Agenda -- September 2011 Council Meeting

BOONE COUNTY COUNCIL
BUSINESS AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER 13, 2011
LOCATION: CONNIE LAMAR MEETING ROOM, ROOM 105
116 W Washington St
Lebanon, IN 46052



Call meeting to order – 8:30 a.m.

Approval of August 2011 Minutes

Re-Appropriation Requests:
Clerk, Sheriff, Re-Assessment

Additional Requests:
Sheriff, CVB, Highway, Cum Bridge, E-911, CCD

New Business:
CAC Board Appointment
Mayor Huck Lewis – Water Feasibility Study
Tom Kouns, Highway Superintendent – Furnace & Fairwell
Dax Norton, Director Boone EDC - Update
Melody Price, Auditor - Financial Update

Old Business:

Public Comment:

Document Signing:
Re-Appropriations, Additionals, August 2011 Council Minutes

Adjournment


This agenda is subject to change.

2012 Budget

Last week, the County Council conducted four days of budget hearings, going through the proposed 2012 budgets of every department, line by line, discussing expenditures, services and priorities, and looking for cuts. Despite all the efforts of the Council to encourage savings and reductions over the past year, the proposed general fund budgets submitted to the Council by the department heads and elected officials amounted to over $17M, slightly higher than those submitted last year for the 2011 budget year. Conversely, the county's projected revenue for 2012 is even lower than that for 2011. Through the week-long process, over $2M was either cut or shifted to other funds with revenue sources outside the General Fund (which is primarily property tax and income tax revenues). That still leaves us far short of a balanced budget. At week's end, the council discussed -- extensively -- several options for moving forward given the remaining shortfall. After several failed motions, the letter below was approved for distribution to the various departments, requiring an additional 5% reduction in general fund budgets. I think it's fairly self-explanatory. As always, I'm anxious to hear your thoughts and comments. Please feel free to contact me.
The county must submit its budget to the state by November 1, so much more discussion will certainly take place.


August 31, 2011

Boone County Department Heads and Elected Officials,

First and foremost, let us express our gratitude for your efforts in confronting our county’s serious financial situation. The thoughtfulness and professionalism displayed throughout last week’s budget hearings, despite the stressful and sometimes arduous process, were a credit to your offices and to our community as a whole. The council applauds your efforts and appreciates all the work you and your staffs have done to plan for the upcoming year.

Unfortunately, the county faces such a dramatic decline in revenue that the cuts made last week are still insufficient to balance our budget. County revenue has fallen more than $4.7 Million over the past two years. Through your efforts and those of your staff to find efficiencies, to make do with less and to identify alternative sources for funding outside the county’s general fund, by week’s end over $2.2 Million had been trimmed from the submitted budget requests. But this still leaves the total of requested expenses more than $2.5 Million over the county’s anticipated income.

To help close this gap, the Council voted Friday to require that each department review its budget and ¬cut an additional five percent (5%) from the general fund budget reviewed by the Council. Because the projections for county revenue in the coming years show a continuing decline, you should not anticipate these funding cuts being restored next year but rather consider them as permanent reductions in funding. The Council recognizes, regretfully, that in many departments these cuts can only be achieved by reducing expenditures on personnel. While we have worked to protect our employees as this budget crisis has approached, the grim fiscal reality may mean that the county workforce will have to be trimmed. The Council also recognizes that achieving this further five percent will be extremely difficult, particularly for some smaller departments, and such extreme cases will be reviewed as necessary.

These additional cuts, painful as they will be, will still leave the county far short of a balanced budget. Last year the Council shifted roughly $1.85 Million of the general fund budget to the Rainy Day Fund to help cover the 2011 shortfall, and the Council plans to draw on the Rainy Day Fund again for 2012. However, this course cannot be sustained indefinitely, and without significant, permanent cuts or significant increases in revenue, our reserves will be exhausted in just a few years. For longer-term planning purposes, further reductions of an additional five percent should be anticipated for 2013 and beyond.

We ask that you have your revised budgets – including these additional 5% cuts from the General Fund – submitted to the Auditor’s office by the end of business on Friday, September 9th. The Council expects to discuss the issue further at its regular meeting on September 13, and likely at the joint meeting with the County Commissioners in the first week of October. One or more additional meetings to discuss and review these measures may also be forthcoming, as we continue to work together to address this very difficult and complex predicament.

Thank you for your service,
Boone County Council
Steve Jacob, President
Marcia Wilhoite, Vice President
David Rodgers
Debby Shubert
Walter “Butch” Smith
Gene Thompson
Brent Wheat