BUDGET COMMITTEE
 July 16, 2008
  
** NOT APPROVED **

Committee Members Present 

T. Hopkins, W. Dibble, D. Fanton, W. Hall, C. Crandall

(Absent:  O’Grady)

 

Others Present

L. Ballengee, K. Kruger, J. Margeson, B. Reynolds, B. Riehle

 

Approval of Minutes

            The June 18, 2008 Budget Committee minutes were approved on a motion by Legislator Dibble, seconded by Legislator Fanton and carried.

 

Departmental Financial Reports

            Committee members reviewed six-month financial summaries from the following departments:

 

            County Attorney

            Clerk of the Board/Legislative Board/Insurance

            County Clerk

            Elections

            Emergency Services

            Employment & Training

            Fire Service

            Human Resources

            Information Technology/Central Service Telephone

            Public Defender

            Veterans

            Weights & Measures

            Workers’ Compensation

 

            Budget Committee Chairman Theodore Hopkins asked Brenda Rigby Riehle how the increase in gas price would affect her budgets.  Mrs. Riehle indicated that she will most likely go over budget slightly for those line items, but that being able to take a County car to Inter-County meetings and other conferences has really helped keep the mileage reimbursement costs down.  County Administrator John Margeson noted that effective July 1, 2008, the mileage reimbursement rate  increased to $.585/mile.

 

            Committee members questioned the $66,200.43 difference between what has been spent by Employment & Training and what has been collected.  Mr. Margeson indicated that the difference represents a lag in revenue collections that would be made up before year end.

 

            Committee members requested Mr. Margeson to follow-up with Human Resources on the amount expended so far this year as the Personnel Officer has indicated that the accounts are accurate and very close to projections, but it looks like more than 60 percent of the budget has been spent through mid-June.

 

           

 

            Legislator Hopkins commented that he would like to see many of the financial reports filled out more completely noting that quite a few of the reports did not include a checkmark indicating the status of the accounts under the “Projections” section of the form.

 

 

Public Safety Grant

 

            Public Safety Committee Chairman William Dibble stated that an announcement was made at the Public Safety Committee meeting earlier today that New York State is awarding Allegany County $1,700,475.96 under the FY07 Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program.  The grant requires a non-federal cash or in-kind match of $423,118.99. 

 

 

REFERRALS FROM OTHER COMMITTEES:

 

Court Facilities and County Space Needs

 

            Financial aspects of the Courthouse addition/renovation and County Office Building renovation project are being referred to the Budget Committee to begin folding in some of the steps and specific costs and impacts on the budget. 

 

            Budget Committee Chairman Theodore Hopkins suggested that County Administrator/Budget Officer John Margeson and County Treasurer Terri Ross contact Municipal Solutions, Inc. (formerly Allardice) and report back at the next meeting on a plan, and we can go from there.  Mr. Margeson suggested having representatives from Municipal Solutions come in and run through some amortization schedules, etc.  Mr. Margeson stated that he believes that the maximum amount of years the County could finance a capital project such as the Courthouse would be 25.  Legislator Hopkins stated that we may need to make some financial adjustments associated with the proposed building and renovations in the 2009 budget.

 

            Board Chairman Curtis Crandall stated that he would like to see an outline with a timetable listing resolutions that will be required as well as a timeframe for budgeting so that everyone will understand the process and cost.  Legislator Crandall also indicated that we need to have a firm understanding of the costs associated with the Courts so that we can estimate how much reimbursement we may be entitled to.

 

            Committee members briefly discussed furnishing the new Court Facilities and whose responsibility it would be.

 

Annual Payment to Retirement Fund

            Legislator Theodore Hopkins asked how the market might affect the County’s annual retirement fund payment.

 

Adjournment

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Legislator Fanton, seconded by Legislator Hall and carried.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Brenda Rigby Riehle, Clerk of the Board

Allegany County Board of Legislators