ISLAND COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS - MINUTES OF MEETING
The Board met in Special Session at 10:00 a.m., prior to the regularly-scheduled Elected Officials Roundtable at 11:30 a.m. and regular meeting agenda items beginning at 1:30 p.m. to conduct a budget workshop to consider and review revenue and expenditure projections for 2003, and review and consider specific budget reduction proposals. A number of Elected Officials and Appointed Department Heads were in attendance. Elaine Marlow, Budget Director, also attended.
Hand-out: 2003 Budget Current Expense Worksheet 6/24/02 provided.
Based
on directions from the Board last week
regarding developing various initial
budget scenarios, including a range of
“what-if’s”, the Budget Director
presented a summary list including
every department [even if cuts were not
proposed] listing the specific budget
reduction proposals for each, and a
column showing adopted 2002 budget [and alternatives if proposed]. Net budget shortfall: $994,000.
At this point, Ms. Marlow indicated that the numbers on the new budget summary sheet:
·
Reflects a
savings of $998,000 to Current Expense based on 36-hour work week but does not take into account that reductions cannot be straight even cut
across the county
·
Does not
include $485,500 banked levy capacity
·
Assumes
reduction in Planning & Community Development hours with those savings used
to fund approximately 60%
of one D.P.A. position and the
Hydrogeologist program
·
Includes
20% potential insurance premium increase [exact figure not known until 7/18]
·
No COLAs
·
No updated
revenue projections [will be
done as quickly as possible]
DISCUSSION, ACTION,
FOLLOW-ON
Banked Levy Capacity.
Consensus reached to use banked levy capacity $485,500.
Sheriff/Jail
In
considering initially cutting Current
Expense Departments to a 36 hour work week the Board agreed there is no
question that the Sheriff/Jail would be exempt from reduction of work week
because of required 24/7 coverage.
Sheriff has 5 vacant positions now, and the Board authorized the Sheriff
to move forward as quickly as possible and fill 3 of those positions.
Planning & Community Development
As an alternative to the method the Budget Director provided in today’s summary sheet, the Board discussed the possibility of increasing the fee structure to accommodate the transfer of additional responsibilities rather than cutting Planning & Community Development work hours. This is based on the belief that citizens would prefer paying a little more for a building permit in order to receive it in a timely manner. And the Chairman thought that same understanding could be applied to environmental health. The Planning Director was asked to review with the Budget Director the total cost of Hydrogeologist program and that portion of one D.P.A. and equate that to permits and come back to the Board with that figure.
Health
Recognize the contribution from Current Expense to Public Health is a well-defined figure, on which an 11% reduction would be based, not the total health budget, and the Board is not necessarily looking at a County-wide reduction in hours. As with Planning, consider the possibility of raising environmental health fees.
LEOFF
A potential consideration pointed out was to require LEOFF I retirees pay a share of their health care insurance premiums as other employees are required to do [about $10,000 to $11,000 savings]. No consensus reached at this time; as Commissioner Thorn noted this is a vulnerable population and he was less than enthusiastic about any cut.
Licensing
Camano Annex. Discontinuing licensing at Camano Annex and finding a sub-agent on Camano Island to take over was discussed, which would result in a potential savings of $59,241. The Auditor agreed it was feasible on Camano Island and would not argue the concept. Commissioner Thorn suggested the Auditor talk with Marla Reis at Camano Senior Center who is interested in establishing that function.
Miscellaneous Line Items
Reviewed/Discussed.
EDC. Delete contribution of $32,500 from Current Expense; funding instead through the .08 sales and use tax once enacted.
Senior Centers and Adult Day Care Programs. Generally, Commissioners agreed this is one of the last things they would consider cutting. On the other hand, the Chair recognized that if employees are asked to cut hours, it would seem agencies receiving contributions from Current Expense would be asked to reduce by that same percent. Commissioner Thorn noted this to be a vulnerable population, every nickel to those programs important and he did not agree in asking
these agencies to cut 11%. The combined contribution to senior programs and adult day care is $201,000; for the 10% saved, Commissioner McDowell was not willing to make that decision at this time; it is a decision that can be put off towards the end of the process.
Historical Society Considering not contributing $2,500 in 2003.
Ebey’s Landing. County has been providing for some number of years a $10,000 contribution from Current Expense, and $19,000 in-kind. Considering for 2003 not making that $10,000 contribution.
SCS. $10,000 contribution from Current Expense deleted.
Revenues. Investment interest – may have been a little over-conservative for this year; need to take a sharper pencil and come in with an updated figure.
Department Restructuring. Previously talked about some departmental restructuring and some consolidation of functions, anticipating some retirements. There was no consensus at this time, although the Chairman did not want to just say no, he did point out that the way Island County is set up, there is already a bare bones infrastructure. While moving people around may have some advantages, it also comes with some disadvantages.
Reduction in Hours from 40 to 36 hours per week. A decision needs to be made regarding cuts: in cases where department cuts do not add up to 10% or 11%, is the Board going to accept those cuts or reduce the work week in general for Current Expense Departments. The Chair’s preference is to institute a reduced work week as the last resort. At the end of the process if there is a shortfall in a certain amount, then consider reducing the work week based upon the amount of actual shortfall.
The Commissioners are interested in hearing from the Unions as far as preference: reduced hours or FTE layoffs. Mr. Toft will contact the negotiator and get something in memo form or arrange for the negotiator to meet with the Board at staff session. An e-mail has been received very appreciative of the memo the Board put out to all employees so that employees feel they are being dealt with openly and that they have the best and latest information.
Polling the Appointed Department Heads and Elected Officials attending about their preference resulted in differing opinions and no consensus. For example, if Superior Court is open 40 hours a week, the County Clerk’s Office would need to be open 40 hours a week. The same reasoning would apply to Central Services: if a majority of core services are open 40 hours a week, Central Services would have to be open as well. Size of a department makes a difference as in the case of Human Resources. This will all have an effect on the budget number in today’s summary sheet provided by the Budget Director.
While Judges can set hours for Superior Court, Commissioner McDowell pointed out that the County Commissioners set the budget. Should Board action result in an 11% cut in the Superior Court budget for 2003, the Judges will have to decide whether to stay open 40 hours per week and lay-off or stagger staff to cover the office, the same as the County Clerk would. He asked Ms. Koetje to check with the Skagit County Clerk whose office had worked a 35 hour work week, and look into when Island County Clerk’s Office was on a 35 hour work week in 1989 whether the Superior Court worked 35 or 40.
Based on the assumption there will be budget cuts, Commissioner McDowell was interested to hear from Elected Officials’, not necessarily today, but by the next budget workshop with respect to their position about reduction in hours or reduced staff.
Ms. Marlow suggested the Board look at reducing FTE’s in order to have a good comparison on which to make a decision about whether to reduce working hours or not, and discuss the effects of reducing FTE's. Commissioner McDowell and Commissioner Thorn agreed they would consider a 10% reduction before reducing FTE’s.
Follow-on
Instructions to Budget Director for next budget workshop:
Ø Use Banked levy capacity - $485,500
Ø Provide new revenue projection sheet [those items variable in nature highlight so the Board can go through and discuss each one] including fresh less-conservative projection for interest income
Ø Get the dollar amount figure that would equal 1% COLA
Ø Transfer Hydrogeologist Program and 60% approximately of one D.P.A. into Planning and Community Development - show cost of Hydrogeologist program and that portion of one D.P.A. equating that permit fees
Ø Delete contribution $10,000 Ebey’s Landing; $10,000- SCS contribution; $32,500 EDC
Ø Look at potential additional revenue from environmental health fees
Budget Workshop originally scheduled at 3:00 p.m. today intended as a continuation from today’s special session , was canceled. Next Budget workshop will be July 8 at 1:30 p.m. Special Session adjourned at 11:25 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Island
County Commissioners was convened at 11:30 a.m. on June 24, 2002, for a
Roundtable with Elected
Officials, followed by other topics at 1:30 p.m. as outlined on the agenda, including
Diking Improvement District #4. The
meeting was held in the Island County Courthouse Annex Hearing Room,
Coupeville, Wa. Mike Shelton,
Chairman; Wm. L. McDowell, Member, and William F. Thorn, Member, were present.
Roundtable
Meeting with Island County
Elected
Officials
Attendance:
Elected Officials: Tom Baenen, Greg Banks, Robert Bishop,
Mike Hawley, Suzanne Sinclair
Department Heads: Dick
Toft; Elaine Marlow
Today’s meeting as noted by Greg Banks
was a good opportunity to bring Elected
Officials up to speed with regard to the budget especially since there seems to
be some misinformation, i.e. sentiment that there will be a straight across the
board cut.
The Chairman and Commissioners reviewed
information from this morning’s budget workshop, noting the tentative decisions
made, resulting in getting the deficit from 2 million down to around
$650,000. However, this does not take into
consideration any COLAs for the coming year, and there are other decisions yet
to be made. Note that a straight across the board reduction to a 36
hour work week results in almost $1 million savings, but would have to be
selectively applied, thus that amount would have to be adjusted downward. What-if studies continue at this point.
Need bottom line figure and are not
quite there yet. Public health and
safety continues to be the mission and priority of the Board.
It is a continuing concern to the
Chairman that should the decision be
made to cut working hours, that departments
not try to man 40 hours a week with staff at 36 hours, rather close the
office, for example, at Noon on Fridays.
The problem is that if not universally applied, some offices will be
open, some will not. Commissioners
Thorn and McDowell thought people would adjust, and that every office would
come up with some kind of announcement to the public and press, along with
signs on the office door.
The Chair’s opinion was that any reduction in work hours should be at the
bottom of the list; and at that point, then individually Elected Officials have
the ability to say they will overall reduce hours or cut staff to make up the
deficit. If Elected Officials deem it
is better for their department to reduce employees or reduce open office hours,
they have the ability to do that.
The Board will not tell Elected Officials
how to operate their offices, other than to specify the dollar amount to
support that department; how Elected Officials deal with that is left up to
them.
As far as more dialog with Elected
Officials and Department Heads the next workshop scheduled for July 8th
should provide a more realistic figure of what the deficit is going to be, and
the Board can then work further on the exact percent that departments have to
cut.
Meeting adjourned at 12:05; next
meeting July 22nd at 11:30
a.m.
MINUTES APPROVED
By
unanimous motion, the Board approved and signed minutes from the meeting of
June 17, 2002.
VOUCHERS AND PAYMENT OF BILLS
The following vouchers/warrants were
approved for payment by unanimous motion of the Board: Voucher/War. #126752-126978
…………………………$300,230.71.
Hiring Requests
& Personnel Actions
As presented by
Dick Toft, Human Resource Director, the Board by unanimous motion, approved the
following personnel action authorizations:
Dept. PAA # Description Position # Action Eff. Date
Health 045/02 Accounting Sup. 2411.00 Replacement 7/8/02
Health 046/02 Env. Hlth.
Spec. temp 2409.03 New Position 6/24/0
Public Works 047/02 Road Sup, Acting
2204.03 Personnel
6/13/02
Public Works 048/02 Working Foreman I, Acting 2234.03 Personnel
6/13/02
Public Works 049/02 Working Foreman
I, Acting 2234.03 Personnel 6/13/02
NOXIOUS WEED
CONTROL BOARD REAPPOINTMENT NAMED
In accordance with receipt of nominations
submitted by current members of the Island County Noxious Weed Control Board
pursuant to ICC 8.28.090b, the Board by unanimous motion reappointed Ron
Muzzall, Oak Harbor, to serve another four year term as District II
representative to the Noxious Weed Control Board for a term to July 6, 2006.
Grant Contract #120256 with Washington Council
for Prevention of Child Abuse
& Neglect
The Board, by
unanimous motion, approved Grant Contract #120256 with Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse &
Neglect in the amount of $4,999 for “A
Father/Infant Class and Father Support Group” [RM-HLTH-02-0046].
This is an on-going program headed by Mike Etzzell
and these dollars are being added to the current very successful program Fathers with Special Needs adding a shaken baby syndrome component to it and
Father-Infant Classes being done in conjunction with the hospital and other
groups.
Staff
session agenda - July 2002
Staff
Session Agenda for July, 2002 was approved by unanimous motion of the Board for distribution. The schedule outlines regular staff
sessions for July to be held on July 3rd and July 17th, both beginning at
9:00 a.m. While the July 3rd staff session will be held in the
Courthouse Annex, Basement Hearing Room, as normal, beginning with July 17th, Staff Sessions
will be held in Conference Room #116
in the Island County Courthouse [Administration Building], first floor, located
at 1 N.E. 7th Street, Coupeville until completion of the
remodel of the Courthouse Annex.
Quit
Claim Deed, Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit & Supplement Emerson/Snelling
Easement (Saratoga Woods)
The
Board by unanimous motion approved Quit Claim Deed, Real Estate Excise Tax
Affidavit & Supplement associated
with Emerson/Snelling Easement for the easement connecting the Saratoga
Woods property to DNR property.
Amendment to Interlocal Agreement
WDFW #33012513 between Island County and Washington State Department of Fish
and Wildlife
The
Board by unanimous motion approved Amendment to Interlocal Agreement WDFW #33012513
between Island County and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
(RM-EXT-02-0044), the Project Title “Professional Services-Dan Penttila”
extending the project for two months to August 31, 2002, at no additional cost.
Resolution #C-55-02/R-26-02 – Adoption of Island County’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement
Program for the Years 2003-2008
As
presented and described by Bill Oakes, Public Works Director, and Dick Snyder,
County Engineer, the Board by unanimous
motion adopted Resolution #C-55-02/R-26-02
Adoption of Island County’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program
for the Years 2003-2008.
BEFORE
THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF
ISLAND COUNTY, WASHINGTON
IN THE MATTER OF ADOPTION
OF )
ISLAND COUNTY’S SIX-YEAR ) RESOLUTION
NO. C-55-02
TRANSPORTATION
IMPROVEMENT ) R-26-02
PROGRAM FOR THE YEARS
2003-2008 )
WHEREAS, the County Engineer, in
accordance with RCW 36.70A.070, 36.81 .121 and WAC 136-14-040, has submitted his
recommended plan for construction of roads for the years 2003 through 2008; and
WHEREAS, the Board certified that a
priority array of the County Arterial System was prepared by the County
Engineer and available during the preparation of this program; and
WHEREAS, the Island County Planning
Commission has reviewed this program and found it in compliance with the Island
County Comprehensive Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY
RESOLVED by the Island County Board of Commissioners that the Six-Year Transportation
Improvement Program for 2003 through 2008, as submitted this date, is hereby
adopted.
ADOPTED this 24 of June, 2002
BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
ISLAND COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Mike
Shelton, Chairman
Wm.
L. McDowell, Member
William
F. Thorn, Member
Attest:
Elaine Marlow,
Clerk
of the Board
Consultant AgreementS - on-call services/
compaction testing APPROVED
As presented and
recommended for approval by Mr. Oakes, the Board by unanimous motion
approved two consultant agreements
for on-call services/compaction testing
as follows:
·
Consultant Agreement #PW-022040, MTC, Materials
Testing & Consulting, Inc., Burlington, maximum amount payable $75,000.00
·
Consultant Agreement #PW-022041, GEOTEST
Services, Inc., Bellingham, maximum amount payable $75,000.00
Stormwater Mitigation Agreement –
Lot 10, Holmes
Harbor Golf & Yacht Club, Division No. 2
The Board, on unanimous motion, approved
Stormwater Mitigation Agreement and Covenants from Timothy Scriven, related
to Lot 10, Holmes Harbor Golf & Yacht
Club, Division No. 2.
Contract/Contract Bond – East
Camano Drive/Cross Island Road/Arrowhead Road Intersection Improvements
Per bid award, the
Board approved the Contract and accepted Contract Bond for East Camano
Drive/Cross Island Road/Arrowhead Road Intersection Improvements under CRP
99-07, with GG Excavation, Inc., in the amount of $749,085.70.
FRANCHISE HEARINGS HELD
As scheduled and
advertised, the Chairman opened a public hearing at 2:20 p.m. for the purpose
of considering two franchise applications:
·
Franchise #134R, Harrington Lagoon Water
Association, renewal of existing water distribution system, Plats of First
Addition Harrington Lagoon, Leitch’s Addition, and Mathson’s Harborview; Sec.
6/31, Twp. 32N, Rge. 2E
·
Franchise #119R, Carefree Acres Homeowners
Association, renewal of existing water distribution system, Plat of Carefree
Acres, Division 1, Sec. 3, Twp. 31N, Rge. 2E
The Public Works
Director, Bill Oakes, submitted letters from the County Engineer dated May 29,
2002, recommending approval of Franchise #119R and #134R. Chairman Shelton called for public comments
for or against the three franchise applications; no one appeared to speak
either for or against the franchises.
By unanimous motion
the Board approved Franchise #134R, Harrington Lagoon Water Association,
renewal of existing water distribution system, Plats of First Addition
Harrington Lagoon, Leitch’s Addition, and Mathson’s Harborview; Sec. 6/31, Twp.
32N, Rge. 2E, and Franchise #119R, Carefree Acres Homeowners Association,
renewal of existing water distribution system, Plat of Carefree Acres, Division
1, Sec. 3, Twp. 31N, Rge. 2E
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 2:35 p.m. the Board
met in Executive Session to discuss with legal counsel pending litigation, as
allowed for under R.C.W. 42.30.110 (1)
(i). The session lasted 15 minutes and
no announcement was made on conclusion in open public session.
There
being no further business to come before the Board at this time, the meeting adjourned at 2:55 p.m. on
conclusion of the Executive Session.
[3:00 Budget Workshop canceled].
The Board will meet next in
Regular Session on July 1, 2002 at 9:30 a.m.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ISLAND COUNTY,
WASHINGTON
______________________________
Mike Shelton, Chairman
____________________________
Wm.
L. McDowell, Member
_____________________________
William
F. Thorn, Member
ATTEST:
_______________________
Elaine Marlow, Clerk
of the Board