Apparently the Board of Commissioners have directed the County Manager to cut the proposed budget some more.
Proposed further cuts include:
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Kristoff Bauer was fired as City Manager for Jacksonville.
The proposed County budget was revealed on June 1st. It will have a public hearing and is expected to be adopted on June 15th.
It’s a bit late for this, but perhaps better late than never…. Below is the Budget Message Redux. It takes the Manager’s ‘Budget Message’ and puts it into super simple terms. Why do this? Because the Budget is huge–no one reads it in the entirity. So the Manager writes an introduction that summarizes everything, but even that is thirteen pages long! So this is an even shorter version.
One caveat is that this is a redux, so don’t quote this. Instead, use this as a quick guide. If you see something interesting then find it in the Manager’s actual message (and then use that as a guide to finding it in the actual budget).
BUDGET MESSAGE SUPER REDUX
Taxes are going up from $0.503 to $0.59 to pay for a $155 million budget; but no tax hikes for five years.
Historical Perspective
The County has been spending more money that it has been making.
Expenditure Challenges
The County is in a bad spot. The two big costs are Employees and Education.
Revenue Challenges
The County will get more property tax ($1.7 million), but less sales tax ($1.8 million). Also worried the State won’t give us what they promised ($2 million).
The Crossroads of Onslow County
The tax increase of $0.087 can be split up with old debt for jail and schools ($0.0525), new debt by this BOC ($0.01) and Schools & ‘If the State doesn’t give us our money’ ($0.0245).
The new tax rate of $0.59 is lower than the state average ($0.63) and the average for Onslow County in the last 30 years ($0.62).
Visionary Leadership
The BOC had a retreat in March and said they wanted a strategic plan. They also adopted a Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
Cutting Expenses
We cut 71 jobs to save $2.2 million a year.
The programs cut were (1) Youth Shelter, (2) In-Home Aides, (3) staffing for Law Library, (4) beaver management and (5) mobile home disposal assistance program.
But we will add a Basic Life Support team to EMS for $700,000.
Non-profits will get 16% less ($2.7 million to $2.3 million).
Customer Service and Organizational Efficiency
There will be more efficiency because reorganization.
Relocating offices will save rent of $70,000 a year.
Some employees will have more responsibility and will be compensated for this later.
Personnel Considerations
There will be no Cost of Living Adjustment. There will be a Merit Pay Increase available up to 3%. There will be less benefits for new employees.
Achieving Sustainability
Can’t continue to use savings for recurring costs. Need a long-term plan, like the new funding formula for education.
Justice Complex Considerations
The Sheriff’s Construction Coordinator position is no longer needed. The Sheriff should get a consultant by this fall to train his staff to operate the new jail.
Citizen Communication
Citizens want and deserve transparency and accountability. The County should get its own tv channel, use the internet, its phone system and other creative ideas to get the word out.
Focus on the Future
Jeff Hudson is going to do well. Here is a list of issues for the BOC to consider:
Employee Morale: Ever since County Manager Frank Clifton got fired, employees don’t trust the BOC. The BOC should work on that.
Attracting and Retaining Quality Employees: It’s difficult to get good people when you cut benefits.
Taxpayer Communication/Understanding: The BOC needs to look at the long-term and explain their reasoning to the people.
Facility Conditions: County buildings are at a critical point (mold, overcrowded, substandard) especially our computer servers with no fire protection.
Population Growth: Population is booming.
Understanding Citizen Expectations: The strategic planning process will help the BOC figure out what are acceptable levels of service to the public.
Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services: These services are inadequate. The current study should give the BOC their options.
Communications Infrastructure: This needs to be fixed. The CIP includes money for this.
Courthouse Security: Money has been available for upgrades for years, but the Sheriff says he needs more bailiffs.
Procedural Considerations
The Manager gave his proposal June 1st. There will be four public meetings. The BOC will work on it between June 8th and June 12th. The budget will be adopted on June 15th.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the deputy county managers and the human resources department head. Remember that the County mission is to “provide residents, visitors and the business community with the highest quality public service in an efficient, courteous manner and to enhance the quality of life, work and play through visionary support and leadership.”
When I was in law school I had a blog DurhamPolitics.com. The site is now defunct and the domain is not even mine anymore. It was based on OrangePolitics.com and was meant to be a venue for discussing local politics. Local elected officials and candidates for office visited and posted on the site. I was happy with the site, but it was short-lived because I moved away from Durham.
I wanted to have one for Onslow for some time now. However, I worked for Onslow County and didn’t feel it was appropriate to have such a blog while in that position. I recently resigned and am looking forward to being more politically engaged.
Onslow County Politics–born June 1, 2009.
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