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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM120400District No. 1 Commissioner: Dan Harpole District No. 2. Commissioner: Glen Huntingford District No. 3 Commissioner: Richard Wojt County Administrator: Charles Saddler Deputy Administrator: David Goldsmith Clerk of the Board: Lorna Delaney, CMC MINUTES Week of December 4, 2000 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Richard Wojt in the Lower Level Conference Room at the appointed time. Commissioners Dan Harpole and Glen Huntingford were both present. The Board met in Executive Session from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. as part of the Transit Authority Board to discuss a personnel matter. At 9:00 a.m. they participated in a telephone conference call with a representative of the County's Bond Counsel to discuss hearing procedures for the RID #4 assessment hearing scheduled for December 11, 2000. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The following comments were made: Is anything being done about the airport noise overlay?; disappointment that the County has indicated that they are going to appeal the Hearings Board ruling that was issued last week; a suggestion was made that the County not spend its resources appealing this decision; how does the Board see Chimacum expanding?; when will the UDC newsletter be issued? (Charles Saddler explained that the newsletter will be printed in the Port Townsend Leader on December 6, 2000.) APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA: Commissioner Harpole moved to adopt and approve all the items on the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Huntingford seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. 1. Deed of Right to Use Land for Salmon Recovery and Conservation Purposes; Nylund Acquisition for Little Quilcene River Habitat Acquisition Project No. 99-1666A; Jefferson County Public Works; State of Washington, Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) 2. AGREEMENT re: Compensation System Review and Design for Non-Represented Employees; Human Resources Planning Group The Board met in Executive Session from 10:05 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with the County Administrator and Deputy County Administrator regarding collective bargaining and from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. with the County Administrator, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Director of Community Development, Planning Manager, and an Associate Planner regarding potential litigation. At 11:15 a.m. the Board interviewed Duane Nail (District #3) who is interested in serving on the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee. Page 1 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 HEARING re: Final 2001 Budget: Approximately 40 interested County residents were present at this hearing. County Administrator Charles Saddler read his recommendation into the record which outlined the directives on the 2001 Budget that he was given by the Board last week. This included setting the levy at the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) rate. He also read a press release from the State Department of Revenue which advised counties to postpone implementation of 1-722. Commissioner Harpole asked how the $421,000 in fees to the City in the Regional Services Agreement was determined? Charles Saddler answered that a variety of regional services are provided to the City. The old formulas were reviewed, as well as new estimates, to determine a figure. Some of the old formulas couldn't be justified and the figure was adjusted down to $421,000. The County can justify about $495,000, but agreed to the $421,000. The City Council has taken action to reduce the $421,000 to $400,000. The County will be looking at areas where services can be reduced to meet the figure the City has proposed. The County Administrator advised that he is not ready to make a final recommendation on the reduction in services to the City. Commissioner Harpole pointed out that a recommendation on pagel 0 proposes that the Law and Justice facilities planning process be resumed without the City. Charles Saddler reported that the City has advised that they are not willing to go forward with this planning. Commissioner Harpole requested that the City be asked to state their decision not to participate in writing. Commissioner Harpole asked if the IPD rate will provide more funding than is necessary to address the priorities identified by the County Administrator? Charles Saddler answered that there would be about $40,000 above the needs identified. Commissioner Huntingford pointed out that on pagel 1 under Safety and Security, the Administrator's letter notes that this "should" produce savings. He asked if the savings are directly related to the County Administrator being able to charge for his time as the Director of Emergency Management? Charles Saddler advised that this would save between $5,000 to $7,000. Another area of savings is in E911 Dispatch. The possibility of hiring a Director of Health and Human Services in June is also being reviewed and would require only a half year of funding. Commissioner Huntingford expressed concern about the proposed reorganization that includes an additional Deputy County Administrator, the Director of Health and Human Services and a Parks Director. Chairman Wojt opened the public hearing for comments on the following 2001 budget requests: Community Services, Hotel/Motel Fund, Fair Board and the Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board. Page 2 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 COMMUNITY SERVICES FUND Deputy County Administrator David Goldsmith reviewed the requests and the amounts proposed in the 2001 budget for the Community Services Fund which provides funding for grants in aid or direct services. · The Economic Development Council (EDC) asked for $8,725 and is in the 20001 budget at that level; · The Health Care Access Program asked for $5,690.00; · The Domestic Violence requested $14,473; · The Forks Recreation Center is being funded $2,276; · The Jefferson County Soil Conservation is being funded at $22,760, the same amount as last year; · RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program is being funded at $1,252; · The Th Area Teen Center is being funded $7,304; · Jefferson County Fair and Fair Board is being funded $4,500; · Bayshore Motel and the Brinnon Community Center is being funded $17,940; · Quilcene & Tri Area Community Centers are being funded $88,000 (2.2% increase); · Brinnon Senior Fund reduce to $3,000 from $6,445 with the difference to go to Bayshore Motel Fund. Alan Frank, Port Townsend City Councilman, 1011 22nd Street, stated that the City Council has a recommendation to decrease EDC funding from $8,000 to $6,000 which would be earmarked for recruitment work. Orville Fisk, 1369 Center Road, Quilcene, asked if the County is only paying $4,500 to the Jefferson County Fair? David Goldsmith advised that the $4,500 provides the contract for the Fair Board to operate the facilities on the County's behalf. The Fair has other sources of income. Mr. Fisk stated that the Rock Club owns one of the buildings at the Fair. He feels the Fair Board needs to increase the amount for premiums. HOTEL/MOTEL FUND David Goldsmith explained that the Hotel/Motel Fund is from the bed tax. There is a Committee that administers this fund. The total annual Hotel/Motel Fund is $212,000. The County passed an ordinance that establishes how these funds will be used: 50% is for operations (Chambers of Commerce and the Gateway Visitor's Center); 25% for capital needs (the new Gateway Visitor's Center on Highway 104 and Beaver Valley Road); and the remaining 25% for regional marketing. The recommendation from the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) is in the budget. Alan Frank asked if the County has a contract with a marketing firm for regional marketing? David Goldsmith eXplained that the County had a consultant do a study and the consultant suggested that a website be developed for the North Olympic Peninsula. Page 3 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 FAIR FUND AND FAIR BOARD David Goldsmith explained that the Jefferson County Fair is an independent non-profit agency. They receive public funds and the County is their banker. The County's funding is used for grounds maintenance and operation of the Fair. The balance of the budget for the Fair is from revenue generated by Fair operations. Commissioner Huntingford advised that the Fair plans to install a new roof on the Oscar Erickson Building in the next 4 to 5 years and has asked if the County would be willing to help with that cost. JEFFERSON COUNTY NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL BOARD Charles Saddler explained that the budget for this Board was $7,572.52 in 2000, of the $45,000 that was requested. The County doesn't have a funding source for this Board, and the 2001 budget is proposed at the same amount as last year. This amount will not fund the needs or the issues to be addressed by the Weed Control Board. The amount of funding proposed will only provide minimal operation and education. Dennis Schultz, 250 Jacob Miller Road, Port Townsend, stated that it is his understanding that if the County doesn't have a Noxious Weed Control Board, the State will do the weed control in the County. David Wren, 409 "Q" Street, Port Townsend, suggested that the County let the prisoners in the jail pull weeds. Orville Fisk said that Tansy Ragwort is the worst weed in the County. It is thick along the roads. Larry Mehelis, 235 Scenic View Land, Port Ludlow, pointed out that the County could be divided into sections and work could be done in one section each year. He also feels it is a good idea to put the prisoners to work, and since he volunteers at the jail, he would be willing to work with the inmates on this type of program. Lille Christian, 2720 Center Road, Quilcene, Weed Control Board Member, stated that the Weed Board has made some progress in the last 2 years, but most of the funding has gone into weed surveys and staff time to do the surveys. Most of the weeds are on private property and land owners need to be contacted and asked to eradicate the noxious weeds on their property. The Weed Board works with land owners to help accomplish this. The funding is inadequate. If the Weed Board was put in abeyance, it would generate action on the part of the State. There has to be a revenue stream to pay for the staff, surveys, and action people to remove the weeds. He would support an assessment or that the Weed Board activities be included in a new County Conservation Department. He advised that the Weed Board has used inmates to pull weeds, so that is not an additional resource. Barbara Fisk, 13691 Center Road, Quilcene, noted that a main generator of Tansy Ragwort is clear cut areas. As soon as the land is logged the weeds spread to private and public lands. She suggested that loggers be required to do weed control and that the County not get involved. Page 4 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 Forest Shomer, 2014 Fir St. Port Townsend, Weed Control Board Member, reported that this is the second full year of operation for the Board. They mobilized 7 projects to remove weeds this year. Coordination is necessary in order to get people to do volunteer work. Using inmates or youths who are doing community service still means that someone has to coordinate their activities. The Weed Board has leveraged an equal amount of volunteer time as the County gave in dollars. The Weed Board wants to continue to serve. The discussion continued regarding the role and needs of the Weed Control Board and the types of noxious weeds in the County. Sarah Peters, 7024 Haada Laas Road, Port Townsend, reported that she served as the temporary, seasonal staff for the Weed Board this year. There is limited staffing with this budget. Phone, office rent, and copying expenses were provided by Cooperative Extension. Priorities for the Weed Control Board include education, producing brochures and putting education keys in the newspaper; and continuing to update survey work because only 40% of the roads in the County have been surveyed. GENERAL BUDGET ISSUES Byron Ruby, 1130 Hastings Avenue, Port Townsend, asked if there is information about how many property taxpayers there are compared to the number of people that rent in the County? He recommended that the tax levy be held to 2.9%. Lige Christian, observed that people need to keep in mind that when growth and new businesses are brought in, there are infrastructure needs and additional costs to develop the infrastructure to support them. These costs are not covered by the developer who is not interested in paying a large amount of tax. Landowners can receive some tax relief if the developers truly pay for the infrastructure for new growth that comes into the County. The County has to have growth, but he cautioned that there needs to be a cost balance also. Susie Rossi, presented petitions with a reported 1,500 signatures asking that the County not increase taxes. Alan Frank, stated that the City needs a formula to determine the cost of services the County provides them so that they can manage costs. A third party needs to develop the formulas. He has invested time to try to understand what the Commissioners and the County Administrator are up against. He added that the County and the City are at a philosophical crossroad about the cost of government and taxes. The government needs to identify what citizens can do to help. 1-722 passed in Jefferson County by 5%. The County has an Administrator to help decide how to spend the money. Government needs to be made more transparent. He suggested that the County develop an organization chart that shows every employee, their job description, and their salary. Page 5 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 Orville Fisk, asked who decides if a new business can locate in the County? A new restaurant was proposed in Brinnon and people in long dresses and combat boots spoke against it at a hearing, so it wasn't approved. There are very few property owners to foot the whole tax bill. He suggested a per capita tax on everyone to help run schools and government. Barbara Fisk said that she was appalled that the County is going to spend money on open space purchases. There is already enough open space. She asked what the budgeted amount is for this tax? Charles Saddler answered that the Conservation Futures Tax is budgeted at $153,000. She questioned the County buying open space and having the property removed from the tax roles. She added that this funding could be used in the budget for a necessary service. Commissioner Harpole noted that part of the Board's direction, when the Conservation Futures Tax was passed, was to have the County Administrator develop and implement an Advisory Board who will determine a priority for the use of this funding. The County needs to be able to give relief to property owners who have lost some use or development rights on their property due to the ESA listing. Commissioner Huntingford added that he felt this tax should have been taken to the voters before it was imposed. He suggested that a developer be given the option of contributing money to this fund in place of dedicating a certain amount of land to open space in a subdivision. Barbara Fisk, asked if the County can reduce what is spent on growth management? The County needs to address the restrictions put on properties. Any little tax increase especially hurts the elderly and those people who live alone. The senior citizen's ability to pay needs to be considered when a tax increase is considered. There are many seniors and retired people who can't afford more taxes. David Wren, advised that he runs a webpage on property taxes in Washington State. He then presented some materials and noted that about 40% of the population of Jefferson County survives on Social Security. Social Security recipients received about $10,000 per year and will receive a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of $29.00 per month, or $ .77 per day extra in their pocket. A widowed mother of 2 will get $1.69 per day. All disabled workers will have an average of $..77 a day (3.5% increase) more in their pocket. He said that he doesn't know how the County will continue to pass this kind of increase in taxes on to the public. There has been a 178% increase in regular taxes since 1988. There is no way that people living on a fixed retirement income can afford this. There is about a 40% spread between the raise in taxes and the raise in income. Pat Rogers, P.O. Box 62, Brinnon, and a Brinnon School Board Member, noted that he is not speaking for the School Board, but as a private citizen. He stated that many people can afford an increase, but there is a capacity for the people in the community to pay the tax increases. This is an area with a graying population. The citizens have passed school levies in Brinnon and there is a real squeeze on their capacity to pay. There is a level of priority in the budget. The Conservation Futures Tax and the proposed increase in County property taxes are approximately the same amount as the Brinnon levy for next year and there is Page 6 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 a chance that the levy won't pass. If the school levy doesn't pass, it will mean fewer kindergarten classes, no library and 3 classes in one classroom in Brinnon. Brinnon doesn't have the means to generate revenue. He cautioned that the reorganization, even though it is within the proposed budget, may have a greater impact than just the cost. He strongly recommends that the reorganization be done in the future and that the Board take the time to do more research on the true impact. Rose Ann Olson, Brinnon, said that she suggested to her husband that they put their house up for sale and maybe it would sell in 6 years, which is how fast houses are selling in Brinnon. The Governor wants a 6% increase on gas tax and an increase in car license fees. The premium for Part A Medicare is going up $50 per month; the cost of health insurance is going up and now that premium is $450 per month when her retirement is only $400 per month. They own almost 300 feet of waterfront and the taxes are high. There isn't a big tax base in Jefferson County and yet the County wants more in taxes. James Fritz, 271 Crutcher Road, Port Townsend, explained that he feels the proposal to limit the tax increase to 2.61% is reasonable and he can live with it. He voted against 1-722, but it passed. This County is not prepared to go through a depression. Housing costs are high and the timber and fishing industries are diminishing because of regulations. The only options will be massive layoffs. The County needs to bring new revenue streams on line. Since there is no fast track or emergency provision in the Comprehensive Plan or UDC, he doesn't know what the County will do. Ron Gregory, 22 McCurdy Land, Port Ludlow, thanked Charles Saddler for putting his budget document together in a readable form. IPD is an increase in taxes. He questioned why there is a request for another Deputy County Administrator. He thought the County Administrator was hired to increase County efficiency and decrease costs. The cost of the Deputy County Administrator will be cost allocated to minimize cost to the Current Expense Fund. This is actually hiding the cost of this position in a number of other budgets so that it can't be shown as a cost. The County continues to increase and enhance bureaucracy. Why is there a need for more administrators? Does the County need a Public Health Director? He suggested that funding from the Conservation Futures Tax be used to fund the Parks and Recreation Plan and the Trails Plan rather than to acquire more open space. He stated that adding the Building Official duties to the Administrative Official's responsibilities would put builders at risk because there wouldn't be anyone qualified to deal with the codes. The Building Official does highly technical work. Margaret Van deGriff, 5510 Jackman Street, Port Townsend, said that she is fascinated by the County Administrator's budget proposal, but she doesn't understand the bottom line. She asked if the proposal was within the 2.61% tax increase? What happened to the previous proposals? P.R. Van deGriff, 5510 Jackman Street, Port Townsend, stated that there is another endangered species and that's the citizens. Now that the Commissioners have heard the people at this hearing, it will be interesting to see what they will do about it. Page 7 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 Hearing no further comments, the Chair closed this session of the final budget hearing. The Board recessed the meeting at the conclusion of the hearing and reconvened on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. in the Lower Level Conference Room in the Courthouse. All three Board members were present. HEARING re: Final 2001 Budget (Continued from December 4, 2000): The Chair opened the public hearing on the budget. County Administrator Charles Saddler presented a budget message dated December 4 for the public to review. Chairman Wojt asked if any of the Departments had comments on the County Administrator's recommendations? Sue Carlson, District Court Clerk, asked for a clarification on the status of the ½ time bailiff position? She understands that this was put in a different budget as a full time position. The County Administrator stated that the current budget proposal allows for 2 full time bailiffs to serve the Courts and deal with Courthouse security. Pete Piccini, Sheriff, explained that he won't have deputy coverage in the South County unless he is able to hire another deputy. Approximately 35% of their calls are in Quilcene and Brinnon. With current staffing, they can not provide the coverage they need. What about more dispatchers? Commissioner Wojt pointed out that the IPD Budget proposes the addition of 3 jailers, 1 deputy, and 1 support staff in the Sheriff's Office. There is also a new department proposed under the County Commissioners that will include 2 additional E911 dispatchers, a civilian security person for Courthouse security, and a full time bailiff for the Courts. Pete Piccini said that 2 additional E911 dispatchers will help, but they will still have a skeleton crew. Commissioner Harpole replied that this is a total of 9 dispatchers. The Sheriff added that he does not want the dispatchers moved out of the jail. Commissioner Huntingford stated that he is concerned about taking the dispatchers out of the Civil Service system. He doesn't want to see hiring standards lowered. Pete Piccini explained that he intends to open an annex in South County and assign deputies and 1 sargeant on a permanent basis to that location. Commissioner Harpole recommended that an additional deputy be hired at the end of the first quarter or by mid year. He added that Jefferson County needs to resolve the issue of the unpaid billings from the City of Port Townsend for jail services for municipal offenders. He directed that the County Administrator ask the City for a response regarding this payment by the end of the first quarter of 2001. Page 8 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 ,_~ Pete Piccini recommended that 3 additional deputies be hired in 2001. They also need administrative support at the SherifFs Office and they will need an additional support staff if the South County Annex is opened. Donna Eldridge, Auditor, stated that she advocates the request for 2 additional support staff for the Sheriff's Office because currently her accounting staff is helping with their expenditure inputting on a regular basis. Byron Ruby, presented a petition with 225 signatures of citizens who do not want a tax increase. He asked why the problem with the municipal jail services wasn't addressed several years ago? Commissioner Harpole explained that the County is as much at fault as the City for not recognizing the error. He stated that it is crucial that the County recover the costs. Commissioner Huntingford explained that the County and the City have an agreement in place that the City will pay for jail services, however, the County neglected to bill them. He understands how difficult it is for the City to pay the past debt, but he doesn't understand why they haven't budgeted funds to meet their obligations for next year now that they are aware that they will be billed. Dave Clevenger, Chimacum, stated that he is concerned about the proposed elimination of the Building Official. This person needs to be ICBO certified and there are qualified people in the Building Department that could do this job. The Administrative Official already has enough responsibilities. He feels that this could cause delays in the building permit process. The employees in the Building Department do a great job and he doesn't want to see the efficiency in the Department decreased. Marianne Walters, Superior Court Clerk, asked if the new recording systems for Superior Court and District Court were eliminated from the budget? The Board replied that these systems were moved to another part of the budget. Commissioner Huntingford pointed out that the increase in deputies at the Sheriff's Office would add a burden to the Court system. He cautioned that they need to address this right up front. Sue Carlson, District Court Clerk, stated that District Court would receive most of the additional work created by 3 new deputies and she does not anticipate that her staffing levels would need to be increased. Lynnette Antijunti, Brinnon, explained that if there is a 15% increase in property taxes, she would have to go out of business. There have already been tax increases in the last few years because of the Brinnon School Levy. Commissioner Huntingford explained that the property taxes would not be increased by 15%. Page 9 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of December 4, 2000 Juelie Dalzell~ Prosecuting Attorney, stated that Charles Saddler recommended a status quo budget for her Office even though she asked for salary increases for the Deputy Prosecutors and another ½ time position. She feels she has an excellent group of experienced Deputy Prosecutors; but she is fearful that they will go to other jurisdictions if they are not compensated at a higher rate. If the Sheriff's Office gets the additional employees that have been recommended, this will increase the workload in her Office. The County is experiencing more crime because of the population increase. Hearing no further public comment, the Chair closed the public testimony portion of the hearing. Commissioner Harpole stated that there are several issues that need to be reviewed as a result of the public comment received by the Board. He directed that the County Administrator take a closer look at the staggered hiring schedule for 2001 for the Sheriff's Office. He asked for more information about the Building Official's duties. He has concerns about the increased workload in the Law and Justice Departments when more deputies are hired. He explained that the issue of the Deputy Prosecutor's salaries will not be addressed until after the first of the year because all exempt and mid-managers salaries are currently being reviewed. The Board met later that day in a workshop on the 2001 Budget. MEETING ADJOURNED SEAL: ATTEST: Loma Delaney, CMC Clerk of the Board Dan Harpole, Member Page 10