[00:00:03]
[Call to Order / Moment of Silence / Pledge of Allegiance/ Agenda Adoption ]
AND GENTLEMEN.THE HOUR HAS ARRIVED FOR US TO COMMENCE OUR CALL, OUR BOARD MEETING, THIS MEETING OF MAY THE 16TH, 2024.
FOR CONSIDERATION OF OUR TAX RATE AND OUR BUDGET AT THIS TIME, WE WOULD OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
LET US STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I, YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO VOTE FOR WHICH STANDS ORINATION UNDER GOD AND LIBERTY AND JUSTICE BOARD MEMBERS.
YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT OUR AGENDA.
IT'S THE ADOPTION OF OUR TAX RATE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2024, ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR FISCAL PLANNING PURPOSE AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS.
AT THIS TIME, WE WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION IF THERE'S NO QUESTION ON THE AGENDA FOR THE ADOPTION.
LET IT BE KNOWN BY THE VOTING SIGN OF AYE.
OPPOSED? OUR AGENDA HAS BEEN ADOPTED.
AT THIS TIME, WE WILL, UH, REFER TO STAFF FOR OUR PRESENTATIONS ON OUR RESOLUTIONS.
VICE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MS. PERKINS IS ALL WHO ASSEMBLED IN THE AUDIT.
THE, UM, HOUR AND THE DAY HAS COME UPON US WHERE WE ARE ASKING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 24 25 BUDGET.
THIS HAS BEEN, OF COURSE, WITH A LOT OF, UH, DELIBERATIONS AND WORK SESSIONS AND WORK BY OUR, UM, TEAM MEMBERS, ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS AND MR. MORRIS.
UM, DO WANNA THANK, UM, YOU ALL FOR LAST EVENING FOR MR. MORRIS BEING PRESENT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AND OF COURSE, THAT DEPUTY KEN ADMINISTRATOR AND HIS ABSENCE FOR THE WORK SESSION THAT YOU HAD ON LAST EVENING.
UM, WE HAVE ALREADY GONE THROUGH SOME PRESENTATIONS AND AS FURTHERING NO OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD.
WE DO HAVE TWO RESOLUTIONS BEFORE YOU.
UM, ONE OF THE RESOLUTIONS, AND WE CAN PASS THIS DOWN, MS. UM, CHAPLAIN IS RESOLUTION NUMBER 2024 DASH 11.
AND THAT IS THE BUDGET RESOLUTION THAT ADOPTS THE, UH, TAX RATES.
UM, AND WE CAN CERTAINLY READ THAT AT YOUR PLEASURE WHEN YOU ARE READY, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN.
AND THEN THE SECOND RESOLUTION WE'LL BE ASKING FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IS RESOLUTION 2024 DASH 12, WHICH IS THE RESOLUTION THAT ADOPTS THE BUDGET AND ALSO APPROPRIATE THE FUNDS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR.
BUT PRIOR TO THAT, UM, BASED ON DISCUSSION ON LAST EVENING, UH, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION AMONGST, UM, THE BOARD MEMBERS IN TERMS OF THE STATE BUDGET THAT WE KNOW HAS BEEN PASSED.
AND WE DO KNOW THAT THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET DOES CALL FOR A 3% MANDATED INCREASE IN, UM, SALARIES FOR THE, UH, STATE EMPLOYEES, WHICH IN THE COUNTY'S CASE INCLUDES THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS.
THEN OF COURSE, FOR THE SCHOOL DIVISION INCLUDES, UM, SALARIES FOR TEACHERS, UM, IN THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET, IT WAS LEVEL FUNDING THE SCHOOL FOR, UH, SCHOOL FUND BUDGET.
UM, BASED ON THE DISCUSSIONS ON LAST EVENING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE SALARIES ARE MANDATED BY THE STATE, THERE IS A REVISION FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION BASED ON THAT DISCUSSION.
AND THAT CONSIDERATION IS TO UTILIZE $340,000, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 1 CENT ON THE TAX RATE TO APPROPRIATE THAT TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BY INCREASING THEIR, UM, APPROPRIATION TO TRANSFERS TO THE SCHOOL.
THAT WOULD BE 13,000,407 $757.
AGAIN, THAT IS A $340,000 INCREASE.
THE FUNDING SOURCE FOR THAT INCREASE WILL BE, UM, UNDESIGNATED FUND BALANCE, UM, IF THE BOARD ELECTS TO DO THAT ON THIS EVENING.
NOW, I MUST ADD TO THE BOARD THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN, UM, MADE AWARE THAT THE UTILIZATION OF FUND BALANCE, EVEN THOUGH THAT IS A RECOMMENDATION OF THIS EVENING, UM, FOR OPERATING EXPENSES, IS NOT, UH, PER POLICY.
HOWEVER, UM, WHAT WE DO RECOMMEND THAT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE AND YOUR NEXT YEAR, YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO, UM, OF COURSE REPLENISH THAT FUND BALANCE.
JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT KNOWN BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT FUND BALANCE SHOULD BE USED FOR ONE TIME, UM, EXPENSES AS OPPOSED TO ONGOING OPERATING EXPENSES BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT HAVE THAT NEXT YEAR TO FUND, UM, THE ONGOING SALARIES.
SO WITH THAT STATE STATED, UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, UM, IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, THAT CONCLUDES WHAT THE REQUEST IS FOR THE BOARD'S ACTION ON THIS EVENING.
[00:05:01]
UH, ITEM THAT IS BEFORE US, IT IS THE SETTING OF THE TAX RATE FOR THE COUNTY OF SERE FOR THE YEAR 20 24, 25.AND IT IS, UM, MAY I ASK A QUESTION REGARDING, UM, MRS. ROLLIN'S, UH, PRESENTATION PLEASE? ON WHICH ISSUE? SORRY? ON THE TEACHERS.
LET'S, LET'S DO THAT AFTER WE DO THE TAX RATE.
WE, WE WILL DEFINITELY ADDRESS THAT AFTER THE TAX RATE.
[1 Adoption of the Tax Rates for Calendar Year 2024 ]
YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU, UH, THE SET TAX RATE, UH, FOR 20 24, 25 OF 71 CENTS PER HUNDRED, AND NONE OF THE OTHER, UH, RATES HAVE CHANGED.UH, IF YOU LOOK AT PERSONAL PROPERTY AND BUSINESS PROPERTIES, $4 PER HUNDRED PASSENGER BUSES, $3 PER HUNDRED 31 CENT INCREASE ON PROPERTY, PERSONAL PROPERTY AND TAX RELIEF PERCENTAGE MACHINE AND TWO, AND TOOLS, CONTRACT CARRIERS, MERCHANT CAPITAL, FARM MACHINERY, AND TOOLS.
ALL OF THESE ARE THE SAME AS THEY WERE, UH, ON OUR PAST YEARS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON OUR TAX RATE? BUT THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ON OUR TAX RATE.
UH, THE, THE CHAIR WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON, UH, THE TAX RATE OF 71 CENTS AND PERSONAL PROPERTY.
I'LL JUST GO DOWN THE LIST AGAIN.
PERSONAL PROPERTY AND BUSINESS PROPERTY, PASSENGER BUS, PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RATE RELIEF PERCENTAGE, MACHINING TWO TOOLS, CONTRACT CARRIERS, MERCHANT CAPITAL TWO, FARM MACHINERY AND TOOLS.
WE ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON THE TAX RATE FOR THOSE ITEMS FOR 20 24, 25.
PRIOR TO THE MOTION, MAY I JUST ADD ON THE RESOLUTION WHERE YOU SEE THE 71 CENTS, WHICH IS OUR CURRENT TAX RATE.
THAT PARENTHESES SAYS, SHOULD SAY NO CHANGE, AND WE'LL MAKE THAT CORRECTION ON THE FINAL RESOLUTION.
BOARD MEMBERS, YOU, YOU SEE THAT STATING NO CHANGE, THAT WILL BE ON THE FINAL RESOLUTION.
SO WE WOULD, UH, AND WE APPRECIATE STAFF FOR, UH, HOLDING TRUE TO THE 71 CENT TAX RATE AGAIN, UH, THIS YEAR.
SO THANK YOU STAFF, OUR BOARD MEMBERS.
COULD WE GET A, UH, MOTION ON THE TAX RATE FOR 20 24, 25? MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE, UH, TAX ADOPTION OF THE TAX RATES OF COME TO THE YEAR 2024.
ALL IN FAVOR? LET IT BE KNOWN BY THE VOTING AND SIGN OF AYE.
OPPOSED? A TAX RATE HAS BEEN ADOPTED.
[2 Adoption of the Budget for the Fiscal Year 2025 for Fiscal Planning Purposes and Appropriating Funds ]
WOULD BE OUR BUDGET AND, UH, THE CHANGE THAT MS. ROLLINS PRESENTED TO US.I BELIEVE MR. COONE HAS SOME, UH, QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ON THAT ITEM.
UM, MR. ROLLINS, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE GOVERNOR MANDATED A 3% INCREASE AND YOU USED THE WORD TEACHERS.
IS IT JUST THE 3% JUST GOING TO THE TEACHERS OR IS IT TO ALL SCHOOL STAFF? OKAY.
I WILL CERTAINLY REFER TO, UM, THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, BUT IT'S TYPICALLY IS MANDATED FOR THE SOQ POSITIONS.
CHAIRMAN ELLIOT, BOARD MEMBERS, AND TO ALL ASSEMBLE, UH, THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS, UH, IN THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET, IT DOES SPECIFICALLY SAY TEACHERS.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE HAD A HISTORY IN SURREY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF WHATEVER TAX RATE THE TEACHERS RECEIVE, ALL EMPLOYEES RECEIVE THE SAME.
UH, AND IT SIMPLY GOES TO THE FACT THAT, UH, INDEED GROCERIES ARE THE SAME FOR BUS DRIVERS AS THEY ARE FOR TEACHERS.
UH, AND IF 3% IS NECESSARY AND REQUIRED FOR TEACHERS TO BE, UH, MADE WHOLE, THEN OTHER EMPLOYEES SHOULD ALSO BE HELD AND MADE WHOLE TO THAT SAME STANDARD.
THANK YOU DR. SIMS. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON OUR PROPOSED BUDGET? IF THERE BE NONE, UH, WE HAVE A RESOLUTION BEFORE US, UH, PRESENTED BY STAFF AND I GIVE YOU, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK OVER BEFORE WE, UH, MAKE ANY DECISIONS.
HOW MANY D UH, WHILE YOU'RE READING, LET ME CHECK WITH MR. MORRIS.
[00:10:26]
YES.BOARD MEMBERS, UH, IF YOU ARE PREPARED AND READY, WE HAVE BEFORE US A RESOLUTION.
IT SHOULD BE RESOLVED THAT THE BUDGET AS PROPOSED IS ADOPTED IN THE AMOUNT OF $69,869,953, INCLUDING BOTH OPERATING AND CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS, WITH REFERENCE MADE TO THE DOCUMENT PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS BY THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, AND TO BE PUBLISHED NOTICE, WHICH ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE FOR A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION.
THAT IS BEFORE US A DETAILED DESCRIPTION, BUT WE ARE ASKING FOR A VOTE ON THE BUDGET OF $69,869,953.
AND THIS AMOUNT INCLUDES THE, UH, THE MONEY IS REQUESTED FOR THE SCHOOL CHAIR.
UH, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE RESOLUTION 2024 DASH 12, INCLUDING ALL BUDGET ITEMS, INCLUDING THE UPDATE THE GOVERNOR'S MANDATE FOR SCHOOL SYSTEMS AS PRESENTED.
SECOND, WE HAVE A, A MOTION HAS BEEN PROPERLY MOVED.
AND SECOND, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THEN? NO OTHER QUESTIONS.
ALL IN FAVOR? LET TO BE KNOWN BY THE VOTE SIGN OF AYE.
UH, AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO OTHER BUSINESS THAT DRAW OUT ATTENTION.
SO WE WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT UNTIL OUR JUNE.
UH, WHAT'S THE DATE? SIXTH JUNE.
I MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN UNTIL OUR NEXT MEETING ON JUNE 6TH AT 6:00 PM SECOND.