08-11-2014 Budget - Laserfiche WebLink

Commission Minutes—August 11, 2014 4337 SPECIAL MEETING OF CASS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING IN BUDGET SESSION AUGUST 11, 2014 1. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Chairman Ken Pawluk called the meeting to order at 8:15 on Monday, August 11, 2014, with all members present as follows: Darrell Vanyo, Chad M. Peterson, Mary Scherling, Vern Bennett and Ken Pawluk. Also present were County Auditor Michael Montplaisir, County Administrator Keith Berndt, and Accountants Mary Matheson and Alicia Hildebrand. 2. BUDGET OVERVIEW Mr. Montplaisir gave an overview of the 2015 preliminary budget and said the revenue budget was prepared based on the "zero number of mills increase" included in NDCC 57- 15-02.1. The legislature enacted this formula to keep property taxes down and to control mill levies. If the county levies more than the "zero number of mills increase", notices will have to be sent to 6,000 taxpayers—those properties that increased in value by more than 10% or more than $3,000 per state law. He said new legislation being considered for 2015 would require notices to be sent to all taxpayers—in Cass County that would be 60,000 notices at a cost of around $20,000. Mr. Montplaisir said General Fund revenues are down by approximately $340,000 and expenditures have increased by over $2 million. Last year the county levied 62.67 total mills, and in order to meet the "zero number of mills" formula, the county would need to levy 60.43 mills for 2015. In order to avoid sending notices, the board would need to cut over $3 million from the preliminary budget. Mr. Montplaisir said overall salaries were figured using a 2% cost of living adjustment and normal step increases. Health insurance was calculated using an 8% increase, which is based on an early estimate from Blue Cross Blue Shield. He suggested the county consider a redesign of the health insurance plan and spend some dollars on wellness programs to combat increasing health care costs. 3. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Keith Berndt, County Administrator, discussed his budget which includes Administrator Operations; Buildings and Grounds; Courthouse; Jail; Annex; and Risk Management. The proposed budget for 2015 increased by 13.5% compared to last year. He outlined discretionary spending and capital items which include: $270,000 for new tables and chairs for the Annex conference room and new furniture for part of the Sheriff's Office; $18,000 for tuck pointing the masonry on the old portion of the Courthouse; $40,000 for two bathroom finish and fixture upgrades at the Courthouse; $23,000 to replace parking lot lights with LED lights; and $185,000 to carpet the basement, first and fourth floors of the Annex. Mr. Peterson said considering the budget constraints for next year, the furniture replacement is not a priority. Mrs. Scherling said the tables and chairs in the Annex conference room are in rough shape however, and she supports replacing them. Mr. Vanyo suggested a $90,000 reduction in the furniture line item. Mr. Berndt said he will work with whatever the board approves.