. Humphris said, realizing that this Board cannot dictate line items to the School Board, there were two unfunded initiatives she felt was impor- tant; i.e., gifted instructional initiative and the remedial. She would like for a minimum of $500,000 be allocated to the school system. Beyond that she is not specific on any other items. Mr. Bowerman said he would be willing to go to public hearing with an advertisement for a one cent increase in the real estate tax rate. He would not suggest changing the personal property tax rate because the Board could lower it after the hearing. Mr. Martin said he does not support a tax increase and the only way he would vaguely consider one would be if the Board were to reduce the personal property tax rate. Even for the public hearing, he thinks the Board should advertise a reduction in the persOnal property rate. Mr. Bowerman said he could support that. March 24, 1993 (Afternoon-Adjourned Meeting) N .B. 437 Pg. (Page 3) Mr. Perkins said after listening to the discussion, he understands now why the County has such a bloated federal government which is because every- body is asking for everything. He will not support any kind of tax increase. These are hard times and although County employees may not making a lot of money, there are people in the private sector who are also not making a lot of money and there are even more people who do not have jobs. He is concerned about those people. The reason the Board has been able to reduce the tax rate in the last couple of years is because of the assessments. The property values in this County have increased 170 percent from 19981-82 to 1991-92. The school system already has some additional funds and there is $654,000 that the County Executive has recommended go into a reserve fund. He thinks the Board should be thinking about what is going to happen next year. If the Board cannot agree on a reduction in the tax rate, he would like to see some money set aside or used now to pay off some of the debt service. He cannot support any kind of tax increase. He thinks the citizens are upset about their real estate assessments; they are paying more taxes and are getting less services. All of these requests are worthwhile, but they are not affordable right now. Mr. Perkins said there has been a lot of discussion about the gifted program. He feels that all children are gifted. He does not know how the school system identifies a gifted child. He does not know what the state is looking for, but he thinks it is a mistake when the system tries to identify whether a child is a fast or slow learner. He gave an example of his children who were identified as "slow" learners. His children, in some cases were almost held back in school. By the time his children reached high school, they were ahead of a lot of the other children. His children ranked 21st, 15th and fifth in their graduating classes and all three were put in "slow" groups. Mr. Martin said he would like to hear more of Mrs. Humphris' thinking. He would consider proceeding with Scenario I. Using that scenario he would eliminate $71,095 for the traffic officer with motorcycle, reduce SARA - CAP program to $25,570, eliminate two of JABA requests, the Paramount Theater ($5000), and recycling contingency ($200,000) which totals $442,000. Mrs. Humphris said this society is fortunate to have a small percentage of children who have a high level of ability and who do not really fit into the normal classroom. These children are quick and bright, and often times difficult for the teachers to deal with. These are the children who eventual- ly are going to be the ones to discover the cure for cancer, Aids, diabetes, etc. These are special children of one particular special kind. She thinks the gifted is just as important as the remedial. Mrs. Humphris said she is willing to go to public hearing with the possibility of a one cent increase in the real property tax rate because she thinks this Board owes it to the public to listen to them. She is hearing the wishes of the public from all ends of the spectrum. She is receiving calls and letters from people who are saying, please do not raise their property tax rate. She is hearing from parents who are saying, please we must have these programs in our schools. There are lots of needs for services in the County. Although she does not support an increase in real property tax rate, she will remain open minded. She is trying to be as open as possible to the input of the public which is the whole point of the public hearing. Mr. Tucker said he received a telephone call from Mr. Marshall yester- day. He explained to Mr. Marshall what happened on Monday at the work session. Mr. Marshall indicated that while he supported a tax rate reduction, he could not support an increase in the tax rate. Mr. Marshall further asked that if the Board could not reduce the tax rate, that it let the rate remain the same. Mr. Bain said he has a hard time supporting giving more than $100,000 to general government. He noted that there are no new school buses in the school budget. It is his feeling that the County has been skimping by with some of the school items in the last four years. He noted that almost all of the needs are social services oriented, other than the police, in general govern- ment. Mr. Bowerman said he has a responsibility to meet the needs of the citizens. Remedial education is not a want, it is a need. He thinks that the County deliver services conservatively and at a fair price. Albemarle ranks among the top two percent of governments nationally in delivery of the economy and services. Mr. Martin said he received several messages today from citizens which all supported additional money for the schools. He also has to give attention to those persons who live in his district who say they are being driven out of the county. Mr. Martin then offered motion to advertise the following tax rates: $0.73 per $100.00 for real property, mobile homes and public services assess- ment; and $4.28 per $100.00 for personal property, machinery and tools. Mrs. Humphris seconded the motion. Ms. White said using Scenario III, if the Board funded everything it discussed, $676,932 would be available for distribution. That figure did not include a recycling contingency. March 24, 1993 (Afternoon-Adjourned Meeting) (Page 4) M.B. 43, Pg. 316 Mr. Bowerman said he is agreeable to adding a traffic officer but not a motorcycle. Also, based on what he is hearing, he can see a further reduction in the personal property tax and still provide the schools and general govern- ment with adequate funds. Mr. Martin said he does not think the Board should be giving funds to the Paramount Theater. Mr. Bowerman Said he would supPort going to public hearing with $500,000 transferred to the schools and the Board work with a reserve of $176,932. The $500,000 does not include the additional $290,000. Mr. Bain commented that he would not be present for the public hearing on the budget on April 7, 1993. He does not agree with the $500,000. Roll was then called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Bain and Bowerman. NAYS: Mr. Perkins. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Agenda Item No. 4). Order Public Hearing of Budget. Motion was offered by Mrs. Humphris, seconded by Mr. Martin, to order public hearing of the budget for April 7, 1993, at 7:00 P.M., in the Auditori- um of the County Office Building. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mrs. Humphris, Messrs. Martin, Perkins, Bain and Bowerman. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Agenda Item NO. 5. Other Matters Not Listed on the Agenda from the BOARD. Mr. Martin introduced his wife, Carolyn, and children, Steven and Daniel, whom were present. Mr. Bain asked about the status of the statement for the Highway Spring Preallocation Hearing for FY 1993-94. Mr. Bowerman said the statement has been finalized. Mr. Tucker asked which Board members plan to attend the hearing. Mr. Bowerman said he would be making the statement. Mrs. Humphris indicated that she would be attending the hearing. Mrs. Humphris then offered motion to adopt the following resolution: WHEREAS, Warren Eugene (Gene) Spratt, Jr. came to this area after a long career in the U.S. Navy; and WHEREAS, Gene was the Jail Superintendent for the Albemarle/ Charlottesville Joint Security Complex from July 1, 1990, through May 29, 1992, during a time when the Jail Board was dealing with expansion of the facility; and WHEREAS, Gene was called from this life on March 17, 1993; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Albemarle Board of County Supervisors, do hereby memorialize his service with the Joint Security Complex and express our heartfelt sympathy to his many friends and associates in this area; and FURTHER order that a copy of this resolution be spread upon the minutes of this meeting. 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. ABSENT: Mr. Marshall. Agenda Item No. 6. Adjourn. At 3:25 P.M., there being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned. Chairman