ALL RIGHT. OKAY, GENTLEMEN, IT'S 630. [Budget Workshop] [00:00:05] I'LL OPEN THIS APRIL. THE SIX MEETING OF THE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. THE TOPIC TONIGHT IS THE INITIAL DRAWING A PRESENTATION OF THE DRAFT BUDGET FOR 2020 223. AS ALL STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM TONIGHT SO WE CAN CONDUCT BUSINESS OFFICIALLY. AND FOR THAT ALL THE WAY, I'M GOING TO TURN THE PROGRAM OVER TO MR. JOHNSON. THANK YOU, DR. EDWARDS. AT YOUR PLACES, YOU'VE GOT TWO DOCUMENTS. NUMBER ONE IS THE INITIAL DRAFT BUDGET. THE FULL BOOK. EVERY LINE ITEM IN THE COUNTY BUDGET IS IN HERE FOR YOUR REVIEW. AND I KNOW YOU'RE JUST SEEING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT. SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TO GIVE YOU WHAT I'LL CALL A 40,000 FOOT OVERVIEW TONIGHT. STAY AT A PRETTY HIGH LEVEL. AND THEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT THREE WEEKS AT YOUR BUDGET WORKSHOPS, WE'LL GET DOWN IN THE WEEDS AND GET DOWN TO THOSE LINE ITEMS. BEFORE I GET STARTED, I ALWAYS LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE TO REALLY THANK LYNETTE FOR THE WORK THAT SHE'S DONE REALLY OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST SIX WEEKS OR SO. SHE SPENT COUNTLESS EVENINGS HERE LONG AFTER 5:00, SATURDAY, SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS. SHE SPENT AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF PERSONAL TIME PUTTING THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER. SO WE OWE HER A REAL DEBT OF GRATITUDE. AND I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK HER FOR THAT. THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THIS IS MY 27TH BUDGET THAT I HAVE PUT TOGETHER AND. ALL OF THEM HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE CHALLENGES. BUT I WILL SAY THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING. I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S THE MOST CHALLENGING I'VE EVER HAD, BUT IT RANKS UP IN THE TOP FIVE. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS ON THE THE BOARD FOR NEXT YEAR THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS. WE'VE GOT. STAGNANT REVENUES. SO IT'S CREATING A LOT OF PRESSURE TRYING TO KEEP THIS THIS BUDGET BALANCED. I'LL DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION IN YOUR BOOK. I GUESS THE BEST PLACE TO START IS THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. IF YOU'LL TAKE A LOOK ON PAGE SEVEN OF THE BOOK ITSELF, YOU'LL SEE OVERALL THE ADOPTED FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET WAS $65,892,986. AND THIS INITIAL DRAFT BUDGET AND I WILL POINT OUT IT IS AN INITIAL DRAFT WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. SO THIS IS THE STARTING POINT. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHERE WE WILL END UP, BUT THE INITIAL DRAFT BUDGET IS $71,777,448, WHICH IS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF ALMOST $5.9 MILLION. NOW, A LOT OF THAT IS WHAT WE ANTICIPATE RECEIVING IN ADDITIONAL STATE REVENUE. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS NOT ADOPTED ITS BUDGET YET. SO WE ARE PROJECTING BASED ON THE BEST INFORMATION THAT WE CAN OBTAIN FROM OUR SOURCES AT THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES, VIRGINIA SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION AND THOSE KINDS OF SOURCES. BUT WE'VE BEEN FAIRLY CONSERVATIVE, I THINK, IN ESTIMATING THE STATE REVENUES, THE REVENUES THAT ARE INCLUDED HERE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF STATE REVENUES AND I'LL GET INTO IT IN JUST A MINUTE, ARE REALLY DIRECTED TO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE ESTIMATES THAT WE USED ARE ACTUALLY THE THE NUMBERS THAT CAME OUT OF GOVERNOR NORTHAM'S BUDGET WHEN THE SESSION BEGAN BACK LAST DECEMBER OR EARLY JANUARY, HIS INITIAL BUDGET. SO WE NOW HAVE TWO OTHER VERSIONS. WE'VE GOT THE HOUSE VERSION AND THE SENATE VERSION. AND TYPICALLY THE CONFEREES WILL MEET SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE ON THOSE TWO. THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE USED ARE THE MOST CONSERVATIVE OR THE LOWEST NUMBERS. THEY ARE LOWER THAN BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE VERSION. SO WE FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT WHEN THE GENERAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOES FINALLY ADOPT ITS [00:05:03] BUDGET, THE PICTURE WILL ONLY GET BETTER MOVING FORWARD. SO, PAT, CAN I GET YOU TO GO AHEAD AND CUE UP MINE AND I'LL JUMP INTO THE SLIDES A LITTLE BIT. SO AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE COUNTY BUDGET REALLY HAS THREE SOURCES OF REVENUE. THIS IS JUST STAYING AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, BUT WE ANTICIPATE RECEIVING ABOUT $33.3 MILLION IN STATE REVENUE IN FISCAL YEAR 23. OVERALL, THAT REPRESENTS ABOUT 46.4% OF YOUR TOTAL BUDGET. FEDERAL REVENUE IS I WON'T SAY INSIGNIFICANT, BUT IT'S RELATIVELY INSIGNIFICANT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE. IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN $3 MILLION. ALL OF THAT FEDERAL REVENUE GOES EITHER TO SCHOOL PROGRAMS, SCHOOL FOOD, THOSE TYPE THINGS. THEY'RE ALL EARMARKED. AND I'LL SHOW YOU IN A MINUTE. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE STATE REVENUES ARE EARMARKED. YOU REALLY HAVE NO DISCRETION IN HOW YOU SPEND THOSE DOLLARS. WHAT YOU DO HAVE TOTAL DISCRETION IS IS HOW YOU SPEND THAT LOCAL MONEY AND LOCAL MONEY. OF THAT $71.77 BILLION BUDGET, WE HAVE ABOUT $35.5 MILLION IN LOCAL MONEY IN HERE. SO TO COMPARE IT TO YOUR FISCAL YEAR 2022, I'LL START AT THE TOP AND SORT OF WORK MY WAY DOWN. BY FAR, THE MAJORITY OF YOUR LOCAL REVENUES COME FROM THE GENERAL PROPERTY TAX CATEGORY. THIS INCLUDES YOUR TAXES ON REAL ESTATE OR PERSONAL PROPERTY, ON MACHINERY AND TOOLS, ON FARM EQUIPMENT, ON CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, ON MERCHANTS CAPITAL. ALL OF THOSE PROPERTY TAXES ARE LUMPED TOGETHER AND WE ARE PROJECTING BASED ON THE RATES THAT WE'VE GOT IN HERE. AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MINUTE. WE ARE PROJECTING. TOTAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUES OF $25,427,420, WHICH IS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF $854,407. NOW, IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, IT REQUIRES SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN YOUR RATES. SO THIS INITIAL DRAFT BUDGET FACTORS IN A TWO CENT INCREASE ON THE REAL ESTATE TAX RATE, WHICH WOULD CARRY IT FROM THE CURRENT RATE OF $0.89 PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE TO 90 $0.01 PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE. IT ALSO INCLUDES A DECREASE IN THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RATE FROM THE CURRENT RATE OF $5 PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE DOWN TO $4.50. I HAD INITIALLY INDICATED TO YOU ALL I WANTED TO GO TO 430. AS I GOT DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO IT, I JUST COULDN'T SQUEEZE IT ALL THE WAY DOWN AS FAR AS I HAD HOPED TO. AND THIS IS PRETTY MUCH TO TRY TO ASSUAGE WHAT WE'RE SEEING AND THE VALUES OF BOTH NEW AND USED VEHICLES. THEY'RE JUST SKYROCKETING. SO WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO TAXPAYERS BY ROLLING BACK THAT RATE ON PERSONAL PROPERTY. IT DOES NOT FULLY ROLL BACK THE INCREASES THAT MANY OF THEM WILL SEE BASED ON THE ASSESSED PHASE. THIS CAR IS TELLING ME. ON AVERAGE, VEHICLES ARE 30% HIGHER THAN THEY WERE A YEAR AGO, SOME AS MUCH AS 80% HIGHER. BUT ANYWAY, WE DID MAKE AN EFFORT TO TRY TO ROLL THAT RATE BACK TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF THERE. THE NEXT CATEGORY, THE OTHER LOCAL TAXES CATEGORY, THIS INCLUDES YOUR 1% LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX. IT INCLUDES SOME COMMUNICATION TAXES, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. YOU CAN SEE IT'S A SUBSTANTIAL REVENUE STREAM, BUT NOWHERE NEAR WHAT THE GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES ARE. IT WILL GENERATE ABOUT $2.16 MILLION IN REVENUE NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS ABOUT A 6% INCREASE. PERMITS, FEES AND LICENSES. RELATIVELY SMALL REVENUE STREAM. IT'S A LITTLE BIT COUNTERINTUITIVE BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING. WE THINK WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. BUT ACTUALLY, THE THE TREND SO FAR IN THIS FISCAL YEAR IS THE PERMIT FEES HAVE BEEN DOWN. SO BASED ON WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THE PERMIT FEES, WE DID ROLL THIS NUMBER BACK [00:10:05] SUBSTANTIALLY FROM 190,000 BACK DOWN TO JUST A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN 111,000. FINES AND FORFEITURES. THESE ARE THE TICKETS THAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE RATES AND COLLECTED BY THE COURTS PRIMARILY IS WHAT THAT IS. IT GENERATES IN ROUND NUMBERS JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. THIS IS BEGINNING TO CREEP BACK UP. AS YOU ALL KNOW, WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT TWO YEARS AGO, THAT NUMBER REALLY DROPPED BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T MAKING STOPS OR MANY AS MANY STOPS ON 58. SO THAT NUMBER IS BEGINNING TO CREEP BACK UP AND WE'RE PROJECTING ABOUT A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS THERE. THE INTEREST WE EARN ON THE MONEY IS. RELATIVELY NOT SUBSTANTIAL, BUT 12,000 A YEAR CHARGES FOR SERVICES. THE TWO BIG LINE ITEMS IN THIS BROAD CATEGORY ARE THE CHARGES THAT WE IMPOSE ON AMBULANCE TRANSPORTS. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FEE. SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE TWO REALLY GENERATE THE LION'S SHARE OF THAT REVENUE, WHICH WE'RE PROJECTING AT ABOUT 1.88 MILLION NEXT YEAR. MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE. THIS IS PRIMARILY THE REVENUE THAT WE DERIVE FROM THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, THEIR SHARE OF THE COURTHOUSE EXPENSES, OUR SHARE OF THE SHARED REVENUE CORRIDOR, WHICH EXTENDS ALL THE WAY FROM THE MCDONALD'S AND SOON TO BE STARBUCKS ON 58, ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE FOOD LINE SHOPPING CENTER WE SHARE AS PART OF OUR 1986 ANNEXATION AGREEMENT, WE STILL SHARE 50% OF THE TAX REVENUES, THE NET TAX REVENUES IN THAT CORRIDOR. SO WE ARE OF THAT 1 MILLION, 43,000 760,000 OF THAT COMES JUST FROM THAT SHARED REVENUE CORRIDOR ON ARMORY DRIVE. TRANSFER GENERAL FUND RESERVE. WE HAVE HAD SEVEN SOLID YEARS IN A ROW WITH GOOD REVENUE GROWTH, AS YOU ALL KNOW. OUR RESERVE IS NOW ALMOST AT $10 BILLION, 9.9 MILLION. IT'S VERY HEALTHY. WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, AS YOU ALL WILL RECALL, WITH OUR FINANCIAL ADVISORS DAVENPORT AND COMPANY, AS WE'RE PREPARING TO ISSUE THE NEW DEBT NEXT YEAR TO FINISH UP THE COURTHOUSE, TO DO THE PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM, TO TAKE CARE OF SOME FLEET NEEDS THAT WE HAVE WITH SCHOOL BUSSES AND SHERIFF'S VEHICLES TO DO THE HVAC REPLACEMENT AT WALTER RAWLS LIBRARY. WE'RE PREPARING TO ISSUE THAT DEBT. WE WILL ISSUE IT PROBABLY AT THE END OF NEXT MONTH, BUT WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST DEBT SERVICE WITH THAT BOND ISSUE STARTING IN FISCAL YEAR 23. SO IN ORDER TO NOT HAVE THE INITIAL IMPACT THAT THAT NEW DEBT WILL HAVE, DAVENPORT HAD SUGGESTED THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER USING A LITTLE BIT OF OUR FUND BALANCE IN THAT FIRST YEAR TO KEEP THAT DEBT SERVICE NUMBER MORE MANAGEABLE. RECOGNIZING THAT WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO INCREASE TAXES OR REDUCE EXPENSES BY A COMPARABLE AMOUNT IN FISCAL YEAR 2024. BUT THIS DOES INCLUDE A SUBSTANTIAL TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO COVER THAT NEW DEBT SERVICE THAT WILL BE TAKEN ON NEXT YEAR. IT ALSO INCLUDES THE FUNDS NECESSARY TO. PAY FOR LITTLE BIT MORE THAN HALF OF THE GENERAL REAL ESTATE REASSESSMENT THAT WE'RE MANDATED TO HAVE READY BY 2024. AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO THOSE. THE STATE STATUTES REQUIRE US TO DO THOSE AT A MINIMUM OF EVERY SIX YEARS. SO THE LAST ONE WE DID WAS 2018. WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THE NEXT ONE READY BY 2024. IT TAKES ABOUT 18 MONTHS TO GET THAT DONE. SO WE EXPECT THAT PROCESS TO GET UNDERWAY SHORTLY AFTER JULY 1ST. SO WE INCLUDED $200,000 OF THE EXPENSE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET, AND I'M PROPOSING TO PAY FOR THAT RIGHT OUT OF THE RESERVE. THAT'S THAT'S NOT A RECURRING EXPENSE. YOU'LL HAVE THAT EXPENSE TWO YEARS AND THEN IT GOES AWAY. SO HOPEFULLY YOU'LL SEE ENOUGH GROWTH FROM THE REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENT TO MORE THAN PAY THE COST OF HAVING THE WORK DONE. OTHER COUNTY SOURCES, YOU CAN SEE NOT A BIG REVENUE STREAM THERE, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT A DECREASE OF 232,000 BACK TO 190,000. [00:15:04] ENTERPRISE FUND OR OUR WATER AND SEWER OPERATIONS. TRIED TO HOLD THE LINE ON THAT. YOU CAN SEE A LESS THAN A 1% DECREASE OVERALL BUILDING FUND. AND THIS IS LOOKING ON THE EXPENSE SIDE OF THIS, A DECREASE OF ABOUT 4.5% OVERALL. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE REVENUE FROM THE THE COMMONWEALTH, WE'RE PROJECTING A 12% INCREASE IN THAT, GOING UP FROM 29.7 MILLION TO 33.3 MILLION. AGAIN, THE VAST, VAST MAJORITY OF THAT IS EARMARKED. AND I'LL SHOW YOU EXACTLY IN A MINUTE TO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE REMAINDER OF THAT GOES TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE WHO PERFORM BOTH STATE AND LOCAL DUTIES. AND THEN FINALLY, THE FEDERAL SOURCES, ABOUT A 15% INCREASE. BUT AGAIN, THE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY MODEST IN THOSE FUNDS ARE EARMARKED. SO ON THE EXPENSE SIDE, I'LL GO THROUGH THIS REAL QUICKLY. GENERAL AND FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION, ABOUT 3.1 MILLION JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, ABOUT 2.3 PUBLIC SAFETY IS IS ONE OF THE BIGGER THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR GENERAL FUND, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT COVERS THE OPERATION OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, VOLUNTEER FIRE. IT COVERS OUR RESCUE, WHICH NOW WE HAVE 24, SEVEN PAID EMS COVERAGE COUNTYWIDE. IT INCLUDES THE DETENTION FUNCTION OPERATION OF THE JAIL, ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, BUILDING INSPECTIONS. THEY'RE ALL LUMPED IN THAT PUBLIC SAFETY CATEGORY. PUBLIC WORKS INCLUDES OUR REFUSE COLLECTION, OUR REFUSE DISPOSAL. IT INCLUDES OUR BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS OPERATION, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. HEALTH AND WELFARE, LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD, SENIOR SERVICES, SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA. THOSE KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALL LUMPED IN THAT HEALTH AND WELFARE NUMBER. PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURE. THE BIG TICKET IN THAT IS OUR SHARE OF THE OPERATION OF THE BLACKWATER REGIONAL LIBRARY. ALSO, WE MAKE VERY MODEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO RAWLS MUSEUM ARCH, THE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. HISTORICALLY, THE COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION, ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT REQUEST FUNDING THIS YEAR, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT DID NOT REQUEST ANYTHING. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THAT INCLUDES OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS THAT. FS AND INCLUDES OUR OWN PLANNING STAFF. IT INCLUDES COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, THOSE KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS. AND THEN THE NON DEPARTMENTAL. THESE ARE REVENUES THAT WE SHARE WITH THE CITY OF FRANKLIN ON OUR SHARE SIDE OF THE SHARED REVENUE CORRIDOR. SO WE ONLY HAVE ONE BUSINESS. HAMPTON FARMS, THE PEANUT BUTTER PLANT THAT IS IN THAT CORRIDOR. BUT WE SHARE REVENUES WITH FRANKLIN AND THEIR SHARE OF REVENUES FROM THAT ONE INDUSTRY ARE GOING TO BE $78,000 NEXT YEAR BASED ON THE FORMULA. THE SCHOOL FUND, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, AS IT IS WITH ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN VIRGINIA, IS THE BIG NUMBER IN HERE. IT'S MORE THAN 55% OF YOUR TOTAL BUDGET. TOTAL SCHOOL FUND IS PROPOSED AT $39,662,289 SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAM. THE MAJORITY OF THOSE FUNDS ARE FEDERAL FUNDS. THERE IS A VERY SMALL AMOUNT THAT THEY COLLECT LUNCH MONEY FROM KIDS WHEN THEY COME TO SCHOOL. THAT'S LIKE $50,000. BUT THE REST OF IT IS EITHER STATE OR FEDERAL MONEY. PUBLIC ASSISTANCE FUND IS OUR LOCAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES. AGAIN, THEY'RE HEAVILY SUPPORTED WITH STATE REVENUES, BUT WE DO MAKE A LOCAL CONTRIBUTION TO THEM AS WELL, A BUILDING FUND OR OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS. THIS IS WHERE WE PAY THE DEBT SERVICE ON THE COURTHOUSE RENOVATION PROJECT ON STILL PAYING DEBT SERVICE ON THE TURNER TRACK INDUSTRIAL PARK. WE LUMP IN A LOT OF THINGS FLEET. THE SHERIFF'S VEHICLES ARE INCLUDED AND IN THE BUILDING FUND, MOST OF OUR BIG CAPITAL ITEMS ARE INCLUDED THERE. AND THEN OUR ENTERPRISE FUND OR OUR WATER AND SEWER OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS THE DEBT ON WATER AND SEWER. SO THIS IS THE QUICK COMPARISON FROM 22 TO 23. [00:20:01] WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT IN MORE DETAIL OVER THE COMING WEEKS AS WE GET INTO THE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE LUMPED INTO THESE BROAD CATEGORIES. BUT OVERALL, GENERAL AND FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION IS ABOUT A 19% OVERALL INCREASE. I'LL GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU. RIGHT. RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE. THAT'S WHERE THAT REASSESSMENT GETS FUNDED IN THAT CATEGORY. SO THAT'S A BIG TICKET. 200,000 IS IN THAT CATEGORY JUST FOR THAT THAT ONE PROJECT, JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION IS, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, THE COURT OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS THE CIRCUIT COURT CLERK AND THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY OVERALL ABOUT A 6% INCREASE. SOME OF THAT IS SUPPORTED WITH ADDITIONAL STATE REVENUES, PUBLIC SAFETY, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, SHERIFF'S OFFICE, FIRE RESCUE, BUILDING INSPECTIONS, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, ABOUT AN 8% INCREASE, PUBLIC WORKS OVERALL, ABOUT A 3.82% INCREASE. I WILL TELL YOU THAT IS GOING UP ON THE TIP. AND FEES FOR SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL, $4 A TON STARTING JULY ONE. SO WE HAVE FACTORED THAT INCREASE INTO YOUR OPERATING BUDGET. HEALTH AND WELFARE FAIRLY CONSTANT ACTUALLY WENT DOWN ABOUT 2%. PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURE UP ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 3.59%. THE NON DEPARTMENTAL AGAIN THOSE SHARED REVENUES FROM HAMPTON FARMS, WE SEE THAT GO UP 30% AND AGAIN THAT'S BASED ON A FORMULA. SO WE SHARE A PRO RATA SHARE OF THE REVENUES THAT WE COLLECT FROM HAMPTON FARMS. SO YOU SEE THAT GOING UP. THAT MEANS BUSINESS IS GOOD. SCHOOL FUND. OVERALL, ABOUT A 9.74% INCREASE. AGAIN, A BUNCH OF THAT, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT IS STATE REVENUE, ALTHOUGH I DID INCLUDE A 2% INCREASE IN LOCAL FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS IN THIS INITIAL DRAFT BUDGET. PUBLIC ASSISTANCE FUND, RELATIVELY FLAT THERE. LESS THAN 1% DECREASE. AND AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE BUILDING FUND AND THE ENTERPRISE FUND. SO THE FEDERAL FUNDS, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THAT'S 4.11% OF YOUR TOTAL BUDGET. YOU HAVE NO DISCRETION IN HOW THEY'RE USED. THEY COME EARMARKED. THEY'RE ALL USED FOR EITHER EDUCATION OR THE SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAM. SO THEY JUST COME IN YOUR BUDGET, NOTE YOUR BUDGET, NO DISCRETION. THE STATE FUNDS WORK PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WAY, WITH ONE SMALL EXCEPTION. AND YOU CAN SEE OF THAT $33.3 MILLION IN STATE REVENUE FAR AND AWAY, THE BIG NUMBER THERE IS THE SCHOOLS, 25.3 MILLION OF THAT COMES FROM THE STATE SHERIFFS OFFICES. THE NEXT BIGGEST BENEFICIARY OF STATE REVENUE, THEY RECEIVE ABOUT 3.2 MILLION IN STATE FUNDS. DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES IS NEXT. THEY RECEIVE ABOUT 2.4 MILLION. AND THEN YOU CAN GO DOWN THE LIST FROM THERE. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, WHICH INCLUDES THE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY, THE CLERK OF THE COURT COMMISSIONER, REVENUE TREASURER, ALL OF THEM PERFORM BOTH STATE AND LOCAL FUNCTIONS. SO THEY ARE SUPPORTED WITH STATE REVENUE, THE VOTER REGISTRAR AS WELL. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL PROGRAMS IN THERE. THE VICTIM WITNESS PROGRAM, WHICH WORKS OUT OF THE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, RECEIVES THE STATE GRANT AND THEN. WE ALSO RECOVER A PORTION OF THE JAIL COSTS THROUGH STATE FUNDS. SO THIS IS REALLY THE DOLLARS THAT YOU CONTROL. SO THE THE LOCAL PORTION OF YOUR BUDGET IS $35.5 MILLION. YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN HERE WHERE IT COMES FROM. I'VE ALREADY SORT OF GONE DOWN THAT LIST. BUT YOU'VE GOT THE BREAKDOWN THERE EXACTLY HOW MUCH WE RECEIVE OR THAT WE'LL COLLECT AND LOCAL REVENUE FROM EACH OF THOSE SOURCES. AND THEN THIS IS WHERE YOUR LOCAL MONEY IS EXPENDED. SO I'VE SORT OF CARVED OUT THE STATE MONEY, CARVED OUT THE FEDERAL MONEY. WHERE IS YOUR LOCAL MONEY DIRECTED? SO OF THAT $35.5 MILLION, 10.49 MILLION OR SO IS IN SCHOOL OPERATING MONEY. 7.17 MILLION IS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH IS LOCAL SUPPORT OF YOUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE, YOUR EMS. I CAN'T REMEMBER IF I MENTIONED OR NOT. WE WE ALSO HAD A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN OUR EMS CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF FRANKLIN. THAT'S A BIG TICKET ITEM THAT WENT UP 200 AND A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN $244,000 THIS YEAR. [00:25:09] SO THAT NUMBER IS INCLUDED IN THAT PUBLIC SAFETY NUMBER. OUR DEBT SERVICE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOLS, WHICH INCLUDES THINGS LIKE YOUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, YOUR INDUSTRIAL PARKS, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS IS ABOUT 11.5% OF YOUR LOCAL MONEY. A LITTLE MORE THAN $4 MILLION. YOUR DEBT SERVICE ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOL BUILDINGS IS ABOUT 6.7%, AND THAT ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 2.38 MILLION. AND THEN YOU GET INTO YOUR BASICALLY YOUR DEPARTMENTS, YOUR ADMINISTRATION, PUBLIC WORKS, SO ON AND SO FORTH. AND YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN THERE. SO TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT ON, I THINK ON ALL OF THESE, BUT I'LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HEARS IT LOUD AND CLEAR, AND I EXPECT YOU ALL WILL BE MAKING SOME CHANGES. BUT IF YOU MADE NO CHANGES, IT WOULD REQUIRE A REAL ESTATE TAX RATE INCREASE FROM 89 TO 91. AGAIN, WE HAVE ROLLED BACK THE PERSONAL PROPERTY RATE FROM $5 TO FOR 50. AND YOU SEE THOSE HIGHLIGHTED IN THAT BOX ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE. WE WE HAVE ALSO INCLUDED SOME INCREASES IN THE AMBULANCE TRANSPORT. WE TRY TO STAY ON TOP OF THIS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MAXIMIZING THE REIMBURSEMENTS THAT WE WILL RECEIVE FROM MEDICAID, THAT WE WILL RECEIVE FROM MEDICARE, THAT WE WILL RECEIVE FROM PRIVATE INSURERS. SO WE ARE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MILEAGE RATE FOR THE TRANSPORTS FROM 1430 UP TO $17, WHICH IS THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE. AND THEN WE ARE ALSO MAKING SOME CHANGES IN THE BILLS BASIC LIFE SUPPORT, EMERGENCY SERVICES AND THE ALS, ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT EMERGENCY SERVICES CATEGORIES. AND THAT'S IT AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL. JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE AND AGAIN, WE RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ALL WILL BE SPENDING THE NEXT THREE WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AND A PORTION OF THE TUESDAY NIGHT AFTER THAT, MAKING THE CHANGES THAT YOU ALL WANT TO MAKE. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. THANKS, MIKE. THE NEXT 2 MINUTES FOR EVERYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE. 13TH AND 20TH. THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU WANT. IT'S 630 BEGINNING AT 630. EXCUSE ME. 630. BOTH OF THEM. 630. 13 TO WEDNESDAY'S. NEXT WEDNESDAY, THE WEDNESDAY AFTER. ANYBODY WANTED TO. WELL, I, UH. I DON'T LIKE INCREASING THE TAX AT ALL. THAT'S BAD ECONOMIC NEWS FOR EVERYBODY. AND I THINK INCREASING THE REAL ESTATE TAX. IS. IT'S THE MIDDLE CLASS THAT PAYS MOST OF OUR TAXES MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE COULD DO. MY OPINION IS TO EVERYBODY'S GOT TO TIGHTEN THEIR BELT AND CUT BACK. MIKE. EXCUSE ME. GO. DOES THAT. PENNY, $0.01 INCREASE STILL EQUAL ABOUT 165. I'LL TELL YOU EXACTLY IN JUST A SECOND. 163 764. SO THAT'S ON PAGE 13 IN YOUR BOOK. IT WILL SHOW YOU EVERY TAX CATEGORY YOU HAVE. WHAT THE IMPACT OF A $0.01 CHANGE ON RATES CAR. WHAT PAGE IS THAT ON 13? WHAT ABOUT THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX? HOW MUCH DOES EACH PIN IN EACH PIN HAVE? THAT IS 17,000 820 OH OH NO. REAL PROPERTY. YES, SIR. OKAY. WHAT, 1781? ON THE, YOU KNOW, THE $5. YEAH. DON'T KNOW. SOLID WASTE FEE. I KNOW. THE $200. THE SOLID WASTE COST. WHAT ABOUT 1.5 MILLION A YEAR TO DO AWAY WITH? WELL, IF YOU LOOK, THERE ARE TWO PLACES YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THAT. [00:30:03] AND IF YOU LOOK ON PAGE 65 AND 66, PAGE 65 IS THE WASTE REMOVAL BUDGET. THIS IS WHERE WE PAY THE SALARIES FOR THE TRASH TRUCK DRIVERS AND THE GUY THAT WORKS, GUYS THAT WORK, THE COLLECTION SITES AND ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE COST OF OPERATING THE COLLECTION SYSTEM. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT'S ABOUT A LITTLE OVER $900,000 ON PAGE 66 IS THE COST OF DISPOSING OF THE REFUSE. AND YOU CAN SEE OVERALL, THAT'S ABOUT ANOTHER 778,000. SO ADD THOSE TWO NUMBERS TOGETHER. YOU'RE AT 1.6 MILLION OR SO. AND WHAT IS THE SOLID WASTE FEE GENERATE NOW? IF YOU HAD A MILLION, A LITTLE OVER 1,000,000 MILLION, 31, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IF YOU FLIP THE PAGE, THEY DON'T COVER THE COST DOUBLE AS OUR GOAL. NO, IT DOES NOT FULLY COVER IT. NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU COVER IT. IF YOU'LL FLIP TO PAGE 23, THE VERY LAST ITEM ON THAT PAGE, 1.2 MILLION. SHOW IT 400,000 ON THAT, CORRECT. IT'S LIKE THIS FOR THE PUBLIC. WE'RE NOT HAVING IT TONIGHT. IT'S NEXT WEEK. PUBLIC COMMENT NEXT TO MEETINGS 13TH AND 20TH. I THINK YOU CAN READ IT. SORRY. CAN I USE THAT PHONE QUESTION? SURE. WHAT IS 2% OF THE LOCAL MONEY FOR THE SCHOOL? WHAT DOES THAT MATTER? THAT WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. SURE. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE LAST YEAR YOU SAID? YEAH. SO I'LL TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT MY QUESTION IS. SO THE TOTAL TRANSFER FOR SCHOOL OPERATIONS AND DEBT IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 WAS 12,626,000 AND SOME CHANGE. THIS YEAR IT WOULD BE 12,000,878. SO 210,000. THAT'S NOT VERY MUCH. AND WE LOOKED AT THE CIGARET TAX. WE HAVE THE GILLETT AS TO CORNWELL. MYSELF AND MRS. LO MET WITH BOTH THE COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE AND THE TREASURER BACK LAST DECEMBER, I GUESS IT WAS, AND TALKED ABOUT THAT EXTENSIVELY. REALISTICALLY, WE CONCLUDED AT THE TIME THAT THE ADDITIONAL COST TO SET UP THE SYSTEM TO IMPLEMENT AND COLLECT THE TAX. BY THE TIME YOU'VE NETTED THAT OUT OF WHAT WE REASONABLY THINK WE MIGHT COLLECT BASED ON WHAT WE ARE SEEING AND OTHER FAIRLY RURAL COUNTIES. IT JUST WASN'T THAT MUCH. KEEP IN MIND THAT. WE'VE REALLY GOT ONE GROCERY STORE AND SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY AND A HANDFUL OF CONVENIENCE STORES. SO A LOT OF THE CIGARETS THAT GET SMOKED IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY OR PURCHASED IN THE CITY OF FRANKLIN. SO IT WOULDN'T BE A HUGE REVENUE? WE DON'T THINK SO. WELL. PLUS, TO JUMP THROUGH ALL THE HOOPS THAT WERE LIKE TWO EXTRA. POSITIONS I THINK WANT IT TO WRITE. IF YOU HAVE THE HEART TO. TRACK AND. COLLECT IT. IT WAS ALMOST A WASH. [00:35:02] WHAT? DISCOUNT FOOD SHOWS UP BOTH AS A REVENUE SOURCE AND AN EXPENDITURE. HOW DOES IT HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE PAGE 90 FOR THE SCHOOL FOOD BUDGET, THEY THEIR REVENUES ARE SHOWN AT THE TOP. SO THEY RECEIVE WHAT PAGE YOU PAGE 94. SO THEY RECEIVE 1.44 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THE SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAM. THEY RECEIVE $55,430 IN STATE FUNDS, AND THEN THEY COLLECT 50,000 IN LUNCH MONEY FROM KIDS. SO THOSE THREE NUMBERS ADDED TOGETHER GIVE YOU A TOTAL SCHOOL FOOD BUDGET OF $1,545,430. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE LINE ITEM EXPENDITURES BENEATH THAT, WHICH YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY HOW FOOD SERVICE WORKERS SALARIES AND BENEFITS ALL THOSE THINGS. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROJECTION LOOKS LIKE. AND AS FAR AS ANY MONEY'S LEFT OVER. FROM LOCAL MONEY GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE CARES ACT AND THE. I CAN'T TELL YOU SPECIFICALLY FOR SCHOOLS. I CAN TELL YOU THAT. I ANTICIPATE HAVING A AT LEAST A BREAK EVEN YEAR IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 AND MAYBE SOME VERY, VERY MODEST GAINS IN OUR FUND BALANCE. BUT YOU WON'T SEE THE NUMBERS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, I DON'T THINK. I MEAN, LAST YEAR WE ADDED ALMOST $1,000,000 TO FUND BALANCE. I DON'T THINK YOU'LL SEE THAT KIND OF GROWTH. BY DROPPING THE. NO PROPERTY TAX PERSONAL PROPERTY TO 450 THAT'S ESKOM DROP ABOUT 900,000 OUT TO REVENUE BECAUSE. CORRECT. SO TO SAY TAX PAYERS, YOU'LL STILL SEE REVENUE GROWTH THAT'S GOING TO BE INCREASED. BUT YES, WE'RE GOING TO STILL SAVE ALMOST $1,000,000 BY CUTTING TAX. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY PAY US WILL INCREASE. EXACTLY. BECAUSE IT'S GOING CRAZY. BUT WE'RE GOING TO CUT THEM SLACK BY REDUCING IT. THAT'S HUGE. BUT IF YOU COME TO THE COLLEGE LEVEL BY. YEAH, WE WILL. BUT WE'LL STILL BE RIGHT WHERE WE WERE AT. PRETTY CLOSE, ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE AN INCREASE IF WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, IF WE DID CUT THAT STILL BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLES. YEAH. YEAH. EVEN AT THE 450 RATE, YOUR REVENUES WILL GO UP FROM ABOUT 7 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 22 TO ALMOST 7.8 MILLION BY 2023 WITH THE TAX CUT. RIGHT. TAX CUT AND THE INCREASE, WE WILL STILL HAVE TO PAY MORE. YEAH. SO. SO WE CAN'T. I DON'T THINK WE CAN. IF WE NEED AT LEAST KEEP THAT FOR 50. DON'T. I MEAN, I KNOW WE'RE NOT HERE TO SETTLE THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW, BUT WHAT WE NEED TO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS YOU NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THERE. POLICY DECISIONS. WE NEED TO TELL THEM. YOU NEED TO FIGURE IT OUT. RIGHT. YEAH. WE'RE STILL GETTING THE INCREASE IN REVENUE BACK IN. WE'RE GOING TO BE CUTTING THE TAX TO 450. SO THAT'S GOING TO HELP. YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO HELP EVERYBODY THAT OWNS EQUIPMENT. AND, I MEAN, CAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW. WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S GO HELP IS JUST MAKE THE PAIN A LITTLE EASIER. YEAH. YOU KNOW, I. WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SEE HOW CLOSE WE CAN GET TO A FLAT BUDGET. PEOPLE, THIS IS HARD TIMES. INFLATION IS GOING TO HIT NINE OR 10%. EVERYTHING HAS GONE OUT OF SIGHT. GAS HAS GONE OUT OF SIGHT. SINCE YOU BRING THAT UP, I WILL SAY COUNTIES ARE NOT IMMUNE TO INFLATION. [00:40:03] WE'RE FEELING IT ON FUEL. WE'RE FEELING IT ON HEAT. FEELING IT ON POWER LIGHTS. WE'RE SEEING THE SAME THING HERE. TIRES, PORTS, ANYTHING TO DO WITH RUNNING EQUIPMENT. IT'S VERY MUCH LIKE. YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW? I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. YEAH, I DO. SO. FOR CLARITY IN MY SAKE, THE SCHOOL, THE INCREASE IN LOCAL PLANS TO THE SCHOOLS IN THAT 2%. BUT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND, CORRECT. DID THEY GET MORE STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS THAN THEY ANTICIPATED? BECAUSE THAT WASN'T THE ORIGINAL NUMBER. WHEN MR. FAISON AND MYSELF AND YOU WENT, I MEAN, THAT WAS A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IN ADDITIONAL LOCAL REVENUES AT THAT TIME. I JUST WONDER WHERE THAT DIFFERENCE CAME FROM. WELL, THEY'RE STILL ASKING FOR THAT. THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT NUMBER YET. IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY REQUESTED, THEIR TOTAL BUDGET. SO HOW FAR OFF, I GUESS, IS THE PROPOSAL TO WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR? OKAY. I'LL SHOW YOU PAGES DOWN. YEAH. IF YOU'LL LOOK ON PAGE 91. THANK YOU. NO, I'M SORRY. 93. SO IF YOU'LL LOOK AT THE COLUMN, THE SHADED AND GRAY. YES, SIR. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING AND WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS INITIAL DRAFT BUDGET. SO THE TOTAL SCHOOL BUDGET IS RECOMMENDED AT 39,000,006, 62 TO 89. IF YOU LOOK AT THE COLUMN IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT OF THAT, THAT'S WHAT THEY ASKED FOR. YOU CAN SEE THEY ASKED FOR 41,107,879. DO WE HAVE A REASON FOR THAT INCREASE? I MEAN, WHAT'S THE WHAT'S WHY? WHEN YOU SAY DO WHILE THEY ASK FOR IT. YEAH. WHAT'S WHAT DO THEY NEED TO INCREASE? THE INCREASE? WHAT? YEAH. MR. CORNWELL. I MEAN, THEY PROVIDED US. YES. AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST, AND YOU'LL HEAR IT, I'M SURE, NEXT WEEK. SEVEN HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS, A CUSTODIAN. FUEL COSTS, SOURCING. BUS MAINTENANCE. IT'S QUITE AN EXPANSIVE LIST OF. JUSTIFICATIONS THEY PUT TOGETHER, I MEAN, BUT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE MINIMUM WAGE GOING UP. AM I CORRECT THAT THEY MADE THAT REQUEST WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO GET BACK FROM THE STATE? RIGHT. WELL, THEY JUST MADE A REQUEST BASED ON WHAT THEY SEE. SO. SO WHAT THEY INCLUDED IN THEIR RECALL. BUT WHAT THEY INCLUDED IS WHAT WE HAVE INCLUDED IN THIS DRAFT BUDGET, WHICH IS THE NUMBERS THAT CAME FROM GOVERNOR NORTHAM'S BUDGET. SO BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE VERSIONS ARE PROVIDE EVEN MORE STATE MONEY FOR SCHOOLS THAN GOVERNOR NORTHAM'S BUDGET. SO WE FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT ONCE A BUDGET GETS ADOPTED, THE PICTURE WILL ONLY GET BETTER. BUT GOVERNOR NORTHAM'S BUDGET PROVIDED 12% MORE IN STATE FUNDS. I MEAN, I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS KIND OF INCREASE IN STATE FUNDS BEFORE EVER IN 27 YEARS OF DOING THIS. BUT WE DON'T KNOW REALLY UNLESS WE GET INTO THEIR BUDGET WHETHER THAT MONEY IS EARMARKED FOR SOME OF IT. WE DO KNOW. I CAN TELL YOU JUST LOOKING AT THE. THE REVENUE SHEETS FROM THE STATES. SOME OF IT IS SPECIFICALLY EARMARKED FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND DEBT SERVICE. SOME OF IT IS SPECIFICALLY EARMARKED FOR CAPITAL THINGS. GOTCHA. THEY DO HAVE SALARY INCREASES FOR THE TEACHERS AND THEIR. YEAH, THAT WAS. 8% INCREASE. FOR THE TEACHERS. SO SO THIS NUMBER YOU'VE GOT HERE HAS GOT A 12% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR'S STAY ON THE 39 MILLION OVER TO 36 MILLION LAST YEAR, CORRECT? YEAH. OKAY. SO THEY GET THE $3.5 MILLION INCREASE. OVER THE LAST YEAR. CORRECT. THEY WANT TO HIRE SEVEN NEW TEACHERS. SO WHAT YOU SAID AT THAT TIME WHEN THEY MADE THE PROPOSAL TO THE SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON COMMITTEE, THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE PROPOSING WAS TO SEVEN TEACHERS FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT WAS THE RATIONALE BEHIND THAT? [00:45:02] THEY CLAIM THAT IT WOULD. CARL, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT IT WAS TO GET THEM BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE. MANY YEARS AGO. THEY WERE POSITIONS THAT WERE THERE PREVIOUSLY BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN REFILLED. IT IS SHORT THAT MANY ASSURED THAT MONEY. AND I CAN'T I DIDN'T WRITE DOWN THE YEARS THAT THAT WENT BACK TO, BUT IT WAS WAY PRIOR TO COVID. WHAT ABOUT TUTORING AND WHATNOT IN THE REQUEST? TO HIRE TUTORS. I DON'T SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER THAT, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN. WE'RE IN. BUT DR. SHANNON WILL BE HERE NEXT WEEK TO MAKE HER PRESENTATION, SO I'LL BE A GOOD TIME TO ASK THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS. THEY GAVE THE EXAMPLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT IN 2010 THERE WAS 68 TEACHERS AND THE 2022 IS 49 TEACHERS. THERE ARE FEWER STUDENTS NOW THAN THERE WERE THEN, BUT THEY'RE NOT PROPORTIONATE. HOW MANY STUDENTS DO THEY HAVE NOW? SO IT'S BASED ON 2400 PLUS NO SYSTEM. YEAH. SO IT'S BASED ON 2424. 34.9 IS THE ATTENDANCE THAT WE'RE USING FOR THE REVENUE IS THE POINT NOW. YEAH. THE STATE STATE COMES UP WITH THOSE NUMBERS. BUT ANYWAY. YEAH. GOT YOU. CHRIS, MY NEXT QUESTION TO YOU IS WERE ON THIS LIST OF REVENUES IN THE OUT OF DISTRICT STUDENT MONEY THEY GET. I SAW IT ON MY OWN. SURE. SO THE TUITION SHOWS UP ON PAGE, PAGE 1965. YES. IF YOU LOOK ON PAGE 91, ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY DOWN THE SHEET UNDER THE CATEGORY THAT SAYS LOCAL SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY FUNDS. IN THE BURGUNDY TEXT THERE, THE HEADING, AND THEN THE FIRST LINE ITEM UNDER THAT SAYS TUITION. YOU SEE IT, DR. EDWARDS? YEAH. WHAT'S THE NUMBER THERE? THAT'S THE MONEY THEY GET FROM THIS IS WHAT THEY COLLECT IN TUITION FROM STUDENTS THAT ARE OUT OF VARIOUS STUDENTS. SO THEY BUDGET 60,000 IS THE NUMBER THAT THEY PUT IN THAT BUDGET EVERY YEAR. BUT IF YOU LOOK, WE'RE ALSO SHOWING YOU THE ACTUAL NUMBERS THAT WERE COLLECTED IN FISCAL YEARS, 19, 20 AND 21. SO THAT NUMBER RANGES FROM 120 TO 130000 OR 50, 230. THAT'S THE NUMBER OUR QUESTION. YOU KNOW, THEY GET $6,500 FOR EACH STUDENT. WE NEED TO KNOW HOW MANY STUDENTS THERE ARE, BECAUSE I KNOW IN PAST YEARS HAVE BEEN 100 2500 AND 340. IF YOU LOOK AT THAT NUMBER, IT'S 700000 TO 800 AND 900,000. THEY GET SICK. MY QUESTION TO THEM WOULD BE HOW MANY STUDENTS? THEY GET 1500 DOLLARS, I UNDERSTAND, IN TUITION. THEN THEY GET $5,000 FROM, I GUESS, THE FED IN THE STATE. SO IF THEY HAD 100 OF THEM, THAT WOULD BE, WHAT, 650,000? BUT I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, IN MEETING. I'VE NEVER SEEN THOSE FIGURES COME OVER. I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT QUESTION ANSWERED. WE CAN ASK THEM NEXT WEEK. ALL RIGHT. THESE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT GET REPORTED. WELL. SO THE STATE MONEY THAT WE GET IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHICH HOW MANY TO IT, HOW MANY OF THE STUDENTS THAT ARE OUT OF OUR REGION OR OUT OF OUR DISTRICT, THEY CALL. SO HOW MANY DO THEY HAVE? I DON'T SEE. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW. THAT MONEY IS SPREAD. I MEAN, IT'S USED TO PAY TEACHERS THAT TEACH ALL THE STUDENTS. THEY'RE NOT SEPARATING THAT. BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS, WHERE IS THAT ON HERE? I DON'T SEE 65, 6500 MULTIPLIED BY X ANYWHERE ON HERE. NOW, IT'S ALL UNDER OPERATION. I WANT TO I WANT TO SEE THAT FIGURE WHAT THEY GET. YOU CAN ASK THAT BECAUSE THAT'S A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY. NOT 60,000. NO, THAT'S JUST LOCAL MONEY THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. [00:50:01] BUT I WANT TO I WANT TO SEE THE WHOLE SHOOTING MATCH. DO THEY GET DID THE OUT OF DISTRICT STUDENTS PAY 1500? SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? I'VE HEARD THAT THE TUITION IS 1500. SO YOU CAN TAKE THAT NUMBER THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT ON THE BUDGET IN NEVADA, ABOUT 1500. AND THAT SHOULD GET YOU IN THE BALLPARK OF HOW MANY KIDS? WHERE'S THE OTHER 5000? IS THAT THAT'S DONE BY THE STATE. THE STATE PAYS THE POWER. SO SO THE STATE DOESN'T CARE WHETHER A KID IS A RESIDENT OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY OR NOT. AS LONG AS THEY'RE ATTENDING SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE STATE IS GOING TO PAY THEIR SHARE PER STUDENT. AND THE BIG NUMBER THAT THE STATE PROVIDES IS THIS BASIC AID NUMBER, AND IT DOESN'T BREAK IT DOWN PER STUDENT. BUT THE LUMP SUM BASIC AID THAT SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY RECEIVES FROM THE STATE IS AT THE TOP OF PAGE 90. AND YOU CAN SEE WE RECEIVE $10,499,295 IS WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING IN FISCAL YEAR 23. DIVIDE THAT BY THE 2430 4.9. AND THAT'LL GIVE YOU AN IDEA REAL QUICK ON HOW MUCH STATE AID PER KID, THE 61,000 JUST REPRESENTS THE STATE AID THAT THEY GET FROM SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. NO, THAT'S NOT STATE AID. THAT'S 60,000 IS PARENT IS PAYING, THE COUNTY PAYS. THAT'S THE PARENTS. PARENTS PAY IT WHILE THE DISTRICT STUDENTS. SO IF YOU TAKE AWAY TO 5000, YOU FIGURE OUT OF THE 6500. IF YOU LOSE THAT, IF YOU LOSE THAT CHILD, YOU LOSE THE TUITION THE FAMILY IS PAYING, BUT YOU ALSO LOSE THE STATE BASIC AID. SO IF YOU HAD 100 STUDENTS AND THEY PAID THOUSAND $500 APIECE, THAT'S WHERE THIS NUMBERS MAKES SENSE. WELL, THAT'S A 60,000. WELL, YEAH, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE YEARS, THE TOTAL AMOUNT WHEN I WAS 120 115 131 SO IF YOU HAD, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 80 SOME STUDENTS ONE YEAR, YOU KNOW, SO YOU'RE GOING TO GENERATE AT 1500. IF IT WAS 100 STUDENTS, THAT'D BE 150,000, RIGHT. SO THAT MAKES SENSE ALL THE 60 YEAR. OH YEAH, THEY BUDGET 60, BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. I WANT TO SEE THE ACTUAL. I BEING REALISTIC. I THINK THE ACTUAL NUMBER IS MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT BECAUSE I KNOW EIGHT OR TEN YEARS AGO WAS IN THE ONE THIRTIES. ONE FORTIES. OKAY. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. AND I'VE TALKED TO SOME COACHES OVER THERE WHO DON'T LIKE IT. THERE'S SO MANY STUDENTS, IT PUTS THEM IN THE TRIPLE AA CATEGORY IN THE ATHLETICS. IS THAT A DOUBLE. MM. YEAH, THAT'LL BE. I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S WRONG OR THEY'RE DOING ANYTHING WRONG. I JUST WANT TO SEE IT. YEAH. GOT YOU. THAT'S A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY. IT'S $6,500 A PIECE. SYDNEY COVERED MONEY REALIZED ANYWHERE IN OUR BUDGET IS ANYTHING. WE DIDN'T BUDGET THE ARPA MONEY. WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE THAT MONEY AND CERTAINLY YOU ALL HAVE FULL DISCRETION IN HOW YOU'RE PLANNING TO USE THAT. BUT THAT IS WE TYPICALLY DO NOT BUDGET GRANT FUNDS. WE'LL APPROPRIATE THEM ONCE WE RECEIVE THEM. AND THEN YOU ALL CAN MAKE A DECISION ON HOW YOU WANT TO SPEND THEM AFTER THAT. WHAT MONEY IS THAT IN THE AMERICAN RESCUE ACT? MONEY. WE RECEIVED THE FIRST TRANCHE IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. WE'LL RECEIVE AN EQUAL TRANCHE JULY SET WHEN IT'LL COME FIRST AUGUST. WE'VE ALREADY EARMARKED WE'VE EARMARKED $1,000,000 OF IT'S GOING TO THE BROADBAND. WE SORT OF PUT A MENTAL EARMARK ON SOME OTHER FUNDS FOR UTILITY PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW ARE OUT THERE. SOME SEWER REHABILITATION PROJECTS, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL MONEY NEXT YEAR TO BE THINKING ABOUT DOING SOME OTHER THINGS. BUT DIDN'T. DIDN'T. HADN'T WE? ALREADY PROJECTED TO BACK OUT. A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THAT. IN ADDITION TO THE. LIKE THE SEWER. AN INCH HERE. WAS THAT IN YOUR. IN YOUR CALCULATIONS? YES. YES. YEAH. I'M PREPARING TO BID THAT PROJECT NOW SO WE'LL KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH. RIGHT. WE JUST KEEP IN A PLACEHOLDER THERE FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. [00:55:06] FURTHER COMMENTS. MR. CHAIRMAN, OUR FRIENDS FROM FRANKLIN SOUTHAMPTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAD A CONFLICT NEXT WEEK, SO THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION TO YOU ALL TONIGHT. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS WILL OPEN FLOOR UP TO MR. KARL. KARL. WHAT WAS THE TIPPING FEE LAST YEAR? 61 GOING TO 69. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TONIGHT. SO WE APPRECIATE IT. SO WE ARE GOING TO DO A BRIEF PRESENTATION WHERE ONCE AGAIN, ASKING FOR 100,000 FOR SUPERVISORS IS JUST THE SAME AMOUNT AS WE ASKED FOR LAST YEAR, OUR PUBLIC PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. I GET THE CLICKER AND THE ALL RIGHT WAS FOUNDED IN 2005 AND WE WORK TO DIVERSIFY THE ECONOMY, CREATE JOBS, AND PROVIDE A FUTURE FOR THE FAMILIES OF YOUTHS OF FRANKLIN SOUTHAMPTON. PERCHED ATOP THE TRACK. IT'S GOING TO WORK NOW. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S THE POINT. OH, THERE YOU GO. WE WERE FIVE MEMBER BOARD BRIAN HUDSPETH, OUR CHAIR, AND BOB POPE, WHO'S A MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, ARE HERE TONIGHT. WE HAVE WARREN BEALE AND COUNSEL AND HARRIET ZUK ON OUR BOARD. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A STAFF OF THREE FULL TIME PEOPLE AND ONE TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. WE'RE OUT LOOKING FOR ANOTHER PERSON AND WE'RE A PARTNERSHIP THAT'S BEEN FUNDED FOR QUITE SOME TIME BY THE CITY, THE COUNTY, THE CHARITIES AND THE CAMP FOUNDATION AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE POINTS OUR OTHER MEMBERS. YOU PICK IT? CAN YOU CLICK IT? CAN YOU MAKE IT? YEAH. CAN YOU MAKE IT CLICK? I'M NOT ABLE TO CLICK, SO. WE HAD A NUMBER OF SUCCESS STORIES IN 2020 122. GLOBAL CONCENTRATE CAME TO THE INDUSTRIAL PARK AND BOUGHT 170 ACRES. THAT PROJECT IS STARTING TO COME TO FRUITION AND OBVIOUSLY PUTS SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY IN A BETTER POSITION FOR FUTURE PROJECTS. OUR BUSINESS CENTER REACHED 100% CAPACITY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECEMBER AT DECEMBER 1ST. THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM FRANKLIN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY AND OUT OF AREA PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE AND WE HAVE THREE OR FOUR BUSINESSES CURRENTLY THERE. WE WERE ABLE TO GET OUR START UP PROGRAM GOING AGAIN. FARM FED WAS ONE OF THE WINNERS IN CAPE BRETON, SO THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THEIR BUSINESS GOING. AND STUDIO SOCO ALSO OPENED IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY COUNTY AND THEN TAXABLE RETAIL SALES IN THE LAST YEAR WENT UP JUST OVER 12%. SO YOU GET THE NEXT SLIDE. OUR FOUR MAIN FOCUS AREAS HAVEN'T CHANGED BUSINESS ATTRACTION, BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION. WE'VE DONE MORE OF THAT THIS YEAR, NOT THE PANDEMIC'S LIFTING. WE CAN ACTUALLY GO OUT AND SEE A FEW MORE BUSINESSES OUT IN THE FLASH. AND WE'VE HAD PEOPLE IN SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BOTH THROUGH THE FRANKLIN BUSINESS CENTER AND OUR START UP PROGRAM AND CONTINUING TO MARKET TOURISM AND FIND NEW WAYS TO PROMOTE THE AREA WITH LOCAL TOURISM INITIATIVES. EVERY TIME I TRY TO CLICK IT, IT GOES TO THE. WE'VE ASSISTED A NUMBER OF PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS. AND THE ONE THING I CAN REPORT IS THEY WERE IN OUR BUILDING FOR TWO MONTHS HIRING PEOPLE. SO THEY'VE HIRED ABOUT 60 PEOPLE IN 2022 ALONE TO FILL POSITIONS OVER THERE AND TAKE TAKE SPACES. WE WORK WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER EXPANSIONS. I'LL MENTION THE HOTEL STUDY A LITTLE LATER. SO THE. Q CLICK THE NEXT ONE. WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE YEARS INVOLVES OVER $226 MILLION OF INVESTMENT, 846 JOBS. WE ALSO ADMINISTER THE LOCAL ENTERPRISE ZONE, BOTH IN THE CITY OF FRANKLIN AND IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING MORE BUSINESSES AS PART OF THAT PROGRAM AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE AHEAD SO THAT YOU CAN HIT THE NEXT ONE. AS I MENTIONED, WE DO THE FRANKLIN BUSINESS CENTER. 20% OF OUR TENANTS ARE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY RESIDENTS, AND WE CONTINUE TO MARKET BOTH IN [01:00:06] AREA AND OUT OF AREA. THERE'S BEEN 25 GRADUATES IN THAT PROGRAM. ONE THING I WILL SAY IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR OFFICE AND OTHER SPACES FOR PEOPLE IN THAT AREA, AND WE'D LIKE TO SEE SOME OF THEM OUT IN THE COUNTY AS WELL AS IN THE CITY, BECAUSE THAT'S A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE HERE. UNLIKE SOME OF THE LARGER AREAS, WE'RE KIND OF SHORT ON OFFICE SPACE AND IT GOES QUICKLY. SO IF YOU CAN GET THE NEXT. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. WE DO A VARIETY OF THINGS. HELPING SMALL BUSINESS LOCATION. WE ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO PROVIDING WORKSHOPS IN THE FALL NOW THAT COVID IS LIFTING. BUT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THE HAMPTON ROADS SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER MEET MONTHLY. THEY'LL BE MEETING WITH OUR CLIENTS TOMORROW AND WE'VE STEADILY HAD THREE OR FOUR CLIENTS A MONTH COMING IN AS WELL AS OTHER KINDS OF LOAN ASSISTANCE THAT WE ALSO OFFER. SO NEXT SLIDE. ON STARTUP GOT AN AWARD FROM THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO FOR. ITS COMMUNITY. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORKS FOR COMMUNITIES OUR SIZE FOR WHAT WE DO, THAT WE'VE AWARDED TEN BUSINESSES PRIZE MONEY IN THE FOUR ROUNDS. TO DATE, WE'VE HAD SIX OTHER BUSINESSES OPEN AND ONLY ONE OF THOSE IS NOT CURRENTLY IN BUSINESS IN THE COUNTY. ALONG WITH THE ONES I MENTIONED, RETRO FLEX WAS ONE OF THE PRIZE MONEY WINNERS, AND NOT ONLY DID THEY SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC, THEY'VE EXPANDED THEIR OPERATIONS IN CORTLAND AS WELL. AND THAT'S REALLY A PROGRAM THAT WE'RE KEEPING GOING AND IS ANOTHER WAY WE CAN WORK WITH RETAIL AND OTHER KINDS OF BUSINESSES TO GROW OUR COMMUNITY. LIKE I SAID, WE RESTART OUR BUSINESS RETENTION WE MET WITH. SO FAR SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE MET WITHIN A HANDFUL OF FIRMS, BELMONT AND FREDDIE, SINCE THE OWNERSHIP CHANGE. SO THESE MEETINGS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE NEW GROWTH, EXISTING BUSINESS, MAKE SURE THE COMPANIES THAT ARE HERE ARE HAPPY, AND IN SOME CASES WE FIND NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH THEM. WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A NEW CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE PROGRAMS AND MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER FOR US TO WORK WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS AND TRACK ALL OF OUR LEADS AS WELL. SO. BROADBAND CAME UP. IT'S LIKE YOU ALL GRACIOUSLY PROVIDE $1,000,000 TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. ASHLEY COVINGTON OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD ON GETTING ALL THIS TOGETHER. WE HAVE AN INTERACTIVE MAP WITH A Q&A PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE THAT RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN REFERRING TO TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEXT TIME. HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THE MONTH, CHARTER WILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE BUILDOUT AND PEOPLE WILL START TO SEE ON THAT MAP WHEN THINGS MIGHT ACTUALLY START TO HAPPEN BECAUSE WE'RE HOPING. THAT THEY'RE GOING TO START IN THE SUMMER. AND AND WE ALL KNOW AS SOON AS THE FIRST PERSON GETS BROADBAND, EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE CALLING OUR OFFICE. THAT'S GOING TO TURN. SO WE'RE TRYING TO SORT THAT AS BEST THAT WE CAN. BUT THAT'S LIKE $11 MILLION PROJECT IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. SO IT'S A BIG DEAL AS WE MOVE AHEAD OF THE 21 MILLION THAT WENT TO THE WHOLE HOUR LIKE SUFFOLK AND SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. SO THAT. WE'RE ALSO THE TOURISM AGENCY FOR. SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY AND WE PROMOTE AS PART OF THE SALTY SOUTHERN ROUTE OR PART OF THE COAST TO VIRGINIA TOURISM ASSOCIATION. WE DID UPDATE THE BILLBOARD ON ROUTE FOR 16 OCTOBER AND BEEN RUNNING SOME COMMERCIALS AND OUR COORDINATING WITH THE INSURRECTION TRAIL AND SOME OF THE NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING ALONG AS WELL. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING NEW THINGS TO PROMOTE IN TOURISM AS WELL. WE ADMINISTERED SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY CARES ACT MONEY FOR THE COVID RESPONSE, AND I WILL SAY THAT NOT A LOT OF BUSINESSES HERE WENT OUT OF BUSINESS DURING COVID. SO WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE THAT THAT'S BEEN A BENEFIT OF THE PROGRAM AND THAT MORE OR LESS THINGS HAVE STAYED IN PLACE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WE DO ANNUAL EVENTS LIKE PARTNERS IN PROGRESS. WE'RE THINKING ABOUT WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE BACK NEXT YEAR. WE DO A SMALL VERSUS APPRECIATION COOKOUT THAT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO BRING BACK TO THE SCHEDULE. WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY PROMOTION THAT IN 2020 WENT OFF BASICALLY AS IT NORMALLY DOES WITH COVID. WE HOSTED THE FIRST KIND OF IN-PERSON JOB FAIR IN HAMPTON ROADS IN JANUARY. WHEN IT CAME BACK, WE HAD 30 VENDORS AND 100 JOB SEEKERS AND THERE WASN'T ANY ISSUES. SO YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT ACTIVITY RETURN AND FORTUNATELY, PEOPLE LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT. SO THAT'S. THE BOARD IS DOING A STRATEGIC PLAN. ALL OF YOU RECEIVED A SURVEY FROM US. OUR PRIORITIES ARE TRYING TO FOCUS A LITTLE MORE WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS BUILDING, BUILDING ADJACENT INDUSTRIES AND GREATER STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MAIN INDUSTRIES THAT ARE HERE AND WORKING TO SUPPORT NEW AND GROWING BUSINESS AND FINDING THE RIGHT SPACES FOR THEM. THE SPACES SPACE IS BECOMING AN ISSUE FOR SOME OF US AS WELL. [01:05:03] SO OUR FUTURE PLAN GOING AHEAD IS A CONTINUING MOMENTUM OF RECENT WITH OUR RECENT PROSPECTS THAT WE HOPE TO HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS SOON AS WE CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS AND EXPANSION. WE'RE MOVING HOTEL ATTRACTION FORWARD. WE'RE NOT SURE IF THAT'S GOING TO BE A CITY OR A COUNTY INITIATIVE, BUT THAT'S BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THAT AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE ARE WORKING ON. I DO THINK IN THIS ENVIRONMENT WE'RE STARTING TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE START SEEING BUILDING AGAIN AND HOSPITALITY, SO WE WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. MOVING UP THE BEALE FARM, WE'VE HAD SOME INTEREST IN SOME OF THE OTHER PROPERTIES, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE NEXT PROPERTY THAT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE FOR STATUS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH. GO VIRGINIA ON A SITE READINESS GRANT THAT INCLUDES THE BEALE FARM. SO THAT'LL BE KIND OF THE FIRST STEP IN MOVING UP THE COMMERCE LOGISTICS CENTER AS WELL. AS WELL AS WORKING WITH CAMP PARKWAY TO MAKE THE SITE AS ATTRACTIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR DEVELOPERS BECAUSE THAT'S THERE AREN'T MANY LARGE SITES IN VIRGINIA, AND THAT'S ONE THAT WE DO GET CALLS ON AND WE CONTINUE TO ANTICIPATE GETTING CALLS ON TO. EVENTUALLY IT BECOMES SOMETHING. I THINK THAT'S THE LAST SLIDE. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN THE PAST. WE APPRECIATE IT. LIKE I SAID, WE ASK FOR THE SAME AMOUNT, 100,000 FOR 2020 TO 2023 AND PEOPLE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS I'LL BE GLAD TO TAKE. TO THE QUESTIONS. I HAVE A COMMENT DOWN. HOME DAY IS SATURDAY AND THAT'S TOURISM AT ITS BEST. SO MY ENTITY, I THINK WE DO IT UP ON. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. I GOT ONE QUICK QUESTION. WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO START BUILDING THE CONCENTRATE PLANT? AND HOPEFULLY THEY'VE BEEN SAVING SUBMITTED THEIR SITE PLAN REVIEW? WE WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO GET THAT GOING. STILL WORKING ON THE PLAN AND WORKING OUT. IT'S I KNOW THEY SAID AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE IT BY MARCH, BUT IT'S IT'S GOING SMALLER. SO WE'RE HOPING BY THE SUMMER THEY'LL BE THROUGH THAT STEP. ANYTHING ELSE? THANKS, CARL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO GO? THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, GUYS. NIGHT. JUST A REMINDER, THE BUDGET CALENDAR IS PAGE 14 IN YOUR BOOKS. THANK YOU. SO OUR NEXT WORKSHOP IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THE 13TH. PUBLIC COMMENT, JOHN. PUBLIC COMMENT NEXT. NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SURE. AND THE 20TH AND THE 20. YOU GET TWO MORE TIMES TO GO AT IT. I'LL GET YOU MORE QUESTIONS. WHEN I WAS READING THIS ARTICLE ABOUT THE CIGARET TAX. WHAT I READ. LOOK, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THAT WAS LAST YEAR FOR LIFE. THAT ENTITIES COULD COULD GO TOGETHER. ESTABLISH THIS TAX. IT IS BEAR AND IN THAT CASE, BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE COLLECTION FEES. RIGHT. BECAUSE THEY'VE DONE ALL LIKE YOU DID WITH SOMEBODY. I DON'T THINK ALAWITE IS. THERE IS A NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL GROUP THAT INCLUDES FIVE OR SIX COUNTIES. AND THERE HAVE BEEN MAYBE ONE OR TWO OTHERS FORMED LAST YEAR OR TWO AND OTHERS ONLY 17,000, 80,000 PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY. AND I KNOW ALL OF THOSE, BUT FRANK CAN GET THE CIGARETS BECAUSE THE ONLY ONES RIGHT ON THE PERIMETER WHO WOULD DO THAT? BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DRIVE TO BUY CIGARETS. A LOT OF PEOPLE GET THEM IN THE GROCERY SHOP BY THE CARD. IF WE COULD GET IT, WE'LL GET 30,000 OUT OF IT. THAT WOULD BE A THIRD OF A PIN. I JUST HATE TO SHUT THE DOOR ON SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT WE CAN GO OUT OF THE BOX AND TRY TO MAKE IT WORK. TALK TO. TALK TO EMPLOYEE, AGREEABLE, FRANK, OR WHOEVER. SEE IF WE CAN SHARE THE COST OF. I'M JUST THERE FOR MYSELF. AND ONE MORE THING. HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GOT ALLOCATED FOR THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES? 5%. COST OF LIVING INCREASE. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR THE. DID EMPORIA AND FRANKLIN HAVE A CIGARET TAX? YEAH. BOTH OF THOSE HAVE HAD CIGARET TAXES FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE CITIES HAVE ALWAYS HAD [01:10:03] THE AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE A CIGARET TAX. IT WAS COUNTIES THAT WERE FIRST GRANTED THAT AUTHORITY TWO YEARS AGO NOW. SO EMPORIA AND FRANKLIN ARE ALREADY COLLECTING IT, HAVE BEEN COLLECTING IT FOR YEARS, AS ARE ALL OF THE CITIES IN THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION, WHICH WHEN WE FIRST STARTED LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF A REGIONAL ORGANIZATION HERE, THAT WAS THE PROBLEM I ENCOUNTERED IS MOST OF OUR REGIONAL NEIGHBORS IN THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA ARE ALREADY DOING IT. THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY INTEREST. THEY KNOW THEY HAD THE MACHINERY IN PLACE ALREADY. ISLE OF WIGHT, I KNOW THEY THEY MAY HAVE DONE SOMETHING MORE RECENTLY, BUT LAST YEAR IT CAME UP IN ISLE OF WIGHT AND I THINK THEY DECIDED TO HOLD BACK ON IMPOSING THE CIGARET TAX AT THAT GREENVILLE. IF THEY DO, IT'S RECENT. I MEAN, THEY HADN'T HAD THE AUTHORITY BUT TWO YEARS. SO I REALLY THINK I'M NOT SURE I READ THIS ARTICLE IN. YEAH. IS THE BUDGET ONLINE YET. YES, SIR. IT DIDN'T GET ON TO LIKE 5:00 THIS AFTERNOON. YEAH, THAT'S WHY I KNOW IT WAS NOT AT THAT. THANK YOU, MR. BURKETT. YOU COME IN WITH YOUR SOLUTIONS. THE NEXT TWO MEETINGS FOR US, PLEASE. NOW THEY COME UP THAT I KNOW. WE APPRECIATE THAT. I'M SAYING I WAS LIKE, HOW'S DALLAS? WE TALKED TO HIM TODAY. HE'S SOUNDED STRONG TODAY. SAYS HE HAS GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS. STILL A LOT OF DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS, BUT HOPES TO GET BACK. WE'RE PRAYING. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? MOTION TO ADJOURN 7/2 SECOND. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.