Minutes 02-11-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Rich asked about the absentee ballots. Bob Jessup replied that there is a state law standard for absentee ballots, and the Board th of Elections needs to have the ballots out by September 5. Clarence Grier said that with the budget and the capital needs work force not yet being assigned, they do not have the components to make up the bond referendum. He said, weather permitting, there is a meeting scheduled with both school boards tomorrow to look at their capital needs assessment. He said the components of the bond have not really been discussed, and there will hopefully be a new manager soon. This manager will need to deal with a bond referendum within four months of being hired and this will require his/her full attention. James Barrett, CHCCS Board Member, said he thought a spring meeting would be the best time to bring the approved version of their capital needs plan back to the Commissioners. Commissioner Dorosin raised the question of how much specificity the Board needs from the schools for a bond referendum. Clarence Grier said the Local Government Commission (LGC) requires specification of what the bonds will be issued for. He said completion of the application will include details, including what projects the County plans to spend the money on. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the specificity would be more than “we plan to renovate dilapidated schools.” Bob Jessup said the LGC wants to see that the County has a plan that uses up all the money. He said, if it was for renovation projects and the plan was to issue $1 million dollars in bonds for school renovations, then the plan would need to indicate that there is $10 million dollars in need. Commissioner Pelissier asked how they decide how much money would go on a bond. Clarence Grier said about $100 million would go on the bond, and that is the upper limit of what the County can do. He said there is over $125 million in the CIP over the next 5 years. He said it would be hard to go beyond $100 million with the LGC. Commissioner Pelissier said this would be determined by what the County could afford versus the needs. Clarence Grier said the needs amount would probably exceed the amount the County could issue debt for. He said it would exceed the operating budget on an annual basis, and that is a concern. He said $100 million dollars is easily affordable within the current debt policy and capital plan. He said if it goes beyond that, there would be some concerns from the LGC. Commissioner McKee said his concern is not whether we need to do a bond, but the timeframe in which to do it. He said with a $100 million dollar limit (and the school needs are more than that), the County needs, and the current search for a manager, he is concerned that things would not be done right if done for 2014. Bob Jessup said that once you start the formal process, one of the first things that is done is to publish a notice that you are intending to apply to the LGC for approval. He said this is where you are setting maximum amounts, and you can refine those amounts down, but you have to set those parameters. Commissioner Price asked what this would mean for taxes. Clarence Grier said if the County had to increase taxes, it would be 3.78 cents in FY 2024, and the budget would have to grow to almost $224 million dollars in order to stay within the debt policy limit of 15%. Commissioner Dorosin said he had raised this idea at the retreat of trying to do this in 2014 instead of 2015 because of the huge difference in voter turnout. He questioned if 2014 is too soon, what the significance would be of waiting until May 2016. He said if one of the goals is to try to maximize participation, then what are the ramifications of going back six months.