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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-26-2001 Meeting I FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - March 26, 200 I 1:00 P. M. PRESENT: Hons. Shepard, Chairman; H. Brigham, Co-Chairman; Bridges and Williams, members; Jim Wall, Attorney; Walter Hornsby, Interim Administrator; Ron Crowden, Interim Fleet Manager; Keven Mack, HND Director; Geri Sams, Purchasing Director; Al Slavens, Finance Dept. Consultant; Donna Williams, Interim Comptroller; Tammy Flakes, Finance Dept.; Vanessa Flournoy, Staff Attorney; Rick Acree, Asst. Director ofP.W. - Facilities Management Division; Heyward Johnson, Transit Manager; Dave Dlugolenski, EMA Director; Brenda Byrd-Pelaez, Human Resources Director; Mich~eLG..r.e_e_ne.,_Asst_D.ir.ec.tOCQfJ~..W:.-=-_Op_erations_D.iy-ision;_Lena.Bonner,_Clerkof Commission and Nancy Morawski, Deputy Clerk of Commission. ABSENT: Hon. Bob Young, Mayor. Also Present: Heidi Coryell of The Augusta Chronicle, Stacey Eidson of The Metropolitan Spirit, other members of the news media and Hons. Cheek, Mays, J. Brigham and Beard, Commissioners. The Clerk: We have a request to add one item to the agenda. Mr. Bridges: I move it be added. I Mr. H. Brigham: Second. Motion adopted with the Chairman abstaining. The Committee discussed the State of Georgia Audit Report. (Requested by Mayor Young) Mr. Slavens: We have a Corrective Action Plan that we will be mailing to them. The local grants that have pass-throughs starting in December of '99, we needed to have and it needs to be audited, a report, I think it's called a legal request for final payment. I'm not sure we've been handling all those properly so we will have to set up a process to get those things handled in the future. This will probably take two or three months to get that going. We will get a response back to the state. Mr. Bridges: I move we receive this as information. Mr. H. Brigham: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. I The Committee next discussed the Grand Jury's report regarding the Finance Department. (Requested by Mayor Young) Mr. Bridges: I move that we receive this as information. Mr. Williams: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request for refund of 1998 and 1999 taxes in the amount of $3,944.47 to Fred Calloway for overpayment of taxes on Map 51, Parcel 239, was read. (Deferred from Finance Committee meeting of March 14, 2001) Mr. WalLl\.'Vould reguest that we cMrY- this forward for ap.oth~r..nYo w_~eks-,-_ Mr. Bridges: I so move. Mr. Williams: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request for funds for the Health Department, was read. (Requested by Commissioner Cheek) Mr. Cheek: I've been asked to bring a request for $200,000 for the Health Department for the renovation of the existing south Augusta facility. This money was recaptured from the work on the Laney Walker facility. Mr. Chairman: We might need to see if the recaptured money has already been reallocated. Ms. Williams: We can have that at the next meeting. Mr. Bridges: A motion that we move this to the next Finance meeting. Mr. Chairman: I'll second that motion. Motion adopted unanimously. The Committee next discussed restructuring the salary structure. (Referred from Commission meeting of March 20, 2001) After a short discussion, Mr. Bridges: I make a motion that we ask HR and the Administrator to do a study of our salary structure including the pensions, benefits and any present guidelines, which would include the 15% rule, that would be a hindrance to us retaining employees and bring that back to the Commission in with the budget next year. Mr. Williams: Second. 2 I I I I I I Motion adopted unanimously. The Committee considered a report on the Link Deposit Program. (Deferred from Finance Committee meeting of March 14,2001) Mr. Hornsby: Currently there are no guidelines as to what link deposits are or what it will actually accomplish. Ms. Pelaez: Based upon the two responses we received, we want to go back with an RFP again on May 1. We want to ask for a more detailed description of what the bank. _can_do_for_ us-in-terms.ofa.lending .opportunity_program_for. the.smaILminority_ancl.. woman business owner. We would have a submission by May 29 and hopefully, if everything went well, the program would begin by July 2 after action by the Committee and Commission. Mr. Mays: Were any responses from those institutions where so-called monies have been moved or housed in that name? Ms. Pelaez: No, sir. Mr. Mays: I think. there is about $3 million and if there is no response or interest, we may need to think. about moving that money. Ms. Williams: The only money that I'm aware of is the CD at Regions which is $1.4 million. If there is more, I'm not aware of it. Mr. Mays: We were at $2.9 million at one time. About half of that was moved so it was located in two different institutions. Ms. Williams: In discussing this among ourselves, there was some sentiment that the other part of it was at First Union but I am not aware of a CD at First Union that is designed to back this program up. Mr. Chairman: We had a sub-committee set up on this. Ms. Williams: I can vouch for the $1.4. I don't mow if the other was part of the concept and being that it was listed in the RFP and there was no real favorable response to the RFP, if the $2.9 ever became a reality. Even if this money is there, it is not designed to be collateral against the default of these loans. So it's just good faith deposits is the best way to describe it. Mr. Chairman: It was supposed to trigger their lending efforts, isn't it? We put our money there and they're supposed to have some actions that increase the availability of their own loans to the targeted businesses. ... .J Mr. Mays: There were meetings where the $2.9 million was discussed and we need to trace where this is. Mr. Williams: I make the motion that we direct the Finance Department to check into where the link. deposit money is located and ask them to report back to this committee. I Mr. H. Brigham: I'd second that and we can try to locate that in the minutes as well. MotiOILadQpJe.d Jlnanimous ly-. The Committee next discussed the Contract Specialist position. (Referred from Engineering Services Committee meeting March 14, 2001) Ms. Sams: This position will report to the Procurement Director and will assist with the processing of requisitions of equipment and materials for Recreation, Public Works, Utilities and the Fire Department which are affected by the 1 % sales tax and the bond money. This will be a contract position and will be funded from the 1 % sales tax and the bonds. Mr. Hicks and Ms. Smith have agreed to transfer money for this for a year and at the end of the year, if you see where we can afford it or roll it into our permanent budget, I'm asking you to do so. Mr. Wall: The concept perhaps would work. The computation, however, should be the percentage of SPLOST money, only to the extent that they are working on SPLOST projects could it properly be charged against those funds and then if you are going to do an allocation method, it would need to be based upon the total costs within those departments by year. Another thing that would need to be considered is the fact that currently there is approximately 3%, as I understand it, of the total budget that is part of a cost allocation that is charged back to the various departments and so a percentage of . that is Purchasing, and I don't know what that is. Potentially you could run into a challenge from someone saying that you're using SPLOST monies to pay for someone working in the general administrative portion of the government. I think. there is a method of doing the calculations. Anyone working on the SPLOST payroll needs to be working only on SPLOST projects. I Mr. Bridges: I'll make a motion that this be the first personnel issue that the new Administrator brings before the Commission with a recommendation based on research that hopefully Jim would have done by that time to make a recommendation to him. Mr. Williams: I'll second that. Chief Mack: How much would this cost the Fire Department out of this special tax money? I 4 I Ms. Sams: That would be determined after we go in and do the analysis on exactly how much money the Fire Department would spend from the 1 % sales tax. Mr. Wall: Are we looking for SPLOST projects in the first year of Phase N? Mr. Chairman: I would suggest one year. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to approve airfare for Commissioners Willie Mays and Steve . _ ..______ _._Shepar:d..to. attend_ Amtrac. meeting..Apdl 20. in W asJlingtQn,J)!:_inJ.b~L3.JllQJtn.t _Qf $659 round trip and funded from the Promotion Account, was read. Mr. H. Brigham: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted with the Chairman abstaining. The Committee heard a presentation by Commissioner Williams regarding PurchasingIFleet Management. I 1Vlr. Williams noted that the question had arisen regarding the costs by dealerships of doing service work. He stated that Bob Richards has said that they could do it for about $22 to $23 per vehicle and Bob Beard Ford said they could do it for $22 per vehicle. Mr. Crowden made a presentation about the types of work done by the contractor and noted that this type of service work would equate to about $17.50 per vehicle under routine contract costs. Ms. Sams made a presentation outlining the activities and accomplishments of the Purchasing Department. She made recommendations to hire a Contract Specialist and install the necessary module and to address a reorganization of the Purchasing Department with costs of approximately $72,000 related to this work. She also recommended that professional service contract work also be included under the Purchasing Department. Mr. Bridges: I make a motion that we do the same with Geri's recommendations on reorganization that we did with the Contract Specialist and let the new Administrator look at it and bring back a recommendation to this committee. Mr. Williams: I second. I Motion adopted unanimously. 5 NWM ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. I Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission I I 6 5. 6. 7. a I 8. FrNA0iCE & .A.PPROPRLA. TIONS AGENDA COMlvUTTEE ROOM - March 26,200 l 1:00 P. M. L Discussion of State of Georgia Audit Report. (Requested by Mayor Young) 2. Discussion of January, 2001 tenn of Grand Jury's repOli regarding the Finance Department. (Requested by ivbyor Young) 3. Refund of 1998 and 1999 taxes in the amount of $3,944.47 to Fred Calloway for overpayment of taxes on Map 51, Parcel 239. (Deferred from Finance Committee meeting of March 14, 2001) 4. Consider repOli on Link Deposit Program. (Deferred from Finance Committee meeting of March 14, 2001) Request for funds for Health Department. (Requested by Commissioner Cheek) Presentation by Commissioner Williams regarding Purchasing/Fleet Management. Discuss restmcturing of salary stmcture. (Referred from Commission meeting of March 20,2001) Discuss Control Specialist position.(RefelTed from Engineering Services Committee meeting March 14,2001). ADDENDUM FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE MARCH 26, 2001 1:00 P.M. ADDITION TO AGENDA: 1. Approve air fare for Commissioners Willie Mays, Steve Shepard to attend Amtrack Meeting, April 20 in Washington D.C.in the amount of$659 round trip(Funded from Promotion Account).