THIS TIME? YES, SIR. [Budget Workshop] [00:00:03] GOOD EVENING, FOLKS. WE'LL OPEN UP THE BUDGET WORK SESSION. SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, APRIL 19TH, 2013. AND WE DO HAVE A QUORUM TONIGHT. WE HAVE EVERYBODY HERE, AND I'LL TURN THE MEETING OVER TO MR. THROWER. WELCOME. I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE TONIGHT. HERE SAYING. SO, YEAH, WHAT WE WANTED TO DO JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH THE SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET AGAIN, YOUR BUDGET CALENDAR, WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON DATE WISE? AND WE DO HAVE AMY CARR, OUR COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE HERE TO GIVE YOU SOME INFORMATION ON VEHICLE ASSESSMENTS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THAT SPHERE THIS UPCOMING YEAR. SO MAYBE WE COULD START WITH AMY IF SHE'S READY. DO YOU WANT ME TO TALK TO THEM? YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. YOU ALL HAVE ASKED ME TO COME TONIGHT TO GIVE A LITTLE INSIGHT ON WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE 2023 PERSONAL PROPERTY VALUES. BUT BEFORE WE GO THERE, LET'S TALK FOR JUST A MINUTE ABOUT LAST YEAR'S OR LAST TAX YEAR. THE VALUE SKYROCKETED. I'M SURE NOBODY HAS FORGOTTEN THAT. AND LAST FEBRUARY, I SUBMITTED A LETTER ASKING THAT WE BE PROACTIVE IN FACING THE SPIKE IN THE MARKET AND ADDRESSING THE MANNER IN WHICH OUR CITIZENS WOULD BE AFFECTED. I PROVIDED FIVE DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE COULD CONSIDER TO LESSEN THE IMPACT FOR OUR CITIZENS. YOU ALL RESPONDED BY LOWERING THE TAX RATE. THIS WAS A BIG HELP TO THE TAXPAYER, BUT MOST EVERYONE STILL SAW AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS NEEDED TO COME OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET. IN 2021 WE ASSESSED 8.1 MILLION IN PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX AND THIS WOULD BE ITEMS THAT WERE ASSESSED AT THE $5 PER 100 RATE . IN 2022 VERSUS 10 MILLION AT THE $4.60 PER 100 IT WILL PROBABLY BE CLOSER TO 8.3 MILLION. SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS YEAR. NOW, I DID NOT HAVE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, SO I WENT AHEAD AND MADE COPIES SO THAT YOU ALL CAN READ ALONG WITH ME. THE 2023 AUTOMOBILE VALUES ARE REPRESENTING AN AVERAGE DECREASE OF 19% IN ALL SEGMENTS OF THE MARKET, WITH THE LARGEST REDUCTION BEING SEEN IN THE SUVS AND IN REGULAR SIZED PICKUPS. MANY OF THESE ARE AT A CONSIDERABLE DECREASE OF 23 TO 24%. WITH THIS BEING NOTED, MANY OF OUR CARS, PICKUPS AND SUVS HAVE FALLEN BELOW THE 2021 ASSESSMENT. HOWEVER, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW, ESPECIALLY THE LARGER PICKUPS, THAT ARE STILL RUNNING ABOVE THE 2021 VALUES. THE BIG TRUCKS ARE STILL INCREASING IN VALUE EVEN AFTER WE SAW A 75 TO 100% INCREASE IN 2022. THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THAT THE VALUES WILL CONTINUE TO DROP DURING THE YEAR. AND THIS MEANS THE VALUES ARE NOT ONLY REVERTING TO THEIR OLD, DEPRECIATING WAYS, BUT ALSO IT COULD BE AT A FASTER PACE THAN THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY. [INAUDIBLE] TO ASSESS THE VEHICLES AS OF JANUARY 1ST. SO WE WILL BE DEFENDING THE VALUES AS OF JANUARY 1ST, WHILE TAX BILLS ARE IN THE HANDS OF OUR CITIZENS, THE LAST QUARTER OF THE YEAR WHEN VALUES COULD BE MUCH LOWER. SO 2023 AND 2024 COULD STILL BE A BUMPY RIDE FOR US AS YOU CONSIDER THE TAX RATE FOR 2023 YOU ALSO NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE WITH THE VALUE DECREASING THIS YEAR, WE SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE AN INCREASE OF AT LEAST A COUPLE OF PERCENTAGE POINTS, I WOULD THINK, IN THE 20,000. AT THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED RATE, THE STATE WOULD PAY 29. ALONG WITH THE PROPOSED RATE, THE STATE WOULD PAY [00:05:07] I HAVE TAKEN A FEW OF OUR OWN VEHICLES BELONGING TO BOARD MEMBERS AND COUNTY EMPLOYEES THAT ARE HERE IN THIS ROOM AND SHOWN WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED WITH THE VALUES. I'VE APPLIED, THE PROPOSED TAX RATE AND THE 22 SO YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF TAX DUE BETWEEN 2022 AND 2023. SO THAT IS YOUR SECOND PAGE HERE. YOU SEE THAT MOST OF THE VALUES WELL IN FACT, ALL OF THESE HAVE GONE DOWN AND THEY ARE ALL BUT ONE OF THEM, I BELIEVE IS LOWER THAN THE 2021 VALUE. AND IN THE LAST COLUMN, IF YOU USE 2022 TAX RELIEF PERCENTAGE WITH THE 2023 PROPOSED RATE, THIS IS THE WHAT RATE IS THAT CALCULATED ON THE 4.8 OR 4.6? 4.8? AND FOR YOUR REFERENCE, I HAVE PROVIDED THE 2023 PROPOSED ACTIONS OF OUR NEIGHBORING LOCALITIES. SO YOU'LL SEE ON THE THIRD PAGE THAT OUT OF SEVEN LOCALITIES, ONE IS STILL USING AN ASSESSMENT RATIO, ALTHOUGH HIGHER THAN THE RATIO USED LAST YEAR, AND SIX ARE RETURNING TO THEIR 2021 RATES AND RATIOS. CAN I ASK YOU, WHAT WAS THE HOW MUCH DO WE TAKE IN LAST YEAR? WE ASSESSED LAST YEAR WE ASSESSED 10 MILLION. HOW MUCH? 10 MILLION. NOW, HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS COLLECTED? WHAT ARE WE THINKING ABOUT THIS YEAR? 8.3 IS WHAT WE'RE THINKING IT MIGHT COME OUT TO BE AT THE 1.7 MILLION? AT ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THE 8.3 YOU SAID WAS AT 4.8 OR 4.6. 8.3 IS AT 4.6. SO THAT RATE HADN'T CHANGED THEN 4.6 LAST YEAR, 4.6 THIS YEAR. IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO CHANGE THE RATE. RIGHT. WHAT WAS IT THE PREVIOUS YEAR WHEN IT WAS TO $5? IT WAS 8.1. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE A FEELING OF WHAT IS BEST OF 4.6 OR THE 4.8, WHAT THE COUNTY CAN HANDLE? IF YOU WANT TO TRY TO COLLECT THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY, THE 4.8 WOULD PROBABLY BE NECESSARY. I MEAN, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT WITH THE 4.6 WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A DECREASE FROM 10 MILLION TO 8 POINT. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT LISTED HERE. THIS IS MAYBE THIS IS JANUARY'S CRISIS. OKAY. SO THEY COULD BE A LOT LOWER NEXT MONTH, RIGHT? COULD BE A LOT LOWER BY THE TIME THEY GET THEIR TAX BILLS IN THEIR HANDS IN THE FALL. AND YOU ALSO SAY THAT THE BIG PICKUPS AND SUVS WILL NOT FALL. IS THAT RIGHT? NO. THE SUVS HAVE FALLEN THE MOST. SO WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR TAX BASE ARE THOSE BIGGER VEHICLES? I'VE GOT THAT. WE'VE GOT ABOUT 5400 SUVS VERSUS 8500 CARS JUST. THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD PERCENTAGE THERE. SO A PRETTY GOOD PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WILL BE PAYING AS MUCH OR MORE $600 LESS PER VEHICLE IF WE LEAVE IT WHERE IT'S AT SO THE SUVS ARE GOING TO DROP A LOT. SUVS THAT WAS THE BIGGEST SEGMENT. YOU'LL SEE WHAT IT'S 2018 TAHOE WENT LAST YEAR AT 48.5. THIS YEAR IS 34.2. SO THAT'S A HUGE DROP. AND YOU SEE THE HUGE INCREASE LAST YEAR THAT THEY WENT UP. SO THEY'RE TRYING TO GET BACK TO NORMAL THEN. LOOKS LIKE. [00:10:10] ANYMORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO WE APPRECIATE AMY GOING THROUGH THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR AMY? WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET THROUGH GET STARTED ON THE JUST THE SUMMARY. IF YOU GO TO BACK IN YOUR BOOK, I'M JUST GOING TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THE SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET AGAIN, JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY GENERALLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET ENTAILS. GENERAL FUND AGAIN, THE BUDGET IS $22,725,089 BY REVENUE. THE BY EXPENDITURE, THE TOTAL TRANSFER OUTS TO ALL THE OTHER FUNDS TOTAL $40,427,746. AND I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE LINE OF THIS. BUT AGAIN, THE PROPOSED RATE FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY GOES FROM 460 TO 480 AND REAL ESTATE FROM $0.89 TO $0.93. AND AGAIN, AS YOU'RE AWARE, THE PERSONAL PROPERTY RATE THE YEAR BEFORE WAS AT $5. NEW EXPENDITURES, PERSONNEL RELATED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, WE'VE INCLUDED A 7% COLA INCREASE FOR EMPLOYEES, A LINE ITEM FOR EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION, RECOGNITION AND WELLNESS AT $25,000, A PRETTY SMALL HOLIDAY BONUS OF $100 PER EMPLOYEE, INCLUDING SOCIAL SERVICES. THAT'S ABOUT $23,000, JUST A SMALL FIGURE FOR SOME SUPERVISORY TRAINING THAT WE WE REALLY NEED TO GET STARTED HERE IN THE COUNTY, PARTICULARLY IF WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING PERFORMANCE REVIEWS IN THE COMING YEAR AND YEARS. SHARED SERVICE, SHARED EMERGENCY SERVICES COORDINATOR WITH THE CITY OF FRANKLIN. AGAIN, THAT'S $75,000. AND THAT WILL HELP. YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO PAY FOR A POSITION. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST TIME, IF WE WERE TO PAY FOR THAT POSITION OURSELVES, YOU'RE LOOKING SOMEWHERE AROUND 130, 31, OR 32 THOUSAND DOLLARS AND NOT EVEN COUNTING INCREASES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT POSITION OVER 20 YEARS. THAT'S OVER $1 MILLION IN SAVINGS. SO I THINK WITH THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED, THAT POTENTIALLY COULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR THE COUNTY AND CITY GOING FORWARD FOR A SERVICE THAT WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE IN PLACE. AND NOT TO MENTION ON TOP OF THAT, OPERATING SUPPLIES A VEHICLE FOR THAT POSITION THAT WE WOULD NEED TO GET IF WE WERE TO HIRE OUR OWN AN OFFICE SPACE FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL. SO THOSE ARE SOME OTHER CONSIDERATIONS THAT YOU'RE SAVING THERE WITH A SHARED POSITION WITH THE CITY. A FULL TIME POSITION IN THE COMMISSIONER REVENUES OFFICE AND WE ESTIMATE AT 35,000 PER YEAR IN SALARY FOR THAT. PART TIME POSITION IN THE BOARD OF ASSESSORS COMMISSIONERS OFFICE FOR AT $15,000. AND AGAIN, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. WE DON'T HAVE A FACILITIES MANAGER PERSON TO MANAGE ALL THE FACILITIES IN THE COUNTY AND PARTICULARLY WITH THE COURTHOUSE PROJECT HOPEFULLY WRAPPING UP IN JANUARY OF NEXT YEAR. WE REALLY NEED SOMEBODY TO HELP MANAGE FACILITIES IN THE COUNTY. SO WE BUDGETED A HALF ESTIMATED HALF YEAR AT 37.5 FOR THAT. WE TALKED ABOUT IT AT THE LAST MEETING, 7% SALARY INCREASES FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF SINCE THEY WERE EXCLUDED WHEN THEY WERE CITY OF FRANKLIN EMPLOYEES FROM OUR FROM Y'ALL'S PREVIOUS SALARY STUDY Y'ALL DID SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND WE DID GET A SMALL INCREASE BUT HEALTH INSURANCE IS A BIG COUNTY COST OF ALMOST 3%. WE INCLUDED $20,000 FOR GATEWAY SIGNAGE THAT MOST OTHER LOCALITIES HAVE THAT WE CURRENTLY DON'T. IT WAS A SMALL INCREASE IN TIPPING FEES PROJECTED THROUGH CIPSA. THOSE ARE KIND OF THE MAIN NEW ITEMS IN THE GENERAL FUND ON THE ENTERPRISE, OUR WATER AND SEWER FUND. I DON'T BELIEVE YOU ALL INCREASED ANY FEES FOR WATER AND SEWER RATES LAST YEAR, BUT YOU SHOULD BE INCREASING IF NOTHING ELSE, NOT EVEN INCLUDING CAPITAL AND REGULAR TIME SHOULD BE INCREASING RATES AT LEAST 2 OR 3% A YEAR. SO WE'VE GOT 2% INCREASES INCLUDED IN ALL THE RATE CATEGORIES FOR WATER AND SEWER, AND THAT'S THOSE RATE [00:15:08] INCREASES ARE ESTIMATED TO BRING IN ABOUT $67,000 FOR OUR WATER AND SEWER FUND, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. WE'VE INCLUDED THE COST OF THE ARPA FUNDED PROJECTS AND WATER AND SEWER AT 2.3 MILLION. THE BUILDING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHOOL, THOSE PRETTY MUCH ARE SELF-EXPLANATORY. AND AS YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL FUND, WE'VE INCLUDED LEVEL FUNDING FOR OPERATIONS AND IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. AND JUST TO REMIND EVERYBODY WHAT THE BUDGET CALENDAR LOOKS LIKE COMING UP TONIGHT. YOU'RE HAVING YOUR LAST OF YOUR REGULARLY YOUR PRE SCHEDULED BUDGET WORK SESSIONS. AT YOUR MEETING ON APRIL 25TH COMING UP ON TUESDAY. THAT'S WHEN YOU WOULD TRY TO FINALIZE A BUDGET TO ADVERTISE AND AUTHORIZE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING. THAT WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE TIDEWATER NEWS ON APRIL 28TH. MAY 3RD WOULD BE PUBLICATION OF THE DRAFT BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING IN THE TIDEWATER NEWS MAY 15TH, YOU WOULD HAVE YOUR LEGALLY REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGETS. IN MAY 23RD, YOU WOULD HOPEFULLY ADOPT YOUR BUDGET. THOSE ARE THE STEPS. SO WE'LL LYNETTE AND I WILL TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL HAVE. WE WOULD AGAIN, THIS IS THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET AND OBVIOUSLY WE'RE REQUESTING THAT YOU ADOPT IT AS IS. BUT I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SO. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOUR 460 ON THE PERSONAL PROPERTY AND $0.04 ON THE REAL ESTATE. IS THAT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? YEAH 480, IT WILL GO UP $0.20, 480 ON PERSONAL PROPERTY AND $0.04 ON REAL ESTATE. I'D RATHER STAY BACK AT THE 460 ON THE PERSONAL PROPERTY. I GOT A FEW QUESTIONS SINCE I WASN'T HERE LAST WEEK. BOARD OF ASSESSORS. I NOTICED THEIR BUDGET WENT UP $120,000. I KNOW YOU MENTIONED YOU HAD TO RAISE IT FOR SOME PERSONNEL REASONS, BUT FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR, SO $120,000 MORE. THE BOARD OF ASSESSORS. YEAH. OKAY. SO THE CONTRACT WAS NEARLY $400,000. SO WE ALWAYS SPLIT THAT. HISTORICALLY, WE HAVE SPLIT THE COST OF THE REASSESSMENT OVER TWO YEARS. OKAY. SO WE HAD $200,000 IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 23, AND THEN THE REMAINDER OF IT IS SHOWING IN FISCAL YEAR 24 IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. YEAH, BECAUSE IT JUST LOOKS LIKE IT WENT UP 51%. THAT'S WHY I WAS JUST HAVING A QUESTION. WELL, THERE ARE SOME OTHER EXPENDITURES IN THERE TOO, BECAUSE THE SOFTWARE, THERE'S A SOFTWARE CHANGE TAKING PLACE. AND SO SOME OF THE WELL, ALL OF THE RECORDS IN MS. CARR'S OFFICE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE UPDATED TO THIS NEW SOFTWARE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, I NOTICED THAT WENT UP 57,000 FROM LAST YEAR. WHAT'S THE REASON FOR THAT? YOU KNOW, WENT FROM. SURE. LET ME. LET'S SEE. 497. YEAH. 554 YEAH. IT LOOKS LIKE LIKE ON I MEAN A LOT OF THIS YOU KNOW, SALARIES ARE YOUR BIGGEST SPEND. SO SOME OF THAT IS ATTRIBUTED TO SALARY INCREASES. THERE'S A BIG INCREASE IN EQUIPMENT. THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THERE. MAINTENANCE SERVICE CONTRACTS WENT UP ABOUT $9,000. OKAY. COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY WENT UP $70,000. IS THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO GET ANOTHER SOME MORE HELP OR. WENT FROM 805 TO 873. YEAH, AGAIN. AGAIN, SOME OF THAT IS PER SALARY EXPENSE. THAT'S FROM 531 TO 565. SO THAT'S MAJORITY OF THAT IT LOOKS LIKE. LET'S SEE. THEN YOU GOT FICA INCREASES ASSOCIATED WITH SALARY INCREASES. THE INSURANCE AGAIN, THE INSURANCE WENT UP JUST A TAD, TO $3000. LET'S SEE THE. OH, IT LOOKS LIKE THE BIG EXPENSE PAYMENT OF OPIOID FUNDS TO THE DRUG COURT. [00:20:04] IF YOU REMEMBER, THE GUY FROM SUFFOLK CAME. SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT CORRECTLY, THAT'S JUST PASS THROUGH MONEY. YEAH. AND THAT'S GOING INTO THIS BUDGET. RIGHT. BUT IT'S GOT TO SHOW IT'S GOT TO SHOW US. IT'S GOT TO SHOW UP AS A REVENUE AND EXPENSE. OKAY. BUT IT'S GOING THROUGH THAT. SO THAT'S, THE BIGGEST EXPENSE ON THAT PAGE OTHER THAN SALARIES. ALL RIGHT. AND I KNOW YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS THAT WENT YOU'VE GOT A $91,000 INCREASE ON THAT SO THAT'S 16.4% INCREASE. AND I GUESS YOU WANTED TO GET ANOTHER PERSON TO HELP WITH THE GROUNDS AFTER THE COURTHOUSE IS FINISHED. I BELIEVE THAT'S WHERE WE STUCK THAT HALF YEAR POSITION AT 37.5. YEAH. BUT YOU SEE WHAT I'M TRYING TO YOU KNOW IF YOU LOOK AT THAT YOU KNOW, BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS WENT FROM 559,000 TO 651. YEAH IT LOOKS SERVICE MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS WENT UP A LITTLE OVER $10,000. SEE, I'M TRYING TO FIND A FEW JANITORIAL SUPPLIES ABOUT $2000. UNIFORMS AND WEARING APPAREL $1500. OKAY. COUNTY BUILDINGS REPAIR. I MEAN, A LOT OF THESE ARE JUST INFLATIONARY. JUST ADDED COST. COUNTY BUILDING REPAIR, $5000 INCREASE. OKAY. SENIOR SERVICES $15,000 TO $20,000. SO THAT'S A 33.3% INCREASE. IS THAT SOMETHING THEY WERE ASKING FOR? THE SENIOR SERVICES? THAT'S 4000 LESS THAN WHAT THEY ASKED FOR. YEAH, BUT IF YOU LOOK ON THE LINE ITEM, LAST YEAR, THEY GOT $15,000 AND THIS YEAR THEY WON'T. THEY'RE SHOWING $20,000 THAT'S ON THE BUDGET. OKAY. YEAH. YES, THEIR REQUEST CAME IN AT 24, 291. THEY WERE JUST SAYING THAT WITH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT THEY SERVICE WITHIN OUR AREA. GOING UP. THAT WAS THE PERCENTAGE. BUT YOU. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO DO WHAT YOU THINK IS BEST. AND I'M SORRY ABOUT MY THROAT TODAY. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. SO THE OPIOID FUNDS, THE THE REVENUE IS SHOWN IN THIS BUDGET. AND BY SENDING IT THROUGH TO THE DRUG COURT, WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SPECIFIED WE WOULD DO WITH THE MONEY. AND SO THAT WAS IN THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY. THAT'S WHERE IT'S FLOWING THROUGH. IT'S JUST. AND WE'RE FLOWING IT THROUGH HIM AND WE'RE GETTING IT TO THE RIGHT PLACE AS IT NEEDS TO BE. AND MY LAST QUESTION IS ON THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. THAT'S UP 85,000 FROM 336 TO 432. IS THAT BASICALLY RAISES. THAT'S A 7% PLUS WHAT WE ADDED TO COMPENSATE FOR NOT BEING INCLUDED IN THE STUDY Y'ALL DID SEVERAL YEARS, THE COUNTY DID SEVERAL YEARS AGO. AND THERE ARE SOME NEW EXPENSES IN THERE. GATEWAY SIGNS, $20,000. AND THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE, IN MY OPINION, PLACE TO PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THAT'S A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TYPE INITIATIVE. YEAH. THAT'S HELPED SALARIES THAT WERE WAY BEHIND. LET'S SEE, THE GATEWAY SIGNS ARE THE BIG ONE AND THE SALARY INCREASES. I DON'T SEE A WHOLE LOT OF FLUCTUATION THERE. THAT'S GOT THE GATEWAY SIGNS INVOLVED IN THAT IN THAT NUMBER. YES, $20,000, 20,000. AND THEN OUT OF THE 85,000, LET'S SEE, I WAS JUST LOOKING, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR'S BUDGET WAS 336. THIS YEAR IS 432, $432,000. YEAH. AND PART OF THE NEWSOM'S PROJECT IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THERE $50,000. OKAY. SO THAT MONEY THAT WAS GRANT MONEY THAT YOU HAD TO RUN THROUGH THAT? WE HAVE SOME LOCAL MONEY THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH. OKAY. BUT YOU'VE GOT TO PUT THE EXPENSE IN SOME BUDGET AND THAT'S THE MOST APPROPRIATE PLACE TO PUT IT. MORE OF A PLACEHOLDER. [00:25:01] RIGHT? DEPENDING ON HOW FAR ALONG WE GET WITHIN THE GRANT IN FISCAL YEAR 24. YEAH, YOU'RE TRYING TO SPREAD THESE GRANTS AND ESTIMATE THEM OUT OVER SEVERAL YEARS. WELL, THAT EXPLAINS A LOT OF IT. THAT'S WHAT IT IS, ROBERT. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I GOT FOR NOW ANYWAY. [LAUGHTER] THOSE QUESTIONS WEREN'T TOO BAD. I GOT A COUPLE. YOU ANSWERED ALL OF THEM. SO, ROBERT. AM I EXPLAINING WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHO'S NEXT? DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? I NOTICED THAT THE RETREAT ALLOWANCE WENT FROM $200 TO $15,000. THAT'S A BIG CHUNK. AND I THOUGHT WE DECIDED WE JUST WANTED A ONE DAY RETREAT. WELL, WE REALLY HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THAT. YEAH, WE DID. WELL, MAYBE NOT AS A WHOLE. SO, YEAH, YOU COULD SCALE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO. YOU COULD SCALE THAT BACK A BIT IF YOU DID NOT WANT TO DO IT OUT OF TOWN. THAT WILL SAVE SOME HOTEL COSTS AND WHATNOT. SO YOU COULD CUT THAT BACK. BUT I WOULDN'T CUT IT BACK ANY LESS THAN 10 OR $11,000. TRAVEL, CONVENTIONS AND EDUCATION WENT FROM $300 TO $12,000. ARE YOU LOOKING ON PAGE 31? BUT IT WAS UNDER BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. UNDER BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. YEAH. YEAH, THAT'S THE [INAUDIBLE] EXPENSE FOR THE RETREAT OR PLANNING SESSION, AS SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO CALL IT. SO THE, TRAVEL AND EDUCATION THAT'S ACTUALLY DECREASED ONE $1,000 FROM $3,000 TO $2,000. OKAY. I WROTE DOWN $12,000. OFFICE SUPPLIES WENT FROM $4,000 TO 12,000. THAT'S UNDER BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AS WELL. I THINK BOARD OF SUPERVISORS DOESN'T HAVE OFFICE SUPPLIES. MAYBE I'LL LOOK UNDER COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. THAT'S WHERE IT IS. YES. I DIDN'T SEE THAT. IT WENT FROM. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. SO IT WAS $5,500 IN FISCAL YEAR 23. THE AMOUNT THAT HAS BEEN SPENT WITH INCREASES IN PRICES AND JUST SOME OF THE SUPPLIES THAT WE NEEDED, IT HAS GONE UP, TOO. WE'VE SPENT ABOUT $10,000 IN THERE. JUST THE FOLDERS WE USE, THE BINDERS WE USE. JUST DIFFERENT THINGS. WE HAD DEPLETED MUCH OF OUR SUPPLIES THAT WE HAD AND JUST TRYING TO STAY ON TOP OF IT. COST OF PAPER WENT UP SIGNIFICANTLY. MS. UPDIKE DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE? NO. I GOT ONE MORE UNDER THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. I BELIEVE LINDA GOT ME STRAIGHT ON THAT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. CITY OF FRANKLIN CHOWAN RIVER WENT FROM $9,200 TO 11,000. THAT IS OUR PART. AND I KNOW THEY HAD, I BELIEVE, ONE AREA DROPPED OUT, SO THAT DID INCREASE THE COST A LITTLE BIT FOR US. OKAY. SO THERE'S SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THAT. YES. WHAT SUSSEX, SURREY AND SOUTHAMPTON. ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY CITY OF EMPORIA, I KNOW WE JOINED IN WITH THAT WHEN Y'ALL STARTED THAT IN GREENSVILLE COUNTY. YEAH. SO I THINK LYNETTE'S RIGHT. I THINK ONE LOCALITY DID DROP OUT, WHICH INCREASED IT FOR EVERYBODY A LITTLE BIT. UNDER PUBLIC SAFETY LYNETTE, THE 63% INCREASE FOR SROS. ISN'T THAT JUST PASS THROUGH MONEY AS WELL? MOST OF IT IS, YES. THE GRANT. SO THE GRANT WILL COVER SOME AND THEN THE SCHOOLS WILL PAY US BACK THE LOCAL PORTION THAT'S NOT COVERED BY THE GRANT. AND SO THE REVENUE IS SHOWN IN TWO DIFFERENT SPOTS. ONE, IT'S SHOWN IN THE LOCAL PORTION FOR THE PART THE SCHOOL PAYS US BACK AND THEN THE STATE PORTION FOR THE GRANT PART. THANK YOU. SO WHAT I WOULD NORMALLY RECOMMENDED IF THE BOARD [00:30:09] IN THIS CASE HAD BEEN COUNCIL'S PREVIOUS CASE, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO MY OBJECTIVE IS TO LOOK OUT FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND WHAT WE FEEL THE BEST NEEDS ARE FOR THE ORGANIZATION GOING FORWARD. IF YOU HAVE CHANGES, THE FIRST PLACE I START LOOKING IS OUTSIDE GROUPS. SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO CUT EXPENSES, ALTHOUGH I DON'T RECOMMEND IT, BUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO CUT EXPENSES, THEN YOU LOOK AT OUTSIDE CIVIC GROUPS, THOSE KIND OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE DISCRETIONARY. SINCE OUR MAIN FOCUS IS THE INTERNAL OPERATIONS OF THE COUNTY, I DON'T EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR OWN PHILOSOPHY ON THAT. BUT. LYNETTE. YES. IF YOU WOULD, WHERE YOU HAVE THE ACTUALS AS OF MARCH 23RD. YES. WHAT PAGE YOU'RE ON THERE. WELL, I WAS WELL, I WAS JUST COMING THROUGH. I WAS ON 54. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. IT'S IN ANY OF THESE PROJECTIONS WHERE YOU HAVE PUT THE ACTUAL SPENT AS OF, I ASSUME, THE END OF THIRD QUARTER. YES. SO PLEASE REMEMBER, EVERYTHING RUNS A MONTH BEHIND. SO WHEN WE START THE YEAR IN JULY, THOSE BILLS DON'T COME UNTIL AUGUST. SO JUST PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND. SO IN YOUR MIND, YOU MAY SEE MARCH AND SAY, WELL, WE ONLY HAVE TO GO. WE ONLY HAVE TO PAY BILLS FOR APRIL, MAY, JUNE. ACTUALLY, YOU GOT ONE MORE MONTH IN THERE. BECAUSE WE BY AUDITOR OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS STANDARDS. WE HAVE TO KEEP THE BOOKS OPEN TO CAPTURE ANY INVOICES WE RECEIVED AFTER JUNE 30TH FOR SERVICES OR GOODS THAT WERE RECEIVED BY JUNE 30TH. AND I'LL FOLLOW YOU. BUT MY QUESTION IS, AT THE END OF THIRD QUARTER, IS IT REASONABLE TO ASSUME WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE THE MONTHLY FROM THAT NUMBER? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO ENCOUNTER THE MONTHS AHEAD? THE LAST THREE MONTHS. POTENTIALLY THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. OKAY. AND THEN WHEN YOU GET TO THE DEPARTMENT REQUEST WHERE THERE'S AN INCREASE IS THAT PROJECTED ON INFLATION? IT'S BASED ON WHAT PRICES WE'RE SEEING NOW AND WHAT CONTRACTS WE HAVE THAT WHERE THEY'RE TELLING US WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PAYING FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. AND JUST WHERE WE HAVE ACTUAL INCREASES IN EXPENSES THAT WE WE HAVE TO MAKE TO OPERATE. YEAH. OKAY. BUT ALONG THE WAY, COMING TO END OF MARCH THIS YEAR. THESE NUMBERS HAVE REFLECTED INFLATION FOR THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS. I MEAN, THEY ARE ACTUAL NUMBERS. YES, SIR. SO MOVING FORWARD THE LAST QUARTER, THE UNKNOWN IS THE DIFFERENCE IN INFLATION. IT COULD VERY WELL BE. COMING GOING FORWARD THAT WE DON'T WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BE. IT COULD BE, YES. BUT WILL THAT BE A GOOD GAUGE TO RUN THE REST OF THE YEAR REALIZING THAT YOU'RE A MONTH BEHIND PAYING PAYING OUT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR? IT COULD FOR SOME THINGS. YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS ARE ON CONTRACT LIKE JOHNSON CONTROLS. WE DO OUR MAINTENANCE, OUR HVAC MAINTENANCE AND ALL SO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PAYING FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR. A BIG PORTION OF ALL OF THESE SECTIONS ARE SALARIES AND BENEFITS. SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE FIXED. WE KNOW WHAT OUR HEALTH INSURANCE IS GOING TO BE. WE ARE PROJECTING WHAT OUR SALARIES WILL BE. [00:35:07] SO MUCH OF WHAT WE HAVE, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE LIKE GASOLINE, HEATING COST, ELECTRICAL COSTS, THEY COULD ALWAYS CHANGE, BUT WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY NOTIFICATIONS OF THAT. SO YOUR BIG CHUNKS OF MONEY IN HERE ARE YOUR PROPOSED SALARY INCREASES AND THE ITEMS I KIND OF WENT THROUGH EARLIER. SO I GUESS YOU'VE GOT A DECISION ON INCREASING THESE TAX RATES VERSUS WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH. OKAY, I NOTICED. OKAY, WE HAVE THE DEPARTMENT REQUEST, AND THEN WE HAVE THE PROPOSED. AND I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT LAST WEEK, HOW THEY EMPHASIZE NEED FOR SALARY. IS THAT INCLUDED IN THIS? IT'S INCLUDED. YES, SIR AT THE 7% MARK. BUT AGAIN, THAT'S AS BETH MENTIONED LAST TIME, THAT'S 28TH OF THE EIGHTH OF A CENT ON THE REAL ESTATE TAX RATE. SO THAT'S NOT A MAJOR CHUNK OF CHANGE EITHER. GOING BACK, ROBERT, TO I THINK IT WAS YOUR QUESTION, ROBERT, AND YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT THE RIVER BASIN, CHOWAN RIVER BASIN. THE PARTICIPATING LOCALITIES ARE THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, CITY OF EMPORIA, ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY AND GREENSVILLE COUNTY. SO SUSSEX AND SURREY ACTUALLY DROPPED OUT. SO THAT'S WHY OURS WENT UP. WELL, HOW DID THEY JUST DROP OUT? I MEAN, WE GOT TO PAY IT. HOW COME THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY IT? [LAUGHTER] THEY MUST HAVE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY DECIDED THAT THE RIVERS RUNNING THROUGH THIS WAY DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH IMPACT ON THEM. SO THEY DECIDED THEY EITHER HAVE OTHER WAYS OF MONITORING, BUT I CAN TELL YOU IT'S VERY BENEFICIAL FOR OUR AREA. YEAH, I REMEMBER WHEN THIS CAME UP YEARS AGO. OH, I UNDERSTAND. WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE RIVERS, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. BUT IT MUST BE YOU CAN GET OUT YEAR TO YEAR. IT HELPS PROJECT THE FLOOD STAGES. SO THAT IT INCREASED FROM $57,000. THAT'S ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT HIRING ANOTHER PERSON IN IT? NO. THAT'S FOR SOFTWARE AND UPGRADES AND MAINTENANCE SERVICE? WHAT PAGE IS THAT ON? I'M GONNA FIND IT. YEAH. IF YOU LOOK ON THE BREAKDOWN, YOU KNOW, THE TOP PAGE, PAGE TEN ACTUALLY DOESN'T HAVE A PAGE NUMBER ON IT, BUT IT'S GOT THE WHOLE BREAKDOWN. I THINK YOU CALL IT THE 30,000 FOOT VIEW OF THE BUDGET, WHICH YOU GAVE US A BLOWED UP COPY OF IT. THERE YOU GO. RIGHT THERE. AND IF YOU LOOK DOWN ON THE GENERAL FUND INCREASES, YOU COME DOWN TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. KNOW THAT WENT UP 120,000. I WAS JUST I MEAN, $57,000. I'M SORRY. YEAH. A LOT OF THAT SALARY INCREASE, SOME OF IT'S. ABOUT $20,000 IS EQUIPMENT INCREASE. OKAY. 20,000 ON EQUIPMENT AND THE REST. TELECOMMUNICATIONS WENT UP ABOUT $3,000. OKAY. MAINTENANCE SERVICE CONTRACTS WENT UP NEARLY 10,000, AND THEN THE LICENSES AND SOFTWARE WENT UP BY 8$,000. I'VE HAD TO DO SOME UPGRADES BECAUSE IT WAS JUST THE BUDGET WENT UP BY 12%. YES, SIR. YEAH. [00:40:05] OKAY, WITH WHAT WE'RE TAKING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, WHAT BALANCE DOES THAT LEAVE IN THE GENERAL FUND? SO IF YOU GO TO THE BACK OF YOUR BOOK, LET'S SEE HERE. LET'S GO TO PAGE 112. AND THAT SHOWS YOUR GENERAL FUND RESERVE. AND SO YOU SEE FISCAL YEAR 22 JUNE 30TH OF FISCAL YEAR 22, WE ENDED AT 11.3 MILLION. AND IN FISCAL 23, WE ARE PROJECTED TO USE ONE NEARLY 1.3 MILLION OF THE GENERAL FUND. SO THAT WILL TAKE US DOWN TO ABOUT 10 MILLION. AND THEN FISCAL YEAR 24, BASED ON PROPERTY TAXES BEING ASSESSED AT $4.80 PER 100, AND THE REAL ESTATE TAX AT $0.93 PER 100. WE WOULD END UP AT A FUND BALANCE OF 8.8 MILLION. WHICH YOU CAN SEE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE REALLY STARTING TO DIP DOWN. SO JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, AS I THINK YOU ALL ARE AWARE, WE'RE WORKING ON FINANCIAL POLICY GUIDELINES NOW WHERE IT ESTABLISHES APPROPRIATE FUND BALANCES MOVING FORWARD. AND AT SOME POINT IN THE NEAR FUTURE, DAVENPORT AND COMPANY WILL BE HERE TO PRESENT THAT TO YOU. BUT WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING MUCH ANY FURTHER DOWN FROM THAT 8.8 MILLION. WE NEED TO START BUILDING THAT BACK UP FROM WHERE Y'ALL TOOK SOME OF THAT TO FUND THE COURTHOUSE EXPENSE. IN FISCAL YEAR 23, WE UTILIZED 1 MILLION OF THE FUND BALANCE TO HELP PAY COURTHOUSE DEBT SERVICE. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT NOW, THERE IS A MILLION OF FUND BALANCE THAT IS GOING TO BE USED TO HELP SUPPLEMENT THE PERSONAL PROPERTY. BECAUSE AS AMY WAS EXPLAINING, THE RATES YOU SET THE RATE AT 460 $4.60 IN FISCAL IN FISCAL YEAR 23. THAT WAS THE MONEY THAT WAS COLLECTED IN DECEMBER OF 22. WE ENDED UP COLLECTING MORE THAN WAS ANTICIPATED. SO WE'RE UTILIZING THAT MONEY TO HELP KEEP THE NUMBERS DOWN AND THE RATES DOWN IN THE BUDGET AS FAR AS THE PERSONAL PROPERTY. DOWN TO 4.8. YES. SO WHICH AND THE 4.8 SHOULD STILL GIVE SOME RELIEF TO PEOPLE ALSO. SO IN A ROUNDABOUT WAY, WE ARE GIVING RELIEF, SO TO SPEAK. ANYTHING ELSE? WHAT IS THE ACTUAL COLA RATE? WHAT WE HAVE PUT IN HERE IS 7%, BUT COST OF LIVING INCREASE? YEAH, 7%. IT'S ACTUALLY 7%. THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE PUT IN THE BUDGET IN THE ANTICIPATION THAT CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS THROUGH THE COMPENSATION BOARD WILL GET 7%. NOW, CURRENTLY 5% IS ABSOLUTELY GOOD. WE'RE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE OTHER 2% WILL BE APPROVED WHEN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RECONVENES. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE LOBBYIST. IF THAT DID NOT HAPPEN, WE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE TO GO BACK AND MAKE A CHANGE. SO ALL THE LOCALITIES BUDGETS ARE LIKE IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR IN FLUX BECAUSE OF THE STATE BUDGET AT THIS TIME, NOT KNOWING WHETHER IT'S GOING TO BE 5 OR 7%. SO ALL THE MANAGERS AND FINANCE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET OUR ARMS AROUND THIS STATE BUDGET ISSUE. WELL, THOSE FEW LINE ITEMS THAT I ASKED ABOUT WAS ABOUT A $500,000, YOU KNOW, HALF MILLION [00:45:04] DOLLAR INCREASE ALTOGETHER IF YOU ADD THEM ALL UP AND. I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM ONE OF THEM WAS 51% INCREASE, 11%, 9%, 16%, 33%, 28%. AND I KNOW SOME OF THEM IS NEEDED. BUT YOU DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY WAY I'M FIGURING IF WE COULD JUST FIND $250,000 IN THIS WHOLE BUDGET OUT OF 89 MILLION TO CUT SPENDING, THAT'S $0.14 A HUNDRED ON PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX. SO. WE COULD KEEP FROM PASSING ON 15, YOU KNOW, I'D SAY ADD $0.05, 100 AND, YOU KNOW, TO 465. IF YOU CAN CUT OUT $250,000 SOMEWHERE. THAT WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT MORE PALATABLE TO THE TAXPAYERS. I KNOW IT'S HARD. I MEAN, I'VE STUDIED THIS THING PRETTY HARD TODAY AND IT'S HARD TO FIND $250,000 IN THIS 89 MILLION. YEAH, IT SOUNDS, YOU KNOW, $90 MILLION BUDGET. BUT YEAH, IN ACTUALITY, WHEN YOU GET TO THE DETAILS. MOST OF IT'S SPENT. IT'S NOT A WHOLE LOT BECAUSE A LOT OF IS CONSTITUTIONAL IN THE SCHOOLS BUT IF WE JUST TOOK OUT OF THOSE EIGHT LINE ITEMS I PICKED OUT THAT SEEMED TO HAVE THE BIGGEST INCREASES IN WHICH THAT'S AND THIS WOULD STILL GIVE EVERYBODY A RAISE THAT ARE IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS. IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF WAY YOU COULD TRIM, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OUT OF IT, IT WOULD SAVE THE TAXPAYERS A LOT ON THE TAX BILL. SO. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYBODY'S CALLING FOR THE RECESSION TO HIT US AGAIN TOWARD THE END OF THE SUMMER AND FIRST OF THE FALL. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD YEAR. YEAH. SO I THINK YOU DID GOOD ON THE SCHOOL BUDGET LEVEL FUNDING THAT AND. BUT IF SOME KIND OF WAY I DON'T SEE ANY, YOU KNOW, THE CIVIC STUFF, WE DIDN'T JUST ABOUT CUT IT ALL OUT. WE'VE DONE THAT. THAT'S BEEN DONE. WE CUT OUT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO SEVERAL THINGS, AND ALL OF THEM ARE RAISING MONEY ITSELF. RIGHT. IT DOES HAVE 5000 IN HERE FOR THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY THIS YEAR. IS THAT THE MAHOMES TAVERN OR THAT'S SEPARATE? I THINK IT'S FOR REBECCA VAUGHAN HOUSE, ISN'T IT? OKAY. YES, IT'S ALL UNDER ONE SECTION. MAHOMES WAS $1,250, I THINK. YEAH, WASN'T IT? I THINK WE'VE CUT ALL OF THAT STUFF AS MUCH AS WE CAN CUT IT. MAHOMES WAS $2,000. YEAH. BUT I'D BE WILLING TO CUT THE 15,000 FOR THE RETREAT. WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS RETREAT, BECAUSE IF THERE'S ANYTHING I HOPE YOU ALL DON'T CUT IS THE RETREAT, BECAUSE THIS RETREAT PLANNING SESSION, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, THAT'S GOING TO FORM THE BASIS. THAT'S WHAT MOST OTHER LOCALITIES HAVE AN ANNUAL RETREAT OR EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS TO SET THEIR VISION, THEIR PRIORITIES. AND IT'S THE WAY I HELP EACH WE Y'ALL, AS A GOVERNING BODY, SET YOUR PRIORITIES FOR 2 OR 3 YEARS YOUR VISION. IT HELPS PROVIDE A ROADMAP TO ME OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER. HELP US MEET PUT TOGETHER A BUDGET BASED ON YOUR PRIORITIES. SO IF ANYTHING, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DON'T CUT OUT A RETREAT TO SET YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT 2 OR 3 YEARS, BECAUSE THAT BY FAR IS THE MOST, IN MY OPINION, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN OUTSIDE OF SALARIES FOR EMPLOYEES AND TAKING CARE OF EMPLOYEES. IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. I'M NOT SAYING DO AWAY WITH THE RETREAT. I'M SAYING WE DON'T NEED TO SPEND $15,000 TO GO AWAY SOMEPLACE. A LOT OF US CANNOT BE AWAY FOR A WHOLE WEEKEND. YOU COULD CUT IT DOWN TO 10,000 IF YOU WANT TO CUT IT THERE. AND THAT WILL SAVE US SOME MONEY. I AGREE WITH MS. UPDIKE. I THINK 15,000 BUCKS, I'M DON'T WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE AND SPEND COUNTY MONEY, $15,000. I CAN STAY HERE AND SPEND $500 AND WE CAN ALL GET TOGETHER HERE AND HAVE A PICNIC OR SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW. SO THE IF YOU'RE GOING TO A RETREAT, A PROPER RETREAT IS HAVE IT FACILITATED BY A TRAINED FACILITATOR. SO YOU'RE GOING TO PAY AT THE MINIMUM $6,000. AND THE PERSON I USE IN THE PAST IS PROBABLY ABOUT 8 OR $9,000. SO, YOU KNOW, RETREAT DONE PROPERLY. YOU BRING IN A TRAINED OUTSIDE FACILITATOR AND IT'S A VERY THOROUGH PROCESS. [00:50:04] IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GO MEET FOR A FEW HOURS ON A SATURDAY AND JUST KIND OF TALK. I MEAN, WE CAN DO IT THAT WAY, BUT IN MY OPINION, THAT'S NOT GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT MUCH. I THINK THAT RETREAT IS REAL IMPORTANT. IT IS. BECAUSE I THINK IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAN AND EVEN FOR SOMETIMES EVEN TO LEARN HOW TO PLAN. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO A RETREAT. I THINK WE SHOULD PUT SOME. I DO, TOO. BUT I DON'T WANT TO SPEND $15,000 ON A RETREAT. I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT. WELL, I'M NOT SAYING SPEND A LOT OF MONEY. I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT THE VALUE OF IT. AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT A FACILITATOR. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE NEVER REQUIRED A FACILITATOR BEFORE. WE'VE ALWAYS MADE DECISIONS ON OUR OWN HERE. AND I THINK WE NEED A FACILITATOR. IN MY OPINION, YOU NEED A TRAINED FACILITATOR TO BRING OUT THE BEST WORK PRODUCT YOU CAN GET. ME AND US TRYING TO PUT A PLAN TOGETHER THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE VERY PRODUCTIVE. I CAN TELL YOU THAT THAT'S MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION AND RECOMMENDATION, HAVING DONE MANY OF THESE. SO IF ANYTHING, YOU DON'T CUT IN THE BUDGET. YOU CAN LIKE I SAID, YOU CAN CUT THAT BACK A LITTLE BIT, MAYBE 10,000. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED AN OUTSIDE FACILITATOR TO DO A REAL RETREAT. ARE YOU PAYING FOR THE MATERIAL OR THE PERSON? THE PERSON. I MEAN, YOU MAY PAY FOR SOME SUBS AND PIZZA. NO, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CONTENT OF THE RETREAT. YOU'RE PAYING FOR THE SERVICE? YES, SIR. YEAH, I MEAN, I PARTICIPATED IN ONE AND BEEN TO THEM. AND BRIAN IS 100% CORRECT. IT IS RETREAT IS A BAD WORD. IT'S NOT A RETREAT. IT'S A WORKING IT'S A PLANNING SESSION. AND YOU DO IT. AND THE PLANNING IS DONE FOR YEARS. CORRECT. BASED UPON THAT EVENT. SO, I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT WE DON'T NEED TO THINK ABOUT RETREAT, BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE RETREATING. I CAN TELL YOU. IF WE SAVE MONEY ON LOCATION AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS, ACCOMMODATIONS, YEAH, WE CAN NOT GO OUT OF TOWN IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT AND SAVE SOME MONEY IN HOTEL COSTS. BUT YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO. YOU GOT TO BE AWAY FROM PHONES, NO PHONES AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. YOU CAN'T BE HAVE YOUR PHONE ON YOUR HIP AND BE WORLDLY CONNECTED AND IT'D BE AN EFFECTIVE RETREAT. IT WOULD NOT WORK. WELL, I'M GAME FOR IT. I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MAYBE WE CAN CUT IT BACK A LITTLE BIT AND IF WE COULD KEEP IT AT AROUND 10,000 OR SO, THAT WOULD. MAYBE JUST TRY IT. LET'S SEE WHAT'S INVOLVED IN IT. LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO CUT SOMEWHERE AT THE END OF THE DAY, I MEAN, THIS IS A RELATIVELY SMALL COST CUT OTHER STUFF. BUT ANYWAY, WE CUT. SO WE CUT THAT BY $5,000. WE NEED $245,000 MORE. YEAH, THERE YOU GO. SO, YEAH. [LAUGHTER] OH, I THINK WE CAN DO THAT. I THINK THAT'S A DOABLE AMOUNT. SO WE TALKED ABOUT IT WAS ON YOUR AGENDA. I DON'T KNOW HOW Y'ALL HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST, BUT WHEN WE I'VE ALWAYS DONE IN PAST LOCALITIES, WHEN THE BOARD STARTS MAKING COUNCIL BOARD STARTS MAKING CHANGES, WE DO STRAW VOTES BECAUSE IT'S HARD FOR ME AND THE STAFF AND LYNETTE TO TRY TO INTERPRET WHAT THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD IS THINKING. SO I'VE ALWAYS ASKED FOR STRAW VOTES WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD. IF Y'ALL WANT TO START MAKING DEDUCTIONS OR ADDITIONS WITH FOUR VOTES. IF Y'ALL. ANYBODY ELSE GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS? YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO WITH 465 ON THE PERSONAL PROPERTY THAT WHAT YOU SAID. BUT WE GOT TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO. DO THAT AND FIND IT. I THINK. NOT ABOUT THE EQUIVALENT OF $0.20. YEAH I'D WHOLE LOT RATHER PAY REAL ESTATE $0.04 ON REAL ESTATE THEN 20 MORE CENTS ON PERSONAL PROPERTY. JUST TO GIVE YOU ALL SOME PERSPECTIVE, WE WOULD HAVE TO RERUN THESE NUMBERS. BUT I BELIEVE IF YOU CUT BACK THE IF YOU CUT BACK THE PERSONAL PROPERTY FROM 4.80 TO 4.60, WE THINK THAT'S FOUR. WELL, 4.60 THAT'S 300. THAT'S ABOUT 3.55 3.56 IN REVENUE. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND. YEAH. REVENUE OR EXPENSE ADDITIONAL. SO MAYBE WE CAN MEET HALFWAY THEN. 4.70. SO YOU ALSO GOT TO KEEP IN MIND WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PERSONAL PROPERTY RATES IN THE STATE. [00:55:03] WE'RE NUMBER 5 OR 6, I BELIEVE. OKAY. SO, LOOK, I TOOK SOME TIME THIS AFTERNOON. I KNOW THIS DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR BUDGET, BUT I LOOKED ON HARTFORD COUNTY'S BUDGET, AND THEY'VE GOT 23,000 PEOPLE. THEY GOT 5000. THEIR POPULATION IS 23,000. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW IN THE WORLD THEY DO IT, BUT THEIR PROPERTY, THEIR TAX RATE IS $0.84 ACROSS THE BOARD. THAT'S EVERYTHING. PERSONAL PROPERTY, REAL ESTATE. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW IN THE WORLD THEY CAN DO THAT WITH 5000 MORE PEOPLE THAN WE'VE GOT. SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE GOT A BIGGER SCHOOL SYSTEM THAN WE'VE GOT. AND THEY'VE ALSO GOT LAND USE. AND THEY DO HAVE LAND USE TAXATION. SO YEAH, THERE'S ACTUALLY A BOOK THAT THE WELDON COOPER CENTER, I THINK IT'S THE WELDON COOPER CENTER PUBLISHES. AND THEY SHARE ALL THE TAX RATES FOR THE CITIES, TOWNS AND COUNTIES. I MEAN IT'S KNOW IT'S A BOOK ABOUT THAT I CAN GIVE YOU ALL COPIES OF THAT AND IT MAY BE A YEAR OR TWO OLD THE RATES BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THEY EVEN PUBLISH THOSE ANYMORE. BUT WHAT YOU IF I HEARD CORRECTLY, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS A STRAW VOTE FROM THIS BOARD AS TO MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MIGHT BE CUTS TO WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED ? YES,. ANY PROPOSED CUTS OR ADDITIONS? WELL, I WOULD AMENDMENTS SO YOU SAY. [LAUGHTER] I CAN ASSUME MOST OF THEM WILL BE CUTS. I WOULD THINK THAT WE COULD TAKE THE THE COMMENTS FROM EACH BOARD MEMBER IN TO THE 452 COMMITTEE'S HANDS AND CONSIDER EACH THING EACH COMMENT THAT THE SUPERVISORS HAVE AND MEET WITH LYNETTE AND HAVE THAT READY BY. WHEN DO YOU WANT IT, BRIAN? NEXT TUESDAY. TUESDAY. YEAH, THAT'S FINE. SOUNDS GOOD WITH ME. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT? YES. SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THAT MOTION? AYE. OKAY. IN THE HANDS OF SUPERVISORS CORNWELL AND SUPERVISORS GILLETTE. Y'ALL HAVE HEARD EVERYTHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT, SO. YEAH, I HEARD IT, BUT I'D RATHER SEE NOTES. OKAY. BUT I MEAN, IF WE COULD CUT IT ACCORDING TO MY FIGURE AND I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S I CAN'T FIGURE STRAIGHT. NOW IF YOU COULD EACH IF YOU WILL JUST JOT DOWN YOUR NOTES. I GOT IT. I'LL MAKE YOU A COPY OF IT. AND BUT IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU? YOU CAN FIND $250,000. TO ME, THAT WOULD BE HUGE FOR THE TAXPAYERS. BUT I DON'T WANT TO CUT ANY SALARIES LIKE BETH LEWIS. SHE NEEDS A RAISE. [LAUGHTER] SHE WORKS HARD FOR THIS COUNTY, THE PLANNING COMMISSION. SHE SPENDS HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION. SHE'S ALSO SAVED US I CALCULATED ABOUT 450 TO $500,000 ON STUFF WE'VE DONE IN HOUSE IN THE LAST 5 OR 6 YEARS. AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT TEACHERS AND TEACHER RAISES. SO HOPEFULLY WE SAID, WHAT'S THEIR LEVEL OF FUNDING? THE SCHOOL DEPUTY SAID, BRIAN. YES, SIR. THAT'S WHAT YOU RECOMMEND. OKAY. WHEN YOU SAY THAT. IN THERE WE SAID LEVEL OF FUNDING. I SEE IN. LEVEL LOCAL FUNDING FOR OPERATIONS. OKAY. OKAY. THEY'RE GOING TO GET INCREASED. THEY'RE GOING TO GET STATE AND FEDERAL. THE STATE BUDGET IS IN FLUX, BUT THEY WILL MORE THAN LIKELY GET MORE STATE MONEY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? WELL, I HAVE 454 GOING ON RETREAT. 454. [LAUGHTER] 452. OR 452 OR WHATEVER. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? I FORGOT IT. OH, I KNOW WHAT IT WAS ON THE SCHOOL BUDGET. CAN WE REDUCE IN ONE CATEGORY AND INCREASE IN ONE OR WHATEVER WE. I THINK WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS WE'D LIKE THE TEACHERS TO GET AS MUCH AS THEY COULD. AND PUBLICLY THE ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES ARE WAY OUT OF WHACK COMPARED TO THE TEACHERS. [01:00:02] THE TOP PEOPLE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ARE GETTING OVER $200,000 A YEAR. THE TEACHERS ARE GETTING AROUND 50. 53. OKAY. SO IF THERE'S SOME WAY WE COULD FUNNEL MORE TO THE TEACHERS, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE TEACHERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE SYSTEM. THAT'S BEEN OUR QUESTION AS FAR AS THE SCHOOL BOARD FUNDING IS CONCERNED. THIS LIST OF QUESTIONS THAT THEY ANSWERED. THEY ANSWERED ONLY PART OF THEM. THEY DIDN'T ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS. SO WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT THEY ANSWERED. I WOULD ASSUME THE ONES THAT THEY DIDN'T ANSWER, WE GOT NO WAY TO TAKE THOSE THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION. SO. DID WE VOTE ON THE MOTION? WE DID. WE TURNED IT. I DON'T THINK WE DID. NO, WE DIDN'T. WE HAD A MOTION AN A SECOND BECAUSE SHE CAME UP WITH IT. I DIDN'T HEAR HIM. ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY, IT'S IN YOUR HANDS. MIGHT HAVE DONE IT. YEAH, WE DID IT. I HAD A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF RATTLING AROUND. IT DON'T HURT TO DO IT TWICE. THAT REALLY MAKES IT OFFICIAL. YEAH. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? YOU WERE RIGHT WHEN LAST WEEK, WHEN YOU SAID THAT WE WERE 20% VACANCY. ACTUALLY, YOU WERE WRONG BECAUSE IT'S 24.83%. AND LAST MEETING I DID MAKE AN ERROR. I SAID THAT THE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY SCHOOLS WERE TEACHER VACANCY WAS NUMBER ONE IN THE THIS AREA, THE NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE. THAT'S ALMOST 21%. AND THIS CAME FROM THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. SO I STAND IN ERROR AND I STAND CORRECTED THERE. YOU WANT TO READ WHAT THE OTHERS ARE. EXCUSE ME. YOU WANT ME TO READ WHAT THE OTHERS ARE? GO AHEAD. SOUTHAMPTON WAS NUMBER ONE AT 20.83. CHARLES CITY WAS NUMBER TWO WITH 16.92. CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, 16.48. NORFOLK CITY, 15.18. NOTTOWAY COUNTY 14.09. FRANKLIN CITY 12.95. BLAND COUNTY 10.6. LYNCHBURG CITY 10.54. PRINCE EDWARD 10.49. KING AND QUEEN 10.42. AND IT GOES ON. STATEWIDE THERE ARE 3500 POSITIONS VACANT, ACCORDING TO THE RICHMOND TIMES [INAUDIBLE] AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. THAT WAS IN LAST WEEK'S PAPER. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? NOT WELL. ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.