Lane County



LANE COUNTY BUDGET COMMITTEETuesday, May 23, 20172:00 p.m. – 4:30pmBCC Conference RoomChair Denis Hijmans presided with Budget Committee members present: Commissioner Gary Williams, Herb Vloedman, Commissioner Jay Bozievich, Larry Abel, Commissioner Peter Sorenson, Commissioner Sid Leiken, Dale Stoneburg, Commissioner Pat Farr, and Phil Carrasco.In addition, Assessment & Taxation Assessor, Mike Cowles; A&T Appraisal Manager, Tara Smith; A&T Property and Tax Manager, Dani Urbatzka; Operations Director, Greg Rikhoff; County Clerk, Cheryl Betschart; Economic Development Manager, Sarah Means; County Administrator, Steve Mokrohisky; County Counsel, Steve Dingle; Human Resources Director, Marsha Edwards; Budget and Finance Planner, Christine Moody; Technology Services Director, Mike Finch; Public Works Director, Tim Elsea; Fleet and General Services Manager, Michael Johns; Strategic Planning and Budget Supervisor, Judy Williams; Sue Herron and John Mosby from the Budget Office, were also present.CALL MEETING TO ORDERChair Denis Hijmans calling the meeting to Order. COMMITTEE BUSINESSThe committee reviewed the minutes from the May 10th & 11th Meetings. Commissioner Williams noted an item for correction on the 5:00 p.m. agenda. Herb Vloedman made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Dale Stoneburg seconded the motion.III. ASSESSMENT & TAXATIONMike Cowles, Assessor, gave the Assessment & Taxation presentation for the proposed FY 17-18 budget to the Committee. (PowerPoint presentation available with Budget Committee Materials on the Lane County website).The presentation overviewed the revenue, expenses, and challenges ahead for each of the three divisions of A&T: Appraisal (19 FTE), Administration (2 FTE), and Property Tax Management (27 FTE), as well as the strategic plan and community partnerships.Mr. Cowles opened the room to questions.Dale Stoneburg inquired about any preliminary findings in the reappraisal of Springfield.Appraisal Manager, Tara Smith responded: the department has been processing the omitted property entries and currently has 398,000 to add to the property. Commissioner Sorenson asked which buildings are included in exempt properties.Mr. Cowles responded: Hospital, church, the University of Oregon, and charitable properties are among those included. As are some county properties, such as Lane County ICE. Properties without an application in their files will be asked to complete one to make sure they are meeting the statutory requirements for missioner Sorenson asked whether or not nonprofits and other organizations are considered exempt when they sell goods and services to support their own organizations.Mr. Cowles replied: it would be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the amounts and whether it meets their missioner Sorenson noted the recent Elton John concert at Matthew Knight Area falls under exempt status and asked if this was an issue that could be addressed by A&T.Mr. Cowles responded: it would be possible and is on the table, however the University has very strict statutes for their exempt status. Commissioner Farr inquired about the exemption status of the clinics surrounding the hospitals.Mr. Cowles replied: for the most part, they are not missioner Farr remarked that when the hospital moved from Eugene to Springfield, the clinics that went with the hospital now pay taxes in Springfield.Mr. Cowles replied: some of the clinics are exempt, for example the nonprofits, and it is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Property and Tax Manager, Dani Urbatzka commented with Mr. Cowles that the legislation has provided the county with a better line to work from with regards to exempt clinics and properties where there is not a clear line beside tax court decisions.Larry Abel inquired about any open positions in the department, in light of the difficulty to hire qualified staff.Mr. Cowles responded: they have recently hired 2 new Appraisers and 2 Senior OAs, which leaves them will a full staff, save one pending position. The department has shifted its search criteria to attempt to quicken the time from posted positions to hiring. They are now bringing in more staff with entry-level qualifications instead of only those with extensive experience. Larry Abel inquired about the salaries for this coming year will be lower than the current year’s, given the same number of FTE.Mr. Cowles replied: this is due to attrition of staff retiring. Those who retired left at higher positions, while those coming in are starting at lower positions. The lapse has been built into the budget instead of assuming a certain percentage. Commissioner Leiken asked what the department hopes to accomplish when the software update it complete.Mr. Cowles responded: the current software has not had a full upgrade since the late 1990s. They are looking for more seamless software, not tied to the clients themselves, which is more user friendly to the staff and easier for technology services to maintain. They are hoping to have more interconnectivity between the software missioner Leiken asked if customers can pay online, and Mr. Cowles confirmed they could.Herb Vloedman asked if the software partners are on the same track as A&T in terms of evolving their taxation software.Mr. Cowles responded: they tend to go back and forth depending on the area and county in terms of updates and systems. Each county makes their decision depending on what the software can do as well as how well the company can support the software. Phil Carrasco asked how the department fulfills its mission to provide superior customer service to all Lane County residents.Mr. Cowles responded: there are several ways this is done. Feedback via emails and phone calls from taxpayers and commissioners as well as maintaining open communication with business partners are included in this process.Larry Abel noted category changes within the Fees and Charges revenue between this year and last year.Mr. Cowles responded: the category was broken out further this year, which would account for certain categories being absent last year. There are some fees that are re-categorized. Mr. Cowles will provide all pertinent details to the Budget missioner Farr commended Mr. Cowles on his and A&T’s work between the different districts. IV. COUNTY ADMINISTRATIONCounty Clerk and Economic DevelopmentOperations Director, Greg Rikhoff and County Clerk, Cheryl Betschart presented the proposed FY 17-18 budget for the County Clerk’s Office to the Commission. (PowerPoint available with Budget Committee Materials on the Lane County website).The presentation overviewed the budget by fund, revenue, and expenses for the department and its divisions: Elections (6.5 FTE) and Deeds and Records and other programs (5.5 FTE). Changes to the budget are needed to reflect the increased expenses due to Oregon Motor Voter, minimum wage, and postage. Chair Hijmans opened the room to missioner Leiken proposed a couple of questions regarding the Oregon Motor Voter law. First, he asked, after working through the process for over a year, have the clerks done an assessment of the law and is the allotted money sufficient to cover the new duties. He also asked for insight regarding the recent jump in non-affiliated registrations. Ms. Betschart responded: the state reimburses the County Clerk’s office $0.15 per active voter as of October each year. So far, they have been reimbursed $30,000 for each of the past two years. The legislative committee will be reassessing the cost this summer due to a recent implementation by Secretary Richardson, resulting in an unplanned and unbudgeted increase in voter missioner Sorenson confirmed with Ms. Betschard that the new software to count votes still uses hand-filled, paper ballots, and the votes could therefore be hand counted in the event of a system failure.Ms. Betschart noted the change in the new system as the digital scanning of the paper ballots so the adjudication is now done via computer. The system is extremely efficient and missioner Sorenson inquired about federal organizations or agencies that would be comparable to the Oregon Elections or Secretary of State Divisions in determining specific requirements for elections on the federal level. Ms. Betschart responded: any changes due to federal legislation will be filtered down to the county through the Secretary of State’s office. A good relationship with the Secretary ensures the county will be aware of any potential impact. There is an election commission that monitors throughout the United States, but the Federal Election Commission does not manage the specifications at this missioner Bozievich asked if there is a way of determining the turnout of those added through Motor Voter in the last election.Ms. Betschart replied: the Secretary of State will release the statistics after the election is certified in early June. In the general election, between 8-10% of those registered through Motor Voter in Lane County voted. Operations Director, Greg Rikhoff and Economic Development Manager, Sarah Means presented the proposed FY 17-18 budget for Community & Economic Development to the Commission. (PowerPoint available with Budget Committee Materials on the Lane County website).The presentation overviewed the CED’s revenue, expenses, changes/challenges, and community partnerships with a focus on traded sector development and economic development, rural community and economic development, and public infrastructure. Rural high-speed fibers have become a priority. The department is entirely funded by Oregon Video Lottery Revenue at $1,530,000. CED is a 2.5 FTE program and is proposing a 0.5 FTE increase as well as minor increases in materials and services budget. Chair Hijmans opened the room to missioner Williams requested Ms. Means contact him regarding a constituent’s concern of not being able to access internet for their home missioner Bozievich commented about the possibilities and potential of developing competing wireless, high-speed internet providers in rural areas, such as Veneta, with the expansion of fiber optic cables to the call center in that area. Mr. Rokhoff discussed the goals of the Rural Prosperity Initiative to bring together staff with rural functions and other county divisions to meet on a regular basis, talk, and overcome hurdles. Heb Vloedman noted the difference between fiber optic cables and wireless, with wireless used for last-mile services in this context. Lane County has great opportunities for public/private partnerships to expand towers and connections, which adds great value to those living in rural missioner Sorenson noted the large population of Eugene/Springfield as a metropolitan area, in between rural and cities. He inquired about initiatives to address unemployment in underemployed areas of Eugene/Springfield in addition to the rural initiatives.Ms. Means remarked on the efforts of CED to remain balanced between rural and metropolitan areas of attention. She noted Glenwood redevelopment and the Lane Workforce Partnership with regards to city initiatives. Commissioner Leiken expressed his view of Lane County has a significant support to the cities and asked about CED’s ability to assess future funding from video lottery in light of new measures or trends in its usage. Ms. Means referenced the forecast to assess future budget trends, which continues to be positive. It will be important to keep Oregon’s politicians and delegates informed about the work this funding makes possible in order to assure its continuance. V. INTERNAL SERVICESHighlightsCounty Administrator, Steve Mokrohisky, began the Internal Services Highlights presentation to the Committee (PowerPoint available with Budget Committee Materials on the Lane County website). The presentation brought together various divisions to overview the internal services in Lane County with a focus on prioritizing and saving resources to support these internal services before any consideration of reductions to direct services. The divisions included: County Counsel, presented by Steve Dingle, with $1,670,938 in resources, a $1,629,642 budget requirement, and 10 FTEHuman Resources, presented by Marsha Edwards, with $2,423,943 in resources, a $2,473,671 budget requirement, and 18 FTEGeneral Expense, presented by Christine Moody, with $188,911,324 in resources, a $141,654,999 budget requirement, and 0 FTETechnology Services, presented by Mike Finch, with $16,907,714 in resources, a $16,907,714 budget requirement, and 69.5 FTEFleet & General Services, presented by Tim Elsea, with $36,360,067 in resources, a $36,360,067 budget requirement, and 46.49 FTECounty Administration: Administration and Operations, presented by Greg Rikhoff, with $11,946,636 in resources, a $11,941,150 budget requirement, and 17.63 FTEMr. Mokrohisky opened the room to missioner Sorenson commented about the to transition of the legal office to bring in fewer consultants and work more internally. He asked about capital costs in relation to business demands and the ability to work locally within the Public Works division. Fleet and General Services Manager, Michael Johns responded: an IGA has been established with several agencies such as EWEB, Springfield, Eugene, and Lincoln County. Lane County’s division gives work to and receives work from these agencies depending on individual areas of expertise. Commissioner Sorenson inquired about the striping machine and the contract with ODOT, to which Mr. Johns replied: Roads does contracts for other agencies as well. Commissioner Sorenson requested the status of the ODOT contract with Lane County regarding road striping be sent to the Budget Committee via email. Larry Abel noted a significant decrease in the budget for Intergovernmental Agreements and requested clarification.Ms. Moody commented she could not provide a specific answer at that time and would look into it. Larry Abel also noted a low number for General Liability, and Ms. Moody explained that County Administration had a large claim fall-off after an assessment of the Risk Fund. Herb Vloedman asked what kind of training the county provides in terms of cyber security.Mr. Finch responded: Technology Services currently provides training on fishing and other social engineering threats to the system, which staff is encouraged to complete each year. An email system is in place to notify staff when threats are active, and the security team is assessing other ways to strengthen training. Commissioner Bozievich requested a copy of Christine Moody’s notes on health insurance history and costs over the last 16 years. Ms. Moody distributed a document displaying the countywide dues to the Committee. The document will also be available in the Budget Committee Materials on the Lane County website.VIII. COMMITTEE BUSINESSBudget and Finance Planner, Christine Moody outlined the process of deliberation for the final Budget Committee meeting on Thursday, May 25. (The handouts provided are available on Dropbox and on the Lane County website under Budget Committee Materials.) She addressed the two known issues for discussion, regarding Public Works and Human Services. She also requested the Committee submit any revisions they would like to propose via email prior to Thursday’s meeting. Commissioner Bozievich requested clarification about the Budget Committee setting the tax rate and the request from the Sheriff’s Office.Ms. Moody confirmed it was requested by the Sheriff’s Office to the Budget Committee, and the Budget Committee sets the tax rate. Commissioner Bozievich noted last year’s analysis of the projection of reserves prior to setting the tax rate and asked if those projections continue to hold at the $0.38 to leave both departments (Sheriff’s Office and Youth Services) in a good position relative to the amount of reserve. Ms. Moody confirmed the projection of the reserves continues to hold. Chair Hijmans seconded Commissioner Bozievich’s request and also requested an updated presentation of the reserve funding status at the final missioner Leiken requested the opportunity to phone in for Thursday’s meeting, as he will be attending a conference out of town. Strategic Planning and Budget Supervisor, Judy Williams addressed the Committee regarding a final feedback survey to assess the quality of this budget season’s meetings and requested the surveys be completed and returned by June 2. Chair Hijmans announced the next meeting time, Thursday May 25 at 5:30 p.m.IV. ADJOURNChair Hijmans adjourned the meeting. ................
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