Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 - January 28 Continuation

Chairperson Jordahl called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 9:13 a.m. Members present were: Charles Duffy, Jonathan Jordahl, Mike Lehman, and Sally Stutsman.

Jordahl called the meeting to order and asked Administrative Assistant Deana Pillard where the Board of Supervisors had left off yesterday. Pillard stated that she believed that the Board of Supervisors ended on Capital Projects. Pillard and the Board of Supervisors discussed their schedule for the upcoming week. Pillard stated that for the Courthouse Capital Project requests they wanted 3 security cameras with the ability to add a fourth for $10,000. She said they also wanted to replace the courthouse steps for $45,000. Pillard said they wanted to replace the retaining wall and that would be $6,000. Stutsman said she supported the cameras but would hold off on the wall and the steps. Jordahl said they should refer the wall and the steps to the Space Needs Committee. Duffy said that was a cheap price to replace the cameras. The Board discussed land in the area for future projects.

Pillard state that Conservation was requesting $27,000 in capital projects for replacement of trees that were damaged during the summer storm. Jordahl questioned whether tree replacement was a capital project or a capital expenditure. Stutsman asked if they were going to be able to do all of this, this year. Stutsman asked if Conservation would be able to get this money in their budget because they were able to get other things from their budget. Pillard stated that these are the items that were zeroed out within their budget to get. Jordahl suggested pulling the trees out of capital projects and questioned whether or not they were capital projects. Pillard stated that it was a land enhancement and although its not a building, it was a tree. Duffy stated that that was an interesting question and he supported the idea that trees could be considered capital projects. Stutsman stated if the leave it in their operating budget it will be in there year after year and every year they will have $27,000 for trees. Jordahl said if Conservation had extra money lying around to hire more staff without the Board of Supervisors approval, then they must have a flush budget. Lehman asked if the Conservation Board was using federal funds for clean. Stutsman asked Jordahl if they should allocate any money towards the trees. Jordahl said they were going to talk to Conservation about it. He said they have reallocated funds in their budget to hire a new staff person. He said they only way they could cut this staff position is to cut their funding overall for this budget process, which might jeopardize REAP. Jordahl stated they should expect Conservation to pay for departmental expenses out of the departmental budget. He said if Conservation wants a new position, they have to request that. Jordahl said it's an emotional appeal asking for money to repair the trees. Stutsman asked if they are saying zero for this budget. Jordahl said he recognized a storm did occur, but they are also asking for a new employee in their budget. Stutsman said they already budgeted for a new employee. Jordahl said he wanted to see this as an additional expenditure because it's a permanent expense, not a one shot deal. Duffy said they should ask the Conservation Board when they come in. Jordahl explained the easiest way to deal with this is to take it out of their budget and then let Conservation argue to put it back in. Stutsman stated they needed to discuss how they wanted the budgets presented with them because they are doing their own thing. Jordahl said personnel funds can't be spent on trees and tree dollars can't be spent on personnel. He said if they made that a policy, the Conservation Board would have to talk to them about this position.

Stutsman stated Conservation didn't submit their budget the way the Board of Supervisors requested it. Pillard said they did everything within the guidelines and it's all relative. Stutsman said they had a different way of presenting it. She stated no one else hires someone within their existing budget by cutting out other things. Pillard explained Conservation would argue they change line items from year to year. She said they asked for an additional person last year but the Board didn't approve that. She stated the part time funds the Board did allocate to the Conservation Board were used to cover some of the full time wages. Jordahl said it should have been a personnel line. He stated they were asked to show a zero increase, yet they rolled over a $37,000 piece of equipment as a zero. He said this money is now in capital budgets and the same thing is occurring with the extra staff and the trees. Stutsman said the trees are separated out. Pillard explained the line items covered by those are zeroed out. Duffy said the revenues affected this year's budget and next year's budget. Pillard said that goes into the Conservation Trust. Jordahl said it's not a question of paying for the trees. He said he would like to see a request for a new personnel position. Duffy stated the Board should scrutinize new personnel. Jordahl stated they should institute a policy stating departments can't hire new personnel with operating expense dollars. Duffy said the County budget this year was not an easy budget and if they hire all these new employees, they're in trouble. Pillard asked if they wanted it zeroed out. Stutsman said she wasn't ready to zero it out but she also wasn't ready to spend $34,000 either.

Stutsman asked if they should look at $5,000 for tree replacement. Jordahl asked what the zeroed out line items were. He asked if they were representations of recouping the money they spent this year for other things. Pillard explained this is a lot more money than what was in the line items. She said the fertilizer and nursery products were examples. Jordahl asked if this was on going clean up that would start in July. Pillard said that was a Conservation Board question. Jordahl said they would ask them that on Friday. Stutsman said they need to know what this money was for. Pillard said it wasn't certain the Conservation Board would be able to attend on Friday.

Jordahl asked what they were doing with the Department of Human Services. Stutsman said it's a savings account for relocation expenses but now they were discussing spending that money for the Eastdale move. Duffy asked if they was in a special account. Stutsman said it was under capital projects. Jordahl asked if they were authorizing an expenditure of $36,000 for 2000 to reflect what they were planning to do. He said they should wait for the figures from architect Dwight Dobberstein to do a budget amendment. Pillard asked if they wanted to see how the totals would be changing. She said if they were ready to decide dollar amounts, they needed to start back at the top. Jordahl said they weren't fully aware when they began this. Pillard asked if this was just a run through or if they would be throwing numbers out. Jordahl stated they needed to throw numbers out or they would never finish.

Jordahl asked Deputy Auditor Kit Wong how they would separate out a personnel budget so the funds would still apply to REAP. Wong asked what the personnel question was. Pillard said as long as it stayed in Department 24, it was OK. Jordahl asked if the Board of Supervisors could state a policy that personnel dollars could only be spent on personnel. Pillard said she thought so. Stutsman asked if they would have to have a separate account for that. Pillard said no. She said some departments will budget for over time and then they won't spend it so they spend it on other things. Jordahl said if there weren't ramifications, this would be a policy for all departments and he asked if there would be a problem implementing such a policy for Fiscal Year 2000. He said he wanted to call everyone's attention to a document with personnel line item totals. Pillard said that included all 1000 line items in every department. Jordahl said it wasn't exactly science, but it's good enough for government work. He said the document showed a summary of personnel expenses buy department for years 1996, 1997, 1998, the actual expenditures and a total, which showed the under spending. He stated in 1998 they had a County-wide under spending for personnel items totaling almost $900,000. He stated the requests for additional personnel was nearly $900,000 this year. He said it's a problem of magnitude.

Duffy and Jordahl left at 9:43 a.m.

Lehman asked what happened to that money. Stutsman asked Wong if that money went back into the general fund. Pillard said even though the document said it was for one department's under spending, they overspent what they budgeted for in other line items. She said the amounts that are shown were spent on other line items. Stutsman said the money was used somewhere else.

Duffy and Jordahl returned at 9:44 a.m.

Jordahl said the inaccuracy in budgeting was reflected here. He said if they required that these funds be spent on personnel, that money would have rolled back into the general fund. Pillard said if they invoked that policy, the budgets could increase because they would actually be budgeting for what they're using it for. Jordahl disagreed because there is a tendency for department heads to scurry around spending money because if they didn't spend it, it went away. Pillard said it was probable that most departments were spending the extra money on computers. Stutsman said Cheryl Whitney came in yesterday and explained she's financing some of the move using funds for a Volunteer Action Coordinator position that hasn't been filled. Jordahl said they didn't fund that position so she could move to Eastdale. He said if they are going to approve a move to Eastdale, they should fund it. Duffy agreed with that. Stutsman said it was truth in budgeting. Lehman said it was a matter of accountability. Stutsman said an elected official may come in and say they are elected to run their office and it's up to them to decide what the money should be used for. Jordahl said it's up to the Board of Supervisors to decide whether they get it or not.

Pillard stated capital projects was the next category and the first one was the Morton Building with the Ambulance Department, a third ambulance station. She said Ambulance Department Director Mike Sullivan is requesting to start saving for that. Jordahl said they should put some money into it because he's going to have to do something. Stutsman suggested putting $10,000 into it. Duffy asked how much was in there now. Lehman asked how they were going to budget for a building if they didn't have ground to put it on. Pillard stated he was requesting $32,500. Stutsman said there's a lot of things to consider. Jordahl said there are a lot of Morton buildings out there. Lehman asked if they had ground to put it on. Jordahl said Tiffin does and they are itching to trade. He explained Tiffin wants their maintenance shed in Tiffin for their fire station. He said he had spoken with Tiffin about a trade. He said they were thinking a Secondary Roads trade, but it could be an Ambulance trade. He said they might give them ground for both. Lehman stated they were looking for an existing building then. Pillard asked if they wanted that retitled to say Third Ambulance Building. Jordahl said yes and to call it Northwest Ambulance Location. Duffy said he didn't want to put in that much money. Pillard asked how much. She said the building cost would be $65,000. Jordahl asked if they had a life span on their agreement with Coralville. Stutsman said that was on going. Pillard said Sullivan didn't feel that was a permanent location. Jordahl said it may not be permanent, but they could probably live with it for 5 years. Stutsman said the agreement would end whenever either side decided to terminate it. Jordahl said there will be enough money in capital projects when they have to move. He suggested they put in money on a multi-year approach. He said $10,000 was a reasonable figure. He said the Space Needs Committee could put this on the list of things to do. He asked if they were paying Coralville. Stutsman said no. Jordahl said they should make that a 100 year agreement. Stutsman stated they received benefits from it, like a quicker response. Jordahl said he's not in a big hurry to build the Morton building.

Pillard said the Ambulance Building wanted their classrooms carpeted. She explained they wanted to start a savings account. She said the total project cost was $5,000 and it would be accomplished in 2001. Duffy said he had a problem with each department creating their own savings account. Jordahl said they had encouraged them to do that. Lehman stated Ambulance was requesting it but the Board didn't have to approve it. He said they are trying to identify what each department's needs were. Jordahl said they could give them less than that. Duffy said he thought it should be in a special fund for all departments. He said as it builds up, there should be priorities. Jordahl said they could do it either way but he was suggesting they cut the $2,500 request for carpeting down to $500 or $750. Jordahl said with some departments they had been picking really hard at $1,200. Stutsman asked if they should allocate $1,000 to new carpet. Jordahl agreed. Pillard said the Ambulance Department also requested cabinets to store their public items, which would cost $4,000. She said they would like that done in Fiscal Year 2000. Jordahl asked if these were new or existing items. Pillard explained they were existing items that are currently laying out. She said it would provide him with more room. Stutsman asked if he was going to build in cabinets around that classroom. Pillard said he would be able to put his public information away. Stutsman said the Ambulance Department Classroom was wall to wall stuff. She said it's very cluttered. Jordahl said they should give him $1,000 and see what he can do with it. He stated he could build some cabinets for $1,000.

Pillard said County Attorney Pat White requested the restrooms in the Courthouse be renovated. She said the first floor would be done in 2001, with the total cost being $75,000. She stated the second floor would be done in 2002, with the requested dollar amount of $25,000. Jordahl asked if this had to deal with accessibility. Pillard said he'd like to have this done before the centennial. Duffy said the men's room door is a problem. Pillard stated you could see into the restroom if you looked at the mirror. She said Pat Langenberg suggested taking down the mirror. Stutsman said that would be much cheaper. She said the bottom line was can they afford to remodel those 2 restrooms. Jordahl said no. Stutsman said no too. Jordahl said they had more important things to spend money on.

Pillard asked if it was OK to zero out the Public Health's unallocated dollars. Jordahl said yes. Pillard stated Public Health was also requesting carpeting to be done within Fiscal Year 2000 for $7,400. Jordahl said they might be able to carpet the hallways, which had more wear and tear, and not carpet the offices. He said there is a concern with public safety and appearances. Pillard said that would be a question for Public Health Department Director Graham Dameron. Jordahl suggested they put in $2,000 and let him build that up over time. Stutsman said she was comfortable with that. Lehman stated that would make it into a 4 year project and prices would change. Jordahl said they could do the hallways in one color and the offices in another and it would help divide the space psychologically. Pillard said the Health Department was also requesting paving of the parking lot. She stated that would be over 2 Fiscal Years with it being done in 2001. She said the total project cost would be $20,000 and they were requesting $10,000 this Fiscal Year. Jordahl said the parking lot is already paved. Duffy said it wasn't that bad. Jordahl said they should just fill some potholes. Pillard stated Dameron said if the Board of Supervisors planned on selling the building at any point, it would enhance the value of the building. Stutsman asked if they should zero it out because it was the first year they requested it. Jordahl said they should zero it out and maybe the Secondary Roads Department could help out. He said they couldn't use that money in town though. Stutsman stated they couldn't even use the equipment. Jordahl said they should be able to use that equipment for County facilities. Lehman asked if they could patch potholes in their own parking lot. He asked what Pat Langenberg did. Jordahl said he might have to buy the stuff from Pelling. Duffy said they could ask Pat White. Jordahl asked if they were zeroing that parking lot. Stutsman said yes.

Duffy left at 9:53 a.m. and returned at 9:55 a.m.

Jordahl asked if Kriz had found more revenues for the County. County Treasurer Tom Kriz said he had done that. He said he has some unique ideas of how revenue could be generated for the County rather than to corporations in Ohio, San Francisco, etc. He said no one had ever asked why they couldn't do it and now he was asking. He stated he worked on the investment of County funds for his first 3 weeks in office. He said they have reorganized some accounts so that over the next calendar year, the changes will result in $30,450 in added revenue. He said there is still more to work on but with interest rates declining, they have to look at other ways to make money. He stated what they do with the investments is reflected in all of the County budgets because that goes into the general fund.

Kriz said their next step is working with each different department. He explained he had already worked with Kim Painter in the Recorder's Office and found a way to generate another $1,000. Jordahl asked how that related to the capital projects budget. He asked if when they were setting aside money for buildings, if they were accruing that kind of interest. Kriz replied that they probably weren't. He said the County was fortunate not to have any debt. He said interest rates have never been lower and there are times when it's OK to borrow money for long range projects. He said the County could borrow money in the 4.5 to 6% range. He stated the County probably won't be able to stay out of debt and continue providing the quality of service they want. He explained the gap between what they have and what they need is getting bigger and bigger. He said other counties are scrutinizing $50 staplers and things like that. He said the needs aren't going to change and they shouldn't close their eyes at borrowing. Jordahl asked how he would compare that to raising the levy to cover the expense. Kriz stated it's a perception of the public. He said there are some ways to borrow money, invest it again and make more money. He said no one is a proponent of raising taxes but people are amazed when their tax bill is lower. He said other counties are bussing their citizens to Johnson County because of the quality of our services. He said they aren't adding dollars to the economy. Stutsman said Pat White told the Space Needs Committee that a judge in Sioux City looked for services available for a client and ordered that individual to move to Johnson County to take advantage of the services. She said that person set his apartment on fire and is now in jail. She said people aren't just coming here voluntarily. Kriz said other counties look to Johnson County. Stutsman said that judge was looking out for that person's best interests.

Kriz said there is a cost of taking pride in one's work. He said they are trying to change Motor Vehicle's image and offer good service. He said the DOT side has nothing to offer but good service. He said ISAC recently did a survey which showed 7 out of 10 people come into courthouses or administrative buildings for motor vehicle purposes. He stated every office in the building will be judged by how they treat someone in Motor Vehicles. He said they are trying to alleviate the lines. He said they have changed the budget slightly. He said he's working with the County Attorney to work out the possibility of adding a second Deputy and converting an on staff person to that position from the Motor Vehicle side. He said they have reduced some part time wages and they are looking at outsourcing some things they do. He explained the biggest amount was coming from that additional position. He stated they need to work on a succession process, especially for Deputy Treasurer Betty Sass's position. He said this would be a 2 year position, then would revert to one position when she retired. Jordahl said the learning curve would continue to be great unless they divided up her position into 2. Kriz said he wants to cross train everyone so they can help each other out during busy times. He explained some other restructuring would take place as well. He said they still do almost everything by hand and computers would speed things up. He said they can go with any decision the Board of Supervisors would make. He said the position must be filled with someone from the outside because they don't have this person. He said they have Clerk IIs and Clerk IIIs and then they'd have 2 deputies for the entire department, rather than having a separate Motor Vehicle and Tax Department. Jordahl asked if Kriz wanted 2 additional deputies. Kriz said for right now it would be 2 deputies so they'd have 2 deputies and 2 second deputies, and doing away with a Clerk III and cutting part time salaries. Jordahl said they would be creating a permanent second deputy on the Motor Vehicle side and a temporary second deputy on the tax side. Kriz said it would be temporary as long as Sass was there, then they would move into her position. Jordahl asked why he needs a second deputy in Motor Vehicles and not in Taxes. Kriz explained as they integrate the offices, the second deputy becomes the link between the 2 offices. He said Motor Vehicles has about 16 full time employees, while the other side has about 6. Jordahl asked if the first deputies would be cross trained so they're like Junior Treasurers. Kriz said they are willing to do that. He said they will have their own responsibilities but they will also have the knowledge of what the other side does so they can help out. He said it is better to have one person handle all of your needs, rather than going to many different people. Jordahl asked what the second deputy would do to be knowledgeable enough to move into another position in the future. Kriz stated most employees are happy with the current situation and don't want the responsibility that comes with moving another step. He said that could be restructured within the collective bargaining. He said the second position would be trained to move into the next one. He said that position wears every hat. Jordahl said he might find the 2 second deputies to be desirable permanently. Kris disagreed. He said it's difficult to know because he's an elected official and his performance is evaluated every 4 years but he believes it is important to cross train all the employees. Jordahl said it would be likely for this person to leave because they have the most pressure. Kriz said it was possible but some of the reward is in job satisfaction and money isn't everything. He said the really good people will move on to bigger and better jobs. Kriz said Pat White explained at one time they had second deputies but did away with them. Jordahl asked how this would change with technology. Kriz stated he wasn't trying to do that because he sees the department growing.

Kriz said the Treasurer's Office is going to start pulling license plates of people in the county who don't have car insurance. He said Motor Vehicles is required to take the plates and process it all. He stated the staff will decrease when the Tax Deputy decides to retire. He said there will always be new things. He explained that law enforcement has the right to warn the people or remove the plates from the car. He stated the driver would have 48 hours to remove the car from the streets and then the Treasurer's Office files a report with the State. He said the driver would pay a fine and pay for a new set of plates. He stated the County Attorney is ready to prosecute in these cases if it goes that far. Jordahl said that's when they'll need another full time deputy. Kriz said 50% of cities in Johnson County now have DMV stations. Stutsman asked if there were any other questions. Kriz said they have really great people and they are willing to make changes to offer better service. He said they are going to rearrange so they all face the front and offer questionnaires to evaluate their performance. He stated they are also going to set up express lines.

Jordahl asked if the new interest rates were going to bring in $450,000. Kriz said the Auditor's Office budgeted $420,000 by looking at trends. He said he wants to get it up around $500,000. He explained he's converting what are the lowest paying things into the maximum they can get. He said on July 1st they will be able to predict better. Jordahl asked if they had projected the increase in interest on the revenue side. Kriz stated there's no question they can pick up $40,000. He said those are County funds though, not his budget. Jordahl asked if they wanted to discuss the Treasurer's Office budget requests at this time or if they wanted to speak with Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak now. Duffy said he liked Kriz's statement about long term employees being a real asset.

Pillard said Conservation Department Director Rod Dunlap could not come on Friday. She offered to schedule him for later on Thursday or on Monday. Jordahl said they have to keep the levy at the certain point for REAP. Duffy said he could be back by 3:30 at the earliest. Pillard said she could schedule him for Thursday at 4:00.

Recessed at 10:30 a.m.; reconvened at 10:38 a.m.

(Continued in Part 2)