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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-23-1998 Meeting I I I FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - February 23, 1998 1:00 P. M. PRESENT: Hons. Larry E. Sconyers, Mayor; Bridges, Chairman; H. Brigham, Vice-Chairman; Beard and J. Brigham, members; Randy Oliver, Administrator; Jim Wall, Attorney; Harry Siddall, Fleet Manager; Geri Sams, Purchasing Director; Harrison Sears, Tax Assessor; Glenn Greenway, Acting Comptroller; Alma Stephenson, Utilities Dept. Billing Manager; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission and Nancy Morawski, Deputy Clerk of Commission. Also Present: Sylvia Cooper of The Augusta Chronicle, George Eskola of WJBF Television and Stacey Eidson of The Metropolitan Spirit. The Clerk: We have a request for two additions as listed on the agenda. Mr. H. Brigham: I move we add these. Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Mr. Chairman: I've asked that Presentations be listed on each agenda and we will ask some groups we contribute to to come before us and make a brief presentation as to what they do with the money and why we should continue to fund them. We don't have anyone today so we will begin with Item #1. A request for waiver of ad valorem taxes on the following properties belonging to Springfield Village Park Foundation, Inc.: 1202 Reynolds Street, 1211 Reynolds Street, 1133 Jones Street, Reynolds Street, Acct. #97A0364024040, 1222 Reynolds Street and 111 Twelfth Street, was read. Mr. Oliver: We are recommending that there be no abatement on 1202 Reynolds Street and on 1222 Reynolds Street. We are recommending abatement on 1211 Reynolds, 1133 Jones Street, Reynolds Street, Acct. #97A0364024040 and 111 Twelfth Street. Mr. J. Brigham: I move that we do that. Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to waive the late payment penalty in the amount of $626.47 on the tax bill of JHBC, Inc., was read. Mr. Wall: This was the one where there was an error in the mailing of the tax bills and incorrect address. North Williamson was going to handle this. Mr. J. Brigham: I move that we postpone this to the last item to give him time to get here. Mr. Beard: Second. I Motion pdopted unanimously. A request to abate 1997 taxes on the following parcels of land owned by Augusta-Richmond County: (1) 97A0871219030 - Barnes Rd. - $104.26 (2) 97A1290537010 - Saddle Horn Run - $110.66 (3) 97A1322186000 - Richmond Hill Rd. - $314.00 Mr. Wall: These are properties that have been deeded to the County and we recommend that taxes be abated on them. Mr. J. Brigham: I make a motion to abate. Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. The committee next considered amendments to the 1990 GMA Equipment Lease Pool Program. Mr. Oliver: The primary amendment to this is the lowering of the overall interest rate. Right now we are required to I budget this at the maximum interest rate. In here they cap this at 9 1/2% and there are a couple of other technical changes that save us some money and we recommend approval. Mr. Beard: I so move. Mr. H. Brigham: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to abate balance of 1997 taxes on 5 parcels of land purchased by the Richmond County Department of Health or condemned for the construction of New Health Clinic on Laney- Walker Boulevard, was read. Mr. Wall: These are properties acquired by the Board of Health and we recommend abating the balance of the taxes. Mr. Beard: I so move. Mr. H. Brigham: I second it. How much longer will we have to wait for them to tear down some of those buildings? Mr. Wall: They have voted to begin tearing them down. I Mr. Oliver: We have communicated to them the need to begin work on this, particularly from the standpoint of safety for the I I I public. I'd be glad to write a letter on behalf of the Mayor and the Commission. Mr. Wall: I did write a letter last time after it came up. Mr. Beard: I don't see any reason why we couldn't send a letter through the Mayor and show our concern and I'll include that in my motion. Motion adopted with Mr. J. Brigham voting "No". A request to approve a funding request to purchase one work detail van for the Recreation Department, was read. A request to approve a funding request to purchase two work detail vans for the Trees & Landscape Department, was read. A request to approve a funding request to purchase one prisoner transport bus for the Sheriff Department Jail, was read. A request from the Coroner regarding the purchase of a new vehicle for his department, was read. Mr. Sims: I am driving a 1969 Bonneville Pontiac and am having problems with it and I'm on call every day, 24 hours a day. I've sometimes had to take my own car out on calls. I've put a car in the budget each year and it has been taken out each time. My Deputy has a new car that we got last year. Mr. Siddall: For the record the car is a 1989, not a 1969 model. The last known mileage is about 95,000 miles and I would agree that it needs replacing but there are also many other vehicles which need replacing since over half the fleet is due for replacement. We prioritized equipment based on the need. I would concur that it should be considered for replacement but I could say the same thing for other vehicles on the list which have a higher priority above this one. We have a limited amount of funds to work with and the only option we have is to bump one of the other vehicles. We would probably be able to replace this car by next year. Mr. J. Brigham: I make a motion that we approve items 6, 7 and 8 and take item 12 for information. Mr. Siddall can look at the options and see if there is something he can do. Mr. Siddall: I have a couple of alternatives I could look at right now. Mr. Beard: I'll second the motion if he can do that. Motion adopted with Mr. H. Brigham not voting. A refund of 1996 taxes in the amount of $3,331.59 for overpayment of taxes on Map 37-3, Parcel 124, was read. Mr. Sears: I recommend we approve this. Mr. J. Brigham: I move we abate it. I Mr. H. Brigham: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to reconsider the denial of abatement of penalties and/or interest for late payment of taxes by pontiac Master, was read. Mr. Bill Shaffer: I'm the owner of Pontiac Master GMC and am appealing the tax penalty assessed to us. One parcel of property was appealed and the statement for that parcel arrived with a due date of 15 days later than the other statements we received. My office filed the statements for payment and the one with the later date was filed on top and the taxes were therefore paid 15 days later than they should have been. When we realized the error, we hand-carried the payment to the Tax Collector's office. Mr. H. Brigham: I move we reconsider. After a short discussion, Mr. J. Brigham: I move that we deny the appeal. Mr. Beard: Second. I Motion adopted with Mr. H. Brigham voting "No". A request to waive the ad valorem taxes in the amount of $2,788.57 on the following properties belonging to Hale Foundation, Inc.: 402 Walker street, 412 Walker Street and 414 Walker Street, was read. Mr. Oliver: This property was purchased by the Hale Foundation and they are non-profit. Mr. J. Brigham: I move we abate it. Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. An Ordinance establishing a Pension Plan for new employees and for employees not currently enrolled in either a City or County Retirement Plan and to authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute documents to implement same, subject to final approval of Attorney and Administrator, was read. Mr. Oliver: This will cover all employees hired after 5/1/98 or those who are not covered by any pension plan at all. We're proposing a mandatory contribution to the employee of 4% I I I I and a 1% contribution by the employer. There is also a five-year vesting provision and there will be vehicles in the plan where people can choose how their money will be invested. Mr. Wall: Under the '77 plan we require ten years service before people are vested but we allow department directors to vest immediately. In this we are recommending a five-year vesting plan as a compromise. There is a provision dealing with early retirement. Currently it is age 50 for the '77 plan and I left that blank in order to discuss it. The '77 plan requires attaining age 50 and 15 years of service and if that is what you want to do, we can do that and that is my recommendation. Mr. J. Brigham: I move we adopt this with the addition of the provision of age 50 and 15 years of service. Mr. H. Brigham: Second. Motion adopted with Mr. Beard voting "Present". A request from Mrs. Jane Barrett regarding a request for a refund of penalty and interest applied to the taxes on property located at 715 Broad Street, was read. Mrs. Barrett: I'm not asking for an appeal of the interest. I received 31 tax notices and 16 of them I appealed. I have paid all of these and today I am here about the bill I did not receive. Mr. George Inman: This piece of property was co-owned by my wife and my now deceased brother-in-law. The tax bill always went to my wife or my brother-in-law and the tenant always paid the taxes. My wife and I moved to a new address in 1997 and I advised the post office of this change as well as the tax office. I don't know why this one wasn't changed and didn't know it hadn't been changed until I received the delinquent tax notice. I was apparently sent to my old address. Mr. Beard: I move that we abate the penalty. Mr. J. Brigham: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request for abatement of penalty and interest on property at 3002 Tobacco Road, was read. Mr. Oliver: The bills went to 3025 Tobacco Road and the correct address was 3002. Mr. J. Brigham: I move we abate the penalty. Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to abate the penalties on business account ($208.54) and real estate account ($686.65), was read. Mr. Oliver: This is a taxpayer error by their own admission. Mr. J. Brigham: I move that we deny the abatement. Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Mr. Chairman: Going back to Item #2, do you want to consider it? Mr. Wall: Mr. McAdams indicated to me that the bill had been sent to an incorrect address. North Williamson did not know whether the incorrect address was their error or the taxpayer's error. My interpretation of the letter was that it was our error and not the taxpayer's error and I had recommended the abatement. Mr. J. Brigham: If it's our error, I move we abate it. Mr. H. Brigham: I second. Motion adopted unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission NWM I I I