HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance October 31 1991FINANCE COMMITTEE HEARINGS
OCTOBER 31, 1991
The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers, 2nd floor, 1000 N.
Forest St., by Committee Chairperson Mary Vanderpol.
Also Present Absent
Marge Laidlaw None
Bob Imhof
Departments to be heard included the following: Public Works (Engineering, Maintenance
and Operations /Ferry, Equipment Rental), Parks.
Public Works
Engineering
Ed Henken represented Engineering. Henken discussed the following with the
Committee and Bob Woods: The current status of the Road Plan (estimated completion
expenditures to equal approximately $4,541,000 - this will include the completion of the
South Pass Road, the Hannegan Road, Birch Bay Lynden Road, and the Axton Road
signalization. In addition to this is the emergency work done on the Lake Whatcom Blvd.,
the Hannegan Road at Scott ditch and the washout on the Hampton Road); activity
measures; goals and accomplishments for 1991 (tie survey monuments to the state plane
coordination program - incomplete; modernization of equipment, to include a Total Station
Instrument - in progress); computer request for LAN system (Bennett stated that the LAN
system was not approved, what was approved was $25,000 to work on Engineering systems
as they saw fit); request for furniture and office equipment; additional staff requests
additional services requests; expanding the utilization of the road rater (to provide
capability within M. and O. to operate and interpret the road rater - presently, this
capability is in Engineering only); additional request for 25 miles of chip seal; additional
staff requests (request for an additional Engineer and an additional Clerk to establish a
separate river section in within Engineering).
Additional comments were made by Public Works Fiscal Manager Brad Bennett,
Public Works Administrator Paul Rushing and Deputy Administrator John Tyler.
Finance Committee requests: None
Minutes, 10/31/91, page 1
Maintenance and Operations
Warren Laing and John Tyler represented Maintenance and Operations. Tyler and
Laing discussed the following with the Committee and Bob Woods: The duties of the
Maintenance and Operations Division of Public Works; goals for 1992; service performance
measures; dust control budget increase (explanation from Tyler - the department has
changed to a more expensive product to control the dust on the roads); decrease in the
labor budget; salary increases for Maintenance and Operations employees (additional
explanation will come forth from Brad Bennett at a later date); increase in the materials
budget request.
Additional comments were made by Public Works Fiscal Manager Brad Bennett.
Finance Committee requests: Brad Bennett to provide the Committee with
information on the high increase in the salary requests for Maintenance and Operation
employees.
Equipment Rental
Warren Laing represented Equipment Rental. Laing discussed the following with the
Committee and Bob Woods: 1991 goals that are being carried over into 1992 (setting up
inventory control programs - 90% complete); shop labor rate ($34.00 per hour); reasons why
certain items, such as moving road oil tanks, paint and carpeting for the Lottie Street
building and a security system for Central Shop are in the Equipment Rental budget
(Rushing, Laing, and Bennett explained that because ER & R own the equipment and the
buildings, they are responsible for the upkeep. The ER & R fund is considered to be an
enterprise activity and is suppose to charge rates sufficient to recover the cost for this
upkeep and the cost of running the equipment); historically high budget amount in utilities,
communications, rentals, and misc. with little money spent (additional information to be
supplied by Bennett); Fleet manager salary decrease (the position was budgeted at the full
range and Laing is still working his way up); extra help request; total misc. line item
(additional information to be provided by Brad Bennett); request for additional vehicles for
1992 (additional information to be provided by Brad Bennett); capital outlay tank removal;
Smith Road water line (this item line shows ER & R's assessment to connect to the water
line); Equipment purchases (portable sanders, low boy trailer); moving out old vehicles
(policy is to replace every six years).
Finance Committee requests: Brad Bennett to provide additional information on the
historically high budgeted amount in utilities, communications, rentals, and misc., with little
money spent annually and update the Committee on new vehicle requests.
Minutes, 10/31/91, page 2
Parks
Roger DeSpain represented the Parks Department. DeSpain discussed the following
with the Committee and Bob Woods: The Outside Worker Program (working inmate
program - well utilized by the Parks Dept.); fund raising by the Senior Centers ($251,542
raised by the centers - seniors helping themselves); Plantation Rifle Range (approximately
45% of the revenue comes from law enforcement, the rest comes from the general public);
wood chipper rental versus purchase; additional services requests (when asked to prioritize,
Despain chose for additional staff, a .carpenter, seasonal part-time help, and a nutrition
manager for the Senior Centers - top equipment choices were computers, and a van and
trailer for the outside workers program); storm damage repair funds from FEMA ($175,000
in the line item that may not be spent - the money was put there for FEMA purposes);
Parks improvement fund; Parks facilities misc. and office and operating supplies (although
the money does not look like it'is being spent, it has been or will be by years end); staff
salary decrease (Clerk III - new person); salary increase ( Lynden Center Manager - transfer
from the Ferndale center to the Lynden center, taking his salary with him); salary decrease
(Ferndale Center Manager - new person); extra help request (double last years request):
overtime expenditures for 1991 (also in this line item is a pay out of 40 hours of vacation
for an employee); Administration line has been overspent for 1991 (reason - appraisal
costs); sale of fixed assets (Silver Lake timber); 1991 beginning fund balance of $120,000,
after negotiating with the Executive, this was pushed up to $150,000.
Finance Committee requests: None
ATTEST:
FINANCE AND PERSONNEL
COMMITTEE:
o ' - s, sis Clerk M Vanderpol, Member
Minutes, 10/31/1991, page 3