HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance November 21 1995WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Finance and Administrative Services Committee
November 21, 1995
The meeting was called to order at 9:33 a.m. by Committee Chair Alvin
Starkenburg in the Council Committee Room, 311 Grand Avenue.
Also Present: Absent:
Ward Nelson None
Marlene Dawson
COMMITTEE DISCUSSIONS
1. ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE 1996 WHATCOM COUNTY UNIFIED
FEE SCHEDULE (AB95 -435)
Bob Woods, Council Budget and Program Analyst, noted the following scrivener's
errors:
On packet page 73, "Address Assignment" should be under Public Works, Section
471 instead of Planning and Development.
On packet page 75, "Repeat Permit Review: Engineer Staff' should also be under
Public Works, Section 471.
On packet page 76, "Temporary Access /Trail Permit ", delete "Temporary Access ".
N.F. Jackson, Superior Court Administrator /Clerk, responded to a question from
Dawson.
Dawson moved to recommend having the above scrivener's errors corrected.
Motion carried unanimously.
Discussion followed regarding the $9 surcharge.
Regina Delahunt, Health Department, commented on the Health Department's
role regarding compliance with the landfill cleanup plan.
Starkenburg recommended delaying a final decision on this item until the
November 28 meeting. He requested more information before this meeting. All
committee members were in agreement.
Finance Minutes, 11/21/95, Page 1
1 Nelson moved to recommend Council and Health Department tape copying fees
2 be reduced to $5 per tape if these departments provide the tape(s) and a $2 charge be in
3 place for those who bring their own tapes for copying.
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5 Those commenting included:
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7 Regina Delahunt, Health Department
8 Ken Henderson, Council Member
9 N.F. Jackson, Superior Court Administrator /Clerk
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11 Motion failed 1 - 2 with Nelson in favor.
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13 Starkenburg moved to recommend leaving the current fee at $8 per unprovided
14 tape and include a $4 charge for provided tapes.
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16 Motion carried 2 -1 with Nelson opposed.
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18 Nate Brown, Planning and Development Services, commented regarding permit
19 fees (handouts provided). He also discussed the Unified Building Code, noting that the
20 areas of services directly impacted were the dramatic reduction of the overtime funds
21 and the elimination of extra help monies, which provide for fill ins for sick and vacation
22 leaves. Discussion followed.
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24 Ken Henderson, Council member, commented.
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26 Starkenburg moved to recommend increasing permit fees (Uniform Building
27 Codes Schedule) by 5 percent.
28
29 There was discussion on the motion. Valerie Smith, Building & Industries
30 Association, commented.
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32 Motion carried unanimously.
33
34 Starkenburg moved to recommend restoring the overtime fund to the amount
35 stated and restore the extra help money line (see handouts). Appropriations would be
36 increased by $12,300 for overtime and extra help.
37
38 Motion carried unanimously.
39
40 Brown called attention to the Growth Industry Survey. He also commented
4.1 regarding zoning fee corrections and code reference changes, as well as lot consolidation
42 relief.
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Finance Minutes, 11/21/95, Page 2
1 Nelson moved to recommend the fee regarding custom maps and maps as
2 proposed by Nate Brown be approved (see handout).
3
4 Motion carried unanimously.
5
6 Bob Woods commented that more information in still being processed with the
7 final adoption occurring on November 28.
8
9 2. RESOLUTION ADOPTING A SALARY SCHEDULE FOR THE
10 UNREPRESENTED WHATCOM COUNTY EMPLOYEES FOR THE
11 YEAR 1996 (AB95 -433)
12
13 Starkenburg notified the audience that at the November 28 meeting, a motion will
14 be made not granting the 2 percent increase. Language correction will be made, and
15 income data will be recomputed.
16
17 Dawson moved to recommend the Administration be requested to provide
18 information figures from the Executive not allowing the 2 percent increase for
19 unrepresented employees.
20
21 Those commenting included:
22
23 Ken Henderson, Council member
24 Dr. Frank James, Health Department
25 Jeff Monsen, Public Works
26
27 Motion carried unanimously.
28
29 OTHER BUSINESS
30
31 Bob Woods explained the error in the County Council's budget figures.
32
33 Starkenburg moved to recommend transferring the Lake Whatcom Management
34 Plan funds from the Flood Control Zone District to Current Expense Fund to provide
35 funding for the $31,000 previously set aside.
36
37 Motion carried unanimously.
38
39 Nate Brown, Planning and Development Services, requested a priority list from
40 the Council regarding flood control.
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Finance Minutes, 11/21/95, Page 3
1 Starkenburg spoke to the Juvenile Department's memos from Gary Wood,
2 Juvenile Court Probation, regarding clerking their courtroom. He noted he wanted to
3 send a letter to the Executive from this committee that the Executive would request
4 Wood continue providing the clerking service until resolution of this matter. All
5 committee members were in agreement.
6
7 Nelson moved to recommend increasing the Court Commissioner salaries to 85
8 percent of state salary tied to Superior Court salaries.
9
10 Those commenting regarding the Court Commissioner salaries included:
11
12 N.F. Jackson, Superior Court Administrator /Clerk
13 Ken Henderson, Council member
14
15 After discussion, Nelson withdrew his motion.
16
17 Dawson moved to recommend considering a one -time dollar amount at the
18 November 28 meeting.
19
20 (Clerk's Note. Committee agreed this motion will be made at the November 28
21 meeting.)
22
23 Dale Brandland, Sheriff, and Dave Wareing, Undersheriff, brought to the
24 committee's attention information handed out (on file):
25
26 - Supplemental needed for unexpected leaves of absence
27 - Supplemental needed for drug grant funds
28 - Boating safety funds not spent from 1994 (request $11,853 back in their
29 budget for 1996 budget maintenance)
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31 Those commenting included:
32
33 Tom Sutberry, Administrative Services
34 Ken Henderson, Council member
35
36 (Clerk's Note: No action was necessary at this time.)
37
38 Dr. Frank James, Health Department, commented to the Women, Infants and
39 Children (WIC) Program funding. He noted that due to an error, there is an $81,000
40 shortfall. Thirty four thousand of that will come from his previous proposals. The
41 remaining $48,000 can come from:
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44
Finance Minutes, 11/21/95, Page 4
1 - Eliminating 0.2 of an FIE (full time employee) from the HIV high -risk
2 Intervention Program
3 - Eliminating 0.8 of an FIE from Public Health Nursing in high -risk pregnancy
4 - Eliminating one vehicle
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Discussion followed. Bob Woods stated he would work with Dr. James regarding
the FIEs.
Starkenburg noted at the November 28 meeting, the members will move to set up
a reserve account rather than a reserve fund.
Nelson questioned whether a salary matrix study has been done. Bob Woods and
Tom Sutberry spoke to this issue.
Woods raised the issue of revenue in the Solid Waste Fund. Starkenburg noted
that appropriate action on this will be taken at the November 28 meeting. Woods said
he would talk with Jeff Monsen, Public Works.
ADJOURN
The meeting was
ATTEST:
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34 wn- Davis, Coin erk
at 11:15 a.m.
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Alvin Starkenburg, Coun Member
Finance Minutes, 11/21/95, Page 5