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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM120883Commissioners Budget: (A verbatim transcript) Chairman O'Meara "µefore the only thing we ave minused out of here is $5,000 on clerk hire. i\_ �;ght""? 'erdine Bragg: "Would you like me to go through and tell you what I've done?" Chairman O'Meara: "Yes, because that'sall we have on there now." Jerdine Bragg: 1°On. figuring the salaries, if everthing stayed status quo for next year, for what is in there right now, you would have about $6,500 to play with in salaries." Chairman O'Meara: "You mean for $89,780?" Jerdine Bragg: "That's right" Chairman O'Mear_a: "There would be $6900.?" Jerdine Bragg: "About $6,500 really because your benefits are going to go up. But, you would have approximately $6,500 to play with." B.G.Brown: 0What is the figure now that you say that everybody's salary stays the same that is in place now, what is the figure?" .Terdine Bragg."Right, that figure would be $82,015.00." 015.00." Chairman O'Meara: "[wait a minute,the figure we got there now is $89,730." Pat Knapp: t9The difference in Paulette." Jerdine Bragg: "You've got three quarters of a year of Paulette's salary in there." Chairman O'Meara: "I though you were talking about the figure you have now would be $6,700 over, this figure here." Jerdine Bragg: 1°No I'm talking about $6,500 to play with to bring it up to that $89,780.tY Chairman O'Meara: "The figure right now is what?" Jerdine g • Bra,gg"The salaries now figure out to $82,015.1' • Chairman O'Meara: "That'swith everyone status quo?" Jerdine Bragg: "Ever_body status quo, and that would be a year of all of us at the same salaries. Got me?" ''OK, that gives you a difference of r u so I estimated �- going _0 0 there,h benefits are 7 765 actually but the g g g P $ y that you would have about $6,500 to play with,in there to keep it the same.17 Chairman O'Meara: "The benefits are down below on another line though°' B.G. Brown: "Yes, but we're not going to know what they are going to be though." Chairman 0 ° Tieara : "Well, the benefits are down below on another line." B.G. Brown: "Yes, we're not going to know what they are going to be though." Jerdine Bragg: "No." B.G. Brown: "We do know what everyone's will be except mine because I'm on Teamsters.11 John Pitts: "Bud's poin,- is correct, is that we're still on salaries we're no- on benefits yet, it's another category, so we don't worry about those.7t Jerdine Bragg: 1VI'm just trying to give you a figure to go by to keep that salary schedule about the same." Chairman O'Meara: "And the salary schedule would be what? $82,015.00 and. that difference was how much? $75765. not the $5,000 1 have written down here." "O.K." Jerdine Bragg: "O.K. now, go past the benefits" John L. Pitts: "well, I'd like to talk about salaries here because I don't agree obviously, with the scenario and I'm not going to harangue again, but I think we are making an error and I am not going to go into all of the reason why I think we need an internal manager, I've been through that. I think our thinking is inconsistent about the use of Clerk Hire in the other offices. I've calculated that three extra months of May's time ___ ,--- t......-.s..,.....�.�aa�.�,.�, ivcii vy Laic nuulc..vz viiiC:C, GJ a_ T_ec9:(:i it over last night. I believe that there's coordination that is going undone that could be done. I believe there are areas in this Courthouse that are not attended to. I have lost confidence in some of the information that I've been given . Minutes, Week of December 5, 1983 Page 4: JOHN PITTS (continued) Clerk Hire in the Auditor's office, Clerk Hire that we've assigned to the Assessor's office and the Treasurer's office amounts to $14,010.66 in 1983 fi_�ures and Lorna's salary comes out to $14,806.00 roughly $800 more that we d be spending for someone who is trained, not only in Pat's office, someone who would be a full time employee, and this includes benefits, and someone who has been trained on the IBM system that we're getting. I think it's a greivous error to overlook that, And I think if we are saving $800 on that basis, I think it's a real mistake for trading her talents for high school kids or part time workers, who might go on and after we get them trained they can get a better position. All we are doing is expending dollars at the effort of all these other offices to train people, and I think that's ill conceived. I realize that Bub's and you oppose this plan. I think Bub's talents are misplaced in this office and I feel that what we should do instead of having two secretaries, is have one secretary and a manager. That's very difficult to say and I hope that Bub's isn't taking this personally. I'm truly looking at a way of managing and not from personalities. I think that we could clean up our act in here. That we waste too much time, we spend too much time and what I'd like to do is eliminate, unfortunately with the Clerk hire that you've approved to the other offices, that's not what I wanted to do - I'd have to eliminate Lorna and dismiss her in order to provide some funds to the tune of $19,200.00 for a proposed internal manager starting the first of April 1984. And that's not my choice, to let Lorna go, because I think she'sa valuable,intelligent person." B.G. Brown:" I thank that if your're talking about problems that we have not keeping track of the budget and so forth, I would be in favor of putting an amount of money in there to hire a financial expert to come in for what- ever period of time was needed to develop the kinds of figures that you would feel comfortable with in donsiderirg next year's budget, rather than to put in a new position in our office. I don't feel this is the proper time to do that and I know that that is the direct opposite of what you feel John. And I guess we've both had time to think this over, and I understand your position and I guess that I have to say that I disagree with that and cannot support that concept. I feel the only thing that I wound have to offer to counteract that as far as an offer goes, would be to put an amount of money in there of something like $4,000 or $5,000 in professional services to hire a financial expert to come in to look over our revenues and expenditures at whatever time of year was appropriate,to give us guidance as far as developing next year's budget." John Pitts: "I totally agree with you B.G. that this is the wrong time to thinks it probably should have been done when hire an internal manager. I that red line started dipping low back in 1980, and that expenditures manage- ment was not -- I'm not blaming you as I've told you many many times in the past, because the economic situations in the world, state, county. But, I do believe that you have a responsibility to manage. I do not believe that you have the information. I do not believe you're provided with correct information, in order to manage, and I don't personally feel that an out- side consultant can come in and give us the kind of information which was outlined in this public document given by the Auditor's Office, as I read it over last night. I believe that there's coordination that is going undone that could be done. I believe there are areas in this Courthouse that are not attended to. I have lost confidence in some of the information that I've been given just because people don't have time to find out that it's wrong. I've lost confidence in some of the information that you two have given me because I find out that it's wrong, just because you don't have the time to keep a handle on these things. And what was true two years ago is no longer true today and there's no way for you to keep up with that because this job is no longer a road commissioners job but with a 5 million dollar budget, what- ever and this number of people, I think we have to attend to management, and I believe that's our job and that's our responsibility and I feel that there are a number of areas, other than the budget, that needs to be addressed. ,And I have'nt seen any proposal come out of either one of you that will address those problems, so I guess I have to stay with the best, although I realize that personality, job description, and a variety of other things are extremely important. That this person coming on is an exrremely important Minutes, Week of December 5, 1983 Page : JOHN PITTS (continued) person, I do not believe that he or she would survive without total support and I can not guarantee that from our office and from the rest of the offices, but I think we are making a grevious error. And I guess it's in Bud's lap to make the decision, and that's the way this Board works and that's fine because there are three of us here to vote, but I don't believe, B.G., that that interim sort of consultant, is going to be the answer for what's going to bring us together, because I think that we need some help, and I don't think that someone can come in and in a matter of two or three week, and like you've said in the past, give him our watch, and let him tell us those figures, because I think it goes far deeper than that. And I do not believe this man or woman is some pie in the sky who is going to sweep down and solve our problems. 1 believe that is our responsibility right here and we have to answer those questions. And I don't believe that the information we've had, and I think this week is a prime example of the bumbling that we sit here and embarrass ourselves over by nothaving the information in front of us. All these things should be prepared, we should know what the Hotel/Motel is before these people come in, and I think that I will have to make a personal decision on how I will approach or not approach this budget next year. So Bud, I guess the ball's in your grip Chairman O'Meara: "I wasn't sure whether you were including me in this or not?" John Pitts: "I certainly am. I am anticipating that you're going to be here through the end of next year, because I have no other reason to anticipate any different and that's." Chairman O'Meara: "Well, I'm on the fence as far as that goes, pretty well tip it. We've got a situation here that's a one year situation that came up as far as not knowledgeable and everything else. And I agree that there's we could get better knowledge. I think that we can get our information pretty acurate if we ask for it ahead of time, but these things have never come up like this before. It's been quite a lesson this year, the way things have developed and realizing that we are in the situation we are in. But I'm going to go along with B.G. on the request at this time for not hiring an internal manager. I think another year under the belt would maybe do it better or maybe later in the year it might be decided." John Pitts: "It's not in the budget - it won't be done this year." Chairman O'Meara: "It could possibly be hired by year end regardless of budget you can always set up a department." John Pitts: " I don't want to set up a department." Chairman O'Meara:"Well, you can always set up a man to do it - you know what I want to do you're not using the right word on it, but I don't want to cross my 'T's', all of them at the same time." John Pitts: "Well I guess I don't go to a Doctor when I don't need a doctor." Chairman O'Meara: "No I'm not going to one either, not right this minute." John Pitts: "Well, I think that we're in an unhealthy state and I think that isn't just this year" Chairman O'Meara: "Well anyway, I think that we'll continue on with the Budget the way we are going at this time." B.G. Brown: "So, I don't know, I guess I've always felt that I have some doubts about consultants, but I thought that the fact that John felt that the information we got was poor about the budget that that would be a compromise, to bring some person aboard to, like you say you feel that you'v e lost creditability in some of the information you've got and so forth, and we could get a person who he would be mo-n-Amnf ident in that person and their figures and so forth, that they developed because of their expertise in developing those figures. So I just felt that that was. a compromise to go towards the goal that he hoped to go toward. And I'm not sure what that figure should be, I know those people are expenseive, so if you feel that that is a worthwhile compromise then I would be willing to Put aside $4,000 Mi-nutes, Week of December 5, 1983 Page B.G. BROWN (continued) or $5,000 into the budget under profession services which we do not have any money in right now to accomplish that." John Pitts: "I don't believe that's what we need, B.G., so I couldn't concur. Will this be in the minutes? (Indication that it would) O.K." At the conclusion of the balance of the budget hearings, and after meetings with the Teamster's Union Representatives the meeting was adjourned.