BOARD OF
ISLAND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MINUTES OF MEETING
SPECIAL
SESSION SEPTEMBER 27, 2004 – BUDGET WORKSHOP
The
Board met in Special Session on September 27, 2004 beginning at 9:00 a.m.
for the purpose of conducting Budget Workshops on the preliminary 2005
budget including District
Court/Probation and the Miscellaneous Budget.
The proposed budget and supplemental requests are taken under advisement
by the Board; no final decisions expected as a result of budget
workshops. Hand-outs are on file with the Clerk of the Board.
The special session was held in the Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room (Room
# 102B) Island County Courthouse Annex located at 1 NE 6th Street,
Coupeville, WA. Commissioners
William J. Byrd Chairman; Mike
Shelton, Member, and Wm. L. McDowell, Member attended. Elaine Marlow, Budget Director, also
attended the session. Press represented
by Eric Berto, Whidbey News Times.
Several members of the public and
staff attended.
Presentation
by: Peter Strow
Maggie Paczkowski
Karen Lewis
Hand-Outs: Budget Proposal Submittal for Revenue and
Expenditures
Memorandum
8/6/04 – District Court Supplemental
Requests
Memorandum 8/6/04 – District Court Probation
Request
2004 Coupeville, Langley, Oak Harbor
Municipal Court filings/hearings
and District Court filings/hearings
Budget
proposal similar to last year, with
slight increase in M&O (3% = approximately $2,000). Three items listed in supplemental request:
1.
Increase
salary of the retained Court Commissioner – proposing an increase over a
period of three years;
2.
Re-establish
part-time secretary in the Probation Department; and
3.
Replace
existing recording equipment in Courtroom #2 with the same type
digital recording system
installed in Courtroom #1.
The County’s salary
schedule for court commissioner is very low. There are five applicants and the top two currently deputy
prosecuting attorneys, both reluctant to take the job because it involves a significant
pay cut. Expect to have position
filled November 1st or
later. Cost would represent an
increase of $24,500 + benefits for 2005
budget. In terms of caseload, the Judge
confirmed it is not close to requiring a full time second Judge. Filings have gone down; the Court
Commissioner does about 50%. On the
revenue side, likely will be a
significant decrease in criminal traffic fines (line #35580); case load
stats provided up through June this
year for Coupeville, Langley, Oak
Harbor and District Court [copy placed on file with the Clerk of the
Board], the reduction based on the
Supreme Court ruling that driver license suspensions based on failure to pay
traffic fines is unconstitutional. Will see an impact as well on line #35310 –
traffic infractions.
Probation’s job is to ensure people do what the
Judges’ require. District Court
Probation caseload has gone up. While
there were 480 cases last year, there are already 467 cases this year with
three months
yet to go.
Of that 467 over half are DUI’s.
Having to do secretarial work the Probation Officer’s time
is taken away from face to face contact with
clients.
Senior Services of Island County
Oak Harbor Senior Center
Presentations by:
Howard Thomas, Director, Oak Harbor Senior Center
Mike McIntyre, Executive Director, Senior
Services of Island County [SSIC]
Frank Moore, President, Senior Services of
Island County
Hand-Outs:
Letter
from City of Oak Harbor
Budget submittal August 6, 2004 SSIC
Map
showing Senior Services service locations
SSIC Revenue Sources
Oak Harbor Senior Center requests the same amount as last year: County’s contribution $63,784 for Senior
Center operations and $10,079 for Day Break Respite. The Center continues to provide huge number of services that
support healthy aging, and Senior
Center members are actually picking up a lot of the extra burden for providing resources. The City, County and Senior
Center members used to each fund 1/3, but that split is now ¼ City, ¼
County and ½ members. The budget is not growing significantly. Dream is to expand the
Center by about 6800 sq. ft. and that effort, providing the City gives a
green light, will proceed with a
fund-raising campaign – plan to fund all or most through grant writing and
private contributions and do not plan on asking citizens for a bond issue or
anything that will have a tax impact.
For the Adult Day Care Program the weakest point has not been being able to reach out in the community to maintain the
relationship with connections with those who can use the program [participants
and caregivers]. Adult Day Care program
coordinator took another job and rather than filling that position, the proposal is to hire an outreach coordinator rather than a
program coordinator. The salary
adjustment between program coordinator
and outreach coordinator is a reduction of about $20,000.
Senior Services
of Island County funding request letter conveys why County help is
needed. They serve all of Island County – it is SSIC for example that takes care of meals on
wheels, senior transportation; guidance through regulations, case managers.
Handout provides a revenue source snapshot: for 2004 total government revenue will be less than 40% of entire
revenue – SSIC earns the other 60%.
County contribution requested 2005: $122,528 [includes adult day care]. The projected deficit in 2005 is $65,000 even though they intend to close congregate
meal site at the Oak Harbor Senior Center and reduce meals at CamBey apartments.
Seniors 60 years and older who
qualify for meals on wheels will still get meals but at their homes. Oak Manner and Chelsea Apartments
congregate meal sites in Oak Harbor were already eliminated two years’
ago. These congregate meal sites
are being closed because of labor costs.
Once the Oak Harbor Senior Center and CamBey Apartment congregate
meals sites are closed, only Brookhaven
in Langley, SSIC at Bayview, Camano Island, apartments in Coupeville and
Greenbank Community club will remain. The number of seniors are
skyrocketing; 35% of this County will
be seniors by 2025.
The $65,000
projected shortfall was the figure determined at the beginning of the year; since then SSIC
received additional dollars from Island
Thrift and NWRC, and held two fund-raisers and are closing the gap on the
shortfall. With the new thrift store
purchased SSIC used most of its
reserves for a down payment on the loan; it is a good thing to have invested in but creates a problem as far as the
amount of cash available. The new thrift store has
been operating since October and projected net revenue this year is $47,000,
and believe they will exceed that. After five years they should start netting over $100,000 at the store. Asking roughly $47,000 - $48,000 as an
increase from the County for 2005.
Presentation
by/Attendance: Sharon Hart, Executive
Director
John LaFond
Larry Eaten
Hand-Out: Budget Worksheets – Rural County Sales Tax Fund
EDC – Summary
Provided
EDC summary highlights, and talked about some of the things that general
membership in EDC covers. Submitted to
the County a budget that has a
reduction from what was requested last year.
EDC has leveraged from other
sources and saved some money in other places and in 2005 request dollars in
line with actual costs. For 2004 the
County agreed to fund $31,400, but at this point looks like they will come
under that by about $5,000-$6,000.
The
special program this year allowed EDC to
increase marketing efforts;
allowed more full time staff directed
to the project; built some extra
marketing materials; provided some direct mail/postage/co-calls from requests
property owners had. Additionally,
chose certain companies to talk to; research about business services
primarily bought off island and often; targeted some national retailers and local
retailers to look at those different
services either to expand their
business or perhaps add a new business to the area, primarily North
Whidbey because of market and land base
availability. Basing activities on two
major themes:
(1)sales tax leakage, a problem
Island-wide, residents shopping off island
that could
easily shop here
(2) industry sectors targeted – lot of work
this year about marine trades; doing more in
the medical field as Upchruch is starting to
expand; first sector chosen is photo optic
technology.
Attended
Science & Optical Technology conference in Denver and handed out some of the marketing materials;
made about 125 contacts, two of which are soft, one firm with a good profile for the South end of the
island. For South Whidbey about
35% work off island and are liable to
buy goods and services while on lunch break or after work. From the co-calls effort there have been
about five or six results a year. The
new trend is people who are buying
existing businesses [restaurants, B&B’s]. Last year three that were existing, two web designers and a
metal manufacturer [will send list].
Currently in process of looking into being part of a maritime
guild.
Other
Miscellaneous Budget Line Items:
Northwest Regional Council: requesting $2400 increase
State Auditor – audit $32,000
NACO - $1218
WSAC - $12,365
WSCO - $10,148
NWAPA -
requesting increase in the County’s
share by $65
Senior Services -
budget worksheet shows funding at the same level as last year and does
not include increases requested. No submittal by Camano Senior Services and Budget Director will follow-up
with the Director CSSA.
Special
Session adjourned 10:40 a.m.
BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
ISLAND COUNTY, WASHINGTON
______________________________
William J. Byrd, Chairman
_____________________________
Mike
Shelton, Member
_____________________________
Wm.
L. McDowell, Member
ATTEST:
_______________________
Elaine Marlow, Clerk of the Board