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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-10-24 adjOctober 24, 1988 (Adjourned Meeting) (Page 1) 661 An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on October 24, 1988, at 8:00 A.M., Meeting Rooms 5/6, County Office Building, 401McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. This meeting was adjourned from October 19, 1988. BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr. Edward H. Bain, Jr., Mr. F. R. Bowie, Messrs. C. Timothy Lindstrom (arrived at 8:06 A.M.), Walter F. Perkins and Peter T. Way. BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Mrs. Cooke. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Messrs. William W. Finley, Clifford W. Haury, Charles S. Martin, and Charles R. Tolbert. Also present was Mr. N. Andrew Overstreet, Superintendent of Schools. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Mr. Charles Armstrong, Mr. Forrest Marshall, and Mrs. Sharon Wood. OFFICERS PRESENT: Mr. Guy B. Agnor, Jr., County Executive, and Mr. George R. St. John, County Attorney. Agenda Item No. 1. Call to Order. The.meeting wascalled to order at 8:05 A.M. by the Chairman, Mr. Way. Agenda Item No. 2. Joint Meeting with School Board: a) Discussion: 1989/90 Budget Process. Mr. Agnor outlined his memo dated October 19, 1988, concerning preparation of the 1989-90 Budget. Mr. Overstreet mentioned that the Schools must adhere to a new State budget format which may necessitate the preparation of the budget in two different formats, but his staff would try to adhere to the time line set. Mr. Bowie said if there is a problem with the budget calendar, it would be helpful to know about that problem ~mmediate~y. Mr. Lindstrom suggested that when the budget process begins, the two boards have a meeting to discuss the budget,~and then during the process hold another meeting in order to reduce as much f~iction as possible. b) Discussion: Crozet School planK, i. Mr. Overstreet discussed some new cost estimates on this project. Crozet SchoQ1 is now projected to cost a total of $4,235,921. He noted that the requested amount was $4,330,000; however, the Board appropriated only $4,079,~00 plus $100,000 for ~mprovements to Route 810. He also noted that all contingency funds have been eliminated from the project costs. Also reduced were costs for site equipment, playground equipment, land- scaping and site lighting. They looked at t~e last three projects, and the reductions which had to be made on those proj!ects and still meet m~nimumneeds and applied those same cuts to this project. Lighting was one of the major areas. Mr. Lindstrom said it is unrealistic to believe there will not be addi- tional costs in terms of developing a budget. Mr. Tolbert said that on both the Meriwether Lewis project and the Stone Rdbinson project, the original bids were over the estimate, so there were a lot of cuts in the original costs. Mr. Bowie asked if furniture is included in the cost estimate. Mr. Papenfuse said they have assumed the use of some existing fur.niture since it is a replacement school. New equipment will ~e in the library and cafeteria. Mr. Overstreet then handed to the Board !information from the State Department of Education on the subject of average public school building costs for 1987-88. Mr. Lindstrom said he did not know what to do with all of this informa- tion Mr. Overstreet said the last time this matter was discussed, they only 662 October 24, 1988 (Adjourned Meeting. (Page 2) had information on two or three other schools. He feels there is a need to g~ ahead and get this project started. Mr. Lindstrom said it is helpful information, but he feels that he would like to have the design of the Crozet replacement school reviewed by somebody who is not connected with the project at this time. He feels it should be someone who has no affiliation with, or has not been recommended by the people doing the project. This is going to be an expensive building. Mr. Agnor said he made inquires at the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, and got the names of three people who do cost esti- mates. He contacted two of those people and asked if they could review plans in a conceptual stage, and if they could take a set of older plans and bring them up to code requirements and make a cost estimate for review purposes. Both indicated that it could be done, but would require from two to three weeks and cost between $2,500 and $3,500. Mr. Bowie said this project is just one of many to come. Nobody who is paying for these schools has any say in the design, and he feela it should be a matter for a second opinion. That person should be hired by the Board of Supervisors because they have the ultimate responsibility for paying for the school. Mr. Bowie said he will support getting the second opinion on this school, and every such project. He said there are only two schools on the whole list submitted by Mr. Overstreet that have a higher per square foot cost. He thinks the opinion should be obtained to justify that the square foot cost for the Crozet School is correct for Albemarle!County. Mr. Tolbert said he thinks the request is reasonable if the Board is willing to pay. The costs for the two schools on the list that cost more th~ Crozet will be two years old when Crozet School is opened. The costs for Crozet come out close to the centerline on the graph. It appears that there is a big variance in school building costs. Mr. Perkins said the economy is in a period of low inflation. He thinks it sends contractors a message when it is said that the County will pay a certain amount for a school. He thinks the figures should be kept secret. There had been a jump in building costs in this area, but that is winding down, so there could be a change in that cost. It is good this school is being funded over a two year period of time. He thinks there should be some changes in the design and a cost re-estimate made. Mr. Finley asked what would happen if the person hired to review the plans came up with a different design. Is the county tied to a redesign? Thc architects are making changes now within their present fee. Mr. Tolbert said he feels the estimated cost might be more expensive than the present estimate Mr. Bain said the County has a lot of building to do, andinot just schools. He thinks that to bring in a second opinion can only bene~fit the County. Mr. Bowie offered motion that the County Executive p~oceed to get a second opinion on the Crozet replacement school plans. T~e motion was seconded by Mr. Lindstrom. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mr. Bain, Mr. Bowie, Mr. Lindstrom, Mr. Perkins a~ Mr. Way. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mrs. Cooke. Mr. Bowie also suggested that the Board obtain an estimated cost on a se~ of standard plans such as those for Brownsville or Woodbr~ok. Mr. Lindstrom said this is different from designing a basic building that could be used in the future for other projects. Mr. Agnor said that both ~ad indicated that they had done this before, but it would cost a lot more. Mr. Lindstrom said he supported the idea of coming u with a design of a building that has standard components so there is something that can be constructed even if on different types of sites. c) Executive Session: Personnel. Mr. Lindstrom sa~d it is unfortunate that the executive session is last on the agenda. He asked that at the next October 24, 1988 (Adjourned Meeting) (Page 3) 663 meeting it be the first item. Mr. Tolbert said it is an important item for the school system. It was then agreed by all parties that the Board and School Board would meet again on October 31, 1988, at 8:00 A. M., for the exclusive purpose of holding an executive session on personnel matters. Mr. Agnor asked that the Board members look at the "Albemarle County Meals Tax Fact Sheet" which had been prepared at the last Board meeting. After making a couple of minor word changes, motion was offered by Mr. Bowie, seconded by Mr. Lindstrom, to approve the following Fact Sheet for publica- tion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Messrs. Bain, Bowie, Lindstrom, Perkins and Way. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mrs. Cooke (Note: The Meals Tax Fact Sheet is set out below:) ALBEMARLE COUNTY MEALS TAX Albemarle County needs an additional $5.595 million to meet its Capital Improvement Plan for the next five years. At present, the only way the County can raise these funds is from property taxes. This year the General Assembly has authorized a new source of revenue -- the MEAI~ TAX. Right now, two counties, 21 towns and 31 cities, including the City of Charlottesville, have a meals tax. On November 8, 17 counties, including Albemarle, will vote on the meals tax. WHY THE MEALS TAX? If the meals tax passes, a substantial portion of the $5.595 million needed will be paid by people who do not~ live in Albemarle County (workers and shoppers who live in other counties, students from other areas, tourists, etc.). If the meals tax fails, all of the $5.595 million will have to be paid by residents of Albemarle County. WHAT'S IN THE APPROVED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN? The Capital Improvement Plan totals $25,446,000 for the next five years alone (needs beyond five years are not included). Major projects in the capital plan are: Schools = Watershed = Library = Parks = Landfill = Highways = $13,855,000 (two new, schools, major renovation of four schools) $1,715,000 (seven projects of stormwater and reservoir protectioni) $1,592,000 (Branch l%brary northside of County) $1,334,000 (11 projects including Southern Regional Park) $1,930,000 County Share (To extend the use of the Ivy Landfill) $3,069,000 (23 County projects not funded by the State) HOW IS IT FUNDED? Money Needed: Approved Projects Debt Costs Total Needed $25,446,000 (From above list) 8,707,000 (Total of loans and interest repaid during five years as required by State law) $34,153,000 664 Money Available: October 24, 1988 (Adjourned Meeting) (Page 4) Available Resources $17,075,000 (Contributions to capital budget from County property taxes and interest on County fhnds) Borrowed Funds: Long Term Short Terms 5,000,000 (Maximum a.vailable from State Literary Fund) 6,483,000 (Borrowed from local banks) Total Available $28,558,000 SHORTFALL $ 5,595,000 WHAT IS THE CHOICE? The County must raise the $5.595 million shortfall by some means. With the meals tax, a substantial portion of the money will come from people who do not live in Albemarle County. Without the meals tax, thO'.only source of additional money is property taxes, which will be paid only by residents of the County. Agenda Item No. 3. Adjourn to November 2, 1988, at!l:30 P.M. At 9:36 A. M., with no further business to come before the Board~ motion was offered by Mr. Bain and seconded by Mr. Bowie to adjourn until October 31, 1988, at 8:00 A. M. for Executive Session on Personnel matters. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Messrs. Bain, Bowie, Lindstrom, Perkins and Way. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mrs. Cooke.