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BCC Minutes 09/18/1980 B Naples, Florida, September 18, 1980 _. . _.. LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County Commissioners s in and for the County of Collier, and also acting as the Governing Board(s) of such special districts as have been created according to law and having conducted business herein, met on this date at 1: 35 P.M. in Budget Review Session in Building "F" of the Court- house Complex with the following members in attendance: CHAIRMAN: Clifford Wenzel VICE-CHAIRMAN Thomas P. Archer John A. Pistor David C. Brown ABSENT: C. R. "Russ" Wimer ALSO PRESENT: Harold L. Hall, Chief Deputy Clerk/Fiscal Officer; C. William Norman, County Manager; H. G. Willett, Adminis- trative Aide to County Manager; Robert Best, Budget Analyst; and, Edna Brenneman, Deputy Clerk. AGENDA 1. Review of Other General Administrative Budget for FY 80-81 (Department OS) 2. Discussion of FY 80-81 Budgets in general REVIEW OF OTHER GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGETS FOR FY 80-81 (DEPARTMENT 05) - NO ACTION TAKEN Prior to opening the discussion regarding the Other General Administrative Budget for FY 80-81, Fiscal Officer Harold Hall called the Board's attention to the five-page printout dated September 18, 1980, copies having been distributed to each of the Commissioners. Mr. Hall said that the subject budget is one which is constantly changing and, in fact, is changed up to the moment it is approved by the Board. Addressing the major items, Mr. Hall said that the total Personal Services expenditure is very much as it is for the current year. There are two large items under Contractual Services, he continued, one of which is the expenditure projected for Accounting and Auditing Fees which he 600i( 055 PACE.IE78 September 18, 1980 _ said it was felt would have to be increased by $30,000; however, he !r said that this may not be necessary, explaining the reasoning for the a presumption. Included in the projection for the line item, said Mr. Hall, is e. "rough" estimate of $25,000 to $30,000 for the American Ambulance audit. It is possible, Mr. Hall said, that the • figure of $100,000 may be sufficient for the subject purposes and therefore, a reduction of $50,000 perhaps can be cut from this budget. Included in the Other Contractual Services, totaling $100,000, -• covers the type of special work done for the Board, such as the A. T. Kearney Report, ISI activities, and the like - something like 16 different items ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 and up, said Mr. Hall. Commissioner Pistor informed the Board that he has been told that the GGESC has given some thought toward not renewing the contract with William Vines and just hiring him as needed. He sug- gested that this be verified because this could cut $10 ,000 from the budget under discussion. Mr. Hall said that Mr. Vines' contract is funded through the Water Management Budget and not included in the "Other Contractual Services" of the subject budget. • Architectural services in connection with the expansion of the government facilities was addressed and the question was raised � . as to whether or not this fee would come from this line item of the budget with Mr. Hall explaining that nothing that is directly - attributable to the planning and design of the new building is included - it would be included in the Capital Improvement Budget. At this point, in an effort to determine areas where cuts could be made in the overall budget, a review of the various budgets was requested. DISCUSSION OF FY 80-81 BUDGETS IN GENERAL During the review of the FY 80-81 departmental budgets, the following items were among those discussed: L......a IL—.1 a—..a �a . September 18, 1980 DISCUSSION OF FY 80-81 BUDGETS IN GENERAL During the review of the FY 80-81 departmental budgets, the following items were among those discussed: Additional Assistant County Attorney Commissioner Pistor questioned whether or not the County Attorney could get along with one Assistant. Chairman % enzel explained that he was cold that an expenditure was being put into the pertinent budget sufficient for = the engagement of another attorney with 50% of the �- salary to be paid by the County Attorney and the other 50% to be paid by the Planning Department, commenting that the Planning Department made the request for legal advice and assistance. Pursuant to Commissioner Pistor's ,5' comment that the salary amount shown is not high enough, Chairman Wenzel said "we will have to work on that". Data-Processing Department Regarding the increase, Commissioner Archer, a member of the Data Processing Committee, explained that con- tinuing efforts have to be made to keep the Department functional for the operation of the County. It is a very ! tight budget, even to the point of being unrealistic, said the Commissioner; however, it can be "lived with". Clerk of the Board - Everglades City Office Chairman Wenzel said that Clerk Reagan, when asked why the office was needed, said that the individual employed there performs other functions. County Manager Norman concurred stating that the operation is a fine example of total cooperation in terms of Constitution Officers, Board's operations, and the like. He detailed the activities of the office which include coordinating the I_ work of the Health Department, Building Department, Property Appraiser, and the like. It also voids the need for a separate library facility, said Mr. Norman. Commissioner Archer also voiced support for the office suggesting that it is an example of government going to the people instead of forcing people to government, and is worth a lot in the way of Public Relations than it is costing in the way of tax dollars. Mr. Hall said that this is the type of expenditure that should t _ ,- questioned each year to make sure that they are justified year after year. In this case, said Mr. Hall, it appears that the office should be continued. Clerk of the Board - Use of Word Processing Department I. Commissioner Pistork noting .that the Word Processing charges are being cut out by the Clerk of Courts, with the financial statements, and the like, being prepared by Mr. Hall's office. and questioned the benefit of such procedure. Mr. Hall stated that he is still using - 5 1 . , • • September 18, 1980 BOOK 055 Pam 79O ------- the subject Department for several matters but that the typing of financial statements is the type of activity wherein it is better to have it done under the immediate supervision of persons in a position to change numbers, and the like, rather than "going back and forth". Clerk of the County and Circuit Courts - Witness Fees Noting the increase in witness costs, Commissioner Pistor inquired if efforts are being made to recover these costs .__W ____, with Mr. Hall stating that, where it can be done legally, it is done with liens be'rc- placing on pcuprty, and the like. • There followed a brief discussion with regard to the budgets :for the fax Collector, Property Appraiser and for the appropriation for the Court Administrator, with Chairman Wenzel advising that he will not vote for those budgets because they are "too high". Mr. Hall explained, referring to the printed information provided, that the budgets shown are the Board's share and not the Collector's and Appraiser's total budgets. He said that once the respective budgets are approved by the Department of Revenue the County has no choice but to pay their portion. He said that the Tax Collector's budget is up but most of it will be returned in excess fees. He further stated that it is hoped that approximately $600,000 more than what was anticipated will be collected because of the change from a cash basis to an accrual basis . Lengthy discussion followed concerning the sequence of events which will take place with regard to the adoption of the final budget and establishment of the millage to be levied to fund the budget. A schedule prepared and distributed by Mr. Hall was a Comparison of Changes in County-Wide Taxes (FY 80-81 Tentative Budget compared - Sri. to FY 1979-80 Adjusted for Double Taxation) which was explained in detail by Mr. Hall for purposes of clarification. Returning to the Other. General Administrative Budget, Mr. Hall pointed out that included in this budget is an amount of $1,000,000 identified to be transferred to Capital Improvements which, if the • Board so elected, could go into the Operating Budget which would September 18, 1980 '; bring down the tax increase by that amount; also, $500,000 that is proposed to go into Capital Improvements in the unincorporated area noting that amount is cash carryover generated primarily by the Building Inspection operation and which could be transferred into the operating' expenses of the unincorporated area if the Board so chose. It was Mr. Hall's comment that there are advantages and disadvantages to v"ch approach - nnf. disadvantaz^ ',Ping that taxes in the unincorporated area would go up the following year if the $500,000 is removed from the Capital Improvement Budget. Regarding the $1,000,000 for Capital Improvements in the General Fund, Mr. Hall said that it is his personal "leaning" not to fund Capital Improvements fro the benefit of persons living the the community 15-20 years hence out of current taxes paid by persons who may not be alive to benefit from such improvements. However, there is a dis- advantage involved, said Mr. Hall in that all of the cash carryover would be applied as inc* a pretty substanti- ' 4"mn in '-TAnses for -. ? the current year. During the discussion which followed, Mr. Hall pointed out that in the next two or three years there will be some significant needs for capital and that it would be "nice" to have funds in the Capital Improvement Program available to get started while means of finding the rest of the revenue is considered, such as a bond issue. Commissioner Archer raised the question of what the County i± will be confronted with in the event the courts mandate that certain sums be spent on the jail and that it be done at once. Mr. Norman said that the $600,000 previously mentioned by Mr. Hall with respect to return of excess fees from the Tax Collector could be appropriated by a supplemental budget and added to what has already been budgeted for the jail. Commissioner Archer motioned that the $500,000, which is under discussion, be used to offset the increase in the MSTD's in the unincorporated areas. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Pistor. BOOK 055 pAgE 7D2 September 18, 1980 • There was a brief discussion regarding the use of the above-referenced fund for park improvements, beach accesses and • the like and, although there is a definite need for such improve- . ments, it was noted that the public turned down a referendum to purchase properties when they could have been afforded. Upon call for the question the motion carried 4/0 with Com- miscloner wimer not present . Other facets of the departmental budgets were reviewed including the proposed Administrative Services Division with Commissioner Pistor questioning whether FY 80-81 is the appro- priate time to spend the $75,0001. involved in establishing the department. Mr. Norman commented that it is his opinion that the funds will be well spent; however, if the Board does not wish to get involved in the more sophisticated methods needed to increase efficiency, it is a decision that they will have to make. Other budget items touched upon were the appropriations for work in the Golden Gate canals, arterial canals, and the like, the East Naples Fire Hydrant District design work, the costs for duplicating agenda, USGS monitoring services, and again addressing the consulting fees for the GGESC redevelopment program. The budget for the Medical Examiner was also commented upon with Mr. Norman stating that his staff is preparing a recommendation for presentation to the Board in the near future. Following additional discussion pertaining to the TRIM Bill, County growth projection, and the like, the meeting was adjourned at 3:50 P.M.