BOCC Budget 10/27/03

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0968dfc3.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id137.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BOCC Budget Meeting Notes FY 05"><U><B>BOCC Budget Meeting Notes FY '05</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=130 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0978dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#336666" FACE="Arial" ><B>Welcome to the Web Site of Clare Whitbeck</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Web Site of Clare Whitbec"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id138.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BOCC Budget 8/11/03"><U>BOCC Budget 8/11/03</U></A>   |   <B>BOCC Budget 10/27/03</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=350 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0978dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>BOCC Budget 10/27/03</I></div> <div> The budget work session which as to have begun at 3:00 P.M. was called to order at 3:00 P.M...</div> <div> Kramer talked about the information in the BOCC packages.  Keith Fairfax, she said, e-mailed the emergency services report in case they needed it.  Today is the wrap up on a series of issues in terms of enterprise funds and capital projects.  This is one step in a series.</div> <div> Today’s agenda, she said, will begin with George Erichsen asking about a series of programs, Gene on Medical Adult Daycare, and Phil Rollins on public landings.  Rollins noted there was a memo with some back up costs.  There have been damages at four of our piers.  The 1200 foot Wicomico Shores Pier.  FEMA will pay 75% of the costs to redeck the pier, but the pilings need to be replaced and FEMA won’t pay for that.  Bushwood Wharf is in similar shape.  Both piers are unusable.  Piney Point Lighthouse pier was damaged on a small section.  At Piney Point Landing the decking was picked up and deposited on land.  The County would have to come up with $62,000 to bring all of them back to pre-hurricane conditions.  At Wicomico Shores, the pilings need to be replaced.  Rollins asked how the Board feels about these projects.  There can be about $30,000 to match FEMA on the two Piney Point projects.  We can ask for up to $100,000/project for the others to get necessary matching funds.  They think the two Piney Point Projects could be fixed with a minor impact on County funding, but we may have to defer until FY’05 Bushwood and Wicomico Shores.  Wicomico Shores gets more complicated because it also needs dredging and shore erosion control and the State may ask what is more important.  They may determine the other project more important than the pier.  Waterway Improvements may tell County that their funds cannot be used for piers.  Jarboe said one pier is in a business location (Bushwood), the other is in a community (Wicomico).  </div> <div> Bill Ball said the Bushwood pilings had a metal pin in the center which has rusted away and caused rot.  The pier at Bushwood is used by the State and commercial trade.  Jarboe said there will be no oysters off loaded this year, but the pier will be needed in the Spring.  He suggested loading the pilings with cement.  Ball said the pier has been at Bushwood for more than 60 years.  He is reluctant to use a patch to repair the pilings.  McK asked who inspected the pilings.  Ball said Crandall Construction has inspected the pier.  He is concerned about boring holes in rotten pilings.  Al Posey has also looked at the pier.  Everyone seems to agree that the pilings are rotted.  Ball said most of the decking will be replaced.  Some pilings said Ball, are oak and some are pine.  The caps hid the pilings when the decking was replaced about 10 years ago, said Ball, but now we can see they are rotten in the middle.  The Bushwood pier should be replaced so the watermen could keep working, said Mattingly.  Jarboe asked if the project can be done by spring.  Ball said he doesn’t know, but Crandall does have the contract.  They have been expedient and he thinks they would get on the job right away.  Crandall had the lower priced on the Wicomico project.  He thinks they will work with us.  McK noted there has been no structural test.  It’s mostly visual.  The typical life span is 30 years, said Ball. Jarboe said there are 1800 era heart pine pilings that are still in place.  He thinks it would be worth doing borings to test the pilings.  Jarboe suggested someone should “jump into a dry suit.”  McKay said it’s difficult to agree to that kind of solution if we have no tests.  Ball said it would take 3 weeks to 30 days to get more information.  McKay said only Bushwood for testing.  Raley noted they can get money to take care of the Piney Point projects, and he thinks they should do that.  The watermen need Bushwood, said Raley, it’s not just for recreation.  McKay said this is just the beginning of the flood.  We need to do what we have to do.  Each project has to be looked at very carefully.  The cost of this storm is very high.  McKay said we may actually speed the project.  Ball said it could cost of to $5,000 to get someone out there.  If those pilings are heart pine, said Jarboe, they are 100 year pilings.  Raley said let’s finish Piney Point and do the tests at Bushwood.  Everyone seemed to agree.  Next winter, said McKay, we can replace those pilings.  </div> <div> I left to chair the Senior Coalition meeting and when I returned, the BOCC was talking about the transportation task force.  Comm McKay suggested putting together a transportation task force.  George Erichsen asked if the BOCC has some names.  Erichsen talked about a master plan for the <B>Adult Detention Center and the airport</B>.  The master plan calls for very aggressive improvements in the Adult Detention Center.  Erichsen notes that we should show the County share for the Airport and Adult Detention Center.  The CIP task force will try to get those contributions into the CIP.  </div> <div> <B>Advanced Life Support and Marcey House</B> share a space.  So does Marcey House expand and move to another building, or does Advanced Life Support (ALS) move?  Which direction are we going?  Currently we plan to have Marcey House move to a new building.  Raley noted that the hospital owns the building.  Raley said he thinks ALS needs to expand.  They want a third bay.  <B>College of Southern Maryland will be moved up from ‘07 to ‘06.</B>  McKay said he would leave it in ‘07.  Forrest said the BOCC agreed that the project should go to the State to see if there is funding.  Erichsen said the Health Department has a renovation and addition.  If Community Services moves, then the Health Department would not need an addition.  If we know what we want to do with Community Services, then we know whether we need an addition.  Forrest said Dr. Eicenhower has serious air quality problems.  </div> <div> <B>Pegg Road Extension has been moved to ‘06.</B>  We have $374,000 of State aid we can use, said Erichsen.  We would have 80% of the funding to do the study.  Raley noted that we need to keep an eye on development that might block that road.  He doesn’t think there would be much because of wetlands.  McKay added that’s why we may not build that road.  McKay said put it in the CIP, but not until we have a transportation plan.  <B>Building maintenance and repair projects was the next topic.</B>  Erichsen said the building maintenance and repair projects should be identified.  Repairs to the Carter State Office Building and the Adult Detention Center are mostly state funded.  </div> <div> <B>Lexington Manor project </B>- the commissioners have provided direction to John Savich on that.</div> <div> <B>St. Jerome’s Creek is still moving forward, said Erichsen</B> Raley Said there are charter boat captains moving from the marinas because they cannot get in and out of the creek.  Erichsen said it’s nice of the Corps to offer to pay, but the problem is where to put the dredge spoils.  Raley said he knows Erichsen is working on the problem.  The infamous Wal-Mart - Kmart has been moved to ‘06.  It has gone through TEC and they have offered the Wal-Mart - Kmart road as part of their mitigation.  It could be two or three years before the road is built.  Mattingly asked and was told that DPW has designed the road.  Erichsen said if you believe the County should be apart of connecting those two businesses, the County should have money in the budget.  Raley said if they are going forward they have to mitigate traffic and buy TDR’s.  We are not going to cut Wal-Mart any slack, he continued.  McKay said will we rely on that or will we be responsible for seeing the road gets done?  If the State Highway determines that will not mitigate traffic, what will the County do?  Matting thinks we should remove the $260,000 from the budget.  Erichsen said the County’s role takes a pendulum swing.  McKay said we need help with some of these traffic issues along there.  Jarboe asked if you put it in the budget do you then pull it out?  The money is to be in ‘07.  Canavan offered that we should identify the projects whether or not you can fund it.  Then you have projects identified to be used for mitigation.  You can collect fees in lieu and apply them to the project.  You create a “road plan for capital improvements.”  Erichsen continued that if you want a visitor’s center, we need to get that in the program.  We need to remove the mold which is from ceiling to floor in this building.  Mattingly asked if building Maintenance is going to do anything and was told the chance to mitigate has gone by.  Erichsen said the maintenance folks should go through the building.  McKay said the Navy has offered Raley a statue.   </div> <div> <B>The next item is medical adult day care.  </B>This is set up as an enterprise fund, but it is not self supporting.  Raley said the changes will cause the program to show a profit.  Gene Carter said on one of the charts he indicated a surplus of just under $100,000 for FY’04 based on a laundry list of items.  He said the surplus may not continue.  The personal service costs are nearly $500,000, and they will increase by about 5% each year based on a 3% step increase and a 2% COLA.  So four years from now the surplus will evaporate and we will break even.  That’s a built in institutional problem with the program.  Raley asked how many clients and was told about 50 people per day.  Carter said it’s been relatively level, but one center has a modest increase.  The program serves a very frail population and they die or are placed in nursing homes almost as rapidly as they are recruited.  Carter said the budget is $800,000 and there is a deficit of $80 - $100,000.  The first page of the handout identifies the cause of the deficit.  Carter said there was a change that put the transportation program in another office.  The transportation costs were absorbed with other senior transportation.  Now they have to reimburse DPW for $152,000 in transportation costs.  McK said that’s an old argument.  He said he knows there are economies.  He thinks they should be charged to the program.  Raley said he saw a suggestion from Carter that the fiscal specialist not be charged 100% on the program and only works 25% on the program.  Carter suggested making the positions into contract positions.  Raley noted that grant funded positions are entitled to step increases.  Carter said if you used a health care services provider, you may have problems.  If you bring people on at a constant salary, then the costs become stable.  Eventually you wind up in the same position, even if you pro rate the time of the fiscal specialist.  McK noted that it costs $20,000 per client.  McKay said continue the program as is and continue to review it and let’s see what happens.  Jane said you should remember that 50 is how many people come per day as opposed to how many are served.  We bring in $750,000 from non county sources.  The county covers the deficit plus about $32,000.  Carter said people who are served would undoubtedly be in a long term care facility.  He expects as the number of seniors increases, the number of participants has increased.  The program is viewed as an unreversible step down the road to losing health.  The program costs $66 per day, but there are rarely more than 2 - 4 people who are private payers.  Gene was asked for a recommendation.  He said he was happy with Comm McK’s suggestion, but he thinks we have to watch the program carefully.  If the number of clients doesn’t support itself, he thinks we should change the program.  With regard to secondary holidays, on Columbus Day they were open and there were 30 people at each center.  Many clients come from families where people are working.  Kramer said they are due to make a recommendation on legislative proposals.  Nov 4 will be a forum for the public discussion of legislative issues.  Kramer said she has additional information but wondered if the BOCC wanted to wait until the discussion had taken place.  She changed the transfer taxes to 10 years.  There were done to try to be consistent with Tuesday’s decision.  </div> <div> McK asked if there were any questions on the impact fee.  Raley said every bullet has the word may.  We want the legislative authority to do what we need. They seem to want to retain as much control as they can.  McK said the comments were that every time the impact fee is waived, the schools will lose money.  Kramer said the idea is not to decrease the amount of revenue going to the schools.  Right now you can’t do anything, said Kramer.  McK said we need to hold true that will not be the case.  Forrest said he talked to the League of Women Voters and the theme is no decrease in revenue.  Kramer said the real question is in your capital plan.  You have made it clear what’s in.  McK said the funding is in the CIP.  </div> <div> Kramer went on to talk about the fire and rescue tax.  Raley asked if there were changes and was told no.  Kramer said if we expand the definition and set the rates, we are not going to set the rates to create shortfalls.  We can’t set a rate in ‘04 for ‘05, she said.  Does the per call for the rescue go into the pot or stay separate for the rescue squad.   </div> </td> </tr></table></body>