Budget and Finance Committee Meeting

November 17, 2004 – 7:30 a.m.

DRAFT Minutes

Members present: Kurt Behrenfeld, Chairman; Marilyn Brown; Kay Breed; Newell Willcox; Carol Tytler; Dr. Paul DiGiovanni; Danny Ross; Scott Steve, Chairman of the Legislature

Others present: Ann Homer, Scott Schrader, Merwin Armstrong, Rob Corpora, Jane Goldner, John Carroll, Bob Duell, Brenda DeRusso, Dave Wern, Lee Price, Toni Seamans, Tom Huttleston, Brian Liberatore, Larry Cornell

Chairman Behrenfeld called the meeting to order 7:38 a.m.

 

• Data Processing/Telephone/Central Services Copy/Mail – Mr. Behrenfeld asked why the amount budgeted for telephones has decreased since last year. Mr. Schrader responded that it was due to lower usage. Mrs. Breed asked about the inclusion of Office Machine Operator and Central Services Supervisor were included in the 2005 budget. Mr. Schrader indicated that this is an error and they need to be removed. Mrs. Breed asked if the bulk mail is working or not? Mr. Corpora indicated that it is about breaking even with the extra time it takes to do it and the savings that we experience. In Data Processing, Mrs. Breed indicated that Mr. Corpora has requested a new position, but it is not allocated in the 2005 budget? Mr. Schrader indicated that it is correct. The question was asked why salaries are increased? Mr. Schrader responded it is either longevity or column movement but no actual salary increase. Mr. Behrenfeld asked why there is $20,000 in computer equipment. The response is that it is due to the bond. There is about $30,000 remaining to access in the bond; $20,000 will accommodate the need for $50,000 annually to maintain infrastructure. Mrs. Brown asked about the membership/dues amount. Mr. Corpora explained that this is for purchase of items such as the antivirus service, which is actually a subscription to the daily/weekly updates. There are other types of software, such as spyware and Lexis/Nexis as well. The clarification is that this amount was buried in a different line item in the previous budget. Mrs. Brown asked why FICA and Medicare were not correct. Were the departments given the correct numbers to work with? Mr. Schrader responded that he does not understand why the County is breaking out Medicare and FICA. Mrs. Brown asked if there is a flat retirement cost. Mr. Schrader responded that it is 8%. Mrs. Brown asked about Workers’ Comp. Mr. Schrader responded that it is a cost per employee; it is not based on a job by job basis as the County has not broken it out on a risk basis. Mrs. Brown feels that a police officer on the street with be a much greater risk than a secretary, so this number doesn’t reflect what our risk really is. Mr. Schrader indicated that if we don’t blend the rate, we would risk the receipt of State aid. Mr. Schrader indicated that is it is $945 per full-time employee this year as compared to $608 per full-time employee in 2004. Mrs. Brown asked about Health Insurance. Is that figure by employee based on what coverage they have and what they pay? Is it an accurate figure. Mr. Schrader indicated that it is based upon the coverage on a per employee basis, generally speaking. If an employee is or has left, he has not updated the number as that is an unknown exact figure. Generally speaking, those numbers should be accurate for all insurance lines. Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that the major differences are the inclusion of computer hardware and software.

 

• Safety – Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that there is basically little change; the budget is tight. Mrs. Breed asked if this is really a full-time job; could it be a half-time or three-quarter time job? Mr. Schrader indicated that the issue we must deal with it two-fold; one is for insurance purposes; the other issue is getting this job to be and do what it actually is supposed to be and do. Mrs. Breed clarified that it is then the scope of the job that needs to be addressed. Mr. Huttleston indicated that he has now picked up code enforcement for the County; he does OSHA inspections and part of the position is training and enforcement of better work habits. Mrs. Breed indicated that during next year we need to look at the scope and define exactly what we need the job to do and be. Mrs. Tytler asked about the inspection in the JCRH and whether or not it is Mr. Huttleston’s responsibility. Mr. Huttleston responded that enforcement of the inspection findings is his responsibility; implementation of some of them are the responsibilities of other departments, such as Buildings and Grounds. Mrs. Brown asked if he provides a report to the committee based on the findings of his office? Mr. Huttleston responded he sends copies to the third floor. Mrs. Breed indicated that a report should be issued to the Personnel Committee so situations can be watched.

 

• Fire and Emergency Management - Mr. Behrenfeld asked why the revenue is down on the fire alarm. Mr. Schrader indicated that it needs to be addressed; apparently there was an intent to charge for false alarms when the County has to respond to alarms of a private business; we have not really ever done that. The previous Legislature wanted to get that going but it still is not in place. He doesn’t want to budget for it until everything is in place and we are actually doing it. Mr. Behrenfeld asked what is stopping us from implementing it? Mr. Schrader indicated that it is time and research. We must find out exactly what we have done and ensure that it is done to the letter of the law. Mr. Wern indicated that we have tried to get more effective billing on this issue a couple of years ago. The committee did not pursue the law enough to implement it. Mrs. Breed indicated that the JPS Committee must pursue it. Mrs. Brown indicated that it was voted to implement this. Mrs. Brown asked about "Special Supplies and Maintenance". Mr. Duell responded that those are supplies for the fire investigation team. Mr. Behrenfeld asked about the "Technical Equipment." Mr. Schrader responded it is for gas detectors for the fire investigation team so causal investigations can be conducted. Mrs. Tytler asked what is a special line. Mr. Schrader indicated that this is a "grab all" account for special equipment. Mr. Duell commented he feels this is a fair and workable budget. He is concerned that Training and Education may be a little too low; he cannot tell until we see what plays out from the State based on implementation of State funding. Mrs. Breed asked if we could charge a minimal fee to the individuals we are training to recoup some of our expenses relative to this training. Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that most of these folks are volunteers. Mrs. Breed indicated that she understands that but the departments could pay. Mr. Behrenfeld clarified that we are talking about a maximum of $1,000.

 

• Probation – Mr. Behrenfeld asked why the revenues has decreased considerably. Mr. Schrader indicated that it is due to the decline in the State aid for the program. The State has never fully funded the program and as our costs go up, the State either freezes or decreases the support to the counties. Mrs. Breed asked why it appears that we have added four positions? Mr. Schrader indicated that we have added one position. Mrs. Brown asked about the $40,000+ adopted in the 2004 budget for an Account Clerk Typist. She is not aware that there is any Account Clerk Typist who makes that much money. Mrs. Brown indicated that this budget document should be as accurate as possible, as we refer to this all year. Mr. Behrenfeld asked if doing Probation correctly and properly staffed helps the system and it alleviates individuals who are incarcerated. Mrs. Goldner explained that it does and in the 2005 budget there is small amount budgeted for the ankle bracelets, which if found to be effective, will also alleviate some of the jail overcrowding. Mr. Schrader indicated that we will be implementing drug testing for our Probationers to ensure that they are "clean" and meeting the conditions of the Probation. Mrs. Tytler asked why line items appear twice? Mr. Schrader indicated it is because they are doing project accounting and breaking out what is an expense for Probation and what is an ATI expense. Mrs. Breed asked how many ATI staff there are? Mrs. Goldner responded two full-time and one-half time. The half-time person works the other half-time for Probation. Mrs. Breed asked if with the bracelet program we could cut one position by half-time. Mrs. Goldner indicated that she feels with the bracelet program we will be busier as we will be doing the monitoring; also, with the Drug Court program, we will assume additional responsibilities. Chairman Steve asked about the ATI program and the job titles. Aren’t both individuals doing the same job? Mrs. Goldner explained that the incumbents are doing different duties with different responsibilities and gave a detailed explanation of those responsibilities. Dr. DiGiovanni asked how retention in the department is. Mrs. Goldner indicated that retention in the department is very good, since we had the exit of five employees to Tompkins County about four years ago. Mrs. Breed asked why the retirement lines jumped so much. Mr. Schrader indicated that it is because of the increased percentage budgeted and the additional position.

 

• 911 – Mr. Schrader indicated that page 155 is missing a line, which is the part-time dispatchers. The amount budgeted is $50,000. Mr. Schrader indicated that there is no impact on the bottom line, as the amount appears in the budget amount, however, it just does not appear on the page. Mrs. Breed asked about line item switches appearing in the budget. This is because of a glitch in MUNIS and how payroll was inputted in to the MUNIS system. Mr. Behrenfeld asked about the increase in revenue and if it is due to the cell phone fees. Mr. Schrader indicated that that assumption is correct; the amount is budgeted on history. Mrs. Breed asked about the overtime pay; can this not be decreased if we are increasing part-time staffing; she feels it is too high. Mr. Schrader indicated that amount being budgeted is based on the assumption that there will be additional time required for training for the new system. Shifts will have to be covered when training is taking place. Mrs. Breed asked what "allowances" are? Mr. Schrader indicated that he believes it is for uniforms. Mrs. Breed that if we need to cover for training, this should be accounted for in an separate line and not included in the budget. There was discussion about the proposed three new positions. The Sheriff indicated that he disagrees with the Chairman’s analysis. That is where he stands. The Sheriff feels that he needs three brand new dispatch positions. The Sheriff indicated that he has 11 dispatchers as of today that are dispatching; he has one dispatcher who sits in the entrance of the PSB, who is not doing dispatching. There is a supervisor who cannot sit and dispatch when he is supposed to be dispatching. The Sheriff indicated that we are paying overtime to cover the City dispatching. Mrs. Breed wants documentation that proves we need the positions. Chairman Steve indicated that Tompkins County is doing what we are doing and they have five seats to be filled; they have a maximum of 20 positions and they do not use part time staff. Chairman Steve indicated that using part-timers, there shouldn’t be a need for any new positions. The Sheriff indicated that items such as training and union time have not been accounted for in the Chairman’s analysis. Sheriff Price indicated that the cost to add three dispatchers is $122,000. By the time implementation would be put in place, it will be March; he still needs to have someone sitting at the City Police seat. Mrs. Breed wants to see a scheduling breakdown. Mrs. Breed asks who is getting the overtime; is it distributed amongst staff or is one person getting the overtime. She has not seen that information. Mr. Schrader indicated that this budget is covering $50,000 for part-timers and this budget states that part-timers should be used to cover the spots. Mrs. Breed indicated that if the Sheriff does not use part-timers and continues to use overtime, there is not sufficient funding in the budget to cover as current coverage is being done. Mr. Schrader indicated that the department is not utilizing part-timers in a correct manner to alleviate the overtime costs. Mr. Schrader indicated that the department needs to regularly schedule part-timers; the need for overtime will then go away. Mrs. Tytler asked why part-timers can’t be used to cover training time and the dispatchers will be trained on their regular shifts instead of incurring overtime. Mr. Schrader indicated that we do not have ten trained part-time dispatchers to cover all the time. Chairman Steve indicated that we need $50,000 to cover the part-timers to cover the daily need. The cost for part-timer per hour is $13.00; the approximate cost per hour for overtime is $29.00. Mr. Behrenfeld would like a copy of the Chairman’s analysis. Mrs. Breed indicated that this is not the Chairman’s job, but it is the Sheriff’s job. Chairman Steve asked the Sheriff why he does not agree with the Chairman’s analysis and feels that there is still a need for three new positions. Mr. Wern stated that basically what he is hearing is that we do need the man hours to fill the posts. Chairman Steve agrees that the posts need to covered. Mr. Wern indicated that he feels that the hours should not be covered with part-timers all the time in the 911 center. He is uncomfortable with part-timers; lack of dedication is a problem as the dedication is to the person’s first job; we will get ourselves in the situation if we are trying to train a bunch of part-timers, they will be gone and the training will be wasted. Chairman Steve indicated that if we eliminate all the part-timers, we still need only one new full-time dispatcher. The Sheriff indicated that contingency could be reduced to cover the addition of the three additional dispatchers. Mr. Schrader indicated that he feels the Sheriff is trying to make this dispatching situation work; however, he does not feel that the dispatch staff is trying to make the situation work. Mrs. Brown asked who is doing the scheduling? The response was a union employee, who does not want to use part-time staff. Mrs. Brown wants to see an actual dispatch schedule. Mr. Schrader indicated that regularly scheduled part-timers will cover all of the shifts. Mrs. Brown moved to cut overtime by $30,000; seconded by Dr. DiGiovanni. All members voting in favor; none opposed; amendment to the budget adopted. Mrs. Brown asked what the $8,200 allowance is? The answer was that it is union allowances. Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that with the reduction in overtime, the fringes will also be reduced by $4,500. Mrs. Brown asked about "Technical Equipment". Mr. Schrader indicated that it is for a UPS for the dispatch center. Mr. Willcox asked about "Property Repair." Mr. Schrader indicated that it is to replace the carpet in the 911 Center. Mrs. Brown asked about the "Equipment" line. Mr. Schrader indicated it is for a DVD recorder system. Mrs. Breed asked about "Fees and Permits". Mr. Schrader indicated it is for the database of offenders.

 

• Sheriff – Mrs. Breed asked what the fees are? The Sheriff explained that it was for the Civil Division – service fees, income executions, etc. The additional Sergeant is for fraud investigation and is reimbursable. Mr. Schrader indicated that $75,000 for part-time needs to be added to this. Mrs. Brown asked about the salary for the Confidential Secretary and the increase. The response was that it is the same salary as this year; the difference is a MUNIS system problem. Mrs. Breed asked about "Other Compensation and Raises." Mr. Schrader responded that it is for on-call expenses. Mrs. Breed asked if we are experiencing the same scheduling problem in the Road Patrol that we are experiencing in the 911 Center? Do we need to cut the overtime amount? The Sheriff indicated that it is not a scheduling problem; he cannot predict what the Court will require; also for special events such as the fireworks, college events, etc. Mrs. Breed asked if we were reimbursed for any of the coverage for the special events? The Sheriff indicated that Royal Motors hires the deputies directly but we do not get reimbursed for the car; however, for things like the fireworks and the fair, we do not get reimbursed. The Sheriff is working on developing a trained volunteer group that would work for traffic control for the special events. There was a lengthy discussion about overtime and how it is incurred and utilized. Mr. Behrenfeld asked how about overtime percentage compares to other counties? It appears our overtime is running about 8%. Mr. Schrader and the Sheriff indicated that they would need to check this information. Mrs. Breed indicated that if we implement the new system, there should be less overtime because they can do the paperwork at the car; therefore, we should be able to cut the overtime. If the new system is not going to cut down on expenses, why would be want to spend the $750,000 for the new system. The Sheriff indicated that the new software will make us more efficient. Mr. Schrader indicated that with the software, you do not eliminate costs; you eliminate the needs for additional costs; the road patrol officers will be on the road more as opposed to in the office working on the paperwork. As of the end of October, we have utilized $70,000 in overtime. Mrs. Brown is asking about part-timers; how many part-timers are being added for the $75,000. Chairman Steve indicated that the $75,000 is the same as last year; approximately 10 staff. The Sheriff gave an overview of what the overtime is being utilized for. Mrs. Breed feels that we still need to look at whether we have a scheduling issue with the road patrol; she is not convinced that we are doing the most effective scheduling. There was a discussion about video arraignment. Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that he would like the JPS committee to work on this. Mrs. Breed moved to cut $25,000 from overtime; seconded by Dr. Paul DiGiovanni. All members voting in favor, except Mr. Ross opposed; amendment to the budget adopted. Chairman Steve asked if the Sheriff is going to work with the various organizations to cut down on coverage at the special events. The Sheriff indicated that he has been working on this and will continue to work on this. Mrs. Breed asked about the "Motor Vehicle Equipment." Mr. Schrader indicated that this is for a CID vehicle and a four-wheel drive. He indicated that he intended to cut them and did not. Dr. DiGiovanni moved to cut Motor Vehicle Expense; seconded by Mrs. Breed. All members voting in favor; none opposed; amendment to the budget adopted. Mrs. Breed asked about the County cars that seem to be sitting in various areas around the County. She understands that some officers need to take the vehicles home, but not all. The Sheriff believes that all officers should take vehicles home; he believes it is a deterrent to crime. Mrs. Breed asked what her guarantee is that the officers are not using the vehicles for personal use. The Sheriff indicated that they have his guarantee. The Sheriff indicated that the committee approved taking the vehicles home; he believes the approval came in 2000. Mrs. Breed indicated that she has concerns about liability for vehicles being taken home. Mr. Schrader indicated that any time the officer is in uniform, he/she is on-duty and our liability. Mr. Schrader does not like vehicles being taken home; there is an IRS problem, as far as commuting mileage, which is taxable. Mrs. Breed feels we seriously need to look at the vehicles being taken home. We need to look at charging the mileage for commuting so we are in compliance with IRS regulations; however, we also need to look at the extra gas expenditure the County is incurring. Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that drive home cars will be looked at in JPS. Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that fringes will be cut by $3,912. Mr. Willcox asked about the insurance line at $69,000+. Mr. Schrader indicated that rates went through the roof and we did not allocated based on responsibility before.

 

• Jail – Mrs. Breed asked about the Correction Captain line that was not funded last year. The explanation was that it was funded last year but it is not reflected in the print out due to a MUNIS error. Mr. Schrader indicated that $70,000 needs to be added for part-time salaries. No change on the bottom line; it just is not reflected in the budget. The actual overtime as of October 31, 2004, is $80,000. The Sheriff indicated that we have holidays coming up and a trial term. Mrs. Breed is concerned that there may be a scheduling issue that is requiring overtime usage. She also feels that we should benchmark against a similar county. Mr. Behrenfeld asked how we get to better scheduling. The Sheriff feels that the goal is to make him go over his budget and therefore not look good. He indicated that the State requires him to have certain staffing levels. He is scheduling within that staffing requirement. Mrs. Breed is asking about usage of overtime. She feels that we need to utilize part timers to cover the overtime instead. The Sheriff indicated that his part time staff is down and he cannot get part time staff to go to school for three weeks to be trained. The Sheriff indicated that he has very good scheduling in the jail; it is a philosophical difference. In the jail, there are a certain number of positions that must be filled. He is more than happy to bring over all the schedules, sit down at a separate meeting and discuss the scheduling. The Sheriff indicated that the buck stops with him if anything is wrong in any of the divisions in the Sheriff’s department. Mrs. Tytler moved to cut $25,000 from overtime; seconded by Mrs. Brown. All members voting in favor, except Mr. Ross opposed; amendment to the budget adopted. Mrs. Breed asked about utilization through the local clinic to save money on medications. She went to a training to at NYSAC that said a good deal of money can be saved utilizing the local clinics. Mrs. Breed feels the Sheriff needs to pursue this avenue to save money. The Sheriff indicated that we are using NCS Healthcare at this point for medications; many of the jails in the State use this company and they came back at the lowest cost. Mrs. Tytler asked about counties joining forces and going out to bid on a statewide basis. The Sheriff indicated that the Sheriff’s Association is still looking at this. Mrs. Breed asked about Miscellaneous Supporting Services; the response was that it is for boarding out. Fringes were reduced by $3,912 to offset reduction in overtime.

 

• Stop DWI – Mr. Behrenfeld indicated that the program is working so well that we are running out of money. Mr. Schrader indicated that we still need to look at the DARE program. However, he is not in a position at this time to address how to cut $30,000 in program expenses. Mr. Behrenfeld feels that the $30,000 may have to come out of contingency if the decision is that we should continue the program. Mr. Schrader indicated that the money is distributed to a variety of law enforcement agencies for enforcement efforts. Mr. Behrenfeld asked if there is a minimum amount required to run this program. Mr. Schrader indicated that revenue should meet expenses. Mr. Schrader indicated that the only program components that could possibly be eliminated are DWI checkpoints and DARE and he doesn’t believe that anyone would want to discontinue those programs. Mr. Schrader will do more work on this program and get back to the committee.

 

• Contingency – Mrs. Brown feels that this should be left alone until we get through all of the budget and see where we are. By general consent, this will be revisited.

 

• Contributions to TC3/Deb Service – There is no change from last year. All okay with this.

 

• Occupancy Tax – Chairman Steve indicated that we can take 10% to manage the occupancy tax. Where is this? Mr. Schrader indicated that it is reflected in the Treasurer’s Budget (the revenue). Mrs. Brown asked who will decide how this money is allocated? Mr. Schrader indicated CVB will distribute. Mrs. Brown asked who gave them authority to do that as B & F has always done it. The response was that the Legislature will ratify the distribution.

Mrs. Brown asked what page 69 refers to as there is no budget title? Mr. Schrader will have to look in to this and find out.

The meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m.

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