Minutes 06-07-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chair Pelissier said that she supported the COLA increase and she asked what surrounding counties were offering. Financial Services Director Clarence Grier said that the surrounding counties are offering something similar, from 1-2%. Commissioner Jacobs said that he supports what the Manager is recommending for the employees. He said that the County did some things to support employees last year and it was not reflected in the documents. The 401(k) was raised and each employee was given $500. Chair Pelissier asked about the six-month hiring freeze that has been done for several years. She asked how this affects staff. Frank Clifton said that this freeze is for positions that are just delayed. The normal hiring process takes between 60-90 days anyway. He does not think it is a tremendous burden. Staff will continue to monitor this and do some market analysis for these positions. The delays have allowed staff to look at the position and reorganize some duties. He does not think that the public has seen a drop off in services. Commissioner Hemminger asked about the COBRA plan and if there were a lot of former employees using this and it was answered no. She asked for some figures about how many people were hired after 2008 and would not be eligible for the spouse benefits after 20 years. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would like to have a conversation about longevity pay. He also asked about the $3 million budgeted for retiree insurance. Frank Clifton said that the proposal is a reserve fund and would not have to come out of the annual budget. 3. Outside Aqencies: Recommended Allocations FY2012-13 Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said that there were 56 agencies who made applications for funding and 36 were funded for a total of$926,700. There was only an increase of$500 from last year. She made reference to page 190 in the budget document. There were two outside agencies that were funded last year, but in the Manager's Recommended Budget, the outside agencies are linked to the department that would do the best job of seeing how those funds are allocated. These two agencies are Piedmont Health Services (Health Department) and Triangle Wildlife Rehab Center (Animal Services). This gives clearer oversight. Frank Clifton said that the staff went through a very deliberate score card process and analyzed the agencies. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the Dispute Settlement Center and how much more they are asking for - $30,000 more or $60,000 more. Gwen Harvey said that the Manager's Recommended Budget is an additional $9,000. There has been a reduction in state funding. Financial Analyst Lisa Henty said that the original request was $76,000 and it currently has $25,000 in the recommended budget, so it would be $51,000 additional to fully fund the request. Commissioner Hemminger said that she would like to have this clarified from the Dispute Settlement Center because there were some emails about needing a full $60,000. She wants to know the total number - $60,000 or $76,000. Commissioner Yuhasz said that the County funded the drug treatment court last year and Gwen Harvey said that those funds are incorporated in the Social Services budget at the same level as last year. Commissioner Jacobs said that the documents for this are confusing. He pointed out some inconsistent figures and said that it is hard to follow.