Minutes - 20071113 - Laserfiche WebLink

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money budgeted each year that was not being expended, and she asked Public Works to do a work plan for accountability of these funds. Donna Coffey made reference to pages 1-3, which outlines the County's maintenance projects. This is a transition year of trying to move things around into new categories. Commissioner Jacobs suggested putting an asterisk next to the part that says, "Need to develop policy and thresholds for what is in CIP versus what is in Operating." Laura Blackmon said that her initial plan was to present this in October, but the more she looked at the issues, the more they grew. She said that her biggest concern was for the Board to see what has been agreed to and what there is funding for. Donna Coffey said that it was important this year, with all of the projects going on, to take a holistic look at everything so that the Board could make informed decisions. She said that she was at a meeting with the NCACC (N.C. Association of County Commissioners) today, and she said she can guarantee that the State will continue to pass things back to the counties such as transportation and road needs. Laura Blackmon said that the next step is to look at future projects and whether or not to issue bonds. The idea of how to fund these items will tie into the local revenue options. Chair Carey said that this is a transition document, and the Manager has already made some assumptions about capital versus operating, and this has been incorporated into the document. He said that this should be provided to the Board in writing so that the County Commissioners can let her know whether they agree or not. He said that it is important to focus on things that the Board has already made decisions about regarding funding. Chair Carey said that it is good to be aware of the operating costs of new projects. Laura Blackmon said that when the County starts moving into the newer buildings, the Board might want to start looking at some of the smaller buildings that are not used anymore that need a lot of maintenance, upgrades, etc. Some of the facilities could be put on the market, etc., so that they are not a drain on the operating budget. Commissioner Gordon clarified that the staff were going to provide a written overview of the CIP document explaining the assumptions used and the rationale for what was presented. Commissioner Gordon said that the County does have principles with respect to space needs and they include getting out of rental property and into county-owned facilities, and also consolidating county resources into fewer sites. She wants to seriously consider these as guiding principles for planning capital projects. Chair Carey asked what the Board should decide tonight. Laura Blackmon said that pages 1-5 and 1-6 are summary pages on revenues and appropriations. Number 14 is the total projected costs over the next ten years, and in the next three years, there is a potential for an increase of 15 cents on the tax rate. Commissioner Jacobs asked why fees go down from $606,000 to $92,000. Donna Coffey said that these are all Register of Deeds fees. The $92,000 is Register of Deeds fees that are dedicated to automation projects, and the $606,000 is a cumulative total. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that there be some definitions for the fees, what the 1997 bonds were, what the 2001 bonds were, etc. He said that citizens would not understand this information. Laura Blackmon continued and said that the capital projects are starting on lines 17 and 18 on page 1-7. She asked for feedback on lines 18-22. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the Animal Services Facility Construction reflects the original estimate or the new sizing, and if the Board had adopted the changes. Purchasing and Central Services Pam Jones said no, the Board has not adopted the changes. She said that the numbers coming in are substantially more than what was adopted.