HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance November 12 1994WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Finance & Personnel Committee
Budget Wrap Up /Recommendations
November 12, 1994
The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m. by Committee Chair Alvin
Starkenburg in the Committee Room of the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue.
Also Present:
Ward Nelson
Barbara Brenner
Other Council Members:
Marlene Dawson
Bob Imhof
Larry Harris
Ken Henderson
taff:
Bob Woods, Council Budget /Program Analyst
Various Department Members
Various Department Heads
Absent:
None
Woods asked the Committee to come up with ballpark figures only for
recommendation at Tuesday's meeting. He reminded them the Council will not vote on
this issue until November 22.
Woods discussed briefly the closure of funds. For the most part, it seems closing
as of January 1, 1995, is not possible for technical reasons. The probable date is July 1,
1995. The books must first be closed out, and there is no information as to when this
may be accomplished.
Brenner moved to recommend for keeping the property tax at 100 percent for
Current Expense Fund and Road Fund.
Motion carried unanimously.
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 1
1 In speaking regarding the criminal justice system, Nelson noted the Council has
2 money due the county from the city. The Prosecuting Attorney needs to complete this
3 matter of the County /City first. The anticipated funds are in the $700,000 range.
4 However, this matter will be settled by arbitration at a date uncertain.
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6 Jeff Monsen, Transportation Services, noted they need to make decisions
7 regarding on -going projects for the River Improvement Fund. He anticipated the
8 supplemental budget would be requested within the first quarter of 1995.
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10 Brenner moved to recommend for closing the River Improvement Fund and
11 transfer those funds to Current Expense Fund.
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13 Motion carried unanimously.
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15 Starkenburg moved to recommend for asking all department heads to use ten
16 percent regarding the overhead and administrative costs.
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18 Nelson moved to recommend for taking ten percent off the departments utilizing
19 federal and state grants to bring over to Current Expense.
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21 Motion carried unanimously.
22
23 N.F. Jackson, Superior Court, noted that the $30,000 for the proposed computer
24 program would cover all the departments.
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26 Starkenburg moved to recommend for inclusion in the budget $30,000 for this
27 computer program.
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29 Motion carried unanimously.
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31 The Charter Review Fund is to cover clerking help for process and printing, etc.,
32 costs.
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34 Nelson moved to recommend for $33,500 for the Charter Review Fund.
35
36 Brenner moved to amend dollar amount to $25,000.
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38 Motion carried unanimously.
39
40 Nelson moved to recommend appropriating $100,000 for the Nooksack Water
41 Users Steering Committee.
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43 (Clerk's Note: Committee members discussed this item and decided as a group to
44 return to this item at a later time today.)
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 2
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Starkenburg moved to recommend that $137,000 of expenditures be included from
the Lake Whatcom projects and that an additional $37,000 be transferred from the Flood
Control Zone District.
Thirty seven thousand dollars is actually taken out of Flood Zone District to help
fund it. It will all get funded by Current Expense (($137,000).
Motion carried unanimously.
Nelson moved to recommend for appropriation of $14,000 for the Line Item for
getting the tax statements mailed to the property owners.
Motion carried unanimously.
Woods informed the Committee the Council will first have to draft an Ordinance
regarding some Incentive Fund. It will need to be in effect before any money can be
appropriated.
The Blue Ribbon Panel suggested three items regarding incentives: 1) to reward
increases in productivity of performance; 2) to reward those finding ways to reduce
Workman's Comp costs; and 3) to reward ways of finding ways to reduce sick leave use.
Starkenburg moved to recommend for approval of $20,000 for the Incentive Fund,
which would be developed at a later date and be held in the Council Miscellaneous
Item.
Motion carried unanimously.
Nelson moved to recommend for approval of $175,00 for the Nooksack Water
Users Steering Committee.
Motion carried unanimously.
(Clerk's Note: A brief recess was taken.)
Bob Woods explained that instead of having lots of funds with their own reserves,
we close funds -- mostly to Current Expense, unless they are required by law to be
separate funds. There are a number of funds that can be closed. In closing these funds,
some of that money can be talked about as being Current Expense money that is left and
appears to be allowable proper. Even though the fund has been collapsed (closed), that
fund's balance and the expenditure of those funds must still be restricted to only those
particular activities but no longer would be in a separate set of books.
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 3
A lengthy discussion ensured regarding the Current Expense Fund, followed by
opinions on different funds.
(Clerk's Note. Lunch Break)
The previous discussion on opinions on different funds resumed, as well as
ballpark figures.
Nelson moved to recommend cutting Administrative Services' budget by $30,000.
Motion carried unanimously.
Brenner moved to recommend deleting the position of Administrative Services'
Budget /Financial Analyst.
Motion failed 1 -2 with Brenner in favor.
Starkenburg moved to recommend cutting four positions instead of five for the
jail's budget.
Motion failed 1 -2 with Starkenburg in favor.
Nelson moved to recommend cutting five positions for the jail's budget.
Motion carried unanimously.
Nelson moved to recommend to delete two positions from the planning
portion of Planning & Development Services ($100,000 reduction).
Motion carried unanimously.
Nelson moved to recommend eliminating a one -half position ($25,000) from the
Health Department.
Motion carried unanimously.
Starkenburg moved to recommend deleting one position from the Public
Defender's budget ($50,000).
Motion carried unanimously.
Starkenburg moved to recommend elimination of the three percent pay raise for
exempt employees with range 20 and above.
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 4
Motion carried unanimously.
Nelson moved to recommend Juvenile Probation be reduced at the one percent
reduction figure of $26,000.
Motion carried unanimously.
Nelson moved to recommend that the following be reduced as follows: Land Use,
one percent, which is $7,700; Planning, $7,900; Administration, $2,900; and Professional
Services, $1,087.
Nelson withdrew his motion.
As Brenner wished to vote line item on the above - withdrawn motion, the
following took place:
Land Use: 2 -1 with Brenner opposed;
Planning: 2 -1 with Brenner opposed;
Administration: Unanimous;
Professional Services: 2 -1 with Brenner opposed.
Motion carried as above.
Starkenburg moved to recommend reduction to the Hearing Examiner for a total
of $9,000.
Motion carried unanimously.
Starkenburg moved to recommend elimination of one position in Emergency
Management ($30,000).
Motion carried 2 -1 with Brenner opposed.
(Clerk's Note. Short Break Taken)
Starkenburg moved to recommend deleting from Capital Equipment Replacement
list the Basket Trust for $135,000 and the Bridge Truck for $150,000 and further
explanation be requested regarding the Loader - -is this one or more Loader(s)- -for
$275,000.
Motion carried unanimously.
Starkenburg moved to recommend to delete the salt bunkers and oil tanks
($210,000).
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 5
1 Starkenburg withdrew his motion.
2
3 Starkenburg moved to recommend striking four positions from Maintenance and
4 Operations, Transportation Services, Bridge Section.
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6 Motion carried unanimously.
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8 Starkenburg moved to recommend reducing anticipated property tax revenue in
9 the Road Fund by an additional $261,659.
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11 Motion carried unanimously.
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13 Starkenburg moved to recommend deleting one and one -half positions from the
14 Solid Waste Division (approx. $75,000).
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16 Motion carried unanimously.
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18 Nelson moved to recommend moving the Recycling Coordinator position and all
19 recycling program operations and costs to Cooperative Extension, with a corresponding
20 transfer of revenue to cover costs.
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22 Motion carried unanimously.
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24 Starkenburg moved to recommend transferring $154,966 from the Solid Waste
25 Fund to the Health Fund in order to cover the Solid Waste subprogram of
26 Environmental Health and to concurrently eliminate the fees and fee income that was in
27 the Health Fund for that same program.
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29 Motion carried unanimously.
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31 Starkenburg moved to recommend appropriating $60,000 for the County Council
32 Professional Services /Legislation.
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34 Motion carried unanimously.
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36 Brenner moved to delete the revenue from the Criminal Justice Funding Tax
37 (one -tenth of one percent). She strongly requests the City of Bellingham to pay their fair
38 share, including back payments.
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40 Motion carried unanimously.
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42 Brenner moved to recommend to upgrade the Superior Court Commissioners to
43 82 percent for salaries (approx. $6,000); upgrade the Weed Board by $8,000; and
44 increase Planning Department's Water Why's Program by $29800.
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 6
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Motion carried unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned about 4 p.m.
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Ramona Reeves, Clerk of the Council
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Alvin Starkenburg, Council Men,r
Finance Minutes, 11/12/94, Page 7