DATE: September 24, 2008
Members present: Tommy Lee Bychinski, Marty Krueger, Joan Fordham, Steve Bach, William F. Wenzel
Others present: Judy Ashford, Kerry Beghin, Pat Carignan, Jim Daniels, Kevin Fults, Jessica Fry, Liz Geoghegan, Michael Hafemann, Lowell Haugen, Lynn Horkan, Betty Hinze, Alene Kleczek, Michelle Koehler, Tom Kriegl, Bonnie Manning, Chip Meister, Vicki Meister, Bev Mielke, Steve Pate, Terri Radke, Kathy Schauf, Wendy Schneider, Randy Stammen, Don Stevens, Tim Stieve, Jeff Tobin
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Bychinski at 8:15 AM. Certification of open meeting compliance was given. Motion by Fordham, second by Bach to adopt the agenda. Motion carried.
Opening Comments
Online survey content and usefulness of survey were discussed.
Discussion and consideration of the 2009 County Budget.
Administrative Functional Group: Schauf highlighted the mission and vision of the group. The group works together and has input on all initiatives.
Corporation Counsel:
Kleczek highlighted Corporation Counsel goals and how they fit into the functional group. Budget represents ongoing operations for 2009 with no changes.
Personnel:
Koehler distributed Essential Components of Personnel Department chart. Labor costs are main increases to budget along with an increase in advertising line for position vacancies. Still negotiating with bargaining units on potential changes to health insurance, expect an increase of approximately 7.5-8% with some minor plan changes. Last seven years have kept increases in single digits. Beghin commented the existing budget includes 15% increase. Sauk County employee contribution is higher percentage as compared to other counties. Budget includes the project position for personnel.
County Clerk:
Meilke highlighted programs in the department. Office revenues and expenses fluctuate due to number of elections. Technology use for county board functions being looked at for expansion and efficiencies. SVRS data related entries and poll book creation require additional County work for the 33 municipalities that pay the county for the service. Fees will be looked at to best recoup costs. Budget includes replacement copier. Beghin clarified that the 2009 copiers are in the Management Information Services (MIS) budget as outlay and are in the individual departments in the supplies and services category.
Building Services:
Utility costs are approximately 34% of budget. Department has worked to reduce usage to help offset increasing prices. Meet at least yearly with Alliant representative concerning energy costs. 911 Wireless grant is ended for 2009 year, was a productive grant for communications and land records modernization. Have reduced staff expenses by replacing a retired employee with that same employee as a part-time employee. Goal of prevention for maintenance versus being reactive to maintain for 450,000 sq. ft. county owned facilities. Stieve reviewed Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) and outlay items, including the future outlay items for 2010 to 2013.
Insurance Fund:
No change to insurance fund and it's operations
Landfill:
Stieve reviewed the highlights. Budget includes cost to remove the landfill from the EPA register. Discussed an ongoing collection method of hazardous materials rather than sporadic clean sweep. Schauf spoke of cooperative efforts in other counties. Looking at putting information on web site as to how to dispose of items. Stieve continues to maintain long term care within the revenues earned.
Emergency Management:
Stieve reviewed the highlights. Budget includes replacing vehicle. 2009 program to purchase and resell weather radios. Education is a large part of mission and goals.
Rental Properties:
Decisions will need to be made concerning the Health Care Center (HCC) rental properties and the tied in utilities to the HCC.
Dog License Fund:
Statutory regulations for publication and payments to municipalities remain the same.
Treasurer:
Carignan highlighted department activities. Revenues have decreased due to lower interest rates and the five day grace period. 2009 plan is to purchase a new property tax program to be funded by carry forward, land records and levy. Carignan looking into implications of sharing a position with Register of Deeds and reducing one .5 FTE. Carignan expressed she would like to save this position for the Department.
Management Information Systems (MIS):
Pate reviewed internal services provided by department, direct and indirect support across the county. Staffing in coming years will be stretched. Options to shift duties to individual departments to allow refocusing of existing MIS staff. Challenges to support, maintain and implement reach across the whole county and departments. Departmental focus and allocation of resources always being addressed. Pate reviewed expense areas. Not all increases are levy impacted due to carry forwards and land records funding.
Accounting:
Budget includes purchase of replacement/upgrade server for county financial system, originally purchased in 2001. Current server still supported but current level of software use is being taxed. Do not want server to break and need emergency purchase. Plan to purchase late 2009. Budgeting these types of expenses over multiple years was discussed. Newly required every other year actuary study of impact of post employment benefits is budgeted and split consistently over years. Beghin discussed audit costs and additional dollars to cover current auditor firm request to increase contracted amount. Contracts and bids were discussed. Working towards multiple year budgeting with departments, and steps already taken to accomplish this.
Administrative Coordinator:
Schauf distributed Sauk County population statistics and discussed transient population impacts to county government. Schauf reviewed the mission and goals of department. Schauf highlighted options for investment strategies.
Building Projects:
2009 will use up the fund balances. Budget includes tax levy for the remaining expense estimated for the Officer's Range. This will be addressed with the Sheriff's Department presentation.
Debt Service:
Includes all debt repayment other than HCC, which is recorded in HCC books.
County Board:
Krueger noted not much change in budget. Principal change is mileage due to reimbursement rate increase. Current budget does not include any funding for board voting system. Can continue to work with existing system.
Recessed at 12:00 PM, and reconvened at 1:00 PM.
Justice and Public Safety Functional Group
Meister highlighted the mission and goals for the group. Spoke of various efficiencies and collaborations between departments.
Sheriff:
Fry highlighted the major changes in the budget. Contracts to house inmates were discussed. Currently housing other county inmates, state and US Federal. Budget includes outside agency requests not in previous budgets. Budget also currently includes new expenses for requested patrolman position. Meister reviewed squad car replacement procedure. Current dive team boat is high maintenance, new purchase will be funded over 5 years by DNR (2010-2015). Jail population for Sauk and others was discussed. Stammen indicated that jail populations will continue to increase in Sauk Co. as it will across the nation. Department is prepared to identify effect of closing Unit A and only housing inmates in one unit. The impact would increase levy need. Looking at contract alternatives for youth secure detention between LaCrosse and Dane County for per diem and transportation savings.
Officer's Range was discussed. Current range not adequate. If do not build a new one, still need to invest dollars into safety and structure of current range. Discussed pairing down facility or staging over several years. Importance of officers training was discussed. Current outside users get charged an annual fee, covers ammunition and targets.
Animal Shelter is included in Sheriff Department budget as on outside agency. Schneider reviewed possible changes to budget including a van and employee flex plan. Striving to maintain positive image and knowledgeable staff.
Drug Seizure:
No tax levy impact. Strictly governed by state and federal regulations; can supplement but not supplant funding.
Jail Assessment:
Used for debt retirement.
Coroner:
Currently have two part time coroners for on call and computer work. Majority of expense is labor and autopsies.
Register in Probate:
No significant changes. Major expenditures for department are legal representation as required by court, expenditures will continue to increase based on trend. Work hard to recoup legal fees, however some of the population served are a difficult population from whom to get reimbursement.
Clerk of Courts:
No significant changes to highlight. Still working on completing the remodeling of department and document center. Working with collection agency and also getting a percentage of interest charged. Provision of passport services was discussed.
Child Support:
2009 levy request decrease. Department has done a good job to improve operations and efficiencies. Child Support caseload continues to grow, additional corporation counsel time may be allocated to Child Support.
Motion by Wenzel, second by Bach to recess the meeting. Motion carried. 2009 Budget presentations will begin at 8:15 AM on Thursday, September 25, 2008.
Respectfully submitted,
Steven Bach
Finance Committee Secretary