Minutes 06-09-2022 Budget Work Session

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12 Gary Donaldson said it would be $3.6 million. Commissioner Greene asked for clarification on this. Bonnie Hammersley said there would be the $700,000 from the fire districts and that amendment passed so it would be $4.8 million minus that and that would leave $4.1 million. Chair Price asked if they have to specify the use if $1.2 million is given to the schools. Bonnie Hammersley said there would have to be an agreement with the schools. Commissioner Bedford asked if it could be done indirectly. Bonnie Hammersley said she was not sure where they could find $1.2 million. Commissioner Bedford said she was not sure if there was enough wiggle room. Bonnie Hammersley said the ARPA funds are being used for emergency housing and things like that and she does not know where the $1.2 million could come from. Commissioner McKee said he has concerns with funding out of another pot. He said that is the same dance that the legislature did with the lottery funding. He does not want the Board to follow that example of shifting money. He that that his more immediate concern is that ARPA is a onetime event. He said that you can only sell the cow one time. He said that ARPA is the same way, you can only spend it one time. He said to do this you create a higher starting point next year and the obligation. He said they are already increasing the money to the schools, and it will never be enough. He said that the need is always more. He said that the budget accommodates an increase. He said that he does not want to use ARPA money for an operating expense. Commissioner Greene said she was uncomfortable making ARPA decisions at this juncture of the budget. She said it seems like there will be about $3.26 million left in ARPA funds and they started out with $28 million. She said they need to think very carefully about how they use it and that they do not have to do it tonight. Chair Price said she agreed with Commissioner Greene. She asked the Manager if she was planning to come back in the fall regarding ARPA. Bonnie Hammersley said the towns will not be looking at ARPA funds until September and that will help the county determine what they need to do. She said they are looking at the Partnership to End Homelessness with the towns, and it will be an ARPA issue. Commissioner Hamilton said she is not concerned the sustainability of this proposal. She said that public schools were adversely affected by COVID, using those funds for that makes sense. She said that schools need this to plan and hire and fill the classrooms in both districts. She said that education is an economic development issue. She said that public education is the second highest employer in the county. She said that children and teachers are under amazing strains and not just with COVID. She said they need to do something. She said they have a pot of money to buy time to shore up public education while they address the ongoing issue of supporting teachers. She said she supports giving them the compensation and benefits they deserve. Commissioner Richards asked for clarification on the total amount she is requesting from ARPA funds. Commissioner Hamilton said $1.2 million out of ARPA funds. Commissioner Greene said $3.26 would be left in ARPA funds. Commissioner McKee asked how the FY22 increase of$1.5 million was funded. Bonnie Hammersley said it was from surplus and was done as a budget amendment. Commissioner McKee said this could be addressed with an amendment next fiscal year. He said that if they see the need, they can discuss that at the time. He said that he does not see it as a pressing need to include it tonight. Chair Price asked the County Manager how they are looking for funding for eviction prevention. Bonnie Hammersley said that comes through the emergency housing assistance.