HomeMy WebLinkAboutBudget October 22 20011
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Finance and Administrative Services Committee
PROPOSED 2002 WHATCOM COUNTY BUDGET
October 22, 2001
The meeting was called to order at 9:15 a.m. by Committee Chair Robert
Imhof in the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Present: Absent:
Marlene Dawson None
Sam Crawford
Also Present:
Dan McShane
Barbara Brenner
DISCUSSION OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S 2002 RECOMMENDED BUDGET
(AUDITOR; ASSESSOR; COOPERATIVE EXTENSION; TREASURER; HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES) (AB2001 -206)
Dewey Desler, Deputy Administrator, stated the Executive's Budget message
will be given on Tuesday, October 23, 2001. The entire expenditure budget for
2002 totals $118,576,000, which is a 2.1 percent decrease from the $121 million
that is contained in the amended 2001 budget for Whatcom County.
The 2002 budget complies with the short -term policies adopted by the
County Council for 2002. It maintains current service levels. It holds the general
fund balance property tax at 2001 levels, with an increase only due to new
construction. It funds studies and projects that will make Whatcom County more
energy efficient. The budget has had its own special challenges. They have an
increase in medical insurance costs for employees, energy costs, and demands for
criminal justice and other public safety services. There is a reduction in state
funding and investment earnings, and an economic impact due to shut downs and
layoffs from major county employers. There are new water quality protection and
restoration mandates, restrictions on Canadian border crossing, and new unfunded
state mandates. However, in the short term there is very little debt and a healthy
general fund balance.
The projected 2002 ending general fund balance is $12.6 million. Other
counties in the state are making dramatic budget cuts and laying off workers.
Whatcom County is able to maintain current levels of service for 2002. In spite of
the economic strength, they are not immune to financial pressures and difficulties
as the economy in the County continues to shift. They are going to face serious
challenges in the months and years ahead. The focus must be on preparing for
both short- and long -term impacts of changing revenue streams and growing costs.
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 1
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The proposed budget in the traditional format has been popular with the
County Council. It provides an excellent description of the budget and what the
budget is composed of. Budget information also includes a summary of the
expenditure and revenue section by department and a summary of the additional
services requests (ASR's) that the County Executive recommends. Some of the
ASR's are ongoing costs. The general fund has about $140,000 added overall to
the general fund in ongoing expenses. Other ASR's are one -time expenses that
total almost $2 million. Budget information also includes the ASR's that were not
recommended for approval at this point and detailed information about each of the
approved ASR's. The administration tried to balance the base budget against the
existing capacity of the departments and existing budget levels. They go from a
full -time equivalent (FTE) employee load of 808.5 employees to 801 employees.
Crawford stated the budget is balanced. He questioned whether the bottom
line is that the reserves will drop by about $3 million. Desler stated that is correct.
Crawford questioned whether that is truly a balanced budget. Desler stated
it is if they've been following the policy of the Council for some years, in which they
use the budget fund balance to pay for one -time expenses to increase productivity,
reduce costs, or make some investments in existing infrastructure that is a long-
term asset.
Dawson stated there are differences between the two reserves. Desler
stated there are some differences. The $12.6 million does not include the projected
lapse they might experience at the end of 2002. That amount may be $2 million to
$3 million, depending on expenditure levels.
Crawford questioned whether they could break even on the reserves. Desler
stated that is correct. Normally, the administration would project a budget like this
one, and then at the end of the year, there would be a bit more in the fund balance
because of conservatively projected revenues and reduced expenditures throughout
the year. This is a balanced budget. They are following the policies of the Council.
The fund balance is divided into categories that allow them to make sure
they are retaining a certain amount of the fund balance for ongoing cash reserves,
emergencies, and contingencies. That is a prudent business practice to follow for
the corporation.
Imhof stated he would like the department officials to address how the 2001
objectives have been fulfilled, the objective of new proposals, how they are going to
measure the outcomes of the proposals, and the priority of the proposal within the
department.
AUDITOR
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 2
1 Shirley Forslof, Auditor, stated the 2002 budget starts with their mission
2 statement. Also, the budget is to provide courteous and reliable customer services
3 to all citizens. They have met that objective. They have improved the delivery of
4 services through implementation, technological, and management innovations.
5 This year, they put the voter's guide online. It was expanded to include all the
6 countywide offices and the school district directors. In the future, they could
7 include more offices. It has been popular with the candidates, who were able to
8 make a 200 -word statement.
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10 They have continued doing internal audits. One task was to change the
11 indexing of the recording system. She bought a faster scanner with updated
12 technology that provides a better image. The images are accessible by the
13 Treasurer's Office.
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15 They conducted voter registration. She publicizes when the deadlines are and
16 works with various political groups. She provides training for election staff to
17 attend certification and training for election administrators. Five of her staff
18 members are certified with election training. She is involved in the electronic
19 recording group with the State. In the future, they are going to have electronic
20 recording. The State allows vehicle licensing online. It takes time to inform the
21 citizens of that option. Technology is the way to provide information and easier
22 access to the voters, without involving as much staff. Putting the election results
23 on the internet has reduced the number of phone calls she gets the day after an
24 election.
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26 Dawson stated the lines for vehicle license tab renewals used to be very long.
27 She questioned whether that line has diminished with an increased number of
28 license subagents. Forslof stated that is one of her ASR's. She's found that there
29 are two things going on with the licensing extra help ASR. This year, she will spend
30 $11,000 on extra help, but the County Executive has approved $4,000 for extra
31 help. She is concerned about providing the same services. She will have longer
32 waits without the additional help. Customers will wait longer because there is more
33 mail that comes in. Also, the state has said that license plates have to be replaced
34 every five years. It takes a lot longer to process a new plate than to do a simple
35 tab renewal. Also, initiative 695 has had an impact. The number of vehicles being
36 licensed is much greater. Licensing makes $500,000 profit for the County. She
37 would like the additional $7,000 for the extra help to continue providing excellent
38 customer service.
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40 Crawford asked about the Associated Student Body (ASB) elections. Forslof
41 stated they are the student body elections for the high schools. The students and
42 faculty bring in the names of the officers who are running for election. She
43 produces their ballot pages for them, provides them with ballots, and then they
44 actually vote on a vote machine to elect their ASB officers and cheerleaders. Her
45 office counts the ballots. It is a way to get students familiar with voting.
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47 Crawford asked the cost of processing the high school elections, and if it is
48 something that they've always done. Forslof stated she has done this for at least
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ten years. She charges the high schools $50 or $100. Western Washington
University is charged more money.
Dawson stated the number of absentee voters has increased substantially.
She heard that only 18 percent of the absentee voters voted in the primary. She
questioned whether the County can reduce its costs for those absentees by
requiring that people sign up on a yearly basis. Forslof stated it is state law. The
voters have the option of choosing ongoing absentee ballots, or only one absentee
ballot. The fewer the issues that there are to vote on, the fewer number of citizens
will return their ballots. There is a higher rate of return for the general election.
Crawford stated the Auditor's budget tends to go up and down every other
year because the County is reimbursed by the State every other year. The year
coming up is a non - reimbursed year. Forslof stated that is correct. Every
jurisdiction, except the State, pays their fair share for elections. They've been
trying to get the State to pay their fair share for 40 years.
Crawford stated that, in the 2002 election, they will have candidates on the
ballot for State offices, but the County does not get compensated for that. Forslof
stated that is correct. There is no provision for the State to compensate the
counties on even -year elections, only on odd -year elections.
Imhof asked if there are any unapproved ASR's that are a higher priority than
the ASR's recommended by the Executive. Forslof stated the Executive rated the
ASR's in the same priority that she did. The only other proposal she had was to put
the recorded documents on the internet. The cost is about $90,000 and would be
paid for out of the Auditor's operations and maintenance (O &M) fund that has about
$320,000. It can only be used for historical documents. It can't be used for
general expense. The other ASR was a map scanner. That would be helpful to the
surveyors who come in. That would also be paid from the Auditor's O &M fund. It
would interface with her Exigent system.
Imhof questioned the number of documents per year that could be scanned.
Forslof stated she would have to ask her staff. The scanner would be for over -sized
documents.
Imhof asked what other advantage the printer would have. Many of the
people would go out to the Engineering Division anyhow to pick up the documents.
Forslof stated the Auditor's Office is the depository for those documents. They have
to be filed with her office. If she could scan and print them, they could be accessed
by anyone to print them out.
Dawson asked the O &M fund. Forslof stated every citizen who records a
document with the Auditor pays a $3 O &M fee. It will be $4 beginning in January.
One dollar stays with the County. One dollar goes to the state. Every year, the
State distributes those dollars back to the counties equally. King County funds the
small counties, and Whatcom County gets back just about what it sends in. They
use it to support the recording system, scanning system, and Exigent system.
There is less approved for the ASR than was requested. Mr. Desler told her she
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 4
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could request the remaining amount of money if she needs to, however it takes a
lot of paperwork to do that. They get about $90,000 for the fund, and the
expenditures for the past year were $16,000. She asked for $10,000 because they
recently had to update software for the recording system. They have to call
Exigent for updates or with problems.
Dawson asked about the Auditor's O &M reserve fund. Desler stated the O &M
fund reserve is not a part of the general fund reserve. The expenditures
recommended total about $72,000. The projected revenue for the fund is $90,000.
The administration does not oppose Ms. Forslof's objective. The administration is
comprehensively reviewing all the things the County does regarding recording and
storage of documents and information. They would rather approach the projects
based on a deliberate plan that puts a series of projects in order of priority. It's
great that they have a fund that would support something in the Auditor's Office.
They want to be sure it is integrated with other activities they do in the County
government so the projects are consistent internally.
Dawson questioned when an integrated plan would come forward. Desler
stated a couple of committees are working on it now. There is a Computer and
Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) and a Records Management Committee that
are working on these items. He suspects that a plan will be ready by the middle of
2002. The ending fund balance at the end of 2002 will be approximately $400,000.
Imhof stated it is a great idea to put the documents and maps on the
internet. It gives realtors, engineers, and the public access to those documents.
What goes into the Auditor's Office, Assessor's Office, and Engineering Division
should be tied together to make sure everyone can use it.
Forslof stated her goal. The public likes documents on the internet because of
the convenience. The Secretary of State will propose to the legislature to eliminate
placing punch card voting by 2004. The State of California will have it on the ballot
by 2006. There is also federal legislation proposed that mandates that every voter
have the ability to vote unassisted. That means touch screen voting in every
polling place. That would be very costly.
ASSESSOR
Keith Willnauer, Assessor, stated his goals for 2001 are pretty
straightforward. All goals set forth per mandate are being met on schedule. An
entire reevaluation is occurring, all new construction is being picked up, all personal
property is being assessed, they are maintaining an accurate property ownership
parcel database, they are allocating the values, closing the rolls, and they are
presenting an accounts receivable roll to the Treasurer in a timely fashion. The
most dramatic area they've been working on has to do with providing information,
education, and assistance to taxpayers and governmental agencies.
There are three projects his office is asking for support on, through general
fund financing. One of the projects is an imaging project to support the Assessor's
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 5
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database. It is a peripheral application to view images, such as photographs or
diagrams, associated with the Assessors database. That project is complete in
terms of hardware and software implementation. They are about 75 percent
complete with acquiring and presenting the images. He expects to present a
demonstration of that project soon. The application exists on the County
mainframe and County's intranet.
The second project is to put an Assessors' data search engine on the web.
That project is complete.
Imhof stated that service is very useful. Willnauer stated he just reviewed
the hit statistics. For the month of August, there were 115,976 hits on the
webpage. It includes multiple - parcel hits. Entrance to the site was about 6,000 or
7,000 hits per month. This has reduced the amount of phone service and desk
service at the office. He is not asking for the FTE employee this year that he's
asked for the last five years. He markets that website, so if anyone calls for
information, his staff encourages the caller to access the website.
Feedback on the use of the website has been excellent. They've modified the
search engine somewhat. The result has been improved feedback. He would like
to add a few things to it, such as the imaging database and mapping, which is what
people are asking for. That is not an ASR this year. The associated expenditures to
produce something like that, with the framework they have in place already, are
minimal.
The third project has to do with automated mapping, or updating the County's
computer base map for geographic information system (GIS) purposes. This
project is taking a little longer, and has more detail. It involves a much more
sophisticated coordination between a number of different entities. They are poised
to get going. They are very interested in making sure that all aspects are
coordinated adequately. His office participates in a GIS task force that has been
operating for some time. They are laying out a specific plan and project to move
forward. He expects to move into that area dramatically in the middle part of
2002. They have some unexpended appropriation for licenses and training. He will
ask for continuing appropriation to keep them going on that project.
Revenue and taxes are going to become an increasingly dynamic problem for
the County and his office. He tends to run the gauntlet for those issues. Initiative
747 is a dynamic issue. All of the revenue sources are going to be under a strain.
Property tax tends to be more visual and specific in terms of its impact on people.
At this point, it tends to be the most stable source of revenue. It will be looked at
to hold the revenue.
Imhof asked about form processing privatization. The recommendation cut
the request in half. Willnauer stated he currently mails out 30,000 reevaluation
notices, as required by statute. There is a certain amount of information that is
required to be available on each of the notices. Currently, he is struggling with
producing those notices in- house. The reason they do it in -house now is because,
over a period of three or four years, there were many changes. The only way to
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 6
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accommodate the changes was to control the administration internally. It is not the
most efficient way to handle it. He is printing postcards on a laser printer with a
mail merge program for 30,000 documents. He burns through an entire cartridge
by doing that. In an imperfect world, that suffices. The amount of additional
expenditure to privatize this task looks advantageous. There is a specific
accommodation they enjoy about privatization, called post net activity, which is to
use a database that the post office maintains in terms of changing addresses and
forwarding addresses. Most of the private mail providers are well- versed in how to
mail administrate from their positions. It is difficult a administration for him to
keep up with. They would gain a great efficiency because this would clean up the
database with the most current addresses from the post offices. In addition, the
privatization can produce a more professional - looking document and gain the
lowest mail rates by using barcoding and other technology.
Imhof stated three requests are for computer hardware and peripherals. He
asked if the decreased recommendation for those items is due to the reduced cost
of the items driven by market costs. Willnauer stated he expected an industry -level
color printer to support his photographs. They are taking photographs of properties
with digital cameras. He expects to have to reproduce those color photographs
with a color printer. He expects to gain a lot of support from this printer, so he
chose a large laserjet model. In retrospect, they can maybe get by with a lesser
model. He is trying to step down to the $2,800 level.
Imhof questioned what the photographs are for. Willnauer stated they are
reproduced for citizens and for their own records.
Imhof asked if there is a need for color over grayscale. Color is nice, but it's
expensive. Willnauer stated color these days is getting far less expensive. He is
looking around the County government, and everyone has color printers except his
department. He first asked to borrow the County Council's color printer. He could
support this with grayscale, however he'd like to look more professional.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.)
Willnauer stated they are paying for 35 millimeter film to be processed in
color. He is acquiring some savings from conversion. They look at 3,000 to 4,000
pieces of new construction per year, in addition to updating some of the existing
photographs. They are taking a lot of pictures. In many cases, now that imaging is
supporting those, this is needed support for people to quickly identify which
properties they are looking at, for any County user, not necessarily just the
Assessor's Office.
The request for a small tools increase is straightforward. Now that they are
shooting digital cameras, they expect to have to replace them as they are
damaged. The laptop would support public service activities and presentations out
in the field. With the costs of computers reducing, the cost would be less when
they get ready to purchase it.
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 7
1 Crawford questioned how close they are to a paperless tax collection system,
2 and if it could take decades. Willnauer stated it could take decades. Being a
3 member of the records advisory committee, it is an interesting area. There is
4 technology that supercedes image technology. They are struggling with where they
5 want to go. The technology is out there, but it is not something for now. The
6 volumes associated with this activity are not a problem with the Assessor's Office.
7 They are much more dramatic in the court systems and other full countywide
8 administrations. He is not that far from a paperless flow. He is also coordinating
9 with the Auditor's Office in terms of managing documents that come from there as
10 images, and are managed in his system as images. He has a scanner and system
11 that operates effectively. It is a case of getting all the images in the system and
12 begin using them. The Assessor's Office may not become totally paper -free, but
13 may become 75 to 80 percent paper -free within the next two years.
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15 Dawson stated that seven years ago, it was pointed out that the County was
16 losing revenue on certain pieces of property, due to improper placing of land in
17 trust status. A year and a half ago, Mr. Willnauer expressed his concern and
18 requested some direction. She asked Mr. Willnauer to write a letter to the Council
19 in the next week that would explain the status of this issue. Willnauer stated he
20 would.
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22 (Clerk's Note: The committee took a five - minute break at 10:10 a. m.)
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24
25 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
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27 Imhof stated there are not ASR's.
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29 Craig MacConnell, Cooperative Extension, stated the goals he uses are the
30 goals for extension across the state. He will provide examples. The first goal is
31 building the capacity of individuals, organizations, and communities. The example
32 of that is that he initiated the Ten Mile Project, which is Dorrie Belisle's project. It
33 is the only true implementation project so far with watershed planning. It looks for
34 voluntary involvement by landowners in the watershed.
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36 The second goal is to maintain relevance and be highly accessible. The
37 example is their website. In 1998, the website had 2,000 hits per week. In 1999,
38 there were 7,600 hits per week. In 2000, there were 14,000 hits per week. Last
39 week they were at 38,000 hits per week. He is moving away from hits as a
40 measurement, and toward page views. If they have multiple elements on the page,
41 each one shows up as a hit. They do extensive monitoring of the website.
42
43 A third goal is to provide information to farmers that strengthens agriculture.
44 They do a number of workshops and educational programs for farmers. In a couple
45 of weeks, they will have one for berry growers. This year, there are 13 topics and
46 15 speakers from across the western United States planning to attend. They've
47 doubled their attendance the last two years. He initiated putting together a team
48 looking at the issue of anaerobic digestion for dairy farm and dairy manure. It
49 consists of the Port of Bellingham, the Public Utility District (PUD), Whatcom
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Farmers Co -op, the Agricultural Preservation Committee, the Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS), and Cooperative Extension. They will look at
legislative needs and technical issues.
A fourth goal is to enhance the ability of individuals and groups to make wise
use decisions about the communities resources. An example would be the Lake
Whatcom blend, which is the fertilizer that was developed by Cooperative Extension
and scientists at Washington State University, in cooperation with the Whatcom
Farmers Co -op for the Lake Whatcom watershed. It has no phosphorus.
Another example was a workshop on integrated pest management for Lake
Whatcom residents. Fifty -six attendees reported a decrease in pesticide use as a
result of participating in that workshop. One hundred percent indicated that they
shared the information with other residents in the watershed.
The last goal is to strengthen the institutions of home and family. They've
been doing family challenge programs that brings youth and families together, if
sponsored by an educational institution.
For 2002, they are specifically saying that they are going to increase 4 -H club
enrollment by five percent; install automated weather stations to support water
resource management; implement two best management practices as a result of
some research projects, and; implement one new additional practice as a result of
participating at that workshop.
They are involved in a fair amount of agricultural research. The idea is to
take that data to the farmers so they can apply it. The first topic is the integrated
pest management (IPM) program. The IPM program went from two targeted
commodities to uses across the county, including urban users, farmers, and public
institutions. One example has to do with crane flies. Three pesticides have been
detected in the storm drains in the Lake Whatcom watershed. The biggest use for
two of those pesticides is on crane flies. Todd Murray put together a complete
integrated package on the crane fly. He contacted researchers around the Pacific
Northwest who are interested in the crane fly. Mr. Murray established an electronic
listsery for researchers to integrate what they are doing and a website about the
crane fly for researcher input. Mr. Murray put together a series of educational
efforts, including training for master gardeners to survey for crane flies in the
watershed. They surveyed about 50 properties in the watershed and found that
virtually none of the 50 needed to be treated. They now have a scientific basis to
go to the community and convince them not to do anything about crane flies. Mr.
Murray put together brochures, a workshop, and an open house. They produced a
press kit ready to go when crane flies began to emerge. They have a fully -
integrated approach that includes data about the situation, resources from around
the Pacific Northwest, and a leading expert on the European crane fly.
Another program they are involved in is the training program for nursery and
berry growers on IPM. They spent a lot of time training master gardeners. They
are working with most of the public entities about putting together a model IPM
policy and procedure. People with animals may use pesticides for fly management,
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so they put together a program for fly control for hobby farmers with horses. A
private entity in the county is selling biological control for dairy farmers. They are
working on a scientific research protocol to measure the effectiveness and factors
that influence biological fly control for dairy farms.
On the research side for IPM, the focus is on reducing the reliance on organo-
phosphate pesticides, particularly for raspberries. The issue is Diazinon. There are
two pests for raspberries. They are working on monitoring techniques that tell
farmers if they have the pests.
These research programs attract researchers to Whatcom County.
Crawford asked what they are recommending for treatment of crane flies.
MacConnell stated they don't want the public to go buy products. The best way to
treat for crane fly is to build good, strong, vigorous turf that can tolerate those
populations.
McShane asked if people are worrying about crane flies in the lawn, or
because they get in the home and are irritating. MacConnell stated there are
people who are phobic about insects. He tells those people to just vacuum them
up. There is another issue about moles. An initiative did away with mole traps, the
only effective way of dealing with moles. Now, some of the garden centers
recommend crane fly control to kill all insects in the lawn to eliminate the food
supply for moles. They are looking at biological controls for crane fly.
They are working on strategic planning for master gardeners. They want to
reinvent the program, and bring them back to the original mission, and put in place
some good evaluative indicators so they know they are delivering good quality
service and that people are changing practices. They put into place different
tracking tools to see how they are doing and to follow up with folks.
Regarding nutrient management, cow numbers are going up and the land
base is staying the same or being reduced. The only answer is export of excess
nutrients. New federal standards for phosphorus will cut in half the loading rates.
They are looking at phosphorous and at various dairy manure handling and
management practices. They are looking at how to use the manure in export
products such as compost and anaerobic digestive fiber on home garden products
and on turf.
There has traditionally not been a big emphasis on horses, but because of a
contract they have hired someone to target hobby farmers with horses. There have
been workshops on mud, manure, pasture management, compost production, and
marketing. There is a demonstration facility at Silver Beach Park.
The family living position has been vacant. He has hired someone internally.
The Strengthening Families program is a federal program.
Dawson asked about working with the farmers to identify lands for
conservation. She asked if the Cooperative Extension could work with them.
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 10
1 MacConnell stated he has been trying. So far, he has not been able to identify any
2 research that identifies which of those programs are truly effective. They are
3 relatively new. The issue is not farmland preservation, but farm preservation. He
4 doesn't want to preserve farmland as parks, but he wants to preserve farming.
5 He's been trying to find the nexus that connects preservation of farming and
6 farmland.
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8 Crawford stated they took out the watershed education component. He
9 questioned how that works and where the funding is for that. Desler stated the
10 transfer is occurring effectively at the Civic Center annex to the Public Works
11 Department.
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13 MacConnell stated this is temporary. He got authorization for and hired a new
14 position for a watershed educator two years ago. The idea was that she would do
15 education and public involvement around the entire comprehensive water resource
16 strategy. In reality, the watershed planning effort has consumed everything. The
17 staff person has been assigned to doing non - education, planning tasks. Because of
18 that, he agreed that she would move into the watershed resources planning offices
19 temporarily for two years. The education component of that process is shrinking.
20 The entire program, not just the employee, went with it.
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23 TREASURER
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25 Steve Oliver, Chief Deputy Treasurer, stated they are still maintaining an
26 effective property tax collection rate of over 97 percent. Even though the number
27 of accounts continues to grow, they are seeing some growing efficiencies due to
28 alternative methods of payment. There is continued growth in the use of the lock
29 box system, credit card payments by telephone, and online payments.
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31 Imhof asked how the online payment system is going. Oliver stated they are
32 having mixed results. They have seen approximately 500 people actually pay their
33 taxes through the online property tax payment system. However, the number of
34 visitors is quite a bit larger. They've promoted this system with the institutional
35 customers, such as the mortgage companies and banks. The top 25 visitors to the
36 site are institutions. The charge is $4 to make an online payment. There is a more
37 substantial fee if paying by credit card. That fee is two to three percent. They've
38 had a lot of feedback from people overseas who have had difficulty getting their
39 payments through the mail. They've found the service more effective. There are
40 many out -of- country property owners.
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42 The Whatcom County Investment Pool continues to out - perform the state
43 pool, and he projects that trend to continue. Whatcom County adopted new cash
44 handling funds that affect all the departments. They are trying to safeguard the
45 County's funds from the point they are collected through the financial system. The
46 Treasurer's Office spearheaded a cash handler training program. To -date, they've
47 trained about one -third of the County's cash handlers. About 200 cash handlers
48 have been identified in the County government system.
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Imhof asked if that includes the junior districts. Oliver stated it is just for the
County departments. It includes all the supervisors.
One of the ASR's that was recommended is the treasury workstation. This is
a substantial upgrade to the existing system. It provides additional tools and
resources to better, more efficiently manage the Whatcom County investment pool.
One ASR was not recommended by the Executive regarding a security
upgrade to the Treasurer's system. They raised issues with Administrative Services
about some security issues with the system. This is an ongoing discussion. One of
the results was a request by the Auditor's Office and internal audit program to do
an audit on that system. There will be expenses as a result of that audit, and an
expenditure will be required. That will be a high priority item. He is not aware of
the audit timeline. Desler stated there is a proposal to do risk management
analysis for all security systems and information systems throughout the County.
This proposal is to do things specifically for the Treasurer's Office. The risk
management analysis needs to be done for other operations as well. He proposes
to complete risk management analysis and come forward with a recommendation to
the County Council. The recommendations would include the concerns of the
Treasurer's Office.
Oliver stated he agrees that a large amount of coordination needs to take
place across the system. However, he also believes that there are some security
issues they need to address. He would like that prioritized.
Crawford stated that he believed the Ezgov online tax payment system did
not charge a fee. Oliver stated the installation and initial year was free. The
requested $12,000 and recommended $9,600 is a maintenance fee to Ezgov to
maintain the site and keep the data current.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side 8.)
Oliver continued to state most of the users are the big institutions for ten
minutes at a time to check numerous accounts.
Imhof stated it is an information service, too. Oliver stated there is a large
information component.
Desler stated the alternative is that those people would call or come into the
office to get the information they need.
Oliver stated they looked into the cost to develop an in -house system to avoid
some of the ongoing costs, but they estimate that replacing this system would cost
$30,000 to $45,000.
Crawford asked about the difference between the amount requested and the
amount approved. Oliver stated it is a negotiated fee. The fee they paid this year
is closer to the $9,600 figure. They've invested a substantial amount of money in
developing this site for the County. For them to recover their investment, they
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need to continue a business relationship with the County, so there is negotiation
that goes on between the parties.
Imhof stated they knew that the first four years, the system wouldn't pay for
itself. Hopefully, the projection after that will be revenue - neutral or a bit profitable.
They'd hoped more people would be using it by now, but it is new. Oliver stated it
follows a lot of what happens in the industry. Many public entities have offered
electronic bill payment, and found that people have been slow to adopt it. The real
initial benefit is to the additional public information provided online.
Crawford asked what happens if Ezgov increases the fee next year to
$30,000, for example. Oliver stated that with any service they provide, they have
to look at the cost versus the benefit, and make a business decision about whether
to continue that service, or develop an alternative.
Crawford stated some software vendors dictate to the County how much the
fees are. The Information Services Division reassures him that the fees are
reasonable, but he really doesn't have that much to compare them to. He would
like to see, as a long term direction, that the County exercise extreme caution to
avoid getting into situations where they have to pay some pretty high charges and
don't have any alternatives.
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Regina Delahunt, Interim Health and Human Services Director, stated the
Council has reviewed their annual work plan. During that discussion, they spent
quite a bit of time on their objectives and activities. The objectives and
accomplishments of 2001 were listed in the budget by program. They are trying to
have the three -year plan and budget packet be very similar. They put in five
ASR's. Four were approved. One was approved with a change.
Imhof asked what the ER &R rental rate increase is for. Delahunt stated that
is their car rental from ER &R. The Health Department has the same number of
cars, but the ER &R rates have increased.
Desler stated they analyzed the status of the ER &R funds the extent to which
the cost of fuel, replacement, and maintenance continue to meet the needs of the
County over the long term. At the point that the useful life of the vehicle is
complete, they have the funds to replace that vehicle. They reset some of the
funds. Some they left the same, some they increased. They increased the Health
Department and Sheriff's Office a bit.
Imhof asked if they are extending the life of some of the vehicles that were
originally thought to be five years old. Desler stated they tried to extend the life of
the vehicles realistically. After awhile, the cost to maintain a vehicle exceeds a
reasonable number. The original rates that were set had to be adjusted.
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 13
1 Imhof asked about the Domestic Violence Commission. Delahunt stated the
2 County and the City of Bellingham both provide funding for the Domestic Violence
3 Commission. An initial funding rate was set. Last year, the Council approved an
4 increase of $7,500, along with an additional $7,500 by the City of Bellingham. That
5 was a one -time request last year. The Domestic Violence Commission is requesting
6 that additional $7,500 from both the City and the County again this year.
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8 Desler stated the 2001 budget included $30,000 in the Health Department
9 budget, and $7,500 in the non - departmental budget. This year, they propose to
10 put the entire $37,500 in the Health Department's budget. It is not an increase, it
11 just cleans up some of the administrative issues they have to deal with internally.
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13 Crawford explained that he has been attending the Domestic Violence
14 Commission meetings. He requested information on when they are having a
15 meeting. If a program does not have a measurable outcome that is easily
16 measured, he is not necessarily opposed. However, it is important to have some
17 awareness on what is happening and where they are headed.
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19 Dawson stated that she would like that information also.
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21 Imhof asked if there is an increase in tuberculosis (TB) locally. Delahunt
22 stated no. They are noticing an increase in the cost of the physician contracts to
23 provide that service. Dr. Stern can provide the TB service if he has some additional
24 training. They still may need a backup contract.
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26 Crawford questioned whether they anticipate any monitoring changes due to
27 the recent health scares. He questioned what the appropriate steps are that the
28 Health Board should take to ensure public health. Delahunt explained they do
29 diseases surveillance on a day -to -day basis. The Health Department has been
30 sending out information to the doctors' offices. The recent terrorist activity has
31 been a drain on their program. Many people are calling and asking for information
32 on the various diseases. People have suspicious mail and letters that the
33 Emergency Management Division looks at. They have to interface with the Sheriff,
34 police, fire department, and medics. Internally, they have a way to go to have a
35 solid plan in place regarding response to emergencies in general. They do have a
36 plan, but day -to -day activities take away from how much they prepare for
37 disasters. Staff would like to have a little more time to spend on emergency
38 planning. All agencies need to spend more time on emergency preparedness.
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40 Brenner stated Councilmember Hoag was concerned about a response she got
41 when she made a call to the department about the procedures if someone has a
42 concern about a suspicious letter. She asked what the department tells people
43 when they call in. Delahunt stated Councilmember Hoag called and spoke with Dr.
44 Stern. Her concern was about being tested.
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46 Brenner asked what a person is told when they call the department with a
47 concern about who gets tested and why.
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Janet Davis, Community Health and Wellness Services Manager, stated they
are trying to frame the issue as one with credible exposure. First they need to
involve law enforcement, who can determine the credibility of the incident. If they
determine that the incident is credible, given the criteria they've developed, then
Emergency Management is notified. Emergency Management notifies the Health
Department. This has happened several times, including once this weekend. Dr.
Stern went to the site and helped to evaluate the issues involved. That is exactly
what they are telling people. If someone has a problem, they are to call 911 to get
the law enforcement there for the initial evaluation. The Health Department will
follow up to make sure the issues regarding health are answered. Right now, it is a
strain on them. They don't have a weekend call system. Right now, the managers
and Dr. Stern are doing it. She hopes to do more locally to allay the anxiety.
Brenner asked if a press release could go out regarding the recent issues.
Davis stated the Emergency Management Division is preparing a press release.
This is a plan in progress.
Delahunt stated it is a joint press release with all the agencies involved.
Crawford stated they are cutting a salary in Community Health and Wellness
and adding to Environmental Health. Delahunt stated this is just a reorganization
of staff into different groups. More of Dr. Stern's time was moved into
administration rather than in Community Health.
Crawford stated the total Health Department budget ends up $11 different
than last year. Delahunt stated that is correct. They saved $11. It is a status quo
budget.
Dawson asked about the basic health insurance for children from low- income
families. Davis stated there are three programs available, medical coupons, Basic
Health, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. She anticipates changes in
federal funding in the next year.
Dawson asked how many families can be on the programs. Davis stated the
County doesn't get the funding. The County only facilitates getting people signed
up and on the program.
Imhof stated that everyone who falls within the criteria can be on it. Davis
stated Basic Health often has a waiting list that fluctuates as people go on and off
the program.
Brenner questioned whether this budget takes into consideration the extra
load that is happening because of the heightened concern of terrorism. Delahunt
stated it does not.
Brenner asked if the Council is going to get a supplemental packet of
information before voting on the budget. Desler stated they will not. There are a
series of efforts to address how a lot of what public health does in the future should
be organized. There may be a possibility of other funds from the federal level for
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this area. He is working on that now. They need to rethink how they do some
public health activities. In other cases, they should just strengthen what they are
already doing. They need more time to let this play out.
Delahunt stated that if this continues, there will be federal money available to
local health.
Crawford asked if they are still doing the surprise medical waste inspections.
Delahunt stated they are. They had been doing them about once every four to six
weeks. She will see if that rate continues. They continue to get a positive
response. She would hear about any violations. There are significant odors coming
from the mushroom composting operation. She understands that the autoclave
smells at times.
Brenner stated the calls about the odors are coming from as far away as four
miles from the facility. One person was able to smell the autoclave from Acme. It
is getting worse. She questioned why there haven't been any violations. Delahunt
stated the Northwest Air Pollution Authority enforces the odor.
Brenner stated the Northwest Air Pollution Authority can only issue fines.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
ATTEST:
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Robert Imhof, Committee Chair
Finance and Administrative Service Committee - 2002 Budget, 10/22/2001, Page 16