Chairperson Stutsman called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 1:32 p.m. Members present were: Charles Duffy, Jonathan Jordahl, Mike Lehman, Sally Stutsman, and Carol Thompson.

Deputy Administrative Assistant Deana Pillard reported the spreadsheet was not yet ready. Stutsman said there may still be some questions on the table, mentioning GIS and Juvenile Justice. Stutsman mentioned the program, Sibship, which was currently funded by the MH/DD budget. She said the program is offered by the Iowa City Rec Center for siblings of children who have disabilities. She said it is a small amount at a little over $1,500 per year. The MH/DD Director felt that it would more appropriately be funded from the General Fund because it is not a direct service. The Board discussed the program and Stutsman said she felt the program would not be one that would require a significant increase in funding.

Stutsman asked Pillard if they would have to cut or tax for it. Pillard said they could put it under block grants, which is where the Board placed the program. The Board discussed the programs funded under block grants and reviewing those programs each year. Thompson suggested decreasing the Neighborhood Centers by the $1,500 needed for Sibship. Jordahl suggested taking the $1,500 out of the ending balance. There was agreement with that.

Thompson said Juvenile Justice had asked for $250,000 and they gave them $100,000. She suggested giving an additional $50,000. Revenues for Juvenile Justice be decreased from $100,000 to $60,000 to reflect the probable change in State grant funding and to increase expenditures by $10,000. This would be a $50,000 increase in tax askings from what is currently in the spreadsheet. Stutsman suggested taking this amount out of capital projects, reducing it from $1,000,000 to $950,000. Jordahl asked how they weigh space needs against human needs. Duffy suggested the elimination of the new planner for Planning and Zoning. Jordahl, Lehman, and Thompson agreed with taking it out of space needs. Thompson said she would have rather started GIS later.

Pillard reported $162,000 was in the budget for GIS, plus $5,800 for software, for a total of $167,800. Pillard added that the Map Delineator position was budgeted in the Auditor’s Office to do the day-today work for $37,700. Jordahl reported the new position would not be used for the hours needed in the GIS project as projected in the draft report of the needs assessment. He said the GIS project would have to be initiated at a slower pace or more funding would be needed. Duffy said the Auditor’s Office staff could handle GIS without some of the other spending. Jordahl made the point that GIS is a central function, much the same as a central Information Services Department. Lehman reiterated the point that the new Map Delineator position would be used to deal with the overload of daily work and not be used for implementation of GIS. He knew they couldn’t expect it, but hoped that the Map Delineator position would be able to provide at least some help with the conversion of CAD data polygons in the GIS format. Stutsman supported the scenario of $162,000 for GIS and funding the Map Delineator as a position outside of the GIS.

Pillard said the proposal by Farragut Systems, Inc. for the data conversion of the parcel mapping to GIS as a combined effort of Farragut and the Auditor’s Office was $111,000. She said that and the GIS Coordinator would come out of the $162,000. Jordahl said it would be a joint project between Farragut Systems, Inc. and the County, not necessarily being hours in the Auditor’s Office. Thompson said the Computer Committee would recommend to the Board a timetable for spending the $162,000. She asked about the employee hours in the proposal, whether it would be a permanent employee. Stutsman and Jordahl agreed that would be a temporary employee. Jordahl said the estimate for conversion didn’t spell out how much would be spent on the conversion work the first year; the expenditures include the Coordinator position, software, and conversion spread over time. County Auditor Tom Slockett said they couldn’t guarantee the work can get done, unless the hours projected for the conversion are funded. He said there just isn’t extra time to do this type of work and still perform the duties required by the Code of Iowa. Jordahl suggested they should proceed with the funding for the Map Delineator for the Auditor to keep pace in his office and fund GIS at $200,000 by cutting capital projects by $37,700 to bring GIS up to the $200,000. Lehman asked if the Auditor’s Office staff could find time to work on preparation for the GIS project. Slockett said they will be busy, but they constantly work on updating the maps and that will help with being ready for the GIS. Kistler noted they keep the maps up-to-date so they won’t have years of maintenance to do like some locations. The consensus of the Board was that the Map Delineator position was to be used for the daily duties in the Auditor’s Office and GIS would be funded at $162,000.

The Board discussed the half-time trainer position in SEATS. Pillard said 2 new positions would be approved, but only one-half an additional staff member would be added. A prior position would be eliminated and replaced by a new position in a reorganization of the department.

Pillard said the Board would need to act at a formal meeting on the Compensation Board recommendation of 5%. Pillard said the Board would need to authorize the Auditor to publish the proposed budget. When asked about the implications of labor negotiations on the budget, Pillard noted that the budget can be lowered but not raised once it’s published. She said it might be necessary to have a budget amendment if it requires increasing the budget. Jordahl said they should attempt to have union negotiations completed before the budget is completed. Jordahl said they need to make clear that the increase given to the elected officials includes what would be a merit increase or longevity payment to other employees and is not just a cost-of-living increase. The Board decided to put the Compensation Board recommendation into the budget without a reduction at this point in time, allowing adoption of the recommendation with the budget or a possible cut.

The Board decided to reschedule the Planning and Zoning progress report that was going to be on Thursday. They also discussed other items on their schedules.

Adjourned at 2:35 a.m.

Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor

By Casie Parkins, Recording Secretary