[00:00:02]
[1. Call to Order]
TO A SPECIAL FY 27 BUDGET MEETING FOR THE TOWN OF CH MARYLAND.I'M MICAH WATSON, I'M THE MAYOR.
JOINING ME HERE IS THE TOWN ADMINISTRATOR DELAYING GALLOWAY, THE CHIEF OF POLICE AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICE, AND THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS AMONG OTHER STAFF.
UM, LIEUTENANT GLEASON IS IN THE AUDIENCE, AND, UH, I WILL NOW CALL THE ROLE FOR THE ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS IS THE COUNCIL MEMBER FROM WARD ONE, ONLINE LINE PRESENT WARD TWO.
I BELIEVE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO JOIN US VIRTUALLY, SO WE WILL COME BACK TO HIM.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR HIM.
SO WE ARE NOT EXCUSING ANYONE, UH, YET, THAT WE KNOW OF THIS EVENING.
AND OH, I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER WADE ONLINE.
SO, UH, SEEING, UH, FIVE ELECTED, UH, OFFICIALS FOR THE TOWN OF CH PRESENT, WE HAVE A QUORUM SUFFICIENT TO CONDUCT BUSINESS.
AND THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[3. Approval of Agenda]
ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.I WILL JUST BRIEFLY SAY, UH, WE DO HAVE RESIDENT INPUT ON HERE AS ITEM FOUR.
THAT WOULD BE ANY RESIDENT INPUT FOR ANY ITEM THAT'S NOT THE BUDGET.
AND THEN WE WILL HAVE RESIDENT INPUT DURING THE BUDGET SECTION.
UM, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY, UH, AND WE WILL HAVE A, A, A FAIRLY DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THE BUDGET IN ADDITION TO ME DOING THE PERFUNCTORY READING OF THE ORDINANCE AS THE FIRST READER.
UM, I DON'T SEE ANY NEED TO ADJUST THE BUDGET, UH, THE, UH,
IS THERE ANY, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA, IS IT? OR SECOND? SECOND.
IT WAS MADE BY VICE MAYOR BRINER AND SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER TANZI.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION HEARING NONE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? THE MOTION PASSES FOUR ZERO WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS LEG HECK AND GARCI CURRENTLY ABSENT.
ALRIGHT, THAT TAKES US TO ITEM FOUR ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS RESIDENT INPUT.
UH, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEM THAT'S NOT THE FY 27 BUDGET PROPOSAL.
IS THERE ANY RESIDENT INPUT? SEEING NONE, WE WILL MOVE ON
[5. First Reader of Budget Ordinance ]
TO THE FIRST READER OF THE BUDGET ORDINANCE.UH, I WILL, MAYBE IT'S BETTER IF I READ, IF I DO THE READING NOW SO THAT I DON'T FORGET.
UM, UH, SO I WILL DO THE READING OF THE ORDINANCE AND THEN WE WILL HAVE A, UH, DISCUSSION ABOUT THE EXPENDITURES, WHICH IS 11 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY MORE DISCUSSION OF THAT.
THEN WE'LL TURN TO THE REVENUE AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY OUTSTANDING REVENUE ITEMS. UH, I'LL REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE REAL PROPERTY TAX RATES ARE ALREADY FIXED AND DECIDED UPON BY THE TOWN.
UH, AND SO WE WILL NOT BE ADJUSTING THOSE, BUT THERE MAY BE REVENUE ITEMS, UH, O OTHERWISE, UM, THAT NEED TO BE, THAT COUNSEL WANTS TO ADJUST.
SO I WILL PROCEED WITH THE FIRST READER OF THE ORDINANCE.
AND, UH, FOR THE RECORD, COUNCIL MEMBER LEG HECK HAS ARRIVED AT 6 34.
PLEASE RECORD HIS PRESENCE, TOWN OF CH MARYLAND ORDINANCE 2026 DASH ONE BUDGET ORDINANCE FOR THE 2027 FISCAL YEAR, AN ORDINANCE WHEREBY THE TOWN OF CHEVROLET ADOPTS A BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027, WHICH BEGINS ON JULY 1ST, 2026, AND ENDS ON JULY 30TH, 2027.
THIS ORDINANCE IS UN CODIFIED, WHEREAS ARTICLE SEVEN, SECTION C 23, A TWO OF THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF CH GRANTS TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THE POWER TO APPROPRIATE AND EXPEND FUNDS FOR ANY PURPOSE DEEMED TO BE PUBLIC.
AND WHEREAS EACH FISCAL YEAR OF THE TOWN COMMENCES ON JULY ONE AND ENDS BY THE FOLLOWING JUNE 30, PURSUANT TO SECTION C 32 OF THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN.
AND WHEREAS THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL HAVE PRIOR TO EACH FISCAL YEAR, ADOPTED A BUDGET TO GOVERN THE APPROPRIATION AND EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS FOR THE NEXT
[00:05:01]
FISCAL YEAR.AND WHEREAS AFTER NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS AND MEETINGS, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL HAVE PREPARED A BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 CONTAINING ANTICIPATED REVENUES AND PROPOSED APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPENDITURES FOR SAID FISCAL YEAR.
AND WHEREAS SAID, BUDGET AS DISCUSSED AT NUMEROUS PUBLIC MEETINGS BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL IS ATTACHED HERETO AS EXHIBIT A.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF CH AND REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLED THAT THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 IS ADOPTED AND THAT ADOPTION WILL TAKE EFFECT ON, I'M SORRY, THE ADOPTION WILL HAPPEN ON JUNE 11 AND WILL OF COURSE TAKE EFFECT ON JULY 1ST AND BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED THAT THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MAY FROM TIME TO TIME DURING THE FISCAL YEAR AMEND THIS BUDGET BY MOTIONS MADE, DISCUSSED, AND CARRIED.
SO LONG AS ANY ACTIONS REGARDING THIS BUDGET IS TAKEN AT A PUBLIC MEETING AFTER NOTICE AND A PUBLIC DISCUSSION AND THE AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET FOR ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR DO NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY MORE THAN 10% OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES FIGURE APPEARING ON ATTACHED EXHIBIT A.
WITH THAT, WE'LL CONSIDER THE BUDGET ORDINANCE TO HAVE HAD ITS FIRST READING.
UH, LET US NOW TURN TO THE EXPENDITURES ENVISIONED IN EXHIBIT A, WHICH IS THE BUDGET.
UH, COUNSEL, I'M GONNA TURN TO PAGE 15, WHICH IS THE BUDGET SUMMARY AND QUICKLY OFFER AN OVERVIEW, UH, STARTING WITH THE EXPENDITURES.
UH, BRIEFLY, WE HAVE, UH, PROPOSED $3.194 MILLION OF GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES, $4.222 MILLION IN PUBLIC SAFETY POLICE EXPENDITURES AND $40 MILLION IN PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION AND DIVISIONS.
UH, THERE IS NO, OF COURSE ARPA EXPENDITURE IN THIS BUDGET AND THE CAPITAL OUTLAYS, UH, ENVISIONED IN THIS PROPOSAL ARE $120,000 FOR TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF $11,537,751.
UM, COUNSEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY INITIAL PROPOSALS FOR ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO ANY OF THE EXPENDITURE ITEMS? UH, MR. GALLOWAY, DO YOU WANNA, AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENT? NO COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
UM, BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, SUGGESTIONS ON THE BUDGET, I WAS HOPING IF YOU WOULD INDULGE ME SINCE I WAS NOT HERE LAST WEEK AND THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT EXPENDITURES, UM, I WANTED TO SPEAK, UM, SPECIFICALLY TO THE DISCUSSIONS AROUND, UM, LOOKING AT THE EXPENDITURES FOR STAFF FOR SALARY AND BENEFITS.
UM, SO I WATCHED THE VIDEO OF THE MEETING, UH, HALF OF IT LAST NIGHT, HALF OF IT THE NIGHT BEFORE BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY LONG MEETING.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY SOMETHING DIRECTLY TO OUR STAFF.
UM, I KNOW IT'S REALLY HARD TO WORK IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO WORK FOR A MUNICIPALITY FOR A LOT OF REASONS.
UM, ONE REASON IS THAT THE PEOPLE SITTING UP ON THIS DAY HAS CHANGED EVERY, LIKE TWO TO THREE YEARS, WHICH MEANS YOU'RE ALWAYS HAVING TO ADAPT TO DIFFERENT PRIORITIES, DIFFERENT EXPECTATIONS.
YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BE EDUCATING THE DECISION MAKERS ABOUT HOW THINGS WORK IN THE TOWN, UM, AND ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO DELIVER THE SERVICES THAT THEY'RE USED TO.
UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE BRAND NEW, THEY KEEP COMING.
UM, BUT ANOTHER REASON IS THAT THE BUSINESS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ALL HAPPENS IN PUBLIC.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT IN A NORMAL, NOT A NORMAL, BUT IN A NON-LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKPLACE, WOULD HAPPEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THAT INSTEAD HAPPEN HERE, RIGHT ON TV, ON ZOOM.
UM, AND THAT IS REALLY HARD BECAUSE THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS AND COST OF LIVING INCREASES, UM, AND THEY'RE HAPPENING PUBLICLY.
BUT I FELT WATCHING LAST WEEK THAT THERE WAS A LINE THAT WAS CROSSED, UM, WHEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MERIT INCREASES AND COST OF LIVING IN TREATED LIKE AN ACADEMIC EXERCISE RATHER THAN DECISIONS THAT AFFECT REAL PEOPLE.
WHEN THERE'S JUST CONVERSATION ABOUT, WELL, WHAT, WHAT WILL KEEP MORALE GOING, UM, IN A PUBLIC FORUM LIKE THIS? UM, I CAN IMAGINE THAT'S REALLY DISHEARTENING FOR STAFF.
UM, WHEN STAFF LEADERSHIP WHO ARE ADVOCATING FOR THEIR TEAMS ARE SCOLDED FOR TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR TEAMS GET WHAT THEY NEED.
THAT'S NOT OKAY WHEN STAFF MEMBERS ARE CUT OFF OR INTERROGATED WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO SHARE THEIR WORK AND THEIR EXPERTISE.
[00:10:01]
SORRY THAT OUR STAFF HAD TO EXPERIENCE THAT PUBLICLY.I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUDGET SEASON IS INTENTIONALLY A LONG PROCESS.
IT'S DESIGNED TO ALLOW STAFF TO GIVE OR TO ALLOW COUNSEL TO GIVE ALL OF THIS FEEDBACK OVER TIME SO THAT STAFF HAS TIME TO REALLY INTENTIONALLY AND THOUGHTFULLY SORT OF ADD ALL OF THIS INTO THE BUDGET AND WAITING UNTIL THE VERY LAST MINUTE TO START GOING DOLLARS AND CENTS.
UM, IT DEVALUES, UH, THE WORK THAT THEY DO.
IT DOES NOT RESPECT THEIR WORK, THEIR PROFESSIONALISM, THEIR EXPERTISE, AND INSTEAD IT HAS THEM SCRAMBLING.
UM, I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER FRY'S POINT THAT, UH, IF, UH, OF HAVING POTENTIALLY A HEARING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN HEAR RESIDENT INPUT RIGHT AWAY AND COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO, UH, MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON, I MEAN, WE ALL MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON THAT, BUT SO THAT IT'S OUT IN THE OPEN SO THAT PEOPLE CAN, FROM THE BEGINNING FEEL LIKE THEY CAN MAKE SUGGESTIONS RATHER THAN WAITING UNTIL THERE IS A PUBLIC OUTCRY AND THEN START CUTTING.
UM, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
UM, BUT I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT I WILL NOT SUPPORT BALANCING THIS BUDGET ON THE BACKS OF OUR STAFF AND THEIR STAFF COMPENSATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN THINGS LIKE COUNCIL TRAVEL AND TRAINING AND FIREWORKS ARE PRIORITIZED OVER WHAT OUR STAFF NEED AND DESERVE.
UM, I APPRECIATE YOU ALL SO DEEPLY.
YOU ARE THE REASON THAT CH IS THE COMMUNITY THAT PEOPLE LOVE.
NO MATTER WHO IS SITTING UP HERE, THIS IS SEVEN PEOPLE AND I PROMISE YOU THAT MORE THAN 6,000 PEOPLE OUT THERE REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND REALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU MAKE THE TOWN WHAT IT IS.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA SAY I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND WHEN WE LOOK AT EXPENDITURES, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT ANYTHING THAT IMPACTS STAFF.
UM, YOU CAN'T MAKE A POINT OF INFORMATION THAT'S ONLY FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING AT THIS POINT BEFORE WE GO TO THE PUBLIC? OKAY, THEN, UH, THAT, THAT LEAVES US AT 11 MILLION 537, 7 51 ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC INPUT ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE OF THE EQUATION? I HOPE IT'S AN EQUATION.
IT'S NOT QUITE AN EQUATION, BUT OF THE INEQUALITY.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC INPUT ON THE EXPENDITURES? WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ONLINE.
SO JUST A REMINDER TO THE TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ATTENDING ONLINE.
I BELIEVE IF I UNDERSTAND ZOOM CORRECTLY, YOU WILL HAVE TO PUT YOUR HAND UP FOR US TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
UH, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC INPUT ON THE EXPENDITURES ACROSS THE THREE DEPARTMENTS IN THE BUDGET TOTALING 11 5 37? SURE.
UH, SO WE HAD A VOTE LAST WEEK ON THE, IN, ON THE REAL PROPERTY TAX RATES OF A DOLLAR THREE FOR MULTIFAMILY AND 60 CENTS FOR SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOUSES.
THAT SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED RATE REPRE REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 2.01 CENTS OVER THE FY 26 RATE.
OKAY, MAYOR, I, YOU SAID THAT WAS SET, IT'S NOT INCREASED.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT LOWERED MY UNDERSTANDING, CORRECT? I I DON'T THINK SO.
I BELIEVE THAT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED TO THE STATE, UH, AND IS, UM, LOCKED FOR THE YEAR, HENCE THE VOTE.
[00:15:03]
THANK YOU.I WOULD'VE SAID WE'VE GOTTEN THREE FIFTHS OF THE WAY THERE, BUT, UH, I GUESS WE'RE WHERE WE ARE ON THE, ON THE PROPERTY TAX ISSUE.
THAT SAID, I STILL HAVE ISSUES WITH THIS BUDGET.
UM, I REALLY DO THINK THAT THERE WAS SORT OF AN ATTITUDE OF, UH, AND MR. GALLOWAY, MR. BRAYMAN KNOW THAT I RESPECT THEM AND ALL OF THOSE STAFF VERY DEEPLY AS WELL, OF COURSE AS THE POLICE.
BUT THERE SEEMS THERE'S A MINDSET CHANGE THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO ME THAT SPECIFICALLY FROM OUR PUBLIC WORKS AND TOWN ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENTS, THAT THERE WAS SORT OF AN ATTITUDE LIKE WE'VE DONE AS MUCH AS WE CAN WHEN THEY CAME TO THE LAST MEETING.
WE REALLY HAVE CUT IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN, BUT IT'S VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON A 2020 BUDGET THAT HAD, AND THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND ALL THE TOWN ADMINISTRATION, THAT WAS ALMOST HALF OF WHAT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS.
AND I STILL THINK THAT THIS BUDGET REFLECTS AN ENVIRONMENT OF PLENTY AND FRANKLY OVERSPENDING THAT WE'VE JUST GOTTA CUT DOWN ON.
THERE WAS A CRO, THERE WAS LIKE AUDIBLE GASP LAST WEEK.
MR. GALLOWAY, YOU WEREN'T IN THE ROOM, BUT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING COMMUNICATIONS AND YOU SAID, OH YEAH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SPECIAL CONSULTANT COME IN.
THE OUTCRY FROM THE THE PUBLIC BACK HERE WAS, OH MY GOSH.
AND HOW MUCH WILL THAT COST? I KNOW WHEN I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF THE BUDGET TIME, A TIMELY AVAILABILITY OF THE BUDGET, UH, MY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MS. BRIER LET ME KNOW.
I THE STAFF IS WORKING RIGHT NOW ON IT.
THIS WAS QUITE LATE AT NIGHT ON TUESDAY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY HOURS AND OVERTIME WENT INTO MAKING IT SO VERY FANCY.
BUT IF YOU LOOK BACK TO 2020, IT'S MORE SIMPLE LINE ITEM LIKE IT, IT JUST DOESN'T NEED TO.
WE REALLY NEED TO GET INTO AN ATTITUDE OF CUTTING THINGS.
AND I COULD GO THROUGH THIS AND TELL YOU LOTS OF THIS CAN JUST BE CUT AND WE JUST NEED TO GET INTO THAT ATTITUDE.
WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO DO MORE WITH LESS.
WE'RE NOT EVEN ASKING YOU TO DO THE SAME WITH THE SAME.
WE ARE ASKING YOU TO DO LESS WITH THE SAME AS YOU HAD LAST YEAR AND BEFORE THAT.
AND WE, I I NEED YOU TO CUT, I NEED YOU TO CUT MORE.
I NEED MORE FROM YOU AND MR. BRAMAN ON THAT.
AND COUNSEL MS. BRIER BROUGHT IT UP.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IN LOOKING THROUGH THIS BUDGET.
THERE WASN'T A RED LINE PROVIDED, BUT IN LOOKING THROUGH IT, WHAT CUTS WERE MADE, IT IS ASTOUNDING TO ME THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL'S $20,000 LINE ITEM FOR TRAVELING AND TRAINING WASN'T CUT WHATSOEVER.
WHILE I DON'T THINK THAT PUBLIC WORKS OR THE TOWN ADMINISTRATION DID ENOUGH TO CUT TO CUT IT, THERE IS NOT, I WENT THROUGH AND I HIGHLIGHTED BLUE WAS GOOD, BLUE WENT DOWN, THERE WAS NO RED FOR GOING UP.
THERE WASN'T A SINGLE ITEM THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL ITSELF CUT OUT.
THIS IS AN AD LIKE I, I NEED MINDSETS ADJUSTED, PLEASE.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE $11.5 MILLION SPENDING PLAN? GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
I'M ELAINE JOHNSON, LONG-TERM RESIDENT.
I I GUESS MY FIRST STATEMENT WOULD BE WHEN YOU'RE A PUBLIC SERVANT, GUESS WHO YOU WORK FOR? THE PUBLIC.
WE HAVE A RIGHT TO HEAR, UH, YOUR POSITION AND YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO HEAR OURS BECAUSE WE ARE THE VOTERS.
THIS PROCESS, IT SEEMS LIKE WE GET INFORMATION AT EVERY MEETING THAT IS CONTRADICTORY.
WE WERE TOLD LAST TIME ON THE RECORD THAT ANY VOTE IN AN INCREASE, A RATE INCREASE COULD BE LOWERED AT THE NEXT READ.
IT COULD NOT BE INCREASED, BUT IT COULD BE LOWERED.
ALSO, JUST RECEIVING THIS INFORMATION, I DON'T KNOW HOW THE PUBLIC IS TO GIVE SUBSTANTIVE INPUT INTO A DOCUMENT THAT IS NO LONGER LINE ITEM.
SO WE CAN'T SEE WHAT WAS CUT AND WHAT WASN'T.
IT'S JUST A GENERAL OVERVIEW AND I'M CONCERNED AGAIN WITH, WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION THAT TOUTS THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE TRANSPARENT, THAT YOU WANT PUBLIC INPUT.
WE HAD A NUMBER OF RESIDENTS HERE, UH, LAST WEEK, THE WEEK BEFORE, AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S FALLING ON DEAF EARS.
WHAT WE DON'T WANT IS FOR THE BUDGET TO CONTINUOUSLY BE PUT ON THE
[00:20:01]
BACKS OF TAXPAYERS, FORMER MAYOR MOSLEY.I DID A NUMBER OF OTHER RESIDENTS IDENTIFY SPECIFIC CUTS.
YOU ASSURED US THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE ARE NOT IDENTIFYING ONE PARTICULAR GROUP TO BEAR THIS COST, BUT THAT WE ALL, I GUARANTEE YOU NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE HERE HAVING THE SAME CONVERSATION OF A RATE INCREASE AND IT'S ENOUGH.
YOUR NAME, YOUR WARD AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UH, JULIA MOSLEY, 50 YEAR RESIDENT OF WARD TWO RETIRED FIXED INCOME.
I TOO AM VERY CONCERNED AND CONFUSED.
I ATTENDED THE MEETING, THE LAST MEETING LAST THURSDAY AND I TOO HEARD THAT THE VOTE AND THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT, THAT YOU ALL GOT DOWN TO, UM, DID SOME CUTS.
UM, COULD BE THAT THE TAX RATE IN THAT BUDGET COULD BE LOWERED BUT NOT RAISED.
I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE.
IF, IS THAT TRUE THAT THIS TAX INCREASE IS SET IN STONE AND CANNOT BE LOWERED? THAT'S MY FIRST QUESTION.
I THINK THAT'S A
THE ADVICE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN IS THAT THE VOTE WAS LAST WEEK AND THAT WE HAVE ALREADY, THE TOWN HAS ALREADY REPORTED TO THE STATE THOSE RATES.
AND WAS THAT RATE, DID THAT RATE HAVE TO BE REPORTED PRIOR TO NEXT THURSDAY? GREAT QUESTION.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE WERE REQUIRED TO REPORT THE RATE ON THE 14TH OR 15TH.
IS THAT, WELL, I CAN TELL YOU ANYTHING TO ADD THAT EVERYONE BEFORE THE 16TH, I'M BEING TOLD THE DEADLINE WAS THE 16TH.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT EVERYONE THAT WAS IN THE AUDIENCE THOUGHT THERE WAS ANOTHER CRACK AT THIS BUDGET AND THAT THAT WAS A VOTE THAT COULD BE, UH, THE TAX RATE COULD BE LOWERED.
SO THAT'S A MAJOR, UM, A MAJOR PROBLEM.
UH, I'LL GO BACK TO MY, UM, TO MY ORIGINAL, UH, COMMENTS AND THAT IS OUR TAX RATE.
HAD YOU NOT VOTED TO RAISE OUR TAXES 2 CENTS, I WOULD BE PAYING BECAUSE OF CONSTANT YIELD, THE LACK OF CONSTANT YIELD, AN ADDITIONAL $200 A YEAR IN MY TAXES.
I'M OKAY WITH THAT BECAUSE UNLIKE THE MISCHARACTERIZATION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BRINER, PEOPLE IN TOWN DO APPRECIATE THE STAFF.
I THINK WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT NO, I DON'T THINK WE ARE ABOUT EVERYBODY IN THE TOWN, BUT GO AHEAD.
WE DO, WE DO APPRECIATE AND WE WANTED TO SPREAD ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS.
IF YOU WORK FOR A MUNICIPALITY OR ANY GOVERNMENT, IT IS A PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
THAT'S THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF IT.
SO I I I REALLY FIND THAT DISRESPECTFUL.
YOU MUST HAVE BEEN WATCHING A DIFFERENT, UH, MEETING.
I CAN HANDLE THAT INCREASE BUT NOT A 2 CENT INCREASE.
AND MY, IF I, BECAUSE OF THE INTERRUPTION, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER MINUTE? TAKE ANOTHER 30 SECONDS PLEASE.
THERE IS MONEY IN THE FUND BALANCE TO MAKE UP THIS 2 CENTS.
IT WOULD BRING, IF YOU DID THAT, IT WOULD BRING THE FUND BALANCE DOWN TO $4,233,000 AND THAT IS APPROXIMATELY 36% OF YOUR OPERATING BUDGET.
THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS ACROSS PEW AND OTHERS THAT IT SHOULD BE 16 TO 20%.
IT'S STILL A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE.
TAXES IN CHEVROLET IN 2020 WERE 51 CENTS.
NOW THEY'RE 58 CENTS SUCH AS FIVE YEARS LATER.
TAXES IN THE COUNTY FOR CHEVROLET HAS GONE FROM
[00:25:01]
86 CENTS TO 91 CENTS.THAT HAS BECOME TOO MUCH FOR PEOPLE IN TOWN TO BEAR.
ALRIGHT, IS THERE ANY OTHER, UH, SEEING NO.
IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC INPUT AT THIS POINT? AND THEN I'LL SAY IT.
'CAUSE I WANT TO ACTUALLY TRANSITION TO THAT WAS THE EXPENDITURES.
OKAY, IF THERE'S NO OTHER INPUT THAN, THAN THEN LET ME SAY A WORD ABOUT THE FUND BALANCE, I THINK, UM, 'CAUSE I DO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AND I THINK THAT'S ALMOST A CATEGORY BY ITSELF.
AND THEN WE'LL TURN TO REVENUE.
I THINK, UM, UH, I'M CONFUSED.
WELL, OKAY, LET ME SAY, GENERALLY EVERYTHING IS ELSE IS STILL ON THE TABLE, UH, EXCEPT FOR THE TAX RATES.
SO THE $11,537,000 SPENDING PLAN I WOULD CHARACTERIZE AS FAIRLY FINALIZED.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A FIRST READER AND IF COUNCIL WANTS TO INCREASE SPENDING, LOWER SPENDING, ADJUST SPENDING, WE CAN DO THAT UP UNTIL JUNE 11TH.
I WOULD SAY TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA MAKE A LOT OF FANS AMONGST YOUR COLLEAGUES, UM, IF YOU WAIT TILL THE 11TH.
BUT CERTAINLY IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO MAKE ANY ADJUST OR PROPOSE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE, YOUR FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THE 11 5 37, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF, THERE'S STILL TIME TO DO THAT.
UM, IT'S, SO I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT THERE.
I THINK, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M, WHERE I'M GOING WITH THAT.
I THINK, UM, OKAY, ON THE FUND BALANCE, I'M FRANKLY CONFUSED AND I'M ALWAYS CONFUSED BY THE CHART ON PAGE 15.
UM, AND SO, UM, I DO THINK WE HAVE A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE.
I THINK, UM, WE COULD, IT COULD ALWAYS BE LOWER, IT COULD BE HIGHER.
UM, YOU KNOW, 2 CENTS IS, IS $188,000 ROUGHLY.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE FUND BALANCE.
BUT, BUT, BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, FACTUALLY
THAT NUMBER DOES NOT APPEAR ANYWHERE ON PAGE 15, WHICH IS WHAT I'M CONFUSED BY FIVE ONE.
AND, AND THESE ARE ALL MY HANDWRITTEN NOTES FROM THE AUDIT AND WHATNOT.
ISN'T THE FUND BALANCE AS OF, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I GET THIS RIGHT.
AS OF 10 AND A HALF MONTHS AGO, $4,142,000.
I'LL GO OVER WHAT DIANE AND I WENT OVER WITH TODAY, AND I'VE ALSO REQUESTED HER TO, UM, UH, JUMP ON THE MEETING.
SO FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027, THE TOWN ESTIMATES A BEGINNING FUND BALANCE OF $5,140,838.
BASED ON CURRENT REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS.
THE TOWN INTENS PAYS AN END ENDING FUND BALANCE OF $5,000,248 AT THE CLOSE OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
SO AS IT RELATES TO THE RESTRICTED FUND BALANCE, THE TOWN'S RESTRICTED FUND BALANCE CONSISTS OF, IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, HIGHWAY USER REVENUE FUNDS TOTALING $578,927.
THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, UM, THESE FUNDS PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY TO ADDRESS UNFORESEEN EXPENDITURES.
UM, THE TOWNS PROJECTED UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE IS $4,421,321.
THE, OKAY, I I, I MEAN, OKAY,
SO THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, I THINK NORMALLY, WHEN I SAY FUND BALANCE, I MEAN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE MM-HMM
WHAT IS THE AS ASSIGNMENT? JUST HUR RIGHT? JUST HUR 5 7 8 9 27.
SO, AND THIS IS ACCORDING TO DIANE, BASED OFF OF MY CONVERSATION TODAY.
I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
I, I, I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE, AND I CAN'T FIND MY AUDIT FROM LAST YEAR.
UM, AND IT'S NOT THE BOUND ONE, SO
[00:30:01]
I DON'T HAVE THE AUDIT.I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, UM, IS WORSE THAN WHAT'S ON THIS PAGE IS MY POINT.
I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE IDENTIFIED IN THE AUDIT THAT WE RECEIVED SIX MONTHS AGO, SEVEN MONTHS AGO WAS 5,000,142.
UH, IF I HAD THE AUDIT IN FRONT OF ME, I COULD VERIFY THAT.
UM, SO PERHAPS I'M DOUBLE COUNTING SOMETHING, BUT, UM, I, I'LL MOVE ON.
THE, THE 5 1 4 51 42 NUMBER IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL TO VERIFY.
I BELIEVE IT IS YOUR, AND I MAYBE YOU JUST SAID THIS, THAT IT'S YOURS STILL, YOUR ESTIMATE THAT WE ARE GONNA DEFICIT SPEND IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR BY $384,000.
IS THAT RIGHT? AROUND THAT AMOUNT? YES.
AND SO, UM, I BELIEVE THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE SIX WEEKS FROM NOW WILL BE $4,767,000, WHICH IS 51 42 MINUS 3 84 EVERY TIME
SO I, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT OUR FUND BALANCE STARTING FY 27 ON JULY ONE IS 47 67, AND IF WE'RE GONNA DEFICIT SPEND AGAIN, I THINK IT'S 140,000.
YEAH, 1 45 90, THEN THAT WOULD TAKE US, UH, TO 46, 25 OR SO.
UM, SO LET US NAIL DOWN THOSE NUMBERS, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE NUMBER THAT I'M, I MEAN, THAT'S THE NUMBER THAT I BASED MY VOTE ON MY YES.
UH, IS THAT, THIS IS HOW WE GET TO 4.6.
UM, ANYONE, UH, ANYONE HAVE A DIFFERENT GUESS OR ESTIMATE OR, OKAY.
SO I, I'VE, I'VE REQUESTED FOR DIANE TO GET ON OKAY.
UM, TO PROVIDE EXPLANATION OF THIS, BUT THESE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT ME AND THE TOWN ACCOUNTANT WENT OVER PRIOR TO, SO WHEN SHE GETS ON, SHE CAN EXPLAIN, UM, HOW SHE CAME UP WITH THOSE NUMBERS OVER.
UM, WHAT, MR. GALLOWAY, WHAT ARE THE REVENUE PIECES THAT REMAIN UNRESOLVED? THE COUNCIL HASN'T, YOU KNOW, FINISHED THE WORK TO RESOLVE FOR REVENUE? IS IT THE FEE SCHEDULE AND DID I FORGET ANYTHING ELSE? I THINK IT'S JUST THE FEE SCHEDULE.
SO IF YOU, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE REVENUE BUDGET, WE WENT IN AND INCORPORATED, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE THOUGHT THERE WAS A COMMON CONSENSUS ON, SUCH AS THE, UM, THE RENTAL LICENSE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THIS REVENUE IS BASED ON THE, UH, 0.660 AND A 0.103 REAL ESTATE TAX AND 1.45 TPP UTILITIES AND BUSINESS.
UM, ONE THING ABOUT THE FEE SCHEDULE, IF I CAN GET YOU THERE, I KNOW THERE WAS SOME, YEAH, WHAT PAGE IS THAT? UH, IT'S THE 62 AND 63.
ONE THING ABOUT THE FEE SCHEDULE THAT I DO WANT TO ADDRESS.
UM, THAT HAD A LOT OF, UH, CONVERSATION WAS THE, UH, TOPIC OF THE MPIA.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING THAT TO, OF COURSE, THE, UH, GENERAL GOVERNMENT, HOWEVER, IT WON'T BE A TIERED SCHEDULE.
THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE GOING TO PUT THERE IS GOING TO BE PURSUANT TO THE MPIA FEE SCHEDULE, THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF WORK ARE PROVIDED AT NO CHARGE THEREAFTER, ALL TIME INCURRED BY EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS AND RESPONDING TO THE REQUEST SHALL BE CHARGED AT THE APPLICABLE HOURLY RATE UNTIL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUEST IS COMPLETE.
UM, SO THAT WILL BE THE LANGUAGE THAT WE PUT THERE.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A POINT OF, UH, DISCUSSION.
I DID, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD CONVERSATION WITH COUNCIL MEMBER TANZI AS IT RELATES TO THIS, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE LAW STATES, SO.
[00:35:01]
IT RELATES TO THAT? SO THE 1 50, 90 50 IS ALREADY FACTORED IN TO, THAT'S GOING BE COMPLETELY XED OUT WE'RE WE CAN ONLY CHARGE WHAT THE HOURLY RATE OF THE EMPLOYEES ARE.SO IT IS JUST GOING TO BE PER THE HOURLY RATE OF THE EMPLOYEE OR CONTRACTOR THAT THAT CHARGES, THAT GOES IN AND DOES THE RESEARCH.
SO THAT'S ALREADY BEEN FACTORED IN TO THE $1.9 MILLION? NO.
AS FAR AS, OH, THERE'S CURRENTLY ZERO MPIA MONEY IN THE 1.927.
IT, IT, IT, IT'S HARD TO, TO FACTOR IN SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET.
SO, OKAY, SO, SO, BUT IT'S A ZERO.
IS THAT ERIC COUNCIL'S FINE WITH THAT.
SO I, I UNDERSTAND AND I THINK THIS IS, BY THE WAY, I THINK IT'S A GREAT SOLUTION.
I THINK THAT THAT TEAM DID A GREAT JOB.
THANK YOU ON THE FEE SCHEDULE.
I THINK THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
I THINK, UM, COUNSEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY, WELL, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS ON THE FEE ON THE MPIA RESOLUTION?
IS THERE ANY OTHER COUNSEL INTEREST IN THE FEE SCHEDULE AS IT, YOU KNOW, FOR THE FIRST READER FOR TONIGHT? SEEING NONE.
AND, AND AGAIN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WADE, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHOUT, UM, BECAUSE I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE YOU WITH THE, WITH THE SCREEN UP, SO IF YOU HAVE INPUT, PLEASE JUST INTERRUPT ME.
I THINK MR. GALLOWAY, UH, YOU HAVE COUNSEL'S ENDORSEMENT OF THIS, OF PAGE, YOU KNOW, 62 AND 63, UH, AND, UM, IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR AND X NUMBER DOZEN OR MORE MPIA REQUESTS HOW THE, WHAT THE REVENUE SIDE OF IT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, AND I THINK, AGAIN, I, I WANNA STRESS THIS PUTS US IN LINE VERY MUCH WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS, UM, AND, AND, AND THE KIND OF THE STANDARD PRACTICE.
UM, I JUST WANT TO, JUST FOR MY EDIFICATION, DO YOU GET A, A, UH, PRICE ESTIMATE BEFORE YOU COMMIT AS, AS THE, AS THE, UM, FILER OR AS THE, SO, SO WE COME IN AND THE POLICE, IF IT'S A POLICE MATTER, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS, WELL, OKAY, WE COULD DO X AS YOU REQUESTED, WE ESTIMATE IT WILL COST YOU $500 YES.
WELL, WE ESTIMATE THAT IT WILL TAKE THIS AMOUNT OF HOURS WITH THE STAFF PERSON DOING THE RESEARCH AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE FACTOR IN ALL THE EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS THAT ARE INVOLVED AND WE'LL PROVIDE THAT UPFRONT.
I MEAN, THAT FEELS TRANSPARENT TO ME.
YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT GETTING A SURPRISE BILL ON THE BACKEND FOR $1,500 FOR A REQUEST THAT YOU PUT IN.
UH, COUNSEL, IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT OR INTEREST IN THE FEE SCHEDULE, UH, LET'S GO TO THE PUBLIC AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY FURTHER INPUT OR IF THERE'S ANY RESIDENT INPUT ON THE REVENUE SIDE, WHICH IS NOW ESTIMATED AT 11,397,000.
PLEASE COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE.
YOUR NAME, YOUR WARD, AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UM, THIS IS YOUR, IS YOUR GREEN LIGHT ON? I'M SORRY.
I THINK IT'S ON, BUT GO AHEAD.
WE'LL GIVE YOU YOUR TIME BACK IF IT'S NOT, UM, YEAH, SO THIS, THIS, THIS PERTAINS TO THE REVENUE AND, AND, AND THE BUDGET.
AND I HAVE A COUPLE OF CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, UH, AS WELL AS SOME, UH, SOME COMMENTS.
UH, ONE IS THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE SEVERAL MISTAKES, UH, IN THIS, UH, BUT FEDERAL BUDGET, UH, LINE ITEM.
BUT IN PARTICULAR, I'LL POINT YOUR, UH, YOUR ATTENTION TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET ON PAGE, UH, 15, THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES BUDGET OF 3,194,419 DOES NOT ALIGN WITH THE MORE DETAILED TABLE THAT IS ON PAGE 27.
UH, UH, I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT THE POLICE BUDGET DOES LINE UP.
SO THE 4,222,000 DOES ALIGN UP WITH THE, UH, THE MORE DETAILED BUDGET LINE ITEM, UH, UH, LATER IN THE, IN THE DOCUMENT.
AND SO I WASN'T SURE WHERE THAT ONE AND A HALF MILLION APPROXIMATELY IS, UH, BEING ASSIGNED.
UH, IN ADDITION ON THE, UH, DETAILED EXPENDITURE, UH, FOR THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES ON PAGE 27, I APOLOGIZE FOR BRINGING THIS UP IN THE REVENUE SECTION, BUT THIS DOCUMENT, AS I'M AWARE, WAS NOT MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE UNTIL I ARRIVED TODAY TO READ THIS IN PAPER, UH, AS A PROFESSIONAL FEDERAL BUDGET, UH, EXPERT IN MY DAY-TO-DAY LIFE.
UH, IT TAKES TIME TO GO OVER THESE DOCUMENTS IN DETAIL.
SO, UM, PARDON IT BEING A 10 MINUTE DELAY, UH, THAT THERE'S A TWO, THERE'S TWO LINE ITEMS HERE FOR THE RED LIGHT CAMERA CONTRACTOR AND SPEED CAMERA CONTRACTOR, UH, THAT SUM $800,000 THIS YEAR.
UH, I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE PARTICULAR LINE ITEMS AS THEY MAKE UP THE
[00:40:01]
MAJORITY OF THE INCREASE IN THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES BUDGET, UH, A RELATIVE TO, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2026, UM, THAT, THAT $800,000 IS, IS A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE FROM THE $300,000 IN 26 AND THE, UH, 300,000 IN 2025.SO THAT'S AN INITIAL HALF A MILLION DOLLARS THAT, UH, I'M UNCLEAR OF EXACTLY WHAT THAT'S BEING ALLOCATED TOWARDS.
UH, I HOPE THAT YOU CAN, UH, PUBLISH A, A, A COPY OF THE BUDGET AFTER, UH, SOME FACT CHECKING HAS BEEN COMPLETED TO ALLOW RESIDENTS TO MORE THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE BUDGET GOING FORWARD.
I WILL SAY, UM, THE BUDGET WAS PUBLISHED ONLINE YESTERDAY MORNING.
UM, THAT IS NOT THE TIMELINESS THAT WE STRIVE FOR AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
UM, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED EARLIER, AND WE ARE, WE HAVE PLANS AFOOT TO MOVE THE PROCESS BACK, UH, AND TO PUBLISH IT EARLIER.
BUT THIS VERSION WAS AVAILABLE ONLINE, I BELIEVE, WEDNESDAY MORNING.
UH, MR. GALLOWAY, DO YOU WANNA ADDRESS THE THREE POINT, THE 3 31 94 IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT, OR DO YOU WANNA START WITH SPEED CAMERAS AND THEN GO BACK TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT? THAT'S FINE.
WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL START WITH THE SPEED CAMERA.
COUNSEL, THE SPEED CAMERA CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE AND WE PRESENTED TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCILS SEVERAL MONTHS BACK.
OUR INTENTION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RFP.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE LAW IS WRITTEN AND THE LAW WORKS IN, I'M DONE, DONE.
PRIOR TO 2014, THERE WAS A SET A PRESET IN THE CONTRACT, UH, AMOUNTS FOR THE CONTRACTOR AND THE AMOUNT PAID TO THE MUNICIPALITY OR THE TOWN, OR THE JURISDICTION THAT OPERATES THE SPEED CAMERA PROGRAM.
SPECIFICALLY, IT WAS A PERCENTAGE, IT WAS A $40 CITATION.
THAT $40 CITATION WAS, IF PAID, WAS DIVIDED BETWEEN A, A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE TO THE CONTRACTOR AND A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE TO THE JURISDICTION THAT'S OPERATING THE SPEED CAMERA.
IN 2014, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHANGED THE LAW.
THEY FELT THAT THAT WAS A BOUNTY SYSTEM AND ENCOURAGED THE, UH, UH, THE CONTRACTORS THAT PROVIDED THE SERVICE, UH, A MECHANISM THAT WAS, UM, UH, UH, TARGETED TOWARDS COLLECTING REVENUE AND PLACING REVENUE OVER PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHANGED IT AND SAID, YOU CAN'T HAVE A QUOTE BOUNTY SYSTEM.
SO THE WAY OUR CONTRACT AND MOST CONTRACTS ARE WRITTEN NOW IS THAT THERE IS A LOOKUP FEE PER CITATION AND A RENTAL FEE FOR THE CAMERAS.
IF YOU'RE PAYING FOR THE CAMERAS, THEN YOUR PRESET AND THE, THE CURRENT CONTRACTS ON THE MARKET ARE ABOUT $4,000 A MONTH FOR THE CAMERA PLUS LOOKUP FEES FOR EACH CITATION.
THE REASON THAT THAT NUMBER HAS INCREASED IS BECAUSE WE HAVE AN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED NUMBER OF MOVING VIOLATIONS THROUGH THE AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS BECAUSE WE'VE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF CAMERAS, BOTH THE RED LIGHT AS WELL AS THE SPEED, AS THE NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS GOES UP, THE AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE TO PAY THE CONTRACTOR LIKEWISE GOES UP.
BUT LIKEWISE, THE REVENUE INCREASES ON THE OTHER SIDE.
SO THE MORE CAMERAS WE PUT, THE MORE VIOLATIONS THE, UH, THE, THE GREATER THE NUMBER.
AND IF YOU'LL BEAR WITH ME ONE SECOND, WE JUST GOT THE APRIL REPORT AS IT RELATES TO, UH, JUST THE LOOKUP, JUST A NUMBER OF CITATIONS, UH, YOU MIGHT FIND THIS CONCERNING.
THIS REPORT JUST CAME TODAY IN JUST THE MONTH OF APRIL, WE RECORDED OVER 3,400, ALMOST 3,500 CITATIONS WHERE INDIVIDUALS WERE OPERATING VEHICLES BETWEEN 12 AND 15 MILES PER HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT.
I'M BRINGING THIS UP BECAUSE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHANGED THAT LAW THIS PAST YEAR.
SO NOW IT SOMEONE THAT'S DOING, UH, UH, 12 MILES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT ISN'T RECEIVING THE SAME FINE AS SOMEONE DOING 20 MILES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT.
WE, WE RECORDED 768 EVENTS WHERE INDIVIDUALS WERE TRAVELING BETWEEN 16 AND 19, ANOTHER 261 WHERE INDIVIDUALS WERE TRAVELING BETWEEN 20 AND 29 MILES
[00:45:01]
OVER THE SPEED LIMIT.WE HAD 19 CAPTURED EVENTS WHERE INDIVIDUALS WERE OVER 39 MILES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT, AND TWO, WHERE INDIVIDUALS WENT THROUGH THE SPEED CAMERAS AT OVER 40 MILES PER HOUR.
SO OBVIOUSLY THE CAMERAS ARE DOING THEIR JOB.
AND THAT'S, UH, THAT'S WELL OVER 5,000 CITATIONS JUST IN ONE MONTH.
SO THAT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.
THE PRICE GOES UP AS THE NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS GO UP.
HOPEFULLY THAT PROVIDES THE CLARITY FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND FOR THE GENTLEMAN ASKED A QUESTION.
UH, MR. GALLOWAY, UH, ARE WE, ARE WE IN FACT AT 3.194 MILLION IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING MAYOR AND COUNCIL, ET CETERA? YES, WE ARE.
SO, AND IS IT JUST BECAUSE OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL SET SET ASIDE PAGE, OR IT'S THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL GENERAL GOVERNMENT.
THE, THE, THE CONTRACTORS OF, UH, THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT DIVISION.
THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THE REGULAR GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE DEBT AND COMMITTEES THAT HAS THE ADDITIONAL $500,000 A YEAR FOR THE, UH, PAYMENT OF THE ELY PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING.
AND TO BE FACTUALLY CORRECT, THE BUDGET WAS POSTED ON TUESDAY EVENING.
AGAIN, I WANNA JUST SAY FOR THE RECORD, THAT'S NOT IDEAL.
I, AND, UH, MY COMMITMENT IS TO MONDAY, I'M NOT MAKING, I'M NOT MEETING THAT COMMITMENT.
UM, AND I'M GONNA TRY TO DO BETTER.
MY COMMITMENT IS THAT MEETING, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE BUDGET FOR A MOMENT, MEETING PACKETS, UH, ARE PUBLISHED ON MONDAYS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA WORK TOWARDS, INCLUDING IN THIS SITUATION.
IF THERE'S ANY CHANGES TONIGHT, I'D LIKE THEM TO BE PUBLISHED ON MONDAY.
I'M NOT GONNA PROMISE YOU THEY WILL BE, BUT WE WILL SHOOT FOR TUESDAY AND IT'S A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, WHICH IS A BAD TIME TO HAVE A, ANYWAY, GO AHEAD, VICE MAYOR.
UH, ONE IS THAT I THINK IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO PRODUCE A BUDGET BY MONDAY WHEN THERE'S A LOT OF DIRECTION THAT JUST SAYS, WELL, LET'S CUT IT BY THIS MUCH.
AND STAFF CAN FIGURE IT OUT 'CAUSE THEY NEED TIME TO FIGURE IT OUT.
I ALSO WANNA SAY THE BUDGET IS BEAUTIFUL.
I THINK, UH, THE TIME THAT STAFF WAS SPENDING PARTICULARLY LATE NIGHTS WAS THE NUMBERS.
I THINK THE NARRATIVE WAS ALREADY SORT OF SET.
SO I DON'T THINK THEY WERE SPENDING TIME ON THE NARRATIVE.
THEY WERE SPENDING TIME ON THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE ON THURSDAY.
I DO WANNA MAKE A SUGGESTION FOR THE LAYOUT OF THE BUDGET, WHICH IS THAT, UM, AS THE GENTLEMAN SAID, THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES ARE ON PAGE 27, 32, 40 AND 41.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE ALL OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT EACH, EACH DEPARTMENT TO HAVE ALL OF THEIR BUDGET PAGES NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
UM, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE IT ALL SORT OF AT ONCE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT'S HARD TO, IT'S HARD TO TELL WHERE EACH DEPARTMENT BEGINS AND ENDS AND IT'S EASY TO SORT OF LOSE A PAGE THAT WAY.
UM, I'LL JUST SAY, AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO THE PUBLIC ON EXPENDITURES.
UH, THANK YOU MR. GALLOWAY FOR INCLUDING THE THREE STAFF CHARTS, UM, IN THE BUDGET.
THEY'RE ON PAGES 38, 48 AND 55.
I FOUND 'EM A LITTLE HARD TO FIND, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
UH, AND SO THERE IS A CHART FOR EACH, UM, DEPARTMENT LISTING THE TITLE OF THE POSITION AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S FROZEN.
AND WE WILL SEE A HALF A POSITION FROZEN IN THE FRONT OFFICE.
IS THAT RIGHT, MR. CARDENAS IN PUBLIC WORKS THAT ARE FROZEN AND I BELIEVE TWO POSITIONS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT ARE FROZEN, UM, IN THERE.
SO WE WILL TALK, UH, A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.
BUT IS THERE OTHER PUBLIC INPUT ON THE REVENUE PLAN OR ON EXPENDITURES? IF, IF WE FORGOT IF YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE LANE THOMPSON AGAIN, WARD TO THREE.
UH, SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REVENUE, I WILL TALK ABOUT TAXES AND THE REAL ESTATE TAX PARTICULARLY TO ECHO WHAT SEVERAL, UM, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HAVE SAID.
I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED TO HEAR ALL OF A SUDDEN TONIGHT THAT THAT AMOUNT IS FROZEN AND FIXED AND CAN'T BE CHANGED.
I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE REPORTED THAT TO THE STATE.
I VERY MUCH WONDER IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO AMEND THAT OR APPEAL THAT, BECAUSE THAT, I WILL TELL YOU FROM A PUBLIC MEMBER.
AND WHILE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BEAUTIFUL BUDGET, PLEASE TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO PAGE 25 WITH THE HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE OF HOW THIS TOWN WORKS.
KNOW THAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE AT THE VERY TOP.
[00:50:01]
BE MISLED LAST THURSDAY, AND NOT EVEN JUST LAST THURSDAY AT THE MEETING, BUT I MYSELF WONDERING WHERE THE BUDGET WAS SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL MEMBER THAT IS UP HERE IN PERSON ONLINE OR IN ABS ABSENT TO SAY, IS THIS WHAT HAPPENED? I'VE HEARD THAT THIS IS, THERE'S A 2.01% INCREASE IN THE NEXT DRAFT.AND AT NO POINT IN ANY RESPONSE BACK TO ME, DID ANY ONE OF YOU EVER SAY, OH, NO LANE, IT'S NOT JUST A FOR THE BUDGET, IT'S DONE.
DON'T EVEN BOTHER LOOKING AT IT.
I'LL REMIND YOU THAT THE PER CAPITA INCOME IN CH IS AROUND $55,000.
YOU THINK THEY'RE SMALL, THEY ACTUALLY DO REALLY MATTER.
I FEEL VERY OFFENDED AND MISLED AND I DIDN'T TAKE VERY KINDLY TO ONE COUNCIL MEMBER, MS. BRIER, GIVING A SOAPBOX LECTURE ON HOW MUCH SHE, WE DON'T, WE THE PUBLIC WHO ARE HERE GIVING OUR VOICES AND INPUT DO NOT RESPECT OUR TOWN OR OUR TOWN PEOPLE.
BUT I AS A TOWN RESIDENT, DO NOT FEEL VERY RESPECTED RIGHT NOW.
IS THERE ANY OTHER, UH, PUBLIC INPUT, UM, OR INPUT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER? WELL, WE'LL GO TO THE PUBLIC COUNCIL MEMBER.
WADE, WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU OUT THERE.
UH, JULIA MOSLEY AGAIN, WARD TWO I, I'M WONDERING IF SOME CONFUSION OF LAST THURSDAY MIGHT BE, I KNOW, UM, THE TOWN ADMINISTRATOR, MR. GALLOWAY WAS PRESENT BUT NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT.
I DON'T, UM, MS. MARK WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT ALL.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IF OUR TOWN ATTORNEY WAS ONLINE.
SO I CAN EASILY SEE, EASILY SEE HOW THIS KIND OF CONFUSION, WHICH IS MAJOR COULD HAPPEN WITH THE, WHETHER THIS IS SET IN, WHETHER THIS TAX INCREASES SET IN STONE.
AND AS A RESIDENT, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ONE MORE STEP TO MAKE SURE THAT IS THE CASE.
AND WHO SAYS THAT IS THE CASE? UH, I, I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BRINER WITH BUNDLING THE ACTUAL PAGES TOGETHER.
ALSO, THAT MAKES IT EASIER ONLINE.
I BELIEVE THIS YESTERDAY MORNING I PULLED UP THE OLD BUDGET ONLINE I WAS LOOKING, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL MIDDAY THAT THIS, THIS ONE CAME OUT.
AND AGAIN, FOR A RESIDENT TO HAVE TO PRINT 63 PAGES, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL AS COUNCIL MEMBER BRINER SAYS, TO HAVE THEM BUNDLED.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT WANT TO ANSWER TONIGHT.
I THINK AS IT USED TO BE, COLA SHOULD BE A SEPARATE LINE ITEM WHETHER YOU AGREE OR NOT THAT IT SHOULD BE ADJUSTED.
I THINK IN ALL OF OUR BUDGETS IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, COLA IS ALWAYS A SEPARATE LINE ITEM.
FOR MANY YEARS, THE SALARIES NOT WITH INDIVIDUAL NAMES, BUT THE SALARY SCHEDULE WAS POSTED AS PART OF THE BUDGET.
I THINK THAT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING COLA INCREASES OR, UH, DECREASES.
I THINK THAT'S ONLY FAIR TO THE STAFF AS WELL AS INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC.
UM, MY LA MY QUESTION IS, UM, WE NOW FARM OUT THE, UH, HR CONSULTING AND OUR TREASURER.
THESE USED TO BE IN-HOUSE POSITIONS OR HR NEVER EXISTED BEFORE.
UH, I THINK, I THINK IT WAS NOT IN THE BUDGET AT 2024.
IT MAY HAVE BEEN BURIED SOMEWHERE ELSE.
MY QUESTION IS, IS THE SAME MS. MOCK IS NOW OUR TREASURER, CORRECT? YES.
AND IS HER FIRM OR THE FIRM THAT EMPLOYS HER OUR AUDITING FIRM? NO, IT'S NOT.
THAT'S, YOU ARE CORRECT THAT SHE USED TO BE OUR AUDITOR.
BUT, UM, I FORGET THE GENTLEMAN'S NAME, BUT WE HAVE A SEPARATE AUDITING FIRM.
UH, MR. GALLOWAY, I THINK WE CAME TO A COMPROMISE ON THE SALARY CHART THAT WE WILL BE PUBLISHING PAY BANS.
SO THOSE AREN'T IN THIS VERSION, BUT THERE WILL BE PAY BANS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, A LET ME GO TO MY POLICE PAGE.
SO I'LL SAY THERE'S STILL SOME COSMETIC THINGS THAT WE NEED TO WORK OUT YEAH.
BUT OVERALL, AND THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR FEEDBACK
[00:55:01]
FROM EARLIER AND WE'LL BE MAKING THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDINGLY.BUT YEAH, THAT THE, THE SALARY SCALE, UM, WILL BE LISTED IN THE VERY BACK
SO FOR EXAMPLE, AS IT WAS LAST YEAR, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
YES, YOU, YOU WERE SAYING IT WILL BE LISTED AGAIN AS IT WAS LAST YEAR, RIGHT? SO, SO WE WILL INDICATE WHAT A POLICE OFFICER FIRST CLASS, YOU KNOW, BAND IS AND THEN A POLICE OFFICER BANNED AND THE CORPORAL BANNED, WHICH I'M GUESSING THE BANDS ARE SOMEWHERE AROUND $15,000 IN WIF ISH, BUT WE'LL FIND OUT WHEN THEY'RE PUBLISHED.
IS THERE OTHER PUBLIC INPUT ON THE REVENUE? YOUR NAME, YOUR WORD, AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
WHO'S ON THE GREEN? UH, IT'S THE GREEN LIGHT.
WHAT IS THIS? CAN YOU HEAR ME? NOPE.
PATTY, CAN YOU HEAR MR. MCGUIRE? SHE'S GIVING US A THUMBS UP.
AH, BEING CENSORED BEFORE BEGIN.
OKAY, UM, I'M, I'VE JUST WALKED IN.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT IS THE, THE MISCELLANEOUS WHY CALL MISCELLANEOUS A SMALLER COST? CAN YOU GIVE A PRICE? YOU'RE STILL THINK, UH, LITTLE TIDYING UP THE BUDGET, THE LITTLE THINGS, WHAT'S THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF WHAT YOU'RE TIDYING UP? I'M JUST CURIOUS.
QUESTION ADMINISTRATOR, COULD YOU, OKAY, WELL, RIGHT, WE'RE NOT GOING BACK AND FORTH.
JUST GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE YOUR INPUT.
THIS IS WHAT I WAS GONNA THINK ABOUT.
NOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUNCIL ELECTIONS IN ABOUT A YEAR NOW I DID NOTICE NOW FORMER ORDER ORDER.
SHE DID SAY, WAS IT ON THE RECORD THAT 6.8 24 AS OF MARCH, UH, 2025, MID-MARCH.
I CALL IT SURPLUS, BUT IT'S CALLED THE UNUSED.
AH, I'LL GET MY FIGURES EXACTLY BELOW OVER 45.
4.4 MILLION 500 AND A FEW, A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS DIFFERENCE OF ABOUT 2,000,002, DAH, DAH DAH.
IT'S NOW ON THE OUT OF THE UNASSIGNED FUND.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHERE WAS IT ASSIGNED? AND THIS IS ABOUT 13 AND A HALF, 14 MONTHS LATER NOW 14 AND A HALF MONTHS LATER.
NOW I'M GONNA REMIND EVERYONE NOT TO BE SURPRISED, BUT BY 2030 YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A NEED OF A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
IS THAT GONNA BE, REQUIRE ANOTHER TAX INCREASE? NOW THIS IS FOR THE 2030 FISCAL YEAR CHEVROLET FOR THE ACCOUNT IMPROVEMENT BUDGET.
BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE A SURPRISE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A NEW NEED FOR ANOTHER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
SO SURPRISE, NO, HOPEFULLY IT'S NOT.
SO THE UNASSIGNED FUND HAS A LINE ITEM.
SO IT'S ASSIGNED, IT'S ABOUT 4,000,005, I'LL GET THE EXACT FIGURES IN A SECOND.
IT'LL BE A SIGNED OF SOME PROPOSALS I WISH COULD BE CONSIDERED AND MAYBE PASSED.
AND A LONG TERM STABILIZATION FUND INVEST LONG TERM THE TOWN DOES INVEST A THOUSAND DOLLARS IN, IN A BANK STOCK.
AND TO PUT ASIDE, EVEN ONE OF MY IDEAS WOULD PUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS INTO A CERTIFICATE DEPOSIT, 50 50, 200 50,000, 250,000 WALLED OFF, EARN A LITTLE INTEREST SO IT'S NOT ACCIDENTALLY SPENT, WHATEVER.
AND IT'S DESIGNATED ONLY FOR 2030 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT.
SO THERE'S NO BIG SURPRISE, OH, WE NEED ANOTHER TAX INCREASE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW.
IF ANYONE WISHES TO INVEST FOR THE FUTURE AND NOT SPEND IT WITHIN 13 AND A HALF MONTHS, THE ON DESIGNATED FUNDS, I'M LISTENING, BUT IF NOT, WELL MAYBE, UH, MATURITY IS REQUIRED AND ADULT HAS TO STEP IN.
UM, ALRIGHT, LET ME SAY, OH, DO YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP? I DID, BUT ITCHY ONE.
UH, SO ON MS. MOSLEY'S COMMENT, I WILL WE'LL ASK THE TOWN ATTORNEY AND MR. GALLOWAY TO DOUBLE CHECK ON WHAT, UH, WHY THIS, WHY THE STATE REQ COMPTROLLER, I ASSUME REQUIRED A TAX RATE BY MAY 16TH.
AND WE WILL GET AN ANSWER AS SOON AS WE CAN.
LET ME GO INTO MS MOCK, TURN TO MS. MOCK NOW AND ASK IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE FUND.
OH, WE'RE GONNA GO TO VICE MAYOR BRINER.
AND THEN MS. MOCK, WE WOULD ASK TO TURN TO YOU TO CLARIFY THE FUND UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY BECAUSE I FEEL MISCHARACTERIZED THE ENTIRE POINT
[01:00:01]
OF WHAT I SAID EARLIER IN THIS MEETING IS THAT THE WAY THAT STAFF WAS SPOKEN TO AND ABOUT FROM UP HERE, FROM THE DAIS LAST WEEK WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE.BUT THAT RESIDENTS REALLY DO TRULY APPRECIATE STAFF AND WHAT THEY DO.
THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN PEOPLE UP HERE.
AND SO WE PROBABLY DON'T SHARE IT ENOUGH.
OUR STAFF IS PART OF WHAT MAKES CH A WONDERFUL PLACE TO LIVE.
AND I NEVER INTENDED TO COMMUNICATE IN ANY WAY THAT RESIDENTS DO NOT APPRECIATE STAFF.
I THINK SOME OF THE WAYS THAT STAFF WAS SPOKEN TO LAST WEEK FROM UP HERE WERE NOT APPROPRIATE.
UH, MS. MOCK, ARE YOU ABLE TO COME IN ON THE FUND BALANCE? UM, I EARLIER MADE AN ASSERTION, UH, THAT THE FUND BALANCE AT THE END OF FY 20 UNASSIGNED, 'CAUSE I KNOW WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF ASSIGNMENTS OVER THE YEARS, HUR ELY BOND, ET CETERA, THAT THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE AT THE END OF FY 25, SO 10 AND A HALF MONTHS AGO WAS 5,142,000.
UM, I APOLOGIZE, MAYOR, I DO NOT HAVE PAPERWORK IN FRONT OF ME.
UM, CAN YOU PUT UP ON THE SCREEN THE BUDGET SUMMARY? YES.
UH, PAGE 15, I THINK YOU MEAN OF THE, UH, YEAH, LET'S SEE THAT.
NOPE, I THINK WE'RE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTIONS.
DON'T WE WANT TO GO TO 15 WHAT WE WANT? WE WANNA GO TO PAGE 15, CORRECT.
UM, SO IT SHOULD BE COMING UP ON THE SCREEN SHORTLY.
MS. MACH, THIS IS THE BUDGET SUMMARY.
AT THE END OF, I HAVE THE AUDIT REPORT IN FRONT OF ME.
NOW THAT GIVES US THE FUND BALANCE BECAUSE OF JUNE 30TH, 2025.
THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE AT THAT POINT WAS $4,767,000.
THE FULL FUND BALANCE WAS 6,000,539.
UH, IN THAT, UM, 6,000,539 WAS RESTRICTED HUR 578,000 RESTRICTED ELY BUILDING 8 0 8 AND COMMITTED 384,000.
THE THREE WHERE THE 384,000 COMMITMENT CAME FROM WAS THE DEFICIT FUNDING FOR THE FY 26 BUDGET.
SO THAT'S WHAT THAT 384,000 REPRESENTS.
THE BUDGET FOR FY 26 REFLECTED A DEFICIT OF 384,000 OF EXPENDITURES WERE, WERE TO EXCEED REVENUES BY 384,000.
SO THE UNASSIGNED AT THE END OF 6 30 25 WAS 4,767,000.
UM, OKAY, SO THAT'S WORSE THEN.
UH, IT APPEARED TO BE, UM, SO, OKAY, SO IT WAS SIX 6,000,538, BUT, UM, I SEE WHAT YOU DID.
OKAY, THOSE ARE THE PIECES OF THE, YEAH, 6,000,539, THOSE THREE LITTLE PIECES ADD UP TO $1.6 MILLION, ALMOST 1.7.
SO WHERE YOU'RE GETTING THE 5 MILLION FROM YOUR, YOU'RE INCLUDING THE 384,000, ADDING IT TO THE 4,000,767 THAT WOULD GIVE YOU, UM, BUT YOU HAD DESIGNATED OR COMMITTED 384,000 FOR THE DEFICIT BALANCE FOR FY 26 BUDGET.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S BEEN PULLED OUT OF THAT UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
IT'S APPLES AND APPLES, I UNDERSTAND.
[01:05:01]
AND THEN WE'RE DEFICIT SPENDING 3 84 THIS YEAR.WHICH WOULD, WHICH WOULD LEAVE US IN SIX WEEKS WITH 4 7, 6 7 IF, IF THE REVENUES COME IN EXACTLY WHAT WE BUDGETED AND THE EXPENDITURES COME IN EXACTLY WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR FY 26, IT WOULD LEAVE YOU 4 7 6 7 4,000,767.
NOW IF YOU MOVE OVER SLIGHTLY, UM, THE ISSUE IS WE'VE LOST REVENUE POSSIBLY FOR IN FY 2026 DUE TO THE REDUCED ASSESSMENTS ON THE APARTMENTS.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT TO BE APPROXIMATELY 200,000.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M INCLUDING IN THERE TO COME TO THE FUND BALANCE AT THE END OF FY 26 TO BE 4,000,562.
SO, UM, THE 51 42 IS MORE OR LESS ACCURATE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT THAT WAY.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT IN OUR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE LIKELY TO DEFICIT SPEND CLOSER TO 600,000 THAN 3 84 BECAUSE OF THE LOST APARTMENT REVENUE.
ANYONE DISAGREE WITH THAT? UM, MR. GALLOWAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK? I MEAN, IT COULD BE 500, IT COULD BE 600, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE MS. MOCK, AGAIN, I DON'T WANNA PUT WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH, BUT YOU, YOU STILL SEE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY EVEN THOUGH TO A LAYMAN, IT SEEMS LIKE, OH, IT'S ONLY SIX WEEKS AWAY.
YOU, WE MUST BE PRETTY CERTAIN THERE'S ACTUALLY A GREAT DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE REVENUE AND SPENDING NUMBERS FOR 26.
RIGHT? THEY, WE TEND TO HAVE A COUPLE REVENUES THAT WE'RE NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT POSITIVE ABOUT.
WE HAVE THE LOCAL INCOME TAX AND WE HAVE THE, UH, CABLE TV AND A COUPLE OTHER ITEMS THAT COME IN LATER IN THE YEAR HEAVIER THAN LIKE THE REAL ESTATE TAXES COMES IN HEAVIER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
THAT'S BEEN TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL TO ME.
COUNSEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. MA? OKAY.
HEARING NONE, LET'S GO BACK TO THE PUBLIC.
LET'S GO BACK TO THE PUBLIC AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY MORE PUBLIC INPUT ON REVENUE 5 89 PLEASE.
I'M JUST RESTATING, AS I HAVE BEEN STATING FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, IT'S TIME THAT HOMEOWNERS STOP BEARING THE BRUNT OF FUNDING OUR TOWN'S BUDGET.
I DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN EMPHASIZE THAT ANYMORE.
YOU'VE HEARD FROM US THERE WERE SOME REAL SUBSTANTIVE CUTS THAT WERE PRESENTED AS SUGGESTIONS SO THAT IT COULD BE, UM, NOT JUST UNILATERALLY FIXED ON HOMEOWNERS, BUT ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS, ALL AREAS.
I DON'T THINK THAT YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THAT WE ALSO HAVE OUR OWN INCOMES, UM, AFFECTED.
WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE CERTAIN THINGS, BUT AGAIN, YOU CAN'T IN A TIME OF HIGH ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, HIGH UTILITIES, FORECLOSURES, RESIDENTS ON FIXED INCOMES, IT'S JUST NOT REALISTIC TO EXPECT THAT WE CAN FUND EVERYTHING.
WE LEFT LAST WEEK WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ALL WERE GONNA GO BACK, MAKE SOME REALLY TOUGH DECISIONS, LOOK AT IT ACROSS THE BOARD AND COME BACK.
IT'S, IT'S SHOCKING TO KNOW THAT YOU'VE ALREADY SUBMITTED A RATE INCREASE WHEN YOU'VE HEARD RESOUNDINGLY FROM THE PUBLIC THAT WE DID NOT WANT THAT.
AND THERE WERE VERY PLAUSIBLE AVENUES TO CONSIDER TO CUT TAXES, BUT YOU'VE DECIDED TO DO THAT ANYWAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THAT COULD BE RESCINDED AND THAT YOU COULD GO BACK AND LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD BALANCE THIS BUDGET WITHOUT HAVING A RATE INCREASE.
[01:10:01]
STATED BEFORE, UNDOUBTEDLY YOU WILL COME BACK NEXT YEAR ASKING FOR ANOTHER RATE INCREASE.AND I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE COULD BEAR THAT.
AND JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, THERE'S A KIOSK OUT FRONT ON CHEVROLET AVENUE AND FOREST ROAD.
YOU COULD PUT INFORMATION THERE TO LET THE PUBLIC KNOW, HEY, THE BUDGET IS UP ON THE WEBSITE AND AVAILABLE SO THAT WE CAN COME TO A BUDGET HEARING PREPARED.
YEAH, COME UP TO THE PODIUM, MAKE SURE THE GREEN LIGHT'S ON YOUR NAME, YOUR WARD, AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I AM IN, UM, WARD FOUR, I BELIEVE.
I'M VERY BAD WITH NUMBERS, MY APOLOGIES.
BUT, UM, ONE THING IN TERMS OF REVENUE THAT IT WAS, UH, KIND OF A QUESTION, BUT I ALSO DO HAVE A POINT TO MAKE REGARDING IT, IS, UM, FOR THE CAMERA BASED, UH, ENFORCEMENT OF RED LIGHTS AND SPEED LIMITS, UM, I AM VERY CURIOUS WHAT THE PERCENTAGE BREAKDOWNS ARE FOR, UH, THE PROFIT MARGINS FOR, UM, LIKE HOW MUCH THE CITY, UH, LIKE THE MUNICIPALITY ACTUALLY NETS, UH, FROM THOSE, UH, TICKETS, AS WELL AS HOW MUCH IS GOING TO THE CONTRACTOR.
IF THERE'S ANY, UM, CUTS THAT ARE GOING TO SAY, UH, PG COUNTY OR THE STATE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I WOULD JUST BE VERY CURIOUS TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE, UM, I, I HAVEN'T HAD SO MUCH TIME TO RESEARCH THIS, BUT, UH, FOR THE CONTRACTORS THEMSELVES, UM, THE, UH, CAMERA, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT BUSINESS IS VERY LUCRATIVE AND I WOULD TAKE A CLOSE AND HARD LOOK AT KIND OF, UM, THE CONTRACTORS' OVERHEAD COSTS AND WHAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY SPENDING, UH, IN TERMS OF THE TICKETS.
AND, UM, IF THERE'S ANY ROOM FOR NEGOTIATION, THAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD REALLY STRONGLY RECOMMEND DOING.
UM, HAVING WORKED, UH, FOR A CONTRACTOR THAT, UH, TOOK ON, YOU KNOW, A PUBLIC, UM, GOODS AND SERVICES KIND OF, UM, I CAN SAY THAT THE PROFIT MOTIVE IS VERY STRONG AND A LOT OF TIMES, UM, KIND OF LED TO SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW, HOW THINGS OPERATED.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULD BE VERY CURIOUS TO SEE IF CH UH, IS ON AVERAGE, YOU KNOW, SAY NETTING 20% VERSUS 60%.
LIKE WHAT, WHAT THAT BREAKS DOWN TO.
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE ONCE THOSE CAMERAS ARE INSTALLED, UM, THERE'S VERY LITTLE TO NO COST FOR THESE CONTRACTORS IN TERMS OF ACTUALLY, UM, UH, LOOKING OVER THE FOOTAGE AND MAILING THE TICKET.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER AND I THINK MORE CAREFULLY LOOK AT, BECAUSE THAT'S A PRETTY SIZABLE CHUNK, UH, THAT I'M SEEING OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS, UM, 300 K AND 500 K FOR, UH, SOMETHING THAT REALLY IS NOT A COSTLY SERVICE TO PROVIDE.
UH, DOES ANYBODY WANT TO TAKE A CRACK AT THE COST AND REVENUE STRUCTURE OF CAMERAS? DO YOU WANT ME TO TRY TO RESPOND TO, NO, LET ME, LET ME, LET ME STATE THIS WITHOUT ANY EQUIVOCATION.
THE REVENUE THAT COMES IN IS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON THE VIOLATORS PAYING THE CITATIONS.
RED LIGHT CAMERAS AND SPEED CAMERAS ARE NOT REVENUE GENERATORS.
ANYONE THAT THINKS OTHERWISE IS MISTAKEN, THEY'RE THERE TO MODIFY DRIVER'S BEHAVIOR.
AND I THINK I SPOKE VERY CLEARLY AS THE NUMBER OF CITATIONS IN THE LAST MONTH TO INCLUDE TWO VIOLATIONS WHERE PEOPLE EXCEEDED THE SPEED LIMIT BY OVER 40 MILES PER HOUR.
THERE IS A COST OF DOING BUSINESS.
THE PROVIDERS OF THAT SERVICE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MONEY.
I'M IN THE BUSINESS OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IF NO ONE EVER PAID A CITATION, WE WOULD OPERATE THE CAMERAS IN THE RED.
THAT WOULD BE A DECISION OF THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL IF THEY WANTED TO OPERATE THE CAMERAS IN THE RED AND PAY FOR THE SPEED CAMERAS.
THAT'S A POLICY DECISION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
THANK YOU, MR. MS. MOCK, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD OR YOU'RE, YOU'RE GOOD.
I WAS JUST, I WAS JUST GONNA NOTE THAT THE REVENUE IS BUDGETED FOR, AND SO ARE THE EXPENSES.
SO YOU CAN, THEY'RE CLEARLY DEFINED
[01:15:02]
AS THE, UH, LINE ITEM OF BOTH THE RED LIGHT AND THE SPEED CAMERA.SO THERE GO AHEAD TO DEMONSTRATE BOTH THE REVENUE AND THE EXPENSES.
AND WITH, I, I DON'T WANNA OVERSIMPLIFY IT, BUT IT'S SORT OF A WASH AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
IT'S A, IT'S A NET BENEFIT OF ABOUT $1.1 MILLION PERCENTAGES.
UM, SO ABOUT 40% GOES TO THE OPERATOR.
IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC INPUT ON THE REVENUE SIDE? UH, OKAY THEN, UH, COUNSEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCLUDING THOUGHTS FOR THIS FIRST READING? UH, I'LL JUST ADD FIRST MY THANKS TO STAFF, UH, FOR, UM, ALL THEIR WORK ON THIS AND FOR GETTING US TO THIS POINT.
WE ARE, WE ARE NOT THERE YET, BUT PERHAPS, UH, WE ARE ON STARTING THE FINAL LAP.
UM, WE WILL, WE HAVE A COUPLE TAKE HOME ITEMS OR A COUPLE HOMEWORK ITEMS, INCLUDING, UM, VERIFYING THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT WITH THE STATE.
UM, I, WE'VE TALKED A NUMBER OF TIMES ABOUT STARTING EARLIER NEXT YEAR.
I LOVE THE IDEA ABOUT A HEARING, DOING A HEARING, LET'S SAY IN FEBRUARY OR JANUARY, UH, TO GET US KICKED OFF EARLIER AND HEAR PUBLIC INPUT EARLIER.
I THINK THAT'S, UH, THAT'S USEFUL AND WE'LL MAKE SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS MAYBE IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER.
UM, I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR, ESPECIALLY IF WE REALLY DO RUN A DEFICIT OF, OF PUSHING $600,000 IN THE CURRENT YEAR.
WE'LL HAVE A VERY TOUGH TIME NEXT YEAR.
UM, I THINK, UM, AND I DIDN'T FLOAT THIS WITH THE COUNCIL, BUT I THINK WE EFFECTIVELY, UM, ARE GONNA HAVE TO REVIEW ANY HIRING DECISION, UH, OR VACANCY DECISION FOR FUTURE HIRING, NOT, NOT THE SELECTION PROCESS, BUT WHETHER WE CAN FILL ANY TOWN VACANCY THAT MIGHT EMERGE IN THE COMING YEAR.
UM, BECAUSE, UM, WE CANNOT, BECAUSE SO MUCH OF OUR BUDGET IS, UH, PERSONNEL AND I DON'T THINK THAT, WELL, I'M JUST VERY WORRIED.
AND SO WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS VERY EARLY AS, AS ANY VACANCY ARRIVES, UM, A AS TO, UM, WHAT DIRECTION WE FEEL FISCALLY WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE TO OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS.
UM, WE WILL, I GUESS, CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN WE COME TO IT.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE FROM COUNCIL? OH, I'M SORRY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY I PRESENTED, I THINK THE BUDGET CALENDAR IN DECEMBER AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ALL AGREED UPON.
SO, YOU KNOW, I'LL BE PRESENTING ANOTHER ONE, UM, IN THE FALL AND LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE SCRUTINIZE IT AND MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS AT THAT POINT, WE CAN ALTER ACCORDINGLY.
UM, YEAH, I, WE DO HAVE SOME HOMEWORK, UM, AND WE WILL PROVIDE, UM, SOME UPDATES AT THE VERY NEXT TOWN HALL MEETING.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, MAYOR, I DO AGREE WITH YOU, WE WILL, UM, TIDY THIS UP JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER, AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS THE LAST LAP.
I DO WANT TO HAVE, I, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, MY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, THEY'VE BEEN QUIET.
I WANTED TO SEE IF THEY HAD ANY COMMENTS AND THEN I WANNA SEE IF THE CHIEF OR DEPUTY CHIEF HAS HAD ANY COMMENTS AS IT RELATES TO THIS ABSOLUTELY.
OR JUST ANYTHING IN GENERAL, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU, MA'AM.
UH, UM, UH, MR. BRAMAN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING? UM, NO.
MR. GALLOWAY, I JUST DO APPRECIATE THE, UH, CONSIDERATION, THE, UH, DIFFICULTIES WE'RE IN.
I DO THINK THOUGH, WE'VE, ALL THREE DEPARTMENTS HAVE DOVE IN AND AS I THINK THE CHIEF HAS DESCRIBED, WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOWN TO THE BONE, BUT, UM, FOLLOW YOUR DIRECTION.
CHIEF, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS? MAYOR, WOULD IT BE OKAY IF I WENT TO PODIUM? ABSOLUTELY.
[01:20:02]
STAFFCAN YOU HEAR CHIEF MORRIS? TRY IT.
SORRY, I'M GONNA REPEAT WHAT SEAN SAID IT.
FIRST OFF, I, I WANNA EXTEND A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO COUNCIL MEMBER FRY AND, UH, AND VICE MAYOR BRIER FOR THEIR OPENING COMMENTS IN SUPPORT OF STAFF.
UH, IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, UH, THAT YOU TOOK THE TIME TO SO ELOQUENTLY STATE, WHICH SHOULD BE THE OBVIOUS.
I STAND HERE BECAUSE I'M IN A VERY UNIQUE POSITION THAT MOST STAFF IS NOT.
I CAN SPEAK CANDIDLY, I CAN SPEAK FREELY.
15 YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS RETIRING FROM THE PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY POLICE OFFICER AS APOL POLICE OFFICER FROM PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, I HAD A VERY DETAILED AND IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH A LONGTIME MENTOR OF MINE, CHIEF MELVIN HIGH GOD REST HIS SOUL.
AND WHEN I SAID I WAS INTERESTED IN BEING A CHIEF OF POLICE, HE MADE A VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD COMMENT THAT I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN.
HE SAID, DAVID, IF YOU NEED A JOB, DON'T TAKE THIS ONE.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN YOUR VALUES AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE MORAL COURAGE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID.
SO I'M IN A VERY UNIQUE POSITION THIS EVENING TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK CANDIDLY TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL, TO THE STAFF ON BEHALF OF THE STAFF, AND TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
IN MY BUSINESS, WE DON'T GET TO PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON.
WE DON'T GET TO PULL THE FIRE ALARM.
WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE CALM WATERS, OR TO PUT IT IN THE NAVY TERMS, WHEN YOU HIT A STORM, YOU BATTEN THE HATCHES, SET THE MAIN SILL, STEADY THE HELMET STAY THE COURSE.
BUT THAT PRINCIPLE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN TESTED HERE IN THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE LAST TWO THURSDAYS, AS WHAT I'VE WITNESSED IS NOTHING LESS THAN A MODERN DAY RENDITION OF LORD OF THE FLIES.
THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY CHALLENGING BUDGET SEASON.
WE ARE NOT NAIVE TO THAT, AND I WANNA STAND HERE AND GIVE ABSOLUTE PRAISE TO THE STAFF HERE IN STARTING WITH MR. GALLOWAY AND HIS STAFF, MR. BRAMAN, LUIS AND OUR TREMENDOUS PUBLIC WORKS POLICE DEPARTMENT, MY DEPUTY CHIEF AND THE OFFICERS THAT ARE SITTING BEHIND ME, THEY'VE DONE INCREDIBLE WORK ON THIS BUDGET.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S FIRST BUDGET MEETING WAS DECEMBER THE EIGHTH.
IT DIDN'T START TWO DAYS AGO, TWO WEEKS AGO, OR TWO MONTHS AGO.
THE BUDGET IS A CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX, AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF PROVIDING GOOD INFORMATION TO THE MAYOR COUNCIL SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE GOOD PUBLIC POLICY DECISION.
WE TAKE THAT JOB VERY SERIOUSLY.
STAFF HAS WORKED SIGNIFICANT OVERTIME HOURS JUST IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, AND I'M NOT TALKING FOR TILL FIVE IN THE EVENING OR SIX IN THE EVENING.
I'M TALKING TILL 11 12 1 2 IN THE MORNING.
I KNOW BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THAT STAFF AS THEY'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THESE CHALLENGES.
WITH REGARDS TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE DEPUTY CHIEF AND I, ALONG WITH MR. GALLOWAY AND OUR STAFF, HAVE CREATED A CUSTOMIZED POLICE DEPARTMENT TAILORED TO THIS TOWN.
WE DELIVERED ON A PROMISE THAT WAS MADE BY THE MARIN COUNCIL TO THIS COMMUNITY TO RETURN THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT TO 24 HOUR SERVICE.
BUT THE DEPUTY CHIEF AND I DID NOT, BECAUSE WE REFUSE TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS WITH WARM BODIES.
WE SEPARATED THE WEEDS AND WE HIRED HIGHLY EXPERIENCED, SEASONED POLICE OFFICERS, SEVERAL OF THEM BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW, LIEUTENANT GLEASON, ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED EXPERTS IN POLICING AND TRAINING.
[01:25:01]
IN THE STATE, BUT IN THE COUNTRY.SERGEANT BLUNT, SERGEANT JACKSON, CORPORAL DAVER PEREZ, OFFICER JONES.
COMBINED, THESE OFFICERS HAVE WELL OVER 250 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND THEY WERE HIRED SO THAT THEY COULD TRAIN OUR YOUNGER OFFICERS TO BECOME GOOD, NOT GOOD, EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICE OFFICERS.
THE DEPUTY CHIEF AND I HAVE SPENT AN ORDINATE NUMBER OF HOURS AND ENERGY TO REBUILD AND TO REBRAND A POLICE AGENCY THAT REFLECTS THE IMAGE OF THIS TOWN AND OF WHICH THIS TOWN CAN AND SHOULD BE PROUD.
A WEEK AGO, OUR OFFICERS RESPONDED TO A HOMICIDE, LET ME REPHRASE THAT.
THEY RESPONDED TO WHAT CAME OUT AS A DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE, ONLY TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE AND DISCOVER THAT IT WAS A BRUTAL HOMICIDE, AND THEY TOOK THE SUSPECT INTO CUSTODY.
THEY WERE ON THE SCENE IN UNDER TWO MINUTES.
THE FIRST COUNTY POLICE OFFICER DIDN'T ARRIVE FOR 10.
WE HAVE A TREMENDOUSLY GOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THIS COUNTY.
I SERVED THERE 26 YEARS, AS DID THE DEPUTY CHIEF AND MANY OF THE OFFICERS BEHIND ME.
BUT THEIR RESOURCES ARE EQUALLY AS LIMITED.
I'VE BEEN POLICING IN THIS COUNTY FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
I HAVE RESPONDED TO COUNTLESS HOMICIDES.
I HAVE NEVER IN 40 YEARS TAKEN A HOMICIDE SUSPECT INTO CUSTODY ON THE SCENE SHEERLY DID LAST WEEK.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, PROBABLY SAFEGUARDED THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE ANOTHER MINUTE, MINUTE AND A HALF RESPONSE TIME, AND THAT SUSPECT COULD HAVE BEEN GONE IN THE WIND AND AN IMMINENT THREAT TO THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY.
YESTERDAY OUR OFFICERS HANDLED A VIOLENT SEXUAL ASSAULT THAT OCCURRED IN THE TOWN.
NEITHER THE VICTIM NOR THE SUSPECT LIVE IN THE TOWN.
THEY JUST HAPPENED TO LAND IN A PARK HERE.
THEY HANDLED IT WITH CARE, THEY HANDLED IT WITH COMPASSION, THEY HANDLED IT WITH EMPATHY.
AS THEY'RE TRYING TO INTERVIEW A 14-YEAR-OLD THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO WHAT SHE WAS SUBJECTED TO.
LAST FRIDAY, A CRAZED GUNMAN CARJACKER CAME THROUGH THE COUNTY UP KENNELWORTH AVENUE.
OUR OFFICERS WERE ENGAGED IN THE PURSUIT AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER AGENCIES.
AND THAT AFTERNOON, CHIEF BOWERS FROM THE GREENVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT CALLED ME AND SAID, DAVE, I'M CALLING TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE, FOR THE TREMENDOUS EFFORTS OF YOUR OFFICERS.
PLEASE EXTEND MY GRATITUDE ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT THE INDIVIDUAL WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE PLUS 40 YEARS FOR A HOMICIDE BACK IN THE EIGHTIES AND SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN OUT TO BEGIN WITH.
AND MOST RECENTLY, SERGEANT BLUNT AND HIS SQUAD ASSISTED THE US MARSHALS IN TAKING A FELONY FUGITIVE INTO CUSTODY.
EVERYTHING I JUST DESCRIBED OCCURRED IN LESS THAN A WEEK, WE DELIVERED ON YOUR PROMISE.
AND NOW THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THIS TOWN WILL ALLOW YOU TO KEEP YOUR PROMISE TO THEM.
WE HEARD THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, AND WE HEARD MEMBERS SITTING BEFORE ME TALK ABOUT CUTTING SALARIES, ELIMINATING MERIT, INCREASES, FREEZING POSITIONS.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT NAIVE OR INSENSITIVE TO THE BUDGET SITUATION.
NOT JUST IN CH, NOT JUST IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, BUT THE STATE WHICH IS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DEBT.
IT WILL SUGGEST CUTTING SALARIES OR REDUCING SALARIES.
AND YET THERE APPEARS TO BE NO DESIRE TO EVEN ELIMINATE COSTLY FIREWORKS DISPLAYED FOR CHEVROLET DAY FIREWORKS, WHICH LEAVE BEHIND NOTHING BUT A BRIEF MEMORY AND THE LINGERING ODOR OF GUNPOWDER IN THE TRASH THAT OUR GREAT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS TO CLEAN UP THAT PREMISE, FRANKLY, DEFIES LOGIC.
MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MY RECOMMENDATION
[01:30:01]
THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT POSTPONE PUBLIC SAFETY DAY THIS YEAR.DESPITE THE FACT THAT NEARLY 1500 RESIDENTS ATTENDED LAST YEAR, IT WOULD BE FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE TO HOLD THAT EVENT GIVEN THE CURRENT DISCUSSIONS.
I JUST RECEIVED MY HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE, IT WENT UP $138 OVER LAST YEAR.
I'VE BEEN IN MY HOME 40 YEARS, I'VE NEVER HAD A CLAIM.
PAY THE BILL, DON'T PAY THE BILL AND LOSE MY INSURANCE OR MEET WITH MY AGENT AND DISCUSS RAISING MY, MY DEDUCTIBLES.
IT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.
I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO OTHER AGENCIES IN THIS COUNTY.
ONE RECEIVING AN 8% PAY RAISE POLICE DEPARTMENT, 8% PAY RAISE ON JULY THE FIRST, ANOTHER RECEIVING OF 3.25 AND A 2% COAL AND MERIT.
AND ANOTHER ONE CLOSE BY THAT I'M VERY, VERY FAMILIAR WITH, WITH A TWO AND A HALF AND A TWO AND A HALF.
AND I PRESENTED ON APRIL 2ND WHAT A BLUE CARD MEANS IN A POLICE OFFICER'S WALLET.
158 POLICE AGENCIES, 15,585 POLICE OFFICERS IN THE STATE.
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE QUALITY OF THE OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE, THE QUALITY OF THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE IN PUBLIC WORKS, AND THE QUALITY OF STAFF THAT WE HAVE WORKING IN TOWN HALL.
AND YET CHEVROLET STAFF WAS ASKED, AND I MEAN, NO DISRESPECT, I'M JUST RESTATING THE QUESTION, WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT.
A 2% KOHLER OR A 2% MERIT, A 2 CENT TAX INCREASE INCREASE IS APPROXIMATELY $276 PER HOMEOWNER ON AVERAGE.
AVERAGE HOME HERE IN CHEVROLET.
THAT 5 CENTS TAX INCREASE IS APPROXIMATELY $435 OF THE YEAR.
THAT'S A DOLLAR 19 CENTS A DAY.
I SUSPECT THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL SPEND MORE THAN THAT ON A OUR BUCK.
BUT LET ME BREAK DOWN WHAT 2% MEANS TO A POLICE OFFICER, A JUNIOR POLICE OFFICER FOR 2% PAY RAISE, 2% PAY RAISE ON A POLICE OFFICER'S BASE SALARY IS $1,295 PER YEAR.
THAT'S $24 AND 90 CENTS PER WEEK.
ADD THE 23.1 TAX RATE FOR THE STATE AND FEDERAL TAXES IS COMING OUT.
THEY GET A WHOPPING $19 AND 15 CENTS A WEEK INCREASE.
I'LL REMIND THE OFFICERS NOT TO SPEND IT ALL IN ONE PLACE AT ONE TIME.
AND I DARE THINK WHAT THAT MEANS FOR OUR PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES AND OUR GENERAL STAFF.
IT WASN'T JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO.
WE HAD THE STORM OF THE CENTURY.
YOUR PUBLIC WORKS POLICE AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, AND YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT WORK AROUND THE CLOCK WHILE WE, WHILE THE REST OF THE STATE WAS SHUT DOWN.
WE DO THAT BECAUSE IT'S OUR JOB.
WE HAVE A DUTY AND A RESPONSIBILITY AND OBLIGATION.
WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR PAT ON THE BACK.
THIS TOWN WANTS AND RECEIVES INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLY FANTASTIC SERVICE FROM A VERY LIMITED STAFF.
MR. GALL GALLOWAY STAFF, MR. BRAMAN STAFF AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFF.
THE TOWN WANTS INCREDIBLE SERVICE, BUT THEY DON'T.
THEY WANT THE PERKS, BUT THEY DON'T WANT THE INVOICE.
THAT GIVES ME PAUSE FOR CONCERN.
IT'S NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER.
AND THE YEAR AFTER THAT, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ANNEXATION OF CH HILL.
MORE WORK FOR THE CURRENT RESOURCES WITH NO REVENUE IN A FORESEEABLE FUTURE THAT LEADS TO A FURTHER DEPLETION OF THE RESERVE FUND AND AT WHAT COST.
ELIMINATION OF POSITIONS FURTHER FREEZING OF PAY.
SHORT TERM DECISIONS RESULT IN LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES.
OUR STAFF HAS OFTEN HEARD ME SAY THAT IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS.
THAT'S A LEADER'S RESPONSIBILITY.
IN RETROSPECT, PERHAPS WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY NOT DONE
[01:35:01]
AS WELL AS WE SHOULD HAVE IN EXPLAINING TO THE COMMUNITY HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO DELIVER THE LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE THAT THIS TOWN EXPECTS AND FRANKLY DESERVES.TRANSLATED EXPECTATIONS MAY ULTIMATELY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED TO ALIGN WITH AVAILABLE RESOURCES.
AS AWESOME AS THIS TOWN STAFF IS, AND THEY DELIVER EVERY SINGLE DAY, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN ACCOMPLISH WITH FINITE PERSONNEL.
I WOULD SUBMIT THAT OUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET IS OUR PERSONNEL, BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM, NOTHING MOVES.
WE DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME ACCOUNTANT.
WE DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME BUDGET DIRECTOR.
WE DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME ATTORNEY.
MS. MOCK DOES INCREDIBLE WORK ALONGSIDE OF THE STAFF, BUT SOMETIMES THOSE EXPECTATIONS ARE PLACED ON STAFF ARE FRANKLY UNREALISTIC, AND YET THEY STILL DELIVER RESPECT, CIVILITY, AND STATESHIP SHOULD NOT JUST BE MERE WORDS.
STAFF DESERVES TO BE TREATED WITHOUT CONDESCENDING REMARKS AT THE DIRECTION OF AMERICAN COUNCIL.
STAFF RECENTLY PARTICIPATED IN A SURVEY TO GAUGE THE TEMPERATURE OF OUR STAFF, THE MORALE OF OUR STAFF AT A COST.
BUT IT WAS WELL WORTH THE EXPENDITURE BECAUSE WHAT IT SHOWED IS THAT OUR STAFF GENUINE, GENUINELY ENJOY WORKING HERE.
COULD WE BE BETTER? ABSOLUTELY.
THE BIGGEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
BUT THE RESPONSES OVERWHELMINGLY SUGGESTED THAT THEY ENJOYED WORKING FOR THE TOWN OF CH.
THAT'S IN LARGE PART BECAUSE LEADERSHIP HAS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE OUR EMPLOYEES FEEL INCLUDED.
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, WE'VE HAD TO DO A LOT OF DAMAGE CONTROL.
MAYOR COUNCIL, WE DO THANK YOU FOR THE INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK YOU DO.
I'M GLAD YOU'RE SITTING IN THOSE SEATS AND I'M STANDING HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S A TREMENDOUS BALANCING ACT.
BUT WE APPRECIATE YOUR HEARING AND GIVING US THE COURTESY OF HEARING OUR CONCERNS AND OUR PERSPECTIVES BECAUSE WE'VE CERTAINLY LISTENED TO 'EM FOR THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS.
STAFF IS NOT NAIVE, NOR ARE WE OBLIVIOUS TO THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.
AS I'VE STATED, WE DO THE BEST THAT, THAT WE CAN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE TOWN WITH THE CONSTRAINTS PLACED UPON US.
A LITTLE RESPECT GOES A LONG WAY, AND PERCEPTION IS WITHOUT A DOUBT REALITY.
THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME, MR. MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
I THINK THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UH, EVENING TOGETHER.
WE HAVE A WORK SESSION A WEEK FROM TONIGHT AT SEVEN 30 WHERE WE HAVE A VERY FULL AGENDA AND HOPEFULLY A RELATIVELY BRIEF BUDGET.
SECOND READING, THAT'LL BE UP TO YOU GUYS.
BUT, UH, WE WILL HAVE A SECOND READING OF THE BUDGET AND A NUMBER OF OTHER ITEMS, UH, THAT ARE, UM, VERY PRESSING TO MOVE THAT FORWARD.
THE BUDGET WILL BE ADOPTED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ON JUNE 11TH, UH, WHICH WILL BE ITS THIRD READING.
THAT IS ALSO A VERY FULL AGENDA.
UM, AND, UH, SO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR FORBEARANCE.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION TO ADJOURN.
IT'S BEEN MOTIONED BY VICE MAYOR.
UH, SHOULD WE EXCUSE COUNCIL MEMBER GARIS? WHAT DO WE THINK? I TABLE MY MOTION.
ALRIGHT, IS THERE A MOTION TO EXCUSE COUNCIL MEMBER GARIS FROM THIS EVENING? MOTION TO EXCUSE COUNCIL MEMBER GAR.
SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOTIONED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FRY AND SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR BRINER.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION HEARING NONE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? THE MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR FORBEARANCE.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION TO ADJOURN? YEAH, IT'S BEEN MADE BY THE VICE MAYOR AND SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER
[01:40:01]
FRY.IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, HEARING NONE.
ANY ABSTENTIONS? ANY OPPOSITION? THE MOTION PASSES.