ALLEGANY COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

August 9, 2010

 

** APPROVED **

Legislators Present:  G. Benson, D. Burdick, D. Cady, C. Crandall, P. Curran, D. Fanton, M. Healy, K. LaForge, A. McGraw, T. O’Grady, D. Pullen, F. Sinclair, N. Ungermann  (Absent:  T. Hopkins, D. Russo)

 

Call to Order:  Chairman Crandall called the Committee of the Whole meeting to order at 2:43 p.m. for the purpose of reviewing the County’s Budget process.

 

            County Administrator/Budget Officer John Margeson distributed copies of the official timeline for the 2011 County Budget, the same information that was handed out to department heads when County Treasurer/Deputy Budget Officer Terri Ross and he met with them during the third week of June.  At that meeting, which is the beginning of the Budget process, department heads were given forms to complete and return to John.  The meeting provided an opportunity to give instruction on how to complete the forms and what the Legislature is looking for in departmental budget submissions.  Mr. Margeson gave the same message that he’s given for the past few years:  “Hold the line.”  Department Heads are given four weeks to complete the forms.  These legal-sized forms, referred to as “white sheets,” include every line item in their appropriation and revenue accounts, and will be completed with their requests for the year.  Mr. Margeson reviews them, and as Budget Officer, is authorized to make recommendations on the requests on both appropriations and revenues.  This process takes about six weeks, and is done in conjunction with the Deputy Budget Officer, and this year, also with the Deputy County Administrator Mitch Alger.  After that review, everything is presented to the Budget Committee.

 

            At this point in time, Mr. Margeson has received all of the budget requests and has gone through about 80 percent and recommended changes.  Budget Committee Vice Chairman Dwight Fanton has scheduled August 30 and 31 to begin Committee review.  Department Heads will come before the Committee to present their requests.  That leaves the month of September to come up with the Tentative Budget, which is a legal document that sets up all the accounts for 2011.  Mr. Margeson releases that at the end of September.  The Committee of the Whole will meet two or three times to discuss it and has the opportunity to make motions to offer amendments to that Tentative Budget.  The month of October is set aside for that.  Once the Committee of the Whole has gone through the entire budget, a Public Hearing is scheduled for the second week of November.  This year, the Public Hearing will be set for Wednesday, November 10, at 7 p.m.  At the Board meeting following that, November 22, a resolution will be considered to adopt the Final Budget.  There has been one occasion when the Board did not adopt a Final Budget at its second meeting in November, but unlike the state and federal governments, the county government is required to have a balanced budget in place by December 20.  If unable to adopt a budget by December 20, the Final Budget will take the form of the Tentative Budget including any amendments that were approved.

 

            Mr. Margeson noted a couple of areas of concern in the 2011 Budget:  (1) our contribution to the state retirement system is increasing significantly, and (2) debt service will be up, due to Court Facility debt service payments beginning in 2011.  Based on sales tax receipts, he is in hopes that revenues will be similar to or slightly higher than in 2010.  Mr. Margeson invited anyone who is interested in the Budget process to attend the Budget Committee meetings.  Once the Tentative Budget is released in September, all Legislators will have the information in front of them.

 

            Chairman Crandall requested that schedules distributed to Department Heads at the meetings on August 30 and 31 be shared with Committee Chairs.  Legislator Sinclair asked at what point in the process special initiatives or modifications under consideration by committees should be introduced, and to whom.  Mr. Margeson replied that they should be brought to him and to the Budget Committee while they are reviewing the Budget.  They can then make referrals to Ways & Means for recommended changes in September.

 

Adjournment:  A motion was made by Legislator Ungermann, seconded by Legislator Pullen and carried to adjourn the meeting at 3 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Adele Finnemore, Journal Clerk

Allegany County Board of Legislators