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Wednesday, June 8 2011 – 1:00 p.m.
By Editor Becky Watts
1. CALL TO ORDER ............................................................................ Chairman Doug Mangham
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
3. COUNTY MANAGER’S COMMENTS ................................................................... Bill Sawyer
Continued Budget Overview and Q/A Session ............................. Kay Landers, Teresa Watson
4. COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS
5. PUBLIC HEARING: FY 2011-12 Budget ........................................ Discussion and Comments
6. ADJOURNMENT
To view a copy of the Budget Calendar which contains the times of upcoming hearings and the final adoption process, click here. Please note: I will probably not be attending the next two budget hearings. If you have an opinion on the budget that you would like to send to me, you can send your Letter to the Editor to: editor@pikecountytimes.com.
Click here to view a copy of the budget from the Pike County Commission website.
Here are some important links that will put the entire budget into perspective.
Click here to read from the first budget hearing with links to a list of the cuts that have been made to the overall budget.
This meeting was attended by all five commissioners, County Clerk Teresa Watson, County Manager (CM) Bill Sawyer, and Financial Officer Kay Landers. This budget was presented at the Pike County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 26, 2011. The current budget is $9,642,598. The new proposed budget is $8,777,200 with a reduction of 9.86%. The County Manager stressed at the past meeting that Commissioners have the final say on the budget.
It took about 25 minutes to read through the entire budget and with changes and reasons for those changes since there was no power point on the wall. Present at the meeting were members of the public as well as heads of several county departments, elected officials, and members of county authorities.
Commissioner Carol Bass said that she appreciated all of the efforts that have been made on this budget. A couple of technical questions were asked about contingency and E911 costs before Commissioner Bass proposed another change to the budget. She said that she would like to see the Deputy Judge made into a part-time position in the upcoming budget and the difference and all fringe benefits moved to contingency. Commissioner Tommy Powers said that he agreed. Commissioner Don Collins said that he thought the reason for more funds in Magistrate Court's budget was to cover the possibility of being required to fund this position until this is resolved. He said that the county almost has to plan budgeting for a worst case scenario. [Note from the Editor: Making the Assistant Magistrate Judge into a part-time position from the full-time postion that it was at the beginning of this election cycle has been in litigation for months and months and is still not resolved. I don't have confirmation that this is the point of litigation but it comes up later in the meeting and I'm smart enough to deduce what I'm hearing and seeing (people going into Executive Sessions, etc.) from the meetings.] It was said that Magistrate Court hasn't had two full-time judges and that it is running well. At this point, Magistrate Judge Marcia Callaway-Ingram interupted and said that this [running well without two full-time judges] was incorrect. She was not allowed to speak at this time. Commissioner Don Collins asked CM Sawyer what his thoughts were on this suggestion to move this money to Contingency. CM Sawyer advised that as long as the money is in the budget and the money is set aside in case it is needed, this would be ok. He did point out that if the money was moved to contingency, there would have to be a vote to move it from contingency back into Magistrate Court if it was needed. The CM and commissioners were very careful with their wording on this subject since it is currently in litigation.
Commissioner Bass said that Magistrate Court has been running well to date and said that she based that on year to date projections. Magistrate Judge Marcia Callaway Ingram was allowed to address the commissioners at this time. Judge Callway-Ingram said that the county is required by law to have a full-time and salary and that this position was cut from full-time to part-time last year against the law. She said that her office is "severely short-handed" because of limitations that have been placed on her office and that the office has not "run smoothly". Said it has been "extremely difficult and it must change." Said that department has been cut in half from previous years and presented the numbers from the past six years saying that what she asked for was much less than what has been given over the past six years. She ended by saying that the Assistant Magistrate position was required by law to be funded as a full-time position. She asked if the commissioners had any questions and Commissioner Tommy Powers asked, "Did we do something illegal last year?" to which County Attorney Rob Morton asked/advised Commissioner Powers not to have any more discussion on that item because it is in litigation. The CM echoed that sentiment and cautioned the commissioners to be very careful with their words when discussing that particular salary item. Commissioner Bass said that her recommendation still stands.
Commissioner Tamra Jarrett asked the CM for his recommendation. CM Sawyer said that funds must be available if taken out of the budget then Magistrate Court must have an amended budget and funds must be set aside if the event came to pass where the money had to be spent. Commissioner Bass said that her proposal would be for a full-time Magistrate Judge, part-time criminal clerk, part-time civil clerk, and part-time Deputy Magistrate Judge. Magistrate Judge Marcia Callaway-Ingram said from the audience, "That won't work" and CM Sawyer asked for this to be postponed for 24 hours so he could get back with commissioners and the Magistrate Judge.
Update 8.8.11:
Public Hearing portion of the meeting began.
Citizen Jimmy Bass said that he appreciated what the CM and staff has done with the budget and thanked them for the decision to allow public comment at the next meeting. Said that he thought there was still probably a couple hundred thousand dollars that could be reduced. Mentioned the cooler that is needed for the Coroner's Office along with the $3600 contract and said that if the county owns a property with a rental house on it, why can't it go there? Consensus for CM to look into this. Said that the problem of a private citizen leasing a house on county property to another individual is more important than the money on this. Asked about IDA funding and the Chamber of Commerce. Said that the county shouldn't be paying for a private organization. CM Sawyer and Matt Wood are on that board. He was advised that funds are not going to the chamber but are going to economic development and that the county does not fund the Chamber of Commerce. Jimmy asked how much of the $70,000 that the Chamber gets. $25,000 or so for administrative costs that includes payment for utilities, etc. There are 4 or 5 meetings there per month plus the public meeting. Matt Wood said that the county cannot address a major industry about moving their business here unless the county is put forward in the best light. Matt invited Jimmy to come to an IDA meeting on the first Thursday of every month. Jimmy asked about Tax Assessor contract employee John Peavy. Said that he was under the impression that he was training people but wondered if the county might not be better off without this $26,000 per year job plus county vehicle. Asked how much Peavy was doing. CM and Chairman Mangham asked the Chief Assessor to be sure that people are trained at a meeting last week. He was told that this is an at will county and once the properties are in line then think won't have as many employees. He asked about the TAN (Tax Anticipation Note) and was told by the CM that he said it would take two years to borrow roughly $800,000 per year when he came here. Did that last year and have $432,000 in reserves now. Have options for furloughs that are not off the table. Said that the CM will be the first person to be furloughed and he will still come in and work if this happens. CM Sawyer said that furloughs "are a distinct possibility." Jimmy said that Constitutional officers are spending too much money but everybody likes them. Said that they have to learn to do more with less. Said that the county is worried about a lawsuit but that we have got to have less government and that the Commissioners control Pike County government. He was told that the county is working diligently to try to save costs.
Rebekah Betsill said that she is a local business owner who represents Pike County Parks and Recreation at no charge. Said that any corporation that looks at moving to Pike County looks at quality of life before moving and that kids need something to do. Said that the authority found $16,000 to cut on its own without cutting programs and voted 12 furlough days for their employees. Then said another $73,000 was cut out of the budget. Asked how they were supposed to do that without cutting programs. Asked if the Commission has considered these children and asked, "Are they of any importance to you?" Addressed the decision of dissolving this authority and that there is a legal process to follow. Said that it would have been nice for a conversation to have taken place beforehand instead of it being an amended budget item.
Magistrate Judge Marcia Callaway-Ingram addressed the commissioners about her budget. Said that she has invited commissioners to come down to her office over the past year to find out about the Magistrate Court and its needs, "but you have not done so." Said that she has not been allowed to have any input on this budget process. Said that she thought it was set and said that the change to her budget was a suprise because there was ample opportunity to come and speak to her about it but that did not happen. Said that she did not get what she had asked for but was willing to work with what was recommended and that nothing was said until today about amending her budget. Said that Georgia Code says that a judge's salary cannot be decreased during the term and that means from election to election and that goes the same for a judge's full-time staff. Said that we are trying to get a definition of "during the term" but that means from election to election. Then said that the Constitution says that the power granted to counties shall not be construed to extend to the following matters... action affecting any elected county office, salaries or personnel as well as any court or court personnel. Said that it is not up to the commissioners to decide whether her staff is part-time or not or whether to cut their salaries. Said that was "clearly off limits." Said that if there as something unreasonable with her budget, "Talk to me about it." Said that is has not gone well over the past year (with the reduced amount of her budget) and that the only reason it has worked at all was because she and her staff worked very hard to keep it under budget. Said that Magistrate Court is often the only court that citizens see. Asked if commissioners really wanted to run it into the ground? Budgets from the past six Magistrate Courts are as follows per Judge Callaway Ingram. Said that this one that they are coming out of is the lowest one ever. Said that the proposed budget was the 2nd lowest. 2005-2006 budget was $198,274. 2006-2007 was $211,574. 2007-2008 was $ 212,000. 2008-2009 was $214,000. 2009-2010 was $233,824.50. 2010-2011 was $147,599. "What has been requested is not unreasonable, what has been recommended I can work with, but cutting it further is unacceptable," said Judge Callway-Ingram.
Click here and here to read discussions that have taken place during budget hearings.
Click here to read from the 6.22.11 meeting in which a letter from Judge Callaway-Ingram is discussed and Georgia Code is stated from her letter.
Helen Carter, Family and Consumer Sciences from the 4H Office, said that she appreciated what the commissioners did for her office. Said that she had forgotten to add $115 under deferred comp based on 4% of a salary. It is required by the state and she said that she just missed it when she added up her budget. CM Sawyer gave his ok on this. Consensus from the commissioners to add $115 to this budget.
Motion to adjourn at 2:36 p.m.