MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
OCTOBER 22, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library Representative Laura Hoover: New Library Opening 1
Budget Coordinator Rich Claiborne: FY 2010 Budget Amendment...................................... 5
Reports and Inquiries from Executive Assistant Andy Johnson............................................ 8
Reports and Inquiries from the Board of Supervisors........................................................... 8
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in Room 203B of the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building at 9:06 a.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library Representative Laura Hoover said the group started about eight years ago to try to bring a library to Swisher that would service all of Jefferson and Monroe Townships. They have never really had library service, although she knows that other people in the County say they service the area. It is somewhat cut off from the rest of the County, and it is not easy to reach them. They have been working to bring a library to the area for eight years, have had strong community support, and have had some success in fundraising. They have always been held up by the issue of having a physical location for library services, however. Although they have had some library services out of the American Legion Hall, it is not an ideal location.
Hoover said the group had been working with the County on a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) for the property where county maintenance buildings are located in the area, but they know it will probably be three to five years before the County even thinks about moving off of that property. She said a building that is perfect for the library to be located opened up over the summer. It is the former Swisher Telephone Building and is affordable, handicap-accessible, and appropriately sized. They will take possession of the Building November 1, 2009. Since they are paying rent, they would like to open the library as soon as possible and are considering doing so in mid-December. The process has happened very quickly over the past three weeks, and they are now anticipating library service in Jefferson and Monroe Townships for the first time in their history. The City of Swisher passed a library ordinance about seven years ago that allows them to set up a library board, and members of the group have contacted the City regarding the ordinance. The Swisher City Attorney is determining what steps would need to be taken.
Hoover said most small libraries are started through a small group of community members or a local friends group. They usually become city libraries rather than initially starting as such. The City of Swisher is having their City Attorney look into making the library a City function similar to a park board. The City of Swisher is also providing maintenance and sewer services for the library and may make a contribution both this year and during their next fiscal year. Hoover said she is speaking to the Board today to request support from the County. She knows the County’s arrangement is usually with accredited libraries. Under the State system, the library cannot gain accreditation for the first two years. Although they are working towards it, it is a two year process. Hoover said the library will meet three out of the four requirements for accreditation when they open. Hoover said Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library is asking if they can count on a level of support from the County during the next fiscal year that is somewhat comparable to that provided to other communities of their size. The library is expected to serve about 4,200 people, including all of Jefferson and Monroe Townships. For the current Fiscal Year, they are asking the Board to consider a contribution to help provide public library services to County residents.
Sullivan asked Hoover to talk about her plans for the library’s hours and staffing. Hoover said they are considering having the library open between 18 and 22 hours/week. Their schedule may include Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings. They would also like to add a weekday morning, such as Wednesday mornings. They have a lot of requests from older people in the area for available hours when children will not be there. There have also been a lot of requests for computer training from older individuals, which they hope to be able to provide. The library will be staffed by volunteers. Hoover said having a paid staff member is the one requirement for accreditation it will not meet when it opens. Their goal is to have part-time paid staff within the first 18 to 24 months. Hoover said a Certified Librarian will be serving as their Volunteer Staff Coordinator. She feels that they are on their way, but they are not there yet.
Harney asked about the process for obtaining books and supplies and asked if it will consist of donations. Hoover said people have donated thousands of books over the last eight years. They know that only about 20% of those will actually be usable. East Central Library Services is going to do a training session with them to help sort through the books and determine which ones are most suitable for the library. The Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library has had some success with fundraising, and its members intend to use some of those funds to have an opening day collection, which will help to meet the library’s needs. East Central Library Services is helping them identify those needs, and there is some funding available to help meet them. The funding will not last; however, and they will need additional funding, particularly for books and materials.
Hoover said Ely Public Library is obtaining upgraded furniture and has offered them some of their current furniture. The Drake Community Library in Grinnell is moving from their old library location to their new one, and they are willing to provide a variety of their items including furnishings and shelving. The North Liberty Community Library and the Drake Community Library have been helpful in providing guidance, and Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library has also received cooperation from other libraries around the state.
Sullivan said Hoover may want to let the Swisher City Attorney know that other library boards involve representation from the rural community on their boards if the library attains accreditation and they try to pursue the same type of agreement the County has with other libraries. He thinks the majority of the Solon Public Library Board is rural. This is due to the fact that a lot of people who use the libraries live in rural areas. Hoover said the library ordinance for the City of Swisher was written to include a five-person board, consisting of three people from the City of Swisher and two from the rural area. If the City of Shueyville comes in with a 28E agreement, they will have a representative as well. The ordinance was written that way from the beginning because they knew the majority of their patrons would be from the rural area.
Stutsman asked if the paid staff person is required to work a minimum number of hours to meet accreditation requirements. Hoover said there is a minimum requirement of 20 hours per week, but the position does not require a Master of Library Science degree. There are different levels of training, and she thinks the position has to meet the level 2 requirements, which includes a college degree and some training through the State Library System. Stutsman asked if the Certified Librarian would meet the accreditation requirement if she accepted a paid position. Hoover said yes.
Stutsman asked where people currently go to obtain library services. Hoover said most people in the area go to Cedar Rapids for library services, and that has been a driving force behind this project over the past nine months. Many people also go to the North Liberty Public Library, but the majority of people go to Cedar Rapids. Hoover said Swisher City Mayor Scott Grabe told her that he doesn’t think he has ever reimbursed anyone for an Iowa City library card. Stutsman asked if Swisher currently reimburses for cards. Hoover said yes.
Hoover said they had a very ambitious program and were prepared to do a major fundraising campaign at the time that the Cedar Rapids flood hit. However, their fundraising consultant told them that every dollar of library grant funding would go to Cedar Rapids during the next five years and that their timing was bad. They combined that with the knowledge that the desired County property would probably not be available for a period of time and felt they could not pass up this opportunity. Stutsman asked if the Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library bought the Swisher Telephone Building. Hoover said they did not buy the building. They are actually leasing the space. Harney asked if the library will have to be open a minimum number of hours per week to meet accreditation requirements. Hoover said it will have to be open at least 20 hours per week.
Neuzil said Hoover should be aware that the Board of Supervisors has discussed revisiting the contract process for the Rural Library System. It is not something they would have time to do for the FY11 budget, but he thinks there is an interest in re-examining that process. Right now, they currently fund libraries through that contractual process, and eligibility does require accreditation. A contribution from the County prior to accreditation would probably have to involve a block grant outside of that system. Neuzil said the Board will be having some budget discussions and will be identifying some block grants while going through the Rural Fund. That would probably be the time when the issue is brought back up for discussion.
Hoover said Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library wanted to make the Board aware of the recent developments, which have happened very quickly. Neuzil suggested that Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library Board members coordinate to provide the Board of Supervisors with a letter formally stating their request. The information should also be communicated with Executive Assistant Andy Johnson and Budget Coordinator Rich Claiborne. Hoover asked what date the information would be needed by. Neuzil suggested they submit it fairly soon. Stutsman said they are working on the budget now. Hoover said that is the reason she wanted to speak to the Board as soon as possible.
Stutsman asked if Hoover has an idea of the amount of funding they would be requesting. Hoover said she is not certain at this point, and it is difficult to determine before the facility is in operation. She could give them a number, but she would rather wait until she has had the opportunity to give it more consideration. She said they do have some fundraising coming in from other entities including Cargill and Procter & Gamble. Neuzil said this is good information for the Board to have, not only because there will be a funding request in the future, but also because it is an exciting thing happening in the community.
Neuzil asked if they are still considering use of the current County property in the area. Hoover said Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library members had known the County was considering moving off that property, and they were requesting an ROFR and had planned to take the current buildings down and build a new one. That was part of their big fundraising campaign. They would still be interested in the property as a long-range goal because their current building will be quickly outgrown. She imagines it will be about five years before the County is off their property in Swisher, which would give the library five years to be in operation and to do fundraising. Sullivan said things have changed a little since they last discussed an ROFR. The library was not officially part of the City of Swisher at that time. Hoover said they would be by that point in time. Sullivan said the Swisher City Attorney can speak to the County Attorney by that time. Hoover said that will actually be easier for everyone involved.
Sullivan said he knows the Jefferson-Monroe Friends of the Library members have been working on this campaign for many years. Swisher is somewhat unique in that they do not have a school building despite a population of approximately 1,000 people. He thinks kids don’t always have a lot of things to do there, and this will be a wonderful addition. Hoover said her son first started the petition for a library when he was in fourth grade. He is now a senior in high school. Sullivan said Hoover has done great work, and it is appreciated by the Board.
Neuzil said Claiborne is present to discuss the FY 2010 budget amendment process. Claiborne said Johnson and the Board members thought it would be beneficial to start a new practice of having discussion a week prior to voting on a new amendment. It is similar to the process for passing the budget. Amendments involve holding a public hearing during which information is presented to the public, and they are subsequently voted up or down. Claiborne said they thought it would be nice to have a week in between.
Claiborne said he will first provide a brief overview of the state of the current budget and then discuss the amendment details. He said there are 22 active departments listed on the chart provided, and seven of them are behind target regarding revenue. He said timing, seasonal, and contractual issues are involved, and they are only a few months into the budget. Two departments, Veteran Affairs and Secondary Roads, are behind on expenditures. Claiborne said Veteran Affairs Director Leo Baier reported that there have been more burials than anticipated so far this fiscal year. In addition, Veteran Affairs is now required to cover peace time veterans in addition to war time veterans. That is something new that was passed down from the State. County Engineer Greg Parker received stimulus dollars that actually increased expenditures for Secondary Roads so that department is slightly behind.
Claiborne said the target is 68%, and he has highlighted the departments that are slightly off. He said that departments that are under the State percent for revenues are ahead of the game. The opposite is true for expenditures. He said he highlighted Information Technology, Medical Examiner, Physical Plant, and Elections. They all include contractual services, and Elections receives reimbursement from the State. That explains the revenues side. On the expenditures side, each department that is above 68%, is ideal. Secondary Roads is really close at 66%, and the low number is related to stimulus dollars. Veterans Affairs is at 50%. Claiborne said Baier told himself and Johnson that he is going to try to get by without requesting additional money. However, they are at 50% only a few months into the budget year.
Claiborne said he will now provide the detail for the budget amendment. Members of the public who do not have the opportunity to see the information now will have an opportunity to see it next week at the public hearing. Claiborne said they are adjusting revenues and he will address offsetting expenses later. The County has an I-Jobs and Armory grant for $975,000. The flood buyouts, which the Board talked about in the Formal Meeting, involve $2,500,000. Changes in Public Health programming resulted in $14,962. Youth grants in DHS result in $87,806. When the FY10 Budget was done, the Conservation Bond had to be set up as a transfer to allow it to work with the State software. Since then, they have created a new fund, and it is handled differently. Claiborne said they need to reverse the accounting entry to show the fund.
Claiborne said the amendment includes a transfer from General Basic, Supplemental Services, and Capital Expenditures of $10,000 for an ambulance that was sold to another community who needed an ambulance and didn’t have a lot of funds. Usually, when Ambulance Director Steve Spenler sells ambulances, he gets a credit as a trade in. He was counting on using the ambulance as a trade-in and wants the money transferred back from General Basic to Ambulance’s Capital Expenditures to show it as a trade-in. Otherwise, Ambulance will be over on Capital Expenditures.
Claiborne said another issue involves a transfer from General Basic to Secondary Roads for the insurance and sale of the land on Prairie du Chien for replacement of a wrecked truck. The Board seemed interested in doing that during a discussion earlier in the summer. A transfer from Capital Projects to Debt Service involves a housekeeping issue. The extra $1 million the Board approved a few weeks ago will leave only $1 million left on the bank note for the Health and Human Services Building. Another accounting issue involves decreasing General Obligation Bond proceeds by $16,100,000 as a JECC bond they previously thought would happen in FY10 actually happened in FY09 so he now has to reverse how the accounting was entered.
Claiborne said he will now discuss expenditures. The County Attorney’s Office expense adjustments for personnel items were $99,312. The Sheriff’s Department has sick time payout of $6,814. A lot of the block grant adjustments are due to the numbers coming in after the budget was done. They usually have to amend them and pick up from there. The Haz-Mat adjustment is $1,327. The unexpended appropriation from the JECC block grant for FY09 needs to be appropriated for FY10. Public health programming changes for $14,962 were budget neutral due to having matching revenue. In addition, the youth program change of $78,248 is budget neutral due to matching revenue. An adjustment of $3,851 for Johnson Council County of Governments (JCCOG) also came in after the fact. Claiborne said Conservation had FEMA funds in the previous fiscal year. They were not transferred to the Conservation Trust, but Conservation Director Harry Graves did absorb some of the expenditures in his normal budget, and the Board agreed to transfer the FEMA fees of $19,271 to his normal operating budget for FY10.
Claiborne said the County is using $14,000 for rock and gravel management for the County Trails Plan. County Recorder Kim Painter needs $50,000 for document management expenses each quarter. Over the past few years, the fund for the County Farm has been handled through Central Services, however Deputy Auditor Dana Aschenbrenner has requested that the fund be returned to its original fund for clarity. That needs to be established. Ambulance is in need of a computer at the Coralville location. The costs for the Cott software and scanning and document management are $4,340. The Armory Project expenditures are $1,300,000. Although the County will be receiving $975,000 in revenue, there will still be a $325,000 expense. The flooded property buyouts are a pass through for $2,500,000. The Conservation shop and headquarters reappropriation from FY09 is $1,906,462. The Conservation Trust expenditures are estimated based on the revenue earned, and the previous estimate needs to be adjusted based on the actual revenue of $20,000. There was a $107,026 hardware purchase for Elections due to the Precinct Atlas and I-Voter programs. Under the Technology Fund, Information Technology (IT) Director Jean Schultz needs to use carryover of $41,254 for equipment purchases.
Claiborne stated that the amendment will not increase taxes. It will involve the use of reserves and reappropriations. The public hearing is scheduled for October 29, 2009. Stutsman asked Claiborne for the total amount that will come out of reserves. Claiborne said roughly $8 million will come out of reappropriations or reserves. Stutsman said she is wondering which expenses will cause them to have to dip into the County reserves to cover the budget amendment. Claiborne responded technology, hardware purchases, the Armory, Cott software, and document management, and JCCOG watch. Neuzil said these are dollars that have been budgeted for, and there are now requests to use them. They are just now authorizing the ability to expend the dollars. Claiborne agreed. Harney asked if the amendment adds to the total budget approved. Neuzil said no. Sullivan said an amendment can raise or lower it, but this one raises it a little. Harney said it raises it just like it did last year.
Claiborne said they amended the budget by approximately $130 to $140 million due to various capital projects. Only $105 million was expended, however. That illustrates how an amendment can artificially increase appropriations. Operational factors affect whether or not it is expended. Usually, there is a carryover seen. Money has to be reappropriated from last year to finish Conservation and the Joint Emergency Communications Center. Harney said Claiborne also mentioned the cost for equipment for the Auditor’s Office. He asked if the reimbursement from the State would return to the General Fund or go to the Auditor’s Office. Claiborne said the money came from the General Supplemental Fund, and he believes the reimbursement will go back to that fund. Harney said he wants to make sure that it does.
Stutsman asked Claiborne if he would like to explain what happened with the budget for the County Attorney’s Office. Claiborne said some of the departments’ budgets are done electronically and some are done manually during the budget process. When he does them manually, he sees every number and makes sure the numbers are comparable to numbers from the previous year. The County Attorney’s budget was done electronically and therefore did not require input. When the year started, he was contacted by County Attorney Janet Lyness and Managing Secretary Danelle Essing because the personnel lines were already differing significantly from what was budgeted. Claiborne said he looked into the issue and realized that the amounts entered during the budget process were less than the amounts entered the previous year and did not reflect steps, merit, and cost of living adjustments. Claiborne said the budget amendment will get them back on track. Now that there is more staff available, he plans to spot check the electronic budgets from now on. The past two years have been hectic due to personnel issues, and he did not have time to do so. The personnel issue is now resolved, however. Claiborne said it was an oversight and he apologizes for it. Stutsman said she just wants people to understand what happened. Neuzil said it would be helpful if Claiborne would obtain information concerning the official end balance.
Johnson said there is a budget meeting scheduled for October 26, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. to consider the budgets for SEATS, Veteran Affairs, and Planning and Zoning. There is also an Elected Officials Meeting scheduled for October 26, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. A budget work session to review the budgets for Conservation and the Department of Human Services is scheduled for October 28, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. A Board meeting is scheduled for October 29, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.
Sullivan said it would be nice to have the budget meeting schedule on the front page of the County website to inform people of when they are meeting. It is currently available on the website, but it is somewhat difficult to locate. He thinks it would be good for the public to have easier access to the information. Johnson said he will talk to someone from IT about it.
Stutsman said she received a phone call this morning from someone who stated that a recent newspaper article included an incorrect web address to access the Sutliff Bridge Survey. She wants to make sure the survey is posted and accessible to the public. Johnson said the survey was posted on both the homepage of the County website and on the Board of Supervisor’s page on October 19, 2009, and Schultz told him that over 300 responses have been received. Neuzil said www.johnson-county.com is the address for the Johnson County web page.
Sullivan attended the Sutliff Bridge work session on October 19, 2009. He said he wants to emphasize to the public that the results of the Sutliff Bridge Survey will not automatically determine the Board’s final decision regarding the bridge. The purpose of the survey is to obtain feedback from the public, and other considerations will also influence their final decision. Sullivan attended the Iowa City Human Rights Commission’s Awards Breakfast, and he would like to congratulate the winners. He had a liaison meeting with Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak, a Decat Meeting, and an Iowa City Convention and Visitors Bureau Board Meeting. He plans to attend a Chatham Oaks Board Meeting on October 22, 2009. Sullivan said a significant amount of time has been spent with Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek to discuss the results of the Non-bargaining Classification and Compensation Study and to make decisions regarding changes. He said the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) is having their annual awards October 22, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library and encouraged the public to attend. He also stated that the Johnson County Heritage Trust’s annual fundraising event is scheduled for October 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at Dick Schwab’s Barn. Sullivan would like to remind drivers to beware of agricultural equipment on rural roads during this time of year.
Stutsman attended a Planning Council Meeting, a Decat Meeting, and a Computer Needs Committee Meeting. She had a liaison meeting with Dvorak and with Schultz.
Harney attended a Community Foundation of Johnson County Subcommittee Meeting, a Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services Board of Directors Meeting, a Planning Council Meeting, and the Iowa City Human Rights Commission’s Awards Breakfast. He had a liaison meeting with Shramek and with Ambulance Director Steve Spenler. He has also been completing tasks for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
Neuzil had a Listening Post in Hills on October 20, 2009. Another Listening Post is scheduled for October 30, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. at the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center. He said a new Supervisor is expected to be appointed on October 29, 2009.
Adjourned at 9:57 a.m.
By John Deeth, Recording Secretary