• Discussion: Fiscal Year 2005 Environment and Education Service Area

  • Conservation (24)

  • Planning and Zoning & Building Inspections (19)

  • Rural Library Service (23)

  • Historic Preservation (20)

  • Fair Board and County Fair (20)

  • Economic Development (20)

  • Soil & Water Conservation (23)

  • Johnson County Council of Governments (20 and 23)

• Discussion: Fiscal Year 2005 County Budget

Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 9:00 a.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Mike Lehman, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Carol Thompson.

Budget Coordinator Jeff Horne said that there is not much change in the Conservation Board budget. They did lose their Americorps grant on the revenue side and are shifting $4,000 from personnel to equipment because it is difficult to staff seasonal workers. He said that per strategic planning, this budget would allow the County to be eligible for REAP funding from the State by levying over $.22 per $1,000 of taxable value. He said that currently the projected levy is $.2318 per $1,000 of taxable value. Horne explained that Conservation Director Harry Graves wants to shift $4,800 to the technology budget because of the replacement schedule for computers. Stutsman asked if the $4,800 will be included in the REAP calculation and Horne replied that it would be. Stutsman asked how much is in the Conservation Trust. Horne replied that it is a couple hundred thousand.

Horne explained that Graves initially asked for $.24 because he’s afraid they’ll miss the REAP funding cutoff. Thompson said that they could amend the budget to readjust the percentage if it goes down. Stutsman said that there’s no guarantee that the Legislature will fund REAP. Horne said that since the Conservation Board is the policy engine, the Board of Supervisors could set a permanent levy to be adjusted each year. Thompson and Stutsman said it was a good idea. Horne said that it’s a fairly large policy issue that should include Graves and the Conservation Board. The Board discussed the recent replacement of equipment that they have been concerned with in the past.

Stutsman said that she is concerned with several departments, including Conservation, who didn’t fill full-time positions they requested in last year’s budget. Harney said that Graves used part-time help to fill this position because he didn’t know if the budget would be cut back again. Stutsman asked why he didn’t just use part-time help from the beginning, so the Board could tax less. She said that she wants to send a message to department heads that the Board takes adding additional staff seriously, so departments need to either add the staff as indicated or the Board will evaluate it the next year and remove it from the budget. Harney said that the Board shouldn’t criticize Graves for filling the position with part-time help temporarily, because the Board approved his request to do so. Stutsman asked Horne to see how Graves plans to use that position this year.

Horne said that the main change in the Building Inspections portion of the Planning and Zoning budget is the small addition of funds for staff development, which the Board and Planning and Zoning listed as a strategic objective for the Department. He said they also requested a vehicle for the building inspectors. Horne said that the new printer and CD-ROM help with some of the specialized documents they produce. Horne said that they also requested a pay grade increase contingent upon an inspector passing certification, but it wasn’t added into the budget since it’s not certain and one of the inspectors has left since that time. Stutsman said that it is just an attempt to increase salaries. Thompson said that although the inspectors are paid lower than outside inspectors, they are making a fair wage in comparison to other County employees. Harney said that he doesn’t believe that is accurate because Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek bases her findings on surrounding counties. Thompson said that if it’s unfair then they should have her recalculate the study, not create new positions. Harney said that she should do that because when the Board started the program they said they would adjust the pay accordingly after employees were properly trained.

Neuzil asked what the inspection’s revenues are in comparison to their costs. Horne said that the last few years inspections brought in over $300,000, which more than covers the costs. Horne said that the Board could use a Enterprise Fund for this function, which would allow them to pay for themselves through good and bad by setting up a special fund.

Horne explained that there is an increase in the staff development funding for Planning and Zoning because that was indicated as needed in the strategic planning process. Horne said they requested $16,900, but he reduced it. Thompson said that Inspections didn’t spend all their staff development monies last year. Harney said that the Board needs to reevaluate the structure with Planning and Zoning and Inspections. Stutsman asked Horne to ask what they’re asking for staff development, what they spent last year and who will use the increase. Harney said that to maintain their certification, they need continuing education, which would come from this fund.

Horne said that the costs for the libraries have held steady, which is due to the growth of the cities. Rural circulation has been fairly constant, but circulation has been growing in the city populations thus lowering the County’s percentage. He said that the Library Task Force completed its work and contracts will hopefully be completed by July 1, 2004. Horne said that the Task Force decided to follow the formula as dictated by law, but cutting libraries like Oxford back at one time would put them out of business, so they’re considering a phasing approach. Horne said that the Oxford Library will have to track unincorporated circulation by hand to figure out at what level the Board should fund. Thompson said that next year the County will see a decrease in the Iowa City Library due to the decreased circulation during the renovation. Horne said that most contracts should not be a problem to negotiate, but Coralville has an ordinance in place that states that any Library Board member must be a resident of Coralville, which would have to be changed in order to allow representation on the Library Board.

Horne explained that the Board funds both the Historical Society at $46,000 and the Historical Preservation Commission at $500. He said that he doesn’t know if it is required to have a Historical Preservation Commission, but Thompson said the Board always has. Stutsman asked why the Board keeps taxing for this, when they already have $1,700 in funds. She said that if they are interested in a grant, they could come to the Board to ask for matching funds, even if it means asking for a budget amendment. Neuzil suggested shifting the money to the Eastern Iowa Tourism Association request, which the Board hasn’t funded in the past. Horne replied that the Association hasn’t followed up with the County.

Horne explained that the Historical Society asked for an increase in their funding level to the previous level of $48,000. He said that this is an agency that they’ll begin contracting with later this year. Neuzil said that if the organization starts taking on a larger role, for instance with the County Farm, then it would mean more funds. Thompson said that she wants to see a business plan.

Horne explained that the Fair Board and the County Fair asked for no increase in funding. Neuzil asked if Horne had discussed with them what would happen if the State cuts their funding and services. Stutsman said that she doesn’t think that will happen, but if it does they will close the office.

Horne said that Economic Development includes ICAD, the Englert, and the North Liberty Pool. He explained that before the County heard about the State credit cuts, he had set up a $30,000 grant fund from the Economic Development Planning sessions, but that has been removed from the budget. Thompson said that a direct subsidy wasn’t listed as an economic development strategy in the planning sessions. Neuzil said that this could grow into a County Economic Development Board that would replace the ICAD contribution. The Board decided to leave the $30,000 out of the budget. Neuzil said that Coralville is applying for Vision Iowa funding and will probably seek funding from the Board as well.

Horne said that funding for the Soil Conservation Service is steady, but the percentage of the salary and benefits the Board pays for the conservationist position goes down over time because it is a flat rate.

Horne said that the cost for the Spring and Fall cleanups has exceeded $10,000 in recent years, so he raised the line item by $1,000. He said that the solid waste line was incorrectly budgeted at $9,908 this year because the Board was given Coralville’s number from JCCOG. He said it’s really approximately $13,000.

Horne said that there’s a slight increase in the funding for the JCCOG employees that the County funds a portion of. Stutsman said that it is a 1.8% increase for the rural block grants.

Harney said that ECICOG’s dollars are dwindling.

Horne said that regarding the investigation of the Ambulance Department field supervisor vehicle use, Ambulance Director Steve Spenler responded that the supervisors will take the vehicle home each night. He said that Spenler thinks they will be called in once or twice a week. He said that the vehicle will allow the on call supervisor to respond to the scene rather than come to the service first because it is equipped to respond to emergencies. Horne said that Spenler would use it during the day as well. Harney suggested they apply for Homeland Security funds. Horne said that Johnson County is sometimes too well off to qualify for those funds. Stutsman and Harney said that they could support a vehicle, but not a full-fledged emergency vehicle. Horne said that the County maintains a very good fleet of ambulances. Stutsman asked if the on call person should jeopardize their personal vehicle. Thompson said that anyone can be called in. Horne replied that some of Secondary Roads staff takes a car home in poor weather conditions. Harney asked how Stutsman can support this car after being critical of other department’s requests for vehicles. Stutsman said that she sees this as a need, but she doesn’t think the Board should just assume that every few years a vehicle should be replaced. Harney agreed that there are dollars spent that don’t need to be. Stutsman said that the Ambulance’s vehicle is a matter of fairness and she made the same argument when the Board approved the Information Services vehicle. The Board placed the Ambulance vehicle on the list for potential inclusion, but decided to keep it out of the budget for the time being.

Horne said that Public Health Director Ralph Wilmoth will be replacing the oldest car they have, which is 13 years old and has over 100,000 miles on it. Horne suggested creating an internal committee with members from Secondary Roads, the Sheriff’s Department, 2 Board members, himself, and the Auditor's Office to investigate combined purchasing for vehicles to get a better discount on vehicles. He said that the County should also set up guidelines for replacement vehicles. Neuzil said that if the County proceeds with the campus concept a fleet of vehicles is inevitable. Thompson asked why the Sheriff needs 26 vehicles. Stutsman said that he has only 3 vehicles older then 2000. Thompson said that the County needs to get MH/DD on the same purchasing plan as other departments, because their costs are a lot higher than they should be. Stutsman said that this year they want a van and a car. The Board discussed the possibility of an internal car pool.

Horne presented the Sheriff’s Courthouse Security budget, which is 2 line items: 1) wages and benefits, 2) everything else. He said that he asked Shramek if what County Sheriff Bob Carpenter budgeted is consistent in pay. Stutsman said that the Board needs to tell the Sheriff what the deputies will be paid. Horne replied that they will probably fall under the entry level pay grade currently in place. Harney said that he isn’t sure the Sheriff’s Department will need to hire additional staff. He suggested they look into contracting with police officers through police departments. He said he didn’t know if these officers would need special training though. The Board agreed to have Horne look into it. Neuzil said that in the past when the Board has had to cut budgets, they’ve cut areas where there are small projects. Thompson said that since Courthouse Security will be in the Supplemental Budget, Carpenter couldn’t take a cut out of that line item. Thompson said that if the Board wants the Sheriff to manage the additional service, then they have to allow him to manage the program as he sees fit. She said that if the Deputies aren’t in place in the Courthouse, the Board will hear about it from employees. Stutsman suggested comparing costs. Lehman asked if this will cause issues within the union. Thompson said that Carpenter could have recommended hiring a private agency, but he didn’t. Neuzil said that if there isn’t special training involved, the Sheriff’s Department can rotate employees to keep a constant presence at the Courthouse. Harney said that Carpenter plans to train the officers differently than others.

Horne said that he asked SEATS Director Tom Brase to elaborate on funding for their facility. He said that Brase reported that obtaining funding from ECICOG will be difficult, because the Federal government won’t want to pay for 2 facilities in the same region. He said that Brase is pursuing funding through JCCOG and Iowa City because they’re more willing to apply for Federal Funding on SEATS behalf. He said that the application process will take a year for approval and another year to get funding. Horne said that prior to applying for funding, the County will need a match of 17 to 20% or an equal land value. Thompson said that the Board doesn’t want to designate anything that wouldn’t be counted as a match for the project. Horne said that they can afford a match in one year. The Board discussed possibilities for locating the facility. Harney said that the National Guard wants to know if the County wants to participate in their new facility.

Horne explained that 40% of the Human Services budget is for local administration, 32% goes to Johnson County Social Services, 20% is General Assistance, and 10% goes to other areas like Chatham Oaks. He said that General Assistance has only used an average of 83% of their budget over the past 5 years. Horne said that the Board might want to look at the structure of the Department because there’s not a lot of oversight. Stutsman suggested looking at it over the coming year, especially since the Board will need to hire a new General Assistance Director if the current one retires. She said that she’d be willing to leave the budget until the Board completes an evaluation. Thompson said that the DHS budget is now fairly predictable. Stutsman said that part of the evaluation could be assigning a Decat and Empowerment Coordinator to a new or existing position. Neuzil asked if the Board should reduce the General Assistance budget to what they think it will cost. Horne said that the Board can adjust the budget if there’s a great need. Thompson said that when General Assistance Director Kay Hull spoke with the Board, they told her they wouldn’t reduce her budget. Neuzil said that the Board could reduce the budget by $27,000 and still allow her a buffer. Thompson said that Hull will still see it as a cut. The Board discussed the possibility of adding the Veteran Affairs Department to this area as well in the evaluation. The Board decided to leave the reduction on the table for future discussion.

Horne said that MH/DD claims that their request for a new van is reimbursable. Stutsman asked if it would be better to have them rent a van when needed. Neuzil asked if MH/DD could use the revenue from this year’s additional contracts to purchase the vehicles. Horne replied that Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Director Elaine Sweet could if she has appropriate funding to cost the expense and that the $40,000 she’s requesting would be the high end paid for both the van and the car. Stutsman said that the Board needs to know how often MH/DD would use the cars, what the cost is, and why a van. She said that MH/DD should also be included in the evaluation this year of Department 45 services. Horne said that if the Board chooses to allow the purchase of these vehicles out of the budget cycle, then they must be very clear that this is a needed expense. Thompson said that she is concerned because a larger portion of the budget is being spent on items, instead of services. Thompson said that if the Board taxes for $1 less than the maximum, MH/DD would lose almost a million dollars of State funding from the carry-over balance.

Horne explained that regarding the property tax credits, the last 2 years the Board passed the Homestead Credit on to the taxpayer, and made up the $30,000 difference for the Elderly and Disabled Credit. Stutsman asked if the State paid part of the credits in the past. Horne replied that they had. Stutsman asked if the State is now talking about cutting all of the credits in their entirety. Neuzil said yes. Horne said that he’s concerned with losing the Personal Property Replacement, which is $350,000 in the General Fund. Thompson said that Commercial property didn’t receive a rollback because they are no longer taxed for the Personal Property tax. Neuzil asked if there has been a decision made on how the Board will handle passing on the other credits to the municipalities. Stutsman said that if the Legislature doesn’t want to fund these credits, they should get rid of them. Neuzil said that when many State Legislators ran for office they signed agreements saying that they would not raise taxes, so passing on these credits is a way to say the State isn’t raising taxes. Horne said that the State is also in danger of being audited because of some of the funds they’ve used to balance their budget.

Adjourned at 11:18 a.m.

Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor

By Casie Kadlec, Recording Secretary