Board of Supervisors: March 19, 2008

March 19, 2008

Virginia:

AT A CONTINUED MEETING of the Nelson County Board of Supervisors at 5:00 P. M. in the Board of Supervisors Room located in the Nelson County Courthouse.

Present:     Thomas D. Harvey, North District Supervisor
   Thomas H. Bruguiere, Jr. West District Supervisor
       Allen M. Hale, Vice Chairman, East District
       Constance Brennan, Central District Supervisor
       Stephen A. Carter, County Administrator
       Candice W. McGarry, Administrative Assistant/Deputy Clerk
       Debra K. McCann, Director of Finance and Human Resources


Absent:   Joe Dan Johnson, South District Supervisor

I.   Call Meeting to Order

Mr. Harvey called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. with four (4) members present to establish a quorum and Mr. Johnson being absent.

II.   Recognition of State Champion Basketball Team

The Chairman, acknowledging the Varsity Boys Basketball Team as having won the State Championship proposed to the Board that they consider providing funding to the NCHS athletic department to help with the cost of purchasing the championship rings for approximately 21 people. The rings are priced at an approximate cost of $200 each for a total cost of $4,200. He proposed that the Board contribute $2,500-$3,000 toward the cost of the rings. The Board agreed by consensus and Mr. Bruguiere made a motion to send the NCHS Athletic Department $3,000 for the purchase of the state basketball championship rings. Ms. Brennan seconded the motion and there being no further discussion, Supervisors voted unanimously (4-0) by roll call vote to approve the motion.

III.   FY08-09 Budget Work Session

The Board began the work session by reviewing the Reassessment Analysis as it stood at the conclusion of the previous meeting as follows:

To begin the work session, Mr. Carter noted that the abc and wine profit revenues had been cut by the State and that the Agencies had been level funded at this point unless their request was less than the FY08 amount. The Board then reviewed the Agency requests using a spreadsheet provided by staff. The Board expressed concern over being able to decipher which agencies provide the most and unduplicated services for citizens of the County. Mr. Carter acknowledged the difficulty in this and noted that the County does not have the staff to do the in-depth analysis required to make these determinations. The Board also discussed salary increases for staff and constitutional offices with staff noting that 1% equals approximately $39,309.

The Board adjusted the collection rate from 91% to 93% with the resulting value of the penny being $268,058.

The Board inquired about the General Fund Balance with staff noting it to be approximately $7.5 to $8.0 million but would report the actual number at the next meeting. Staff reiterated that the auditors recommend that the County maintain a forty-five (45) to sixty (60) day cash balance including all funds.

The Board then began review of items that were marked to revisit and briefly reviewed the vehicles to be purchased in FY09 with the Board agreeing by consensus to allow the Sheriff’s Department to purchase an SUV in lieu of one of the squad cars. The proposed Assistant Emergency Services Coordinator position was discussed and staff noted that with the hiring of another part-time dispatcher, Ms. Miller’s dispatch time had been reduced by 20 hours per week such that she could split time between dispatch and working on the Paid EMS paperwork; with the costs being split budgetarily between the two departments. The Board asked staff to bring back a re-classification of Jaime Miller’s position as Senior Dispatcher at some point for their consideration. The current pay scale for Dispatchers was briefly discussed as an item for future review. Alternate schedules for paid EMS personnel were discussed with no action being taken and pending further review.

Ms. McCann then reviewed her analysis of the lease vs. purchase of school buses, with the Board deferring a decision on the issue.

The Board made the following adjustments to the FY09 General Fund Budget for a net change of -$65,283:

Motor Pool – added $2,976 for Sheriff Dept. 4WD vehicle
Extension Service – added $1,050 to Level Fund
Salary Adjustments – reduced $39,309 going from 4% to 3% salary increase for County Staff & Constitutional Offices
Assistant Emergency Services Coordinator – reduced $30,000 (leaving in $16,286 for a proposed position re-class)

The Board then reviewed the Agencies and made the following changes for a net change of $10,643:

Health Department – added $4,314 a 2% increase
Region Ten – added $1,413 a 2% increase
TJ Soil & Water – added $500 a 2% increase
TJEMS Council – added $385 a 2% increase
JABA – added $1,727 a 2% increase
Shelter for Help – added $150 a 2% increase
SARA- added $15 a 2% increase
OAR/Community Corrections – added $32 a 2% increase
Community Development Foundation – added $1,093 a 2% increase from the proposed amount of $54,636
Dental Health – HD- added $720 a 2% increase
Dental Health – RHOP- added $194 a 2% increase
Volunteer Coalition (RHOP) – added $100 a 2% increase

The Board marked the following items to revisit at the next meeting: Emergency Services Council, E-911 Program, Paid EMS including weekend coverage options, Tourism – Advertising, Transfer to Debt Service (new debt for buses) – Purchase vs. Lease Program for School Buses, TJ Regional Library, and JAUNT.

After Net adjustments to the FY09 County Budgetary Funding of -$54,640, and the change in collection rate, the resultant tax rate was $0.5519 with a 30.5% increase to Land Use Values required to equalize those taxes as follows:

The Board set the next budget work session to be held during the regular meeting on March 27, 2008.

IV.   Other Business (As May Be Presented)

Mr. Carter briefed the Board on the status of the transition to internal collection of solid waste and noted that the County will be issuing an RFP for the hauling of the solid waste from the Transfer Station to the Lynchburg City landfill via walking-floor trailers. He answered some logistical questions asked by the Board, updated the Board on the recent equipment order and the recently issued IFB for roll-off trucks.

V.   Adjournment

At 10:00 pm, Mr. Hale moved to adjourn until the regular session on March 27, 2008. Ms. Brennan seconded the motion and Supervisors voted unanimously by voice vote to approve the motion and the meeting was adjourned.