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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976-05-26NMay 26, 1976 (Afternoon and Night) An adjourned meeting ~fj~h~Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County~, Virginia, was held on May 26, 1976 at 3:00 P.M. in the Board Room of the County Office Building, Charlottesville, Virginia. Said meeting being adjourned from May 24, 1976. Present: Mrl, Lindsay G. Dorrier, Jr. Absent: Mrs. Opal D. David and Messrs. Gera~ E, F~ishe~r, J~.'i.~T.-.Heniey, Jr. F. Anthony Iachetta and W. S. Roudabush. Mr. Dorrier said this meeting had been C~lle~ to h61~ a work se~si0n o~ ZMP'?6-02, Virginia Dryden Kellogg, but for lack of a qmorum he hereby declared~'t~ejpu~tic.~hearing on ZMP-76-02 carried forward to June 2, 197~ at 2:00 P.M. in the Board Room of the ~ounty Office Building. He also declared today'~s~me~t~ng~adjourned~to~7:~30.~P.M~.~at Jack Jouett Junior High School for an advertised public hearing on the 1976-77 County Budget. An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on May 26, 1976, 7:30 P.M., at Jack Jouett Junior High School, Charlottesville, Virginia, said meeting being adjourned from 3:00 P.M. this date. (The display of the proposed b~dge~ was~ adM~r~is~d~.in th~Da~!y. P~og~es~ ~n.May I1, 1976, pursuant to Code of Virginia, Section 15.1-162. The change of meeting place for the public hearing was advertised in the Daily Progress on May 12, 1976 and May 19, 1976.) Present: Mrs..Opal D. David and Messrs. Lindsay G. Dorrier, Jr., Gerald E. Fisher, J. T. Henley, Jr., F. Anthony Iachetta and W. S. Roudabush. Absent: None. Officers Present: County Executive, Guy B. Agnor, Jr. and County Attorney, George R. St. John. Mr. Fisher welcomed the public to the m~t~ng.~ noted the purpqse of this public hearing is to establish the expenditures for the ~ounty<for~.1976-77. H~ introduced~the members of the Board and Mr. Agnor. After introducing members of the staff and giving an introductory speech, Mr. Agnor showed slides which summarized revenues and expenditures. At 8:12 P.M., the public hearing was opened~ Th$ firs~-ca~$g0ry discussed~was ~ General Management and Support. First to speak was Colonel Carroll B. Smith supporting this category. He felt this set an example of how the~budget could be reduced'(reduced 2.16%). Next to speak was Bob Merrill. He suggested that the real estate and land use categories could be reduced after this fiscal year by not reassessing the County until ~ha~ta~ecrequires reassessment; every six years. Hie~feit~t~ls~would mean a significant reduction in this category. The next category discussed was Human Development. Mr. Bob Stroh, member of the Board of Trustees for the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, noted that the Board of Supervisors proposes to cut from the library budget 11.5~ of the requested amount. After serious consideration of the proposal, the Board of Trustees finds it unacceptable. He said all assessments for the support of the library are in proportion to~ the use by each participating jurisdiction. If a cut of this magnitude is distributed to all the branches of the library partially or fully funded by Albemarle County, the effects on appropriations of other jurisdictions will result in a reduction of $65,127 in the total library budget. This would mean the McIntire Library, etc. He felt this would be unacceptable to the 11,000 users of the library. The only alternative, if this cut is not applied across the board to all the functions, would be to reduce the branches in Crozet or Scottsville or eliminate the bookmobile which travels exclusively in the County. He said the budget was calculated with the best information availablg. Next year, library funds will be kept in a special account, and this will afford a better-accountability and guarantee a return of any unused portion of the 'previous year's appropriation to each juri~d%ct~on.~ H~ p~esented a sheet which explained the major increases in the budget. (Copy on-permanent' file in ~ Clerk's Office.) He also presented a sheet showing effects of the proposed cuts. Next to speak was David Lewis. He questioned a significant change in codes 109 and 109A the Social Services Budget. Mrs. Karen Mor~is,~Dire6~6r ~f~S0ci~i~Serv~C~s,~s~i'd]~ ~ ~ seven additional positions have been requested from the State. She noted two of the positions are now funded by CETA. Seven positions were requested next year since the CETA programs may not be funded again. The positions are eligibility workers who determine eligibility for public assistance programs, an additional social worker, an administrative manager who will be assistant to the Director of the department, and three additional clerical positions. Vivian Gordon, speaking for the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, was next. She noted that"she and Hal Brindley,~aiso a rePregentative from the County on the Board of Directors of MACAA, have reviewed the activities and found no duplication or any competition with existing programs. They requested financial assistance. Mr. Hal Brindley said the Board of Directors is aware of an impending crisis of the agency; through loss of services previously given and low morale among staff members due to loss of benefits ~and a frozen budget over the past years. They felt it is necessary to ask for funding from all the areas served. Mr. Rick Noble of Madison House was next to speak. He was representing 1,100 volunteers. They ask to be allowed to have the opportunity to work ~n this come. unity with those citizens that need help. The volunteers wan~ to. h~lp me~chants and ~consumers. Thus, financial support is needed from the county. He noted that the county started supPorting Madison House in 1973 at a level of $4,000.00]- Last yea~, funding was ~cut back to $2,000.00. He noted that Madison House wants to maintain their current level of services and without the County's 'contribution, this is impossible. 238 May 26, 1976 (Night Meeting) The next category discussed was Public Safety and Justice. First to speak was A. B. Kline. He questioned the 55% increase in the Fire Marshal's office and asked if the office is required by State Law. Mr. Agnor said the increase is for clerical help for this office and the-office wa-s set~up after~a decision of the Board of Supervisors several years ago because of the fire hazards occurring and some construction which was going on in the County needed to be inspected. Next to speak, supporting the Scottsville Rescue Squad, was James Payne. He said the rescue squad badly needed vehicles. They would appreciate any funding possible. The next category for discussion was Education. First to speak was Gene Norton, President of the Albemarle Education Association. He supported the school budget as presented. He noted that the AEA had been conducting a survey intended to increase the public's awareness of the impact the proposed school budget would have on the tax rate and the impact the budget cuts would have on the school programs. He presented a petition signed by five hundred and forty-one (541) educators which represents over 90% of school teachers. This petition supported the school budget as presented by the School Board. (Petitions on file in the Clerk's Office.) Mr. Jim Marshall, vice president-of AEA, was next to speak. He said teachers do not receive vacation or sick leave. The proposed school budget has a request for two days of paid personal leave. Mr. Bill Steigman, representing the principals of Albemarle County, read into the record a letter supporting the school budget as presented by the School Board. (COPY ON PERMANENT FILE IN CLERK'S OFFICE.) Next to speak in support of the School Budget as presented was Mr. Dennis Craddock. Mrs. Jacqueline Sokel spoke next supporting the school budget. education system in Albemarle County ranks high among priorities. She noted that the Mrs. Vivian Gordon supported the school budget and felt Albemarle County's educational system, one of the best. Next to speak in support of the school budget was Mr. Bill Colony. He felt teachers are in the same category as the supervisory employees on the County's payroll who are adequately paid for their supervision; thus, teachers should be treated the same. Mr. Bob Musgrove spoke next supporting the school budget. He said the school employees received a 4.4% cost of living increase last year, whereas the national cost of living increase was 11%. The teachers were hard hit on this increase financially. Mrs. Ruth Wadlington, President of the League of Women Voters was next to speak. She said the League urged the Board to support the proposed school budget, They feel a quality system of education is probably the most important function of local government. If a large cut is made in the school budget, it would adversely effect the quality of education offered to the students. (Statement on permanent file in Clerk's Office.) A.'stmd~n~r4a.tlA1Hemarle H~ghi'~S~hool, Ms. Perry Rush, was next to speak. teachers deserved the increase requested. She felt Speaking next in support of the school budget was James Cosby. He urged the Board to cut facilities instead of salaries if the budget had to be cut. He also urged the citizens to support the school budget even if it meant a tax increase. Mr. A. B. Kline, representing the Sherwood Manor Association, spoke next supporting the proposed school budget. He recommended sick leave or personal leave be 12.5 days per year instead of 10 days to.compensate for the ten month contract. He noted only $75,000 being referenced as an expenditure from revenue sharing and suggested using some of these funds for an enrichment program. Mrs. Kathy Beard, a resident of Westmoreland, homeowner and parent, spoke next in support of the school budget. She commended the Board for their selection of school board members. She urged funding of the entire school budget without any cuts. She said teacher aides are a vital part of the school system and are not sufficiently paid. She also supported the benefits included in the proposed budget. Next to speak was Mrs. Mary Jo Ayers, sup~qr~ing_the Sqhool~dge~_eve~ if i~ meant an increase in taxes. She noted the new State Constitution mandates the standards of quality education and'~'felt this increased th@~¢o'~o~schools bu~ also ~enefits~h~ children. ' Mr. Bob Cooper, parent, was next to speak supporting the school ~u~get[~- He'~'~urge~'~ the Board to pass the school budget even if it meant[~[[~2is~.~g ~axes~; ........... Mrs. Martha Selden, parent, spoke next in support of the proposed sc~hool'bmdget Speaking next was Mr. Caleb Morris. ~He would support a 5% increase for teachers but could not support the 5.7 to 9.9%. He urged a 'reduCtion of 8% in the overall budget, with, a portion of that being taken from the Education budget Mrs. Ann Spurgin spoke next in support of an increase for teachers. was the County's first and most important investment. She felt education Mr. Phillip Taylor, student at Albemarle High School, spoke next Supporting the proposed school budget. Mr. Harry D. Kennedy spoke next. He felt a government h~s to re~r~sent the common good of everyone. He did not feel the County had ever done anything for him. He sa~ the purchase of automobiles and furniture could be cut down and some o[ that given to the teachers, but he could not tolerate the continuous raising of his taxes. ~ May 26, 1976 (Night Meeting) Next to speak supporting the proposed school budget was Joyce Colony. She urged Ms. X~ Bauerle, taxpayer and parent,~spe~e next supporting~-~th~ s~hool~-bu_dget,. She would like to see some funding for ~an alternate education program. David Hill, a teacher in the County for the past seven years, was next to speak in support of the budget. He felt life insurance~ prem2mms ~.shOu~d,:'beopa~id by ~the-,~ounty~..:v; ~:~,-~- Mrs. John Smart, a retired teacher, spoke next:.~:: She was embarrassed educator say they would do a better job if they received more money or for a parent to suggest such. She felt the Board would be glad to give increases in salaries if the County could afford it but they have to consider where the money will come from in order to do so. Colonel Carroll Smith, representing the Farm Bureau, spoke next. They appreciate the teachers and feel they are doing a good job. He offered a compromise of reducing the educational budget by 2~, which amounted to $2?8,000. He recommended the reduction come from administration instead of salaries for teachers. Mr. David Lewis spoke next supporting the school budget.](.'fH~FeltL~h~r~ .~w~r~ too many supervisors in the education system. The money spent for these positions should be spent for more teachers. Thus, the addition of teachers would reduce the. size.of_classrooms Speaking next was Sam Page, parent. He objected to the addition of seven additional people in the Welfare Department. If these additional people are not state mandated, he felt the money should be transferred to the educational system. He has been moonlighting all his life and sees nothing wrong with that. Barbara Craig, teacher, spoke next supporting the school budget. She did not'feel an increase in salary would make her a better teacher~but-~she could~tay ~n ~aching. She felt moonlighting was hard for teachers with the after school activities they must participate in. - '-~. ~ ~, ~-, ~ Mr. Walter Young felt teachers should have a raise in line with inflation. But, President Ford said it would only be 3.7% this year. He felt too much money was spent on "country club" schools. He felt a 5% increase was~enough for teachers and.~fett~the ~ statement of being a better teacher by being paid more money was the worst he had ever heard. Jeannette Musgrove spoke next supporting the school budget. She felt one thing not mentioned was the fact that many teachers in the County are the head of the household. If the salaries of the teachers are considered, the prospects of ever owning a home are not very good. Bruce Hogue encouraged the Board to keep taxes down. He noted that the income of farmers for the last three years had been down. Farmers in the County have suffered greatly. He asked that the hiring of teachers aides be reviewed closely. He_~was~not asking that teachers salaries be cut, but that they be held down. Bob Brugh asked for an explanation of why teachers are paid for 200 days and the students are only in school for 180 days. Mr. McClure said the State requires 200 days in the teachers contract, 180 are required for teaching and 20 days are required for in- service activities and work days. Mr. Brugh asked if one of these days can be spent by teachers going to State Teachers Association or National Conventions. Mr. McClure said the teachers of Albemarle County are allotted a~certain amount of detegates~for this and~ ~ the only pay they get for this is pay for their substitutes. This amounts to fifteen teachers for a 1 1/2 to 2 days. In return, the Association pays the County $300.00 a year to share in this expense and other conferences. It is shown in the budget as revenue. Mr. Brugh supported the cost of living increase assuming that all county emp!oyees.'-get ~ ~ the same increase. He did not feel the two personal leave days for teachers was justified. He was tired of being "nickeled and dimed" to death b~ thes~-incre~ses~ ~ ~ ~:-~,~ ~.- Alan Freeman speaking in support of the-,budget was~next:~ He-felt there.was a~misconcepl among the citizens and the Board members. He noted the Board in their initial study of the budget had made a recon~.endation to cut life insurance for teachers s~nce it was not granted to other county employees. He did not feel teachers should be compared to regular county employees. If a comparison was made between county and school employees as to fringe benefits, there is quite a difference. Even if the life insurance is paid for teachers, the cost for fringe benefits would still be less than for county employees. He urged increasing fringe benefits for teachers. The public hearing continued with general comments from the public on taxes and other matters. Mr. Ken Ackerman, program planner for the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, spoke next. He said the agency provides over $i33,000, of services to the County. This is being done without any funds from the County. The agency is requesting $10,786 for the coming year to serve as a local matching share for a federa! grant from the Community services administration. In granting the request, the County will receive over $12.00 for every $1.00 provided. Over 7,000 residents in the County, are at poverty level. The amount requested represents approximately $1.50 for each County resident that lives at poverty level. He felt this was a small price to pay to better living conditions in the County. Mr. Jim Murray, Jr., speaking for the Southside Albemarle Association, was next. He noted the association is composed of a group of farmers and landowners from southern Albemarle. Members of the Association generally own large tracts of land and make their livelihood in varying degrees from farming to raising timber. The~e landowners-provide ~ two vital functions to the County. First, they provide the unspoiled rural agricultural ambience which makes the County uniquely attractive. Secondly, they provide an ever increasing amount of the real estate tax revenues which are essential for county operations. 240 Ma.v 26, 1976~N'_ ' . The problem with this is the continued reliance of the County on its landowners to provide a larger tax base which makes it impossible for the landowners to provide their first function. Land use tax assessment has temporarily saved many of the landowners from being taxed off their land. But the fact remains that the farmer is getting a lower percentage yield in income from his capital investment than any other businessman. The budget is calling for a proposed increase of county expenditures at 15.2%. He felt the county is proposing a budget which is double the upcoming national inflation rate. He felt some-departments are overstaffed, services being paid for are not provided, and expensive equipment is not being utilized. The Association asks that the fat in the budget be found and cut out. They ask that the County get back on a conservative, economic and sensible growth pattern which will reduce county spending and hold down taxes on large landowners. Mr. Fisher noted the 35% increase in the Social Services budget was not recommended by the Board but by State legislature and the Federal Government. He said there is also a greater dependence on property tax continuously being forced on the County by state legislature. He urged Mr. Murray to go to Richmond and stress the concern of the landowners pertaining to the increase in property taxes. Speaking next was John Smart. best possible job with the budget. He said the Farm Bureau trusted the Board to do the Mrs. Ruth Wadlington, speaking for the League of Women Voters, spok~ neXt. There is a well recognized need for a better source of revenue other than property tax to fund the increasing costs of local government. The split tax ~ate proposed h~s a desirabl~ objective of relieving the increasing reliance on real--estate as the prime tax source. It seems inequitable that mobile homes, which are the only h0u~ing some people-can afford, will be taxed at a higher tax rate. The schedule o~ fees for permits and other services, such as site development plans, should be studied to make certain they are self-supporting as the building and other inspection fees are. The League favored low-income housing and urge~ that such a program be started immediately. Mr. James Cosby felt people would be more agreeable and supportive if they knew what their tax dollars was going for. He agreed with the split tax rate. Speaking next for the Albemarle County Taxpayers was Mr. Pat Janssen. He urged the Board to reduce the budget now so as to prevent increases in the future. Mr. Robert Humphris speaking for the Albemarle County Taxpayers presented to the Board a poll which was taken by the members on eleYen questions. (Copy of this poll is on permanent file in the Clerk's Office.) Mr. A. B. Kline asked why revenue sharing expenditures are not shown in the budget. Dr. Iachetta said while revenue sharing funds are not shown in the budget, four million dollars of capital outlay requests are also not shown since the County cannot fund these requests this year. Mr. Daniel Meloher felt most of the problems stem from inf!at~on~in~Washington. At this time, the public hearing was closed. Mr. Henley had no comments. Mr. Dorrier felt that teachers deserve ~he supp6rt they have'received. ~ny further cuts in the school budget should come from adm±nistration and the school board should so designate. He supported a reduction in the budget and would like to see the real estate tax rate to remain the same as that of last year. Dr. Iachetta said he could support a 6% increase for teachers. At the work session to be held tomorrow, he will present a scale showing such an increase and representing two new steps for those who stay in the~system longer. This will be a suggestion to the School Board on how to save $91,000-. He felt too many dollars are spent on classroom supervision. He also felt teachers should receive higher salaries than those supervising. In summary, he would expect no more than 2% to be cut from the school budget. Mr. Roudabush said the response tonight was good and has given the Board a good i. dea of how the citizens feel. Mrs. David said hearing from her constituents has increased her own information on different subjects. She did not feel anyone is opposed to quality education and said a joint meeting with the Board and the School Board should be held to work out some guidelines for working on budgets in future years. Mr. Fisher expressed the Board's appreciation for the work of teachers, county employees and Other staff members. He said the function of this Board is to provide services in as efficient a manner as possible. He has requested the School Board-and school administration to do an analysis of various state and federa~ mandated ~rograms"~h~ the County has been required to initiate since 1970. Also, to analy~e funding provided~.for~ those and the programs which have to be supported by~local~revenu~s, This is the'first step to be taken in order to convince legislators that programs they are requiring, even though good, are not necessarily supported ~ the cit~zenS~ ~h~le citizen~ are paying the taxes, the Board does not even have a chance of reviewing the programs and deciding if they are beneficial or not. This is a form of taxation without representation. At this time, he thanked everyone for attending the hearing tonight and expressing their concerns. At 10:55 P.M., Dr. Iachetta offered motion to adjourn this meeting to May 27, 197~, at 2:00 P.M., in the Board Room of the County Office Building to continue budget discussions. Mrs. David seconded the motion and same carried by the following recorded ¥ote: AYES: Mrs. David and Messrs. Dorrier, Fisher, Henley, IaChetta and Roudabush. NAYS: None.