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2003-10-27 SP SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 729 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 27, 2003 7:00 p.m. MTG. #51 RES. 463-466 TOWN BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT SUPERVISOR DENNIS BROWER COUNCILMAN ROGER BOOR COUNCILMAN THEODORE TURNER COUNCILMAN DANIEL STEC COUNCILMAN TIM BREWER TOWN OFFICIALS COMPTROLLER HENRY HESS ACCOUNTANT JENNIFER SWITZER DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY BOB KEENAN COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR BILL SHAW TOWN SUPERVISOR DENNIS BROWER-OPENED THE MEETING 2004 BUDGET PRESENTATION COMPTROLLER HENRY HESS-I would like to welcome everybody, this is not the budget hearing, the public hearing on the budget that will take place on November the 6th as it does every year two days after election day. In accordance with the schedule that is ..by the State. What we have done every year since I have been here the last six or seven years I am a believer that the process is as important as the product. I usually spend a lot of time at that budget hearing explaining how we got to the budget that is being present. Dennis asked me this year because of the timing of the board approving a preliminary budget did not fit with the regular meeting schedule we needed to have a special meeting to get that done. Dennis asked that if we could take the budget development portion of the normal presentation of the budget hearing and move it to tonight and then when the budget hearing takes place on November the 6th really there will be a lot more emphasis on the numbers and the programs and the cost of those programs and the revenue. So, tonight we are really going to deal more with the development of the budget the process we used and how we gotten to where we are although we will illustrate some points more or less later in the program and for those we will use actual budget numbers of this year so you will get a hint of where the budget is. I will tell you that the budget, the Board has it in front of them, the Town Clerk has been presented with a copy of the budget assuming that the Town takes the action that is expected this evening and approves the preliminary budget it will be available for inspection and copies of it made available for you to pick up between now and the public hearing on November the 6th. But, tonight I will just delve into the process of developing the budget. I SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 730 want to thank while these screens are filtering up, I want to thank our IT Department our Information Technology Department especially Bill Shaw who has been very helpful every year that we have used the power point presentation. The numbers are mine the language is mine the color and the glitter and the decorative features of the screen are all Bills and he makes if there is any entertaining quality to it at all it is his. Mine will be the boring numbers part. We start out the budget process with a time schedule and we really develop this early in the year. We would like to think the budget is a year round process for many of us it is. We take six months or so to develop a budget we administer that budget for the following twelve months but starting right off in January we start thinking about what we have to do, we start making notes immediately for what the subsequent years budget needs to entail. Things will change even though we have developed this budget now we adopt it in November. Starting in January we realized that it is not perfect. So, we start trying to polish those imperfections as much as we can in January and getting ready for the next process. So, it is twelve months but most of the department managers and the Town Board get actively involved for about a six month period. We start with the budget development schedule and I will belabor most of these points but, as you can see we start back on June 20th where we distribute worksheet and guidelines to the departments. We will show you the guidelines here in just a moment, I think that is a significant part of the process. But we distribute worksheets and guidelines and then there is a time schedule beyond that were early in July we distribute six month expenditures reports that have half a years history to work from and look back and decide what they are going to budget for the following year. On August 8th all department managers and anybody with any budget authority needs to submit back to the Town Comptroller their requested budget. We turn that into a what we call it a requested appropriation budget on August the 20th we turn that over to the Town Supervisor who begins work with his vision of what the spending plan for the next year should like. I want to say that getting back to the process we, I adhere very strictly to the budget development time schedule. We try to make sure the department managers and anybody with budget authority does not hurry through their budgeting process. It is really important, the budget is much more than just a spending plan it is really a service delivery plan. It intends to match limited resources with virturally unlimited demand for services. So, we really try to plan this out for six months we give everybody adequate time we ask them to take most of that time and give this real serious thought and to not just put number on a paper and submit them back. As you can see the first forms that we send out are on June 20th and we ask them back on August the 8th and then we file with the Supervisor this year on August 22nd a requested budget. The Supervisor then takes the budget and works it for several weeks and meets with department managers where he see fit looks at areas that thinks that maybe cuts could be made. Cuts are a very important part of the budget, you have to realize that I think that most everybody asks for more than theY expect and you may SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 731 not always find out where that is. But I think that the cutting process and making people defend their request is a very important part of the management process of developing the budget. Then we go through and ultimately the Supervisor completes the tentative budget and it gets turned over to the Town Board and the Town Board has several weeks virturally four weeks to develop a preliminary budget. A Preliminary Budget is what we are dealing with tonight. Typically if everybody has done their work and done it on time and done it well and been very thoughtful the preliminary budget will become the adopted budget in November. So, the budget you are seeing tonight in all likely hood unless something happens and somebody has a change of heart on some issue and more times than not the budget that you see tonight will become the adopted budget in November. When this slide gets around to it you will see Monday, October the 2ih come up, it is where we are tonight. We are looking at the preliminary budget it says here the Board will approve a preliminary budget and we expect that they will tonight and they will also approve proposed salaries of elected officials which I will have a slide on just a little bit later that has be disclosed at this point of the process and they will set a public hearing on the budget which will be on November the 6th. Once that meeting takes place on November the 6th the budget is scheduled to be adopted a budget is scheduled to be adopted on November 1ih. We talked about the budget guidelines and we really have broken these down into four categories and they can be many more in some cases there are fewer but budgeting process is well established here in Queensbury. Everybody knows what is expected pretty much every year not a lot changes except maybe the emphasis maybe some accounting structure maybe some of the ways we are going to detail the budget or segregate some of the categories but what we have done this year and when we distribute the guidelines back in June we broke them down into General, Staffing, Technology and Vehicles. I do not want to read the General guidelines to you which are on this slide but basically we ask for all department managers for any expenditure over a thousand dollars, any non requiring expenditure over a thousand dollars during the key year to account for them. To specify exactly what they are spending the money for. We are not an advocate of just having a lot of mise. expenses and we have done a lot over the last several years to break the budget down, to break the accounting down so that department managers know what they are spending the money for the board can approve expenditures for specific items as opposed to just a block of money to be spent by each department. We do require the second bullet we require a detail for capital equipment appropriations. Capital and I will explain to you in just a few minutes where that fits into the budget process. If expenditures are needed non requiring expenditures are needed to meet new regulations OSHA compliance, safety issues we ask department managers to explain that in their initial request. If they are going to offer new programs or changes in the way services are provided we ask them to identify that in their worksheets. If they are effecting changes in the way they do things SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 732 to achieve cost savings or efficiencies we want to know about that. We ask that, that be disclosed. Each department is responsible for maintaining its own equipment with the exception that many departments do not maintain their own computers. We have an IT Department and they budget for those expenses and you will see that when it comes up a little bit later or actually on November the 6th. All departments must detail their maintenance expenses for all the equipment they maintain in their department. Staffing is another major category and it is a very major category because as you will see a little bit later it represents nearly fifty percent of the money that is spent by the Town for staffing and related expenses. We have unionized employees of the Town, CSEA, represents the most of our labor expense and most of the employees that the Town hires. As you can see from the guidelines we are telling department managers that wages, we have a wage schedule for 2004 and that should be used when they prepare their budget. For non union employees we do not have wage schedule adopted yet. Even as of now we have not adopted that so we ask department managers to budget for this years expenses and we will adjust that in the budget process elsewhere. If there are contemplated staffing changes very rarely do we get a decrease in a department but from time to time there is a need for an increase, they need to express their need on in their budget and explain it when they come before the board to get a change in staffing in the department. Overtime, the town really is efficient users of overtime a very productive user of overtime. One of the reason I believe it is productive and efficient is that we really spend time on it in the budget process. We ask that every department has incidental overtime for which you cannot plan. In my own department we do not plan on overtime we use very little but a lot of the things we do are time critical. So, if we have a computer breakdown on Wednesday and payroll is due on Thursday we have overtime. We do not plan on that and we usually get around get it through the year with very little overtime but there are many departments who have incidental overtime and that does not have to be itemized we just allow each department to budget a very small percentage of their payroll for that type of overtime. Planned overtime there is a lot of that in some department especially some of the departments that have ridged staffing requirements such as the water department, and the water treatment plant. If someone goes on vacation we can't leave it unmanned so we have overtime plan to cover that, so we have planned overtime for vacations, leaves of absences and whatever. Then there are building and grounds and other departments may have a project going on for which they plan additional work to be done out of the normal working hour and we ask for those three types of overtime to be broken out in the budget so that it can be managed during the course of the year by the Supervisor and the Town Board and actually the department manager of each department. Technology, that is a pretty healthy expense here in the town but with a pretty healthy benefit. We now employ two full time technology people that look not only over the computers but the communications. Both of those expenses are SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 733 sizable but they are both very important to us. We have a lot of virtually all our computerizes offices are tied in with a line which I cannot think of the name of T something line that is instantaneous transmission of data and we rely on that. We back up each others, (T1) we back us to each others sites. So, if we had a disaster at one site the data would not be lost, the computers might be lost but we could restructure the data very easily. The Technology Department not just make sure the computers work and make sure that the screens are attractive and that we have our favorite picture on them but make sure that the communications is fast and make sure that our programs are at a technology level that meets our needs. Government in the technology area, government is very rarely at cutting edge and neither should it be. Government should not be an experimenter with new technology. Queensbury is very close to the cutting edge probably as close as any municipality of our size throughout the State. In fact I think we announced just a few weeks ago that the Town of Queensbury has been recognized for its technological advancements in the State so we watch it very carefully and if you read down this you will see that every department that uses technology, information technology or communication technology must screen it and filter it through our technology department before it reaches the budget. Vehicles, anybody ever read about those here in the Town of Queensbury? We do have a fleet policy and it has been modified from time to time but we have an active fleet committee that every year early in the budget process or before the budget process starts the fleet committee meets with department managers that have, that operate vehicles, department managers must justify to that committee their need for replacing or updating making major modifications to or adding vehicles to the fleet. This simply is a guideline that tells department managers don't try to put it in because if it does not come through the fleet management committee it really will not be considered in the budget. Components, we really deal with four I guess I can count them anyway, any number of ways but appropriations is a term that I am going to use quite frequently. Appropriations is a authorization to, let me rephrase that it is not necessarily an authorization to spend money its providing money that can be spent for a purpose. Its is the budgeted expenditures. Appropriations are the budgeted expenditures. That does not mean that once money is appropriated that the department managers can just go out and spend it because there are purchasing procedures that have to be followed. Obviously we are not going to turn on the electrical off and we are not going to shut the phones off those are requiring expenditures that we watch carefully but which there is almost an automatic authority throughout the town. Making sure that the buildings are kept warm and that the vehicles are serviced is within the scope of the department managers but when you get into the expenditures starting around five thousand dollars or for certain equipment and in some cases ten thousand dollars if it is for contractual services even though the money has been appropriated they have to come back to the Town Board for approval authority. Revenue estimates is the second category is the SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 734 second major component of the budget. We talk about revenue estimates and they truly are estimates, we do not know what our revenue will be we have a good sense. We can go through and calculate what we think our interest earnings will be we have a history of sales tax revenue and other tax revenues we can set tax revenues pretty much to the penny if we need to, but sales tax revenue, that is property tax revenue, but sales tax revenues benefit ad valorum taxes we have to go thorough and estimate what that will be and the revenues will not necessarily equal appropriations. In fact very rarely do they. We talk about a balanced budget but there are other factors besides revenues that balance the budget. One of them is the fund balance so we go through and we do a fund balance analysis and if you pick up a budget packet from the Clerk's Office you are going to see a brown sheet about the second page back I printed it on a separate color paper so I can describe which one you should look at. But, that is a fund balance analysis and what that does it takes what our fund balance in each fund worth at the beginning of the year we throughout the course of the year we estimate where we are what money we are going to spend and what revenue we are going to generate and we watch the end of the year fund balance develop very carefully. Now, even today we are still, we still have two full months of operation and with some degree of uncertainty we do not know what is going to happen in those two months but the closer we get to the year end we can have a sense of where revenues are going to be what expenditures are going to be and we can make fairly reasonable estimates of what the fund balance will be. We use that to help balance the budget. From that fund balance analysis we decide on what level of appropriated, what level of fund balance we can appropriate to balance the budget. So, we are going to take appropriations and we are going to take non tax revenues then we are going to take from that we are going to take appropriated fund balance and if we still do not have enough to cover the appropriations then we deal with property taxes. But at this stage we are talking about just about appropriated fund balance what do we have in house what do we have in pocket in order to help balance the budget. I want to spend just a minute or two talking about the budget versions. I mentioned it few minutes ago but I want to reemphasis that so we all know where we are today it is a requested budget comes from the department managers that is their spending plan it is their, I use the term wish list and I say that with all the affection of the world for any department manager that is here but that is what they would like to do next year. That is then turned over to the Supervisor who is also in the Town of Queensbury the Budget Officer and he develops a preliminary budget and when we get to the tentative budget phase we also introduce preliminary revenue estimates. We do not do that, that also includes revenue estimates, it is too early in June for the department managers to see what revenue estimates might be for the year so we introduce that with the Supervisors and by the time he is done with his budget we can go to the Town Board with a preliminary budget that includes reasonably accurate revenue estimates and then once this meeting is SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 735 over and we have a budget hearing in a week and a half actually we will end up hopefully with an adopted budget. There are some significant, we talked about the appropriations and they are really broken down into five categories of appropriations. Personnel which is salaries and wages, payroll taxes and benefits. Anything to do with hired employees, not contracted but a part time, full time hired employees, salaries and wages and their benefits. Equipment and Capital expenses is another category and these categories are not something that we make up here at the Town these come through the New York State Uniform System of accounts. There is a fairly ridged accounting structure that we have to follow and we follow that starting that right in the budget process right through till we publish out financial reports at the end of the year. But, equipment and capital expenditures is another category that gets very close scrutiny because when you buy a piece of equipment or make a capital expenditure you are not just spending money you are also incurring a long term obligation to appreciate that asset and to maintain that asset so that has a recurring expense to and we look at that very carefully. Contractual expenses is something that people tend to think, has to do with contracting with outside vendors. But, contractual expenses in government ...really means anything that is not categorized elsewhere. We talk about supplies and repairs and perhaps some consulting fees and phone, electricity and fuel and if it not one of these, if it not personnel and it is not equipment and you are buying something then it is contractual and that is the term we use and it is the four thousand accounts. You might hear me refer to that. The fourth category that we budget for is debt service, interest and principal. The town is not heavily in debt the general fund is virtually no debt at all it has been very conservative over the year, very prudent in a lot of ways. We do have debt obviously in our public utility account, our water and sewer, you cannot build those district from cash so we do have debt there and the interest and principal is budgeted in a debt service category and the fifth category of the budget are transfer to other funds. You are going, you will see when you examine our budget that we have transfer for future capital projects, reserves for repairs and mostly in the Town of Queensbury right now, for repairs we have very few reserves for other purposes other than capital. In the Town of Queensbury also transfer out of funds we have tax payers subsidy to entrepreneurial activities. The General fund has three major transfer that it makes to support other funds activities. As you see in a few minutes the highway fund does not tax, it does not raise its own taxes but yet it is accounted for separately. The General fund transfers all of the operating funds needed by the highway fund into the highway and then they go off and perform their operation. We also have a cemetery fund and two entrepreneurial funds the cemetery fund and a solid waste fund that operates our two transfer stations. We transfer money into them because they generally do not generate enough revenue to balance their own budgets. Taxes, we had to get here, when I made this slide up it is tough thing to talk about even with friendly faces but I started to write down that there are three SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 736 reasons to tax. Then I thought about it and said a lot of people in the audience are going to say no, I cannot think of any good reason to tax. So, I sort of changed the terminology there are three purposes of taxation here in Queensbury. There are three types of taxes that are levied. Taxes are levied for three different purposes and one the Town can levy taxes for government operations. Government operations is pretty much the general fund and the highway and a couple other things. I will just go down and tell you what that means. Governing itself, the Town Supervisor, the Town Board, the Court, Code Enforcement the types of operations where you look to the Town to set guidelines for the way things are done throughout the Town. There are official services that are provided either internally and externally the Clerk's Office, the Comptroller the Assessor, Town Counsel, Personnel Services, Purchasing Services all those are accounted for in government operations. Then we can go down a list that the you can see for yourself, elections, officials records, buildings and grounds, incidentally the Town has approximately thirty million dollars in costs of visible assets mostly building and grounds that we own, thirty million dollars and most people would not realize that. So, maintaining them is a significant cost. Communication and Technology, Risk Management and Insurance a good part of managements time, especially in the comptroller office time is managing the risk that we have to manage including personnel services, casualty and liability and that falls under government operations. Highway, sidewalks, drainage, recreation, planning and zoning, economic development, culture, historian, health and welfare of citizens, including the health officer and we also budgeted in this category the subsidy to entrepreneurial operations. The second for which the town raises taxes or can raise taxes are for public utilities. The Town has two water districts a very large one and a very small one that levy taxes of their own for capital purposes. We have seven wastewater districts throughout the town which we would like to merge together at some time. We have six lighting districts plus a lighting, a street lighting component in the general fund. But, six of those lighting districts, six of those seven lighting districts levy taxes of their own to maintain street lights throughout the town. The third purpose for which we raise taxes are for emergency services. The fire and ambulance squads on your tax bill it is really broken down as to what we raise for fire and what we raise for ambulance services but in actuality they go into one fund, it is called the emergency service fund that the money is co-mingled. It was broken out so that people get a sense of what those costs are. But the third purpose for the town raising taxes is for the emergency services, the five volunteer fire companies and the three volunteer ambulance squads that we support here in the Town. When we talk about the three purposes for which we can raise taxes in the Town I will point out that sales tax and mortgage tax are the two biggest sources of revenue and as a result the Town as several years ago does not raise taxes for government operations. Of the three purposes for which we can raise taxes right now two of the are taxed and one is not. I just want to touch briefly you mentioned right now SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 737 entrepreneurial operations and tell you what they are and come back and just look at a few numbers later. Entrepreneurial Operations in my definition are things that we do here in government not generally considered governmental services and where we are competing with commercial and private enterprises. We could argue the point if you want to talk about trash deliver or solid waste that is a service that most everybody expects their government to participate in that in some way but theoretically it is not just theoretically in actuality it is categorizes as an entrepreneurial operation and it is supposed to carry itself and if it doesn't support itself we need to disclose what the tax burden is to the taxpayers to subsidize that, and we do that. The second one we have in Queensbury is the Cemetery. The Town operates Pine View Cemetery which is a very active and very nice asset to the Town. The Town also a number of years ago bought the crematorium and operates that and by law the Town maintains outlying cemeteries that have been abandoned or are under- maintained by the people. We take not necessarily title but we take possession of the cemeteries and we maintain them. Right now we estimate we don't keep strict records but can give a fairly close estimate that the cost of maintaining the under, the other wise un- maintained cemeteries throughout the town is around twenty thousand dollars a year. That is pretty much an over view a very quick over view if you will of the budget of what it looks like what I really want to do now without infringing on what we are going to be talking about November the 6th is just sort of illustrate some of the things we just talked about. Put some numbers to them and the number we put to them will be from the budget, that the board is looking at tonight. So, they are from the preliminary budget. We talked about the three versions and here is where, what the three versions look like this year. What we are trying to do, what I have done here is compare the requested the department managers requests the Supervisor's tentative budget and the preliminary budget that you are looking at tonight with how them compare with 2003's adopted budget. I have broken it down by the general fund, the cemetery and the different funds so at the bottom you can really see the total affect. The 2003 adopted budget was twenty two million six hundred thousand, the requested budget came in at about nine point seven percent higher than that. That was the request from department managers. The Supervisor's tentative budget came in at five point three percent higher than last years spending plan and right now we are looking at a preliminary budget that totals about nine point eight percent higher than last years spending plan. Now we talk in just a couple of minutes about some of the things that make that up in very broad terms but that is where we are today, we are nine point eight percent above last year. If you look down the right column if you are interested you can see where the major differences are which of those operations have contributed to that nine point eight percent. One of the things the component, one of the components that has weighted in heavily on that nine point eight percent is personnel expenses. This slide is intended to illustrate the growing significance of labor costs as compared to other SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 738 costs. Here again we are comparing two thousand and three budget not two thousand and three actual we are comparing budgeted amounts understanding that two thousand the three actual will come in slightly different but it is the best basis of comparison that we have and I think it is the fairest one where you can see because it reflects the boards spending plan for each of the two years. So, that is what we are comparing, the two years spending plans. What we start out with at the top is we see the total budgets in each of the two years, net of inter fund transfers and we will talk about that probably more on November the 6th because the budget are really much higher than that. We take out the double dipping where we transfer money to another fund. It was nineteen million last year and nineteen million four this year. Salaries and wages last year five point two million this year five point four four eight million. Payroll taxes and benefits last year represented fifty two percent of payroll this year it is going to represent about fifty six point two percent of payroll. That I have to tell you that's a significant number and probably higher than average even for government, but it is driven by a couple of factors which we will talk about briefly tonight and in more detail on November the 6th. But, as you can see in 2003, personnel expenses represented forty one and a half percent of the budget and this year it represents forty three point eight percent of the budget. One of the fallacies that I run into when people analyze the budget in fact even internally, within the departments and within the board and within the management of the town. They will say well, if payroll expenses are going up that much that is what is driving the expense. This slide is intended to illustrate the personnel costs are not presently the fastest growing expense that the town is facing. The controllable cost right now are raising faster than personnel costs, although personnel costs are raising at a pretty good clip. What we have done here is we have taken all the budgets for all the different departments and we have totaled them up and as you can see in two thousand and three seventeen point three and in two thousand and four, nineteen and these are netted out, redundancies are netted out of these and we have only taken into account funds that spend payroll money. So, if there are funds that do not spend payroll they are not included here. So, that you get a fair picture of what personnel costs do to personnel to labor intensive funds. If you take out the personnel appropriations from two thousand and three and two thousand and four you find that the non personnel appropriations have risen eleven point nine percent. And personnel appropriations have risen seven point seven percent. Seven point seven is the high increase in personnel costs driven somewhat by salaries more importantly by health insurance benefits and as we will talk about later by employees retirement system. Which has just sky rocketed over the past couple of years because of the of the clement of the stock market. But, to assume that the seven point seven percent increase in personnel costs is driving the large increase in the budget would be understating, would not necessarily be accurate because non personnel costs are increasing at twelve percent or excuse me eleven point nine percent, personnel cost is seven point seven. One of the SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 739 things that we have to show you tonight because the law requires it this is the night that elected officials need to set salaries for themselves and give supposed to give the public time to react if they want to. I am advocating that at all but this slide does represent the salaries that the Board is considering for next year for all the elected officials in the town. There are six elected officials, the Supervisor, there are more there are four council persons, the Supervisor there are two justices, we have a highway superintendent and we have a town clerk and the rate of increase this year will not be higher than it has in the past which is three percent. Town Board initiatives one of the important facets of the budget and here again I will go back and talk briefly about the process is the thought process that goes into saying what services do we want to deliver and how do we intend to deliver them and how are we going try to control the cost of delivering those services? I went through and when I made, developed this presentation and I talked to Dennis about it as you can see we have three items listed and I have five slots and the reason is, it is hard for me to talk about what the Town Board initiatives are. I hear them and I help them translate them into dollars and I help communicate them to some degree with the department managers but they are their initiatives. So, Dennis I think would like to talk about the issues that he sees here and perhaps he has four and five or someone on the Town Board has a couple that they would like to add that are included in this budget. Supervisor Brower-Thank you, Henry. Basically the first item sustainable reduction of Warren County Property taxes, this year as you know the Town Board had a public debate regarding how much sales tax revenue we should leave at Warren County to reduce county taxes for our citizens. Henry Hess did an analysis of our fund balance I had a special town board meeting, workshop actually with our workshop actually with all our Town Board Members we discussed the information Henry had provided to us, we certainly had differences of opinion regarding it but we were able to form a consensus that three hundred seventy five thousand dollars of sales tax revenue could be left at Warren County for the foreseeable future without having to impose a town tax again for our taxpayers. Now, again that was not a unanimous vote but the majority of the Town Board did agree based on the information that was provided to us by our Comptroller that we could do that. Now, an interesting statistic that the public might want to chew on is that for every three percent in general fund increases we need to bring in five point five percent increase in sales tax revenue to cover it, so, that it is flat otherwise we have to take money from the surplus that we have. In this years budget as the tentative budget the board will anticipate spending two point one eight one million more than it takes in. The general fund as you saw previously is going up six point six percent. So, based on that we would have to have an increase in sales tax revenue of I do not know the exact number, but it is somewhere in the area of eleven to twelve percent increase next year to flatten out any increase. So, as you can see sales tax revenue is one factor, SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 740 unfortunately the first three quarters this year, our sales tax revenue is down from last year. So, our sales tax revenue is not up at all this year. Although last year in fairness was a record year, we brought in I believe it was twelve point one percent increase in sales tax revenue. Largely I believe as result of September 11th where a lot of people were so uncertain about what was going on in our country they wanted to vacation within a four or five hour distance from home and they did. I think we benefited largely from that. So, that was in initiative of the town and we have taken that action already to leave three hundred and seventy five thousand dollars of our sales tax revenues with Warren County next year to off set county taxes. Now, the reason we picked that number was that we felt that we could sustain that for the foreseeable future. I think the majority of the board felt that if we could not sustain that it was not a good deal for taxpayers. If you can only do it for one, two or three years it is not a good deal for the taxpayer. I think that was the reasoning of the majority of us but that's. Lets go onto item two, item two is Capital Improvement Plan I think one of the initiatives that I am also proudest of is the Capital Improvement Plan, that and the Sewer Deal with the City of Glens Falls of course. But, the Capital Improvement Plan it is the first time the town has really looked at what our future needs are going to be managers have brought projects that they believe are important to the town forward from every department all managers ranked the projects independently of each other. They had weighted averages based on what we felt were the most important things for the town. The Capital Improvement Plan disregarded the sources of revenue when we looked at these various needs and they were ranked and each department manager was asked if he felt his project was ranked appropriately with all the other projects and they agreed. Then we brought it to the Town Board, the Town Board reviewed the analysis we had gone through they looked at the work sheets they looked at the results and they basically said ok, we buy into this we will approve the capital improvement plan as it is. To give you an idea there are many projects on this Capital Improvement Plan some of which may never be funded quite frankly. But, item number one that ranked the highest was the Route 9, 254 traffic improvement, now as it turns out that was the highest rank with fifty five point three six points and that is underway currently. We have a grant to do most of that I believe it requires a five percent town match but that is underway. Main Street water line improvement that is budgeted in this years budget for two thousand four. Sewer line to Exit 18, that is delayed because of State DOT delays, it is going to be done in conjunction with the reconstruction of Main Street off Exit 18 in the Town of Queensbury. Sewer Line to Carey Park, again an extension of that project that goes from Western Avenue to the Northway and then from the Northway to Carey Industrial Park on the West side of the Northway. Main Street, Luzerne Road the connector road between Main Street and Luzerne Road that was a highly ranked capital project we would like to see that moving forward this year if possible. Route 9 Sewer Extension that is two phases of a three phase project SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 741 are already the bids have been awarded. We are working on the third phase currently. Replacement of a sixteen inch water line on Quaker Road the next project, Ridge Jenkinsville Park improvement, Gurney Lane Rec. area, Main Street underground power which is a street scape improvement. Replace the water line on Meadow Drive and Meadow Lane, water interconnection between Big Bay Road and Big Boom Road and that's already, that is happening now. So, that is just to give you an idea of the many projects that have come forward and been ranked and the Town has three and a half million dollars in this Capital Improvement Fund we funded it initially with two and a half million dollars and I have budgeted five hundred thousand dollars a year and hope to continue to budget five hundred thousand dollars a year in the future. This years budget does include a half million dollars going to the Capital Improvement Plan. I believe that is a very important funding mechanism to continue to fund on an annual basis. Henry mentioned earlier that we have almost thirty million dollars of assets just above the ground that we have to worry about. Five hundred thousand dollars is a less than one point, it is about one and a half percent of that value, so you can see that, that it is an important need the town has I think it is good planning for the future and I think the Board is very proud of passing that Capital Improvement Plan. I want to give Henry Hess also thanks for coming up with the ranking system and Ralph VanDusen, Chris Round for coming up with the ranking system that we used in ranking those projects. Thirdly, water infrastructure improvements and the repair reserve fund. We have budgeted five hundred thousand dollars in this years budget to go toward the water system improvement we are adding three miles of water lines in the Town of Queensbury to improve our east west flow of water. If we ever have a major break in our water system on Quaker Road that would last over a day we would be totally dependant on water tanks on the east side of the town. We have five water tanks in the Town three of which I believe are on the west side two on the other side of town. These water system improvements will make our system more redundant or I should say redundant and also will improve flow of water to the Town of Moreau as well as Hudson Falls and it will improve our fire flows in Queensbury particularly in the industrial park, the Warren Washington County Industrial Park area of town. So, of that three million twenty thousand dollar cost, half a million dollars is budgeted in this years budget and the balance will be budgeted or bonded most likely that could very. They may decide to use a different, a slightly different number than two and a half million dollars to bond for that project over thirty years. For the repair reserve four hundred and fifty thousand dollars is in the two thousand and four budget and that is to basically cover the replacement of the water line on Main Street. Again, we do not know if we will be able to get to construction this year on that or not. If we are not able to do that at least we have planned for it, if we are able to start the improvement of that infrastructure. Currently the Town has approximately thirteen million dollars in debt relating to its water plant primarily and we have budgeted in this years budget one SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 742 million one hundred and fifty two thousand dollars to pay debt service and interest on an annual basis. So, those are three main initiatives of this years Town Budget and I do not know if any board member would like to comment on any other initiatives that I may have over looked. COUNCILMAN TURNER-Drainage, We need to address the issue of drainage in the Town especially on the eastern side of town and the avenue that Quaker Road transverses from east to west. All the water coming to that area comes up to Lake George Road and from the west and crosses Quaker Road a couple different times and the drainage from Ridge Road crosses to Quaker Road up by Napa and it floods areas in Meadow Drive and Meadow Lane. So, that is a good deal of money we are going to have to look at and we are going to have to spend some money there to initiate a correction of that situation. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Any other Board Member? COUNCILMAN BOOR-I would just add to that also that there is I do not think it is any surprise to the Board Members that there is always drainage issues in Ward I and it is usually around the lakes. Lately we have seen a couple of instances where homeowners have asked for some help and I am hoping that we can continue to do that. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Anything else guys? COUNCILMAN STEC-I would just like to emphasis the capital improvement plan a little bit more. We have set aside two and a half million dollars a couple years ago and each of the last couple years a half million dollars and next year I think we should start using the Capital Improvement Plan for what it was intended for we should actually start doing some capital projects. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I know there are at least two capital projects moving forward if not three for this coming year, but of course I do not think we should do them just to do them I think we should do them if they are ranked highly and if we can agree as a board that they should move forward. I think the ones that we know of were ranked highly, fairly highly. Of, course the Town Board always has the prerogative of changing the ranking and elevating the emphasis on one capital project over another despite what was previously ranked. I thank you for that, Tim anything? COUNCILMAN BREWER-No. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Henry, I would like to turn this back over to you now, you are going to talk about the cemetery fund, I see. COMPTROLLER HESS-Thank you very much, we are getting near the end of the presentation and I know that we are dealing with a little SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 743 bit more numbers than maybe I told you we wanted to, but, I think it is important for you to understand the entrepreneurial operations and really what is reflected to support them in the preliminary budget. The cemetery fund is annually a sensitive issue between somewhat, to some degree the Comptrollers Office and the Town Board's initiative on maintaining the cemetery and it is not that we have a difference in the future of Pine View but we need to be careful that we do not let the cemetery fund lose it's status as an entrepreneurial facility. This slide is simply intended to inform you this is the kind of information that will be increasing required as we adopt Gasb 34, general accounting standards bulletin aboard statement 34 actually this picture will get a little worse next year. But, this is simply to show you that the cemetery generates about a hundred and ten thousand dollars in revenue and about four hundred and twenty thousand dollars in expenses, so it runs at around three hundred and ten thousand dollar deficit in two thousand and four, that is the way it is budgeted. The crematory off sets some of that by generating approximately sixty four thousand dollars in that revenue. But the net effect of that entrepreneurial fund is the deficit of around a quarter of a million dollars which next year will be subsidized by about two hundred and twenty one thousand dollars of tax funds, twenty five thousand dollars will be appropriated from a pre existing fund balance. The second entrepreneurial fund is one that I think we probably all relate to more readily and it is a much more easy it is much easier to value type of enterprise and that is the solid waste fund where a lot of people will take their trash to one of our two transfer stations there is a fee for doing that. This is not a free service it is not totally taxpayer supported the taxpayers this year are supporting it to the tune of fifty nine thousand dollars which is on the increase but it is certainly not out of proportion to the size of the fund. It generates approximately six hundred and thirty six thousand dollars in revenue in addition to the taxpayer subsidize next year of around sixty thousand dollars. So, about ten percent. The value is much easier to measure by a lot of peoples standards and I am editorializing just a little bit but the fact the that transfer station exists. I think we all tend to believe helps keep the trash disposal services the commercial trash disposal services cost under control somewhat. So, it does help, it is a balancing effect giving you a less expensive alternative to dispose of your trash without using a commercial service and the fact that it is in place we believe is competitively does, competitively help keep trash disposal costs under control. Getting to the end here tax rate comparisons, and I think it is important and I am sure that when we do the presentation on November the 6th you will get probably a little bit more detail on this, but what I have done here is simply extract todays estimates of what we think tax rates will look like next year if the budget is adopted and in its present form. The columns at the left show the two thousand and three dollar taxes raised and the tax rates. As you can see we talked earlier there is no general government purpose tax. There is none in Queensbury. But, you do have the fire protection and ambulance services the lighting district the SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 744 wastewater district and the water district. In two thousand and four the center column you will see the taxes that are planned to be raised and what the estimated tax rate will be and I will explain to you when I say the estimated tax rate, we know what last years tax rate were we are estimating this years tax rate because the taxes, the final assessed valuation will be measured on the day the taxes are levied and that will be done at Warren County. So, even though we call these estimated they will be within a tenth of a percent or a tenth of a cent usually on each category. So, they are very, very accurate but they are not precise to the fourth decimal place. But, you will see the two thousand and four and with very little exception it is almost dollar for dollar of what you raised in two thousand and three. The final column does show the difference and we show a sleight decrease in fire protection services tax. I have to tell you though that we have three contracts for emergency services for ambulance services that have not been signed. They are not if the raises go above what we budgeted the tax rate won't go up because once the budget is adopted the taxes will be the same. But, it could spend more of that fund balance other than that the taxes are very similar to what they were last year. Quaker Road sewer district taxes are down slightly, I think the important note is that the taxes the increase in total taxes through out the town through out our twenty two million dollar budget the increase in taxes levied is only sixteen thousand six hundred dollars or three tenths of one percent. Three tenths of one percent and in most cases a decrease in tax rate because that if more than off set by increase in assessed valuations. That really concludes what we want to cover tonight. There will be a lot more stimulating financial data presented on November the 6th you will just love it, you need to come out and hear that. But, that will be presented on November the 6th but I think the important issue is that you have between now and then which is a week from Thursday to pick up a copy of the budget from the Town Clerk's Office to scrutinize it to ask questions and my office is open and I love questions about the budget. I will give you honest answers where there are answers to be given and if it requires opinion I am always good for one of those. But, pick up the budget and understand it. One of the things that I find disappointing, usually we do a budget hearing and there are few people that really want to find out as much about the budget as there is to learn. I would like to see the day come when people really pay close attention. But, anyway I thank you for your attention this evening and that is the presentation, thank you. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Now, Henry, I would like to ask Board Members if any Board Member has a question of the Comptroller at this time regarding the budget. Now, as I mentioned though, at our last weeks workshop session at the start of the session the budget was complete at that point it has not been modified from that point. I just want to make sure that Board Members are clear on that. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 745 COUNCILMAN BREWER-What do you mean, we cannot change anything now? SUPERVISOR BROWER-No, I am not saying that at all, I am saying that the budget was complete as you see it now was the way it was before that meeting it was complete. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Before what meeting? SUPERVISOR BROWER-Before last weeks workshop. You brought something up at the end of the workshop that is not in this budget. COUNCILMAN BROWER-Why wouldn't it be in there? I thought we all agreed on putting it in it. SUPERVISOR BROWER-It is not in the budget because the budget was complete at that point. It would have to be amended if you desire to include something different than what is in there. COUNCILMAN BREWER-You mean all the changes that we talked about last week that we said we would like to put in there? SUPERVISOR BROWER-The personnel changes that were still discussing there was money in the budget allocated for that. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I understand that, but I am talking about the EMS thing. SUPERVISOR BROWER-That is not in the budget. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Why didn't we put that in there? COMPTROLLER HESS-I would like to answer that and the reason, the budget was closed down from the Town Board's input on October the 13th, that was the budget schedule that was ..and distributed back in May and it is what we started out with. On the 13th whatever you had done that became this budget. Now, if you want tonight to change this budget it will set a new precedent, but the budget there is a strict and it takes time to get this thing done so we do not change it up to the last minute. You have until, we agreed back in May that would be to October the 13th so any changes that have to be done have to be made to this budget published subsequently as a new preliminary budget and then you can adopt it later. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Than we all discussed last week when we talked about EMS Pilot Program and I proposed to put that in the budget tonight if anybody does not have any objection to that. Seeing how we all agreed to do it. COUNCILMAN STEC-It wasn't clear to me last week that it wouldn't be included. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 746 COUNCILMAN BREWER-It wasn't made clear, crystal clear that, that was the issue that the budget was drop dead October 13th that we could not change it. The changes I thought we discussed in workshops. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Let me ask you this Henry, wouldn't it be, wouldn't the appropriate thing to do to be adopt the preliminary budget and then if we want to take action to amend the budget to take any action to amend the budget which would be, wouldn't be affected though until the public hearing on the 6th of November? COUNCILMAN BREWER-No, I proposed that we put it in the budget instead of amending the budget we put it in the budget before we give it to the public and let them ask us questions at the public hearing that is what I propose. If you do not want to do that you can say no. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Well, I guess we would have to have I assume we would have to have a resolution and a second and discussion to enable that. COMPTROLLER HESS-It is my understanding, this budget has not been introduced there has been no resolution on the floor yet to introduce this budget if you want to amend it you can do that I do not know what that does to the publishing requirements and whatever. This is the first time I have ever entered into it where the Town Board has developed the budget and then continued to change the budget once the dead line has come to this so I do not know. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I would make the point Henry that nobody told us that last week when there was somebody from your office Dennis did not tell us that. I was under the assumption that was going to be in the budget as well as I think other board members, if that information isn't told to us then we have to make a change, then we have to make a change and that is what I propose to do. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Well, I would suggest you bring it up at the public hearing. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I am doing it right now, Dennis. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I will be very honest with you Tim personally I think you know, we have two things going on with EMS services, number one the Board is in discussions and we are still discussing the potential RFP for information regarding EMS services. As a matter of fact that is what that meeting was really for the other night. COUNCILMAN BREWER-No, I think you have that confused. The meeting that we are talking about the RFP is for the location of the building, it has nothing to do with the Pilot Program. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 747 SUPERVISOR BROWER-Ok. But more importantly other discussion did occur that night which I know you did not really want to hear but there are potentially other options. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I understand that a hundred percent, Dennis, but the Town Board is unaware of those options because the Supervisor did not let us in on those options. SUPERVISOR BROWER-No, we haven't because we have not had a meeting on those options yet. COUNCILMAN BREWER-You told us you had two meetings, Dennis. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I have had two, I have had two meetings, that is correct. COUNCILMAN BREWER-And you did not include the Town Board which makes the decisions, so that is my problem with that. SUPERVISOR BROWER-That is correct, but no we have not made any decisions, Tim. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I know you cannot make a decision, Dennis. SUPERVISOR BROWER-What I am saying is that we have not had the opportunity to really look at all options that are available and personally COUNCILMAN BREWER-I contend that we had two meetings with the EMS squad SUPERVISOR BROWER-I cannot support any trail program for paid day time EMS services without a great deal more analysis. Now, if you feel differently and you want to include it that is fine, I would, I think we need to know I would like you to make a resolution I would like you to have a second I would like to take a vote. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I feel differently as well as three other Town Board Members. COMPTROLLER HESS-May I say one thing, just to clarify... COUNCILMAN BREWER-We do not need a resolution to do this before the budget is introduced. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Henry, go, please. COMPTROLLER HESS-I just want to make a point and here again getting it back to the schedule, when this schedule was announced rescue squads know that their budgets and any change in plans they SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 748 have for operating in the following year are due in here in July. If there is anything not included in the budget it is because there was nothing submitted for consideration during the budget process. That is the only point I am trying to make. There was no oversight, there is no misunderstanding, Tim has been on the Board four years and we have never changed the budget once a tentative budget has been approved on that second Friday in October. So, there is nothing new to be learned here it is just we are following the same schedule and you have every right to introduce a last minute change to the budget but it is setting new ground, we have never done that. COUNCILMAN STEC-I just have a question to ask and Roger and Ted, correct me if my recollection is inaccurate? But, as I recall the close of that meeting there was a consensus of the Board that we wanted to ear mark eighty thousand dollars we debated it should be eighty it should be eighty five should be forty but I thought it was clearly the consensus of the Board a week ago so this really is not last minute but a week ago we said we wanted the money included in the budget and at that point I do not remember anyone saying, well were we too late? Am I wrong? Do you guys remember it differently? COUNCILMAN BOOR-I remember that to be the majority of the case. I think we should just do a budget amendment. I mean the issue is do we want to do it? If we want to do it lets do it. I do not think we have to sit here and argue about it. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Absolutely. COUNCILMAN BOOR-If you want the program we will make a budget amendment but I do not think a precedent is the best way to go either so lets just amend the budget we are in agreement on that. COUNCILMAN STEC-But to me and I follow you we could do it the way Tim wants to do it and that will work we can do it the way you are talking about and that will work but what bothers me is we decided something a week ago in my mind and now we are saying we didn't and that bothers me. COUNCILMAN BOOR-Well, we decided it but it was already past the thirteenth, so it is like COUNCILMAN STEC-Did you know COUNCILMAN BOOR-We got a letter a memo COUNCILMAN BROWER-Dan that was not even on the agenda, Tim brought that up as an after thought at the end of the meeting saying have we budgeted eighty five thousand dollars for this. COUNCILMAN STEC-We have been talking about this for a few weeks now. Last week was not the first time we talked about it. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 749 COUNCILMAN BREWER-Where we do it now or we do it next week it does not really make a difference if we put it in this budget right now before we introduce the package, we change one sheet in here and change the total we are putting eighty thousand dollars in our budget. SUPERVISOR BROWER-But do you know that changing that one sheet changes the entire packet in front of you? Do you realize, I do not think you have any idea how much work is involved, just so you know. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Than maybe you should have told us, Dennis. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I told you the budget was complete if you listened that n ig ht. COUNICLMAN BREWER-I did listen and you did not say that. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I said the budget process is complete. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I do not want to sit here and argue it doesn't serve any purpose and sit here and argue. SUPERVISOR BROWER-We met for personnel negotiations over payroll and employee changes, that was the purpose of that meeting. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I propose that we make an adjustment to this to include that eighty thousand dollars. If you do not want it, you do not have to agree to it Dennis that's pure and simple. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I do not agree with it. COUNCILMAN BREWER-But the majority of the board did. It does not always have to be a five zero vote. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Do we have a majority interested in changing the budget adding eighty five thousand dollars to this budget? COUNCILMAN TURNER-We can do it one of two ways. COUNCILMAN BOOR-I would prefer doing the amendment. COUNCILMAN TURNER-Just as was suggested, lets amend it and never mind getting into a big hot argument over it tonight, we can do it one of two ways lets take the second point. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Let me ask you this, we could adopt the budget as it is and then move to amend it for the public hearing. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 750 COUNCILMAN TURNER-That is what I am saying. COUNCILMAN BREWER-We are not adopting the budget tonight, are we? SUPERVISOR BROWER-Yes. The purpose of this meeting was to do this, set a public hearing and adopt the preliminary budget. COUNCILMAN BREWER-It says a resolution setting public hearing on Town of Queensburys 2004 Preliminary Budget. We are not adopting the budget. We are approving the preliminary. SUPERVISOR BROWER-When we approve the budget we in affect adopt it. TOWN COUNSEL HAFNER-You approve it as the preliminary budget before you can set the public hearing. COUNCILMAN STEC-It doesn't matter COUNCILMAN BREWER- It does matter, it is principal. COUNCILMAN STEC-but it is the principal, I agree that is what I was going to say. It doesn't matter but this is not what, this is now how it was understood to me anyways a week ago. But it doesn't matter it is not worth fighting over. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Well, to me it is, because we all decided that we were going to do it COUNCILMAN STEC-We did. COUNCILMAN BREWER-and then at the last minute we are told that we can't do it. Something is wrong with that. I think the lack of communication stinks, that is my opinion. You ought to be ashamed of it. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Which way do we proceed here? COUNCILMAN BREWER-I think you all know how I feel. TOWN COUNSEL HAFNER-So far there is a motion that has not been seconded. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I will make that motion COUNCILMAN STEC-I will second it. SUEPRVISOR BROWER-What is your motion? SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 751 COUNCILMAN BREWER-The motion to put that eighty thousand dollars in here to fund that Pilot Program. SUPERVISOR BROWER-So you want to amend the budget before we adopt it. COUNCILMAN STEC-Modify it tonight is what we are talking about. SUPERVISOR BROWER-And that is the one that will go to public hearing. You made the motion and Dan seconded. COUNCILMAN STEC-And I second it only because if the majority of the Board is thinking that we are going to put eighty thousand dollars in the budget then why not do it as part of the full blown budget. SUPERVISOR BROWER-We can, we certainly can. We certainly can do that. COUNCILMAN STEC-This is the third meeting that we have talked about this eighty thousand dollars and again it is in the budget it is not spent, we rarely COUNCILMAN BREWER-Until we have a contract, that is what we totally discussed. COUNCILMAN STEC-If we have a contract and we always talked that we very rarely do we spend thankfully, very rarely do we spend the full budget amount so, it is very similar to budget positions that we may not agree whether or not we want to staff them but we ear marked money for them. This is the same in my mind last week was the exact same argument, put it in the budget and then it is still not spent until we enter into a contract if in fact we enter into a contract. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Now this is only for the West Glens Falls EMS sq ua d. COUNCILMAN STEC-It is not set in stone. It is a Pilot Program. COUNCILMAN BREWER-It is the EMS Pilot Program, West Glens Falls isn't going to be the only one involved in this Dennis. COUNCILMAN STEC-The Pilot they could be. But we do not have a contract, but we should put the money aside COUNCILMAN BOOR-We are not going to have a contract guys, the contract is going to be between West Glens Falls and Keena we are not going to have a contract we are only appropriating money to EMS so West Glens Falls so they can enter into it a contract, that is SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 752 COUNCILMAN BREWER-But we have to have some kind of an agreement with them Roger, we discussed that, we are not just going to give them eighty grand and say go ahead. COUNCILMAN TURNER-We are not going to give anybody anything right now. COUNCILMAN BREWER-But we all discussed putting it into the budget this year for next year. COUNCILMAN TURNER-Tim if it makes it easier on this presentation tonight and Henry's job lets do it the way it is right now and then put it in COUNCILMAN BREWER-You know what Ted, I do not have a problem with that if I was told that last week. COUNCILMAN TURNER-I know, but COUNCILMAN BREWER-But, but nothing. I am tired of getting, that has been happening for four years. SUPERVISOR BROWER-No, Tim, what I told you last week was the budget was complete at the start of the meeting and you brought that up at the very end of the meeting. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I disagree with you. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Well, I am sorry. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Well, we are just having a difference of opinion. SUPERVISOR BROWER-That is fine we sure do. COUNCILMAN TURNER-There is no doubt we talked about it. There is no doubt nobody has any doubts about that, but the time to do it is not now, lets do it with an amendment. COUNCILMAN BREWER-That is the problem with this is you always say not now. SUPERVISOR BROWER-We have a motion on the floor and a second, further discussion? COUNCILMAN BOOR-Look it Tim you have got support there, I do not think there is anybody on the COUNCILMAN BREWER-Then say yes tonight, Roger, if I have got support then say yes. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 753 COUNCILMAN BOOR-Because it creates a lot of work for people that they don't otherwise have to do. Why would you do that, why would you make somebody re-do this whole thing when the results are going to be the same to just adopt it and then put an amendment on. COUNCILMAN STEC-The reason is because we want the budget for next year to reflect our intention. And if our intention is to make a modification and we can do it ahead of time SUPERVISOR BROWER-But you could do that saying it was an oversight at the public hearing. COUNCILMAN STEC-We have too many oversights. We have talked about it for three weeks if the majority of us want to do it we should put it in the budget. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Henry, do you have something to say? COMPTROLLER HESS-I do have a question when we talk about if you were not to do this tonight but to do an amendment later when are you talking about, amending the budget after it is adopted? SUPERVISOR BROWER-That was what I was thinking might make more sense. In other words adopt this and make COMPTROLLER HESS-That is not an option you have because, not in this case, because amending the budget next year once the budget is adopted requires that you have eighty five thousand dollars in surplus and you do not have it, that surplus has been spent down. So, there is no surplus to draw from, so if you are going to do this you need to increase the budget appropriations and you need to increase the tax levy to raise the money to do it. Those are the two things that have to be amended here to do that. SUPERVISOR BROWER-So, you want to continue with, we have a motion on the floor how much, what is the amount about eighty five thousand, we have a motion on the floor to add I believe it is approximately eighty five thousand dollars to the budget COUNCILMAN BREWER-We cannot say approximately you have to say specific, eighty five thousand. COUNCILMAN BOOR-That is where the dilemma comes in guys. COUNCILMAN BREWER-If you appropriate the eighty five thousand you spend seventy five and that is probably going to be the case if we put the eighty five thousand in and we do not have some sort of an agreement until February then you draw off that money. Am I right, Henry? Then the balance of the money stays with the town. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 754 COMPTROLLER HESS-Appropriating money does not spend it. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Exactly. COUNCILMAN STEC-Just to clarify, because I know you guys were kind of having a side conversation, Henry just said if we don't put it in tonights budget we cannot add it after the public hearing in December. COUNCILMAN BOOR-No, not after the public hearing, no. COMPTROLLER HESS-You couldn't add it until after January when the budget goes into affect and then you do not have the resource for the funds. There is no resource to get that eighty five thousand dollars. TOWN COUNSEL HAFNER-I think really when you are talking about motion, there is no budget that is the whole purpose of the resolution is to approve the preliminary budget so I really think what you are talking about is your moving this resolution that is before with that as a modification. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Henry would have to tell us where to put th at. COMPTROLLER HESS-We will put it in the correct account, and republish it. I was just speaking to Darleen because we are concerned about the timing, we have to have this thing published she has to publish a notice within a time limit so this can be adopted on, so the public hearing can be held on the 6th. That means we have to get this to her by Friday and we can do that. SUPERVISOR BROWER-We have a motion on the floor to approve the budget before us with an amendment adding eighty five thousand dollars for a six month ems trail for day time coverage. COUNCILMAN BOOR-I think it is a full year isn't it? COUNCILMAN BREWER-The contract went for a full year. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I guess it is a full year but they talked six months. COUNCILMAN BREWER-Yes, they did and we have to give them a thirty day notice to cancel the contract with no penalties. SUPERVISOR BROWER-We have a second, further discussion? COUNCILMAN BOOR-So, in other words you, guys will handle this? Is there a resolution involved? SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 755 COUNCILMAN BREWER-The resolution is TOWN COUNSEL HAFNER-There is a resolution before you, it is changing this resolution, it is this resolution that the Supervisor asked for and it is here before us. COUNCILMAN BREWER-With an amendment. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I have as I said, I have concerns about spending this money in this way without more research on alternatives. First of all we are not going to be billing for service so we are not bring in any additional revenue. Right now the way it works with our EMS services is if our daytime services cannot get out then usually Empire Ambulance who is a level four provider for EMS services that is the highest level in the State, they respond to back up the emergency squads throughout Warren County, they have a contract County wide. Now, they are doing a pretty good job of that currently and I guess I have a problem spending eighty five thousand dollars for a program that is not bring in any revenue it is simply going to cost the taxpayers more money to get a service that is already being provided with a back up source. So, that is my concern that is my issue and I am not going to be able to vote for this resolution. But, I will ask if there is further discussion. COUNCILMAN BREWER-I certainly understand your concern and I do not want to spend a dime until we have this thing tied down. I just want to put the money there so we have the option to do this. We all thought it was a good program. COUNCIMLAN STEC-This does not spend a nickel. SUPERVISOR BROWER-I know you supported it. COUNCILMAN STEC-But what we are doing tonight doesn't spend a nickel it does not obligate us to a contract it just gives us the option to do it as we have been discussing, we want to. SUPERVISOR BROWER-Ok, well, I will call the vote. RESOLUTION SETTING PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TOWN OF QUEENSBURY'S 2004 PRELIMINARY BUDGET RESOLUTION NO.: 463_,2002 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 756 WHEREAS, the Queensbury Town Board has prepared a Preliminary Budget for the T own of Queensbury and its Districts for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2004, and WHEREAS, the Town Board wishes to approve the Preliminary Budget and conduct a public hearing, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Queensbury Town Board hereby approves the Town of Queensbury Preliminary Budget for 2004, with amendment to add $85,000 for a year of EMS trial for day time coverage, comprised of statements of appropriations and estimated revenues, a copy of which is attached and made a part of this Resolution, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of the Preliminary Budget shall be filed in the Town of Queensbury Town Clerk's Office, 742 Bay Road, Queensbury where it shall be available for inspection by interested persons during regular business hours, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Board will conduct a public hearing on November 6th, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. at the Queensbury Activities Center, 742 Bay Road, Queensbury and all interested persons will be heard concerning the Town's Preliminary Budget, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes and directs the Queensbury Town Clerk to publish and post a Notice of Public Hearing in the manner provided by Town Law 9108, such Notice to be substantially in the following form: NOTICE OF HEARING ON PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR THE TOWN OF QUEENSBURY FOR THE YEAR 2004 NOTICE is hereby given that the Preliminary Budget of the Town of Queensbury, County of Warren, State of New York for the F iscal Year beginning January 1, 2004 has been filed in the Queensbury Town Clerk's Office where it is available for inspection by any interested person during normal business hours. FURTHER NOTICE is hereby given that the Queensbury Town Board will hold a public hearing on November 6th, 2003 at 7:00 p.rn. at the Queensbury Activities Center, 742 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 757 Bay Road, Queensbury and that at such hearing the Town Board shall hear all interested persons concerning the Preliminary Budget. AND FURTHER NOTICE is hereby given in accordance with Town Law 9108 that the proposed salaries of Town of Queensbury elected officials for Year 2004 are as follows: TOWN SUPERVISOR $57,096 TOWN COUNCILPERSON (4) $14,752 TOWN CLERK $54,746 TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT $60,101 TOWN JUSTICES (2) $35,404 Duly adopted this 2ih day of October, 2003, by the following vote: AYES Mr. Boor, Mr. Turner, Mr. Stec, Mr. Brewer NOES Mr. Brower ABSENT: None DISCUSSION HELD AFTER VOTE: Comptroller Hess-There was a suggestion made just before the vote that it was accurate but not entirely accurate. It gives you the option to spend the money it does not require to spend the money but it does require you to raise the taxes to put the money in the bank. So, you are raising taxes to do it. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING STIPEND FOR ACTING PURCHASING AGENT FOR YEAR 2003 RESOLUTION NO. 464.2003 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. Roger Boor WHEREAS, William Lavery has been the Acting Purchasing Agent for 2003, and WHEREAS, the 2003 Budget had a regular stipend of $4,224 for the position of Purchasing Agent, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 758 RESOLVED, that the Queensbury Town Board hereby authorizes and directs that William Lavery be paid such $4,224 stipend for 2003, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town Board further authorizes and directs the Town Supervisor and/or Town Comptroller to take any action necessary to effectuate the terms of this Resolution. Duly adopted this 2ih day of October, 2003, by the following vote: AYES Mr. Turner, Mr. Stec, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Brower, Mr. Boor NOES None ABSENT: None DISCUSSION HELD BEFORE VOTE: This is a stipend of four thousand two hundred twenty four dollars for William Lavery, Bill Lavery is my executive assistant but he has also been the acting purchasing agent for the last four months of last year and for this year. Historically the Town of Queensbury has paid a stipend for purchasing first I believe it was at the Town Clerk's Office then we hired a full time purchasing agent that position did not work out we terminated the position of purchasing agent went back to a stipend position and JoAnn Hicks received the stipend and JoAnn she is out on disability currently and Bill Lavery picked up her position last year for three months I believe it was and he is also been acting purchasing agent this year. So, with that any further discussion? Councilman Brewer-Just one question and I certainly do not have problem with the amount but is that reflect the whole year or is that, it will be paid up until now and then appropriately through the rest of the year. Comptroller Hess-Your intention is that he gets paid for forty two twenty four for doing that job this year so that will bring him up to speed and then payout for the balance. Councilman Stee- l just want to say the Board is aware of the concerns I expressed regarding this last time, I was deeply concerned by the statement or the understanding that I received from the communication that Bill provided all of us. Again, it sounds like it was another communication laps but I don't think it is correct to punish Bill for someone else's short coming. He did do the job and he deserves the stipend. RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION RESOLUTION NO. 465,2003 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-27-2003 MTG. #51 759 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Theodore Turner WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby moves into an Executive Session to discuss personnel issues. Duly adopted this 2ih day of October, 2003 by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Boor, Mr. Turner, Mr. Stec, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Brower NOES: None ASENT: None RESOLUTION ADJOURNING EXECUTIVE AND SPECIAL SESSION RESOLUTION NO. 466.2003 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Theodore Turner WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. Daniel Stec RESOLVED, that the Town Board Executive Session is hereby adjourned and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby adjourns its Special Board Meeting. Duly adopted this 27th day of October, 2003 by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Boor, Mr. Turner, Mr. Stec, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Brower NOES: None ABSENT: None Respectfully submitted, Miss Darleen M. Dougher Town Clerk-Queensbury