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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance 07-09-97ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Robert In. Boche, Chair St. Croix County Board FROM: Donald Brown, Chair COMMITTEE TITLE: FINANCE , A.. LOCATION: St. Croix County Government Center DATE: July 91997 8:00 M CALL Mn ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING: August 8, 1997 ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 1. Review of Vouchers 2. Town of Eau Galle Fire Claim 3. Dog Damage Claim for Errol Gooding 4. Contingency Fund Request for $900 for Nursing Home Centennial NEW BUSINESS: 1. 1998 Budget Goals *9:00 A.M. 2. Administrative Coordinator's Report A. Appraisal on County Library Building 3. Finance Director's Report A. Correction on Line Item Transfer Request from County Treasurer *Be Contingency Fund Transfer Requests 1 - Wage Settlements 2 - C.O.P.S. Positions 4. County Clerk Report A. Secretarial Chair Repair/Purchase ** Be Request for partial refund on SPA property 5. Corporation Counsel 6. Joint Session with Planning, Zoning and Parks -Convene in Closed Session Pursuant to s.19.85(1)(e), WI Stats., to Conduct Specified Public Business Where Competitive or Bargaining Reasons Require a Closed Session 9:30 A.M. 7. Reconvene in Open Session Pursuant to s.19.85(2), WI Stats. 8. Age Center Update *9. Computer Services Report A. Department Reorganization Be C.L.U.E.S. Report *10. First Half Tax Collection CORRESPONDENCE: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) DATE: 6/26, 7/7 COPIES TO: County Board Office County Clerk County Departments *ADDITIONS/CHANGES/CORRECTIONS News Media/Notice Board County Board ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Robert M. Boche, Chair St. Croix County Board FROM: Donald Brown, Chair COMMITTEE TITLE: FINANCE DATE: July 9, 1997 8:00 A.M. LOCATION: St. Croix County Government Center CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING: August 8, 1997 ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 1. Review of Vouchers 2. Town of Eau Galle Fire Claim 3. Dog Damage Claim for Errol Gooding 4. Contingency Fund Request for $900 for Nursing Home Centennial NEW BUSINESS: 1. 1998 Budget Goals *9:00 A.M. 2. Administrative Coordinator's Report A. Appraisal on County Library Building 3. Finance Director's Report A. Correction on Line Item Transfer Request from County Treasurer *B. Contingency Fund Transfer Requests 1 - Wage Settlements 2 - C.O.P.S. Positions 4. County Clerk Report A. Secretarial Chair Repair/Purchase 5. Corporation Counsel 6. Joint Session with Planning, Zoning and Parks -Convene in Closed Session Pursuant to s.19.85(1)(e), WI Stats., to Conduct Specified Public Business Where Competitive or Bargaining Reasons Require a Closed Session 9:30 A.M. 7. Reconvene in Open Session Pursuant to s.19.85(2), WI Stats. 8. Ago Center Update *9. Computer Services Report A. Department Reorganization B. C.L.U.E.S. Report *10. First Half Tax Collection CORRESPONDENCE: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) DATE: 6/26, 7/2 COPIES TO: County Board Office News Media/Notice Board County Clerk County Board County Departments *ADDITIONS/CHANGES/CORRECTIONS ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Robert M. Boche, Chair St. Croix County Board FROM: Donald Brown, Chair COMMITTEE TITLE: FINANCE DATE: July 9, 1997 8:00 A.M. LOCATION: St. Croix County CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA Government Center DATE OF NEXT MEETING: August 8, 1997 ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 1. Review of Vouchers 2. Town of Eau Galle Fire Claim 3. Dog Damage Claim for Errol Gooding 4. Contingency Fund Request for $900 for Nursing Home Centennial NEW BUSINESS: 1. 1998 Budget Goals 2. Administrative Coordinator's Report A. Appraisal on County Library Building 3. Finance Director's Report A. Correction on Line Item Transfer Request from County Treasurer 4. County Clerk Report A. Secretarial Chair Repair/Purchase 5. Corporation Counsel 6. Joint Session with Planning, Zoning and Parks -Convene in Closed Session Pursuant to s.19.85(1)(e), WI Stats., to Conduct Specified Public Business Where Competitive or Bargaining Reasons Require a Closed Session 9:30 A.M. 7. Reconvene in Open Session Pursuant to s.19.85(2), WI Stats. 8. Ago Center Update CORRESPONDENCE: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) DATE: 6/26 COPIES TO: County Board Office News Media/Notice Board County Clerk County Board County Departments *ADDITIONS/CHANGES/CORRECTIONS MINUTES OF THE ST. UK IA COUNTY FINANCE COMMITTEE Meeting of July 9, 1997 The meeting was called to order by Chair Brown at 8:00 A.M. Roll call was taken with Brown, Bradley, Boche, and Dorsey in attendance, O'Connell absent. Also in attendance for all or portions of the meeting were Supervisors Jack Dowd, Vern Dull, Herb Giese, Bob Gunderson, Dave Hense, Einar Horne, Bill Krueger, Linda Luckey, Chuck Mehls, John Mortensen, Ron Raymond, George Sinclear, Daryl Standafer, Health & Human Services Board Chair Bob Stephens, members of the press, Elliott Krizek, Corporation Counsel Greg Timmerman, Administrative Coordinator John Krizek, Planner Dave Fodroczi, Assistant Planner Ellen Denzer, Parks Director Joe Grant and Finance Director Rich Loney, who served as recording secretary. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Dorsey, to approve the agenda. Motion carried. Brown requested that the date of the next meeting be changed to Monday, August 11, 1997, beginning at 8:00 A.M. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Dorsey, to approve the minutes of the two previous meetings. Motion carried. Brown noted he had reviewed the vouchers prior to the meeting with Loney. A motion was made by Dorsey, seconded by Bradley, to approve as presented. Motion carried. Review procedures for board member per diem and expense vouchers were discussed with Bradley commenting that, in his opinion, authority to adjust the requests lies only with the Finance Committee and/or County Board. Regarding a fire claim reimbursement request received from the Town of Eau Galle, Timmerman reviewed the history for this fuel spill on a county trunk highway. He noted an Attorney General's opinion on a case with similar circumstances which involved the spill of gasoline. That opinion said the Statutes are clear: in order for reimbursement to be considered, there needs to be a fire, not a spill. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Brown, to deny the claim. Brown noted the need to follow the law, espe- cially with an Attorney General's opinion involving a case with circumstances so similar. Bradley requested a roll call vote which resulted in Bradley, Dorsey, Boche and Brown all in favor. Motion carried. Dorsey said he feels the entire County should support the upcoming Nursing Home Centennial and requested . $900 from;the Contingency Fund be designated for this. Stephens gave his support for the request. The matter was further discussed with Boche noting that neither the Health & Human Services director nor the Board had requested the funds. A motion was made by Dorsey, seconded by Bradley, to approve. Motion carried with Boche voting no. The Committee considered the dog damage claim submitted by Errol Gooding for the. loss of nineteen (19) pair of Hungarian partridges. Stephens reviewed the details of the claim and recalled a previous incident which hinged on the statutory reference to damage to a domestic animal. Timmerman discussed the differentiation between domestic versus wild animals, saying he did not feel these to be domestic animals. Bradley submitted that these are fowl, not animals, although it was noted that dog damage claims have been paid on chickens. The asking amount in the claim is $68 per pair. July 95 1997 Page 2 Krizek said that University of Wisconsin Extension Professor Lou Harrington had offered a market value of $7.00 to $9.00 per bird with chicks valued at $2.00 to $3.00. Brown commented that some counties have a limit on the amount of claims they would consid- er. Giese questioned if this incident had been investigated to determine if the birds had been properly protected. It was noted that the claim had been approved by the Hammond Town Board. A motion was made by Dorsey, seconded by Brown, to pay one-half of the claim. It was noted that nineteen pair equals thirty-eight birds and a value A $7.00 each would yield $266.00. Bradley said he felt the claim should be denied. Dorsey amended his motion to $500.00 with Brown concurring. Krizek said he felt an actual determination should be made using the range of $7.00 to $9.00 per bird. Bradley requested a roll call vote which resulted in Bradley and Boche voting no, Dorsey and Brown in favor. Motion failed. A motion was then made by Boche, seconded by Bradley to pay $266.00 as determined above. Motion carried, with Dorsey voting no. Krizek reported that the Library Building in Hammond had been appraised at $60,000 and asked the Committee for direction. Brown said he felt we should market the facility ourselves, requesting the County Clerk to advertise it for sale. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Dorsey, to so move at $60,000. Motion carried. Regarding the Ag Center building currently under construction in Baldwin, Krizek said the estimated date of occupancy is mid -November, noting that the Federal agencies are agreeable with this, and distributed a construction schedule. He noted that an additional approximately 2,100 cubic yards of fill are needed to construct but said it may be possi- )le to reduce this by two-thirds by lowering the building. Bradley asked if site borings had been done and Krizek said no due to time constraints. The furnishings budget is $100,000 and Krizek said we are in the process of negotiating this with Corporate Ex- press, our current office supplies vendor and supplier of the majority of new furnishings used in the Government Center. Representatives from Corporate Express feel we can meet the budget by utilizing used and refurbished items. Krizek noted that the Computer Services Department has had a vacant training position foI approximately eighteen months and that the Information Services Committee is considering including this in the 1998 budget request, thereby bringing the personnel level in that department up to it's full complement. Krizek gave the history of the implementation of the Comprehensive Law Enforcement System (CLUES) to date, noting that it had originally been designed for County use only. He noted that it's capacity has been exhausted by increased County use and the bring- ing on of other law enforcement agencies. It is not currently possible to add additional agencies because of performance issues. All aspects of this are to be discussed during the budget process and Krizek noted three possible alternatives: 1. Develop a set-up charge for new users and include an on -going service charge 2. The County itself could levy and pay for all costs associated with CLUES 3. Do nothing - maintain the status quo. In light of the uncertainties and considering the options noted, Bradley asked whether doing nothing would affect the 1998 budget. Krizek said no, but such action may well upset potential users and those who feel this is a public safety issue. Loney reported that a six year old chair in the County Clerk's office is in need of repairs estimated to cost $94 with a new chair running approximately $140. While this had not been budgeted for, it is possible the monies could be found in current operations, although this would not be known with certainty until year end. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Brown, to authorize the Clerk to proceed at her discretion. Motion carried. July 9, 1997 Page 3 Loney reviewed the monies budgeted into the 1991 Contingency Fund for expenses associated with filling three Sheriff's Department positions should Federal funding become available. These positions have been approved and he requested formal action to transfer the $93,841 involved from the Contingency Fund to the Sheriff's Department budget. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Dorsey, to so move. Motion carried. Krizek said that a request had been received from International Trade, Business and Economic Development (ITBEC) for St. Croix County to pay it's 1997 dues in the amount of $10,000. In that this had not been budgeted, he said we should either transfer money from the Contingency Fund for this or drop out of the organization. This matter will be on the next agenda for discussion. Timmerman gave the details of a request from Patricia Johnson representing Classical Investments, who had recently purchased the former Spa property in the Village of Hammond, for the refund of a portion of the purchase price. She claimed that a formal survey of the site revealed that approximately eleven feet (11') of the north end of the lot she thought was part of the lot is in fact a village street which is not platted and never had property transferred for it. He said he felt the request should be denied because the transaction was based on the physical nature of the property and advertised as the Spa lot with it being obvious to anyone who had viewed the site that the street was there. A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Dorsey, to deny the request. Motion carried. At 9:00 AM the Committee requested the input of the chairs of all standing committees in the development of 1998 budget goals. Brown voiced his desire to develop these goals along with a basic plan for 1998 budget development. He distributed a graph showing the history of St. Croix County's mill rate going back to the early 1970's, noting the fact that the mill rate had remained constant for a number of years in the early 1990's and has since been dropping. Krizek brought the group up to date on where we are and where we want to consider going. He noted that the current property tax levy is $11,183,488 and has been at this level for two years. For 1997, it is made up of $1,544,979 for debt service and the remaining $9,638,509 for operations. In 1997, the Ag Center project in Baldwin (current cost estimate: $1,523,000) and County costs for purchase of the Onstott property (approximately $44,000) near Perch Lake will both be funded by the General Fund without having to borrow money. It is most important to maintain a healthy General Fund and we now need to replenish this. He suggested accomplishing this over two to three years with an ambitious goal of raising $800,000 in the 1998 budget for the purpose of partially replenishing the General Fund. The current mill rate is $4.681 per $1,000 of equalized valuation. Growth of 8% in valuation along with maintenance of the mill rate would generate a levy of $12,078,798. Standafer questioned the impact of increased wages and fringe benefits. It is estimated that the levy impact of these will be $300,000 in 1998, but Krizek pointed out that the 1997 Contingency Fund was built at $712,000 which anticipated wage increases. He pointed out a number of pluses in the budget: Health insurance premiums will decrease as a result of testing the insurance market and finding that Employer's Health will offer us decreased administrative costs and guarantee the rates for two years and no more than a 3 % increase in the third year. Horne said he understood that the "standard" health insurance plan was to disappear in 1998, a matter which was briefly discussed. Health insurance premium rates for 1998 have been set at $340 per month for the HMO plan and $410 for the standard plan, amounts which include $5 each to fund the PTO health insurance conversion option; WMMIC bonds will be paid off in 1997; The 1998 Contingency Fund will not need to be at the level it was for 1997; Board of Prisoners charges have been increased $5 per day; Plans are to consider selling one of the two lots in the Village of Baldwin which were July 9, 1997 Page 4 purchased for construction of the Ag Center; Sales tax revenue is expected to increase by perhaps $100,000; There will be a positive budget impact from leasing space to outside agencies in the Ag Center. Giese noted that the proposed contract Public Pro- tection is working on which involves a bed hold arrangement with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and that this is also a potential plus. On the other side, plans are to request filling the vacant training position in Computer Services, there will be addi- tional County costs in 1998 for the three new Sheriff's Department positions referred to earlier as well as additional wage and associated fringe benefit costs. Brown commented that this scenario leads him to believe we can maintain or lower the mill rate for 1998 and that he personally does not want to see an increase in this rate. He also noted that we are in no danger of running out of money for operations. Of course, numerous details on the budget need to and will be worked out in the coming months. Raymond questioned the Contingency Fund and this was discussed at both its 1997 level and what may be anticipated for 1998. Standafer discussed the positive budget impact following the defeasance of the WMMIC bonds. Krueger expressed optimism that we may be able to do better than apply $800,000 to replenishment of the General Fund. Mehls asked about the status of the former library building in Hammond which the Committee had moved to advertise for sale earlier in the meeting. Regarding Perch Lake, Dowd asked about money in the budget for access. It was noted that we are anticipating $44,000 of General Fund expense in 1997 to acquire the Onstott Proper- ty and that this is the route the access road to the park will take. Sinclear commented on the service oriented nature of the operation and the necessity to maintain these levels. He said he feels that departments have done a fine job in reducing expenses but cau. tioned against reducing to the point of denying services to those in need. Regarding the Highway Department, he expressed the desire to maintain the adopted twenty year highway plan and said this is difficult to do. Brown noted that we are able to generate additional money through growth in the County and that getting out from under the burden of debt is most beneficial. Giese commented that he felt the block grant ap- proach used in recent years has worked well. Krizek said he felt so too and supports this concept in the two areas (Health and Human Services and Department on Aging) it has been used. Stephens said that, even with the use of block grants, it is still necessary to develop good budgets to allocate the resources. Krueger commented that all de. partments should try to maintain services by operating as efficiently as possible. Bradley said he had listened to the discussion and noted that the objective of the Finance Committee at this time is to set a budget goal and that this is not cast in con- crete. He then moved, seconded by Dorsey, to establish as a budget goal for 1998 maintenance of the mill rate of $4.681 per $1,000 or less. Krueger asked if the $800,000 General Fund replenishment should be considered here to which Brown responded that this was a good point, but that Finance has just started the budget process and will develop and bring to the County Board a budget within the parameters discussed with the intent being to work back to a good, healthy General Fund. Krueger complimented the Finance Committee and staff for a very good presentation. Boche suggested that applying the mill rate to new growth only may be an option with Brown commenting that his desire is to keep the goal very straightforward. Roll call resulted in Bradley, Dorsey, Boche and Brown all in favor. Motion carried. Following a short break at 10:15 AM, a motion was made by Raymond, seconded by Boche, to move into closed session per Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e) for the purpose of conducting specified public business where competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session. Motion carried. July 99 1997 Page 5 A motion was made by Bradley, seconded by Raymond, to move to open session at 11:00 AM. Motion carried. A motion was made by Boche, seconded by Raymond, to market approximately nine acres of land and the buildings currently known as the Onstott property. Motion carried. Brown excused himself from the meeting at this time. County Treasurer Mary Jean Livermore met with the Committee to discuss the concept A offering to collect the first half of property taxes in her office rather than with the local municipal treasurer. She gave some history on the issue and presented her recom. mendation to offer this at the rate of $.55 per parcel payable by the municipality for which the taxes are collected. She noted there are approximately 45,000 parcels in St. Croix County and that she has received favorable responses from a number of municipalities. The issue was discussed and, in response to a question from Bradley, Livermore said she was comfortable with the $.55 per parcel rate and felt this could be done with no additional staff. A motion was made by Boche, seconded by Dorsey, to proceed. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 11:15 AM. Richard Loney Recording Secretary