• Discussion: Fiscal Year 2003 Budgets

  • Central Technology (40)

  • Capital Expenditures (44)

  • Planning and Zoning (19)

• County Engineer Mike Gardner and Assistant County Engineer Al Miller: Fiscal Year 2003 Budget

  • Secondary Roads (49)

  • Road Construction Escrow (48)

• Discussion: Proposed Fiscal Year 2003 Budget

Chairperson Thompson called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 1:35 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Mike Lehman, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Carol Thompson.

Information Services Director Jean Schultz presented the technology requests to the Board of Supervisors. Schultz said the software contract for the Ambulance Department’s Sweetsoft Software needs to be increased from $2,987 to $3. She said the software maintenance on their time clock system is a yearly cost. Schultz said the $20,000 in document management is being used to finish the Ambulance Department’s record scanning project.

Schultz said the County Attorney is requesting 2 lap tops for the full-time legal assistant and a 1/2 time legal assistant. Schultz said having the lap tops is contingent upon approval of the positions.

Schultz said the Auditors Office is requesting 2 PC’s and an inkjet printer for public use. The Auditor’s Office is hoping to have a public area where people can look up GIS materials, she said. Schultz said the Auditor’s request for voice recognition software is to help with the minutes. The Auditor’s Office is also requesting a PC for the Board room, Schultz said. The one currently being used is older and isn’t included in the 5 year replacement program. Schultz said they could either replace it with a new PC or with one that they are getting back through the 5-year replacement program. Schultz said the Auditors Office is also requesting an additional PC for their Recording Secretary request. Schultz said there are 4 things listed in conjunction with the Auditors Office request for a Mapping Deputy: a computer, Office software, Novellas, and ArcInfo. She said there is also a yearly maintenance contract for the Auditor’s Office large printer.

Schultz said the Health Department is requesting a PC for the Clerk II position. They are also requesting a laptop to be shared by the Administrative and Health Promotion Divisions.

Schultz said Human Resources is requesting a PC. Their assistant is using one of the 5-year replaced PC’s and needs a PC.

Schultz said the hardware maintenance contract and repair for Information Services has increased since their lease purchase for their mini-computer is up. She said that part of this lease includes a 3-year maintenance in one lump sum. She said the software maintenance contract is for all of the various operating systems, programming languages, and utilities. Schultz said they are requesting money because they have some equipment that is no longer covered under maintenance. Schultz said they don’t want to just purchase something, but if something dies they need to have money to replace it. She said this is money that they don’t spend if they don’t need it. She said the software purchase for the $6,000 is for Information Services specific software like programming languages and utilities.

Schultz said that as of the end of Fiscal Year 02 there will be $150,000 set aside for the County Financial Software. She said they don’t know what the cost is going to be at this point so they are asking for $350,000. Neuzil said the amount requested for the County financial software is a pretty low number. Schultz said they received some preliminary ballpark figures and that is where the midrange group is. Stutsman said that $500,000 would at least get this started. Schultz said the RFP’s are due back for the financial system on February 15 and they hope to get the requirements for what MH/DD needs defined by then. Schultz said that immediately then they would send companies the MH/DD requirements to see if one system would do both or not. Neuzil said Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Director Elaine Sweet is concerned about carrying money over and losing it. Schultz said that Sweet mentioned that she thinks it might not actually have to be spent by the end of June if the money is committed.

Schultz said that if the Board of Supervisors wants to do the Employee PC Purchase program again it is up to them. She said the money would gradually be paid back over time, but right now the money being paid is just going back into General Basic. Stutsman said that maybe the Board should think about having a revolving fund so they wouldn’t have to tax for it every time. Budget Coordinator Jeff Horne said they can accomplish this by resolution.

Schultz said the Sheriffs Office needs to upgrade their AS400 system 2 years from now at an estimated cost of $300,600 and are requesting $112,800. Last year $75,000 was set aside, although $100,200 was requested. She said the AS400 is not going to be supported in a couple of years and that is why they need to upgrade. Schultz said their yearly AS400 computer maintenance is ongoing.

Schultz said SEATS has maintenance on their radio antennas and their MDT’s. She said the software maintenance request is their software maintenance on their Stratagem software. She said the hardware purchase request is for the automatic odometers for their MDT’s. She said the Sequel Server software is what they need to set up a software tester for their Stratagem software. Schultz said they are still considering going back to Trapeze software since they are having problems with Stratagem.

Schultz said Planning and Zoning is requesting $400 to upgrade some of their Building Inspections software.

Schultz said the Elections voting software agreement and voting machine parts are all related to their voting equipment. She said they put in a request for 6 laptop computers for satellite voting. Currently they have 5 laptops they received last Fiscal Year and for other satellite voting they use the old 5 year replaced PC’s. She said the Auditor’s Office is very good about allowing people to check out the 5 laptops, but most of the time they sit on a shelf. She said that if 6 laptops are bought, then she recommends giving them to people who use their lap tops everyday and give the older laptops to Elections.

Schultz said the Technology Department is different than a regular department budget because at the end of the fiscal year the money carries over. She said there have been some things over the years budgeted and earmarked for a specific department that haven’t all been spent. Schultz presented a sheet stating what the carryover money is and what areas it is in. Schultz felt that they should keep the carryover money for items such as elections voting equipment and GIS. She said they could then lump the rest of the money together to help with the County financial software or another technology related item. She said the total carryover from July 1st is $528,706. Schultz said that Deputy Auditor Chris Edwards told her that the Auditors Office would really like to upgrade their printer plotter. She said that cost is $3,000, and they are planning to do so but haven’t actually spent the money yet. She said the Board would need to appropriate the money for that.

Next, Schultz presented the document management requests. She said they have done scanning for the Recorders Office and they are now doing their day forward scanning. She said they also completed the project for Planning and Zoning, but they need $1,000 to every year to scan that year’s worth. Schultz said that in the current fiscal year, the request was $122,000 and $60,000 plus the $18,000 for the Treasurer was allocated because the Treasurer was able to reduce a position by scanning. She said they are starting scanning in the Health Department, Ambulance Department, Treasurer and Auditor Office. Schultz said the total document management request for FY 03 is $144,950. She said that if it could all be funded that would be great but if the Board needs guidance, the items are prioritized. Lehman asked if the Recorders Office does the day-forward scanning them selves. Schultz said yes and that Ambulance and Health also plan to once they scan their back records. Lehman asked what makes the Treasurer different. Schultz said the Treasurer has a lot more records and feels more comfortable having someone else scan it. Stutsman said this is saving a Clerk I position. Thompson asked how much was put in for this last year. Schultz said $78,000. Schultz said she thinks all of the departments felt comfortable in the way they prioritized the requests. Thompson asked if getting $78,000 every year for the next few years would catch them up. Schultz said she thinks so. She said this year the only new project is in the Auditors Office and the others are completing projects.

Schultz presented the central technology accounts. She said it is part of the overall technology budget for items like the 5-year PC replacements and printers, upgrade of servers, the cost of interconnecting the buildings, the internet, upgrading software and some unexpected costs. She said last year the total amount including GIS was $472,000. This year the total is $379,000. Schultz said last year it was broken up into 3 parts: central items, the Sheriffs conversion, and GIS. She said that this year the central replacement and keeping the PCs and Internet connection in the buildings went up about $6,000 to $249,474. Schultz said the GIS line item shows $130,000, but $70,000 is Rick’s salary, benefits, training and conferences. Thompson asked if they are spending it all. Schultz said there is some carry over that is marked to keep because they haven’t paid all of the expenses from the prior fiscal year. Stutsman asked if GIS Coordinator Rick Havel has moved his office. Havel said he hasn’t yet. Thompson asked what the total technology budget was last year. Schultz said the overall technology department budgeted amount is $800,103 for the current fiscal year. Schultz said she would take out any amounts related to a new position and get a total for that, as well as taking out the document management and GIS since they are included in another amount. Stutsman said they need to think about how much of a priority the voting machines are as far as taxes. Thompson said they could bond for them.

Recessed at 2:45 p.m.; reconvened at 3:00 p.m.

Thompson said she had a suggestion for a new way to deal with their Capital Expenditures budget. She said that in the beginning they saved for all of their items and now they’ve saved up to the point where each year about the same amount is spent and they save the same for the next year. She said now that this amount is built into the budget, they wouldn’t have to do the saving up. She said that instead of saving up for 5 ambulances, they would just pay for one ambulance each year. Stutsman said she isn’t sure if she is completely comfortable with putting the budget on automatic pilot where it isn’t at the Board’s discretion. Neuzil said it could work like document management where a committee gets so much money and then they divide it up. Thompson said she sees it as Horne doing part of the management like Schultz does with the technology budget. Stutsman said they still consider each item in Schultz budget. Lehman asked what would happen if a department needed something extra. Thompson said that at times there may need to be an increase, but it would keep the Board from having peaks and valleys in the budget. Neuzil said the idea of saving and putting money away seems responsible, but on the other hand there are probably some things they buy unnecessarily because it was on the plan to buy it. Neuzil said this is one of those things where the legislature might tell them how to do it if the Board has to worry about ending balances. Horne said all of the balances together add up to 25% of the overall budget. He said the general fund is 6%. Stutsman said they wouldn’t get penalized like they did with MH/DD because they could justify it.

Horne said Interim Ambulance Director Steve Spenler has all 5 ambulances on a 5-year rotation. Horne said the Auditor is saving up for a new copy machine and a new fax machine for $1,000. He said he isn’t sure why the amount is that high and he would ask them about it. Horne said Public Health Department Director Ralph Wilmoth has the Public Health vehicles on a schedule. He said Wilmoth is asking for new furniture and he will find out if it related to new staff. Horne said Schultz requested a minivan. He said SEATS is requesting office furniture. He said SEATS Director Lisa Dewey has some funding that would allow her to finish the phone system. He said Dewey is asking for $20,000 for vehicle replacement and to expend $20,000. Horne said the $20,000 might be a match. Lehman said she is paying a lot for vehicle repairs.

Horne said Facilities Manager Mark Bulechek is saving up money for an HVAC system repair in the Administration Building. Stutsman said he has $8,000, and is requesting $10,000 for a total of $18,000. Thompson asked if this is for the new boiler. Stutsman said this is to save up to repair it. She asked how much it costs to repair it. Horne said to replace it would cost $200,000. Neuzil said he thinks Bulechek is putting money away in case they don’t get a new system in the next couple of years. Stutsman asked why the money is in capital expenditures and not just in his budget under repairs. Thompson said the money can’t be carried over in his budget. Stutsman said she thought he had a specific repair that he was going to do this year. She said that if he is just putting away money for repairs in case something breaks then that needs to be in his budget. Thompson said that Bulechek has said there needs to be a certain amount set aside per building per year and they should work towards giving him that. Horne said he would still require him to give the Board a list of the projects every year, the plans, how much each one would be etc. Stutsman said that replacing the boiler is a capital project. She said repairing it is different. The Board discussed how other departments like the Sheriff, SEATS and Secondary Roads divide up their budget.

The Board asked Bulechek how much he is going to spend on a riding lawn mower. Bulechek said the diesel engine ones are advertised in the paper between $5-9,000. Stutsman said the $7,500 should be in a request for expenditures. Neuzil said that if he isn’t going to need this until 2004, then they could give him $3,000 this year and $3,000 the next year. Bulechek said he thinks what he has would run another year. Stutsman asked if the HVAC system is to be repaired or replaced. Bulechek said that money if for an emergency fund, if something breaks he can get it fixed right away. Stutsman said that she thinks that is better to keep it in the other budget to keep better track of it. Bulechek said he spent $6,000 in repairs last year. He said it is more cost effective to fix the equipment before it dies. Harney said that if he replaces one portion of the system and waits a couple of years to replace the other portion, what keeps it from being obsolete or not having parts to replace it. Bulechek said the system outside only chills water. He said the system in here manages the air and room temperature and works on a hot water cycle. He said there are 4 components to the system; the system that chills the water, the system that heats the water, the fans that move the air upstairs, and a system that controls each individual space system.

Horne said Planning and Zoning has requested $10,000 for vehicles and $1,000 savings towards a copier. Neuzil asked Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak if he is planning on spending $10,000 on a vehicle. Dvorak said they are planning on it, but they are trying to extend the life of what they have now. He said they are planning on buying a vehicle that is $10,000 with the trade-in they have now.

Horne said Human Services has money set aside for office equipment and are asking for savings for a new phone system. He said they are also requesting a vehicle for MH/DD. The Board discussed the worth of having County vehicles or having employees use their own. Thompson said MH/DD has one vehicle and isn’t sure they need a 2nd car yet.

Dvorak said the Board recommended that the Planning and Zoning Department go into more detail with their budget than they did at their first budget presentation, particularly with the Building Code division. Dvorak said they are asking for an additional $8,000 in their budget for educational purposes. He said there are very few training sessions for the building inspectors in the area. He said they lowered their original request by $4,000 for the Building Code division. He said they have also reduced their technology budget request by $3,400 by eliminating one version of ArcView, a computer and a printer.

Swartzendruber said he went back to last year’s budget and added in the decision package totals for the technology and capital projects etc. and then compared that with what they are asking today. He said the totals are pretty close. Dvorak said their formal request last year was $516,549 and now it is $516,843. Swartzendruber said they propose $200,000 for revenues. He said they should have no problem meeting that goal. Thompson said that basically the Planning and Zoning department will be getting less revenues for zoning and platting applications, which is the Board’s fault. Swartzendruber said there is talk of changing the Road Performance Standards, which would possibly mean more farmstead splits, which in turn would bring in more revenues.

Lehman asked if Planning and Zoning sets their fee schedules or if a committee does. Dvorak said they do. Swartzendruber said they are looking at increasing their fee schedules to reflect some of the increases in the amount of time they are spending on applications. He said they have talked about more ordinances being passed, too. Stutsman said another possible fee to consider is for the economic development Industrial Revenue Bonds. Dvorak said it is currently set at a minimum of $500.

Recessed at 3:55 p.m. Reconvened at 4:00 p.m.

Lehman asked County Engineer Mike Gardner if he had to readjust his budget due to State reimbursements. Gardner said that is one reason of many. He said that state reimbursements were decreased around $300,000. Gardner said he was asked that his budget come in about $1.5 million below what his original submittal was. Gardner said he discussed with Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Hackathorn and Assistant County Engineer Al Miller where the most comfortable place to decrease their budget was. Secondary Roads decreased their maintenance budget $350,000. They decreased their new construction budget $727,000 on new construction, and dropped their decision package which was a $40,000 request.

Thompson asked if their budget problem is caused from when he was short on funds 3 years ago. Gardner said it is a combination of things. He said Road Use Tax has been decreased around $300,000. He said they have been budgeting out of their carryover balance for the last few years each year he has noted that this is fine to a point. He said they are beyond that point now. Gardner said that the revenue expense adjustment has also brought the balance down. Thompson said that every year they do the revenue expense adjustment, but 3 years ago the Board took money out of Secondary Roads carryover and put it into their operating budget and didn’t tax for it. Stutsman said the Board did that so there wouldn’t be such a big impact on the rural side of the budget. Gardner said that for the last few years they have been budgeting their expenditures above their revenues. Neuzil asked if that is where the carryover balance is being used. Gardner said yes. Neuzil said there is going to be a lot of people wondering why they aren’t spending a lot on roads this year. Stutsman said they could spend money on roads this year but people would be taxed for it. Thompson said the revenue expense adjustment doesn’t really apply to the Secondary Roads budget the way it does to others. She said that Gardner has to have money every year that he has to carryover to pay for last year’s projects.

Gardner said he has reduced expenditures by $1,116,636. He said that by doing this he was able to adjust the revenue up by $328,000. He said the total comes in just under $1.5 million. Stutsman asked how he was able to get more revenues. Gardner said that on the construction budget, 2 of the projects are bridges that they are going to get federal bridge money on. He said they have to show the expense of building the bridge and then they get reimbursed 80% of it. He said they reduced the construction side by $726,941. He said this is all subject to the 5-Year Road Program. He said they have made adjustments to the construction program because that is the easiest place to make the cuts. Gardner said he has reduced the amount of rock hauled in and will be using his own staff to haul it. Gardner reduced the oil contract by $100,000 because they have had a mild winter and the roads should be in good shape. Gardner said that by reducing the oil he is also reducing blade patching for the oil roads, which is putting coal mix in the distorted areas prior to the oil contract going in. He said they don’t want to put any blade patch down that they aren’t going to cover up with chip seal. He said the blade patch is reduced by $85,000. He said they are also reducing the snow traps by $20,000, which is hiring a contractor to go out on small stretches and do some blading. Gardner said he reduced Hackathorn’s request for new equipment by a substantial $50,000. He said the total reductions in maintenance are $350,000. Thompson asked how much Gardner has saved with the mild winter. Gardner said not a lot. He said the salt and sand had been purchased ahead of time. He said that if the winter continues as is there isn’t going to be as big of an expense next year for salt and sand. He said they are saving on overtime, but not really on fuel since they are running other equipment.

Neuzil asked what the recommendation is for which roads they cancel. Miller said that all he has in for 2003 is some bridges and the Mehaffey Bridge Road project. He said they are hoping they have enough money this year to purchase the right-of-way for that project. Gardner said their plan has to be in to the DOT by April 15. Neuzil said he doesn’t want see construction just stop. He said that maybe they need to get into a system that is 2 years out, instead of 18 months. Miller said he would like to have some guidance on what kind of funding they are going to receive in the future. He said that right now he has knocked everything back. He said some projects are partially local funding and partially State funded and he has knocked all of the local funding off. He said he knows the amount the State is funding. Gardner said the construction budget was reduced $727,000 for FY03. Thompson asked about the reduction for FY02. Miller said it is for the Sharon Center Bridge, which is on for next year. Gardner said they can’t get the bridge in 03. He said they are going to have to resubmit it for permits.

Harney asked if the cuts are due to State cut dollars. Miller said if it was just State cuts there would only be $300,000. Neuzil said it is a combination of $300,000 plus the carry over balance being too low and the revenue expense adjustment. Horne said that for the revenue expense adjustment, they look at the last 3 years and how much was over revenues and under expenditures. He said they get an average of those 3 years for half of the adjustment. He said the other half is an average of the last year. He said that then they take the average of the two averages and that is where the amount comes from. Lehman asked how this applies to Secondary Roads. Horne said that going across the fiscal years it looks like they were falling short on the expenditure side.

Gardner said they hope to get some instruction about what projects to work on and then start working on them to get ahead of the process. Stutsman said she is working on some changes in the 5 year planning process with Harney, Gardner and Miller. The Board, Gardner and Miller discussed the public’s involvement when it comes time to do a road, in that people only speak out against roads and they wait until the last minute to do so.

Neuzil said he doesn’t want roads to stop being built. He said they don’t have to raise taxes, but lower parts of the budget in other areas. Stutsman said they can’t do that because the Secondary Roads budget is out of the rural fund. Horne said they can’t change the rural transfer. Thompson asked if they meet the maximum levy. Horne said you start with the minimum Rural and the maximum General. Thompson asked what the minimum rural is. Horne said it’s $2,103,849. He said they transferred $621,553 from the General Fund and that is the maximum. Thompson asked if they could raise the $2.1 million. Horne said the maximum in the Rural Fund is $2,805,833. Thompson said they could add the difference of $700,000 to this budget if they wanted to increase the taxes. Neuzil asked if the Board is telling Secondary Roads to stop with the 5 Year Road Plan. Stutsman said she thinks they are just telling them to live within their budget.

Neuzil said that if there are any projects that might be in trouble by not getting any funding next year then he would like to see that at least offered in this budget as an option. Gardner said he doesn’t think there are any bridges are going to fall in next year or roads that have to be closed because they aren’t doing the work on them next year, but eventually these things are going to have to be taken care of. Stutsman said the Board has to quit cutting into the ending balance. Lehman said Miller has 2 bridges and Mehaffey Bridge Road that is in 02 and would be carried into 03. He said that Miller needs to know what kind of money he might have for 04 so he can start making plans. Gardner said they need to know if they are looking at a local budget of $500,000 a year or $1 million a year in order to program the 5 Year Road Plan accordingly. Horne said Secondary Roads should have one million dollars by the end of next year.

Stutsman asked if money could be transferred from the Reservoir Trust. Gardner said it is a possibility. He said they had been getting about $100,000 out of there each year and now it’s built up. He said the original balance was $1.8 or $1.9 million and now it’s $2.7 million. Thompson said they could take the excess interest out. Stutsman said they could also get the principle down to a level that the Board is comfortable with. Neuzil said they could also amend the budget later in the year to use that if they chose to put a project on to start sooner than spring 03. Neuzil said he is thinking of the ability to start getting right-of-way, so that even if they don’t get funding in 03 they could start a project July 2, 2003. Thompson said a couple of the Supervisors are interested in using excess interest in the Coralville Road Fund and asked if anyone else is. Horne asked if this is on top of the interest that goes to the gravel. Thompson said yes. She said the reason the principle is bigger is they accrued interest that wasn’t spent. Neuzil asked what they were given. Gardner said $1,809,000. Neuzil said he doesn’t have a problem with using that money if it is going towards a road project.

Stutsman said she thinks the discussions are getting confused. She said one discussion is the 5-Year Road Plan, from which they took a project out. Miller said the impact that has on 2003 is only $100,000. He said the non-budgetary impact was that they had this project geared up to have the right-of-way bought, designed etc. and now they don’t have time to get another big project ready for FY 03. Lehman asked if there are any other projects coming up that might also not have local dollars. Miller said that he proposed half local and half Farm to Market funds for Sharon Center and it was taken off. He said Newport Road is the same because he was trying to level out to local funding so that they didn’t have one year needing $2 million and the next year $100,000 because there were federal funds that year. He said right now he is looking at the Farm to Market fund balance and the federal funds available and taking the local money out of the big projects and putting it in the Farm to Market funds to make sure the balance stays positive.

Neuzil asked if there was a way for Secondary Roads to do even a half mile of road in FY 03. Miller said Sand Road is not surveyed yet and there is no way that he could get the design, permits and everything else done on that. He said that realistically he doesn’t foresee Newport Road having the alignment agreed upon, the right-of-way negotiated, and the permits getting done in time because it will be controversial. Neuzil asked if there is still a chance of doing part of Sand Road. Miller said no because it isn’t surveyed yet. Even if Miller ordered a survey now, the results wouldn’t come back until June.

Thompson asked if they are waiting for the Board to say they are putting the money back in from Reservoir Roads and then they would redo the plan and tell the Board what they are able to build. Neuzil said it doesn’t sound like there are any road projects to do. Lehman said there are bridges. Neuzil said he isn’t supportive of taking the Reservoir money and using it for bridge repairs. Gardner said there are some roads that have structures on them. He said they are hoping to repair IWV Road at some point and there are 2-3 bridges on that road that need to be replaced before they can repair the road. Thompson asked if those could be moved up to this year then they would be ready when they are ready to do the road. Lehman said if they do that they have committed themselves to the road. Gardner said that is just an example. Miller said it is a catch 22, because there are 2 bridges that rank in the top 5, but you don’t want to build a new bridge without any idea what the road is going to look like. Thompson asked if there are still 3 Board Members who are in favor of taking out some of the excess interest and using it for bridges. Stutsman said she is. She said she didn’t see taxing for money when they are sitting on a fund with over a million dollars in it. Lehman said he would consider it.

Harney said the Jail needs come floor repair because it got wet and the carpet is ruined. He said Bulechek told them there isn’t any money in the budget, and the repair will cost about $1,500. Thompson said that Bulechek said he saved enough on the Courthouse carpet to pay for it. Harney said Bulechek is telling the Sheriff that they cannot finish the project because of this. Harney said he feels the project needs to be finished. Stutsman said she didn’t think it should cost $1,500. Thompson said they need to talk with Bulechek about this. Horne said there is funding available.

Harney said County Sheriff Bob Carpenter also discussed Courthouse security at length. Thompson said that a lot of the items they want are for things like writing a plan for evacuating the building. Neuzil said County Attorney J. Patrick White didn’t put this in his budget. Horne said that it goes in Carpenter’s budget. Thompson asked if anyone has ever heard of an incident happening because there wasn’t security. She asked if Carpenter recommends having deputies at the Courthouse. Harney said Carpenter said the majority of incidents occurred when a deputy was present. Stutsman said that only so much security could be provided in the Courthouse because it is an older building. Harney said that having security means having someone at each doorway. Neuzil said that he realizes the judges want Courthouse security but this is a tight budget year. Stutsman said she doesn’t think there is going to be any new staff this year. Thompson said they should do the cost-free security items on the list this year and discuss security measures that will have a budget impact at a later date.

Adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor

By Casie Parkins, Recording Secretary