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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 12, 2005 Budget Work Session 251 A Worksession of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors was held on Wednesday, January 12, 2005, at 8:00 A.M., in the Board of Supervisors' Meeting Room, County Administration Building, 107 North Kent Street, Winchester, Virginia. BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT Chairman Richard C. Shickle; Barbara E. Van Osten; Gary W. Dove; Bill M. Ewing; Gene E. Fisher; Gina A. Forrester; and Lynda J. Tyler. FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Richie Wilkins; Ron Hottle; and Gary Lofton. STAFF PRESENT Administrator John R. Riley, Jr.; Assistant Administrator Kris C. Tierney; Treasurer C. William Orndoff, Jr.; Commissioner of the Revenue Ellen Murphy; Deputy Clerk Jay E. Tibbs; Finance Director Cheryl B. Shiffler; and Budget Analyst Jennifer Place. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Shickle called the budget work session to order. Administrator Riley distributed the information requested by the Board during its last budget work session and reviewed the order of presentations for the morning. FIRE & RESCUE Fire and Rescue Director Gary DuBrueler appeared before the Board to review his department's proposed budget. He stated that his department was part ofthe critical infrastructure that protected Frederick County's citizens. He gave a brief overview of his department and the current budget: Current budget 01'$4,404,345 (includes $384,161 in Department of Homeland Security Grants). Total personnel of 68 with 57 being career fire/rescue career personnel. lIe advised that all field personnel are EMS and Firefighter trained. Director DuBrueler then reviewed the projected needs for his department: 22 new positions with a total cost of $896,778. Other costs associated with these proposed positions for physicals, uniforms, etc. amounted to 197,349. Capital needs included video/DVD production equipment and other training equipment amounted to $52,000. Minute Book Number 30 Board of Supervisors Budget Worksession with Finance Committee on 01112105 252 Director DuBrueler advised that these requests totaling $1,146,127 were cut by Administrator Riley during preliminary budget discussions. He went on to say that he was requesting a total allocation of $5,381,169 (including the requests cut by the County Administrator). He concluded by saying that more and more units have to be called to incidents due to the lack of staffing. Supervisor Van Osten asked if those personnel that are EMS trained were also first responder trained. Director DuBrueler responded that none of the personnel were trained as first responders although 80% have some type of advance life support training. Supervisor Van Osten asked ifthere was a way to bring down the cost ofthe physical exams. Director DuBrueler responded that bids were solicited for this service and SELMA was the only company that responded. Supervisor Forrester asked if there were statistics which showed where one station was serving on a call and another had to be called to an incidcnt within the first station's jurisdiction. Director DuBrueler advised that those numbers were available, but he did not have the personnel to go through the system and retrieve it. Supervisor Ewing asked how often delays in response time occur. Director DuBrueler responded that delays have recently occurred quite often, but he did not have the exact figures. Supervisor Forrester stated that those figures would be good to have. Mr. Lofton asked what perccntagc of calls were EMS versus Fire. Director DuBrueler responded that about 80% of the calls were EMS. Supervisor Tyler asked if the Volunteer Association had signed off and were in support of this request for additional personnel. Director DuBrueler responded that they had. Treasurcr Orndoff asked about the personnel work schedule. Director DuBrueler responded that some work 10 hour shifts and others work 24 hour shifts every other day. Treasurer Orndoff asked if any thought had been given to rcdrawing thc scrvicc arcas for each station, in light of the population impact. Minute Book Nnmber 30 Board of Snpervisors Budget Worksession with Finance Committee on 01/12/05 253 Director DuBrueler responded that had been done, but most ofthe calls would probably shift to the Millwood station. Treasurer Orndoff asked if any thought had been gi ven to the re-alignment of service areas. Director DuBrucler responded that years ago, five new stations were put in the Comprehensive Plan, but they met with opposition from the volunteer contingency when that was done. He went on to say that advance life support eoverage was mainly in the urban development area and this distribution was at the maximum it eould be for these services. Treasurer Orndoff asked if services could continue to be provided in the existing facilities or were new facilities needed. Director DuBrueler responded that the County needed to look at new facilities. Supervisor Ewing asked if there were any federal regulations that regulated the firefighter's work week and overtime. Director DuBruclcr respondcd that the Fair Labor Standards Act allows personncl to work up to 53 hours per weck, but anything over that is considcrcd ovcrtimc. Chairman Shickle asked if all of thc additional rcqucsts were cut from this budget. Administrator Riley responded that the only rcquests that remained were ADP equipment and a vehicle. He went on to say that last ycar's original request was $3.9 million and this year's request is $4.2. These figurcs do not include Department of Homeland Security Grants. Chairman Shickle stated that he would like to see what the difference between last ycar' sand this year's requests are. Finance Direetor Shiffler responded that she would provide the Board with a list of the differences. FIRE AND RESCUE VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION Hans Nydam, President of the Fire and Rescue Association, appeared before the Board to discuss his organization's budget. He adviscd that thc Association was rcquesting a 10% incrcasc in their allocation from last year. This included $2,000 additional in EMS and $25,000 in capital improvements. He advised that the Association's budgct took a cut in FY 04-05 and did not rcceivc an incrcase in FY 03-04. Hc went on to say that money has bcen addcd to thc voluntccr retirement program and a loan account was left in for the Board's consideration. Mr. Nydam thcn reviewed Minute Book Numbcr 30 Board of Supervisors Budget Worksession with Finance Committee on 01112/05 254 L the funding requests for each station. He advised that 15% or $15,000 ofthe Capital Improvement Fund was used to purchase fire trucks and that money was also alloeated to outlying stations to purchase generators. Administrator Riley informed the Board that the proposed total budget was $738,410, which was primarily the present level. Commissioner Murphy asked about the number of volunteers and the average hours worked. Director DuBrueler responded that 420 volunteers had reported to one or more calls in a year. Supervisor Tyler stated that she would like to see the number of calls run by volunteers. Director DuBrueler responded that would be difficult to do as Stephens City and Gore no longer use the same reporting system as the other stations. Treasurer Orndoflasked Mr. Nydam if anything was in place by the Volunteer Association to increase volunteer availability. Mr. Nydam responded that the Association set up a committee last month to investigate the overtime issue. He felt there were areas where the volunteers could help fill holes. Treasurer Orndoff advised that he would like to see the most recent audit because the last information he saw showed the capital fund balance with six figures. He said that if the Association was holding that amount of money he wanted to know why it was not being spent and why they were requesting the increase. Treasurer Orndoff concluded by asking Mr. Nydam if he foresaw either fire or EMS service becoming the responsibility of local government. Mr. Nydam stated that he thought the switch had already occurred; however, he did not see where the County would want to separate these two services. Treasurer Orndoff asked Mr. Nydam to elaborate on why the Volunteer Association opposed the new facilities built by the County. Mr. Nydam responded that the Association's primary goal was to hold the existing stations together and not to lose volunteers. Supervisor Ewing stated that there seemed to be a lot of controversy between the career staff and volunteers. He asked if this had improved. Mr. Nydam responded that it had improved some. Minute Book Number 30 Board of Supervisors Budget Worksession with Finance Committee on 01112/05 255 Supervisor Dove stated that he believed the 10% cut by Mr. Riley would be supported by the Board. He went on to say that the Board needed to see more from the volunteers in order for them to get more funding. Mr. Nydam responded that he believed if the career staff were getting an increase then the volunteers needed an increase also to keep up and maintain facilities. Supervisor Fisher stated that he would like to know the vehicle maintenance costs for the last two years. Chairman Shickle stated that he would like the Association and Fire & Rescue Department to come up with a list oflegislative changes that might make life easier for the volunteers and career staff. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT Sheriff Robert T. Williamson appeared before the Board on behalf of his department's budget. He advised that he had requested six new positions: I-School Resource Officer; I-Crime Prevention Specialist; I-Traffic Enforcement Deputy; 3-Patrol Deputies. He advised that Administrator Riley had cut five of these positions, but kept the School Resource Officer. Sheriff Williamson reviewed the justifications for each of the six positions. He cited an increase in calls for service and an increase in the number of building permits issued over the past year. Supervisor Dove asked what the population increase was during that same period as that would be more reflective of the increase in calls. Sheriff Williamson advised that Administrator Riley would have to provide the population figures, as he did not have that information. Commissioner Murphy advised that she would be interested in seeing the number of units dispatched to answer calls and not just the number of calls serviced. She also asked what impact if any gangs have had on the Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Williamson responded that he would get the call numbers for her and that gangs have had little impact; however, the County did receive a grant for the Regional Gang Task Force. Supervisor Van Osten asked Sheriff Williamson about the Crime Prevention Specialist. She stated that according to his presentation the grant for this position expired in 1999. Sheriff Williamson responded that was correct. He advised that other individuals took over Minute Book Number 30 Board of Supervisors Budget Worksession with Finance Committee 011 0l/12/O5 256 some ofthose same duties after the position expired; however, they need to be properly trained. Supervisor Ewing asked what the typical work schedule was for a deputy. Sheriff Williamson responded that they work a 40-hour week. He went on to say that he tries to avoid overtime. He stated that his department is on a 160 hour pay period and if they exceed 161 hours the are compensated at an hourly rate, but if they exceed 170 hours then they are compensated at time an a half. He went on to say that a lot of his overtime is paid to part-time employees rather than full-time. Supervisor Ewing asked if those figures could be separated. Budget Analyst Place stated that she would check on that. Administrator Riley advised that staff would work on that issue. Supervisor Ewing asked ifthere was a way to compare the salaries of Sheriff's Department Positions to Fire and Rescue's by rank. Mr. Lofton asked what the percentage of calls were to multi-family vs. single family dwellings. Sheriff Williamson responded that the reporting system only provides addresses; however, he might be able to give some idea of the numbers. Treasurer Orndoff asked about the amount of revenue generated by a traffic enforcement officer and if an additional officer would pay for itself. Sheriff Williamson responded that his department generated over $500,000 last year, with $249,000 coming from General District Court and Traffic Court and the remainder coming from the Circuit Court. Chairman Shickle asked how much time was devoted to work outside the County due to reciprocal agreements and regional efforts. Sheriff Williamson responded not a great deal. Chairman Shickle asked if any of the requested positions, should they be funded, affect overtime. Sheriff Williamson responded no because his department does not schedule overtime. He went on to say that he tries to manage the overtime by doing adjusted work schedules, if able. Supervisor Forrester asked about the School Resource Officer. Minute Book Number 30 Board of SlIpervisors Blldget Worksessioll with Fillallce Committee on 01112/05 257 Captain Horn responded that these positions were fully funded by the County. Sheriff Williamson advised that if the positions and other requests were not urgent needs then he would not have asked for them. He stated that he was particularly concerned about motor vehicle replacement because these requests had been trimmed back for a number of years. He advised that he needed to replace 51 vehicles and he intended to appear before the Finance Committee next Wednesday to request funding to replace part of them. He spoke against the use of pool cars due to the high mileage they accumulate and that they are not an efficient use of resources. Chairman Shickle asked about the rules governing the personal use of vehicles. Sheriff Williamson responded that deputies who reside outside of Frederick County must park the vehicle in the County and drive their personal vehicle home. He went on to say that they could have restricted personal use of the vehicle, but there was very little of it occurring. Supervisor Dove asked when the policy was established regarding the mileage and turnover of vehicles. Sheriff Williamson responded that it was established in the mid-1990's, but he did not really follow it as most of his vehicle are in excess of 100,000 miles. He concluded by saying that all sworn personnel were issued a vehicle. CLERK OF THE COURT Clerk of the Circuit Court Becky Hogan appeared before the Board on behalf of her department's budget. She advised the Board that her office expenses increased because the State might cease funding and she was trying to look ahead. She stated that $1.8 million came to the County through land fees, which was an increase over previous years. Administrator Riley informed the Board that the $10,000 cut from this budget was in the Capital Fund; however, all departments' capital funds were cut. Treasurer Orndoff asked what the amount of the 2/3 excess fees was. Clerk Hogan responded $422,000. Treasurer Orndoff asked what the total value of real estate transferred was. Finance Director Shiffler responded $449,000,000. VICTIM WITNESS Minute Book Number 30 Board ol'Supcrvisors Bndgct Workscssion with Financc Committcc on 01112/05 i 258 Director of Victim Witness Melissa Rice appeared bcfore the Board on behalf of her department's budget. She provided a brief overview of the duties and responsibilities of her department. Finance Director Shiffler responded that the only supplement this department receives is for fringes and reimbursements. The total budget is $106,500. CFFW REGIONAL JAIL Jail Superintendent Fred Hildebrand appeared before the Board on behalf of his departments budget. He reviewed the services provided by his agency, which include Security, Support Services, Community Corrections, and Administrative Services. He stated that the challenges facing the jail are overcrowding, inmate medical costs, and contingency preparedness. Superintendent Hildebrand stated that last year the Jail paid 87% over the budgeted amount for medical expenses. He requested that his personnel be included in the Law Enforcement Officers retirement program, which would increase his budget by $225,000. The revenue sources for the Jail include the Federal Government, Commonwealth of Virginia, Participating Localitics, and Inmate Fees. Superintendent Hildebrand stated that State revenue has increased because per diem costs have increased. He concluded by saying that the inmate population has increased 70% sinee 200 I. Chairman Shickle stated that he would like to see the revenue and expense numbers for the previous five years and the fund balance for the same period as well. He also asked for salary information for Jail employees based on rank so it could be compared to the Sheriffs Department and Fire & Rescue Departments. Treasurer Orndoff asked Superintendent Hildebrand what the employee numbers would look like if the Compensation Board guidelines were followed. Superintendent Hildebrand responded that the State standard is 1 officer per 3 inmates, but his facility was not close to that. COURT SERVICES Court Services Director Scott Anderson appeared before the Board regarding his department's budget. Director Anderson reviewed the services provided by his department. He advised that his budget was comprised offour funds: - 2109 - Old Dominion ASAP Minute Book Number 30 Board of Supervisors Budget Worksession witb Finance Committee on 01/12/05 259 2110 - Administrative Budget 2111 - Starting Point Public Inebriate Center 2112 - Old Dominion Community Corrections Finance Director Shiffler advised that the County only contributes to Starting Point Public Inebriate Center. The increase this year is $3,700. The budget presentations eoncluded and Administrator Riley informed the Board that next week's meeting would start with the Finance Committee Meeting at 8:00 and budget presentations at 8:30 a.m. He informed the Board that staff had compiled staff turnover figures for the County. The average was a little over 10%, which was in excess of the industry average, but nothing more could be inferred from the information contained in the report. Chairman Shickle stated that he would like to know the vehicle use policy for Fire and Rescue and more particularly out of county versus out of state use. Administrator Riley advised that staff would include the County policy as well. Supervisor Fisher stated that it would be beneficial to the Board to see the turnover rate for the school system as well. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THE WORKSESSION WAS ADJOURNED AT 11:25 A.M. , ~-{;L Clerk, Board of Supervisors ~ 0 Q ~Q~ Richard C. Shickle Chairman, Board of Supervisors Minutes Prepared By: (~..h I j [ '--/...6l ~bs Deputy Clerk, Board of Supervisors Minute Book Number 30 Board of Supervisors Budget Workscssion with }'inance Committee on 01112105