* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          WELL, GOOD MORNING 
          [00:00:01]
EVERYONE. 
          WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET OUR, UM, THIRD 
          [County Council Budget Work Session]
BUDGET WORK SESSION STARTED, AND WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE, UM, SPENDING AFFORDABILITY GROUP. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU BRIAN AGAIN FOR COMING, AND THANK YOU FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM PROVIDE. 
          IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WITH YOU HERE THIS MORNING? OH, THERE YOU'RE, HOW ARE YOU? UM, SO WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. 
          GREAT. 
          WELL, I HAVE TO ADMIT, I'M A LITTLE JEALOUS. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY , ANY, UH, INSTRUMENTS HERE, BUT, UH, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNING IN HARTFORD COUNTY AND IT'S, IT'S CERTAINLY A PLEASURE TO BE BACK WITH YOU AGAIN ON SUCH A, A WONDERFUL MORNING. 
          I'D LIKE TO, TO ALWAYS THANK YOU ALL FOR THE, THE HEAVY LIFTING THAT YOU DO, UH, FOR ON BEHALF OF OUR NEIGHBORS BORN AND RAISED IN THIS COMMUNITY, I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY. 
          STARTED MY BUSINESS IN THIS COMMUNITY. 
          SO, UH, AGAIN, YOU HAVE MY GRATITUDE. 
          I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND HIS SENIOR LEADERSHIP, UH, FOR BEING HERE TODAY. 
          YOU ALL REMAIN IN MY DAILY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. 
          MY NAME'S BRIAN KELLY, UM, AND I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO CHAIR THE, UH, HARTFORD SPENDING ADVISORY, UH, AFFORDABILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
          I'M JOINED HERE TODAY BY, UH, STEVE WEISSMAN, ALSO ON OUR COMMITTEE, UH, JOHN SCOTT LEE HASEN, JOHN O'NEILL, AND WAYNE GODDARD. 
          UH, AND I HAVE TO SAY, OUR COMMITTEE WAS, UH, WE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL MEETING, INCREDIBLY ENGAGED CITIZENS, UH, BRINGING VARIOUS VANTAGE POINTS TO, TO OUR DISCUSSIONS. 
          AND IT WAS JUST A REALLY HEALTHY, UH, SET OF CONVERSATIONS. 
          IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND FOUR CORE AREAS, REALLY AROUND, UH, RECOMMENDED SPENDING FOR OPERATING FUND DEBT AUTHORIZATION, A LEVEL OF UNASSIGNED FUND, BALANCED OR RETAINED EARNINGS, AND ANY OTHER FINDINGS OR RECOMMENDATIONS THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERS APPROPRIATE. 
          I'D LIKE TO THANK ROBERT SANDLES, OUR TREASURER, RICK PERIS, DEPUTY TREASURER, KIMBERLY SPENCE, CHIEF BUDGET AND EFFICIENCY, AND GAIL DERIO, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST. 
          UH, WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT IN PROVIDING US DATA AND INFORMATION, UH, REALLY WE WOULD, WE WOULD BE AT A LOSS. 
          THEY DID A SUPERB JOB, AS ALWAYS. 
          ALSO, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE PERSPECTIVE BROUGHT TO US THIS YEAR BY SHANE GRIM, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING, RICH TRUITT, DIRECTOR OF LICENSES INSPECTION AND PERMITS. 
          AND KAREN HOLT, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REALLY PROVIDED A GREAT BACKGROUND, BOTH CURRENTLY AND ALSO LOOKING OUT INTO THE FUTURE. 
          SPEAKING OF FUTURE, I'M ALWAYS REMINDED WHENEVER I'M ASKED ABOUT FORECASTS, UH, ONE OF MY FAVORITE ECONOMISTS, JOHN KENNETH GAL BREATH, NO RELATIONS TO MY GAL BREATH FAMILY HERE IN THE, THE COUNTY, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT JUST A BRILLIANT PERSON WHO DESCRIBED FORECASTERS NOT SO FLATTERINGLY AS TWO GROUPS. 
          ONE, THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, OR TWO, THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, THEY DON'T KNOW. 
          I'M HERE TO TELL YOU OUR COMMITTEE'S WELL AWARE THAT WE DON'T KNOW. 
          NO ONE CAN REALLY CONSTANTLY PREDICT THE FUTURE. 
          UM, BUT I CAN TELL YOU, WE POURED OUR HEART AND SOUL AND MINDS INTO WHAT WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD TO YOU TODAY. 
          WE TOOK A BUDGET BASED APPROACH, AS WE DO EVERY YEAR, WHICH MANY, UH, COUNTIES, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, DO NOT TAKE. 
          IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A MORE CONSERVATIVE APPROACH WHERE WE TAKE EXISTING, UH, TAX RATES WHEN DETERMINING, UH, REVENUES. 
          WE WORKED HARD TO STRIVE A BALANCE BETWEEN NOT BEING TOO CAUTIOUS, AS TO ARTIFICIALLY LIMIT THE COUNTY'S ABILITY TO FUND ITS PRIORITIES. 
          AND I'M VERY AWARE OF THE PRIORITIES THAT EXIST BEFORE YOU, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME NOT BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE, BUT THE COUNTY IN A, IN A DIFFICULT POSITION TO COME BACK AND MAKE MID-YEAR CUTS. 
          THE COMMITTEE'S APPROACH FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON ABOUT 90% OF THE REVENUES, OUR PROPERTY TAX BUCKET, WHICH IS FAIRLY PREDICTABLE THROUGH ASSESSMENTS, BUT THE SECOND ONE, OUR INCOME TAX BUCKET THAT HAS BECOME MORE VOLATILE HERE TO LAKE AND ALSO A LARGER PORTION OF OUR REVENUE STREAM OVER THE PAST MANY DECADES. 
          BUT BEFORE I GET INTO OUR RECOMMENDATION, I'D LIKE TO BRING US BACK TO WHEN I WAS SITTING HERE THIS TIME LAST YEAR, I DON'T HAVE JET LAG, 'CAUSE I DID, I'D JUST GOTTEN BACK FROM IRELAND, BUT I DID HAVE A LAG FROM AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE. 
          MOST OF THE EXPERTS WERE PREDICTING, UH, A RECESSION. 
          UH, SOME WERE, IT WAS PROBABLY MORE IN THE MODEST CAMP. 
          WHY? BECAUSE THE FED WAS FIGHTING OFF INFLATION, WHICH WE ARE ALL FEELING IN OUR POCKETS, UH, THESE DAYS. 
          UM, BY RAISING INTEREST RATES, THERE 
          [00:05:01]
WAS ALSO A LOT OF NOISE IN THE, IN THE INCOME TAX NUMBERS. 
          MOST NOTABLY, A LARGE SPIKE THAT OCCURRED FROM A RECONCILIATION FROM 2021. 
          IT WAS A PARTICULARLY GOOD YEAR FOR THE EQUITY OR STOCK MARKETS, UH, WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN A CAUSE FOLLOWED BY A PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING YEAR IN 2022 WHEN THE BOTH BOND AND STOCK MARKETS WERE DOWN DOUBLE DIGITS. 
          THE COMMITTEE'S BELIEF WAS THAT BASICALLY THE FISCAL 24 OVERALL INCOME WOULD, WOULD STAY ABOUT FLAT WITH OUR RECONCILING AND, UH, ESTIMATED PAYMENTS COMING DOWN. 
          BUT WAGE PRESSURES WOULD KEEP OUR WITHHOLDINGS UP. 
          SO KIND OF NEUTRALIZING ONE ANOTHER. 
          WELL, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. 
          WE MISSED OUR MARK. 
          INCOME TAX WOULD FALL ALL DIRECTIONS, BOTH RECONCILING AND ESTIMATED PAYMENTS, BUT ALSO WITHHOLDINGS THAT WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO COME DOWN. 
          WHY IS THE WITHHOLDING CONTRACTING? I WISH I COULD TELL YOU WITH ABSOLUTE CLARITY. 
          WE DON'T KNOW. 
          IT COULD BE TECHNICAL, IT COULD BE A CALENDAR ISSUE WITH COLLECTIONS, OR IT COULD ALSO BE THAT THE LABOR FORCE IS SHRINKING AND WAGE GROWTH IS LESSENING. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I THINK TO MY OWN FIRM WHERE WE NOW HAVE TWO KEY EMPLOYEES THAT DON'T RESIDE IN MARYLAND, WHERE PROBABLY FOUR YEARS AGO THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE. 
          WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT YEAR TO DATE THROUGH FEBRUARY INCOME TAX AND FISCAL YEAR 24 IS DOWN NEARLY $13 MILLION FROM WHERE IT WAS IN FISCAL YEAR 23. 
          SO WITH ALMOST HALF OF THE CURRENT YEAR'S INCOME TAX STILL TO BE COLLECTED AND LIMITED VISIBILITY AND UNDERSTANDING AS TO WHAT TO EXPECT OVER THE NEXT 18 MONTHS, THE COMMITTEE DECIDED TO, THAT THEY FELT IT WAS PRUDENT TO TAKE AN APPROACH OF EMBRACING LONG-TERM AVERAGING. 
          SO WE ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL DATA, UH, AND WAS PROVIDED BY OUR TREASURER. 
          AS WE SEE, ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL AXIOMS IN FINANCE IS REVERSION TO THE MEAN. 
          AS AN EXAMPLE, IT'S NOT TOO HARD TO PREDICT LONG-TERM GROWTH RATES ON A 10 YEAR, 15 YEAR, 20 YEAR BASIS, BUT FOR YEAR TO YEAR, I WON'T FIND MANY ECONOMISTS THAT'LL GET IT RIGHT YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT, IF EVER. 
          SO WE LOOKED AT FIVE AND 10 YEAR ROLLING PERIODS OF TIME SO AS TO NOT GET STUCK ON A PARTICULAR DATA POINT. 
          UH, OVERALL I LIKE TO THINK OF THIS AS WEATHER FORECASTING VERSUS CLIMATE FORECASTING. 
          SO PREDICTING THE WEATHER WE ALL KNOW IS KIND OF DIFFICULT. 
          IT'S GOTTEN A LITTLE BETTER WITH TECHNOLOGY, BUT STILL RATHER DIFFICULT. 
          BUT IF YOU LIVE IN MAINE IN THE WINTER VERSUS FLORIDA IN THE WINTER, YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES YOU'RE GONNA NEED. 
          TO THAT END. 
          THE COMMITTEE PROVIDED WITH DATA GOING BACK TO 1980 WITH TAKING OUT SOME OF THE OUTLIERS, THE ANOMALIES THAT EXISTED CAME UP WITH ABOUT A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT AVERAGE. 
          OVERALL, THE COMMITTEE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS PRUDENT THAT APPLYING THREE AND A HALF PERCENT TO THE REMAINDER MEANT OF 24 AS WELL AS PHYSICAL 25 GOING FORWARD. 
          SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT MEANS THAT THE FISCAL YEAR IS EXPECTED TO COME IN AT ABOUT 306.6 MILLION WITH A $4.4 MILLION DEFICIT UNDER BUDGET. 
          AND FOR NEXT YEAR INCOME TAXES PROJECTED AT 317.3 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT 6.3 MILLION MORE THAN FISCAL YEAR 24. 
          I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT YEAR DATA AND REVENUE SHORTFALL, THE LIKELIHOOD THAT WE ARE BEING TOO OPTIMISTIC IS PROBABLY, PROBABLY GREATER THAN THAT. 
          WE ARE BEING TOO PESSIMISTIC OR SAID ANOTHER WAY. 
          OUR DOWNSIDE RISK IS BIGGER THAN OUR UPSIDE RISK. 
          SO I'D JUST LIKE TO KEEP YOU ALL TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE GO FORWARD. 
          OVERALL REVENUE GROWTH FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S PROJECTED AT 3.65% OVER THIS YEAR'S ADJUSTED BUDGET, WHICH TAKES OUT THE FUND BALANCE. 
          SO THIS GROWTH RATE IS ABOUT CURRENT YEAR REVENUES, NOT NECESSARILY THE BUDGET, WHICH WILL BETER DETERMINED BY HOW MUCH FUND BALANCE IS USED. 
          THAT'S THE GAP BETWEEN PLANNED REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES. 
          FUND BALANCE IS ANOTHER AREA OF THE COMMITTEE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN DISCUSSING REALLY THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. 
          IN FISCAL YEAR 23, THE COUNTY APPROPRIATED 90 MILLION OF THE FUND BALANCE AND LAST YEAR, 75 MILLION. 
          THAT LEVEL OF APPROPRIATION IS NOT SUSTAINABLE, EVEN IF THE AMOUNT OF THE FUND BALANCE THE COUNTY ACTUALLY USES IS LESSER THAN THOSE AMOUNTS. 
          THE COMMITTEE WAS APPRISED OF 
          [00:10:01]
SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR RATING AGENCIES AND IN ORDER FOR THE COUNTY TO MAINTAIN ITS AAA RATING, WHICH HELPS US TO KEEP OUR INTEREST COSTS DOWN, OF COURSE, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF DUE TO A LOT OF THE FISCAL, UH, RESPONSIBILITY THAT'S BEEN DISPLAYED HERE AT ABOUT $150 MILLION. 
          THAT INCLUDES THE 5% RAINY DAY FUND, AS WELL AS A 20 MILLION THAT'S AVAILABLE AND OR UNASSIGNED IN FUND BALANCE. 
          I EQUATE FUND BALANCE TO, AT AN INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD LEVEL AS EMERGENCY SAVINGS, HELPING YOU TO SMOOTH CONSUMPTION DURING SOME OF THOSE DIFFICULT TIMES AS WELL AS AS UP TIMES. 
          AND FINALLY, OUR COMMITTEE LOOKED AT OUR COUNTY'S DEBT AFFORDABILITY OVERALL BY ALL STIPULATED METRICS, DEBT AFFORDABILITY RATIOS ARE FAVORABLE, BUT THE COMMITTEE IS CONCERNED AROUND THE POTENTIAL OF INCREASING DEBT LEVELS, PARTICULARLY AROUND FUTURE DEBT ISSUANCE. 
          WE WERE WELL AWARE CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE GOING UP SIGNIFICANTLY. 
          INTEREST RATES HAVE, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING BEEN GOING UP AND INCREASED BOND ISSUANCE IS PROBABLY INEVITABLE. 
          THE COMMITTEE ADVISES THE COUNTY TO BE MINDFUL OF ITS DEBT AND REALIZE THAT HARD DECISIONS ON NEW PROJECTS WILL HAVE TO BE MADE. 
          THAT CONCLUDES MY REMARKS. 
          I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING IN GIVING ME THESE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE UPON OUR FORMAL REPORT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BRIAN. 
          IF I MAY, I'D LIKE TO ASK FOR A COPY OF THE COMMENTS THAT YOU MADE HERE THIS MORNING TO GO ALONG WITH THE COMMENTS THAT WE HAVE IN THE FOLDER OR IN THE BINDER. 
          ALSO, WANNA RECOGNIZE MR. GODDARD JUST WALKED IN THE ROOM. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE COMMITTEE, MR. GODDARD, ALONG WITH MR. WISEMAN AND THE OTHERS. 
          UM, AND I BELIEVE I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, MR. PENMAN, THANK MR. PRESIDENT. 
          MR. KELLY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOUR COMMITTEE AS WELL BECAUSE, UH, VERY DIFFICULT PROCESS, VERY DIFFICULT, UH, TO PUT INTO WORDS, KIND OF JUST LIKE YOU SAID, THE FORECAST OF EVERYTHING. 
          AND I THINK SOMETHING THAT YOU MENTIONED ABOUT BEING TOO CAUTIOUS VERSUS BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE IS THE KEY TO THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION. 
          ALRIGHT? AND PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON THAT. 
          UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE IF YOU'RE TOO, UH, AGGRESSIVE ON, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE WE HAVE A HIGH FUND BALANCE AND THERE'S A COST, THERE'S A COST TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND THERE'S A COST TO LIBRARIES AND THERE'S A COST TO EDUCATION, UH, VERSUS, YOU KNOW, SPENDING IT ALL, THEN WE COULD BE IN TROUBLE TOO. 
          SO WE JUST HAVE TO BALANCE THAT. 
          AND, AND I KNOW THAT'S A DIFFICULT TASK FOR YOUR COMMITTEE TO RECOMMEND. 
          AND I, I JUST APPRECIATE THAT AND I JUST HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, UM, UM, JUST TO KIND OF HOW YOU CAME UP TO SOME OF THOSE CONCLUSIONS OR THAT THOUGHT PROCESS. 
          AND JUST TO KIND OF LEARN MYSELF IF YOU, IF YOU, IF I MAY. 
          UM, BUT I DO WANNA JUST POINT OUT A COUPLE THINGS THAT MYSELF AND, UH, CITIZEN BUDGET ADVISOR BROOKE SCHERER HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THAT YOU NOTED HERE. 
          AND I APPRECIATE YOU NOTING IT. 
          UH, AND YOU, YOU REFERENCED IT IN YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE STATE DISTRIBUTION VERSUS, UM, THE ACTUAL INCOME TAX COMING IN. 
          LIKE WHAT IS THAT RATIO? HOW MUCH ARE THEY HOLDING BACK? AND IT'S HARD TO FORMULATE WHAT WE'RE GETTING IF WE JUST DON'T KNOW. 
          AND I THINK YOU NOTE THAT IN HERE VERY WELL, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, BUT SOME OF THE, UM, THE ESTIMATIONS AS FAR AS THE FUND BALANCE, I THOUGHT I, BECAUSE THEY WERE UPDATED AND I WONDER IF YOUR REPORT WAS UPDATED, UM, TO, TO COME UP WITH A FINAL CONCLUSION. 
          UM, IT, IT WAS REFERENCED THAT IN FY 24 THERE WAS 74.1 MILLION OF THE FUND BALANCE USED. 
          BUT WHEN, UH, I LOOKED INTO THE ACTUAL OVERVIEW, IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, THAT NUMBER HAS DECREASED, UH, TO AROUND 25 OR 26. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF SEE, UM, WHAT THAT DISCREPANCY WAS. 
          'CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE THE REVENUE WAS, CAME IN AT 2 97 LATER ON IN THE REPORTER MENTIONS 2 94, BUT IT CAME AT 2 97 BASED OFF THIS, UM, UH, BUDGET HERE. 
          AND THE EXPENSES WERE 7 23. 
          SO I KNOW THAT'S A FAR CRY FROM SEVEN FOUR. 
          I JUST KIND OF WANNA SEE HOW THAT WAS, HOW THAT 74 CAME TO LIGHT. 
          SURE. 
          SO THE, THE NUMBER THAT I'M QUOTING IS AGAIN, THE, WHAT WAS THE STRUCTURAL NUMBER THAT WAS TO BE TRANSITIONED BUT NOT NECESSARILY USED. 
          SO I'LL, I'LL, I'LL DEFER OVER TO MR. SANDLES AROUND WHAT WAS ACTUALLY USED VERSUS THE, WE NEED A MICROPHONE, MYLA, WE NEED SOME MICRO A MICROPHONE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND SO JUST TO KIND OF KEEP IN MIND, THERE'S A, THERE'S, WE'RE, WE'RE ALSO KIND OF TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE YEARS. 
          SO IN FISCAL YEAR 23 WHERE WE APPROPRIATED THE $90 MILLION, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE, UM, 
          [00:15:01]
YOU KNOW WHAT WE ACTUALLY PROBABLY ENDED UP USING, UM, THE FUND BALANCE WAS, WAS DRAWN DOWN BY ABOUT $35 MILLION. 
          THAT'S HOW WE WENT FROM THE TWO 11 FUND BALANCE TO THE 1 75 THAT WE ENDED WITH LAST YEAR. 
          YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR WE DID 75, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET DOWN TO, SO INSTEAD OF USING ALL 75, IF YOU WILL, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE IT DOWN TO THAT ONE 50 MARK. 
          SO USING ABOUT 25 OF 'EM. 
          AND YOU HAVE THIS, AGAIN, A LOT BECAUSE WE HAVE, UM, NOW THIS YEAR REVENUES ARE PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE TO THE GOOD, BUT IN LAST YEAR, REVENUES WERE CERTAINLY TO THE GOOD. 
          REMEMBER WE HAD THAT REAL BIG INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION IN JANUARY. 
          WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT ALSO THE COUNTY MADE SOME, UM, MID-YEAR BUDGET CUTS, IF YOU WILL, BUDGET REVERSIONS. 
          YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE SOME OF THAT MORE ON THE, UM, SPENDING SIDE TRYING TO HOLD THE SPENDING. 
          UM, AND THAT'S ALWAYS KIND OF THE WAY, THE WAY THAT IT IS. 
          AND I THINK IT GETS TO THE CHAIR'S COMMENTS OF YOU. 
          WE UNDERSTAND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, 90 MILLION, 75, HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T, HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T HAVE A BUDGET WHERE YOU SPEND EVERY DOLLAR YOU APPROPRIATED AND YOUR REVENUE COMES IN EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS. 
          BECAUSE IF THAT WERE THE CASE, THEN YES, WE WOULD'VE GONE DOWN 90,000,075. 
          UM, BUT WE ARE HAVING A DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY THAT, THAT WE KNOW 2 11, 1 75, 1 50, AND THE ONE 50 MARK IS KIND OF AGAIN, WHAT THE RATING AGENCY SHARED WITH US THIS YEAR TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE YOU SHOULD ATTEMPT TO BE. 
          AND I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT ONE 50 IN INCLUDED IN THAT ONE 50 IS 52 OR $53 MILLION THAT WE ARE APPROPRIATING FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          NOW, AGAIN, HOPEFULLY WE DON'T USE ALL OF IT AND WE USE 25 OF IT, OR 30 OF IT, OR 40 OF IT. 
          UM, BUT AS WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE HARDER. 
          SOME OF THOSE SAVINGS, UM, MIGHT BE HARDER TO REALIZE BECAUSE WE HAVE MADE A LOT, A LOT OF CUTS IN THE, THE, THE PORTION OF THE BUDGET THAT GENERATES THOSE SAVINGS. 
          'CAUSE REMEMBER, IF IT GOES TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OR THE LIBRARY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY, THEY, UM, THEY KEEP A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THEIR FUNDS. 
          SO THE PORTION THAT GOES STAYS WITH THE COUNTY IS GETTING A LITTLE BIT SMALLER. 
          AND AS THE CHAIR SPOKE TO ON THE REVENUE SIDE, THIS IS THE REAL BIG CONCERN, AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE WRONG, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF IF INCOME, IF WE'RE TOO AGGRESSIVE ON INCOME TAX, THEN THAT ALSO MEANS THAT THAT, THAT, THAT PUTS PRESSURE ON THAT FUND BALANCE AS WELL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. 
          SO THAT, UH, KIND OF BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION. 
          IF, IF WE'RE ONLY USING 25 OF FUND BALANCE, WHY ARE WE USING 74 IN THE ACTUAL REPORT? I KNOW IT WAS PROJECTED, I JUST, THAT THE, THE 74 WAS THE AMOUNT THAT WAS, THAT WAS PROPOSED BUT NOT USED. 
          IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE NUMBERS THAT WE EVEN LOOKED TO. 
          YEAH, YOU NEED TO BACK OUT THE, THE APPROPRIATED FUND BALANCE AND, AND WE DO THAT FOR THE BUDGET COMPARISON. 
          SO YOU TAKE THE CURRENT YEARS BUDGET, YOU BACK OUT THE FUND BALANCE TO GET YOUR REVENUE NUMBER AND, AND THEN GOING FORWARD, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE TALKING THAT, THAT THAT NUMBER'S GROWING. 
          SO YOU, IT'S, YOU JUST NEED TO BACK OUT THE FULL AMOUNT THAT'S APPROPRIATED SO THAT, SO THAT YOU CAN COMPARE, OKAY, THIS IS HOW MUCH WE THINK REVENUES ARE GONNA BE, AND THIS IS HOW MUCH FUND BALANCE WE ARE GONNA BE. 
          BUT YES, YOU KNOW, THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, FUND BALANCE, BUT WE WON'T KNOW THAT FUND BALANCE AT THE TIME OF THE BUDGET. 
          WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH A REVENUE NUMBER. 
          YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH A, WITH A FUND BALANCE NUMBER TO BALANCE OUT THE BUDGET. 
          UM, AND YOU REALLY WON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE RIGHT OR WRONG UNTIL, YOU KNOW, THE YEAR'S UNDER THE YEAR'S UNDERWAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          WE STILL GOT TIME. 
          I GET THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          SO JUST SO I'M CLEAR THAT 74 SHOULD BE 25 WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE. 
          YEAH, I THINK THAT THE NUMBER WILL BE SOMETHING IN THAT, YOU KNOW, 25, 30 RANGE. 
          AGAIN, THOUGH THE INCOME TAX, WE'VE GOT INCOME TAX, WHICH IS, WHICH IS COMING IN NEGATIVE RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE SAYING INCOME TAX IS GONNA COME IN AT THREE POINT A HALF PERCENT IN MAY, JUNE AND JULY. 
          THAT, THAT I THINK IS THAT BIG CONCERN BECAUSE IF IT DOESN'T, THEN INSTEAD OF 25, IT COULD BE 35, 40, YOU KNOW, AND NOW THE FUND BALANCE GOING INTO NEXT YEAR IS 140 OR 130 INSTEAD OF 150. 
          UM, MR. KELLY, THANK YOU, MS. SANDLES. 
          UM, AND I JUST WANT TO KIND OF YOUR OPINION, UH, YOUR EXPERTISE. 
          UM, I KNOW THERE WAS A DECREASE IN, IN 24 OF 2.4%, AND I THINK THAT'S THE 4.4 MILLION YOU REFERENCED. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHY IT'S DECREASED? AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE PROJECTION OF 3.5 HAS TAKEN OVER A 20 YEAR SPAN. 
          I, I GET WHERE YOU GET THAT NUMBER. 
          UH, SO WE, UH, THE COMMITTEE WENT TO LOOKING AT ROLLING AVERAGES TO, TO, UM, TO, TO WITNESS THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE'RE BRINGING TOGETHER HERE AS FAR AS COUNTY PROGRAMS BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE VERSUS BEING TOO CONSERVATIVE AND NOT LETTING THE HIGHS GET TOO HIGH AND THE LOWS GET TOO LOW. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE WE LOOKED AT A KIND OF A MEAN LEVEL, UH, TO BE SUPPORTIVE IN THAT WAY. 
          IT'S, IT'S, IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A RISKY WAY, BUT I, I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHY THE, THE NUMBERS COULD BE NEGATIVE, I ALLUDED TO JUST MY OWN LITTLE LOCALIZED EXAMPLE. 
          WE HAVE 21 EMPLOYEES AND WE HAVE TWO NOW THAT RESIDE OUTTA STATE AND MARYLAND AND HARTFORD COUNTY GET NO TAX REVENUE FROM THOSE FOLKS. 
          [00:20:01]
SO HELP US RECRUIT LOCAL PEOPLE. 
          I GUESS. 
          UM, MY NEXT QUESTION, UH, DEALS WITH THE FUND BALANCE AGAIN, UH, AND KIND OF, UM, BEGINS ON PAGE 74. 
          UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S AN, THE 150, UH, BENCHMARK THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO US, AND A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE SPENDING AFFORDABILITY COMMITTEE WAS, UM, IT WAS REFERENCED TO, WAS MADE AWARE. 
          I JUST WONDER, WAS THERE REPORTS GIVEN FROM THE AAA BOND RATINGS, FROM THE BOND RATINGS TO THE SPENDING AFFORDABILITY? IT SAYS, IT JUST SAYS WE WERE MADE AWARE. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS A REPORT OR YOU WERE JUST IN INFORMED, WE WERE INFORMED ABOUT, ABOUT THE, UH, THE 150 MILLION FROM THE ADVISORS, UM, TO, TO THE COUNTY. 
          UH, MR. SANDLES, IS THERE A REPORT THAT THE BOND RATING, UH, PRODUCED? I, I HAVE THE FITCH REPORT, WHICH, YOU KNOW, UM, KIND OF CONFLICTS WITH A LITTLE BIT OF, OF THE DISCUSSION POINT, BUT IS THERE A REPORT THAT THEY PRODUCE AND IS THAT REPORT SHAREABLE? SO THEY ARE NOW PRODUCING WHAT THEY CALL THEIR SCORECARDS. 
          UM, AS I SAID BEFORE, THEY'RE, THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE THINGS MORE TRANSPARENT. 
          UM, I CAN SEE IT WHEN GETTING COPIES OF, OF THAT, A LOT OF HOW, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE MORE OR LESS JUST KIND OF STARTED DOING THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GOING IN THIS MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT WAY. 
          UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS SHARED WITH US DURING THE, THE, UM, UM, DURING, DURING THE CREDIT RATING PRESENTATION, UM, AND I HAVE PROVIDED BACKUP FROM DAVENPORT, OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, SAYING, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT FITCH IS SAYING, THIS IS WHAT, WHAT, UM, THE OTHER ONES ARE ARE SAYING. 
          AND THAT'S, THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKETS OF INFORMATION THAT WE'RE COLLECTING. 
          UM, BUT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OVERALL THINGS I CAN, UM, WORK WITH DAVENPORT TO KIND OF GET COPIES OF THEIR, UM, THEIR, THEIR SCORECARDS IN, IN GENERAL. 
          AND REMEMBER TOO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE KIND OF LIKE YOUR, YOUR PERSONAL CREDIT RATING SCORES. 
          YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY ARE, THEY'RE KIND OF GUIDELINES. 
          THEY'RE LOOKING AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS. 
          IT'S NOT A OKAY, IF YOU HAVE THIS, YOU'RE TRIPLE A, AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S, IT'S A BLENDED, IT'S A BLENDED APPROACH. 
          AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT $150 MILLION, WHAT THAT REPRESENTS IS ABOUT 20% FUND BALANCE. 
          AND WHAT FITCH HAS TOLD US IS THAT, YOU KNOW, 20% IS THE MIDPOINT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE TO TALK TO SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, THEY WOULD, SOME OF THESE CREATING CREDIT RATING AGENCIES WOULD BE LIKE, WE THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE 30 OR 35%. 
          BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEN THEY'LL ALSO SAY, WE UNDERSTAND POLITICALLY THAT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S REALLY WHAT THEY WOULD PREFER TO SEE SOMETHING MUCH, MUCH MORE. 
          SO YOU'RE TRYING TO STRIKE THAT BALANCE, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW CLOSE, HOW CLOSE TO THE, UM, THE OUTER GUIDELINES DO YOU, DO YOU WANT TO GET? RIGHT. 
          AND THAT, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION BECAUSE, AND YOU KIND OF LED TO WHERE I WAS GOING, UH, THE MINIMUM WAS 5% RESERVE, RIGHT? BASED OFF OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HAVE TO HAVE WITH THE STAB SUSTAINABILITY, UH, FUND. 
          AND, BUT IN THE REPORT IT SAYS 5% PLUS $20 MILLION, WHICH IN MY ESTIMATION, MAYBE MY ALL IS, THAT'S ABOUT $58 MILLION, RIGHT? SO, BUT THAT'S, AND THAT'S JUST, THOSE ARE AGAIN, UM, SUB GUIDELINES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITHIN THE COMMITTEE TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE THAT 5% AND YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT $20 MILLION JUST FOR KIND OF THE ROUTINE THINGS. 
          THE, THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF, YOU KNOW, THE REFRIGERATOR WENT OUT, YOU KNOW, YESTERDAY I GOT A FLAT TIRE, IT'S NOW GETTING FIXED. 
          THAT'S NOT PART OF MY WEEKLY BUDGET. 
          UM, GOTTA FIND OUT, FIND OUT HOW MUCH, WHETHER I GOTTA TAP INTO MY SECONDARY RESERVES OR FIRST LEVEL RESERVES FOR THAT . 
          UM, BUT YEAH. 
          AND, BUT THAT'S WHAT THAT $20 MILLION IS ALL ABOUT THERE. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S THAT. 
          UM, AND HOPEFULLY YOU ADDRESS IT THERE BEFORE YOU HAVE TO GO INTO THAT 5%. 
          BUT THEN AS A PART OF THAT, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS ALL OF THOSE THINGS, PLUS THE OTHER PLACES WHERE WE HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE FOR, YOU KNOW, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE MADE CHOICES TO HAVE IT IN STORMWATER. 
          WE'VE MADE CHOICES TO HAVE IT FOR LANDFILL, BUT THEY'RE SAYING, AND, AND THEN ALSO INCLUDING HOW MUCH OF THE FUND BALANCE WE'RE GONNA USE NEXT YEAR. 
          SO THAT $50 MILLION THAT WE'RE USING IN THE BUDGET, THAT'S A PART OF THAT 1 52. 
          UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALSO INCLUDED THERE AS WELL. 
          SO THAT WAS GONNA BE, AND I THINK YOU ALLUDED TO EARLIER, I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW WE GOT FROM 58 MILLION BASED OFF THE 20 MILLION TO 38 MILLION IN THE FISCAL STA STABILIZATION FUND TO ONE 50. 
          UM, SO THAT WAS MY QUESTION. 
          HOW DO WE GET TO ONE 50 BASED OFF OF THE 5% AND 20 MILLION ON TOP? BUT YOU'RE SAYING THAT'S WHAT YOU PROJECT TO BE USING FROM THE FUND BALANCE NEXT YEAR OF $50 MILLION? WELL, WHAT I'M ALSO SAYING IS THAT'S ALSO WHAT THE, THE A HUNDRED, WHICH REPRESENTS 20%, WHICH DOES INCLUDE THE 50 MILLION THAT WE'RE USING. 
          SO, AND THIS IS ALL IN THE BUDGET BOOK, YOU'LL SEE IT'S GOT THE, WE GOT THE STABILIZATION FUND, WE GOT THE, THE MONEY IN THERE FOR STORM WATER, WE'VE GOT THE MONEY IN THERE FOR LANDFILL. 
          WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OTHER LITTLE THINGS, AND THEN WE HAVE THE MONEY THAT WILL BE A PART OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, AND THAT'S AROUND $50 MILLION. 
          SO THAT IS INCLUDED. 
          UM, SO THAT'S LIKE, KIND OF WHEN WE TALK ABOUT YOU, YOU HAVE $150 MILLION. 
          UM, WHAT'S LEFT RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT $3 MILLION, SO NOT 20. 
          SO IDEALLY, I THINK THE COMMITTEE WOULD'VE LIKED TO IT TO HAVE BEEN AROUND $20 MILLION. 
          UM, 
          [00:25:01]
YOU KNOW, WE, WE TRIED TO STICK $20 MILLION ALSO A NUMBER. 
          WE WERE KIND OF USING THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AS WELL. 
          UM, SO, UM, AND YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT KIND OF HAS, HAS, UH, TRANSCENDED, UH, UH, THE YEARS. 
          ALRIGHT, I'VE CLOSE WITH THAT, BUT THAT, THAT 2 MILLION IS JUST, YOU JUST, IT'S ALLOTTED TWO DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS, SO WE CAN MAKE THAT 2 MILLION, 10 MILLION, 15 MILLION IF, IF WE WANTED TO. 
          SURE. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, SO ONE KIND OF OPINION QUESTION, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, MR. KELLY. 
          UM, IF WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ON A DECLINE TO, SO TO SPEAK, UM, WHAT IS YOUR RECOMMEND, UH, RECOMMENDATION FOR GROWTH IN THIS COUNTY? HOW, HOW, HOW DO WE COME OUT OF THAT? SO WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES CAN, CAN, UH, WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST A SMALL BUSINESS PERSON, BUT I, I THINK OF, YOU KNOW, OUR TWO PRIMARY RESOURCES ARE PROPERTY TAX AND OUR INCOME TAX. 
          SO ON THE PROPERTY SIDE, THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL AT UNDERSTANDING THE ABILITY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO GROW OUR TAX BASE. 
          SO IT BECAME VERY APPARENT WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE ROLLING DATA, UH, TO SEE THAT WE'RE A MATURING ECONOMY. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT REQUIRES, UM, AN AN ENHANCED LOOK, UM, UH, AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES THAT ARE GONNA BE VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE, THAN THE PRIOR. 
          SO THAT CLIMATE HAS EVOLVED, UH, A BIT BECAUSE WE BENEFITED FROM A TAILWIND OF TREMENDOUS DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF OUR PROPERTY TAX BASE. 
          AND ON THE INCOME SIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK HARFORD COUNTY, AND I THINK YOU ALL DO A WONDERFUL JOB OF SUPPORTING, UH, SMALL BUSINESS AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, SOMEONE WHO STARTED WITH, YOU KNOW, I CALL IT UNEMPLOYMENT, UM, ZERO EMPLOYEES TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND SOME OF OUR OTHER FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES AROUND. 
          UM, I ALWAYS FEEL SUPPORTED, UH, BY, BY OUR GOVERNMENT AS FAR AS OPEN TO CONVERSATIONS AND SO ON. 
          I'M NOT IN A TYPE OF BUSINESS THAT I HAVE TREMENDOUS NEEDS, UH, BUT I'VE REDEVELOPED, UM, TWO HISTORIC BUILDINGS AS OUR OFFICES AS AN EXAMPLE. 
          AND WE RECEIVED TREMENDOUS SUPPORT, UH, FROM THE STATE AND COUNTY VIA TAX CREDITS, UH, TO HELP WITH, WITH THAT. 
          NOT ONLY THAT, BUT LOCAL EXPERTISE, UM, AS, AS WELL. 
          SO I THINK CONTINUING TO LISTEN TO YOUR SMALL BUSINESS FOLKS LIKE YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, UH, ASKING THESE THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS THAT YOU'RE ASKING AND ALLOWING US TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS, WHICH IS WHAT ATTRACTS ME TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
          I KNOW WE'RE JUST ADVISORY IN NATURE, BUT IT'S, I THINK WE'RE A STRONGER COMMUNITY WHEN WE BRING GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, UH, TOGETHER IN A THOUGHTFUL WAY. 
          AND THAT'S WHY I'M SITTING HERE. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. KELLY. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITTEE TOO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE REFERRING TO, UH, BRIAN WHEN YOU SAID ADAPT TO THE BIG CHANGES UNDERWAY IN HOW PEOPLE LIVE, WORK, AND SHOP AND PLAY IN OUR COUNTY? I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, UH, MR. VINCENTIA TO CONSIDER AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE THINK A LOT ABOUT IT. 
          WE'RE A LOCAL, I, I CALL IT, PARDON THE EXPRESSION, BELLY TO BELLY BUSINESS. 
          HOWEVER, WHEN I REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, WE HAVE TWO HIGHLY SKILLED FOLKS, UH, ONE WHO CHOSE TO MOVE FROM THIS AREA, UM, TO A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PLACE. 
          NOW WE'RE HIRING LOCALLY, WE'RE FINDING TALENT LOCALLY. 
          WE HAVE INTERNSHIPS. 
          UM, WE'RE INVOLVED WITH K 12 AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AS WELL AS OUR STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM TO FOSTER THE NEXT GENERATION. 
          UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE I THINK COMING TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY AND FOSTERING THESE CONVERSATIONS CAN REALLY MOVE US, UH, FORWARD. 
          YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY'S BEEN HERE SINCE THE 17 HUNDREDS. 
          I DON'T WANNA BE THE ONE WHO DROPS THE BALL. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          SO THANK YOU BRIAN. 
          UH, MR. JAN JORDANA. 
          THANK YOU, MR. KELLY. 
          UM, I, I KNOW YOU GUYS SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THIS, UH, CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT IN IN THE NUMBERS. 
          I'M A NUMBERS PERSON TOO. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I DID FIND OUT THROUGH A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY THAT I, I'VE RELIED ON BEFORE, THEY, THEY COLLECT ABOUT 40, 45 MILLION A MONTH IN, UH, PAY, UH, PAYROLL OF THAT ABOUT 3.6 MILLION IS PAYROLL TAXES, I'M TOLD SO FAR THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER. 
          UM, THEY'RE UP 25% THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR AND GROWING. 
          THOSE ARE ACTUAL NUMBERS. 
          SO I'M LOOKING AT THAT NOW. 
          EXACT MOST OF THEIR BUSINESS IS BLUE COLLAR, UH, CONSTRUCTION, UH, MANUFACTURING, UM, ALL, ALL ACROSS THAT, NOT SO MUCH OFFICE, BUT, BUT THEY'RE STILL COLLECTING, YOU KNOW, UPWARDS OF 40 MILLION A MONTH IN THAT. 
          NOW, I DON'T KNOW, THE INCREASE ON THE LOWER END OF THE, OF THE MINIMUM WAGE SCALE, THAT NOW EVERYTHING IS 15, HOW MUCH THAT'S AFFECTING IT. 
          BUT I AM SEEING FROM WHAT THEY'RE TELLING ME, AN INCREASE OF 25% ON PAYROLL TAXES, WHICH I HAVE TO MAYBE THEN DISAGREE WITH. 
          WE, WE SEE A DECREASE OF 2.4% ON, UH, FOR THIS YEAR MOVING, MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO 
          [00:30:01]
THAT'S MY, MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS I'M GETTING REAL TIME DATA SAYING, HEY, WE'RE UP 25% AND GROWING, UH, COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR. 
          UM, I'M SORRY. 
          ARE AND ARE THOSE ALL MARYLAND THOUGH? YES. 
          OR IS THAT IT'S JUST MARYLAND AND NOT, AND NOT ANY OTHER STATES? YES, JUST, JUST MARYLAND, STRICTLY MARYLAND. 
          AND I SPECIFICALLY, I'VE ASKED THAT QUESTION LAST YEAR. 
          I ASKED THIS QUESTION THIS YEAR. 
          SHE PULLS THE REPORT AND, AND BACK FOR THAT. 
          SO IT, AND IT'S A FAIRLY LARGE NUMBER FOR THEM. 
          THEY'RE A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY, SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, A SMALL COMPANY. 
          I MEAN, THEY'RE COLLECTING, LIKE I SAID, 40 MILLION, 40 MILLION A MONTH OF THAT, ABOUT 3.6 MILLION IS, IS GOING TO PAYROLL TAXES. 
          SO, SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY THING I WANNA SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUSINESS LIKE YOURSELF, I EMPLOY PROBABLY 15 PEOPLE NOW. 
          WE'VE ADDED SOME PEOPLE. 
          WE NEED TECHNICAL PEOPLE. 
          IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO, TO GET SOMEBODY, WE, WE'VE HIRED SOME OTHER PEOPLE AND TRAIN HIM, YOU KNOW, HOW, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A COUPLE YEARS TO GET SOMEBODY TO THE POINT. 
          UM, SO I'M SEEING A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES OPENING. 
          I I SEE SOME CLOSING, BUT I SEE OTHER ONES FILLING, FILLING, MAYBE NOT THE SAME BUSINESS. 
          UH, I'M SEEING A LOT OF RESTAURANTS OPENING UP, UH, FILLING THE VOID OF MAYBE SOME OF THE CHAINS THAT ARE GOING OUT AND, AND A CONSTANT OBAMA. 
          SO I, SO I DO SEE A LOT OF, A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE OPENING, I SEE A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE GROWING, PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR HELP. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT I SEE IS THAT CAN'T FIND, YOU KNOW, UH, SKILLED HELP, YOU KNOW? UM, AND SOME OF THE LOWER LEVEL PEOPLE, THEY'RE, THEY CAN'T GET 'EM TO COME IN THE DOOR TO, TO WORK THE WORK ETHIC, YOU KNOW, IF THEY CAN FIND THEM, THEY'RE WILLING TO PAY 'EM, THEY'RE WILLING TO TRAIN 'EM. 
          SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST WHERE I'M AT WITH, WITH MY THING. 
          I, I, AND I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU GUYS ARE. 
          I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT POINT UP, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S ALL I APPRECIATE. 
          I APPRECIATE YOUR REPORT SURE. 
          AND, AND THE EFFORTS OF YOUR, OF YOUR GROUP VERY MUCH. 
          THANKS. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU, MR. JAN AND MR. BENNETT. 
          HELLO. 
          AND THANK YOU MORNING AGAIN, MORNING FOR BEING HERE ON PAGE 53 OF THE, UH, BUDGET. 
          UM, THERE'S THE PROJECTIONS OUT FOR FUTURE BUDGETS, UH, CREATED BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND HIS STAFF. 
          UM, I WAS CURIOUS IF YOU ALL AS, UH, AS A GROUP LOOKED OVER THOSE PROJECTIONS AND, AND IF YOU DID, WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON IT. 
          UH, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE'RE ALL LOOKING AT THE FY 25 BUDGET, BUT THEY PROJECT FOR FFY OR FY 26 TO SPEND ABOUT 20, UH, $29 MILLION MORE THAN THIS YEAR COMING UP. 
          UM, AND THEN FY 27 TO GO ABOUT $26 MILLION MORE. 
          I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE PROJECTIONS AND, AND IF THOSE PROJECTIONS ARE, UM, SUPPORTED BY, UH, YOU ALL AND, UH, SPENDING AFFORDABILITY, UM, AND, AND JUST WHERE YOU, UH, AS A, AS A, A GROUP FEEL ON THE FEASIBILITIES OF THOSE PROJECTIONS. 
          LIKE, ARE THOSE PROJECTIONS ROSE COLORED? ARE THOSE PROJECTIONS JUST PLACEHOLDERS? YOU KNOW, HOW SHOULD WE LOOK AS A COUNCIL? HOW SHOULD WE LOOK AT THOSE PROJECTIONS AS WE'RE PLANNING, YOU KNOW, THE CONTINUED SUPPORT THE OPERATIONS OF OUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND ALL THE ORGANIZATIONS WE FUND? SURE. 
          UH, WELL, WE'RE LOOKING AT HISTORIC NUMBERS AND TRYING TO EXTRAPOLATE THAT INTO THE CURRENT YEAR TO, TO GIVE OUR, OUR BEST PRESENTATION AS FAR AS GUIDANCE AND A TOOL THAT WE KNOW IS USED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AND AN ADVISORY AND INDEPENDENT CAPACITY. 
          SO WE, WE REALLY, I HAVEN'T REVIEWED THOSE, THOSE NUMBERS. 
          UM, SO I, I SHOULDN'T REALLY COMMENT, I WOULD SAY, UH, ON THAT. 
          UM, MR. ZALES, WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ANSWERS TO YEAH, I MEAN, I, I WOULD SAY THAT THEY ARE, THAT, THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY JUST KIND OF, UM, UH, KIND OF GENERALITIES, YOU KNOW, I I SOMEWHERE PROBABLY BETWEEN A A, A BEST, A BEST GUESS, AND A, AND A AND A PLACEHOLDER. 
          UM, BUT I, YOU KNOW, I DO THINK THAT THAT MIGHT BE ONE OF THOSE, THOSE AREAS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS A COUNTY, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NEED TO, TO, TO START LOOKING AT A MORE LONG-TERM APPROACH, YOU KNOW, AS WE DO WITH CAPITAL, UM, YOU KNOW, ON OUR, ON OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, OPERATING EXPENDITURES AND OPERATING REVENUES. 
          BECAUSE I THINK THAT REALLY DOES GET TO THE WHOLE IDEA OF THIS, OF THIS STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, YOU DO START RUNNING OUT OF FUND BALANCE, AND IT JUST, IT, IT, YOU CAN, ONCE YOU START PUTTING THAT FUND BALANCE ON ONGOING EXPENDITURES, AND ONCE IT, ONCE THE, THE RATE OF EXPENDITURE GROWTH REALLY DOES START TO TAKE OFF FROM, UM, THE RATE OF REVENUE GROWTH. 
          YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG BEFORE YOU HAVE A A TRUE PROBLEM. 
          YOU, YOU, YOU'VE ACTUALLY JUST RUN OUT OF MONEY. 
          YOU HAVE NO ADDITIONAL FUND BALANCE. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO FOLLOW UP ON, UH, MM-HMM. 
           ON THAT, UH, AS WELL, YOU KNOW, MR. PENMAN ASKED SOME VERY GOOD QUESTIONS AROUND FUND BALANCE. 
          AND YOU'RE ASKING, PROJECTING, WE DID PUT IN OUR REPORT OUR CONCERN OF A GROWING STRUCTURAL, WHAT I CALL A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, AND WE'RE FUNDING OPERATING THROUGH THAT VERSUS CAPITAL PROJECT. 
          SO I THINK THE COMMITTEE, I CAN SPEAK TO THAT AS, AS WE 
          [00:35:01]
DID PUT IN WRITING THAT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT POSSIBILITY. 
          'CAUSE YOU CAN'T SPEND TO ZERO YOUR FUND BALANCE. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, AND, AND I GUESS TO A, DO THOSE PROJECTIONS TYPICALLY WORK OUT TO BE MORE CONSERVATIVE OR LESS CONSERVATIVE THAN OUR CURRENT YEAR MODEL? YEAH, I MEAN, I WOULD PROBABLY SAY IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE, THE REVENUES, UM, HAVE, THEY'VE BEEN, THEY'VE BEEN TOO CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, FISCAL YEAR 21, OUR INCOME TAX WENT UP 21%. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AND EVEN, AND THEN IN, IN, UM, LAST YEAR, AGAIN, UM, INCOME TAX CONTINUED TO BE STRONG. 
          YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR, IF YOU WERE TO GO BACK THOUGH, AND WE'LL LOOK AT OUR, AT OUR PROJECTIONS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WOULD'VE BEEN OFF AS, AS THE, THE CHAIR SAID, YOU KNOW, WE, WE MISSED OUR MARK THIS YEAR. 
          UM, AND THAT IS THAT VOLATILITY OF, OF, OF THE REVENUES, PARTICULARLY THE INCOME TAX. 
          YOU KNOW, PROPERTY TAX IS A MUCH MORE STABLE REVENUE. 
          UM, IT KIND OF GOES UP AND THEN IT KIND OF PLATEAUS AND IT GOES UP. 
          UM, BUT INCOME TAX, PARTICULARLY AS WE GET MORE AND MORE OF OUR INCOME TAX IS BEING DERIVED FROM HIGH INCOME INDIVIDUALS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHO OFTENTIMES HAVE TO MAKE, ARE MAKING FAMILY DECISIONS ON WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR MONEY OR ESTATE PLANNING DECISIONS OR, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES ARE BEING BOUGHT AND SOLD AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          AND YOU'RE JUST GETTING A LOT MORE VOLATILITY, UM, THAN, YOU KNOW, THAN YOU NORMALLY DO. 
          AND THAT'S KIND WHAT WE SAW THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          THAT'S WHY THOSE ESTIMATED PAYMENTS, THERE'S RECONCILING PAYMENTS. 
          A LOT OF THAT WAS, I DON'T WANNA GET TOO MUCH IN THE WEEDS, BUT BECAUSE OF THESE PASS THROUGH ENTITIES AND SOME CHANGES THERE, UM, BUT TYPICALLY WHAT WE WOULDN'T SEE WAS THE CHANGE IN THE WITHHOLDING, UM, OR, OR I I SHOULD SAY, A DECLINE IN THE WITHHOLDING. 
          THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WAS SO KIND OF SHOCKING THIS, THIS TIME AROUND TO SEE THAT CHANGE IN WITHHOLDING OVER TWO CONSECUTIVE QUARTERS. 
          AGAIN, HOPEFULLY WHEN WE GET, WHEN WE GET OUR NUMBERS AT THE END OF, UM, AROUND MEMORIAL DAY, UM, MAYBE HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE A REVERSAL OF THAT. 
          UM, BUT, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S CONCERN AROUND THE STATE ABOUT THAT DECLINING WITHHOLDING, UM, AND I, LAST QUESTION, BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT, AS WE LOOK AT THE FY 26 PROJECTED BUDGET, IT'LL BE ABOUT 29 MILLION, A LITTLE OVER $29 MILLION MORE THAN THE FY 25 BUDGET. 
          AND WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO LAND THE AIRPLANE AS FAR AS THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT GOES AND GET TO A POINT WHERE WE'RE NO LONGER SPENDING MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE, UM, SO THAT WE DON'T GO TO ZERO WITH FUND BALANCE, BUT IN ORDER, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE CURRENTLY SPENDING OUT OF FUND BALANCE ABOUT $25 MILLION A YEAR, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO BUY FY 26, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST SAY BE AT ZERO, UH, WE'RE NOT SPENDING MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE, AND, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE INCREASING THE OVERALL BUDGET BY 29 MILLION. 
          THAT WOULD MEAN AN INCREASE IN REVENUE FOR FY 26 OF ABOUT $54 MILLION TO NO LONGER HAVE A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT AND INCREASE THE OPERATING BUDGET BY $29 MILLION IN THAT PROJECTION FOR FY 26. 
          WHERE DOES THAT $54 MILLION COME FROM? WHERE, HOW DO WE GET THERE? AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AS, UM, AS A BUDGET TEAM, HOW DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN PLACING THAT $29 MILLION AS OUR PLACEHOLDER FOR FY 26? WELL, I THINK THAT THE PROPERTY TAX WILL PROBABLY GROW BY 5% BECAUSE THE WAY PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS ARE PHASED IN OVER THREE YEARS, AND YOU HAVE THE 5% HOMESTEAD TAX CREDIT, UM, UM, ALL OF WHICH SHOULD, SHOULD HOPEFULLY MEAN THAT THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS WE SHOULD HAVE AROUND 5%. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD ALSO HAVE SOME WEIRD PROPERTY TAX CORRECTION AND THEN, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GETTING APPEALS AND THIS AND THAT. 
          UM, THEN ON THE INCOME TAX, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT GET THERE IF, IF THIS THREE AND A HALF PERCENT IS, IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE SEE IT TRENDING. 
          AND AGAIN, PROBABLY IN THE LONG TERM, THREE AND A HALF PERCENT MAKES SENSE. 
          NEXT YEAR, THREE AND A HALF PERCENT, IT MIGHT BE 7%, IT MIGHT BE NEGATIVE ONE. 
          UM, BUT YOU, I I DO THINK THAT, THAT WE, WE PROBABLY NEED TO START LOOKING AT REVENUES GROWING, YOU KNOW, ON AVERAGE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING IN THE RANGE OF 4%, FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, PROBABLY GOING, GOING FORWARD. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, MAYBE WE'LL GET FORTUNATE AND, AND THE INCOME TAX WILL GROW. 
          UH, BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN CONSIDERABLE DOWNTURN IN OUR, SOME OF THOSE SMALLER REVENUES, THE TRANSFER TAX, THE RECREATION, WHICH WE USE FOR DEBT SERVICE. 
          I DO THINK THAT THE INTEREST INCOME, WHICH HAS BEEN A BLESSING THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, IS STILL GONNA BE STRONG. 
          I DON'T THINK YOU'RE, THEY'RE GONNA, BUT, BUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'RE GETTING OFF OF INTEREST NOW IS LESS, UM, THE, THE YIELD IS LESS THAN IT WAS A FEW MONTHS AGO. 
          AND I, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD PROBABLY KNOW BETTER IF, IF, IF, IF YOU THINK THAT THE, THE, UM, THE INTEREST RATES THAT WE CAN GET OFF OF MONEY MARKETS AND, AND TREASURIES AND ALL IS GONNA, IS GONNA GROW OR, OR NOT GROW FROM HERE. 
          BUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT IT'S DROPPED COUPLE MONTHS. 
          SO I, I WOULD THINK IT'D BE MORE LIKELY THAN NOT BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE SHARING, THAT OUR ACTUAL FY 26 BUDGET, UH, WILL BE MORE LIKELY SMALLER THAN WHAT'S PROJECTED, THAN LARGER THAN WHAT'S 
          [00:40:01]
PROJECTED IN THE BUDGET. 
          IS THAT FAIR TO SAY? I, I THINK THAT GOES BACK TO WHAT WE WERE SAYING BEFORE, IS THAT WE THINK THAT THE, THE DOWNSIDE RISK IS PROBABLY HIGHER THAN THE UPSIDE RISK RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, SO THANK YOU. 
          AND MAYBE IN THE FUTURE WHEN WE DESIGN THAT PROJECTION, WE COULD LEAN TO BEING MORE, YOU KNOW, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE OUTSIDE ENTITIES, I'M SURE LOOK AT THOSE PROJECTIONS THAT ARE LISTED IN THE BUDGET AS THEY'RE WORKING TOWARDS THEIR LONG-TERM PLANS FOR BUDGETS. 
          YOU KNOW, AS IT SAYS, AN FY 26, WE INCREASE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BY THIS AMOUNT. 
          WE'RE GONNA COMPLETE THE HAR THE HARTFORD CENTER BY THIS AMOUNT, PUBLIC SAFETY BY THIS AMOUNT. 
          UM, YOU CAN BUILD AROUND THOSE NUMBERS, BUT IF THEY'RE, UM, UH, TOO, UH, AGGRESSIVE, THEN THAT COULD DO HARM TO THOSE OUTSIDE ENTITIES THAT ARE, UH, ACCOUNTING ON BEING ABLE TO PREDICT WHAT'S GONNA COME THEIR WAY. 
          SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL AS A TEAM COULD LOOK AT, IS BEING A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION FOR FUTURE PLANNING OF WHAT ARE WE DOING BY FY 30 FY 31, UM, SO THAT WE HAVE GOOD, A GOOD PLAN AND NOT JUST A HOPEFUL PLAN AS FAR AS WHAT'S COMING AHEAD. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. 
          MR. RILEY? YES, MR. KELLY, I AGAIN, WANNA THANK YOU AND YOUR, UH, COMMITTEE, UM, AND ALSO THE GOVERNMENT STAFF THAT PUT THIS TOGETHER. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS, UH, FOR YOU OR FOR, UH, MR. SANDLES, BUT IF YOU LOOKED AT YOUR REPORT LAST YEAR, HOW WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT FARED OUT, UH, AS TO WHAT YOU PROJECTED OR WHAT YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS WERE? IF, I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT AT, AT THE PRIOR YEAR, WE WERE TOO, TOO OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE THE INCOME TAXES ACTUALLY DECLINED, UH, OVER THE PRIOR YEAR. 
          AND THAT, AND HENCE THAT'S WHY YOU'RE, YOU'RE SEEING, UH, US BEING, UM, TALKED THROUGH THE ESTIMATED QUARTERLY PAYMENTS AND THE, UM, RECONCILIATION PAYMENT VERSUS THE, THE WAGE GROWTH. 
          WE DIDN'T GET THE WAGE GROWTH THAT WE WERE EXPECTING. 
          NOW THERE CAN BE SOME NOISE IN THIS DATA COMING FROM THE STATE. 
          SO HOPE, HOPEFULLY, AS WE SEE THIS COME THROUGH, I'LL BE VERY INTERESTED IN THE REPORTS IN THE COMING MONTHS, UH, AS TO WHAT ACTUALLY OCCURS. 
          AND MR. SANDLES, COULD YOU, UH, OPINION ON THAT? YEAH, I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S RIGHT ON. 
          WE, WE, WE, WE EXPECT THAT LAST YEAR FOR INCOME TAX TO BE, TO BE FLAT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE, WE KNEW THAT WE GOT ALL THAT MONEY IN JANUARY FROM THOSE RECONCILING DISTRIBUTIONS. 
          WE'RE LIKE, ALL RIGHT, THAT'S GONNA GO BACK TO THE NORM. 
          BUT WE REALLY DID THINK THAT WITH THE WAGE PRESSURE, THAT THE QUARTERLY DISTRIBUTIONS, THE WITHHOLDING WAS GOING TO GROW BY, YOU KNOW, BY ABOUT 5% OR SO, AND IT WAS GONNA THEN JUST EVEN OUT. 
          BUT THEN, UM, THE, THE RECONCILING WENT DOWN AS EXPECTED, THE ESTIMATED PAYMENTS WENT DOWN AS EXPECTED, BUT THEN WHEN THOSE WITHHOLDINGS DIDN'T GROW BY FOUR OR 5%, AND INSTEAD THEY DECLINED BY 1%, WE FOUND OURSELVES IN A, IN A HOLE. 
          AND NOW WE'RE, WE'RE, EVEN IF WE DO HAVE POSITIVE GROWTH, WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE LESS THAN WHAT THAT ORIGINAL TRAJECTORY WAS. 
          YOU KNOW, EVEN A FEW SHORT MONTHS AGO, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF GO BACK TO NO, NOVEMBER, WE SAW THE, WE SAW WITHHOLDING DOWN, WE TALKED TO THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, AND THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, WE THINK IT'S A CALENDAR ISSUE. 
          I'M LIKE, OH, ALL RIGHT. 
          AND THEN WE CAME BACK IN FEBRUARY AND IT WAS LIKE, HMM, SOMETHING ELSE IS HAPPENING HERE. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT EVERYBODY, YOU LOOK AT ANY OTHER COUNTY'S INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION, UM, THEIR, WHAT THEY'RE BUDGETING FOR NEXT YEAR, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S, EVERYBODY SAW THAT, THAT, THAT DECLINE EVERYBODY IS, HAS LOWERED THEIR INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION, UM, THE STATE AS WELL AS EVERY COUNTY. 
          AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE REPORT LAST YEAR. 
          I KNOW YOU GUYS GOT BEAT UP, UH, OVER IT, UM, BECAUSE EVERYBODY THOUGHT YOU WERE TOO CONSERVATIVE. 
          AND SO I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND, UH, I THINK IT'S, UM, A GOOD REPORT. 
          THANK YOU, MR. KELLY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. 
          MR. KELLY, YOU MENTIONED NOISE, AND ROBBIE, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, AND I SEE IN HERE WHERE YOU HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT, UH, NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAM AT THE COMP CONTROL'S OFFICE. 
          DOES THAT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? IS THAT REALLY SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT? WE, WE, WE DON'T KNOW. 
          THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, WE HAVE A CPA HERE IN, IN, IN, IN, IN, UH, WITH, UH, UH, STEVE WISEMAN AND, YOU KNOW, HE CAN PROBABLY ATTEST TO SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT, THAT, THAT, UM, FILERS AND ALL HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS, UM, THIS YEAR IN GETTING NUMBERS IN. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN FROM THE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE TIMES WHERE WE COULDN'T, UM, GET OUR NUMBERS IN AND, AND THINGS WERE OFF. 
          UM, SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT'S THE CASE. 
          THEY HAVE TOLD US THAT, THAT THEY DON'T THINK IT'S ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT. 
          SO IF YOU TAKE THEM AT THEIR FACE, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TO US, THAT, THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE, BUT IT, IT COULD HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF, OF IMPACT. 
          BUT I DON'T THINK ANYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIG FILERS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DODS AND THE SOCIAL SECURITIES AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          MR. WISEMAN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? UH, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY MORE OF A TEMPORARY THING. 
          OKAY. 
          AS THEY TRANSITION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          [00:45:01]
UM, ANYONE ELSE SEEING NO ONE ELSE? UH, MR. KELLY, AGAIN, WE WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM, UH, FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU ALL THIS MORNING AND WITH YOU. 
          BEST LUCK DURING THIS PROCESS, . 
          SO, MS. HASLER? YES, SIR. 
          IT'S YOUR TURN. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WE ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THIS EIGHT MORE CHICKEN . 
          ARE THESE NEW CHAIRS? THEY'RE VERY NICE. 
          UH, MAYBE, NO, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE NEW THIS YEAR OR NOT, I THINK LAST YEAR. 
          YEAH. 
          AND IF I MAY, BEFORE YOU START, I WANNA RECOGNIZE A FORMER COUNTY EXECUTIVE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, MR. GLASSMAN. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          ALRIGHT, WELL, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, MA'AM. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU. 
          HEY, TONY. 
          I'M TRYING TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE HERE. 
          , UM, IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU DO HAVE OUR TOYS. 
          UM, THEY'RE EDUCATIONAL TOYS. 
          THEY DEVELOP PRE-LITERACY AND SKILLS, UM, SORTING AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT GO OUT ON OUR TRAVELING LIBRARY FLEET. 
          WE HAVE FOUR VEHICLES THAT WE PURCHASED. 
          UM, THEY ARE HOLDING THE, HOLDING THE SPACE UNTIL WE CAN GET THAT ROLLING READER, SILVER READER, FULL-SIZE VEHICLES READY AND UP AND RUNNING. 
          UM, BUT THESE ARE HOUSED AT THE BEL AIR LIBRARY AND OUR OLD ASSISTANT BRANCH MANAGER'S OFFICE. 
          SO, UM, IF YOU'RE EVER THERE, FEEL FREE TO STOP BY AND ASK THE STAFF TO SHOW YOU WHERE THEY'RE HOUSED BECAUSE IT'S QUITE IMPRESSIVE. 
          WE HAVE SLEDS, WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF THINGS. 
          SO WE, WE BROUGHT IN AN ASSORTMENT FOR YOU. 
          AND, AND, AND NO, PAT, YOU CAN'T HIT HIM WITH YOUR ROLLING PIN . 
          AND YOU GOT THE ROLLING PIN BECAUSE YOUR UNCLE'S BAKERY. 
          YES. 
          WHICH YOU OWE ME THE GINGERBREAD RECIPE. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          NO PROBLEM. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO DO. 
          UM, YOU'RE ALWAYS THERE. 
          IF WE CALL YOU TEXT, YOU COME TO OUR EVENTS AND, AND THE STAFF AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT, YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, WE KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT US WITH ME TODAY. 
          I HAVE KATHY KOGER, OUR CFO, DARIA PERRY, OUR, SO COO WE HAVE LESLIE GREENLEY SMITH, LESLIE RAISE YOUR HAND, OUR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS. 
          WE HAVE AMBER SCH ROSE, OUR DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY AND DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND UH, DID I LEAVE CHARLES JEN? OH AND JEN? YES. 
          JEN JEN BUTTON WHO'S UM, MAKES MY LIFE REALLY EASY. 
          SHE IS THE EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE CEO AND CHARLES IS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AHEAD OF HR, BUT I BELIEVE HE'S IN TRAFFIC FROM BALTIMORE AGAIN TOO. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND I WILL BE BRIEF BECAUSE I KNOW YOU HAVE A LONG DAY AHEAD OF YOU. 
          UM, WAGE PARITY REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY FOR LIBRARY STAFF. 
          AND AGAIN, TO SAY THAT OUR STAFF IS DISTRAUGHT TO NOT RECEIVE WAGE PARITY WITH COUNTY EMPLOYEES OR TO BE INCLUDED IN THE 1% $1,000 SALARY INCREASE THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. 
          THAT ALSO DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE PROPOSED INCREASES FOR OTHER COUNTY AGENCIES IN MARYLAND COUNTY. 
          PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE REPORTING PROPOSED SALARY INCREASES FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES AND HARTFORD WILL FALL EVEN FURTHER BEHIND THE LACK OF WAGE PARITY FUNDING FOR OUR WONDERFUL, AND I DO MEAN WONDERFUL LIBRARY EMPLOYEES WILL PRESENT US WITH SOME DIFFICULT CHOICES GOING FORWARD, WHICH COULD INCLUDE THE REDUCTION OF SERVICES TO OUR COUNTY FAMILY AND CUSTOMERS. 
          IF THIS CONTINUES, WE HAVE ALL FELT THE PRESSURES OF INCREASED INFLATION FOR ENERGY SUPPLIES AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE OF WHICH THE LIBRARY DOES PAY FOR FAILURE TO FUND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AND GENERAL UPKEEP OF OUR FACILITIES WILL ONLY BE EXASPERATED WITHOUT ADDRESSING CAPITAL NEEDS. 
          A SMALL EXAMPLE IS THAT THE LIBRARY HAS BEEN ASKED TO PICK UP THE EXPENSES FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS IN ALL OUR BUILDINGS THAT HAVE SPRINKLERS AS WELL AS WATER CONDITIONING COSTS. 
          NOW THESE ARE SMALL PRICE TAGS, BUT THE BUILDINGS ARE OWNED AND MAINTAINED BY THE COUNTY. 
          AND SHIFTING THE COST TO THE LIBRARY WITHOUT THE FUNDING FOLLOWING IS DISTRESSING. 
          NOT TO MENTION THE QUESTION OF HOW THE FUNDING SET ASIDE FOR COUNTY BUILDING MAINTENANCE IS BEING USED, IF NOT FOR COUNTY BUILDING MAINTENANCE. 
          THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BILL FOR MARYLAND LIBRARY'S ENABLING LEGISLATION HOUSE BILL, HOUSE BILL 6 0 9 WAS SIGNED ON APRIL 25TH BY THE GOVERNOR AND HAS AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF JULY 1ST, 2024 IF OUR EMPLOYEES DECIDE TO GO THAT ROUTE. 
          AND OF COURSE WE WOULD SUPPORT THEM IN THAT MOVEMENT. 
          IT WILL CLEARLY MEAN AN INCREASE IN ADMINISTRATIVE COST. 
          IT DOES HOLD HARMLESS LOCAL GOVERNMENT FROM ANY REQUIREMENT TO FUND INCREASES IN SALARY AND BENEFITS, BUT WILL PUT THE LIBRARY IN A PRECARIOUS POSITION. 
          THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION NOTIFIED THE DELEGATION DURING THE STATE CA STATE CAPITAL BUDGET PROCESS THAT IT WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTING THE ALREADY APPROVED $5 MILLION CAPITAL 
          [00:50:01]
GRANT FOR THE BEL AIR LIBRARY PROJECT. 
          SUBSEQUENTLY, I'M SORRY. 
          SUBSEQUENTLY, ALTHOUGH OUR DELEGATION ATTEMPTED TO KEEP A PLACEHOLDER FOR SOME FUNDING, IT WAS REMOVED AS A HARFORD COUNTY GRANT AND REMOVED FROM THE STATE LIBRARY CAPITAL BUDGET COMPLETELY. 
          THE COUNTY'S BACKING OUT OF THE PROCESS WILL NO DOUBT BRING THE END TO FUTURE LIBRARY CAPITAL GRANTS FOR SOME TIME. 
          WE ARE CONTINUING TO WATCH BUDGET DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STATE LEVEL AS WE ALL SAW SOME OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS IN HARTFORD COUNTY, INCLUDING THE COLLEGE HAVING TO OPPOSE CHANGES IN FORMULAS OR LOCAL SHARES DURING THE STATE BUDGETING PROCESS. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          ALRIGHT, ROBBIE, THIS IS, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU. 
          OKAY, . 
          GOOD THING I'VE GOT THIS MICROPHONE. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          THERE, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT SPENDING DOWN FUND BALANCES AND LET ME PROVIDE SOME CLARIFICATION FROM THE LIBRARY PERSPECTIVE. 
          AS OF JUNE 30TH, 2023, THE LIBRARY HAD A FUND BALANCE OF $12,970,000. 
          BUT A PORTION 3.373 IS RESTRICTED FOR ITEMS INCLUDING PREPAIDS, SUCH AS THE CARE FIRST JULY BILL THAT IS PAID IN JUNE, HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM FUNDS WITH THE COUNTY AND ENCUMBRANCES OR OPEN PURCHASE ORDERS CARRIED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          THE FUND BALANCE IS ALWAYS INCLUDED IN THE ANNUAL AUDIT AND IS A REAL NUMBER AND AVAILABLE FOR FULL REVIEW. 
          THIS LEAVES 9.23 3000 AS A SPENDABLE GENERAL FUND BALANCE OF THAT AMOUNT. 
          WE HAD ALLOCATED 7.5 MILLION TO LIBRARY CAPITAL PROJECTS 'CAUSE WE DO FUND MANY OF OUR OWN CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          AND THIS INCLUDED THE FOUR, $4 MILLION OF STATE MATCHING FUNDS FOR THE BEL AIR RENOVATION THAT WE WILL MATCH THOSE FUNDS AND MOVE FORWARD WITH A RENOVATION PROJECT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY. 
          AND WE HAVE ALLOCATED THAT FOR THE BEL AIR RENOVATION. 
          OUR PLANS IN FISCAL YEAR 25, INCLUDING RESTORING 13 TEEN PAGE POSITIONS WITH A BUDGET ALLOCATION OF 100,000, AND THAT WILL BE FOR NINE HOURS PER WEEK MINIMUM WAGE, ENABLING THE LIBRARY TO PROVIDE ENHANCED SUPPORT FOR PATRONS AND PROVIDE WORK EXPERIENCE FOR SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE TEENS IN OUR COUNTY. 
          OUR PROPOSED BUDGET WAS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE INFLATION ISSUE THAT HAS IMPACTED OUR MATERIALS BUDGET, OUR BUILDING BUDGETS, OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGETS, AND TO SUPPORT OUR EARLY AND PRE-LITERACY SERVICES ALONG WITH STEM THAT ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF PRESCHOOL LEARNING AT THE LIBRARY AND PART OF THE BLUEPRINT INITIATIVES. 
          IN CLOSING, THE LIBRARY IS COMMITTED TO SERVING AS AN ECONOMIC FORCE IN THE COUNTY AND FOSTERING LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL. 
          AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE LIBRARY AND ALL YOU DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITIES. 
          AND LET ME FINISH. 
          YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS LIKE QUOTES AND IT'S NOT WALT DISNEY THIS TIME, BUT IT IS FROM SAM BOWMAN, AUTHOR, BLOGGER, COACH AND PUBLIC SPEAKER. 
          LIBRARIES DO MORE THAN BUILD COMMUNITY. 
          THEY ARE THE COMMUNITY RATHER THAN A SYMBOL OF THE PAST. 
          LIBRARIES ARE ACTIVE SOCIAL ENTITIES THAT HELP PEOPLE LEARN AND PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE BY PROVIDING ESSENTIAL ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND INFORMATION, LIBRARY SUPPORT, EDUCATION AND LITERACY, WHILE SERVING AS A CRITICAL COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MARY. 
          AND AS ALWAYS, YOUR PASSIONS EXTREMELY EVIDENT. 
          UM, YOU MAY HAVE ANSWERED THIS AND I JUST MAYBE NOT HAVE CAUGHT IT, BUT USERS, HOW MANY USERS DO YOU HAVE ACROSS THE COUNTY IN YOUR LIBRARIES? HOW MANY CITIZENS USE THE LIBRARIES WE HAVE, UH, AND WE'RE VERY GOOD ABOUT PURGING OUR DATABASE, THAT THAT'S DARIA'S JOB. 
          SO, UM, WE REALLY DO ELIMINATE, ANYONE HAS NOT USED THE LIBRARY IN, I THINK IT'S TWO TO THREE YEARS. 
          THREE YEARS. 
          THREE YEARS. 
          UM, SO WE HAVE A TOTAL OF, LET'S SEE, WELL, WE HAVE OVER 300,000 WIFI USERS. 
          WE HAVE A HUNDRED AND 150 ACTIVE LIBRARY CARD HOLDERS AT THIS MOMENT. 
          AND THIS WAS AS A FISCAL YEAR OF, UH, JUNE 30TH OF LAST YEAR. 
          SO MORE THAN HALF OUR POPULATION. 
          MM-HMM. 
           AND THEN THE BEL AIR LIBRARY ITSELF. 
          HOW MANY USERS THERE? HOW COME YOURS ISN'T IN COLOR? OH, OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO THE BEL AIR LIBRARY HAS A POPULATION OF 76,000. 
          UM, IT CIRCULATED, THIS IS JUST ONE MONTH, 59,000 ITEMS. IT DOES ABOUT 25% OF OUR, ALL OF OUR BUSINESS LEVELS AND FOR LIBRARY CARD HOLDERS. 
          DID YOU PRINT THIS ONE OUT, KATHY? NO, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE IT HERE. 
          WAIT, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER FOR YOU, BUT THEY DO, DO CONSISTENTLY 24 TO 28% OF OUR TOTAL BUSINESS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND IT IS THE HUB OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND THEN ROBBIE 
          [00:55:01]
OR MR. MCCORD, EITHER ONE, CAN YOU, UH, GIVE US AN EXPLANATION ON WHY THE COUNTY DID NOT SUPPORT THAT GRANT OR WOULD NOT ACCEPT THAT GRANT OF THE GRANT REQUIRED, YOU KNOW, A SUBSTANTIAL, UM, COUNTY BOND EXPENDITURE AS A, AS A, AS A MATCH FOR THAT? UM, SO I MEAN, ULTIMATELY IT COMES DOWN TO A QUESTION OF, OF, UH, JUST OUR, OUR OVERALL, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE GONNA PUT THE, THE COUNTY BONDS. 
          AND AGAIN, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF VERY GOOD PROJECTS THAT SOMETIMES WON'T, WON'T MAKE THE CUTS. 
          BUT I THINK PARTICULARLY WITH, UM, SOME OF THE GROWING COSTS OF SOME OF THE SCHOOL PROJECTS AND SOME OF THE OTHER, OTHER, OTHER AREAS, UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY IT DOES, IT KIND OF GETS TO THAT DEBT AFFORDABILITY ISSUE. 
          IT STARTS CROWDING OUT, UM, OTHER, OTHER TYPES OF PROJECTS. 
          BUT, OKAY. 
          JUST TO ME, YOU TALKED ABOUT EDUCATION, IT JUST SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE LIBRARY AND EDUCATION GOES HAND TO GLOVE. 
          SO, UM, COUNSEL, MR. BENNETT, UM, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT LAST QUESTION, DID THE ADMINISTRATION TAKE INTO ACCOUNT HOW THIS WOULD IMPACT LONG TERM, THE LIBRARY SYSTEM'S ABILITY TO GET ON THAT LIST FOR GRANT FUNDING FROM THE STATE? NOW WE TURNED DOWN MONEY ONCE. 
          WHAT DOES THAT DO TO YEARS TO COME WHEN WE TRY TO GET MONEY IN THE FUTURE? WAS THAT PART OF THE EQUATION IN MAKING THAT, THAT DECISION TO WRITE A LETTER SAYING, WE DON'T WANT THE MONEY? WELL, I MEAN, I THINK THAT ANYTIME THERE ARE, UH, THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME TYPE OF, OF MATCHING GRANTS, AND WE DO, WE, WE, WE DO GENERALLY LOOK AT THOSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE IN, IN ESSENCE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO LEVERAGE, TO LEVERAGE SOME RESOURCES. 
          YOU KNOW, I THINK IN THESE CASES THOUGH, YOU WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, SO THE, THE, THE BULK IS LOCAL FUNDING AND THE AMOUNT OF OF, OF STATE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, IS A, IS, IS IS THE MINORITY PORTION OF THE, OF, OF THE OVERALL, OF THE OVERALL PROJECT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD PROJECTS OUT THERE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST WITH THE LIBRARY THAT, THAT WE HAVE HAD TO, THAT WE'VE HAD TO CUR CURTAIL. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE DO TRY TO WEIGH, WE DO TRY TO WEIGH ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO KNOW THAT THE, THE LIBRARY HAS USED SOME OF THEIR OWN, UM, THEIR OWN THUMB BALANCES ON SOME OF THESE PROJECTS AS WELL. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS A, A PROPER USE OF, OF ONETIME OF, OF ONETIME MONEY. 
          NOW AGAIN, I THINK WE'RE UP AGAINST, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF CROWDING OUT, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE LOOK AT, AT, AT SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS OF THE BUDGET THAT ARE, ARE, ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM A STATE MANDATED PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO PUT THOSE RESOURCES IN THOSE AREAS. 
          AND, AND NOT, UM, TO INTERRUPT, BUT I JUST, NOT SURE IF MY QUESTION WAS ANSWERED, BUT DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS TOOK INTO ACCOUNT PROPERLY HOW THIS WOULD IMPACT, UM, THE ABILITY FOR HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY TO, TO GET ON THAT LIST AND GET THAT MONEY TWO YEARS FROM NOW, THREE YEARS FROM NOW? UM, OR IS IT THE ADMINISTRATION'S OPINION THAT IT'S A BAD DEAL FOR US? 'CAUSE THE COUNTY HAS TO PAY A PORTION OF IT AND, AND MATCHING COSTS AND THEREFORE WE DON'T WANNA BE ON THAT STATE LIST FOR GRANT FUNDING FOR OUR LIBRARY CAPITAL PROJECTS? AGAIN, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S WEIGHING OF THE PRIORITIES. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT MIGHT, I WILL SAY THE, THE, THE, THE HARPER COUNTY LIBRARY HAS DONE VERY WELL AT, AT GETTING STATE GRANTS, UM, FROM THIS PROGRAM. 
          AND I REMEMBER WHEN THIS PROGRAM STARTED, AND I THINK IT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS $5 MILLION STATEWIDE. 
          AND, AND HARPER COUNTY WAS CONSISTENTLY GETTING MORE THAN, MORE THAN ITS FAIR SHARE OF, OF, OF THE OVERALL, UM, UH, OF THE OVERALL POT OF, OF STATE FUNDS. 
          UM, BUT IT STILL IS A, IT'S A RELATIVELY LIMITED AMOUNT OF, OF, OF STATE, OF STATE DOLLARS. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, YOU'RE HAVING TO, TO BALANCE THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH RESOURCES DO YOU GO AFTER A LIMITED AMOUNTS OF STATE DOLLARS? YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ALL BENEFICIAL TO HAVE THOSE DOLLARS COME TO THE, COME TO THE COUNTY, BUT IT'S NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT DOES HAVE TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY MATCHED WITH, WITH ADDITIONAL COUNTY RESOURCES. 
          I MEAN, IT'S A PART OF THE, IT'S A PART OF THE, IT'S A PART OF THE CONSIDERATION. 
          IT'S A PART OF THE, UM, ALL OF THAT. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THERE, THERE, WE JUST RUN OUT OF, WE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST RUN OUT OF THE ABILITY TO JUST ADD MORE AND MORE BONDED PROJECTS TO OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS, TO OUR CAPITAL BUDGET. 
          I MEAN, WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO GUESS. 
          I MEAN, YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, PUT RESOURCES IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE A LOT. 
          I MEAN, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE AMOUNT OF SPENDING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE ADDED SEVERAL BRANCHES, YOU KNOW, TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THE LIBRARY. 
          AND IT IS, IT'S, WE'VE, WE'VE DONE SOME SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE JUST KIND OF AT THE POINT NOW WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE RUNNING UP AGAINST SOME, SOME TRUE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DEBT AFFORDABILITY ISSUES. 
          IS THAT IT, MR. BENNETT? YEAH. 
          I, I JUST HAVE TO SIT ON IT FOR A MINUTE. 
          I I'M WATCHING YOU. 
          I'M WATCHING YOU. 
          IT'S A, IT'S A TRADE OFF. 
          I GET YOU. 
          IT'S ALL, ALL OF THIS IS ALL DEFINITELY. 
          I COULD HEAR THE WHEELS TURNING FROM HERE, MS. SOS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK I 
          [01:00:01]
UNDERSTAND. 
          SO THE STATE WAS OFFERING TO GIVE $5 MILLION TO OUR LIBRARIES, AND WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING IT, BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, IT REQUIRES OF SUBSTANTIAL COUNTY. 
          UM, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE, THE, THE DOLLARS WERE FROM THE COUNTY, BUT IT'S ALSO PREVAILING, WHICH IS ANOTHER FACTOR TOO, WHICH IS A FACTOR OF HOW MUCH, SO YEAH, I MEAN, ANYTIME THAT, ONCE WHEN YOU DO TAKE THE, THE STATE DOLLARS MAKES THE OVERALL PROJECT MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE OF, BECAUSE OF PREVAILING WAGES YOU HAVING USED THOSE, THOSE UNION, UNION WAGES FOR, UH, UM, FOR CONSTRUCTION. 
          SO THAT DOES ADD, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD PROJECTS SIMILAR ON THE, THE SWIM SIDE AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MR. JAN. 
          MARY? YES, SIR. 
          DON'T CALL ME, SIR. 
          FIRST OF ALL, THANK, THANK YOU FOR THE, UM, IT PROBABLY WAS THE WORST THING THAT YOU GUYS COULD HAVE EVER DONE IS GAVE ME THE STUFF. 
          'CAUSE I'M JUST HAVING A BLAST PLAYING WITH THIS GUY. 
          THEY'RE NOT GIVING IT TO YOU. 
          THEY'RE TAKING IT BACK. 
          WELL, I KNOW THEY'RE TAKING IT BACK. 
          THEY BACK FOR YOU OWE ME MONEY, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M KIND OF, I'M KIND OF LIKING IT. 
          SO I, I APPRECIATE YOU, YOU GUYS DO A LOT OF WORK. 
          I, I APPRECIATE BEING IN THE VIDEO. 
          UM, THE, UH, OH OH SEVEN VIDEO FOR, FOR THE LIBRARY GALA. 
          THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A GREAT HONOR. 
          I, I DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE COMING FOR, UH, THE READING. 
          UM, I, I LIKE GETTING DRESSED UP. 
          NOW, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, WHO DROPPED OFF THE PLAQUE AND DIDN'T GIMME A NAME? SOMEBODY DROPPED OFF SOMETHING, A PLAQUE WITH ME IN THE, IN THE WIG AND EVERYTHING. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THERE IT IS. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I, I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, I CERTAINLY ENJOY THAT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I MOVED HERE. 
          BEL AIR LIBRARY WAS FIRST LIBRARY I WENT TO. 
          I USED TO READ MAGAZINES ALL THE TIME, CAR MAGAZINES. 
          I PROBABLY WOULD GO THROUGH 20 OF 'EM. 
          AND THEN ABINGDON LIBRARY OPENED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY, MY PARENTS. 
          AND I REMEMBER BEING IN THERE WHEN IT SNOWED, READING THE, THE CAR MAGAZINES. 
          YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST THING IS YOU DON'T HAVE THE MAGAZINES, YOU KNOW? UM, AND I KNOW THEY DO 'EM ONLINE, BUT THERE'S NOTHING LIKE SITTING IN THE LIBRARY. 
          UH, AND, UH, I'M DISAPPOINTED. 
          UH, I UNDERSTAND WHERE, WHERE ROBBIE'S TALKING ABOUT WHERE PREVAILING WAGES WE HAVE TO USE UNION DO THAT. 
          BUT I AM DISAPPOINTED. 
          UM, I'VE SEEN THE BEL AIR LIBRARY GROW A COUPLE DIFFERENT TIMES. 
          UM, I WENT IN THERE TO DO RESUMES YEARS AGO, AND THE LIBRARIANS WERE ALWAYS BIG HELP, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PROJECTS. 
          AND, AND I KNOW NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY, A LOT OF TIMES DURING COVID, I THINK PEOPLE WENT IN AND USED THE LIBRARY'S WIFI FOR, FOR THE KIDS. 
          SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          UM, I, I WISH WE COULD FIND A WAY, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO USE THE PREVAILING WAGES FOR THE, YOU KNOW, HAVING, BEING FORCED TO USE, UM, LABOR U UH, LABOR UNIONS TO BUILD THAT. 
          SO I AM DISAPPOINTED IN THAT. 
          UM, BUT, UH, ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP SUPPORT THE LIBRARY, UM, BIG ADVOCATE. 
          LOVE TO BE A BIG ADVOCATE. 
          IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, PLEASE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I LOVE COMING DOWN TO, UH, MAKO AND, AND SEEING YOU GUYS AND PLAYING WITH EVERYTHING. 
          SO I, I THINK YOU GUYS SEE I'M FULLY IMMERSED IN IT. 
          UM, BUT I, I THINK IT, IT'S REAL IMPORTANT. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT THE LIBRARY DOES, UM, THAT IS INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO, UM, UH, WE THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND EVERYTHING AND, AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, TO READING NEXT YEAR. 
          SEE WHAT MY, AND I BROUGHT MY OWN BOOK, . 
          NOW MOP TOP WAS MY OWN BOOK, SO, UM, I'VE GOT ANOTHER BOOK, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN USE THAT ONE OR NOT, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL SEE. 
          HAVE TO RUN THAT BY YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          I SAY A FEW WORDS. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          FIRST OF ALL, YES, WE CAN'T SCARE THE LITTLE GIRL AGAIN, , BUT I WAS REALLY CUTTING YOUR HAIR AND STARTED TO CRY, , UM, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU. 
          REALLY, TRULY ALL OF YOU PARTICIPATE IN EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING. 
          UM, AND, AND THE BEL PROJECT IS, IS HEARTBREAKING. 
          I, YOU KNOW, WE SPENT YEARS, YEARS WORKING ON THAT GRANT AND WORKING WITH THE COUNTY AND WORKING WITH EVERYONE AND, AND PREVAILING WAGE. 
          THE SCHOOLS PAY PREVAILING WAGE. 
          THE COLLEGE PAYS PREVAILING WAGE. 
          UM, AND THE PREVAILING WAGE IS ABOUT SEVEN 10%. 
          UH, WE GOT THE STATISTICS FROM THE STATE. 
          UM, SO IF YOU DO THE MATH AT THE END, THE COUNTY IS STILL MAKING OUT. 
          UM, AND WE DID PUT MORE THAN 4 MILLION OF OUR FUND BALANCE TOWARD IT, UM, TO HELP SWEETEN THE POT, SO TO SPEAK. 
          UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME PART OF IT WITHOUT THE STATE MONEY. 
          THE HARD PART, THEY DID TAKE IT OUT THE OVERALL 700, SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION. 
          NORMALLY, IF A LIBRARY HAS TO TURN IT BACK, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT UNUSUAL, OTHERS HAD, IT GOES BACK TO THE GENERAL POT AND YOU GET THE PHONE CALL FROM IRENE'S OFFICE SAYING, YOU'VE GOT A SHOVEL READY PROJECT. 
          CAN YOU USE ANOTHER HALF A MILLION? OR WHATEVER. 
          THEY DID NOT. 
          THEY PUNISHED THE STATE LIBRARY TOO AND TOOK IT ALL AWAY. 
          AND THAT, THAT'S REALLY HEARTBREAKING. 
          UM, GOOD NEWS IS OUR VIDEO FROM THE GALA, WHICH MANY OF YOU ARE FEATURED, IS WINNING AN AWARD. 
          SO WE'LL BE RECEIVING THE AWARD THE END OF NEXT WEEK DOWN IN CAMBRIDGE. 
          UM, IT'S THE MARYLAND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION MARKETING AWARD. 
          AND KUDOS TO AMBER AND TO LESLIE, AND TO EVERYONE WHO STARRED 
          [01:05:01]
IN IT. 
          UM, BECAUSE, UM, WE THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, SO WE ENTERED IT AGAIN THIS YEAR. 
          SO CONGRATULATIONS, ALL OF YOU FROM STARS. 
          THANKS, MARY. 
          ROBBIE, WHAT IS THE ACTUAL MATCH NUMBER THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE TO GET THAT, THAT TO YOU. 
          I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE THE, UM, THE ORIGINAL REQUEST. 
          UM, REQUEST. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, WE HAVE IT. 
          HERE. 
          YOU HAVE IT. 
          UM, THE LIBRARY FUND, UH, THE MATCH WAS $4,096,909. 
          UH, FISCAL YEAR FUNDING IN 24 FROM THE STATE CAPITAL GRANT WAS $3,593,000. 
          FISCAL YEAR 23 WAS $1,414,000. 
          UM, WE ALREADY TOOK CARE OF THE ROOF AND ELEVATORS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNTY. 
          UM, THAT WAS NOT PREVAILING WAGE. 
          THAT WAS DONE, UM, NOT WITHIN USING THE, THE LIBRARY CAPITAL GRANT FUNDS. 
          UM, SO, UM, YEAH, THAT'S THE NUMBER. 
          AND THEN THE LIBRARY WOULD PICK UP THE FURNISHINGS ABOUT $2 MILLION. 
          SO THE AMOUNT FUNDING NEEDED WAS $9 MILLION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PROJECT. 
          NOW, AND THAT WOULD BE WITH THE NEW ENTRANCE AT STREET LEVEL ON PENNSYLVANIA AND HICKORY. 
          9 MILLION OF WHICH YOU WERE PROVIDING 4 MILLION OF WE WERE PROVIDING, NO, THAT'S, THAT'S AN SEVEN OF TWO. 
          SO, SO WE GOT FIVE FROM THE STATE, FOUR FROM OUR RESERVES, AND WE NEEDED NINE MORE. 
          NINE MORE. 
          OKAY. 
          9, 9, 9 MORE. 
          YEAH. 
          CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT FOR ME, ROBBIE? I MEAN, IT, IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE THEIR REQUEST. 
          IT WOULD BE, YES. 
          SO, YEAH, I MEAN, BUT, BUT IF THAT'S WHAT THEY SUBMITTED, THEN I THINK THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE, THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN IN THE FUTURE, WILL YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC? OH, I'M SORRY. 
          THEY'RE NOT PICKING YOU UP. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MR. PENMAN. 
          UH, MARY, THANK YOU, UM, FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM. 
          YOU GUYS HAVE A, A GREAT PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND I APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND I'M JUST KIND OF A LITTLE BIT DUMBFOUNDED, UM, ON THE FACT THAT WE WOULDN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A STATE GRANT, UH, BECAUSE OF THE CAPITAL DEBT. 
          UM, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CAPITAL DEBT, WE'RE ALREADY DOING IT FOR A JEOPARDY COMMUNITY CENTER. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S FORECASTED. 
          AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE, THE LIBRARY IS A COMMUNITY CENTER, UH, OAKDEN PARK, YOU GOT THE AVAMAR PROJECT. 
          SO I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY CERTAIN THINGS ARE MM-HMM. 
          ARE CHOSEN AND OTHERS ARE LEFT OUT, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE THIS, YOU KNOW, STATE FUNDING, UH, FOR COMMUNITY NEED. 
          UM, SO, UH, THAT ANSWERED ONE OF MY QUESTIONS THAT I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, KIND OF THE MATCHING FUNDS AND WHAT WAS GONNA BE NEEDED. 
          UH, BUT I DO WANNA RUN THROUGH, UM, YOUR FUND BALANCE. 
          AGAIN, I, I KNOW YOU, YOU THREW THOSE NUMBERS OUT, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAUGHT ALL OF THOSE. 
          UH, BECAUSE I, I WANT TO CIRCLE BACK ON ONE, UH, PEOPLE, UH, YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN, IN YOUR, IN YOUR WORKFORCE. 
          AND THAT'S GONNA COME OUT OF THERE. 
          UH, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, GONNA BE A REOCCURRING THEME TODAY. 
          'CAUSE SCHOOLS ARE GONNA BE NEXT WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO, UH, BECAUSE THE COUNTY DOESN'T WANT TO USE IT FOR REOCCURRING COSTS, BUT WANTS YOU TO USE IT FOR REOCCURRING COSTS. 
          SO CAN YOU WALK, UH, THROUGH THAT FUND BALANCE AGAIN? ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND THIS, IF, IF WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY, UH, FUNDING FOR SALARY INCREASES, THIS WILL BE A THIRD YEAR. 
          WE'VE HAD TO DIP INTO THE FUND. 
          UM, BALANCE FOR SALARY INCREASES FOR STAFF. 
          UM, YES, IT WAS AS OF JUNE 30TH, 23, OUR FUND BALANCE WAS $12,970,000 OF THAT AMOUNT, $3,373,000 IS RESTRICTED. 
          THAT'S FROM THE HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM, UM, INCLUDING, AND THAT GOES TO THE PREPAIDS OF CARE, FIRST JULY BILL, UM, THAT TYPE OF THING. 
          UM, AND THAT LEFT NINE POINT 233, 230 $3,000 AS A SPENDABLE GENERAL FUND BALANCE OF THAT AMOUNT. 
          WE ALLOCATED 7.5 MILLION TO LIBRARY CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          UM, AS I MENTIONED INTO THE MIC, MARY, OH, I'M SORRY. 
          OKAY, SORRY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          UM, WE ALLOCATED 7.5 MILLION TO THE LIBRARY CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND THIS INCLUDED 4,097,000 OF STATE OF FUNDS TO MATCH THE STATE GRANT FOR THE BEL AIR RENOVATION. 
          SO IF MY MATH IS RIGHT, YOU'RE LOOKING AT $1.52 MILLION LEFT OVER. 
          CORRECT. 
          UM, TO DEAL WITH EMPLOYEE'S, UH, SALARY AND WAGE PACKAGES. 
          CORRECT. 
          UM, AND ON THE, YOU KNOW, WHEN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IS, HAS JUST BEEN PASSED WHERE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND NEGOTIATE, UH, RIGHTFULLY SO FOR A FAIR, FAIR WAGE PACKAGE. 
          SO DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATION ON WHAT THAT'S GONNA COST? NOT AT THIS TIME, NO. 
          UH, NOT AT THIS TIME. 
          THIS, WE'RE NEW TO THIS, SO WE DO NOT HAVE AN ESTIMATION. 
          UM, BUT IT ALSO HAVE TO COVER FOR ANY OF THE INFLATION COSTS FOR OPERATIONS, GAS AND ELECTRIC, UH, GAS IN OUR VEHICLES, MATERIALS, ALL THOSE THINGS WILL HAVE TO COME OUTTA THAT. 
          UM, ONE AND A HALF, 2 MILLION. 
          DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATION ON WHAT 
          [01:10:01]
A 1% COLA WOULD COST FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES? OH, THANK YOU. 
          $134,600. 
          AND FOR THE THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, WHAT, WHATEVER WE'RE CALLING THAT, IT'S NOT A BONUS. 
          I GUESS INCREASE WOULD BE 227,586. 
          SO A TOTAL OF $362,186. 
          AND THEN KATHY ALSO CALCULATED, IF WE DID A THREE, YOU NORMALLY WOULD DO A 3% RAISE. 
          THAT WOULD BE $405,154, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. 
          SO, PROJECTING THOSE, UH, 1% I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS, UH, AND I KNOW I'M SURE YOU WILL, UM, GIVE THEM SOME SORT OF PAY INCREASE. 
          UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE LEFT WITH NEARLY NOTHING LEFT IN YOUR FUND BALANCE CORRECT. 
          GOING INTO NEXT YEAR. 
          UM, I, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO. 
          SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT 3 MILLION FOR THAT HEALTH CONSORTIUM, UH, SHOULD STAY IN THE HEALTH CONSORTIUM, UM, AND COMBAT SOME OF THE RISING HEALTH COSTS THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES MAY ENDURE. 
          UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE SCHOOL BUDGET AS WELL. 
          SO, UH, I'LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO ADVOCATE FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE WE HAVE TO INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE. 
          SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE IN YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. PENMAN. 
          MR. BENNETT, UM, A FEW MORE THINGS FOR, UH, ROBBIE AND YOUR STAFF. 
          AND THEN ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU ALL, BUT AS FAR AS WITH THE STATE GRANT FUNDING, WHAT COMMUNICATION TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES ADMINISTRATION AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY BEFORE THAT LETTER WAS SENT OUT SAYING, WE DON'T WANT THE MONEY ANYMORE? WHAT, WAS THERE COMMUNICATION OR A DIALOGUE OVER WHAT THAT IMPACT WOULD BE, OR WHAT THE RATIONALE WAS? OR WAS IT DONE FULLY INDEPENDENT WITH NO COMMUNICATION TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES ABOUT THAT? YEAH, I MEAN, I, I, I, I CAN'T, I CAN'T RECALL HOW THAT, I MEAN, I, I WASN'T A PART OF, OF MR. MCCORD. 
          DO YOU KNOW, I CAN'T RECALL IF THAT COMMUNICATION WAS MADE. 
          UM, WE WERE THERE AT THE HEADQUARTERS LOOKING AT THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. 
          WE WERE THERE, UM, THE BOARD OF ESTIMATES DEALING WITH THE, THE ROOF AND THEN DEALING WITH THE, UM, THE, THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT THEY WERE DOING FOR THE LIBRARY. 
          UM, BUT, UM, I DON'T KNOW. 
          AND MS. HASSLER, DO YOU KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY COMMUNICATION BEFORE THAT LETTER WAS SENT OUT OF WHAT THEIR RATIONALE WAS OR WHY THEY WERE MAKING THAT DECISION OR NO, WE, WE WERE NOT MADE AWARE, BUT I WAS NOT COPIED ON THE, ON THE, UH, LETTER THAT WAS SENT DOWN TO OUR ESTATE DELEGATION. 
          UM, IN FACT, I HAVE NOT BEEN FORMALLY TOLD WE'RE NOT MOVING IT FORWARD, OTHER THAN I DO HAVE A COPY OF THAT LETTER. 
          NOW. 
          I DID REQUEST IT FROM OUR DELEGATION, AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I PUT THEM IN A VERY AWKWARD POSITION, UM, BECAUSE THEY WERE WORKING VERY HARD TO RETAIN THAT MONEY AND TO KEEP THE PROJECT MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO MY HEART GOES OUT TO THEM. 
          THEY WORKED HARD TOO. 
          AND I JUST THINK FROM A FUNDAMENTAL COMMUNICATION LEVEL, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. 
          THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, HEY, THIS IS THE NEW STAMP OF THE, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE INFORMED OF THAT AS YOU'RE MAKING YOUR PLANS. 
          I THINK THAT'S A VERY BASIC ASK BEYOND MONEY OF JUST HOW WE OPERATE AS A GOVERNMENT. 
          UM, AS FAR AS THE NOW THE COST OF THINGS LIKE SP SPRINKLER SYSTEMS BEING PUT UPON THE LIBRARY SYSTEM, WHAT'S JUST THE RATIONALE AND REASONING FOR THAT? AND ARE WE GONNA TAKE ANY OTHER FOR STEPS TO TAKE CURRENT COSTS THAT ARE ON OUR END AS THE COUNTY AND PUT IT ONTO THE LIBRARY SYSTEM? BEYOND THINGS LIKE THE SPRINKLERS, IS THERE ANY PLANS FOR ANYTHING ELSE TO BE ADDED ONTO THE LIBRARIES? I'M NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING ELSE. 
          AND RATIONALE. 
          WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE HAD LAST TIME. 
          UM, AND THEN, ALL RIGHT, LAST QUESTION, UH, FOR MS. HASSLER AND HER STAFF, WHAT IS THE GAP? SO WE JUST HAVE IT ON RECORD BETWEEN YOUR ASK AND WHAT YOU'RE RECEIVING. 
          I'LL GET MY BEAN COUNTER TO GIVE YOU THAT NUMBER SO IT'S ACCURATE. 
          YOU, OKAY. 
          OUR ASK WAS $2,014,742. 
          THAT'S A, A 9.65% INCREASE, AND WE RECEIVED NOTHING. 
          WELL, IT WILL BE A LITTLE BIT OF A CUT TOO, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T RECEIVE FUNDING FOR ANY OF THE SALARY INCREASES OR ANYTHING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU, MR. AND SORRY. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. 
          ANYONE ELSE? MR. SCHERZER? 
          [01:15:02]
I THINK JUST FROM A, YOU KNOW, TO ECHO WHAT MR. BENNETT'S SAYING WITH A STRATEGIC OUTLOOK, YOU KNOW, WITH A 401K, WHEN AN EMPLOYEE GETS A OFFERING A MATCH FROM THE COMPANY, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALMOST FOOLISH NOT TO CONTRIBUTE UP TO THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO GET THE MATCH. 
          AND IN THIS CASE, THAT WAS 55% OF WHAT WE HAD TO COME UP WITH. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY, AND I UNDERSTAND THE LONG TERM DEBT COSTS, BUT TO PASS UP ONE 55% FREE MONEY FROM THE STATE, AND I DON'T MEAN FREE 'CAUSE WE'RE PAYING FOR IT AS TAXPAYERS, BUT TO LET THAT GO WILLY-NILLY, I THINK WAS A BIG MISTAKE. 
          THANK YOU, MR. ROBERT? YES. 
          THANK YOU, MR. VICENTI. 
          UH, ROBBIE, I'M CURIOUS, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THE REASON, UH, DEC OR YOU MADE A DECISION BASED, UH, TO NOT GO AFTER THE STATE FUNDED GRANT, UH, BECAUSE I GUESS OF COMPETING PRIORITIES, UH, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF FUNDING, CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER COMPETING PRIORITIES MIGHT BE TO THAT MIGHT OVERRIDE THE COUNTY FROM GOING AFTER THIS TO PUT UP FUNDS? WELL, I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TRIED TO DO IS, IS, IS TO HAVE A, ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF, OF BONDS, UM, YOU KNOW, BUDGETED THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE CIP. 
          UM, AND SO KIND OF THROUGH THAT WAY, AND THEN WITH MORE OR LESS WITH THE IDEA THAT HALF OF THAT MONEY WILL GO TO THE SCHOOLS. 
          SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE KIND OF WORKED THROUGH WITH THE SCHOOLS, UM, KIND OF AT A STAFF LEVEL, IS TO TRY TO GIVE THEM A MARK OF, OF, UH, YOU KNOW, $50 MILLION, UM, YOU KNOW, ON AVERAGE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THINGS, THINGS JUMP UP AND DOWN, UM, TO HAVE IT THAT WAY. 
          AND THEN, SO ONCE YOU, ONCE YOU START BREAKING IT DOWN FROM, YOU KNOW, BEYOND THAT, UM, THAT OTHER $50 MILLION, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER PLACES IT'S GOING. 
          THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND WE DID TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE, UH, COMMUNITY CENTERS. 
          THE STORMWATER PROJECTS ARE A BIG, ARE A BIG PLACE WHERE, WHERE WE DEFINITELY WE'RE, WE'RE MANDATED BY GOVERNMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, BY THE, BY THE EPA AND THE MMEA, UM, TO DO THAT. 
          SO AGAIN, IT KIND OF GETS INTO ALL OF THOSE AREAS. 
          IT'S NOT SAYING THAT THESE AREN'T, THAT THESE PROJECTS DON'T HAVE, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE MERIT, BUT THAT WE, WE, WE MAY NOT BE UP AGAINST THE SAME TYPE OF, OF KIND OF GOVERNMENT MANDATES IN ORDER. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WITH A LOT OF THE SCHOOL PROJECTS, OF COURSE, AND OF COURSE WE'LL GET INTO THIS NEXT SESSION, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TRY TO FUND THOSE PROJECTS, WHICH ARE STATE FUNDED, UM, YOU KNOW, AT A, AT A VERY, YOU KNOW, AND, AND GENERALLY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THERE TOO. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY YOU, THERE'S, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH MONEY TO, TO, TO GO AROUND AND, AND THERE AGAIN, THERE, THESE ARE, THESE ARE HARD DECISIONS. 
          UM, BUT WE HAVE DONE A LOT FOR THE LIBRARY IN THE PAST, PAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND WE'VE OPENED UP, THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, NEW BRANCHES OPENED UP, THERE'S BEEN AN EXPANSION. 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHERE, UM, YOU KIND OF GOING BACKWARDS, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE, WE, WE'VE MADE A LOT, UM, A A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT TO, TO THE LIBRARY. 
          UM, AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO SO, UM, IN AN ADDITIONAL ONE THIS YEAR. 
          BUT THAT DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL PAYING OFF ALL THAT DEBT FROM THOSE PRIOR YEARS FROM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE LIBRARY BRANCHES THAT WERE BUILT, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU, MR. SANS. 
          ANYONE ELSE? ALRIGHT, MARY, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          WHEN DO I COLLECT MIAMI  ? SOON PLAY WITH THE COW. 
          IT'S THE THIRD MOVIE I WAS IN. 
          I MEAN, I, I COULDN'T GET MY SAG PART . 
          AND YOU'RE ALL WELCOME TO IF YOU WISH. 
          IT'S AT THE HYATT. 
          IT'S FRIDAY MORNING, UH, A WEEK, UH, A HALF FROM NOW. 
          SO IF YOU'RE AROUND, LET ME KNOW. 
          AND YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME AND RECEIVE THE OSCAR YOURSELF. 
          I WANT OSCAR WOULD EVEN BETTER. 
          , ARE YOU PICKING UP YOUR BAKING UTENSILS? YES. 
          WE'RE GONNA SWEEP THROUGH AND JUST THROW EVERYTHING IN THE BAG. 
          . 
          AND THAT'S AN HONOR OF YOUR, YOUR OWN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          GOT A LOT OF STUFF. 
           IN ONE CAR DOWN HERE. 
          MM-HMM. 
           BLAME ME ALREADY. 
          THANKS. 
          LEMME SEE IF THESE TURN ON. 
          UH, YEAH, I JUST HAVE, TURN ON. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          [01:20:02]
SAM, CAN YOU GO UPSTAIRS AND GET MY DOOR WORK? I CAN'T, NO. 
          SEAN, I'M SORRY. 
          COME FORWARD. 
          I'M IN MY OWN LITTLE WORLD HERE. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          MORNING. 
          READY WHEN YOU ARE. 
          WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. 
          I'M READY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          GOOD MORNING, PRESIDENT VINCENTI, MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL. 
          I'M AARON POINTIN, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. 
          TODAY I AM JOINED BY SUPERINTENDENT DR. 
          SEAN BOLSON, AN ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR BUSINESS SERVICES, MS. DEBORAH JUDD. 
          I'D ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE A FEW PEOPLE SITTING BEHIND ME, ERIC CLARK, CORNELL BROWN, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WHO ARE JOINING US TODAY. 
          VICE PRESIDENT HAN, DR. MUELLER, MR. SEWELL, AND MS. STRAUSS. 
          TO BEGIN OUR DISCUSSION, I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BUS, THE BUDGETS THAT WERE PASSED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. 
          IN DECEMBER OF 2023. 
          THE BOARD APPROVED THE SUPERINTENDENT'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET REQUEST ROUNDED TO $120.2 MILLION. 
          THIS INCLUDED 49.4 MILLION REQUESTED FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 
          CURRENTLY, THE PROPOSED STATE AND LOCAL COMBINED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET STANDS AT 65 MILLION, A LITTLE, LITTLE OVER ONE HALF OF THE AMOUNT REQUESTED. 
          THEN IN FEBRUARY OF 2024, THE BOARD APPROVED THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET, RAISING IT FROM 613.5 MILLION IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO 660.9 MILLION IN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, WHICH REPRESENTS A 7.7% INCREASE BETWEEN FISCAL YEARS 24 AND 25. 
          WHILE THE STATE'S CONTRIBUTION INCREASE BY 17.3 MILLION, REPRESENTING A 6.2% INCREASE, MY FOCUS TODAY WILL BE ON THE LOCAL INCREASE REQUESTED. 
          THE LOCAL INCREASE REQUESTED WAS AT 40.1 MILLION, OR A 12.7% RISE FROM 24 TO 25. 
          LET ME BREAK DOWN THE KEY DRIVERS FOR THIS INCREASE. 
          FIRST, EMPLOYEE SALARY AND WAGE ADJUSTMENTS. 
          THIS IS THE LARGEST PORTION OF THE INCREASE AT APPROXIMATELY $18 MILLION. 
          IT ADDRESSES COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS FOR OUR DEDICATED EDUCATORS AND STAFF IN LINE WITH THE BLUEPRINTS MANDATE FOR MINIMUM SALARIES FOR NEW TEACHERS. 
          IT ALSO INCLUDES A STEP INCREASE TO RECOGNIZE EDUCATORS FOR THEIR ADDITIONAL YEARS OF SERVICE. 
          SECOND, FIXED CHARGES. 
          THIS MANDATORY OBLIGATION REQUIRES OVER 7 MILLION IN INCREASES IN PENSIONS AND HEALTH INSURANCE REFLECTED THE INCREASED COST OF ENSURING OUR EDUCATORS FUTURE IN HEALTH. 
          THIRD TRANSFER OF EXPIRING FEDERAL GRANTS. 
          THE MAJORITY, THE MAJORITY OF THESE POSITIONS ARE CLASSROOM BASED OR DIRECTLY SUPPORT CLASSROOM SERVICES. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          WITH APPROXIMATELY $8 MILLION IN CO FEDERAL GRANTS EXPIRING THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN THESE 76 CLASSROOM POSITIONS. 
          WOULD NOW FALL ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD THEY CONTINUE. 
          AND FOURTH, FINALLY, INVESTMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION. 
          DUE TO AN INCREASE IN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION POPULATION, WE MUST INCREASE THE SUPPORT FOR THESE STUDENTS. 
          THIS WOULD ADD 48 ADDITIONAL FTES AT APPROXIMATELY $2.8 MILLION. 
          WE MUST SERVICE THESE STUDENTS AND IT'S MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO MANAGE THEM IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAN IT IS TO OUTSOURCE THESE SERVICES. 
          GIVEN ALL OF THESE FACTORS, WE REQUESTED AN ADDITIONAL $40 MILLION FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT THIS YEAR. 
          THIS INCREASE WOULD ALLOW US TO OPERATE THE SAME SCHOOL SYSTEM NEXT YEAR THAT WE POSSESS THIS YEAR. 
          ON APRIL 15TH, AFTER EXTENSIVE AND COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, THEY RELEASED THE BUDGET FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHICH MAINTAINS FLAT FUNDING FOR LOCAL SUPPORT IN 2025. 
          THIS WAS DUE TO LOWER THAN EXPECTED INCOME REVENUE AND A DESIRE FOR THE BOARD TO USE ITS UNRESTRICTED FUND BALANCE OF APPROXIMATELY $51 MILLION. 
          [01:25:03]
THE BOARD NOW FACES A FUNDING GAP AND MUST CONSIDER THREE LEVERS TO CLOSE THIS GAP. 
          FIRST, CUTTING PERSONNEL AND PROGRAMS. THIS IS NEVER AN EASY DECISION AS IT IMPACTS OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER A QUALITY EDUCATION. 
          THE BOARD INTENDS TO MINIMIZE THESE CUTS, ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSROOMS AND DIRECT SUPPORT OF CLASSROOMS. FURTHERMORE, IF THERE ARE ANY PERSONNEL REDUCTIONS, THE BOARD INTENDS TO HANDLE THEM THROUGH ATTRITION. 
          SECOND, SEEKING EFFICIENCIES. 
          WHILE ALWAYS A GOAL, THERE ARE LIMITS ON HOW MUCH CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH EFFICIENCY ALONE. 
          ADDITIONALLY, EFFICIENCIES TAKE TIME TO IMPLEMENT SUCH AS TECHNOLOGY, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. 
          THIRD USE OF THE FUND BALANCE. 
          THE BOARD CURRENTLY MAINTAINS APPROXIMATELY $51 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE. 
          THIS FUND BALANCE COULD ELIMINATE OR HELP CLOSE THE GAP, BUT IT PRESENTS RISKS. 
          USING THIS FUND BALANCE SETS A PROBLEMATIC PRECEDENT, POTENTIALLY COMPOUNDING FUTURE BUDGET PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE. 
          AS THESE FUNDS ARE NON-RECURRING AND CAUSE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO CONTINUE OPERATING IN A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IN THE COMING WEEKS, THE BOARD WILL CONDUCT AN OPEN WORKING SESSION TO DECIDE TO DECIDE THE BEST WAY TO MOVE FORWARD, WHICH WILL LIKELY INVOLVE AN OPTION, UH, UH, ALL THREE, A MIX OF ALL THREE OF THESE OPTIONS OR LEVERS. 
          LASTLY, THE BLUEPRINT MANDATE WILL CONTINUE TO PUT PRESSURES ON OUR FUNDING NEEDS IN THE YEARS AHEAD. 
          AHEAD. 
          THE BLUEPRINT'S UNSUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL BURDEN IS BEING TRANSFERRED TO COUNTIES, WHICH MAY FORCE THE BOARD TO CUT CRITICAL PROGRAMS TO MEET THE NEW MANDATES. 
          THIS TRANSLATES TO REDUCE FUNDING FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, SPECIAL EDUCATION MAGNET SCHOOLS, CLASS SIZES, WORLD LANGUAGES, ARTS AND MUSICS MUSIC, ATHLETICS, AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, NONE OF WHICH ARE ADDRESSED IN THE BLUEPRINT. 
          AND ALL PROGRAMS THAT ARE VALUED BY OUR COMMUNITY AS WE SIT HERE TODAY IS CLEAR. 
          THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL NOT RECEIVE THE FULLY FUNDED REQUEST BY THE BOARD. 
          THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE BOARD HAVE HELD LISTENING SESSIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND STAFF OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS TO GATHER IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BEST CLOSE THIS FUNDING GAP. 
          WITH THIS FEEDBACK IN MIND, I'VE ASKED THE SUPERINTENDENT TO PROPOSE SOLUTIONS FOR CLOSING THE GAP WE ANTICIPATE NEEDING NEXT YEAR. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE AS WE WORK THROUGH NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. 
          NOW, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. 
          SEAN BOLSON FOR HIS RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THANK YOU, DR. 
          POINTIN. 
          AND IF YOU, IF I MAY, I'D LIKE A COPY OF YOUR COMMENTS I SENT TO MS. DIXON, IF YOU DON'T MIND. 
          THANK YOU, DR. 
          BOLSON. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          ALRIGHT, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          I'LL GIVE THAT ONE. 
          THIS WHERE WE GO, DOCTOR. 
          DOCTOR? YEAH. 
          RIGHT DOWN THE LINE. 
          UM, OKAY, I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH A FEW SLIDES TO KIND OF JUST GIVE YOU A SET, TELL A LITTLE BIT OF STORY WHERE WE ARE WITH THE BUDGET, AND I'LL CLOSE WITH SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT CLOSE THIS GAP IF IT COMES TO THAT. 
          GET A LITTLE CLOSER. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE'LL GET RIGHT IN THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE, THE BOARD HAS, I THINK, COMMUNICATED OVER TIME, UH, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT, CLASS SIZE ARE DEFINITELY PRIORITIES. 
          AND THESE ARE THINGS WE THINK ABOUT AS WE'RE, AS WE'RE DEVELOPING A BUDGET. 
          THIS IS A SLIDE YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE. 
          UM, SO DESPITE ALL THE RHETORIC AROUND EDUCATION FUNDING IN THE DISTRICT, IT IS NOT THE DRIVER OF, YOU KNOW, COUNTY COSTS. 
          UH, THAT I THINK THE STORY'S TAKEN SHAPE THAT, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT SOMEHOW THE SCHOOL'S FAULT FOR THE, SOME OF THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES OF THE COUNTY. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT LAST YEAR IN PARTICULAR, UM, COUNTY REVENUE DID INCREASE, UH, AT A GREATER RATE THAN THE REVENUE GOING TO THE SCHOOLS. 
          AND IT ALWAYS HAS. 
          UM, AND SO JUST WANTING TO ENSURE THAT THE COUNCIL KEEPS THAT IN MIND. 
          SO I WANT TO TURN THE CORNER AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT. 
          YOU HEARD DR. 
          PUTIN'S, UH, COMMENTS ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS WE FOUND IS, SO IN THE SCHOOLS, WE'RE IN KIND OF A SORT OF MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT IT. 
          ONE IS DOING GOOD THINGS, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. 
          WE SEE THE BENEFITS OF DR. 
          EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AS OUR KINDERGARTNERS ARE COMING BETTER PREPARED IF THEY'VE HAD A CHANCE TO BE IN PRE-K AND, YOU KNOW, ALL AROUND THE DISTRICT, WE'RE HEARING, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND PRE-K UM, WE SEE THE BENEFITS IN 
          [01:30:01]
THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE BENEFITING, THAT ARE HAVING THOSE EXPANSIONS IN TERMS OF ELEVATING EDUCATORS. 
          UH, THE SECOND PILLAR OF THE BLUEPRINT, A GREAT DEAL OF FUNDING HAS GONE TOWARD THIS. 
          UH, IT'S BEEN THE DRIVER OF OUR, UM, COST OF LIVING INCREASES BECAUSE WE'VE NEEDED TO GET THE BASE SALARY FROM GETTING TEACHERS UP TO $60,000. 
          THAT'S BEEN A BLUEPRINT PRIORITY, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DRIVING OUR SALARY PACKAGES, OUR WAGE PACKAGES. 
          UM, ADDITIONALLY, ONE OF THE THINGS, THE BLUEPRINT IS PROVIDING MORE FUNDS TO TEACHERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE EARNING NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION. 
          SO GENERALLY, THE IDEA OF PROVIDING MORE FUNDING TO TEACHERS, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE SUPPORT. 
          UH, AND WE, WE SEE IT AS A GOOD THING FOR THE SCHOOLS. 
          THAT BEING SAID, UH, EXACTLY HOW IT WAS DONE ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE, UH, WE WOULD'VE DONE THE SAME WAY. 
          UH, OUR NORTH STAR INITIATIVE, WHICH IS THE CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS FOCUS, WE'VE SEEN INCREASED COSTS FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS REQUIRED BY THE BLUEPRINT, AGAIN, THIS IS ACHIEVED GREAT THINGS FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          WE'VE HAD MANY STUDENTS ACCESSING COLLEGE COURSES WHO NEVER WOULD'VE ACCESSED THEM BEFORE. 
          BUT OF COURSE IT'S A, IT'S A BILL THAT WE HAVE TO PAY EACH YEAR. 
          IT'S A GROWING BILL EACH YEAR BECAUSE OUR ENROLLMENT IN DUAL ENROLLMENT, UM, HAS GONE UP GREATLY. 
          BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE BENEFITS TO THE STUDENTS, IT WAS CAREER COACHING FROM SUSQUEHANNA WORKFORCE NETWORK, THAT WAS SOMETHING REQUIRED OF THE BLUEPRINT, REQUIRED US TO SEND ESSENTIALLY $2.3 MILLION TO SUSQUEHANNA WORKFORCE NETWORK THIS YEAR. 
          UH, THOSE SERVICES HAVE KIND OF ROLLED OUT A LITTLE BIT SLOWLY. 
          WE'RE, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THE BENEFIT OF THOSE IN THE SCHOOLS. 
          BUT AGAIN, THAT'S MONEY THAT LOOKED LIKE IT APPEARED IN OUR OPERATING BUDGET, BUT ACTUALLY WAS A PASS THROUGH STRAIGHT TO TO THEM STUDENT SUPPORTS. 
          THERE'S ADDITIONAL FUNDING COMING IN FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, ENGLISH LEARNERS AND STUDENTS ON FREE AND REDUCED MEALS. 
          AGAIN, THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS THAT THE BLUEPRINT'S DONE. 
          IT'S JUST THE COST FOR THEM IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN ENTIRELY SUSTAINABLE, NOR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN FUNDED FOR SEPARATELY IN THE DISTRICT. 
          SO, JUST A LITTLE, I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, THE BLUEPRINT IS DOING TO THE FUNDING. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS, WHEN THE BLUEPRINT WAS INITIALLY, UM, DEVELOPED, THE LEGISLATORS SPOKE OPENLY ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT BEING SOMETHING THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY FORCE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS TO INVEST MORE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. 
          AND THAT HASN'T REALLY BEEN THE WAY IT'S PLAYED OUT. 
          IN FACT, IN MANY DISTRICTS WE'VE SEEN FLAT FUNDING FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. 
          AND, BUT WE ARE ALSO SEEING DISTRICTS BEGIN TO STRUGGLE WITH HOW TO MEET SOME OF THE NORMAL SERVICES THAT THEY'VE PROVIDED OVER TIME. 
          UH, ON THE, ON THE SAME LEVEL OF FUNDING. 
          WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN UNDER THE BLUEPRINT NOW, THE STATE CALCULATES WHAT THE STATE FUNDING SHOULD BE. 
          AND WE'VE SEEN THAT, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN INCREASING FOR THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BLUEPRINT. 
          BUT IN THE DARK PART OF THE, THE SLIDES YOU SEE THERE, THE, THE BOTTOM HALF THOSE BARS REP REPRESENT OUR ENTIRE LOCAL FUNDING. 
          BUT THE DARK PART OF THE, OF THE BARS REPRESENTS WHAT THE STATE CALCULATES WE SHOULD BE SPENDING ON THE BLUEPRINT INITIATIVE. 
          AND WHAT YOU SEE THERE, WITHOUT GOING TOO DEEP INTO THE NUMBERS, IS EVERY YEAR THE BLUEPRINT PORTION OF HOW WE SHOULD BE SPENDING OUR LOCAL FUNDING IS GOING UP. 
          AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE LIGHTER BLUE AREA, UH, WHICH ESSENTIALLY EQUATES TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BLUEPRINT FUNDING AND, AND THE REST OF WHAT WE GET FROM THE COUNTY. 
          THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE HAVE DISCRETION TO SPEND ON THINGS THAT AREN'T SUPPORTED IN THE BLUEPRINT. 
          AND YOU SEE OUR DISCRETIONARY AREA, UH, SHRINKING A LITTLE BIT. 
          SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THERE'S ONE OTHER DETAIL IN THE DISCRETIONARY THING THAT WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT. 
          SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING, FOR EXAMPLE, IS SOMETHING THAT IS CALCULATED AT THE STATE LEVEL. 
          IN FACT, THE STATE, WHEN YOU COMBINE THE STATE SHARE AND WHAT THEY CALCULATE WE SHOULD BE USING IN THE BLUEPRINT OF THE LOCAL MONEY, THE STATE CALCULATES THAT WE SHOULD BE USING ABOUT $54 MILLION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING. 
          WE SPENT, WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING ABOUT 116 MILLION THIS YEAR IN OTHER, WE HAVE A $62 MILLION GAP BETWEEN WHAT THE STATE CALCULATES SPECIAL ED SHOULD COST AND WHAT WE'RE PAYING. 
          SO WHAT THAT MEANS, IF YOU TAKE THE 62 AND YOU TAKE THAT OUT OF OUR DISCRETIONARY FUNDS, WHAT WE HAVE FOR DISCRETIONARY PURPOSES IS ACTUALLY PRETTY MINIMAL WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE LOCAL FUNDING. 
          AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS AS BLUEPRINT LEADERS AND STATE LEADERS SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, DISTRICTS ARE GIVING ENOUGH, THEY'RE GIVING ENOUGH TO COVER THE BLUEPRINT INITIATIVES, BUT THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING ENOUGH WITH, BY COVERING THE LOCAL SHARE TO ACTUALLY FUND THE MANY THINGS THAT THIS COUNTY AND OTHER COUNTIES REALLY RELY ON IS CENTRAL TO PUBLIC SCHOOLING. 
          [01:35:01]
SO WE'LL GO. 
          SO HERE'S A LIST. 
          YOU HEARD DR. 
          POINTIN REFERENCE MANY OF THESE THINGS. 
          CLASS SIZE, SAFETY AND SECURITY, ARTS AND MUSIC PROGRAMS, WORLD LANGUAGE ATHLETICS, EXTRACURRICULARS, CLUBS, UH, FIELD TRIPS, INCLUDING PLACES LIKE HARTFORD, GLEN, UH, HISTORICALLY SMALL SCHOOLS. 
          UH, IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE, THE SMALLER SCHOOLS THAT, UM, ARE A LITTLE MORE COSTLY TO RUN TRANSPORTATION. 
          TRANSPORTATION OTHER THAN SPECIAL ED TRANSPORTATION. 
          IT ISN'T REQUIRED IN STATE LAW. 
          UM, ONE-TO-ONE TECHNOLOGY AND THEN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. 
          ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE NOT NECESSARILY PROTECTED IN THE BLUEPRINT. 
          AND SO AS OUR DISCRETION, UM, IN TERMS OF WHICH THINGS WE FUND AT THE LEVEL WE'VE BEEN FUNDING THEM, AS THAT CONTINUES TO DIMINISH, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO CONTINUALLY COME UNDER SCRUTINY AS TO WHICH ONES WE CAN AFFORD AND WHAT WE CAN'T AFFORD. 
          UM, SO I'M GONNA PAUSE FOR JUST A SECOND HERE AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FUND BALANCE. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S BEEN A DISCUSSION. 
          I'M SURE THERE'LL BE QUESTIONS. 
          AS OF CLOSE OF BUSINESS. 
          ON THE 12TH OF APRIL, WE ANTICIPATED HAVING APPROXIMATELY $35 MILLION IN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE. 
          AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. 
          OUR BUDGET SHOWS OUR TOTAL FUND BALANCE AT $99 MILLION. 
          UM, WHICH IS COMMON. 
          WE HAVE MANY THINGS THAT HAVE ASSIGNMENTS. 
          AND SO WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR UNASSIGNED WAS 35 MILLION. 
          NOW, ONE THING THAT HAPPENED ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 15TH IS THE COUNTY INITIATED A TRANSFER OF OUR, UH, RATE STABILIZATION FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $16.1 MILLION, WHICH IS CONSISTENT. 
          UM, ALL OF US IN THE, UH, HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM HAVE ACCESS TO RATE STABILIZATION FUNDS. 
          WE'VE NEVER HAD THOSE FUNDS DISPERSED TO US, UH, WITHOUT A REQUEST. 
          AND WE HAD AN ADDITIONAL 16.1 MILLION IN THE RATE STABILIZATION. 
          SO ON THE MONDAY THAT THE BUDGET WAS ROLLED OUT BY COUNTY GOVERNMENT, UM, THEY INITIATED A TRANSFER THAT WE DIDN'T REQUEST TO, UM, TO MOVE THAT MONEY TO OUR UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE. 
          SO WHEN YOU ADD THE 35, WE WERE EXPECTING, AGAIN, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 30 AND 35 AT THE END OF THIS YEAR TO THE 16.1 THAT WAS SENT TO US. 
          WE ANTICIPATE HAVING $51 MILLION IN AN ASSIGNED FUND BALANCE. 
          BUT OF COURSE, OUR RATE STABILIZATION FUND NOW SITS AT THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT. 
          UM, AND SHOULD WE, SHOULD WE SEE CALLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN THE FUTURE FOR, FOR HEALTHCARE, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO REPLENISH THAT. 
          UM, AND SO THAT, THAT LEAVES US IN KIND OF AN INTERESTING SITUATION. 
          SO AS WE'VE SAID, AND WE'VE BEEN IN OUR, IN OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS, WE'VE INDICATED WE HAVE $51 MILLION IN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE. 
          AND AS I'VE SAID, UH, AND THINK, IN FACT, I THINK THE COUNTY QUOTED ME ON THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT $51 MILLION IS ENOUGH TO COVER THE GAP IN THE, THE BUDGET REQUEST WE HAVE, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY $40 MILLION. 
          BUT ALSO, AS YOUR BUDGET ADVISORS WILL TELL YOU, AND AS ANY OF YOU, UM, WHO ENGAGE IN EVEN PERSONAL FINANCE BUDGETING USE OF ONE-TIME FUNDS FOR RECURRING COSTS LIKE THIS IS, IS NOT A GREAT IDEA. 
          AND FRANKLY, AND I WANT TO PREEMPT NEXT YEAR'S TALKING POINTS, YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE FIND OURSELVES IN A SITUATION TO USE ESSENTIALLY THE EQUIVALENT OF $40 MILLION TO, UM, TO BRIDGE THIS GAP AND THUS NOT ASSUME, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING CUTS TO BRIDGE IT. 
          WE WILL BE BACK IN FRONT OF YOU NEXT YEAR, THE PROPOSAL THAT I'LL BE MAKING NEXT DECEMBER OR JANUARY TO THE BOARD, WE'LL START WITH A $60 MILLION ASK. 
          AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE ALARMIST, YOU KNOW, OUR SALARY PACKAGES HAVE AVERAGED JUST UNDER $20 MILLION. 
          IF WE USE $40 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE, THAT MUST BE ROLLED FORWARD INTO THE ASK BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A REVENUE SOURCE TO REPLACE IT. 
          SO WE COME TO YOU WITH 60, WITH A $60 MILLION REQUEST NEXT YEAR. 
          UM, I CAN PICTURE THE TALKING POINTS, WE'RE IRRESPONSIBLE, WE'RE INEFFICIENT, WE'RE UNREASONABLE, UNREALISTIC TO ASK FOR A NUMBER THAT LARGE. 
          BUT ACTUALLY IF YOU GO BACK TO THIS SLIDE, THIS ONE, THE THREE, IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE TOP OF THESE BARS, FY 23, OUR FUNDING WAS $324 MILLION. 
          NOW FOR TWO YEARS WE'VE BEEN FUND, WE, WE, WELL, LAST YEAR WE WERE FUNDED $10 MILLION BELOW THE PREVIOUS YEAR. 
          AND THIS YEAR WE'RE AGAIN RECOMMENDED TO BE FUNDED $10 MILLION BELOW THAT. 
          AND OVER THESE TWO YEARS SINCE THE FY 23 BUDGET CAME OUT, WE'VE PROBABLY EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE GREATEST INFLATIONARY TIMES THIS COUNTRY'S SEEN IN 
          [01:40:01]
DECADES. 
          SO TO SUGGEST THAT WE CAN MAKE DUE, UM, WITH, WITH NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS, UH, IS PRETTY UNREALISTIC. 
          SO SPENDING DOWN OUR SPENDING DOWN OUR RESERVES, I UNDERSTAND IS A KIND OF AN EMERGENCY MEASURE WE MIGHT TAKE. 
          BUT AGAIN, WHAT WILL BE THE ANSWER WHEN WE SIT BEFORE YOU WITH A $60 MILLION REQUEST NEXT YEAR ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR CURRENT FUNDING? UM, LIKE I SAID, I'VE, I'VE SEEN THE SCRIPT PLAYED OUT TOO MANY TIMES AND IT CONCERNS ME. 
          SO I WILL GO TO THE LAST SLIDE. 
          SORRY, DEB. 
          I'M MAKING, OH, SORRY. 
          UH, JUST QUICK THINGS. 
          YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE. 
          HERE'S HOW WE CALCULATE OUR BUDGET. 
          THE VERY BIGGEST PORTION OF OUR BUDGET IS PEOPLE, UH, 10 TEACHERS A LITTLE OVER $900,000. 
          SO I MEAN, YOU CAN, IF YOU WANNA ROUND UP, IT'S ABOUT 10 TEACHERS PER MILLION DOLLARS. 
          IF WE NEED TO CUT $40 MILLION, UM, JUST MULTIPLY BY 10. 
          NOW WE'RE GONNA FIND CUTS IN OTHER PLACES. 
          BUT AGAIN, THE ONLY PLACE IN OUR BUDGET WHERE WE EVEN HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES TO SUSTAIN SEVEN AND EIGHT DIGIT CUTS IS IN OUR STAFFING. 
          UH, MOST NOTABLY IN OUR TEACHING POSITIONS, WHICH ARE THE SORT OF THE LARGEST PORTION OF OUR STAFFING. 
          UM, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT, AGAIN, MILLION AND $10 MILLION CUTS, THIS IS REALLY WHERE THE IMPACT IN THE END WOULD HAVE TO BE. 
          AND IT'S ON CLASS SIZE. 
          UH, THESE NUMBERS ARE BASED ON OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS. 
          AND SO IF WE WERE TO INCREASE CLASS SIZES ON AN AVERAGE BY ONE, WHICH MEANS MOVING UP THE RATIOS AND THE FORMULAS WE USE FOR STAFFING OUR CLASSES, THESE ARE ACTUAL NUMBERS, UH, BASED ON OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS, UM, WE COULD FORGET THE BOTTOM 'CAUSE THAT'S, IF WE HAD ADDITIONAL MONEY TO SPEND, WE COULD REDUCE CLASS SIZES. 
          BUT IF YOU GO ALONG THE TOP, UM, IF WE NEED TO SAVE JUST UNDER $7 MILLION, WE'D INCREASE OUR AVERAGE CLASS SIZES ACROSS THE DISTRICT BY ONE. 
          AND SO IT GOES UP FROM THERE. 
          AND SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING INTO CUTS OF TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, SO I'LL CLOSE HERE, SERVICE REDUCTIONS, UM, FLAT FUNDING EQUATES TO SERVICE REDUCTIONS. 
          THERE'S NO OTHER WAY AROUND THAT. 
          UM, WELL, THERE IS ONE OTHER WAY. 
          IT'S CALLED FUND BALANCE . 
          UM, AND THAT MAY BE THE SOLUTION. 
          WE HAVE ALREADY CANCELED SUMMER SCHOOL FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS EXCEPT FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION IN, UH, UH, EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR. 
          THAT'S A LEGAL REQUIREMENT. 
          AND WE LEFT IN OUR, OUR, UM, CREDIT RECOVERY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 
          BUT THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL NOT HAVE TRANSPORTATION TO SUMMER SCHOOL. 
          AGAIN, OTHER OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES, SOME OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH, UH, WE'RE COMBINING SOME POSITIONS, UH, MOVING OTHER POSITIONS, UH, INTO SOME OF THE RESTRICTED BLUEPRINT FUNDS WHERE, WHERE WE CAN, CAN ACT WHERE WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO THAT. 
          UH, FEWER NON-SCHOOL BASED POSITIONS. 
          WE'VE IDENTIFIED ABOUT 10 POSITIONS IN OUR CENTRAL OFFICE. 
          THAT WILL BE THEIR VACANCIES, BUT WE'LL BE COMBINING PEOPLE'S WORK. 
          UM, PROPOSING THE ELIMINATION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS. 
          MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS HAS BEEN A FANTASTIC THING. 
          WE'VE BEEN EXCITED TO OFFER THAT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. 
          BUT IT, IT, I'M KIND OF THINKING OF THIS AS LAST IN FIRST OUT. 
          IT'S A, IT'S A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF FUNDING. 
          IT'S ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS. 
          UM, BUT THAT WILL GROW OVER TIME. 
          AND SO THE QUESTION IS, ARE WE AT A PLACE WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUP SUPPORT? THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SAFETY LIAISONS, WE WERE LOOKING, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE ADDED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. 
          UH, SAFETY IN OUR SCHOOLS HAD, HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE SINCE RETURNING FROM THE PANDEMIC FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. 
          WE HAVE, WE ADDED A LITTLE OVER A MILLION AND A HALF WORTH OF TOTAL POSITIONS OF THE LAST THREE YEARS. 
          UH, WE'RE PROPOSING REDUCING THOSE POSITIONS BY JUST THE VACANCIES. 
          UH, I THINK WHEN WE WROTE THIS, WE HAD TWO, I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY WE HAVE TODAY, SOME NURSES, WE HAVE NURSES, UH, THAT ARE, WOULD BE MOVING OVER FROM THE GRANT FUNDING. 
          WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE MORE THAN A NURSE FOR EVERY SCHOOL. 
          MOST DISTRICTS DON'T HAVE THAT. 
          UM, WE HAD 3.4 ADDITIONAL NURSES IN GRANT FUNDING THAT, UH, AGAIN, WE CAN, UH, REDUCE THOSE THROUGH ATTRITION. 
          ATHLETIC TRAINERS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS MUCH DISCUSSED IN THE DISTRICT. 
          UM, WE HAVE $200 MILLION, SORRY, $200,000 IN THE BUDGET, UH, BUDGETED FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS. 
          THE CHALLENGES, THE, THE, THE CONTRACT CAME IN WAY ABOVE THAT. 
          WE ACTUALLY, IF WE DON'T ELIMINATE THE ATHLETIC TRAINER SERVICES, WE ACTUALLY NEED TO INCREASE OUR BUDGET BY 300,000 TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR ALL THE ATHLETIC TRAINER SERVICES WE HAVE NOW. 
          AND THAT GETS US TO THE LAST TWO ITEMS, FAR AND AWAY, UM, THE LEAST FAVORABLE THINGS TO BE ADDRESSING IN, UH, IN THE BUDGET. 
          THE LAST THINGS WE WANT TO CUT, BUT WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT WHERE THE RESOURCES LIE IN OUR BUDGET, IT'S IN CLASS SIZE. 
          UM, OR AN ALTERNATIVE 
          [01:45:01]
IS AN EMPLOYEE SALARIES IN THE, IN THE SALARY PACKAGE. 
          OUR SALARY PACKAGE IS AROUND $18 MILLION. 
          YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO REDUCE THAT BY ANY PERCENTAGE, PICK A QUARTER PICK A HALF. 
          UM, THAT WOULD TELL YOU WHAT THE REDUCTIONS COULD BE. 
          SO THESE ARE THE SUGGESTIONS ON THE TABLE. 
          UH, I THINK THE FEEDBACK AND THE COMMUNITY BUDGET SESSIONS HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, SHARING, YOU KNOW, DOING SOME OF THESE CUTS AND, AND DOING SOME FUND BALANCE. 
          AGAIN, ANY USE OF FUND BALANCE WILL JUST GO RIGHT INTO NEXT YEAR'S ASK. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THE FIRST FEW CUTS ON HERE, MAYBE WE'D YIELD THREE TO $4 MILLION, BUT WHEN WE GOTTA GO TO 40, WE GOTTA GO TO THOSE LAST TWO BULLET POINTS. 
          AND I WILL STOP THERE FOR QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, . 
          APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION AND THE FACT THAT YOU'RE HERE TODAY. 
          UM, AND AS YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE ALWAYS PLACED, UM, EDUCATION AS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN THE COUNTY. 
          AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. 
          AND I KNOW SOMETIMES IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, BUT THERE ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE WIGGLE ROOM. 
          UM, JUST NOT SURE WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FIND, IF ANY. 
          BUT, UH, MR. BENNETT, YOU WANNA LEAD OFF? SURE. 
          HELLO. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          NICE TO MEET YOU. 
          UM, AND UH, I JUST WANNA START OFF AS YOU KNOW, UM, MY NUMBER ONE THING IS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          AND THAT'S, I, IT MATTERS TO ME 'CAUSE I THINK ABOUT THE LONG TERM WELLBEING OF THE CHILD. 
          UM, AND IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN THEIR FUTURE WHEN WE CAN ENSURE ALL CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO SUCCEED. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING ABOUT PRE-K EXPANSION, AS A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER THIS YEAR, FIRST YEAR I EVER TAUGHT KIDS WHO WENT TO, TO FULL DAY PRE-K AND I'M USED TO HAVING TO HOLD MY BREATH TILL THANKSGIVING BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL FALLING ASLEEP AFTER LUNCH OR HAVING MELTDOWNS. 
          AND, UH, THIS YEAR, 'CAUSE THE KIDS HAD ALREADY BEEN THROUGH A YEAR OF FULL DAY SCHOOL, IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AND AFTER LUNCH I SAID, WAIT A SECOND, I CAN KEEP TEACHING UNTIL THE BUS COMES. 
          UH, THAT WAS A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE. 
          SO WE TALK ABOUT THE ADDED TIME TO, UH, INSTRUCTION FOR OUR KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS THANKS TO INITIATIVES LIKE THAT, THAT'S HUGE. 
          AND THINKING OF CLASS SIZE INCREASES, THERE'S THE OBVIOUS TO THE COMMUNITY OF MORE CHILDREN IN THE ROOM. 
          SOMETIMES CLASSES HAVE MORE CHILDREN THAN DESKS. 
          UM, THE OVERCROWDING, THE STUFFINESS OF IT ALL. 
          BUT FROM A WORKLOAD PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE THERE MIGHT BE 45 KIDS TAKING WORLD LANGUAGE NEXT YEAR UP IN NORTH HARTFORD, FOR INSTANCE, 45, 50 KIDS IN A CLASSROOM, THAT WORLD LANGUAGE TEACHER IS NOW HAVING TO SPEND SO MUCH MORE TIME GRADING ASSIGNMENTS THAT THEY HAVE SO MUCH LESS TIME TO PREPARE INSTRUCTION. 
          AND I KNOW DR. 
          BOLSON, YOU'VE SHARED IN THE PAST ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME DO WE SPEND WEIGHING THE SHEEP VERSUS FEEDING THE SHEEP. 
          AND WHEN WE PUT OUR, UH, EDUCATORS IN A SPACE WHERE THEY'RE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME WEIGHING AND SO MUCH LESS TIME FEEDING, UM, THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          I KNOW, UM, THAT WHEN YOU HAVE LESS MINUTES TO PLAN INSTRUCTION, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO PRINT OUT SOMETHING FROM TEACHERS, PAID TEACHERS AND CALL IT A DAY OR SAY, WE'RE GONNA PLAY JEOPARDY AGAIN. 
          OR WE'RE GONNA, UH, JUST READ THIS ARTICLE AND MOVE ON BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH TIME IN THE WORLD. 
          AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE AND WE'RE NOT EXPECTING OUR PEOPLE TO SPEND THEIR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AND MIDNIGHTS PREPARING. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE HOW THE BUDGET IMPACTS, UM, ACHIEVEMENT IN A MORE PERSONAL WAY WITH THAT. 
          UM, AND THEN JUST LOOKING AHEAD, I, I WASN'T SURE IF YOU WERE IN THE ROOM OR NOT WHEN WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, BUT YOU KNOW, ON PAGE 53 OF THE COUNTY'S PROPOSED BUDGET, IT TALKS ABOUT FUTURE PLANNING PROJECTIONS. 
          AND EVEN IN THAT MOST, UM, AGGRESSIVE PROJECTION OF HAVING $29 MILLION MORE IN THE BUDGET NEXT YEAR FOR THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, THEY'RE ONLY EXPECTING TO SPEND BETWEEN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, $10 MILLION MORE NEXT YEAR THAN THIS YEAR. 
          UM, AND THAT, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE HOW THAT WOULD BE SPLIT BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          BUT I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTICE. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS GAP AND, AND AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW IS THAT GAP BUDGETARILY GONNA BE FILLED, THE, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS NO PLANS OF FILLING A $60 MILLION GAP FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          THAT IS NOT IN THE BUDGET, OR EVEN FEASIBLY, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WOULD TO GET THERE FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          UM, SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE. 
          AND I KNOW LAST WEEK DURING THE BUDGET HEARINGS, WE TALKED ABOUT, WELL, HOW DO YOU FILL THAT GAP? AND MR. SANLI SHARED THAT, UH, IT'S THE, AT LEAST HIS POSITION AS THE, AS, UM, THE TREASURER FOR THE COUNTY THAT HAS TO COME THROUGH. 
          UH, I THINK WHAT THE TERM WAS, STAFFING EFFICIENCIES, WHICH I THINK WE KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, IN A LESS FRIENDLY TERM THAT MEANS THE CUTTING OF INSTRUCTIONAL POSITIONS. 
          SO I JUST THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE AN OPEN JUST PLAYING GROUND TO BEGIN THE CONVERSATION. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S BEEN, WELL, 
          [01:50:01]
THERE'S MONEY FOR RIGHT NOW, BUT AS YOU'RE LOOKING TOWARDS NEXT YEAR, TWO YEARS FROM NOW, THREE YEARS FROM NOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU ALL AS AN INSTITUTION TO RECOGNIZE THAT'S WHERE THE CONVERSATION'S, UH, BEEN. 
          UM, I DID WANNA ASK, UM, AND MAYBE I SHOULD HOLD IT 'CAUSE IT'S ABOUT CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          UM, AND DO YOU WANT PAT OR, UH, DON'T YOU ASK NOW WHILE YOU'RE SPEAKING? OKAY. 
          UM, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT IN ABERDEEN AND HAV DE GRACE THAT EVENTUALLY WE'RE GONNA NEED ANOTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BETWEEN, UH, HAV DE GRACE AND ABERDEEN TO SERVICE THOSE GROWING COMMUNITIES. 
          I, THEY'RE ALREADY HUGE AND, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE INSIDE THOSE CLASSROOMS, IN THOSE TWO AREAS AS IT IS. 
          UM, HOW WILL THAT IMPACT OUR CURRENT, UH, PROJECTIONS FOR THE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE LAID OUT FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION? AND, UM, AND, AND WHERE DO WE STAND ON OUR, OUR, OUR PROJECTIONS FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION? UM, I'LL TAKE A CRACK AT THIS. 
          I KNOW, UH, MR. BROWN, OH, HE'S RIGHT HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU GUYS CAN SWITCH. 
          UM, SO WE HAVE ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY CAPACITY COMING ON, BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT'LL BE, UM, UP AT THE EMAR PROPERTY. 
          AND SO MORE CENTRAL IN THE, IN THE COUNTY AT THAT TIME. 
          WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF FILLING THAT SCHOOL, OF ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO THAT SCHOOL, THERE WILL HAVE TO BE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER BALANCING ENROLLMENT. 
          AND SO WE'LL HAVE A SENSE OF WHERE WE'LL HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHERE OUR CAPACITY LIES. 
          UM, ALSO AS THE TIME, AS WE HAVE A LITTLE MORE TIME BETWEEN HERE AND THERE, WE'LL HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MANY OF THESE PROPERTIES ARE ACTUALLY PRODUCING SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. 
          BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS A QUESTION. 
          YOU NEVER KNOW QUITE HOW MANY. 
          UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CALCULATE NOW I'M GONNA PREEMPT MR. BROWN AND MAYBE LET HIM SAY THE SAME THING AFTERWARDS. 
          REALLY WHAT WE, WE SHOULD BE DOING, UM, SOMETIME THE NEXT FEW YEARS IS ACTUALLY A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF OUR BUILDING CAPACITY AND OUR, THE ABILITY OF OUR FACILITIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOLS. 
          WE, WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT IN QUITE SOME TIME AND IT, IT MAY NOT PROVIDE, UH, INFORMATION THAT PEOPLE ARE EXCITED TO ADDRESS, BUT IT, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE THAT WOULD BRING FORTH THE REALITY OF WHAT WE'RE FACING IN TERMS OF WHAT WE MAY SEE IN TERMS OF GROWTH. 
          WE SEE A LOT OF BUILDING GOING ON AROUND THE COUNTY. 
          WE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, UH, CHILDREN WILL BE YIELDED FROM, UH, FROM THOSE EXPANSIONS. 
          MR. BROWN, ANYTHING YOU WANNA ADD? YES. 
          CORNELL BROWN, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR OPERATIONS. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. 
          SO, CURRENTLY IN OUR, UH, CAPITAL PROGRAM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HOMESTEAD WAKEFIELD COMING ONLINE, UM, NEXT YEAR. 
          SO WE'RE BUILDING SOME ADDITIONAL CAPACITY THERE. 
          UM, FOLLOWING, UM, THAT PROJECT WE HAVE THE HARTFORD ACADEMY, UH, PROJECT THAT'S SCHEDULED TO COME ONLINE WITH AN ADDITIONAL 600 SEATS, UM, THAT WE'RE GONNA BUILD IN. 
          UM, FOLLOWING THAT WE HAVE THE OLD POST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROJECT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S ON THE, UM, OPPOSITE END OF THE COUNTY WHERE WE, UM, NEED CAPACITY, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE, UM, TO ADDRESS THAT. 
          SO WITH THE, UM, BALANCING ENROLLMENT EFFORT THAT WILL TAKE PLACE AT HARTFORD ACADEMY AND THEN WITH OLD POST COMING ON BOARD, WE FOLLOW UP WITH, UM, THE BEL AIR MIDDLE SCHOOL PROJECT, WHICH IS ALSO ANOTHER CAPACITY, UM, PROJECT THAT'S BUILT INTO OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM. 
          SO WE HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT WHERE OUR SEATS ARE, UH, MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS BEFORE WE GO AFTER BEL AIR MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHERE WE WILL BE, UM, ASKING THAT WE ADD ANOTHER CAPACITY PROJECT. 
          UM, AND THAT GIVES US SOME TIME TO LOOK AT THE GROWTH, UM, IN THE ABERDEEN H GRACE AREA. 
          UM, 'CAUSE WE WOULD EXPECT THAT, UM, H GRACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, WE'LL BE LOOKING TO BUILD SOME CAPACITY THERE. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S A SCHOOL THAT WE ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT. 
          AND, UM, IN OUR ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES, UM, ADVISORY MEETINGS, WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LAND BANKING. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AROUND THE COUNTY TO SEE IF WE CAN IDENTIFY, UM, PROPERTY THAT WE CAN SECURE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, AFTER WE SEE WHAT TYPE OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT GROWTH OCCURS, UM, IF WE NEED TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PROPERTY FOR AN ADDITIONAL SCHOOL IN THAT AREA, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL WORK WITH OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO, YOU KNOW, SEE HOW FEASIBLE THAT IS. 
          . 
          SO MORE, MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, WE'RE NOT TALKING IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF SEEING ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO, UH, ABERDEEN HAV GRACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BEING ADDED ON? NO, IT WOULD BE AFTER THE BEL AIR MIDDLE SCHOOL PROJECT AND OUR CURRENT, UM, CAPITAL PROGRAM. 
          UM, BUT CAPACITY 
          [01:55:01]
PROJECTS ARE THE BOARD'S, UM, NUMBER ONE, UM, PRIORITY. 
          SO BASED ON THE, UM, THE GROWTH THAT WE ACTUALLY SEE ONCE THOSE RESIDENTIAL UNITS COME ON, UM, BOARD, UM, EVERY YEAR WE GO BACK TO THE BOARD AND SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING. 
          WE NEED TO MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO WORK WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WORK WITH STATE GOVERNMENT, UM, TO OBTAIN THE FUNDING TO MOVE FORWARD. 
          UM, WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL BUILDINGS, I KNOW ONE OF THE SLIDES TALKED ABOUT HISTORICALLY SMALL SCHOOLS. 
          COULD YOU BREAK DOWN FOR US AS A COUNCIL, HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO OPERATE THOSE SCHOOLS? AND WHAT COULD BE THE PLAN AS FAR AS HOW COULD A, A BUDGET CRUNCH THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR, THE YEAR AFTER IMPACT THOSE HISTORICALLY SMALL SCHOOLS? SO WE, WE CAN SEND YOU, UM, THE COST PER PUPIL BY SCHOOL. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE. 
          UM, AND OUR, SO OUR COST PER PUPIL RANGES BETWEEN ABOUT $14,000 PER STUDENT AT A SCHOOL LIKE HOMESTEAD WAKEFIELD OR YOUTH BENEFIT UP TO NEARLY $38,000 PER STUDENT AT DARLINGTON. 
          UM, NOW SEPARATE FROM THAT HARTFORD ACADEMY, THE STUDENTS THERE, BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE NEEDS, WE SPEND ABOUT $110,000 PER STUDENT. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, THE RANGE, EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, UM, RUNNING SMALL SCHOOLS IS EXPENSIVE AND NOT VERY EFFICIENT. 
          UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE DO HAVE, PARTICULARLY AT THE ELEMENTARY END, WE HAVE CAPACITY ISSUES. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, CLOSING A SCHOOL MAY, MAY NOT MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, BUT IT'S ALSO HARD WHEN YOU THINK GEOGRAPHICALLY ABOUT A PLACE LIKE DARLINGTON, IT'S HARD TO SEND A LOT OF KIDS THERE ON BUSES. 
          SO HOW WE MIGHT USE A BUILDING LIKE THAT MORE EFFICIENTLY, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE MORE ANALYSIS. 
          UM, SO WE, WE HAVE TO BALANCE THIS, THE OVERALL NEED FOR CAPACITY WITH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T MOVE OUR BUILDINGS AND TO, TO MAKE THEM SORT OF SERVE, YOU KNOW, WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE LIVING. 
          S BUT AGAIN, LOOKING AT A SCHOOL COSTING $38,000, UH, PER STUDENT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE COULD, WE COULD ALMOST ABSORB THOSE STUDENTS INTO ANOTHER SCHOOL, BUT IF WE WERE TO DO THAT, UM, THAT WOULD REQUIRE BUS RIDES. 
          SO WE HAVE TO DECIDE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH AS, AS A COUNTY. 
          AND ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT THE REALITIES OF SPENDING MORE PER STUDENT IS SOMETHING THAT WE MAY DECIDE WE HAVE TO ABSORB. 
          BUT IT'S AGAIN, NOT THE TYPE OF THING THAT THE BLUEPRINT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. 
          MR. ELLIS, YOU WERE GONNA SAY SOMETHING? SO JUST TO GET ON TO THE, UH, TO THE LAND ACQUISITION PROCESS. 
          SO THE COUNTY HAS A SEPARATE PROJECT FOR SITE ACQUISITION, UM, THAT WE HAVE IN THE GENERAL SECTION OF THE, OF THE CAPITAL BUDGET WHERE WE PURCHASE ALL TYPES OF LAND, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF, UNLESS IT'S SPECIFIC FOR SAY, LIKE A PARK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          'CAUSE THEN WE USE, UH, UH, PROGRAM OPEN SPACE. 
          UM, BUT WHILE WE MAY NOT BE READY TO, UM, START PUTTING SHOVELS IN THE GROUND ON THIS ABERDEEN, UM, HA, GRACE, UH, POTENTIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN, IN OUR MINDS, YOU KNOW, STARTING THAT PROCESS IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT MAKING MORE LAND. 
          UM, AND, AND EACH EACH, EACH NEW DEVELOPMENT COMES ON BOARD. 
          IT MAKES IT HARDER AND HARDER TO, TO BE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. 
          SO OUR OUR INTENT IS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE APPROPRIATION IN THAT, IN THAT FUND, AND THAT WE CAN START TRYING TO IDENTIFY, UH, A PARCEL THAT WILL, THAT WILL MEET THE SCHOOL'S, SCHOOL'S NEEDS. 
          THANK YOU, MR. JAN. 
          ARE YOU GETTING READY TO SAY SOMETHING? UH, OKAY. 
          UM, SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. 
          APPRECIATE, I, I, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE A HARD, HARD TIME AHEAD OF YOU ASKING FOR THE, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND LOOKING THROUGH THE BUDGET. 
          UM, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE GET IT. 
          WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO, TO REVIEW THAT, BUT THERE IS SOME THINGS THAT I SEE JUST HAVE QUESTIONS ON INCREASES FROM 22 TO 25. 
          UM, GOING BACK THROUGH, LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE, UM, I SEE LEGAL SERVICES WENT FROM 3 72 IN 22 TO 5 29. 
          I SEE EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATION WENT FROM 2.2 MILLION 2022 TO 4 MILLION. 
          THAT'S A, THAT'S A 1.85 MILLION INCREASE. 
          UM, I DID GO THROUGH AND LOOKING THROUGH SOME OF THESE. 
          THERE'S, UM, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE IN HERE. 
          EQUITY AND PROFICIENCY DEPARTMENT IN 22 WAS, IT WAS 292,000, AND NOW IT'S DOUBLED TO ALMOST 578,000. 
          UM, I LOOKED THROUGH HERE TO, TO GET A DEFINITION LOOKING THROUGH THAT. 
          UM, SO I, I SAW A LITTLE, BUT, AND THEN THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE HERE. 
          THERE'S, UH, ORGANIZATION OR DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AND THERE WAS, IN 2022, THERE WAS NO BUDGET FOR IT. 
          2025, IT'S PROJECTED TO BE 617. 
          SO IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, IT'S A MILLION. 
          [02:00:01]
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T SHOW UP THIS YEAR, BUT IT'S GONNA SHOW UP NEXT YEAR. 
          IT'S TALENT MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT OF 1.2 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          UM, SAME THING FOR STAFF RELATIONS DEPARTMENT. 
          IT, THAT'S GONNA BE 993 MILLION IN 2025. 
          UM, LET'S SEE, SAFETY AND SECURITY WENT FROM, UH, 802,000, BUT IT'S PROJECTED TO BE 2.3 MILLION 1.56. 
          I DON'T WANNA SEE THE TEACHERS CUT JOBS ANYWHERE, BUT IF I'M LOOKING AT CUTTING SOME THINGS, MM-HMM, , I, YOU KNOW, I, I'M LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE OTHER BUDGETS AND THINKING I'M GONNA PAIR PARE DOWN SOME OF THESE AND MAKE SURE I KEEP MY TEACHERS, UM, MAKE SURE I KEEP MY ATHLETICS, WHICH I'M A VERY BIG SUPPORTER OF. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CERTAINLY KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF, LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CUTTING THIS PROGRAM, YOU'RE CUTTING MY TEACHERS. 
          WE DON'T WANNA SEE THAT. 
          BUT I, BUT I LOOK AT SOME OF THESE OTHER OTHER THINGS HERE. 
          AND JUST LOOKING AT NUMBERS AND THEN LOOKING AT SOMEBODY, UM, DESCRIPTIONS THAT SOME OF THESE THINGS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS WRITE 'EM UP AND I, BUT I DO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE, UH, OBVIOUSLY, AND I THINK THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE. 
          SO, UM, HERE'S ONE OR TWO MORE THINGS TOO, BUT I, I THINK YOU GET THE GIST. 
          AND DEBORAH, I WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, FOR, FOR SITTING DOWN WITH ERIC AND MYSELF AND GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE STUFF. 
          AND THIS WAS NOT STUFF THAT I SAW BEFORE, SO, SURE, THAT'S FINE. 
          AND I DIDN'T GET EVERYTHING THAT YOU LISTED, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT SOME OF THE, UM, FOR INSTANCE, EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATION, WE DID SOME REORGANIZATION AND WE SHUFFLED DEPARTMENTS. 
          SO DEPARTMENTS THAT EXISTED PREVIOUSLY WOULD HAVE SHOWN SOMEPLACE ELSE IN THE BUDGET, AND NOW THEY'RE REFLECTED IN THAT AREA. 
          UM, SO THAT'S A GOOD BIT OF WHAT YOU REFERENCED HERE. 
          SO THEY'RE NOT NEW OVERALL, THEY'RE JUST NEW IN THE AREAS, OR WE'VE RETITLED A DEPARTMENT. 
          SO IT'S NEW WITHIN THE SYSTEM AS FAR AS A DEPARTMENT, BUT THE POSITIONS EXISTED, BUT PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT USED TO BE UNDER CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT. 
          SO NOW THAT'S BEEN BROKEN OUT AND IT'S A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT, BUT IT'S NOT NEW PEOPLE WITHIN THE BUILDING. 
          SO, UM, WE CAN GO THROUGH EACH OF THOSE WITH YOU AND PROVIDE THE EXPLANATION FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MR. PENMAN. 
          THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. 
          UM, I FIRST JUST WANT TO TALK, UH, JUST ABOUT SOME OF THE IMPACT THAT I, I, I SEE IF THIS BUDGET IS GONNA PROCEED, UM, AS SUGGESTED. 
          AND I JUST WANNA QUALIFY THAT BEFORE I DO. 
          SO, UM, MYSELF AND I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO, UH, WADE SOWELL FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTING DISTRICT B, HAVE VISITED EVERY SCHOOL IN, UH, DISTRICT B. 
          UH, ALONG WITH, JUST TO KIND OF COMPARE AND CONTRAST, UM, EDGEWOOD MIDDLE JOB OF TOWN, HIGH DEERFIELD ELEMENTARY, THAT KIND OF SEE THE ISSUES, UH, THAT COULD TAKE PLACE IF THIS BUDGET WERE TO BE PASSED. 
          AND I TELL YOU, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE WITNESSED ARE, UH, SPACE CLASSROOMS, AVAILABILITY, UH, AND THE PORTABLES THAT HAVE TO BE ADDED CLASSROOM SIZES. 
          I THINK IN, UM, EMERTON ELEMENTARY, THERE IS A THIRD GRADE CLASS THAT'S GOT 33, UH, CHILDREN. 
          IT'S, IT'S TOUGH TO TEACH, UH, CLASS WITH 33, UH, CHILDREN. 
          UH, EDGEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM, YOU HAVE ROUGHLY 60 TEACHERS AND A THIRD OF THOSE 22 OF 'EM ARE NOT CERTIFIED. 
          AND THEN ANOTHER THIRD OF THOSE ARE NON-TENURED. 
          SO YOU HAVE OVER 40 TEACHERS THAT ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO THE PROFESSION. 
          AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, UH, I'D ADVOCATE AND CONTINUE TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE SUPPORT SYSTEM NEEDED TO MAKE SURE, UH, THAT THOSE TEACHERS, UM, ARE TRAINED, UM, SO THEY CAN EDUCATE, RIGHT? UH, BECAUSE REALLY IN THE SUM OF THINGS, UM, CLASSROOM SIZES AND, UH, TEACHERS TRAINING REALLY EQUAL WHAT THE SCORING AND THE EDUCATION QUALITY OF PRODUCT THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM PUTS OUT. 
          SO I'M CONCERNED THAT WITH THESE CUTS, A LOT OF THIS IS GONNA BE AFFECTED, WHICH IS GONNA CIRCLE BACK TO KIND OF THE FUND BALANCE QUESTION. 
          AND I'M GLAD THAT WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT THE FUND BALANCE, UH, WHEN YOU SPOKE ABOUT THE FUND BALANCE, DR. 
          POLSON, YOU MENTIONED, 'CAUSE I THINK THERE WAS SOME MISINFORMATION ON KIND OF WHAT THAT IS AS FAR AS, UM, WHAT IS AVAILABLE ON ASSIGNED. 
          UM, NOW I WANT TO GET TO THAT 16 MILLION, BUT ASIDE FROM THAT 16 MILLION, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU SAID 35 MILLION OF UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, UH, AND WITH ABOUT 40 MILLION REQUIRED, RIGHT? MOST OF THAT IS IN WAGE PACKAGE. 
          I CAN TELL YOU, UM, WHICH I, I BELIEVE IN PEOPLE. 
          I BELIEVE IN MAKING SURE THAT WE INVEST IN OUR WORKFORCE, UM, AND THAT 
          [02:05:01]
18 19 MILLION IS CRITICAL IF WE WANT TO RECRUIT NEW TEACHERS. 
          AND YOU'RE ALREADY SEEING THAT ISSUE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HIRE THE, UH, THE NUMBER OF, UH, ON CERTIFIED TEACHERS JUST TO BE ABLE TO PUT CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS IN CLASSROOMS, I SHOULD SAY. 
          SO, UM, THE WAY I SEE IT, BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD BE USING THIS 16 MILLION, AND I'LL GET TO THAT POINT HERE IN A SECOND, THAT 35 MILLION IS NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO COVER WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION, THE GRANT FUNDING, THE PENSIONS, AND THE, THE WAGE PACKAGE THAT'S, THAT'S NEEDED. 
          SO, UM, I, EITHER WAY THESE CUTS ARE GONNA HAPPEN, BUT I DON'T SEE HOW 35 MILLION GETS YOU 40. 
          I JUST, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE IT. 
          SO, UM, I JUST, YOU KNOW, WE COULD CUT, THE CLASSROOM SIZES ARE GONNA GO UP FROM 33, UM, WHICH IS IT GONNA BE A DRASTIC EFFECT. 
          UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T EXPECT YOU, UH, I THINK YOU ALREADY COVERED THE POINT. 
          THAT'S JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN. 
          UM, THE SECOND POINT I WANNA MAKE IS THAT $16 MILLION RATE STABILIZATION FUND, UM, THAT IS TAKEN FROM THE EMPLOYEE'S MEDICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. 
          I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW ONE, THAT WE CAN TRANSFER $16 MILLION OVER INTO THE SCHOOL BUDGET. 
          I KNOW WE HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF A FISCAL YEAR, BUT HOW LEGALLY ARE WE ABLE TO TRANSFER $16 MILLION OVER TO THE SCHOOL BOARD? ANSWER THIS, LETS GO THE, THE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, LIKE THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 
          UM, WE ARE ALL, AND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE LIBRARY, WE ARE ALL SELF-INSURED. 
          SO THE WAY THAT YOU COME UP WITH, UM, MORE OR LESS THAT HOW, HOW YOU RUN THE SELF-INSURED PROGRAM IS YOU COME UP WITH A PREMIUM AMOUNT FOR, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, ON A PER PER, UM, PER EMPLOYEE BASIS. 
          AND OF COURSE, IT VARIES WHETHER IT'S SINGLE, UM, COUPLES OR, OR, OR FAMILY, FAMILY BASIS. 
          YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND THAT, UM, THAT YEAR ON, ON HEALTH INSURANCE. 
          AND THEN ALL OF THOSE PREMIUM NUMBERS ARE SUBJECT GENERALLY TO NEGOTIATIONS WITH HOW THE SPLIT, UM, IS, IS DONE. 
          AND FOR MOST OF BOTH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND ALL, IT'S A VERY GENEROUS SPLIT. 
          THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS GENERALLY FUNDING, YOU KNOW, WELL IN EXCESS OF 90% OF, OF THE, THE TOTAL COST. 
          AND IN SOME CASES AS HIGH AS 97% DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU WERE, WHEN YOU WERE HIRED. 
          NOW YOU DO KEEP, BECAUSE YOU ARE SELF-INSURED AND IT'S ALL BASED UPON ACTUAL CLAIMS. SO MAYBE ONE YEAR YOU HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF CLAIMS AND ONE YEAR YOU DON'T HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF CLAIMS. SO YOU DO WANNA KEEP A RESERVE IN PLACE. 
          UM, BECAUSE IF THERE IS A CALL AT THE END OF THE YEAR WHERE THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA HAVE $20 MILLION IN MEDICAL, UM, MEDICAL EXPENDITURES, BUT YOU GOT $21 MILLION IN MEDICAL EXPENDITURES, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE, UM, RESERVES IN PLACE. 
          NOW WE HAVE THIS CONSORTIUM WHERE WE, WHERE WHERE WE HAVE CERTAIN, UM, KIND OF GAPS IN, I MEAN, I'M SORRY, CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, STOP GAP, UM, INSURANCES IN PLACE. 
          AND WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, KIND OF SOME ASSURANCES THAT IF WE HAVE A CALL THAT THEY WILL BE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT IT, UM, THAT IT WOULDN'T BE MAYBE THE ENTIRETY OF, OF, OF THE CALL THAT IT'S, IT'S, UM, IT'S KIND OF A CAPPED AT ABOUT 5%, UM, THAT THE CALL, UM, IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH ADDITIONAL MONIES IS ABOUT 5%. 
          SO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS IS THAT ALL ALL ENTITIES, WE'VE HAD GOOD YEARS ON OUR HEALTH INSURANCE. 
          SO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT, UM, HAS BEEN SAVED, IF YOU WILL, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TO THE GOOD, UM, HAS ACCUMULATED. 
          UM, AND SO ALL ENTITIES HAVE, YOU KNOW, HAVE SEEN SOME ACCUMULATION, UM, SOME ACCUMULATION OF, OF FUNDS. 
          NOW, AGAIN, YOU NEED TO KEEP SOME OF IT BEHIND AND BACK FOR, UM, IN CASE YOU DO HAVE A CALL. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULDN'T SPEND IT ALL. 
          THE QUESTION IS, IS HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH ABOVE THAT 5%, UM, SHOULD YOU KEEP, YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, WE, UM, WORKING WITH THE ACTUARIES AND THE HEALTH CONSULTANTS WE'RE LIKE, OKAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU WITHIN THE CONSORTIUM, WITHIN THE CONSORTIUM WHERE THE COUNTY IS HOLDING THE MONEY, WE SHOULD HOLD, YOU KNOW, UM, 150% OF THAT CALL, OR INSTEAD OF 5% 7.5. 
          NOW THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANY OTHER ENTITY, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CANNOT HOLD THOSE, UM, HOLD ADDITIONAL FUNDS WITHIN THEIR OWN, THEIR OWN FUND BALANCE. 
          IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE COUNTY HOLDS. 
          AND THE REASON WHY WE ARE RETURNING THE MONEY IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, DUE TO CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR OWN, UM, EXTERNAL AUDITORS, IS THAT THERE'S GAS BS OUT THERE THAT STATE THAT IF WE ARE HOLDING EXCESS FUNDS, IT PUTS THE COUNTY IN THE POSITION OF BEING A, UM, INVESTMENT BROKER. 
          UM, AND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULDN'T BE HOLDING, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN, THAN EXCESS FUNDS. 
          YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PROPER AMOUNT OF FUNDS? YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW, BUT WE, WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK WITH HERE FROM, FROM THE ACTUARIES. 
          UM, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN, OF COURSE, THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CAN CHOOSE TO ASSIGN THOSE FUNDS AND HOLD ONTO TO THEM THEMSELVES. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE'RE GONNA HOLD 7.5%, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY OF COURSE COULD DECIDE TO HOLD, UM, TO HOLD A PORTION WITHIN THEIR OWN FUND BALANCE. 
          JUST A QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT TO COUNT THE IN THE CONSORTIUM IS GONNA HOLD THOSE, UM, THOSE FUNDS. 
          [02:10:01]
NOW, I WILL HEAR A LOT ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, THESE FUNDS ARE, ARE EMPLOYEE, ARE, ARE EMPLOYEE MONIES, AND MAYBE AT SOME LEVEL, UM, WHATEVER PORTION OF THE, UH, UM, THE PREMIUMS ARE PAID FOR BY THE EMPLOYEES, YOU COULD MAYBE MAKE SOME TYPE OF AN ARGUMENT. 
          BUT I WOULD, I WOULD ARGUE THAT REALLY NONE OF THOSE ARE EMPLOYEE FUNDS. 
          THE COUNTY IS THE ONE OR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT ABSORBS THE RISK. 
          WE COME UP WITH A PREMIUM AMOUNT. 
          WE SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE 95%, YOU KNOW, WE PAY 95%, YOU PAY 5%. 
          UM, IF WE'RE TO THE SHORT, WE DON'T COME IN AND SAY, WELL, YOU HAVE TO MAKE UP THAT MONEY. 
          UM, SO YOU NOW, IN THE PAST, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHEN THEY'VE ACCUMULATED THOSE FUNDS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE GIVEN IT BACK A PORTION TO THEIR, TO THEIR EMPLOYEES IN THE FORM OF PREMIUM HOLIDAYS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY, WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT. 
          BUT THIS YEAR, WHAT THE COUNTY DID IS, YOU KNOW, WE HELD RATES FLAT. 
          SO IN, IN ESSENCE, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF ATE IN, YOU KNOW, TO TO THOSE PRIOR YEAR, UH, TO THOSE PRIOR YEAR, UM, UH, TO THOSE PRIOR YEAR SAVINGS. 
          BUT AGAIN, ONLY A VERY SMALL PORTION OF THE TOTAL PREMIUM COST IS REALLY BORNE BY THE EMPLOYEES. 
          THE OVERWHELMING PORTION IS BORNE BY BY THE EMPLOYER. 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHERE ALL OF THE RISK UL ULTIMATELY IS. 
          BUT AGAIN, KIND TO GO BACK, THIS IS JUST A QUESTION OF HOW MUCH THE COUNTY CAN HOLD. 
          UM, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CANNOT CHOOSE TO HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT, UM, UH, TO, TO HAVE A, YOU KNOW, AN EXTRA BUFFER, UH, JUST AS THEY CHOOSE TO HAVE ASSIGNMENTS FOR IF THE PRICE OF FUEL GOES UP OR IF, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS OR WHAT HAVE YOU. 
          MR. PENMAN, IF I MAY, ROBBIE, CAN YOU ALSO SPEAK TO WHY WE DIDN'T SEE THE TRANSFER HERE TO COUNCIL? 'CAUSE TYPICALLY WHEN MONEY'S TRANSFERRED, UH, WITHIN THE BOARD, THERE'S, BUT IT'S NOT WITHIN THEIR BUDGET. 
          I MEAN, THIS IS, THIS IS, THESE WERE JUST, THESE ARE JUST FUNDS THAT HAVE JUST ACCUMULATED, UM, WITHIN THE CONSORTIUM. 
          SO IT'S NOT APPROPRIATION. 
          UM, THESE WERE JUST, THESE ARE JUST COUNTY, UM, THESE WERE JUST SCHOOL SYSTEM FUNDS THAT WE WERE HOLDING ONTO. 
          IT'S THEIR MONEY, IT'S NOT OUR MONEY. 
          AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY CAN'T HOLD ONTO, HOLD ONTO THEIR MONEY BEYOND THE, THE, UM, A, A REASONABLE AMOUNT. 
          AGAIN, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST THOUGH? I MEAN, IN THE PAST WE HAVE GENERALLY SEEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, WOULD, WOULD REQUEST FUNDS, YOU KNOW, FROM US, BUT ALSO THESE AMOUNTS HAVE ALSO GROWN CONSIDERABLY. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE TO GO BACK FIVE YEARS, THESE NUMBERS WERE, UM, WELL ACTUALLY FIVE YEARS AGO, WE, WE OFTENTIMES WERE, WERE RUNNING LOSSES. 
          IT'S ONLY BECAUSE KIND OF DURING THE COVID PERIOD WE SAW A REAL, UM, UH, NOBODY WAS GOING TO THE DOCTOR. 
          SO YOU SAW A LOT OF SAVINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN THOSE COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          UM, SO THIS IS KIND OF AN ATYPICAL SITUATION. 
          WE NORMALLY DIDN'T HAVE THESE LEVELS, YOU KNOW, UM, HISTORICALLY, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO ACCUMULATE BEN. 
          YEAH, I DID. 
          UM, SO LEGALLY, THIS IS MY FIRST QUESTION. 
          I'M NOT SURE. 
          I THINK THE COUNT, UH, COUNCIL PRESIDENT WAS ALLUDING TO TOO LEGALLY, UH, CAN IT BE TRANSFERRED TO ALLOW THEM TO SPEND IT, UH, FOR THEIR GENERAL FUNDS OR FUND BALANCE, UM, WITHOUT THE COUNCIL APPROVAL OR THE BOARD OF ED APPROVAL? YEAH, THEY WOULD NEED TO APPROPRIATE IT. 
          JUST LIKE OUR FUND, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR FUND BALANCE OR THEIR FUND BALANCE, IT'S JUST MONEY THAT'S ACCUMULATED FROM PRIOR YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, PRIOR YEAR SAVINGS, PRIOR YEAR REVENUE. 
          BUT YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN ONLY SPEND IT ONCE EITHER. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM PASSES THEIR BUDGET OR IN THIS CASE, OR THE COUNTY COUNCIL PASSES THE BUDGET. 
          UM, AND THAT ENABLES US TO SPEND, TO SPEND UP TO THAT AMOUNT. 
          SO YES, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS THIS JUST, THIS JUST MONEY IS, UM, THEY CAN, THEY COULD CHOOSE TO DO WHATEVER. 
          THEY COULD CHOOSE TO HOLD IT AS A RESERVE. 
          THEY COULD CHOOSE TO APPROPRIATE IT, BUT IF THEY CHOOSE TO APPROPRIATE AND USE IT, JUST LIKE IF WE CHOOSE TO APPROPRIATE AND USE ANY FUNDS ON OUR END, THAT WE THEN HAVE TO HAVE THAT BUDGET PASSED BY, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR BOARD, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GIVING THEM MUCH OPTION OF APPROPRIATING IT AND USING IT BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE UNDER, THEY'RE 35 WITHOUT THE 16 TO NOT EVEN GET THEM TO, TO, TO 40. 
          JUST HANG ON ONE SECOND PLEASE. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          UM, AND AT ONE POINT I WANTED TO MAKE, THAT JUST GOES BACK TO THE OVERALL ARGUMENT OR DISCUSSION, NOT ARGUMENT THAT WE'VE HAD IS, UH, HOW MUCH ABOVE THE 5% SHOULD WE ACTUALLY KEEP IN FUND BALANCE? THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO FOR THEM. 
          AND THEN WHEN WE DISCUSS IT IN, IN A COUNTY, IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY. 
          I JUST, I DON'T, I THIS, WELL, AGAIN, THIS IS 5% IN THIS CASE JUST FOR, JUST FOR, UM, FOR, UH, MEDICAL CLAIMS BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S THE NUMBER THAT WE HAVE WITHIN THE CONSORTIUM THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN AT LEAST OF 5%. 
          AND WHAT WE SAID IS, OKAY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE WILL MAINTAIN 7.5%. 
          UM, YOU'RE, BUT THAT'S TRUE. 
          ANY, ANY ARGUMENT ONCE YOU START GETTING INTO HOW MUCH FUND BALANCE SHOULD YOU KEEP AND HOW SHOULD YOU SPEND IT, UM, IS ULTIMATELY A QUESTION OF, OF YOUR, YOUR RISK PROFILE. 
          AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS DEALING WITH IT IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, MEAN THEY NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT, OKAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF WE DO HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF MEDICAL CLAIMS OR WHAT IF WE DO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, SNOW OR AGAIN, WHAT IF WE DO HAVE, UM, A SIGNIFICANT REVENUE, REVENUE SHORTFALL? AND THIS, THIS KIND OF GOES BACK TO, TO ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH FUN BALANCE IS, IS PRUDENT, YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE JUST AT THE ABSOLUTE 
          [02:15:01]
MINIMUM OR DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE? NOW, I AM GONNA ARGUE THAT THIS, THAT THE COUNTY NEEDS MORE FUND BALANCE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BECAUSE OF TWO FACTORS. 
          THAT IS THAT WE HAVE REVENUE VOLATILITY MATTER, THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR REVENUES ARE UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY COME IN. 
          UM, AND THAT WE ALSO HAVE, WE HOLD ALL THE DEBT. 
          SO WE NEED TO ASSURE THE, THE INVESTMENT COMMUNITY, THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT COMMUNITY, THAT WE HAVE RESERVES IN ORDER TO DO THAT. 
          HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES NOT NEED A FUND BALANCE OR THE LIBRARY OR THE, OR THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. 
          BUT YOU, WE GO BACK TO ALL OF IT, AND THIS IS, I'M SURE THEY'RE GONNA AGREE WITH US, IS THAT THIS, THE, THE, THE FUND BALANCE IS ONE TIME, ONE TIME MONEY, AND WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT ONGOING EXPENDITURES AND ALL OF US HERE AND INCLUDING THIS COUNTY GOVERNMENT'S BUDGET WHERE WE'RE USING 50 52 50 $3 MILLION, UM, WE, WE ARE, IN AN IDEAL WORLD, ALL OF US WOULD BE USING OUR FUND BALANCE FOR ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES. 
          THAT'S HOW, THAT'S REALLY HOW IT WOULD WORK. 
          UM, WE ARE NOT IN, WE DON'T HAVE THAT POSITION. 
          SO BECAUSE WE HAVE ONGOING EXPENDITURE PRESSURES, WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THAT JUST LIKE WE'RE DOING, YOU MAY NEED TO KIND OF USE IT AS A BRIDGE, BUT IT'S NOT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION. 
          AND THEY'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT RIGHT WHEN THEY COME AND THEY SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT IF THEY DO SPEND THEIR FUND BALANCE, THEY'RE GOING TO NEED TO TO BE BACK HERE IN, IN THE FUTURE. 
          AND THEN ULTIMATELY IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S EITHER FIXED ON THE REVENUE SIDE OR IT'S FIXED ON THE ONGOING EXPENDITURE SIDE. 
          UM, AND THAT'S, AND EITHER WAY IS A TOUGH, IS A TOUGH DECISION. 
          SO, UM, THEIR FUND BALANCE, OUR FUND BALANCE, NONE OF THIS STUFF SOLVES, SOLVES IT, BUT IT, IT COULD AT LEAST BRIDGE IT SO THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS AND HOPEFULLY THE REVENUES TURN AROUND A LITTLE BIT. 
          LEMME JUST GO BACK TO THE UTILIZATION OF THE $16 MILLION THAT IS MEDICAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND WHETHER, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SMALL OR A LOT OF PERCENTAGES THAT CAME OUT FROM EMPLOYEES PAYCHECKS, RIGHT? I HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHY WE SHOULD REQUEST THEM TO USE THAT FOR FUND BALANCE. 
          UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE, IF IF IT'S SHORT, WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO YOU. 
          WE DON'T DO THAT. 
          BUT ESSENTIALLY WE DO BECAUSE WE HAVE TO RAISE OUR, UH, OUR BENEFIT COST CONTRIBUTIONS ON, ON, UH, MEDICAL EXPENSES. 
          AND I, I WOULD CHALLENGE THAT THAT $16 MILLION SHOULD BE USED, UM, TO ABSORB ANY MEDICAL INCREASE ON COSTS PER EMPLOYEES GOING FORWARD, RIGHT? IT'S THEIR MONEY, THEY DIDN'T USE AS MUCH OF IT, BUT INSTEAD WE'RE ASKING THEM TO APPLY IT TO A FUND BALANCE TO PAY FOR TEACHERS' SALARIES TO PAY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION TO PAY, UH, FOR THE GRANT POSITIONS, RIGHT? UM, AND I JUST, I JUST THINK IT'S, IT'S A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT TO SET. 
          UH, AND I KNOW THIS IS, I THINK IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT I, THAT WAS INSTRUCTED TO ME THAT THIS IS HAPPENED THIS WAY, AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY, UH, WHY THIS IS SUDDENLY GIVEN OVER TO PROJECT THAT THEY, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS THIS, UH, INCREASED FUND BALANCE WHEN REALLY, REALLY, THEY, THEY DON'T, AND THEY'RE GONNA EXHAUST IT, UH, WHICH COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC EFFECTS GOING FORWARD. 
          AND I COULD TELL YOU SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE GONNA BE CUT, UM, YOU, YOU KNOW, UM, IN AREAS OF FALLSTON THAT ARE MORE AFFLUENT, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY THESE PARENTS CAN HAVE HEALTHY DIFFERENT, UH, UH, OUTREACH PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN PUT THEIR KIDS INTO. 
          BUT I CAN TELL YOU ALONG THE, UH, 40 CORRIDOR IN THE PRIORITY AREAS, THEY DON'T HAVE THOSE RESOURCES, RIGHT? AND, AND I, WHAT I'M SCARED FOR IS THESE KIDS GETTING INVOLVED IN UNHEALTHY PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES, AND THAT'S GONNA HAVE A COMPOUND EFFECT ON THE BOTTOM DOLLAR FOR HARTFORD COUNTY, RIGHT? UM, INCOME GOING FORWARD, UH, THE, THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF THE COST. 
          UM, SO I, I JUST THINK SOME OF THESE, THESE CUTS, UH, COULD BE CATASTROPHIC FOR OUR COUNTY. 
          AND I'LL JUST CLOSE WITH ONE POINT. 
          I KNOW I'M KIND OF MONOPOLIZING THINGS. 
          UH, WE HAVE THE AVAMAR PROPERTY THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH, IT LOOKS LIKE FROM ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES. 
          SO, AND NOW WE HAVE A SHUCKS ROAD PROPERTY OF I THINK NEARLY A HUNDRED ACRES. 
          UM, SO THAT IS IN THE HANDS OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL, RIGHT? SO I THINK IF WE WANT TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR, UH, DEVELOPABLE PROPERTY, THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH THAT PROPERTY, AND CAN WE SELL THAT PROPERTY? CAN WE GIVE AUTHORIZATION FROM THE SCHOOLS TO THE COUNTY TO SELL THAT PROPERTY? UM, SO IT CAN BE AN ASSET FOR THE COUNTY. 
          AND THAT WOULD BE MY FINAL QUESTION. 
          WHO ARE YOU ASKING DR. 
          VOLSON? I GUESS  WASN'T A MEDICAL VERSION. 
          UM, ANY SURPLUS OF THE PROPERTY WOULD REQUIRE GOING THROUGH THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ALSO. 
          SO THEY WOULD KIND OF GET THE FINAL SAY, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ESSENTIALLY MAKE THE CASE TO THE STATE BOARD THAT THAT PROPERTY ISN'T REQUIRED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. 
          NOW, WE JUST HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT 
          [02:20:01]
CAPACITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO THAT WOULD LEAD TO A QUESTION, UM, AS TO HOW EFFECTIVELY COULD, WE COULD MAKE THE CASE THAT WE DON'T NEED A PROPERTY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. 
          UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE FIRST BARRIER TO IT. 
          QUIN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ADD TO THAT, BUT I THINK YOU ADDRESSED IT. 
          SO AGAIN, UH, THE QUESTION ABOUT CAPACITY COMES UP AND WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR FUTURE NEEDS, UM, TO ADDRESS THAT OF THE PROCESS THAT, UH, WE ALL KNOW, UM, WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH, UM, SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          WE'RE NOT AUTHORIZED TO ACQUIRE OR DISPOSITION PROPERTY. 
          UM, SO WE WOULD, UM, NEED TO GO BACK TO OUR BOARD FOR THE SHUCKS ROAD PROPERTY, UM, WHICH IS 30 SOMETHING ACRES. 
          UM, GO BACK TO OUR BOARD. 
          I THOUGHT IT WAS 70. 
          AND THERE'S ANOTHER PLOT THAT'S 30 FOR THE STRUCTURAL PROPERTY THAT WE OWN, UM, FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION THAT WE INITIALLY INTENDED TO USE FOR, UM, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
          AND, AND FOR HARTFORD ACADEMY, UM, IS ONLY LIKE 32 ACRES. 
          ALRIGHT? AND ADJACENT TO THAT, YOU HAVE THE PARKS AND REC PARCEL THAT WAS DEVELOPED AND IS CURRENTLY BEING USED FOR PARK AND REC SERVICES. 
          UM, SO WE WOULD NEED TO GO TO OUR BOARD THEN, UM, GO THROUGH OUR STATE GOVERNMENT TO GET AUTHORIZATION FROM THE, UM, STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF, OF SCHOOLS TO SURPLUS THE PROPERTY BACK TO, UM, LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 
          AND THEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT WOULD THEN, UM, MOVE FORWARD TO, UM, DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY. 
          NOW THAT TAKES TIME. 
          UM, AND THAT WILL BE A DECISION THAT THE, UM, THE BOARD WOULD NEED TO MAKE. 
          BUT AGAIN, UM, WE ARE, UM, DESPERATELY IN NEED OF, UM, ACQUIRING PROPERTY. 
          SO WE DON'T KNOW FURTHER DOWN THE LINE IF, UM, WE WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, BE AUTHORIZED TO UTILIZE THAT PROPERTY FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES. 
          SO I WOULDN'T, THIS CORNELL WOULDN'T GO TO THE, UM, SUPERINTENDENT TO RECOMMEND THAT WE WOULD SURPLUS THE PROPERTY. 
          BUT AGAIN, THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT WE ALL NEED TO HAVE, UM, FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COUNTY. 
          I, I KNOW THAT THE, UH, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION WAS OFFERING THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY, UH, TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR A POTENTIAL PRECINCT THERE. 
          AND I JUST, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT CONVERSATION WAS HAPPENING. 
          IF THESE OTHER STEPS, HOW COULD WE OFFER FOR A POTENTIAL ISSUE OR A, A, YOU KNOW, A CAUSE IF, IF FIRST IT NEEDS TO GO THROUGH YOU, I JUST, THAT THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO HAVE TO LEVERAGE A PIECE OF PROPERTY BEFORE IT'S EVEN AVAILABLE. 
          YOU, ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME HERE? YEAH, I'M FOLLOWING YOU. 
          BUT, UM, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THERE WAS A, UM, DESIRE TO, TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION TO DETERMINE IF THAT'S THE NEED. 
          THEN WE WOULD TAKE THOSE STEPS TO GO TO OUR BOARD TO GO TO THE STATE, THEN TO SURPLUS THE PROPERTY, UM, BACK TO THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU MR. BENNETT. 
          UM, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION, AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LOOKING AT OUR FORWARD PLANNING FOR BUDGETS TO COME, I'M JUST REALLY DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT IT SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY SOLUTION TO CLOSING THE GAP AND MAKING BUDGETS WORK IN THE FUTURE IS DEEP, DEEP, DEEP CUTS TO SERVICES. 
          WHETHER IT'S GONNA MAKE OUR LIBRARIES A FIVE DAY A WEEK SERVICE, OR IT'S GONNA BE, UM, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THIRD GRADERS IN, UH, AUDITORIUMS TO BE TAUGHT, OR IT'S GONNA MEAN THAT IT TAKES FIVE DAYS TO GET YOUR ROADS PLOWED WHEN IT SNOWS. 
          IT SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY SOLUTION THAT WE HAVE BEING PRESENTED TO US BY THE ADMINISTRATION IS TO TAKE THESE THINGS THAT WE ALL ENJOY AND TAKE PRIDE IN AS A COMMUNITY AND CUT THEM DOWN TO THEIR BAREST ESSENTIALS. 
          UM, AND I JUST HOPE THAT THROUGHOUT THIS BUDGET SEASON, WE CAN GET A PLAN PRESENTED TO US OF WHAT'S GONNA CHANGE THAT AND NOT MAKE THAT THE CASE. 
          'CAUSE IT'S VERY HARD FOR ME TO SUPPORT A BUDGET THAT ISN'T GOING TO LEAD TO LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF THE COMMUNITY IF THERE ISN'T A PLAN, A PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR, TWO YEARS FROM NOW TO MAKE THIS WORK. 
          UM, SCHOOL SYSTEM IS WHERE IT'S MOST EVIDENT 'CAUSE IT'S OUR BIGGEST THING THAT WE FUND. 
          BUT I MEAN, IT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE, THE SMALLEST OF DOLLARS THAT WE HAND OUT. 
          I DON'T SEE THE PLAN TO MAKE THIS WORK, AND IT, IT'S REALLY THE ADMINISTRATION'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE THIS WORK LONG TERM. 
          AND I HOPE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL ARE SERIOUSLY TALKING ABOUT. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW I CAN SPEAK FOR MY COMMUNITY. 
          NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THE LOSS OF SERVICES THAT WE'VE HAD OUR ENTIRE LIFETIMES. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. 
          MR. RILEY? YES. 
          FIRST I'LL ANSWER MY COLLEAGUE FROM DISTRICT F. 
          IT'S NOT REALLY ONLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ADMINISTRATION. 
          YOU COULD ALSO ADVOCATE RAISING TAXES. 
          IF YOU THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S A, UH, PLAN THAT YOU WANT TO GO, UH, I WON'T 
          [02:25:01]
SUPPORT THAT, BUT I'LL ASK MR. UH, BOLSON, DID YOU, WHEN YOU HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, DID YOU HAVE ANY SOLUTION AS TO HOW TO GET THAT $40 MILLION THAT YOU SAY YOU NEED? UH, FRANKLY, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHERE THE REVENUE MIGHT COME FROM. 
          UM, I MEAN, THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSATIONS, I SLIDE IT TO THE MICROPHONE HERE. 
          SORRY. 
          THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSATIONS, MY UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, I HAD SOME DIRECTLY, UH, MS. JUDD AND STAFF HAD OTHERS WITH STAFF AT THE COUNTY. 
          I THINK EARLY IN THE YEAR THEY STARTED SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD EXPECT, YOU KNOW, 5% INCREASE. 
          WE SHARED THAT THAT PROBABLY WASN'T GOING TO BE ADEQUATE. 
          AND, UM, AND THEN, I DON'T KNOW, FEBRUARY WE LEARNED THAT THE 5% INCREASE WASN'T EVEN GOING TO BE POSSIBLE. 
          SO, NO, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN ANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW TO, HOW TO INCREASE THE REVENUE. 
          UM, BUT I, I DO THINK TAKING A CLEARER LOOK AT THE REVENUE THAT'S BEING REPORTED IN THE BUDGET IS, WOULD BE A PLACE TO START. 
          UM, BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, THERE'S SOME DISCRETION OVER AND THERE IS, THERE'S SOME STRATEGY IN, AND, AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE INFLUENCE IN. 
          UM, WE HAVE SEEN THE COUNTY GROW AT A FASTER RATE THAN THE BUDGET'S GROWN IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. 
          AND SO I, YOU KNOW, BUT AGAIN, COMING UP WITH A REVENUE ISN'T NECESSARILY OUR RESPONSIBILITY. 
          WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT IT IF IT'S SOMETHING WE WERE ENGAGED IN, BUT THAT'S NOT A PART OF THE CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD. 
          WELL, CAN'T YOU ENGAGE IN A CONVERSATION WITH ME? HOW WOULD YOU PROPOSE TO, UH, COME UP WITH THE $40 MILLION OR THE COUNTY TO COME UP WITH IT? AGAIN, I'D FIRST GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE REVENUE IN THE COUNTY ALSO, KNOWING THAT, UM, I MEAN, YOU'VE, I CAN'T SPEAK TO ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE COUNTY'S BUDGET, UM, BUT WE DO SEE A DIMINISHING PERCENTAGE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BUDGET OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS. 
          AND SO, YES, COUNTY DOES NEED TO MAKE DECISIONS. 
          I THINK IT PROBABLY SHOULD START THINKING ABOUT TURNING THAT TREND AROUND. 
          UM, AND SO IT'S EITHER INCREASING REVENUE OR LOOKING AT THOSE ITEMS IN THE BUDGET THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER TIME HAVE INCREASED WHERE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS, HAS DECREASED IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL REVENUE. 
          SO BE HAPPY TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATIONS AROUND THAT. 
          UM, BUT THAT HASN'T BEEN THE INTEREST. 
          I MEAN THE, THE COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD ABOUT THE BUDGET, WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE SHARING SERVICES AND THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE WORTHWHILE ENDEAVORS. 
          UM, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CLOSE THE FINANCIAL GAP THAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, BUT THERE, THERE'S NOT BEEN A DEEP LOOK AT BOTH ENTITIES, BUDGETS, REALLY JUST OURS. 
          AND SO IF PEOPLE WANNA ENGAGE IN THAT, I THINK THAT'S THE WORTHWHILE THING TO SPEND OUR TIME ON. 
          MR. RILEY, ONE, ONE EXCEPTION FOR THE RECORD, WE DID ENGAGE WITH THE ADMINISTRATION AND WITH THE COUNCIL ON THE, UH, IMPACT FEES, UH, TO SUPPORT GROWTH IN THE COUNTY. 
          THAT'S THE ONE EXCEPTION, I BELIEVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO IF I MAY, OH, EXCUSE ME. 
          MR. TIPS, YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOK ACROSS THE VALUED SERVICES WE SEE HERE, TRANSPORTATION IS ONE. 
          HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE, I KNOW WE PUT INTO A NEW TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM, I GUESS YOU MIGHT SAY, IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. 
          I STILL SEE BUSES WITH 5, 6, 7 STUDENTS ON IT. 
          HOW CAN WE LOOK AT THAT? UH, I, I KNOW THAT THE TRANSPORTATION BUDGET MUST BE PRETTY LARGE, AND I HAVEN'T HAD ANY FIGURES TO KNOW WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS, BUT TO ME, DOWN THE FUTURE, THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO CUT SOME OF THE COSTS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          I LEFT THEM RIGHT THERE. 
          SO CURRENTLY, UM, FOR OUR GENERAL ED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, WE EXPEND SOMEWHERE AROUND 31 30 $2 MILLION. 
          UM, THEN THE BALANCE OF OUR, UM, BUDGET IS FOR OUR SPECIAL ED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. 
          SO WHEN YOU START, AND THAT'S BEEN A CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST 10 OR 15 YEARS ABOUT, UM, RIDERSHIP. 
          UH, WE TR WE TRANSPORT, UM, OF OUR 38, 30 9,000 STUDENTS, AROUND 30 OR 32,000 STUDENTS, UM, RIDE OUR BUSES ANNUALLY NOW SEASONALLY, UM, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH SCHOOL, UM, BECAUSE OF THE AFTER SCHOOL, UM, PROGRAMS, YOU MIGHT HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT, UM, RIDING THE BUSES DURING FOOTBALL SEASON, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING TRANSPORTED FOR THEIR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM. 
          BUT THEN ONCE 
          [02:30:01]
FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER, THEN THEY'RE BACK ON THE BUSES. 
          SO WE MAINTAIN FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSPORTATION, UM, A SEAT ON THE BUS, UM, 'CAUSE THEY COME AND GO DEPENDING ON THEIR ACTIVITIES. 
          UM, AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT, UM, FOR THE MOST PART, UM, WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT, UH, TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS, UM, IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND THE, UM, 400 OR SO, UM, BUSES THAT WE USE, UM, FOR GENERAL ED, UM, TRANSPORTATION, UH, THROUGH OUR CONTRACTED, UH, BUS SERVICES, UM, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT WE NEED FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSPORTATION. 
          I, I, I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM THERE, AND I APPRECIATE THAT FACT. 
          BUT WHEN I LOOK OUT MY WINDOW ON A CERTAIN MONDAY MORNING OR TUESDAY MORNING, AND I SEE ONE BUS GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND I SEE THE SECOND BUS COMING DOWN THE ROAD AND I SEE THE THIRD BUS COMING DOWN THE ROAD WITHIN A FIVE MINUTE PERIOD OF TIME, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? THE, WE HAVE ROUTES, SO THE BUS MIGHT BE COMING DOWN THE ROAD TO PICK UP STUDENTS OR THEY DROPPED OFF STUDENTS. 
          SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU ARE ON A PARTICULAR ROUTE OF TIME. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          BUT, BUT ONE BUS WILL STOP AND THE NEXT BUS WILL STOP. 
          WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS WE'RE TRANSFERRING PRECON, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE AGE OF THE STUDENTS, BUT SOME KIDS ARE STANDING HERE WAITING FOR THE SECOND BUS, WHILE THE FIRST BUS WENT PAST. 
          AND, AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT IT DEPENDS ON THE PROGRAMS THAT THEY'RE, UM, ATTENDING. 
          UM, WE HAVE, UM, BUSES THAT ARE TRANSPORTING, UM, STUDENTS TO THEIR, UM, LOCAL SCHOOL OR TO THEIR MAGNET SCHOOL PROGRAM OUTSIDE OF THEIR ATTENDANCE AREAS. 
          SO WITHIN, UM, A PARTICULAR, UM, ATTENDANCE AREA, YOU MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT SERVICE LEVELS. 
          THEY'RE NOT ALL GOING TO, I'M JUST GONNA SAY C ME, WRIGHT HIGH SCHOOL. 
          WE COULD BE PICKING UP STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE C ME WRIGHT ATTENDANCE AREA AND TRANSPORT THEM TO, YOU KNOW, NORTH HARTFORD OR EDGEWOOD. 
          I I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          SO, BUT COULD WE TRANSPORT THEM TO, UH, SEE MILTON WRIGHT FIRST HAVE A BUS COME TO SEE MILTON WRIGHT THEM UP AND TAKE THEM? SO WE, WE HAVE, UM, WE DO THAT, WE HAVE DEPOTS. 
          SO FOR ALL OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS, UM, WHAT WE DID, WE TRANSITIONED A, A FEW YEARS AGO TO ALL THE STUDENTS WHO ARE ATTENDING, UM, LET'S JUST SAY THE SCIENCE AND MATH ACADEMY AT ABERDEEN. 
          IF THEY LIVE IN A C MILTON WRIGHT ATTENDANCE AREA, THEY ALL GO TO C MILTON WRIGHT. 
          WE TAKE A BUS TO PICK 'EM UP THERE, THEN WE TAKE 'EM TO ABERDEEN. 
          SO WE DO HAVE BUS DEPOTS. 
          SO WE HAVE A VERY COMPLEX, UH, TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM SYSTEM. 
          I KNEW THAT IT'S VERY COMPLEX. 
          IT'S VERY COMPLEX. 
          BUT WE DO HAVE THOSE DEPOT STOPS WHERE WE'RE NOT GOING, UM, INTO THE, UH, COMMUNITY TO PICK UP HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE THEM TO THEIR MAGNET PROGRAMS. THEY'RE GOING TO SEE MILTON WRIGHT, THEY'RE GOING TO EDGEWOOD, THEY'RE GOING TO NORTH HARTFORD. 
          THEN WE HAVE BUSES THAT PICK 'EM UP THERE AND THEN TAKE THEM TO THEIR MAGNET PROGRAMS. SO I'D ADD, I'D ADD TWO THINGS. 
          ONE, RIDE TIMES ARE PART OF THE CALCULUS ALSO WHEN WE, WE SHOOT FOR 45 MINUTES OR UNDER. 
          UM, BUT DEPENDING ON WHERE KIDS ARE GOING. 
          AND SO EVEN, YOU KNOW, DOING THE THING WHERE YOU DROP 'EM OFF AT A DEPOT AND SOMEWHERE ELSE, YOU COULD BE ADDING, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE HOURS FOR SOME KIDS. 
          OUR SPECIAL ED BUSES ARE LIKELY TO HAVE FEWER STUDENTS ON THEM BECAUSE THE UNIQUE SERVICES TO THOSE KIDS. 
          BUT IN TERMS OF, IF YOU WANTED TO BE SORT OF FORWARD LOOKING AROUND THIS, ONE OF THE, ONE OF OUR NEARBY JURISDICTIONS, UH, RECENTLY INVESTED IN A FLEET OF VANS AND SMALLER VEHICLES. 
          UM, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE LAW JUST RECENTLY CHANGED AROUND THAT. 
          BUT I, I STARTED THAT WITH, THEY INVESTED IN, UM, YOU KNOW, TRANSITIONING TO A WHOLE DIFFERENT FLEET OF VEHICLES THAT OVER TIME COULD BE MORE EFFICIENT, IS SOMETHING WE COULD EXPLORE. 
          BUT THAT REQUIRES AN INITIAL INVESTMENT. 
          AND, UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY AT LEAST IN THIS BUDGET SITUATION, NOT IN A PLACE TO, TO MAKE SUCH AN INVESTMENT. 
          SO IF WE WANTED TO STEP BACK AND THINK ABOUT DOING THAT OVER LONG TERM, THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD DO ALSO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. TIBS. 
          MR. SCHERZER MORE OF A STATEMENT, EXCUSE ME. 
          SORRY, MORE OF A STATEMENT THAN A QUESTION. 
          I THINK THIS GETS BACK TO A BIGGER ISSUE. 
          EVERYONE KEEPS REFERENCING, UM, AGAINST RAISING TAXES AND IN A CONSERVATIVE COUNTY. 
          I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE FOR THE MAJORITY. 
          HOWEVER, THE IRONY OF WHAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT EVEN INTO A RECESSION YET. 
          A RECESSION WILL COME. 
          STAGFLATION IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN CUT YOUR WAY OR FEE YOUR WAY OUT OF. 
          THE ONLY WAY IS GROWTH. 
          AND AS A CONSERVATIVE COUNTY, I FIND IT IRONIC THAT WHENEVER A GROWTH OPPORTUNITY APPEARS, WE ATTACK THAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR, THAT HAS BECOME A VERY DIVISIVE TOPIC, WHICH IS LAND RIGHTS AND LAND USE. 
          SO WHEN YOU DESTROY LAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS, YOU CAN'T THEN QUESTION WHY THERE'S NO NEW PROPERTY TAXES, THERE'S NO NEW PAYERS, AND THERE'S NO INCOME INCREASES. 
          UM, SO IF WE'RE REALLY GONNA HAVE AN HONEST DISCUSSION ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING AS A COUNTY, 
          [02:35:01]
THAT'S WHERE I WOULD START. 
          AND I WOULD STOP USING TAXES AS A FEAR TACTIC OR SCHOOL BUDGETS OR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR OTHER LARGE TICKET ITEMS THAT WILL NOT COST LESS TO NEXT YEAR. 
          UH, WHETHER WE'RE IN A RECESSION OR NOT, WAGES ARE HERE TO STAY MANDATED. 
          MINIMUM WAGES IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND ARE NOT GONNA STAY AT 15. 
          THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO RISE. 
          UM, SO IF WE DON'T COME UP WITH A LONGER TERM SOLUTION FOR GROWTH, NOT JUST TAXES, UH, WE WILL BE HAVING THESE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS, MR. BENNETT, FOR A LOT LONGER THAN NEXT YEAR. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHURCHILL. 
          MR. ISH. 
          I'M JUST GONNA PIGGYBACK RIGHT OFF OF THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE MR. CHURCH ARE ON THE SAME PAGE TODAY. 
          I JUST WANNA THANK, I LISTENED TODAY. 
          I DIDN'T WANT TO COMMENT AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH EACH ONE, SO I'M GLAD THAT, UH, MARY'S STILL HERE. 
          UM, AND THANK YOU TO THE SCHOOL BOARD AS WELL. 
          I MEAN, YOU'RE FLAT FUNDED. 
          THAT'S WHAT WE'RE IN HERE TALKING ABOUT, A FLAT FUNDED BUDGET THAT MAKES, IT WAS MORE THAN AN HOUR OF TALKING ABOUT NO MONEY INCREASES, WHICH IS, THAT'S SAD TO BEGIN WITH, BUT THIS BUDGET HAS INCREASES ALL THROUGH IT, JUST NOT HERE, NOT ANYWHERE YOU SEE A FUND BALANCE. 
          AND THAT IS BECAUSE THEY WANT YOU TO SPEND YOUR FUND BALANCE. 
          THAT'S, NO, NOBODY CAN TELL ME THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE. 
          SO WHEN WE DO SPEND THE FUND BALANCE, I GOING BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, YES, YOU'LL HAVE THIS ADVISOR HERE AND PROBABLY OTHER ADVISORS THAT WILL SAY, YEP, WHEN YOU KEEP A BUDGET THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO SHORT BY, I THINK 30 MILLION LAST YEAR BEFORE WE GOT 10 BACK, MAYBE SOMEWHERE AROUND THE NAME. 
          OKAY. 
          STILL SHORT FROM THE YEAR OVER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, THEN WE, OKAY. 
          WE, WE WERE OKAY WITH KIND OF COMING BACK TOWARDS SOMEWHERE THE NORMAL FOR THAT YEAR. 
          AND THEN WE SEE THE FIRST, THE 5% COMMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          WE KNEW THAT WAS GONNA BE CONFRONTATIONAL, BUT THEN WE DID BE FLAT. 
          IS, UM, A SITUATION THAT FOR SOMEBODY THAT HAS BEEN AROUND THIS FOR 10 YEARS NOW, CANNOT UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SEE OTHER COUNTIES GIVING INCREASES AND WE'RE SAYING, OH, IT'S DOWN. 
          REVENUES ARE DOWN ACROSS THE STATE. 
          I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT. 
          I'VE WORKED WITH OTHER COUNTIES. 
          I'VE NOT SEEN, UH, TO WHERE THE SKY'S FALLING. 
          WE'VE SAID WE HAVE TWO CONSECUTIVE QUARTERS WHERE IT HASN'T COME IN AT A PROJECTION. 
          SO WE'RE, I'M NOT READY TO TAKE A VICTORY LAP WITH THE SPENDING AFFORDABILITY, UH, GROUP UNTIL WE GET THE AUDIT DONE IN AUGUST. 
          SO WE'LL, WE'LL CHAT ON THAT IN AUGUST WHEN WE SEE WHAT THE ACTUAL WILL BE. 
          YEAH. 
          SO WE'LL GET THERE. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW THE ONE THING WE LEAVE OUT OF THAT CONVERSATION EVERY TIME IS PROPERTY TAXES. 
          SO I BROUGHT THAT UP THE OTHER DAY, AND THAT'S A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE IN, SO THIS MONEY, THIS INCREASE IS GOING SOMEWHERE. 
          WE CAN HAVE THE CONVERSATION OF WHERE IT'S GOING, BUT WHEN THE FUND BALANCE IS DOWN AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT MR. CHURCH JUST SAID, WE'RE NOT GONNA RAISE TAXES IN THIS CONSERVATIVE COUNTY, WELL THEN WE HAVE TO GET A LOT MORE CREATIVE WITH OUR REVENUE. 
          AND, AND EVERY TIME THAT QUESTION'S BEEN ASKED BY MR, UH, COUNCILMAN PENMAN OR ANYBODY ELSE, THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ANSWER. 
          THERE'S BEEN NO ANSWER FROM ANYBODY THAT SAID, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TO RAISE REVENUE. 
          SO AS A CITIZEN BUDGET ADVISOR, WHICH IS THE SIT THE SEAT THAT I'M IN, IS, UM, SOMEBODY BETTER FIND THAT ANSWER BECAUSE THEY'RE ASKING FOR IT. 
          SHE'S ASKING FOR IT. 
          EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT THAT HAS SOME SORT OF FUND BALANCE OR UNION, LET'S JUST SAY UNION, THAT THEY HAVE TO ANSWER TO, JUST LIKE YOU DO, ARE GONNA ASK THAT SAME QUESTION. 
          SO I'M NOT SITTING HERE TO SAY, LET'S HAVE THE CONVERSATION TODAY, BUT WE GOTTA START HAVING IT AT SOME POINT IN TIME, BECAUSE IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE REVENUE PROJECTIONS ARE GONNA GO UP NEXT YEAR, AND THAT'S WHAT WE JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE THEY GO UP NEXT. 
          WHAT, WHAT IS GONNA CAUSE THE DIFFERENCE FROM THIS YEAR TO NEXT YEAR TO MAKE YOU THINK THAT THAT REVENUE'S GONNA GO UP? SO I'M GONNA LEAVE IT AT THAT, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT I THINK THAT, UM, THE COMMUNICATION THAT WE'RE SEEING THIS YEAR IS, UM, IT'S A SHAME. 
          I I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE IS TALKING, I THINK COUNCILMAN BENNETT BROUGHT IT UP A FEW TIMES. 
          NONE OF US THAT PAY TAXES IN THIS COUNTY ARE ASKING FOR YOU GUYS NOT TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. 
          NO ONE. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT COMMUNICATION STARTS. 
          TO ME, IT STARTS WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, BUT I'M NOT GONNA SIT HERE AND SAY THAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, IS THERE WAYS TO CUT BUDGETS? I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD SAY, YEAH, WE'RE DOING THAT. 
          WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT. 
          AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW, AND I'VE WORKED WITH THE BOTH OF YOU FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. 
          UM, WHAT I AGREE WITH DR. 
          BOLSON ON A HUNDRED PERCENT IS REVENUE ISN'T A HUNDRED PERCENT HIS PROBLEM, IT'S OURS, THIS SIDE. 
          SO TO LEAVE IT THERE, I, I THINK THAT THE COMMUNICATION'S BEING HEARD, AND I WANT IT TO BE HEARD ALL OVER WHOEVER WANTS TO LISTEN TO THESE HEARINGS AT THE END OF THE DAY. 
          BUT THE REAL PROBLEM IS, IS THAT THIS BUDGET'S GONNA GO THROUGH AND WE'RE GONNA GO SOMEWHERE WITH THIS BUDGET IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. 
          BUT THE CONVERSATION FOR NEXT YEAR SHOULD HAVE STARTED PROBABLY SIX MONTHS AGO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. ISH. 
          ANYONE ELSE? SEEING NO ONE ELSE? UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE, UH, JUST NOTE OF THE, UM, I THINK THE GOOD WORK THAT MR. BROWN DOES, UH, DURING THE A PFO MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE KEEPS US ABREAST OF WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          YOU TALKED ABOUT LAND BANKING, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. 
          UH, MR. RILEY BROUGHT UP IMPACT FEES. 
          UM, MR. UM, SANDLES HAS DONE A, A GREAT JOB IN PUTTING TOGETHER AN IMPACT FEE STUDY PROGRAM WORKING WITH TISHLER BUYS. 
          AND AT THE SAME TIME, UH, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WANTING TO DO ABOUT 
          [02:40:01]
A PFO NUMBERS. 
          UH, WE'RE WAITING FOR A PROPOSAL RIGHT NOW FROM SMITH AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE SECOND NAME, BUT, UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE THAT TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT TO COUNCIL, UH, MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO WE ARE TAKING STEPS AND STRIDES TO TRY TO LOOK AT OUR CAPACITY ISSUES. 
          AND, UH, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          UH, THANK, UH, THE MAJOR PART OF THE SCHOOL BOARD BEING HERE TODAY. 
          UM, THANK ALL OF YOU BEING IN HERE THIS AFTERNOON, AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN NOW AND THE DAY THIS BUDGET'S PASSED. 
          SO, THANK YOU. 
          UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND RECESS NOW AND THEN COME BACK, UM, AT TWO O'CLOCK. 
          YEP. 
          OKAY. 
          TWO HOURS. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. 
          WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START OUR AFTERNOON SESSION OF THE WORK SESSION. 
          UM, PLEASED TO WELCOME MR. TRUITT AND MR. BOLEY FROM, UH, DI GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          AFTERNOON AND WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. 
          OKAY, WE'RE GONNA START ON PAGE 360 6. 
          THIS IS THE DIRECTOR OF DI'S, UM, ACCOUNT CALL CENTER. 
          THE DIRECTOR OF DI'S ACCOUNT INCREASES 2 58 5 75. 
          IT'S THE RESULT OF MAINLY PERSONAL SERVICES OF 226,856. 
          WE HAD TWO TRANSFERS OF POSITIONS THAT CAME INTO THIS DIVISION. 
          ONE WAS WITHIN, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF DLP, AND THE OTHER ONE CAME FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, THE FISCAL YEAR 24 COLAS INCLUDED AT 16 789 AND THE 25 COLA AND $1,000. 
          UM, MERIT FOR ALL EMPLOYEES IS 17 740. 
          THE COST OF THE TRANSFER OF THE PENS COMING IN IS 2 48, 5 59. 
          AND THEN THERE WERE ADJUSTMENTS, UM, FOR PENSION WORKERS' COMP AND SO FORTH. 
          UM, BASED ON ACTUALS OVER TIME, WE DID INCREASE AT $2,700. 
          AND AGAIN, THAT'S BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES 1,500 AND THIS IS TO PROVIDE FOR THREE NEW IPADS. 
          SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES 300 TO $300, AND THAT'S, UM, JUST BASED ON ACTUALS FOR UNIFORM AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT. 
          BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES 28,120. 
          UM, WE HAD INCREASED FUNDING FOR, UH, VEHICLE MAINTENANCE, FUEL, MEALS, AND LODGING, AS WELL AS SOME TRAINING SEMINARS AND COURSES. 
          AND THIS IS FOR RE-CERTIFICATION AT 3,700. 
          MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES 2,400, AND THIS IS TO PROVIDE STIPENDS TO THE TOWING BOARD AND BOARD OF APPEALS. 
          ON PAGE 360 8, YOU'LL SEE THE START OF BUILDING SERVICES. 
          IT INCREASES 1 49 6 24, TURN THE PAGE AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT'S MAINLY PERSONAL SERVICES, AGAIN AT 1 42 34. 
          THE COLA AT 22, EXCUSE ME, 24 22 1 69. 
          THE 25 COLA OF 22 0 42. 
          THIS IS WHERE, UM, TRANSFER OF AN INSPECTOR ONE, UM, CAME INTO THIS DIVISION AT 83, 2 31, AND THAT CAME FROM HOUSING. 
          UM, AND THEN THERE WERE ADJUSTMENTS TO PENSION, WORKERS' COMP AND HEALTH BENEFITS BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          AND THEN OVERTIME HERE INCREASES $4,000. 
          CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES 3,750. 
          AND THIS IS FOR GPS MONITORING. 
          FOR ALL THE, ALL THE VEHICLES UNDER THIS DIVISION. 
          SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS INCREASES 4,200 AND THAT'S FOR SAFETY EQUIPMENT. 
          AND THEN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES $1,440. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOR CERTIFICATIONS AND DLLR, REG REGISTRATION RENEWALS FOR STAFF. 
          YOU TURN TO PAGE 3 72. 
          THIS IS PLUMBING SERVICES. 
          IT INCREASES 50,851. 
          AND AGAIN, MOST OF THAT'S IN PERSONAL SERVICES. 
          THERE'S A NET INCREASE THERE, 46 1 61. 
          THE 24 FY 24 COLA IS $16,074 AND THE 25 COLA AND $1,000 MERIT IS 14 871. 
          WE DID INCREASE TEMPORARY SALARIES BY 5,600. 
          AND THIS IS FOR CONTRACTUAL SUPPORT TO SUPPLEMENT INSPECTION BASED ON STAFFING AND WORKLOAD AS NEEDED. 
          ALSO, OVERTIME WAS INCREASED $2,800 AS WELL AS ADJUSTMENTS FOR PENSION, WORKERS' COMP AND SO FORTH. 
          BASED ON ACTUALS, CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES $1,500. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOR THE GPS MONITORING OF THE VEHICLES WITHIN THAT DIVISION. 
          SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR SAFETY EQUIPMENT, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL. 
          AGAIN, THIS IS FOR TRAINING AND SEMINARS FOR RECERTIFICATION AND DLLR REGISTRATION AND RENEWAL. 
          UM, MISCELLANEOUS 
          [02:45:02]
INCREASES $560 AND THIS IS FOR, UM, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FOR MONTHLY MEETINGS. 
          IF YOU TURN TO PAGE 3 74, THIS IS ELECTRICAL SERVICES. 
          THERE'S AN INCREASE THERE OF 83,458. 
          UM, NO, SORRY, THAT'S NOT AN INCREASE, THAT'S A DECREASE. 
          80 83,458. 
          IF YOU TURN THE PAGE ON 3 75, YOU'LL SEE THE PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASES 89 0 58. 
          AND THIS IS THE, UM, POSITION THAT WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE DIRECTOR OF GIL. 
          SO YOU'LL SEE A REDUCTION THERE OF 95 TO FOUR 12 OFFSET BY INCREASES FOR THE 24 COLA OF 14,552 AND THE FISCAL YEAR 25 COLA OF THE 1% AND 1000 AT 12,758. 
          WE ALSO INCREASED, UM, CONTRACTUAL SUPPORT THERE FOR $5,600. 
          AND AGAIN, THAT'S ON WORK BASED ON WORKLOAD AND STAFFING. 
          AND THEN OVERTIME WAS INCREASED 2,700 CONTRACTUAL SERVICES AGAIN FOR THIS DIVISION. 
          THE GPS MONITORING GOES UP. 
          UM, FOR THE VEHICLES THERE, UH, AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR THAT DIVISION OF $1,000 INCREASE. 
          AND THEN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES 2100. 
          UM, THE INCREASE OF $1,200 FOR DIGITAL ONLINE ACCESS TO NFPA CODES. 
          MM-HMM, . 
          AND THEN, UM, $900 FOR RE-CERTIFICATION AND DLLR REGISTRATION FOR EMPLOYEES. 
          AND THEN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AGAIN, INCREASE $560. 
          WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, MR. FOLEY. 
          I ARE PLEASED TO BE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          UM, BASICALLY MS. KI WHAT MS. KIM SPENCE, WHILE WHENEVER'S BUDGET MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT AND INSPECTORS ARE BEING TRANSFERRED INTO THE DEPARTMENT FROM OTHER AGENCIES. 
          AND THEY'RE GONNA HELP SUPPLEMENT, UH, THE DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS. 
          UH, THE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT POSITION WILL BE WORKING WITH THE BUSINESS LIAISON BUSINESS NAVIGATOR AS ESTABLISHED BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, AND THEN ALSO WORK WITH OUR STAFF ALONG WITH ALLIED AGENCIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE EFFICIENCIES IN GETTING PERMITS ISSUED, ADDRESSING CLIENT'S CONCERNS, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          UH, THE LIVABILITY INSPECTION OR THE INSPECTOR WILL BE BROUGHT OVER TO HELP WITH ENFORCEMENT OF LABILITY CODE. 
          THAT LEGISLATION WILL BE BEFORE YOU VERY SHORTLY. 
          IT'S THE INTENT OF THE ADMINISTRATION TO MOVE ENFORCEMENT OF CHAPTER 1 62 UNDERNEATH THE DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTIONS. 
          LICENSE PERMITS. 
          AGAIN, AS MS. SPENCE SAID, WE HAVE INVESTMENTS IN TRAINING AND EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE STABILITY AND FUNDING FOR CON CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEES SO THAT WE CAN ASSURE THAT INSPECTIONS ARE BEING FORMED WHEN WE DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT STAFFING LEVELS. 
          OVER THE YEAR PERMITS, UH, BASICALLY WE'VE HAD ABOUT A 3.7% INCREASE IN PERMITS. 
          HOWEVER, THAT IS REALLY REFLECTIVE IN, UH, RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL ACCESSORY ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS. 
          WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE'RE NOT SEEING THE NEW CONSTRUCTION. 
          UH, I THINK YOU HEARD, YOU KNOW, SOME COMMENTS TO THAT WITH SPENDING AFFORDABILITY THIS MORNING. 
          UH, WE'RE SEEING INVESTMENTS IN, IN SMALLER PROJECTS, UM, REINVESTING IN EXISTING STRUCTURES. 
          UM, ALL FOR ALL COMMERCIAL PERMITS HAVE DECREASED ABOUT 22% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. 
          THIS TIME AND RESIDENTIAL PERMITS, WE'VE SEEN ABOUT A 6.33% INCREASE. 
          HOWEVER, ONE IN TWO FAMILY DWELLINGS, THERE'S BEEN ALMOST A 15% DECREASE IN THOSE PERMIT TYPES. 
          WE ARE FOCUSED ON TRAINING AND EDUCATION CODES THAT ARE ENFORCED, CONTINUE TO BE MORE COMPLICATED AND WITH MORE PROVISIONS BEING, UH, PASSED ON TO LOCAL JURISDICTIONS, NOT ONLY FROM THE STATE, BUT THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, ESPECIALLY WITH DOE FUNDING FOR THE ENERGY CODE THAT IS ENFOR, UH, REQUIRING ENFORCEMENT BY LOCAL JURISDICTIONS IN ORDER TO GET THAT FUNDING. 
          THAT'S, UH, THE STATE IS GOING FOR. 
          LAST THURSDAY, THE DEPARTMENT, UH, HELD A TRAINING OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR OUR NEW CODES THAT BECOME EFFECTIVE MAY 29TH. 
          WE HAD OVER 300 INDIVIDUALS ON A VIRTUAL TRAINING, UH, CONTRACT CONTRACTORS, BUILDERS, OTHER LOCAL JURISDICTIONS. 
          WE HAD FIVE STATES ACTUALLY REPRESENTED AS FAR AS WAYS, CALIFORNIA ON THAT TRAINING. 
          WE DO HAVE SUCCESSION PLANNING. 
          MR BALLING AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SUCCESSION PLANNING WITH THE TWO RETIREES IN THE DEPARTMENT, THE CHIEF ELECTRICAL INSPECTIONS AND BUILDING INSPECTOR THREE. 
          THERE ARE TWO VERY KEY POSITIONS THAT, UH, WE ARE WORKING TO, UH, FA PLAN TO ACTUALLY FILL THOSE POSITIONS ONCE, UH, JULY 1ST HITS. 
          WE CONTINUE TO UTILIZE ENTER GOV TO LEVERAGE ITS, UH, TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE EFFICIENCIES. 
          DEPARTMENT OVER THE PAST YEAR HAS WORKED WITH I-C-T-I-C-T, WHICH IS A, YOU KNOW, AN IMPERATIVE DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO WORK AS EFFICIENTLY AS WE DO TO WORK ON HEALTH DEPARTMENT TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES. 
          WE'VE BEEN SPEARHEADING THAT WITH ICT AND TO CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT ONLINE CAPABILITIES. 
          SO FAR THIS YEAR, IT'S, UH, THE INTERACTION BETWEEN STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY AND ALLIED AGENCIES, UH, THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS ABOUT AS BEST AS I HAVE SEEN IN MY 30 YEAR CAREER. 
          SO WE'RE REALLY WORKING EFFICIENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMER BASES ARE 
          [02:50:01]
ADDRESSED AT THIS TIME. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR BUDGET AND WILLING TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          UM, THANK YOU, RICH. 
          I APPRECIATE, UM, ALL THAT YOU, AND, AND, UH, ALL OF EVERYONE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT DOES, UH, YOU MENTIONED WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 
          I TRULY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          WE ALL DO. 
          UM, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, UH, YOU'RE WILLING TO PICK THE PHONE UP AND WALK US THROUGH LEGISLATION AS IT'S BEING PROPOSED AND BEING DEVELOPED AS A PART, AS OPPOSED TO BRINGING IT AT THE END. 
          SO, UM, ALLOWS US TO BE A PART OF IT AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, TO KEEP THAT, UH, WORKING RELATIONSHIP. 
          SO I WANT TO THANK YOU. 
          I CAN DO SO. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, COUNSEL. 
          MR. GINGER. 
          SO RACHEL, I WANT TO THANK YOU AS WELL. 
          UM, YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT ASSET. 
          UM, BOTH YOU AND IT, BOTH OF YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN, BEEN EXCELLENT. 
          PICK UP THE PHONE, UM, HAVE ISSUES. 
          I KNOW YOU SHOWED UP AT A HEARING I HAD TOO, AND I, I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF UNLICENSED CONTRACTORS AND TRYING TO, UH, TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE, MAKE THAT BETTER. 
          AND I KNOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ENFORCEMENT, YOU, WHAT WAS THAT SECTION? SOMETHING ABOUT CHAPTER 1 62, WHICH IS LIVABILITY CODE FOR THE COUNTY SO THAT ENFORCEMENT WILL COME UNDER. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S RENTAL HOUSING, A MINIMUM STANDARD FOR RENTAL HOUSING IN THE COUNTY, WHICH IS MANDATED BY THE STATE. 
          SO THAT ENFORCEMENT WILL COME UNDERNEATH THE DEPARTMENT ONCE WE GET THE LEGISLATION. 
          AND I KNOW THE ENFORCEMENT ALSO OF THE, OF THE FIRE LANES THAT WE JUST APPROVED IS GONNA COME ON UNDER YOU GUYS, WHICH CORRECT. 
          WHICH I WAS ADAMANT ABOUT, BUT COULDN'T DO ANYTHING, UH, PRIOR BECAUSE THE WAY IT WAS SET UP WITH THE FIRE MARSHALS BEING THE ONES TO APPROVE THE FIRE LANE. 
          SO I'M, I'M GLAD WE, I I, I SINCERELY APPRECIATE THAT, UM, LEGISLATION THAT YOU WORKED ON AND PUT THROUGH. 
          I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT BEHIND THAT. 
          SO I, UM, THAT WAS, THAT WAS GREAT. 
          AND YOUR KNOWLEDGE JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I LISTENED TO YOU. 
          I ABSORB JUST LITTLE, LITTLE BITS AND PIECES, BUT I CERTAINLY DO APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, I HEAR MOSTLY 90% GOOD ABOUT, UM, PERMITS, UM, BETWEEN US AND SOME OTHER COUNTIES ABOUT GETTING THE PERMITS DONE. 
          AND I AS WELL, APPRECIATE YOU GUYS WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 
          THAT'S A BIG THING. 
          UM, UH, APPARENTLY I'M INVOLVED IN A, A LOT OF RESTAURANTS AND TRYING TO GET THEM OPEN AND THERE'S ALWAYS, THERE'S ALWAYS SOME KIND OF, SOME KIND OF ISSUE. 
          SO, UH, I, I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SO, UH, I, I DO JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW, I I APPRECIATE THAT EVERYTHING. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. 
          THANK YOU, MR. JAN. 
          ANO. 
          MR. PENMAN. 
          THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. 
          UM, MR. BOLAND. 
          MR. TRUITT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO, UH, GREAT RESOURCE. 
          UH, TO ME WHEN I HAVE QUESTIONS, IT'S VERY TECHNICAL STUFF. 
          UM, SO TO BE, TO HAVE YOU TO LEAN ON IS, UH, IS REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL. 
          SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. 
          UM, I DID HAVE, UH, SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE DROP IN, UH, REQUEST 22% IN COMMERCIAL AND 15% IN RESIDENTIAL. 
          DID I HEAR THOSE NUMBERS RIGHT? YEAH, THOSE PERMITS, THEY'RE ACTUAL PERMIT NUMBERS FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR? YEAH. 
          OR MOSTLY RECENT STATS. 
          UM, IT'S DISAPPOINTING. 
          UM, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU KIND OF THINK THE REASON IS THAT, THAT THERE'S A DROP IN IT? UH, I THINK YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF IT SO FAR. 
          ONE, IT'S THE ECONOMY, UM, INTEREST RATES BEING HIGHER. 
          UH, DEVELOPABLE LAND IS, YOU KNOW, IT, THE DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPES SHRINKING UP. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA START TO TRANSFORM INTO NOT AS MUCH NEW CONSTRUCTION, BUT RECONSTRUCTION, UM, AND REDEVELOPMENT OF, AND REVITALIZATION OF AREAS. 
          THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA START TO SEE THOSE PERMITS COME IN. 
          SO I THINK WE'RE IN THAT TRANSITION PERIOD RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, I THINK WE'RE JUST KIND OF HITTING A, A, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE THINGS THAT ARE NOT FAVORABLE TO THE COUNTY, YOU KNOW, WITH INTEREST RATES WHERE WE ARE DEVELOPMENTAL WISE IN THE COUNTY. 
          AND AS WE TRANSITION THROUGH THAT, THEN I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE THOSE NUMBERS GO, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY LEVEL OFF, UH, AT BEST AND, AND LOOK MORE TOWARDS THE ADDITIONS, THE ALTERATIONS, TENANT OCCUPANCY TYPE STUFF TO REVITALIZE THOSE ALREADY EXISTING AREAS. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          AND I AGREE WITH THAT. 
          REVITALIZATION IS, IS, UH, SUPER IMPORTANT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THOSE NUMBERS ARE GONNA HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR BOTTOM LINE FOR OUR COUNTY. 
          SO WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE GAIN THAT REVENUE. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB AS FAR AS LEGISLATIVE, UH, COUNCILMAN GEO AND ANO MENTIONED ABOUT THE, THE, UH, FIRE LANES AND THEN ALL THE OTHER LEGISLATION THAT YOU'VE, UH, INTRODUCED AND WELL INTRODUCED GOING FORWARD. 
          I KNOW YOU GUYS PUT A LOT OF WORK IN THAT. 
          UM, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE, THERE ARE TWO MORE POSITIONS HERE ON YOUR STAFF, UM, TO LOOKS LIKE $248,000 FOR THEM. 
          UH, CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED IT BRIEFLY, KIND OF THE NEED FOR THOSE POSITIONS. 
          UH, COULD YOU TELL ME WHO IS IN THOSE POSITIONS AND, AND JUST KIND OF RE-EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF THEM. 
          SURE. 
          THE, 
          [02:55:01]
THE ONE POSITION MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT IS, UH, MR. KRT. 
          HE WAS ALREADY TRANSFERRED, UH, TO THE DEPARTMENT FROM OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND HE, HE SERVES AS THE BUSINESS NAVIGATOR, UM, POSITION THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ESTABLISHED. 
          SO HE IS WORKING WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES, TOUCH POINTS WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING THROUGH THE PERMIT PROCESS, IF THERE'S ANY HOLDUPS HANGUPS THAT MAY BE OCCURRING. 
          AND IT WAS A MORE LOGICAL PLACEMENT FOR HIM TO BE IN THE, IN OUR DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE HE NOW HAS ACCESS TO ALL OF OUR INFORMATION. 
          UH, A LOT OF INFORMATION IS FUNNELED RIGHT THROUGH DI SO HE'S GONNA BE A FRONT POINT FOR THAT. 
          SO, MR. BOLEY AND I ARE LOOKING AT HOW TO BEST UTILIZE HIM MOVING FORWARD, UH, WITH THIS BUSINESS NAVIGATOR POSITION. 
          HE'S GONNA BE LOOKING AT, UH, PUBLIC EVENTS, AND HE IS ALSO GONNA BE LOOKING AT STATISTICS FOR US, UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE CHOKE POINTS IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS ARE, LOOKING AT THAT, UH, PROJECT MANAGEMENT TYPE, UH, WORK TO BE ABLE TO HELP US REFINE OUR PERMITTING SYSTEM AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. 
          SO, MR. CROWDER IS, UH, GONNA BE A GREAT RESOURCE TO YOU. 
          I, I LIKE HIM. 
          UM, I JUST, WHAT, WHAT IS HIS BACKGROUND IN DEPA? UH, INSPECTIONS, LICENSE AND PERMITS. 
          I KNOW HE WAS A LIAISON FOR BUSINESSES IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          I'M JUST KIND OF, KIND OF GO WHERE I'M, YOU KNOW, UH, KIND OF LUD WHERE I'M GOING TO. 
          I THINK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS SUPER IMPORTANT DIVISION WITHIN HARTFORD COUNTY, AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE AN, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S, UH, INVESTED IN, UH, AND TO BE TRANSFERRING OUT WHILE IT PROVIDES A GREAT SERVICE TO YOUR DEPARTMENT. 
          I JUST, I JUST WONDER WHY. 
          WELL, I MEAN, WHEN WE WERE ASKED ABOUT, UH, LOOKING AT THAT POSITION COMING INTO DE I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT RESOURCE FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND STILL LOOKING AT IT AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, ASSISTANCE. 
          YOU KNOW, IN YEARS PAST, OVER MY TENURE WITH THE COUNTY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN IS, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THAT INDIVIDUAL'S POTENTIALLY WORKING IN OFFICE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THERE IS STILL A DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE OTHER AGENCIES. 
          DI SEEMS TO BE LIKE A HUB FOR, YOU KNOW, ALL THE AGENCIES TO COME WORK TOGETHER, HEALTH DEPARTMENT, DPW PLANNING AND ZONING, EVERYTHING KIND OF CIRCLES AROUND AND EVOLVES AROUND THE BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE PERMITTING AND LAND DEVELOPMENT PRIOR TO THAT, OR EVEN TO GET TO A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY. 
          SO, MR. KRT, HAVING THAT FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE IN OUR DEPARTMENT, HAVING RESOURCES OF STAFF THAT'S IN THE DEPARTMENT, TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND NAVIGATE HIM TO THE CORRECT ANSWERS, I THINK IS GONNA BE A TREMENDOUS ASSET TO THE COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER POSITION WAS THERE ONE OTHER, THE OTHER POSITION COMES FROM COMMUNITY SERVICES THAT'S CURRENTLY FILLED, AND THAT POSITION IS CURRENTLY ENFORCING CHAPTER 1 62, THE LIVABILITY CODE. 
          SO IT'S JUST A TRANSFER OVER TO DI UH, TO PUT ENFORCEMENT UNDERNEATH OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          UH, AND, AND THAT AGAIN, ALIGNS MORE WITH THE, THE, THE NATURE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE DO ENFORCEMENT OF THE BUILDING CODE. 
          THIS IS GONNA BE VERY SIMILAR. 
          UM, SO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES, WE HAVE THE TECHNICAL, UH, EXPERTISE, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR, UH, PERMITTING SYSTEM AND ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO FOLD THIS IN AS WELL AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE OPTIONS. 
          AND WHAT'S THE NAME OF THAT PERSON? IT'S A VA. 
          IT'S GONNA BE A VAC VACANCY. 
          HE'S RETIRING. 
          GOTCHA. 
          SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO, UM, HUMAN RESOURCES THAT WILL BE, PERSON WILL BE HIRED AS A BUILDING INSPECTOR, BUT THE CHALLENGE, THE CHANGES ARE GONNA OCCUR THAT WE ARE GONNA REQUIRE THEM ALL NEW BUILDING INSPECTORS HAVE INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE CERTIFICATION, WHICH IS THE CODE THAT THE LIVABILITY CODE WILL EVENTUALLY BE BASED UPON. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          THANK YOU MR. PENMAN. 
          MR. BENNETT. 
          HELLO. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          NO LONGER. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          UM, BUT, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          I'M VERY EXCITED FOR THE LIVABILITY CODE. 
          I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH JUST, I HAVE TENANTS WHO REACH OUT WHO ARE IN NIGHTMARE SCENARIOS AND SITUATIONS, UH, BAD RENTAL SITUATIONS. 
          AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE STRENGTHENING OUR ENFORCEMENT OF MAKING SURE EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN A QUALITY SPACE. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK. 
          UM, COULD YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE, UM, UH, SORRY, I JUST LOST IT. 
          THERE'S THREE POSITIONS THAT ARE, UH, BEING ADDED. 
          OH, HERE IT IS. 
          YEP. 
          THREE POSITIONS THAT ARE BEING ADDED. 
          BUT THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF DILP IS GOING FROM TWO TO ONE IN THE BUDGET, UH, WHERE LAST YEAR IN FY 24, WE HAD BUDGETED FOR TWO DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF DILP. 
          AND THIS YEAR IT'S AT ONE, UH, WHAT PAGE ARE YOU ON, ON PAGE SIX? UH, 360 7. 
          I WAS JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY THAT POSITION WAS GOING FROM TWO TO ONE. 
          IS IT JUST A RECLASSIFICATION OF A JOB? UH, COUNCILMAN BENNETT, UM, I, I BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST TWO, THE LINE RIGHT ABOVE IT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR'S STILL ALWAYS BEEN HIS ONE. 
          AND MAYBE IT'S A MISTAKE IN, UH, IN MY BUDGET SHEET, BUT I SEE MINISTRY OF SECRETARY THREE, THAT'S ONE POSITION. 
          THEN I SEE 
          [03:00:01]
CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST ONE THAT WENT FROM ZERO TO ONE, AND THEN, UH, OH, YOU'RE RIGHT. 
          I, IT IS JUST HARD WITHOUT HAVING HORIZONTAL LINES SOMETIMES TO TRACK THAT. 
          BUT GET THAT RULER CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST TWO THAT WENT FROM TWO TO ONE. 
          CORRECT. 
          UM, IS, UH, IS THAT JUST SOMEBODY WHO WAS A TWO BECOMING A ONE? NO. 
          VERSED. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THEY WERE ONES, THEY WERE BECOMING TWOS. 
          THEY ARE CAREER LADDER POSITIONS WITHIN THE STRUCTURE OF THE PERSONNEL CODE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT'S NOT A CHANGING OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE YOU HAVE. 
          THE ONLY TWO NEW STAFFING, UH, ADDITIONS ARE THE ONES I JUST DISCUSSED WITH COUNCILMAN PENMAN THAT ARE BEING TRANSFERRED FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          YEP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM, . 
          THANK YOU MR. RILEY. 
          I HAVE SOME ISSUES UP NORTH DEALING WITH ZONING. 
          I KNOW IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. 
          UH, BUT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS, IS THAT A LOT OF TIMES YOU GET LICENSE AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY GET LICENSE FROM YOU FOR SOMEBODY ELSE, OR THEY HAVE THESE EVENTS AND OR THEY DON'T GET A LICENSE AND THEY HAVE THESE EVENTS AT THESE DIFFERENT FARMS. AND THEN WHEN IT'S A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, WE HAVE NOBODY TO GO OUT AND ENFORCE THAT. 
          IS, IS THAT UNDER YOUR PREVIEW OR IS THAT PLANNING AND ZONING? MOSTLY WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF IS PLANNING AND ZONING. 
          UM, HOWEVER, WE ARE COMPREHENSIVELY LOOKING AT OUR PUBLIC EVENT PROCESS. 
          MR. BOWLING IS LEADING THAT UP. 
          AND WE ARE GONNA BE MAKING CHANGES NOT ONLY FROM A STRUCTURAL STANDPOINT OF HOW WE PERMIT THOSE FROM ZONING CERTIFICATE TO DOPE CONCERT EVENT, AND TO THE NECESSARY TEMPORARY BUILDING PERMITS, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS ON OUR WEBSITE INFORMATION THAT GOES OUT, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THOSE. 
          SO THEN IF YOU DO THAT, WILL YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ENFORCE THE LICENSE YOU, YOU GIVE OR DO NOT GIVE TO AN EVENT PERSON? ULTIMATELY, THAT'S GONNA BE UNDER THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING FOR THE MOST PART. 
          'CAUSE MOST OF THESE ARE GONNA BE ZONING CERTIFICATES, WHICH I WOULD NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE. 
          HOWEVER, IF THERE ARE EVENTS SUCH AS DI CONCERT EVENT OR IF IT'S OTHER TEMPORARY STRUCTURES, YES, WE WOULD HAVE THE ENFORCEMENT TO DO THAT. 
          THE TROUBLE WITH THAT IS WE DON'T HAVE STAFF THAT WORKS OVER THE WEEKEND. 
          UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE TO REALLOCATE SOME STAFF OR DO OVERTIME FOR THOSE POSITIONS TO BE ABLE TO, TO LOOK INTO THOSE, UH, COMPLAINTS. 
          BUT IT SEEMS LIKE BE, MOSTLY IT WOULD BE PLANNING AND ZONING. 
          MOSTLY PLANNING AND ZONING. 
          THANKS. 
          YES. 
          THANK MR. RILEY. 
          UM, MR. BOWLING, HE, HE JUST MENTIONED YOU WERE GONNA BE HANDLING SOME EVENT ISSUES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          GIVE US A, A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU PERSONALLY ARE INVOLVED WITH. 
          SURE. 
          BECAUSE I KNOW GOES FROM STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          SURE. 
          SO WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE STARTING, FIRST OF ALL, WITH THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE, THE PROPER INFORMATION TO THE APPLICANT IN A TIMELY MANNER SO THEY CAN GET BACK TO US THE INFORMATION WE NEED WITH PLANNING AND ZONING TO REVIEW THE EVENT GO. 
          'CAUSE DEPENDING ON THE EVENT, YOU COULD HAVE, UH, STATE POLICE, UH, YOU HAVE STATE HIGHWAYS, YOU COULD HAVE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, YOU CAN HAVE THE LIQUOR BOARD. 
          THERE'S, THERE'S ALL KIND OF AGENCIES THAT, THAT PLAY INTO A PUBLIC EVENT DEPENDING ON WHAT IT IS. 
          SO WE'RE WORKING TO GET THAT INFORMATION TO THE APPLICANT FRONT, WHICH THEY CURRENTLY CAN'T FIND. 
          UM, WE ARE ALSO COMING UP WITH SOME AGREEMENTS THAT THE COUNTY CURRENTLY DOESN'T HAVE. 
          SO IF YOU WANT TO USE COUNTY PROPERTY, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT, WHICH WE'VE NEVER HAD IN THE PAST, AND THAT WILL ALLOW US TO GET THE PROPER INSURANCE TO HOLD THE COUNTY HARMLESS IF SOMETHING HAPPENS. 
          SO WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH EVERYTHING FROM, LIKE, SAY THE, UH, WHERE YOU, SO THE WEBSITE'S GONNA HAVE, IT'S GONNA BE LIKE TWO, TWO DIFFERENT PLACES. 
          ONE IS, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT AN EVENT, HOW DO I APPLY? THE SECOND IS, I THINK I WANNA DO AN EVENT. 
          CAN YOU HELP ME GET THERE? SO IT'S, IT'S TWO DIFFERENT ROUTES. 
          SO WE'RE LOOKING TO ASSIST ANYBODY WITH ANY PUBLIC EVENT, WHETHER IT'S IN THE PLANNING STAGES OR IT'S IN THE APPLICATION STAGES TO WALK THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          UH, THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO HAVE A, A NEW WEBPAGE OR NEW IN THE COUNTY WEBSITE FOR STRICTLY PUBLIC EVENTS. 
          I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH CINDY MUMMY ON THAT. 
          SO IT, IT'S GONNA TRY AND IT'S GONNA ENCOMPASS EVERYTHING THAT WE CURRENTLY, NOW WE HAVE A KIND OF A MOCKUP ON DI'S WEBSITE THAT WE'VE JUST FINISHED, UM, WHERE IT'S LOCATED, I'M NOT SURE THE PAGE, BUT IT'S UNDER, IT IS NOT PUBLIC YET, BUT IT'S, WELL, IT, IT'S, WE HAVE PUT, WE'VE PUT THE DOCUMENTS THERE AND WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WE'RE PUTTING, UH, TO HELP ASSIST APPLICANTS. 
          SO IT'S KIND OF A MOCK OF, OF WHAT THE EVENT'S GONNA BE, BUT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH EVERYTHING FROM QUESTIONS TO APPLICATION TO INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS, TO HOW THE PROCESS GOES. 
          IT'S, IT'S COMPLETE. 
          GREAT. 
          I HOPE THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. 
          KIND OF. 
          WHAT ELSE? WHAT ELSE CAN I, BUT I'M JUST SAYING, I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT YOUR, UM, ACTIVITY IS MUCH GREATER THAN WORKING ON THAT EVENT. 
          IT'S POLICY DRIVEN. 
          I KNOW YOU WORK ON THAT. 
          I KNOW YOU'RE OUT IN THE FIELD WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN YOU'RE NEEDED. 
          UH, I KNOW YOU'RE AT THE EOC WHEN YOU'RE NEEDED, UM, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          SO YOU'RE MUCH MORE INVOLVED THAN 
          [03:05:01]
AS RICH IS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND THEN WE TALK ABOUT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PLANNING AND ZONING. 
          THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND DI WE SAW IT FIRST TIME OR FIRSTHAND IN REAL TIME FRIDAY WHEN WE'RE ALL ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND, AND GO OVER AN ISSUE AT ONE OF OUR BUSINESSES AND TRY TO FIND A PATH FORWARD. 
          SO THAT'S ALSO WHERE SEAN KRAUSS GONNA COME INTO PLAY. 
          YEP. 
          HE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING AND RICH, AND WE DECIDED THAT WE NEED ONE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THESE EVENTS. 
          AND THAT'S GONNA BE SEAN KRAT. 
          SO THE, THE PUBLIC CAN CONTACT HIM ONCE AN EVENT'S APPLIED FOR, HE WILL BE COORDINATING THE EFFORT BETWEEN ALL THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES, KIND OF LIKE A WATCHDOG. 
          SO IF HE DOESN'T SEE ACTIVITY, UM, IN INTER GOV, SAY FOR THE LIQUOR BOARD, HE'S GONNA REACH OUT TO THE APPLICANT AND A LIQUOR BOARD TO SEE WHAT'S THE HOLD UP. 
          AND THEN HE'S GONNA WORK TO MAKE SURE THEY GET TOGETHER AND GET THIS EVENT SIGNED OFF IN A PROPER MANNER. 
          SO HE'S GONNA BE THE PERMIT REVIEW COORDINATOR ON ALL PUBLIC EVENTS. 
          NOW, 90% OF THE PUBLIC EVENTS DO NOT INVOLVE D BUT HE'S GOING TO DO THIS FOR BOTH DEPARTMENTS, PLANNING, ZONING, AND D. 
          SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE PROCESS SMOOTHER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND JUST NOT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH PUBLIC EVENTS. 
          PERFECT. 
          THAT'S THE GOAL. 
          MR. RILEY, ONE MORE QUESTION ON THAT. 
          WELL, WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DON'T GET A PERMIT? WHO, WHO IS THE PERSON THAT SOMEBODY WOULD CALL IF SOMEBODY HAS SOMETHING GOING ON AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, ANY LICENSE WHATSOEVER? IS THAT, AND IT HAPPENS TO BE ON A SATURDAY AT TWO O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON. 
          SO COUNCIL, I THINK IT'S KINDA LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE INDIVIDUAL THAT'S DOING 70 AND GOING DOWN I 95 AND A 65, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GET THE COMPLAINT. 
          WE CAN DEAL WITH IT. 
          UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND WITNESS ANYTHING. 
          'CAUSE TYPICALLY BY THE TIME WE GET THERE, THEY'RE ALL CLEANED UP. 
          UM, COULD WE PROBABLY COLLABORATE A LITTLE BIT BETTER, MAYBE TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THAT PROPERTY OWNER A LITTLE BIT MORE? YES. 
          AND THAT'S EFFORTS THAT MAYBE WE CAN START DOING NOW THAT WE'RE IN A POSITION OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. 
          WE'RE GETTING THINGS MORE EFFICIENT IN THE PROCESS. 
          SO IF IT'S A MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK AND YOU FIND OUT ABOUT IT, THEN AT LEAST YOU CAN TOUCH BASE WITH HIM AND SAY, HEY, LOOK, YOU'RE GETTING A WARNING NEXT TIME, BECAUSE THIS SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING ALL THE TIME. 
          ALL THE TIME. 
          YEAH. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THE DIRECTOR OF PLAIN ZONING AND I CAN WORK ON. 
          SO, THANKS. 
          BUT IF I MAY, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, BACK TO WHAT YOU WERE ASKING MR. BOWEN, HE IS A GREAT RESOURCE TO ME. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IT, AND IT, IT'S BEEN A VERY, UH, PLEASURABLE HAVING US AS PART OF THE MANAGEMENT TEAM RUNNING THIS DEPARTMENT. 
          HE ALLOW, HE TAKES ON PROJECTS THAT ALLOWS ME TO LOOK AT POLICY DRIVEN THINGS AND LOOK AT EFFICIENCIES IN THE DEPARTMENT, WHICH I THINK IS WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE. 
          UM, SO WE'VE, WE'RE DEFINITELY A GREAT TEAM AND, UH, MOVING FORWARD, I CAN'T, CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HIM. 
          SO I AGREE A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          MR. JAN JORDANA QUESTION, IF SOMEBODY'S BUYING A HOUSE AND THEY, THEY GO IN, THEY LOOK AT THE HOUSE AND THERE'S A FINISHED BASEMENT, CAN THEY FIND OUT IF THERE WAS PERMITS PULLED FOR THAT BASEMENT OR THAT DECK OR SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW, THE NEXT PERSON THAT GOES AND BUYS IT? I DON'T KNOW IF THE REAL ESTATE PEOPLE TELL PEOPLE THAT OR NOT. 
          YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY ELSE BUYS SOMETHING AND THEN THEY FIND OUT THERE WAS NEVER PERMITS DONE FOR, FOR THAT PROPERTY. 
          SO YES. 
          SO THROUGH THE RE PERMIT CENTER, YOU CAN RESEARCH PROPERTY THAT E PER E PERMIT CENTER GOES BACK TO 1988. 
          OKAY. 
          FROM 2015 ON THE RECORDS ARE, YOU KNOW, MUCH MORE EASILY OBTAINABLE ON THE E PERMIT CENTER SITE. 
          THE DESCRIPTIONS ARE MUCH BETTER. 
          THE PROBLEM WITH FINISHED BASEMENTS AND DECKS IS, ESPECIALLY ON OLDER PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO 88, YOU REALLY GOTTA GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE DESCRIPTION IN THE, IN THE PERMIT FOR THE NEW DWELLING UNIT TO SEE IF IT ACTUALLY INCLUDED IT. 
          AND THAT'S SOME OF THE TROUBLE THAT, YOU KNOW, OBSTACLES THAT WE GO DEAL WITH WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH ENFORCEMENT CASES. 
          TRYING TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THOSE OLD PERMIT RECORDS SOMETIMES CAN BE A CHALLENGE. 
          AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT WAS PERMITTED. 
          THE RECORDS WEREN'T AS, UM, KEPT AS WELL AS WE ARE TODAY. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MR. TIPS. 
          MR. TRUITT, UM, MUNICIPALITIES, DO YOU HAVE TO INSPECT THEM ALSO? OR IS THAT JUST THE MUNICIPALITIES? UH, SO MUNICIPALITIES, WE, WE HAVE, UH, THREE CONTR CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS WITH ALL THREE MUNICIPALITIES WHERE WE DO THEIR, UH, PLAN I VIEW AND INSPECTIONS, AND THEN WE ALSO DO THEIR PERMITTING FOR THE TRADES. 
          SO EACH MUNICIPALITY MAINTAINS THEIR PERMITTING ISSUANCE AND THEIR C OF O ISSUANCE, IT'S ALL IN THE SAME PERMITTING SOFTWARE. 
          SO THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SOFTWARE AND THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'VE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED. 
          THEY BUY THEIR OWN LICENSES AND MAINTAIN THE LICENSES THAT SOFTWARE. 
          BUT ONCE THAT PERMIT APPLICATION IS INSERTED INTO THE SYSTEM AT THE TOWN OF BELL AIR, PER SE, IT'S ALREADY IN OUR POSSESSION AND WE'RE ALREADY STARTING TO WORK ON IT. 
          AND YOU HAVE TO DO THE INSPECTIONS, ARE THEY THEY DO CORRECT. 
          UNDER THE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT. 
          WE DO THE INSPECTIONS FOR THEM. 
          GOING BACK TO ONE OF, WHEN IF, IF I BUY A HOUSE AND THERE WAS NO 
          [03:10:01]
INSPECTION ON, UH, THE BASEMENT MODIFICATIONS, WHAT HAPPENS THEN? IF SOMETHING HAPPENS? SO IF THE PROPERTY OWNER, THAT CONTRACT PURCHASER WANTS TO COME IN AND LEGALIZE THAT WITH US, WE WILL CERTAINLY WORK WITH THEM AND DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN TO MINIMIZE THE PAIN  THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL WORK TO DO AS WHAT WE CAN TO MINIMIZE WHAT AREAS NEED TO BE OPEN, LOOK AT IT. 
          UM, TYPICALLY WE'LL COMBINE THAT WITH PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL INSPECTIONS IF THERE ARE SOME TO TRY TO TAKE A ADVANTAGE OF OPENING UP THOSE AREAS IN THE WALL. 
          SO WE DEFINITELY WILL WORK WITH THEM. 
          TYPICALLY, WE'RE NOT IN AN ENFORCEMENT CASE WHERE WE'RE ISSUING NOTICES OF VIOLATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          WE, WE WANNA HELP THEM THROUGH THAT PROCESS. 
          I USED TO HAVE A COUPLE CASES WHERE THAT HAPPENED, AND IT GOT PRETTY COSTLY AS FAR AS PEOPLE GETTING INTO THAT. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S UN UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT OCCURS AND THE PREVIOUS PROPERTY OWNER TAKES ON THAT PROJECT AND DOESN'T OBTAIN NECESSARY PERMITS. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL PRESIDENT PASSI WAS JUST REFERENCING A, A PROJECT THAT WE SPOKE ABOUT LAST FRIDAY. 
          IT'S THE EXACT SAME SITUATION, EXCEPT THIS WAS WHAT A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AND IT'S MUCH MORE COSTLY TO THEM. 
          SO WE ARE, WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO MINIMIZE THE, THE EFFECTS OF COMPLYING AS BEST THAT WE CAN. 
          BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES OUR HANDS ARE, ARE TIED TO ENSURE THAT PUBLIC SAFETY IS UPHELD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. TIBBS, MS. MOON. 
          THANKS. 
          UH, I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE GPS. 
          I'VE ONLY SEEN IT HERE IN DI NO, UM, OTHER DEPARTMENTS ALREADY HAVE IT. 
          WE HAD AN INSTANCE WHERE WE NEEDED TO LOCATE AN INSPECTOR DUE TO A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. 
          OUR STAFF ARE OUT ON THE ROADS BY THEMSELVES. 
          THEY DO NOT HAVE PARTNERS WITH THEM. 
          SO IT TOOK US QUITE SOME TIME TO LOCATE THAT INDIVIDUAL DURING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. 
          AND THAT'S WHY THE GPS WAS, WAS ULTIMATELY, UH, ADDED SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY ASSIST, UH, ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS WHEN, WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO FIND THEM, BUT WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE SAFE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANKS. 
          THANK YOU, MS. MOOD. 
          ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. 
          PAT? YES. 
          THEY HAVE ONE CAPITAL PROJECT. 
          IF YOU WANT TO GO OVER PAGE. 
          PAGE 62. 
          WHAT PAGE? 62. 
          62. 
          SO THIS CAPITAL PROJECT WAS ACTUALLY INTRODUCED IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, OR THE CURRENT PROJECT THAT WE'RE ALREADY IN. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UH, ALTHOUGH THERE'S NOT MUCH BEEN SPENT OUT OF THIS, THIS WILL BE, UH, THE PRECLUDE TO DI BEING ABLE TO ADDRESS UNSAFE DANGEROUS STRUCTURES IN THE COUNTY. 
          SO WE EXPECT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WILL BE UTILIZING THIS CAPITAL PROJECT MUCH MORE AFTER MAY 29TH. 
          UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH CLEANING UP SOME OF THE STUFF THAT PREVIOUSLY WE WEREN'T, WEREN'T ABLE TO HANDLE, AND ALL THOSE FUNDS, WE WILL ATTACH LIENS ONTO THEIR PROPERTY. 
          SO THE, ULTIMATELY THE COUNTY IS GETTING THAT MONEY BACK. 
          DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? MR. SCHERZER? YOU LOOK LIKE YOU GOT IT. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU ALL. 
          YEP. 
          WE WILL MOVE ON TO HOUSING COMMUNITY SERVICES. 
          MS. RICHARDSON. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          HOW ARE YOU? ALL? GOOD. 
          HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. 
          OKAY, WE'RE GONNA START ON PAGE 2 63. 
          THIS IS THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. 
          THEY HAVE A DECREASE OF 1 56 7 28. 
          IT IS THE RESULT OF A NET DECREASE IN PERSONAL SERVICES OF 1 48 2 29. 
          UM, THEY HAVE A NET DECREASE OF THREE POSITIONS THAT WERE TRANSFERRED OUT OF THIS DIVISION, UM, OR TWO POSITIONS OUT. 
          ONE IN, UM, ONE, UM, CAME OUT OF HOUSING, UM, AND THEN ONE WENT TO RISK. 
          AND THEN ONE CAME IN FROM THE OLD HOUSING DEPARTMENT. 
          SO IT'S TOTALLY CONFUSING, BUT , BECAUSE THEY WERE TWO, TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          SO, UM, ONE POSITION WAS CREATED, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT A COST OF 1 69, 8 59. 
          TEMPORARY SALARIES WERE DECREASED. 
          1 93, 1 37. 
          THERE WAS ADJUSTMENTS TO PENSION, HEALTH BENEFITS AND, UM, OPEP 
          [03:15:01]
UNDER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES. 
          THERE WERE NO CHANGE IN SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. 
          THERE'S INCREASES THERE OF $9,500. 
          AND THAT'S, UM, MAINLY FOR PRINTING, COMMERCIAL BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          UM, BUT WE DID INCREASE MEALS, UM, FOR EVENTS SUCH AS I CAN BIKE CAMP AND POWERED DISABILITIES, EMPLOYMENT RECOGNITION, SO FORTH. 
          UNDER BUSINESS AND TRAVEL, THERE'S NO CHANGE IN FUNDING THERE. 
          YOU'LL SEE UNDER MISCELLANEOUS IT DECREASES 18,000, BUT IT STILL PROVIDES SUFFICIENT FUNDS FOR THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE LISTED UNDER THEIR, UM, DISABILITY RESOURCES, FAMILY COURT SERVICES, HIGHLAND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS, SO FORTH. 
          UNDER INTERGOVERNMENTAL INTER FUND EXPENDITURES, THERE WAS NO CHANGE. 
          IF YOU TURN TO PAGE 2 66, YOU'LL SEE THE HOUSING AGENCY. 
          AND THIS IS ALL PART OF REORGANIZATION. 
          SO YOU'LL SEE A TOTAL INCREASE OF, UM, 2,037,000 8, 78, 79. 
          BUT IF YOU LOOK IN FISCAL YEAR 24, 'CAUSE IT WAS A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT, THEN, UM, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. 
          SO THERE IS A DECREASE HERE OF 2 34 7 16. 
          UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE TRANSFERRED IN FIVE POSITIONS FROM HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. 
          FOUR WERE FROM PRIOR HOUSING AGENCY AND ONE CAME, UM, FROM THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE. 
          OTHER THAN THAT, YOU'LL SEE THE, UM, CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THE GRANT NEED AT 1 MILLION 424 7 45. 
          AND THE BREAKDOWN IS BELOW ON WHICH AGENCIES ARE GETTING THE GRANT NAME ON PAGE 2 69 IS OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY. 
          THERE'S A DECREASE THERE OF 53,365. 
          THERE'S A NET DECREASE IN PERSONAL SERVICES OF 1,365. 
          AND THAT'S MAINLY, UM, THE RESULT OF OPEP AND THINGS BEING ADJUSTED. 
          UM, CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, NO CHANGE SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, THERE WAS NO CHANGE. 
          AND FUNDING AND TRAVEL, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL DECREASE THERE OF $2,000. 
          AND THAT'S MAINLY FOR TRANSPORTATION COST. 
          AND THEN MISCELLANEOUS DECREASES $50,000, BUT IT STILL PROVIDES FOR RECOVERY MONTH ACTIVITIES, UM, HARFORD, COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY, PEER RECOVERY AND SO FORTH. 
          IF YOU TURN TO PAGE 2 71, YOU WILL SEE A NEW CALL CENTER FOR THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE. 
          UH, THERE'S FUNDING IN THERE FOR PERSONAL SERVICES OF 1 9 9 8 0 1. 
          UM, IT PROVIDES TEMPORARY SALARIES OF 1 29, 1 33. 
          AND THEN THE PENSION, WORKERS' COMP AND LIFE THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES THERE. 
          OR WE ADDED FUNDS THERE OF $11,000. 
          UM, THIS IS FOR OTHER ADVERTISING AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. 
          8,000 FOR SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. 
          AND THIS WOULD BE FOR MAILING, COMMERCIAL PRINTING AND SO FORTH. 
          AND THEN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL, $2,000 FOR MEALS TRAINING, SEMINARS, COURSES, TURN TO PAGE 2 75, OFFICE ON AGING THERE, THERE'S A SLIGHT INCREASE THERE OF 61,834. 
          YOU'LL SEE THAT. 
          UM, THE BULK OF THAT IS IN PERSONNEL SERVICES. 
          THERE'S A NET INCREASE THERE OF 59 784. 
          UM, IT PROVIDES FOR THE FY 24 OF 32, 864. 
          WE DID ELIMINATE ONE POSITION THERE. 
          WE ABOLISHED THAT POSITION. 
          IT WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST. 
          IT WAS VACANT AT 91 1 19. 
          AND THEN FISCAL YEAR 25 COLA OF, UM, $1,000 TO ALL ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES OF 1 39 0 39, UH, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES $5,500. 
          AND THIS IS REALLOCATED, UM, DOWN TO CAPITAL ATLA AND IT PROVIDES FOR, UM, FITNESS ROOM EQUIPMENT. 
          AND THEN LASTLY ON PAGE 2 77 IS HARTFORD TRANSIT. 
          YOU'LL JUST SEE , YOU'LL SEE ONE POSITION THERE. 
          THAT IS A CLASSIFIED POSITION, BUT WE OFFSET THAT PERSON'S SALARY WITH GRANT MONEY. 
          SO THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR HOUSING COMMUNITY SERVICES IS GRANTS AND, UM, WE MATCH THAT. 
          OTHER THAN THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MR. GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          UM, OURS IS A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES MERGED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT MERGER, WE ARE SAVING THE COUNTY TAXPAYERS, UM, FUNDING. 
          WE ELIMINATED A DIRECTOR POSITION AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY PO POSITION. 
          UM, IN ADDITION, WE COMBINED OFFICES AND WE'RE SAVING ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR IN OCCUPANCY. 
          [03:20:02]
UH, BUT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THOSE SAVINGS, I THINK WE REALIZED THAT, UM, BY MERGING THESE, THESE TWO DEPARTMENTS THAT HAD A LOT OF CROSSOVER, HAS, WE'VE SEEN SOME GREAT BENEFITS. 
          UM, WE'VE RECOGNIZED THAT THERE WAS SOME DUPLICATION OF, UM, WORK THAT WAS BEING DONE IN BOTH OFFICES. 
          AND NOW THOSE DIVISIONS ARE WORKING COOPERATIVELY. 
          SO THAT'S AN AMAZING THING. 
          UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS RATHER LARGE. 
          AND JUST, YOU KNOW, REAL QUICKLY, JUST A REMINDER, WE HAVE THE OFFICE ON AGING, HARTFORD TRANSIT OFFICE, DRUG CONTROL POLICY, THE HOUSING AGENCY, WHICH HAS THE HOUSING COUNSELING OFFICE, THE HCV PROGRAM, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION. 
          WE HAVE THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES, THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN, FAMILY AND YOUTH, AND THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RELATIONS AND MEDIATION, WHICH I WILL BE HAPPY TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THOSE, UM, DIVISIONS IF YOU WANT. 
          BUT, UM, I MEAN, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE HOUSED IN THE SAME BUILDING. 
          WE'RE WORKING WITH A LOT OF THE SAME POPULATIONS AND THERE'S A LOT OF COLLABORATION AMONGST STAFF. 
          SO WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO NOT ONLY BE SAVING THE COUNTY TAXPAYERS MONEY, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING MUCH BETTER WORK BY BEING HOUSED AND WORKING TOGETHER. 
          SO ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, I MEAN, DEPARTS DIVISIONS FOR JUROR? UM, SO I GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS. 
          I'M JUST NOT QUITE SURE WHERE I WANNA START, BUT I, WHEN I GO TO THE SOUTHERN TASK FORCE, MM-HMM, , I SEE YOU HAVE 190 SOME THOUSAND DOLLARS HERE TAGGED, BUT NO EMPLOYEE. 
          TWO, TWO EMPLOYEES IN THAT DEPARTMENT. 
          THERE'S, THERE'S A MANAGER AND A, I'LL GO. 
          THE TITLE IS KIND OF, WE COMMUNITY COORDINATOR. 
          SO TWO FULL-TIME POSITIONS, AND THEN JUST MONEY IN THERE FOR THEIR EXPENSES. 
          THEY HAVE CURRENTLY HAVE, ONE IS HOUSED DOWN AT THE EDGEWOOD REC CENTER. 
          UM, THE SECOND PERSON IS HOUSED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES SPENDS A LOT OF TIME DOWN INWOOD. 
          OKAY. 
          I MUST BE READING THIS WRONG THEN. 
          IT'S, IT, THEY'RE TEMPORARY, SO YOU WON'T SEE ACTUAL POSITIONS. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN WITH THE GRANT A PROGRAMS, ARE WE STILL AS ACTIVE IN GRANT A PROGRAMS AS WE HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT COMMUNITY SERVICES HAD MANY, UH, AWARD-WINNING PROGRAMS, I GUESS OVER THE YEARS. 
          UH, ARE THEY STILL IN PLACE? ARE WE STILL SUPPORTING ALL OF THEM? ABSOLUTELY. 
          OKAY. 
          AND PROBABLY BETTER. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY, MR. JAN, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          HOW ARE YOU? I'M GOOD. 
          HOW ARE YOU, SIR? GOOD. 
          SO I SEE HERE ON PAGE 2 63, THERE WAS ONE POSITION CREATED, I THINK KIM SAID THAT WAS FOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND IT SAYS 1 69. 
          WHERE DO I YEAH, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE TOTAL, TOTAL COST FOR THAT POSITION. 
          OKAY. 
          NOT JUST THE SALARY, THE BENEFITS AND EVERYTHING TOGETHER. 
          BENEFITS AND EVERYTHING THAT, THAT MAKES, THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE THEN. 
          SO, UM, WHAT'S THE COST OF BENEFITS PER, PER PERSON? SO IT VARY OR IS IT ALL, IS IT A FIXED WELL, IT, PENSION'S NOT FIXED WORKER'S COMP. 
          IT'S ALL BASED ON YOUR SALARY. 
          SO, BUT FOR, I BELIEVE IT'S LIKE 19 SOMETHING FOR 18 SEVEN FOR HEALTH BENEFITS AND 500, 700 FOR DENTAL. 
          OKAY. 
          I, I, I THINK THAT WAS MY BIG QUESTIONS. 
          TRYING AVERAGE TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE DEPUTY WAS MAKING MORE THAN THE DIRECTOR? NO QUESTION. 
          NO OR NOT. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, AND THERE'S, TO BE CLEAR, TWO DEPUTIES, ONE DIRECTOR, THERE'S PRIOR, THERE WOULD'VE BEEN TWO AND TWO PRIOR. 
          TWO AND TWO. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I KNOW YOU GOT A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS. 
          DOES, DOES THAT, AND YOU'RE, YOU SAID A LOT OF STUFF IS, ARE YOU CROSS TRAINING PEOPLE? SO, YOU KNOW, IF I GET A CALL AND I'VE GOT THIS PROBLEM AND I'M ELDERLY, YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THAT TOGETHER. 
          IS THAT THE ENTIRE STAFF IS BEING TRAINED. 
          HEY, YOU GET A CALL, YOU DON'T NEED TO PUSH IT OFF OF SOMEBODY. 
          WE, YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF IT FROM, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S ALL IN ALL ENCOMPASSING OF WHAT WE DO. 
          YES. 
          AND WE'RE ALSO FINDING THAT PROP, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY THE OFFICE ON AGING WAS A LITTLE, UM, SILOED. 
          SO NOW WE'RE WORKING A LOT CLOSER TOGETHER. 
          SO WE FIND OUT A LOT OF THE NEEDS THAT THE SENIORS MIGHT HAVE. 
          WE HAVE PROGRAMS AND HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, THOSE SENIORS ARE GONNA BENEFIT AND VICE VERSA. 
          SO THERE IS A LOT OF CROSS TRAINING, CROSS COLLABORATION AMONGST DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS. 
          YEAH, THERE, WE, WE DEFINITELY HAVE AN AGING POPULATION AND, AND, UH, SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH, UH, THE SENIORS AND THEY GET A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED ABOUT WHERE TO GO AND WHO TO TALK TO, SO. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I'M GOOD FOR RIGHT NOW. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANYONE ELSE? MR. PENMAN? THANK MR. PRESIDENT. 
          UH, THANK YOU ALL. 
          UM, THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. 
          UH, IN A, IN A PREVIOUS LIFE, I WORKED VERY CLOSE WITH THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY. 
          UH, AND I, IT'S A, IT'S SUCH A VERY IMPORTANT, UH, ORGANIZATION WITHIN, UH, COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 
          UM, SO I, I'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OPIOID MONEY, UM, GOING FORWARD, BUT I JUST, IT IS CONFUSING 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU, YOU KNOW, UH, 
          [03:25:01]
CONSOLIDATED, UH, DIVISIONS HERE. 
          AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I FULLY UNDERSTAND. 
          UM, THERE IS A MARKETING COORDINATOR POSITION HERE FOR 87. 
          IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS IN A DIFFERENT AREA THAN BROUGHT FORWARD OR, IT WAS ALWAYS IN COMMUNITY SERVICES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT'S JUST UNDER HOUSING. 
          I JUST WANNA BE SURE. 
          UM, AND THEN THE, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE SOUTHERN TASK FORCE. 
          UM, SO THAT'S A NEW POSITION, RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT POSITIONS. 
          IT'S JUST TEMPORARY FUNDING. 
          TEMPORARY FUNDING, TEMPORARY SALARY FUNDING. 
          UH, AND WHO IS IN THAT POSITION? SO WE HAVE TWO EMPLOYEES. 
          THE COORDINATOR IS ROB WAGNER AND THE, OR HE'S THE PROGRAM MANAGER. 
          THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR IS A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF JONATHAN FOSTER. 
          BOTH OF THEM HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE POSITION FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. 
          UH, AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE THAT, SO THE TOTAL LINE ITEM IS TWO, ROUGHLY 200,000 FOR THAT? CORRECT. 
          UH, AND WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE INDIVIDUAL SALARIES THEN? I DON'T HAVE THAT. 
          IT, IT'S PROBABLY PROVIDED A ONE. 
          YEAH, WE'LL GET IT. 
          WE'LL GET IT, BUT WE'LL GET IT TO YOU. 
          IT'S THE ONE THAT ALL, ALL THE TEMPORARY SALARIES WERE YEAH, ALL THE TEMPORARY SALARIES WERE APPLIED. 
          I, I, I, I KNOW I DON'T HAVE THAT. 
          DO YOU HAVE THAT ON THERE? I DO. 
          IF THEY'RE NOT, I'LL GET IT TO YOU. 
          IT'S NOT ON THE SHEET. 
          OKAY. 
          I'LL GET IT TO YOU. 
          LISA'S NAMES THAT YOU MENTIONED ARE ON HERE. 
          I BELIEVE YOU . 
          I DON'T HAVE THEM EITHER. 
          I'LL, I'LL FIND IT AND THEN CIRCLE BACK. 
          BUT, UM, WHY DON'T I JUST PAUSE FOR A MINUTE AND FIND IT AND THEN I'LL CIRCLE BACK. 
          ANYBODY ELSE? I DON'T THINK IT'S ON HERE. 
          I THINK THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE OTHER ONE. 
          COMMUNITY SERVICES RIGHT ON FRONT. 
          THEY SAID THEY'LL GET IT TO US GETTING IN REAL TIME. 
          , CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION IN SURE. 
          IN, IN OUR RECOVERY WORLD? MM-HMM. 
          , WHO ALL DO YOU PARTNER WITH? WHAT ORGANIZATIONS? UH, UM, ADDICTIONS, CONNECTION RESOURCES, VOICES OF HOPE, ALL OF THE RECOVERY HOUSES BRIDGE AGAINST ADDICTION, UM, CHANT MOMS. OKAY. 
          THE MAJORITY, I THINK ARE LISTED. 
          A LOT OF THEM HAVE RECEIVED BENEFIT THROUGH THE GRANT AID, WHICH WERE LISTED ON THAT . 
          AND IF THEY'RE NOT RECEIVING GRANTS AND AID, THEY'VE PROBABLY RECEIVED SPONSORSHIP MONEY OR CONTRIBUTION MONIES REQUIRE SUPPORT. 
          YOU GET ALL THE REQUESTS THAT COME IN. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THERE'D BE LIKE HOMECOMING PROJECT, MAN HOUSE, ANNA'S HOUSE, UM, HARPER FAMILY HOUSE, CHAR HOPE FOUNDATION. 
          SORRY, SHE NEEDS A MICROPHONE. 
          SO, I'M SORRY. 
          WHAT I WAS SAYING WAS LIKE THE HOMECOMING PROJECT, MAN HOUSE, ANNA'S HOUSE, UM, HARPER FAMILY HOUSE. 
          WE PROVIDE, UH, CHAR HOPE FOUNDATION. 
          YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE ONES THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH EPICENTER. 
          WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM TO ALSO TO OUTREACH IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL BECAUSE OF THAT AREA OF THE COUNTY. 
          MS. BAUER, CAN I GET A LIST OF THOSE THAT YOU DO PARTNER WITH AND THE AMOUNTS THAT YOU PARTNER WITH THEM? SURELY. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I'LL SHARE IT WITH MY COLLEAGUES. 
          AND, AND SO DO WE HAVE, UM, ONGOING GRANTS WITH A CR NOW? UH, I BELIEVE A CR IS AN LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET. 
          OKAY. 
          THEY'RE UNDER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES. 
          THERE WAS NO CHANGE ON PAGE 2 69. 
          YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDICTION CONNECTIONS RESOURCE? YES. 
          YEAH, THERE'S NO CHANGE IN FUNDING. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU MR. PENN. 
          UM, DO, DO WE, I I HAVE IT. 
          THE REASON WHY ROB IS NOT SHOWING UP ON THERE, 'CAUSE HE'S CURRENTLY PAID BY A GRANT, SO HE WOULDN'T SHOW UP ON ANY TEMPORARY. 
          HE'S PAID BY A GRANT. 
          UM, BUT HIS SALARY IN THIS BUDGET FOR 25 IS 86. 
          2 75. 
          JONATHAN SHOULD BE ON THAT LIST AND HE'S 42. 
          8 57. 
          SO THAT DOES COME TO THE 1 29. 
          1 33. 
          GOTCHA. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ALRIGHT. 
          I'M GONNA CIRCLE BACK TO, UH, WELL ACTUALLY BEFORE THAT CANNABIS, I KNOW WE REVENUE SHARING. 
          UH, DO WE KNOW WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED AND WHERE THAT IS IN THE BUDGET ON INCOME? SO TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE'VE GOTTEN THE 
          [03:30:01]
QUARTER ONE PAYMENT, WHICH IS ABOUT ONE. 
          SO, SO THERE'S, THERE'S TWO FORMS OF THE CANNABIS CANNABIS MONEY THAT WE'RE RECEIVING. 
          THERE IS OUR SHARE OF THE SALES TAX, WHICH IS 5% OF THE TOTAL SALES TAX. 
          UM, AND THAT'S ABOUT, UM, ABOUT $200,000 A YEAR. 
          AND THAT'S A GENERAL FUND REVENUE. 
          THEN THERE ARE THESE ADDITIONAL FUNDS AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT OR RESTITUTION FUNDS. 
          UM, THOSE WILL BE PLACED IN A GRANTS FUND, AND I BELIEVE THAT'S GONNA BE AROUND 6 50, 7 50 SOMETHING IN THAT RANGE. 
          AND THOSE FUNDS, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS THAT THEY CAN BE SPENT ON. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS I DO KNOW IS THAT, UH, THEY CAN DEFINITELY NOT BE SPENT ON PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          BUT OTHER THINGS, IT'S KIND OF KIND OF OPEN. 
          AND THE IDEA THERE IS THAT THOSE FUNDS WERE, UM, ALLOCATED STATEWIDE ACCORDING TO, UM, MARIJUANA CAN OF, I I THINK, I GUESS WHEN YOU ARREST PEOPLE, YOU CALL IT MARIJUANA. 
          WHEN YOU LEGALIZE IT, YOU CALL IT CANNABIS. 
          FOR THE, FOR THE, THE ARREST THAT HAD TO DO WITH, WITH MARIJUANA, IT PROPORTIONATE, YOU KNOW, TO KINDA THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE. 
          AND SO SOME JURISDICTIONS GET MORE OF THAT THAN OTHERS. 
          UM, AND THEN I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON A PLAN ON HOW TO SPEND THOSE MONEY AND THAT UNDER THE STATUTE THERE'S GONNA REQUIRE THAT THE COUNTY DRAFT LEGISLATION, WHICH ONE STEP'S DONE, WE WILL BE BEFORE YOU WITH THAT PLAN, SPENDING PLAN, BUT AT THIS POINT WE'RE RECEIVING THIS, I THINK WE'VE JUST GOTTEN THE FIRST QUARTER PAYMENT. 
          IT WILL GO IN THE GRANT AND SIT THERE UNTIL WE'VE ESTABLISHED THE LEGISLATION. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND THEN THE OPIOID MONEY, UM, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE DEALING WITH THE SAME, UM, REQUIREMENTS, UM, AS EVERYBODY ELSE. 
          AND IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE BASED AFTER THAT, UH, STAKEHOLDER MEETING THAT ONLY 85% OF THE FUNDS AVAILABLE, UM, ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE SPENT ON NEW PROGRAMS GOING FORWARD, WHICH LIMITS WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DO WITH THAT MONEY. 
          CORRECT. 
          UM, BUT I, I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED ON HOW MUCH MONEY THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, FROM THAT SETTLEMENT. 
          UM, BECAUSE WHEN I WAS THERE, IT SOUNDED LIKE WE WERE AWAITING FOR DISBURSEMENTS. 
          WE WEREN'T SURE THE, UH, THE HOW MUCH THOSE DISPER DISBURSEMENTS WERE GONNA COME. 
          I THINK NEXT YEAR THEY SAID TWO, MAYBE 2 MILLION. 
          SO I GUESS TWO QUESTIONS. 
          HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY DISBURSEMENTS YET? WHAT DO WE HAVE IN TOTAL FROM O OPIOID MONEY AND TWO, WHERE IS THAT IN THE BUDGET? SO THE, THE, THE TOTAL, UM, AMOUNT OF THE AWARDS THAT WE KNOW IS, UM, OR AS OF RIGHT NOW THAT WE BELIEVE IS COMING IS ABOUT 25, 25, 20 6 MILLION SOMETHING IN, IN THAT RANGE. 
          UM, THEN WE HAVE RECEIVED, UM, I BELIEVE JUST SHY OF $5 MILLION. 
          AND ALL OF THOSE ARE, ARE IN THE GRANT FUND. 
          AND ONE OF THE, THE REASONS WHY IS THAT WHEN, WHEN WE SIGN, WHEN WE AGREED TO THESE SETTLEMENTS, THEY'RE VERY SPECIFIC THAT IT WAS NOT TO BE USED IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE INTO A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND. 
          AND THE GRANT FUND IS A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND. 
          SO THEY ARE IN THE GRANTS. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THAT, THAT 5 MILLION, YOU KNOW, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY BE JOINED WITH, UH, ANOTHER 21 MILLION, IS IT GONNA SIT THERE UNTIL WE COME UP WITH A, A STRATEGY TO KIND OF USE THAT MONEY? SO THE, THE 5 MILLION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, IT COMES IN DIFFERENT PAYOUTS AND ONE OF 'EM A STRUCTURED PAYOUT OVER THE NEXT 18 YEARS, WHICH WE ARE ACTUALLY GETTING, THAT'S FROM THE DISTRIBUTORS, I BELIEVE. 
          YEAH. 
          THERE'S ANOTHER AWARD THAT'S FROM THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES. 
          WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT. 
          WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE STRUCTURE OF THAT PAYOUT WILL BE, BUT WE CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE YOU WITH THE INFORMATION THAT SHOWS US THE, THE, THE YEARS LIKE IT GOES, LIKE I SAID, FOR THE NEXT 18 YEARS, UH, WHAT THESE PAYOUTS WILL BE. 
          BUT OF THE 5 MILLION OR FOUR POINT, WHATEVER THAT WE HAVE AT THIS POINT WILL BE AVAILABLE ONCE WE'VE CONCLUDED THE COMMUNITY INPUT AND THE RESULTS OF THE STAKEHOLDER SUMMIT. 
          UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE, UM, COMPANY THAT RANDY, THE STAKEHOLDER, SHE'S GONNA PUT TOGETHER NOTES FROM ALL, WE HAVE FIVE OR SIX COMMUNITY INPUT MEETINGS. 
          SHE'S GOING TO LOOK AT ALL THE RESEARCH THAT WAS GATHERED FROM THE STAKEHOLDER MEETING. 
          THERE'LL BE ANOTHER STAKEHOLDER MEETING. 
          AND AT THAT POINT WE WILL DO THE FIRST REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BASED ON WHAT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AFTER WE'RE DOING A VERY, AGAIN, IN-DEPTH MARKET ANALYSIS NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WHAT ARE THE BEST USES OF THIS MONEY? SO WE'RE PROJECTING THAT THE FIRST POT OF THE MONEY THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY WILL BE IN EARLY 2025. 
          AND THAT WILL BE IN THE FORM OF A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. 
          AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION, UM, THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY, UM, THE WAY THAT I KNOW IT SEEMS TO BE DIS BEING DISMANTLED, RIGHT? AND, UM, AND I JUST, I KNOW THE IMPORTANT ASPECT THAT THEY HOLD IN THE COMMUNITY FOR RECOVERY, UH, AND THAT RECOVERY EFFORTS HELP. 
          UH, THEY HELP THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THEY HELP THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THEY HELP SOCIETY IN HARTFORD COUNTY. 
          SO I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A STRATEGY AND THAT'S WHAT MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE STRATEGY GOING 
          [03:35:01]
FORWARD FOR THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY, THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY, IF BY DISMANTLED WE'VE HAD SOME RESIGNATIONS, THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          WE ARE BACKFILLING THOSE POSITIONS. 
          WE'RE GONNA BE ADVERTISING FOR THE, MY GOAL FOR THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY. 
          IF ANYTHING, IT'LL GROW BECAUSE AT THE VERY LEAST FROM SOME OF THIS FUNDING, MAYBE NOT THE OPIOID MONEY, BUT THE CANNABIS MONEY MAY ALLOW US TO DEVELOP NEW PROGRAMS THAT WOULD BE ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY. 
          SO UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER STAFF THAT RESIGNS, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS MOVE QUICKLY TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS, WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE DOING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          THANK YOU MR. PENMAN. 
          ANYONE ELSE? MR. BENNETT? HELLO. 
          UM, I WAS VERY THANKFUL TO SEE, YOU KNOW, I COMPARE THE GRANTEE FUNDING FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR AND IT SEEMS WHILE A FEW ORGANIZATIONS WERE ADDED TO THE LIST, THERE WASN'T, UM, YOU KNOW, A FLAT CUT ACROSS THE BOARD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR EVERYBODY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          AND TAKING THAT FEEDBACK FROM LAST YEAR AND, AND DOING IT THIS YEAR. 
          UM, I WAS CURIOUS WITH THE COMMUN IT'S COMMUNITY RESTORATION FUND OR REV, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY? YEAH. 
          UH, RESTITUTION. 
          IT'S, IT'S ALL UNDER, LIKE THE OFFICE OF SOCIAL EQUITY. 
          YES. 
          I BELIEVE WITH THE, THE STATE. 
          UM, I WILL MAKE A PLUG THAT I HAVE, UH, I'VE ASKED MAKO, UM, AT THE SUMMER CONFERENCE TO DO A SESSION ON, ON HOW WE CAN SPEND THE OPIOID MONEY AND THE CANNABIS MONEY. 
          AND SO I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT WILL BE ON YOUR AGENDA. 
          AWESOME. 
          SOMETHING I, I DO KNOW, UM, THE CAUCUS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS, UH, THEIR PRESIDENT REACHED OUT TO ME AND SHE SHARED HOW IN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, FOR INSTANCE, THEY FORMED A TASK FORCE, A COMMUNITY TASK FORCE, BRINGING IN OUTSIDE STAKEHOLDERS, UM, TO BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION TO DECIDE HOW THAT MONEY'S SPENT. 
          UM, AND I, I DO KNOW THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CAUCUS WOULD LIKE TO SEE. 
          THAT'S NOT JUST, UH, YOUR DEPARTMENT MAKING THAT DECISION, BUT MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S A FORMAL WAY FOR GROUPS LIKE THE CAUCUS OR JUST COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR YOU KNOW, THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE IMPACTED, LIKE OUR NONPROFIT LEADERS CAN BE AT THE TABLE FOR THAT CONVERSATION. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF THE APPROACH THAT WE TOOK WITH THE OPIOID FUND, WHICH IS WHY THEY HAD THE STAKEHOLDER MEETING, THE SIX COMMUNITY INPUT MEETINGS. 
          WE WILL BE SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR, I BELIEVE, WITH THE CANNABIS MONEY. 
          OKAY. 
          ONE THING AT A TIME, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE OPIOID MONEY. 
          IT CAME FIRST BASICALLY. 
          AND BECAUSE ALL OF THAT'S IN THE GRANTS FUND, IT WILL STAY, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T FAULT A FUND BALANCE. 
          IT'S NOT A USER TO LOSE IT. 
          IT'LL STAY IN THE GRANT FUNDS UNTIL, UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO SPEND IT ON, ON APPROPRIATE USES, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE ALLOWED. 
          PERFECT. 
          AND JUST MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE CAUCUS IN MIND WHEN THAT PROCESS STARTS AND REACH OUT TO THEM SPECIFICALLY. 
          'CAUSE THEY, THEY WERE VERY WORRIED SEEING HOW ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY WAS STEPPING IN AND SAYING, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE INCLUDED. 
          AND THEY HADN'T SEEN ANYTHING FROM HARTFORD COUNTY YET. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MR. BENNETT. 
          MS. S HI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE SOUTHERN TASK FORCE AND TELL ME WHAT IT, WHAT THE GOALS ARE OF THE TASK FORCE AND WHAT EXACTLY THEY DO? SO, UM, THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BLURB WRITTEN IN THE THING, BUT UH, THIS WAS AN, UH, AN INITIATIVE ON A COUNTY EXECUTIVE. 
          I THINK RECOGNIZING THAT FOR MANY, MANY YEARS I THINK THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA REVITALIZE ROUTE 40 IN THAT AREA. 
          I KNOW IT'S BEEN A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GOAL FOR THE, YOU KNOW, 20 YEARS I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND QUITE HONESTLY, WE HAVE NEVER REALLY SEEN ACTION. 
          WE'VE HAD A LOT OF STUDIES, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FEDERALLY FUNDED STUDIES, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS COME OUT OF THOSE STUDIES. 
          AND REALLY NOTHING EVER MOVES FORWARD. 
          SO I THINK AT THIS POINT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE SAID, LOOK, WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING. 
          SO WE DEVELOPED THIS TASK FORCE. 
          UM, A LOT OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND INPUT WERE PUT INTO IT. 
          IT WAS VERY DATA DRIVEN. 
          WE SPENT SEVERAL MONTHS, EVERY DEPARTMENT HAD TO COLLECT DATA AS IT PERTAINED TO THEM. 
          UM, THIS DATA WAS PUT IN MAPPING IN THE GIS WHATEVER DEAL PLANNING ZONING OR WHATEVER DEPARTMENT DID THAT. 
          UH, WE HAD COMMUNITY OUT, YOU KNOW, PRESENTATIONS, UH, WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS DOWN IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE COULD SPEAK 'CAUSE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MONEY SPENT ON. 
          AND WE ACTUALLY PUT MONEY INTO THE PROGRAM. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEVELOP DOLLARS THAT ARE GOING TO THIS CDBG AND HOME DOLLARS THAT ARE TARGETED FOR THE TASK FORCE. 
          AND I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING SOME RESULTS. 
          WE'VE SPENT ABOUT $250,000 ON DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, UH, TARGETED TO, TO FIRST TIME LOW INCOME HOME BUYERS IN THAT COMMUNITY. 
          WE HAVE PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO THE NEW NO AVENUE PARK. 
          WE ARE PUTTING, UM, MONEY. 
          WE'RE, UM, LOOKING AT A PROJECT TO PUT UP SECURITY CAM CAMERAS IN HARTFORD SQUARE. 
          WE ARE REPAVING THE EDGEWOOD, UH, LIBRARY PARKING LOT. 
          AND AS MORE PROJECTS ARE IDENTIFIED, WE'RE ACTUALLY, OH, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE DID IS, UM, CREATED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER A COMMUNITY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS ORGANIZATION DESIGNATION INTO THE 7 55 ALLIANCE, WHO IS VERY ACTIVE IN THAT COMMUNITY. 
          UM, BUT BY HAVING THAT DESIGNATION, THEY'RE GONNA BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE CDBG FUNDS. 
          SO WE HAVE $50,000 IN THIS YEAR SPENDING PLA UM, PLAN TO GIVE TO THEM. 
          SO 
          [03:40:01]
I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'RE GONNA SEE ACTUAL RESULTS. 
          COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE THE INPUT. 
          UM, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. 
          AND WE HAVE A PRESENCE DOWN THERE. 
          'CAUSE MR. FOSTER IS ALONG THAT, UM, ROUTE 40 CORRIDOR ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY IN HIS OFFICE. 
          AND MR. WAGNER'S THERE WHEN NEEDED. 
          WE'VE ALSO INCREASED, I THINK, DOUBLE THE MOWING SERVICES. 
          UH, WE HAVE, UM, THEY HAVE A DIRECT LINE CITIZENS IF THEY HAVE CLEAN WHAT CLEANUP DAYS WE'RE PROVIDING DUMPSTERS. 
          I MEAN, YOU SEE THE PICTURES, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES DOWN THERE AS I'M SURE SOME OF YOU ARE HELPING ON CLEANUP DAYS. 
          SO REALLY TRYING TO MAKE A, A DIFFERENCE IN THAT COMMUNITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANYONE ELSE? MR. TIPS? YES. 
          MR. RICHARD? UH, TRANSIENT LABOR, DOES THAT HOUSING COME UNDER YOUR DEPARTMENT OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? AND WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN? TRANSIENT LABOR, IN OTHER WORDS, TEMPORARY LABOR FOR HOUSING FOR THEM. 
          UM, IF THEY HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THEY COULD FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE WOULD CERTAINLY ASSIST THEM. 
          BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIAL HOUSING FOR TRANSIENT LABOR. 
          BUT WE DO HAVE, UM, STAFF AVAILABLE TO HELP PEOPLE FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 
          WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS I, I SEE SOME THAT JUST MOVE MOBILE HOMES OR TRAILERS IN ONTO RESIDENTIAL LOTS AND JUST STAY THERE. 
          YEAH, I'D SAY THAT'S PROBABLY MORE OF A DIP ISSUE. 
          'CAUSE I DO YOU MEAN LIKE, LIKE, LIKE TENANT HOUSING FOR AGRICULTURE? NOT AGRICULTURE. 
          OTHER INDUSTRY AGRICULTURE USUALLY HAS ITS OWN THINGS THAT THEY TAKE CARE OF. 
          BUT THIS IS OTHER BUSINESSES THAT I'VE SEEN LAWN CARE BUSINESSES AND UH, OTHER TYPES. 
          OUR OFFICE DOESN'T PROVIDE ANY KIND OF LICENSE AND PERMITING, WE JUST HELP PEOPLE FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND WE PROVIDE RENTAL ASSISTANCE. 
          OKAY. 
          DE WOULD BE THE ONE TO, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          ALRIGHT, ONE LAST CALL. 
          ANYONE ELSE? YES, MS. MOON. 
          THAT'S OKAY. 
          DION'S NOT HERE. 
          SO , I WILL JUST SAY HE WOULD SAY HE LOVES THE SOUTH COUNTY TASK FORCE AND HE IS GLAD TO SEE SOME HELP DOWN THERE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF BEING AVOIDED, IGNORED AND EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MS. MOON. 
          I'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH COUNCILMAN GUTHRIE, SO GIVEN HIM GIVING HIM AN UPDATE. 
          MR. RICHARDSON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR CON CONTINUED SUPPORT. 
          THANK YOU MR. GRIM. 
          MR. DAVENPORT, YOU'RE GOING TO START ON PAGE 2 26. 
          KIM, I REMEMBER THE YEAR YOU WEREN'T HERE AND IT'S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          JUST THOUGHT I'D MENTION THAT WHILE WE HAD A BREAK. 
          THIS IS MY LAST ONE. 
          IT'S YOUR LAST ONE. 
          YEAH, I'M RETIRING. 
          OH, YOU ARE? NO, YOU CAN'T RETIRE. 
          MAKE YOU AN OFFER SPOIL. 
          MAKE YOU AN OFFER. 
          YOU, SORRY. 
          MAKE YOU AN OFFER. 
          YOU CAN'T REFUSE ANY SUCH OFFERS. 
          CAN'T BE MADE UNTIL 45 DAYS AFTER SOMEBODY RETIRE. 
          . 
          WELL, UNRE RETIRE YOU BEFORE YOU RETIRE. 
          , THIS IS, THIS IS TWO DISTURBING PIECES OF INFORMATION. 
          THE FACT THAT SHE'S RETIRING AND THEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SHANE GRIMM'S SUNBATHING. 
          SO I MEAN . 
          OH, TRUE STORY . 
          DON'T BE AFRAID. 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON MR. GRAHAM. 
          WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. 
          MR. DAB ON PAGE 2 26 IS THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING. 
          THERE'S A SLIGHT DECREASE THERE OF $2,207. 
          UM, PERSONAL SERVICES DOES INCREASE 1007 93, IT PROVIDES FOR THE COLA OF 2005 44. 
          THE, UM, THAT WAS THE 24 COLA, THE 25 COLA AND MERIT, UM, IS 2002 37. 
          THERE WAS ADJUSTMENTS AGAIN AS YOU WE SEE ALL OVER FOR PENSION, WORKERS' COMP, HEALTH. 
          UM, AND THEN THEIR OPE INCREASES $9,004. 
          CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASES $3,000. 
          AND THIS IS BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSES, HISTORY FOR LEGAL NOTICES, OFFICE EQUIPMENT AND SO FORTH. 
          AGAIN, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES A THOUSAND. 
          AND THIS IS BASED ON ACTUAL FOR COMMERCIAL PRINTING. 
          THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN FUNDING FOR BUSINESS AND TRAVEL AND NO CHANGE IN FUNDING FOR, UM, MISCELLANEOUS. 
          IF YOU TURN TO PAGE TWO 30, THIS IS COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING. 
          THERE'S A LARGE DECREASE THERE OF 5 93 0 33. 
          IT'S ALL IN PERSONAL SERVICES. 
          UM, OFFSET VERY SLIGHTLY BY THE FISCAL YEAR 24 COLA AND THE 25 COLA. 
          BUT 
          [03:45:01]
YOU'LL SEE THERE'S A NET RESULT AND THE DIVISION TRANSFERS BETWEEN OTHER DIVISIONS AND PLANNING AND ZONING. 
          AND IN THIS CASE, WE CREATED A NEW CALL CENTER CALLED GIS AND ANALYSIS. 
          SO FOUR POSITIONS, UM, WENT OUT OF, OUT OF THIS DIVISION AND ONE CAME IN FROM CURRENT PLANNING. 
          SO THAT'S THE NET RESULT OF ALL THOSE POSITIONS IS A DECREASE OF 4 26 382. 
          ONE VACANT PLANNER WAS ABOLISHED ELIMINATED AT 77, 7 70. 
          AND THEN ALL THE OTHER ADJUSTMENTS ARE BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          UNDER BUSINESS AND TRAVEL, THEY DECREASE THEIR $2,500. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOR TRAINING SEMINARS AND MEMBERSHIP FEES BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          IF YOU TURN TO THE PAGE 2 32, YOU'LL SEE THE NEW CALL CENTER, GISN ANALYSIS. 
          AND THE TOTAL COST OF THAT CALL CENTER IS FOUR FORTY NINE EIGHT OH ONE, AND AGAIN, IT HAS FOUR EMPLOYEES IN IT, UM, AT A COST OF 4 36 7 64. 
          WE ALSO PROVIDED THE MERIT THAT FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 OF 6,537. 
          AND THEN WE PROVIDED FUNDS FOR BUSINESS AND TRAVEL, AND THAT WOULD BE FOR LODGING TRAINING COURSES AND TRANSPORTATION. 
          ON PAGE 2 36, YOU'LL SEE CURRENT PLANNING. 
          THERE'S A DECREASE THERE OF 1 4 4 5 73, AND IT IS THE NET RESULT OF PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASE IN 1 4 9 5 73. 
          UM, WE ONLY PROVIDED PARTIAL YEAR FUNDING FOR VACANT POSITIONS, AND THAT WOULD BE A ZONING INSPECTOR AND A PLANNER. 
          AND YOU WILL SEE THAT ON PAGE 2 37, FISCAL YEAR 24 COLA OF 26, 375, THE 25 COLA OF THE 1%, AND 1000 IS 30,853. 
          AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THE RESULT OF THE TRANSFER OF THE POSITION THAT WENT TO COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING. 
          IT'S NEGA FOR A DECREASE OF 77 5 0 5, AND THEN THERE'S ADJUSTMENTS FOR PENSION AND SO FORTH. 
          CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES $5,000. 
          THIS PROVIDES FOR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. 
          UM, AND THIS IS, UM, DUE TO CELL TOWER REVIEWS. 
          OTHER THAN THAT, THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN CHANGES IN THAT LINE ITEM. 
          IF YOU TURN TO PAGE 2 39, THAT WOULD BE AG PRESERVATION COUNTY. 
          THAT FALLS UNDER PLANNING AND ZONING, AND YOU'LL SEE A DECREASE THERE OF 10,000 449, 922, UM, NINE TH 9 MILLION, EXCUSE ME, 900,000 IS DECREASED BASED ON ANTICIPATED EXPENSES FOR PURCHASE OF AG EASEMENTS. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER IS RELATED TO, UM, BASED ON ANTICIPATED EXPENSE FOR THE TRANSACTIONS. 
          AND THEN YOU'LL NOTICE ON PAGE TWO 40 THAT, UM, THE AG PRESERVATION STATE FUNDING STAYED THE SAME AT 270,000. 
          AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. GRIM. 
          I'M DONE, RIGHT? I CAN GO. 
          YOU'RE DONE. 
          YOU'RE DONE. 
          ALRIGHT, GO SUNBATH. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          COUNCIL PRESIDENT VINCENT AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT PLANNING AND ZONING AND OUR BUDGET. 
          SO JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR DEPARTMENT, WHICH HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT, AND I'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR ABOUT SOME OF MY IDEAS FOR REVAMPING THE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND ONE OF THOSE MAIN THINGS WAS TO SPLIT OUT THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS OR GIS SECTION INTO ITS OWN INDIVIDUAL SECTION. 
          REALLY FOR EASY REASONS, THEY ARE NOT JUST COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING OR LONG RANGE PLANNING. 
          THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF SERVICES TO VERY MANY DIFFERENT AGENCIES WITHIN THE COUNTY TO THE CITIZENS. 
          AND THEY HAVE VERY SPECIFIC NEEDS AS FAR AS COMPUTER RESOURCES AND SOFTWARE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THEM AS THEIR OWN SECTION WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. 
          SO THAT'S THE MAIN THING THAT HAS CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR. 
          WE STILL HAVE THE CURRENT PLANNING SECTION AND ALSO THE LONG RANGE PLANNING SECTION. 
          THE CURRENT PLANNING SECTION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT, WHETHER THAT BE THE PERMIT CENTER AND THAT STAFF TO TAKE IN BUILDING PERMITS AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW SECTION THAT REVIEWS ALL OF THE SITE PLANS AND PRELIMINARY PLANS THAT COME THROUGH THE COUNTY AND ALL OTHER DAILY FUNCTIONS, ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT. 
          THE LONG RANGE PLANNING SECTION IS WHERE WE DO ENVIRONMENTAL AND TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE PLANNING. 
          AND ALSO THAT IS THE SECTION OF THE DEPARTMENT THAT HANDLES THE MANAGEMENT OF ANY UPDATES TO THE MASTER PLAN OR ANY PLANS THAT WE DO IN THE DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING PROCESS, WHICH WE ARE IN FULL SWING NOW. 
          WE'LL BE STARTING TO TAKE APPLICATIONS IN ON JUNE 3RD. 
          SO THAT IS THE DEPARTMENT IN A NUTSHELL. 
          WE'VE CHA BEEN CHALLENGED RECENTLY WITH STAFFING LEVELS. 
          UH, WE'RE AT A HISTORICAL LOW WITH STAFFING LEVELS, SO THAT'S WHY 
          [03:50:01]
YOU SEE A LOT OF THINGS BEING MOVED AROUND AND SOME PIN NUMBERS BEING MOVED AROUND AS WE ADJUST TO, UH, CHALLENGES IN HIRING AND RETAINING INDIVIDUALS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT AND ALSO WITH FOLKS LEAVING WITH RETIREMENT. 
          SO I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE OR EXCITED TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE HIRED TWO NEW PLANNERS IN OUR DEPARTMENT, ONE IN THE CURRENT PLANNING SECTION IN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, AND THEN ONE THAT WILL BE IN LONG RANGE PLANNING. 
          SO WE'RE MAKING SOME HEADWAY THERE WITH STAFFING, BUT WE ARE STILL DOWN ABOUT FOUR POSITIONS AND THEN WE'LL BE LOSING POSITIONS TO RETIREMENT. 
          ALTHOUGH THAT MAY SEEM LIKE A CHALLENGE TO US. 
          I'M LOOKING AT IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVITALIZE THE DEPARTMENT AND MAKE SOME CHANGES, AS I SAID. 
          AND THOSE CHANGES WILL BE TO EVALUATE SOME DIFFERENT POSITIONS THAT WE LOST DURING THE LAST ADMINISTRATION WHEN SOME POSITIONS WERE CONTRACTED AND FOLDED INTO THE CHIEF OF LONG RANGE PLANNING POSITION. 
          SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING MORE THAN THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION. 
          THEY'RE DOING SEVERAL JOBS. 
          ONE OF THEM IS SITTING NEXT TO ME RIGHT NOW, UH, WHO'S BEEN DOING, UH, 27 DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. 
          BUT, SO THAT'S MY GOAL IS REALLY TO TAKE WHAT WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST ASSETS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DEPARTMENT AND REBUILD MY TEAM AROUND THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE STILL REMAINING. 
          I HAVE GREAT STAFF. 
          ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING ZONING ARE GREAT. 
          WE'VE CIRCLED THE WAGONS AND WE'RE STILL DOING GREAT WORK. 
          I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OR BE ABLE BEING ABLE TO DELIVER ANYTHING THAT IS ASKED OF US IN A TIMELY MANNER. 
          SO NO COMPLAINTS. 
          WE'RE WORKING HARD. 
          I BELIEVE IN EVERYBODY IN OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          MY STYLE OF LEADERSHIP IS TO TRY TO GET THE BEST OUT OF PEOPLE, NOT THE MOST. 
          AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TAKING ON SO MANY RESPONSIBILITIES. 
          BUT I'M CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO BUILD A REALLY GOOD TEAM AROUND THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE REMAINING AND ALSO ELEVATING PEOPLE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT THAT HAVE SHOWN A LOT OF PROMISE. 
          SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE. 
          UM, WE KNOW THERE'S SOME CHALLENGES, BUT WE'RE OFF TO THE TASK TO MEET THOSE CHALLENGES HEAD ON. 
          UH, VERY WELL SAID, UH, MR. GRIM. 
          UM, I DO AGREE. 
          I MEAN, YOU DO QUITE A BIT WITH, WITH LITTLE AT TIMES AND, UM, BUT, UH, AS I SAID TO, UH, MR. TRUITT AND MR. BOWLING EARLIER, I MEAN, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT, UH, THE WAY THAT WE WORK TOGETHER WITH DIFFERENT ISSUES, THE WAY YOU RESPOND, UH, THE WAY YOU DO. 
          UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WITH, WITH STAFF MOVING IN AND OUT. 
          UH, SO I HOPE THAT DOES, UH, GET BETTER FOR YOU AND FOR US AS A WHOLE. 
          UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AND I I, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT COMP ZONING, SO FULLY PREPARED FOR THAT. 
          LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT'S GONNA BE A, A, A PROCESS THAT TAKES SOME TIME TO GET, GET, UH, THROUGH, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. 
          AND THEN MR. DAVENPORT, HOW MUCH LONGER ARE YOU GONNA BE HERE? YES MA'AM. 
          JULY 1ST. 
          SO YOU'RE LEAVING TOO. 
          , HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? UH, BE 36 YEARS. 
          36 YEARS. 
          UM, SO ANOTHER, UH, LARGE AMOUNT OF INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE IS GONNA BE LEAVING WITH YOU ON, UNFORTUNATELY. 
          UM, SO MR. GRIM, YOU DO HAVE YOUR WORK CUT OUT FOR YOU? YES, SIR, I DO. 
          UM, AND I'M GONNA TRY NOT TO BURDEN YOU ANY MORE THAN I HAVE TO. 
          UM, ANYONE, MR. PENMAN? THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. 
          UH, MR. GRIM, UH, THANK YOU. 
          UH, YOU ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE, UH, WITH ZONING QUESTIONS, WHICH IS SOMETIMES HARD TO UNDERSTAND, UH, AND NOT ONLY FOR ME, BUT THE COMMUNITIES AS WELL. 
          UH, I'VE SPOKEN TO MEMBERS IN DISTRICT B THAT, UH, IT'S EASY TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND GIVE YOU A CALL, AND YOU'RE ALWAYS THERE TO RESPOND. 
          MR. DAVENPORT, UH, IT IS GONNA BE A LOSS FOR YOU, UH, FOR THE COUNTY, I SHOULD SAY, WHEN THEY LOSE YOU. 
          UH, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, LONG TENURED SERVICE. 
          UM, AND YOUR EXPERTISE IS, IS, IS GONNA BE A LOSS, LIKE I MENTIONED. 
          UM, I AM CONCERNED WITH, UM, YOUR MANPOWER. 
          UM, YOU HAVE COMP REZONING COMING UP. 
          UM, AND WHILE WE MAY NOT HAVE THE REQUEST THAT WE'VE HAD IN YEARS PAST, UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS GONNA BE TIME, UH, CONDUCIVE FOR YOUR TEAM AND IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES GOING FORWARD. 
          SO, UM, I'M CONCERNED ON HOW, NOT BECAUSE OF YOUR LEADERSHIP, BUT HOW YOU'RE GONNA MANAGE THAT GOING FORWARD. 
          HAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH YOUR STAFF AND YOUR TEAM, ESPECIALLY WITH A NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT SOME POINT? YES, I HAVE. 
          SO AS I SAID PREVIOUSLY, I'M BUILDING MY TEAM AROUND SOME EXISTING STAFF. 
          UM, ALEX RAWLS WAS PROMOTED TO CHIEF OF LONG RANGE PLANNING, AND ALSO MATT CROPP, WHO IS OUR FLOODPLAIN MANAGER, WHO HAS BEEN WITH ACCOUNTING FOR 29 YEARS AND HAS, UH, LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL. 
          HE'S GOING TO BE WORKING WITH US IN THOSE MAJOR PROJECTS SUCH AS THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING. 
          AND THOSE FOLKS HAVE BEEN THROUGH 
          [03:55:01]
EVERY COMPREHENSIVE ZONING SINCE 2005. 
          SO IN THAT CORE TEAM, I'M VERY CONFIDENT IN WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH. 
          AND SO I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO JUST AS WELL AS WE DID LAST TIME, BE JUST AS EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT WITH THAT PROCESS AND BE ABLE TO DELIVER TO COUNCIL A REALLY GOOD PRODUCT THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO USE AS YOU MAKE YOUR DELIBERATIONS ON EACH OF THOSE, UH, ISSUES THAT COME BEFORE YOU. 
          SO, UH, WHILE I, I CERTAINLY DO HAVE SOME CONCERN ABOUT OVERALL STAFFING LEVELS WHEN IT COMES TO DELIVERING A FINAL PRODUCT ON THOSE BIG PROJECTS, I HAVE NO CONCERNS AT ALL THESE POSITIONS THAT ARE VACANCIES. 
          UM, IS THERE A REASON WHY WE CAN'T FILL THEM? IS IT A SALARY ISSUE? IS IT A MARKET ISSUE AS FAR AS PEOPLE THAT ARE QUALIFIED AND HOW DO WE RESOLVE THAT? SURE. 
          UH, I DO WANNA THANK, UM, THE ADMINISTRATION. 
          THEY UNDERSTAND THE POSITION THAT I'M IN AND ARE WORKING WITH HR, AND ALSO I'M THANKFUL TO PEOPLE LIKE RICH TRUITT WHO ARE SAYING TO ME, HEY, HERE'S SOME OTHER RESOURCES FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO PUT OUT THERE, THE JOBS AND NEEDS THAT YOU HAVE THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL WEBSITES. 
          SO WE HAVE SOME OTHER AREAS WHERE WE'RE WORKING TO TRY TO BRING PEOPLE IN, BUT WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS, AND MO MAY BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICALLY, I WOULD SAY PRIOR TO COVID, IF WE HAD A DEVELOPMENT REVIEW ENTRY LEVEL PLANNING POSITION THAT WAS OPEN, WE MAY GET 15 TO 20 APPLICATIONS AT THAT TIME. 
          WE STRUGGLE NOW TO GET TWO, THREE APPLICATIONS FOR A SIMPLE ENTRY LEVEL POSITION LIKE THAT. 
          I DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT THE ANSWER IS. 
          PART OF ME SAYS THAT MAYBE, UH, KIDS AREN'T GOING INTO PLANNING SCHOOL, THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN URBAN URBAN PLANNING, OR THERE ARE OTHER THINGS, OTHER OPPORTUNITIES ELSEWHERE THAT ALLOW FOR MORE HOPE HOME WORK FROM HOME OPPORTUNITIES OR HYBRID OPPORTUNITIES. 
          I REALLY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SPECIFIC ANSWER IS. 
          WE'RE JUST NOT GETTING THE APPLICATIONS THAT WE NORMALLY WOULD. 
          I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK IT'S ALL SALARY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          I, I REALLY THINK THERE'S A, A THING WITH KIDS NOT WANTING TO GET INTO PLANNING OR SPECIFICALLY INTO NUANCED AREAS OF PLANNING. 
          AND WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS I CAN HIRE A GIS PLANNER ALL DAY LONG. 
          I COULD GET 30 APPLICATIONS AND EVERY APPLICATION WE GET FOR ANY JOB IN THE DEPARTMENT AT THE TOP OF THAT APPLICATION IS EXPERIENCE IN GIS. 
          SO BLUNTLY, GIS IS A SEXY THING. 
          I MEAN, YOU CAN GO MAKE MAPS AND BE CREATIVE AND DO ALL KINDS OF REALLY COOL STUFF WHERE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING IS PRETTY BORING. 
          AND, UH, I MEAN, I LOVE IT, BUT, UH, IT'S PRETTY BORING OTHERWISE. 
          BUT, UH, THE GIS SECTION, YOU CAN HIRE ANYBODY ANY DAY, AND I, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE ALSO PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THESE KIDS ARE GOING TO COLLEGE AND THEY WANT TO DO THE GIS THING. 
          THEY WANT TO MAKE MAPS AND BE CREATIVE. 
          THEY DON'T WANT TO GET INTO TRANSPORTATION PLANNING OR LAND USE PLANNING. 
          THEY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, DO SOMETHING COOL AND CREATIVE. 
          THOSE ARE JUST VERY SPECULATIVE, OBVIOUSLY. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS, BUT IT'S, IT'S BEEN SINCE COVID. 
          I, I'LL LET MO CHIME IN IF HE HAS ANY OTHER IDEAS ON THAT, BUT I, I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS. 
          YEAH, WE'RE GETTING 1% OF THE APPLICATIONS WE GOT YEARS AGO. 
          I, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT'S THE UNIVERSITIES OR THE COLLEGES OR, I MEAN, YOU TALKING YES SIR. 
          PLANNING ITSELF HAS NEVER BEEN VERY EXCITING FIELD TO, THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO INTO, SO, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I WENT TO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. 
          WE HAD AN URBAN STUDIES PROGRAM THERE. 
          IT WAS ROBUST. 
          UM, WE'RE ALL ARCHITECTURE FAILURES ACT ACTUALLY , BUT, UH, THEY HAD A COLLEGE URBAN STUDIES AND THE UNIVERSITIES NOW, YOU KNOW, VERY FEW HAVE, UM, SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES TOWARDS THE PLANNING FIELD. 
          A LOT OF 'EM ARE ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING OR GIS PLANNING, SO THEY'RE EITHER BIOLOGICAL OR SCIENCE RELATED FIELDS. 
          WELL, MAYBE WE CAN WORK WITH, UM, DR. 
          FELDER AT THE COLLEGE TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION, UM, FOR POTENTIAL GROWTH AND RECRUITMENT IN THE FUTURE. 
          I DO BELIEVE THAT'S HAPPENING NOW. 
          THE ADMINISTRATION HAS REACHED OUT TO DIFFERENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, WHETHER IT BE SALISBURY OR MORGAN HAS A GREAT URBAN STUDIES PROGRAM, URBAN PLANNING PROGRAM, FROSTBURG AND SOME OTHER COLLEGES TO LET THEM KNOW THAT, HEY, WE'RE EAGER TO SEE SOME KIDS COME OUTTA COLLEGE AND BRING IN THE HARTFORD COUNTY. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO, UH, POINT OUT TOO, THAT'S BEEN VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL IN OUR DEPARTMENT, AGAIN, THANKS TO HR AND THE ADMINISTRATION FOR PUSHING THIS, BUT THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, WE HAVE REALLY GOTTEN SOME REALLY GOOD INTERNS, MOSTLY IN THE, IN THE GIS SECTION. 
          BUT, UH, WE HAVE A, A KID RIGHT NOW WHO'S IN SALISBURY, HE'LL JUST BE FINISHING UP HIS, UH, FRESHMAN YEAR. 
          WE, WE WISH WE COULD JUST HIRE HIM TODAY. 
          UH, IT'S JUST, FORGET ABOUT COLLEGE. 
          THIS GUY MEAN. 
          HE IS, HE'S A GENIUS. 
          UH, HE'S, UH, DOING GREAT THING LAST SUMMER HE DID SOME REALLY GREAT AND SOME REALLY COOL THINGS. 
          I THINK HE 
          [04:00:01]
MAY HAVE SHUT DOWN THE IT SYSTEM WITH, UH, SOME OF THE STUFF HE WAS CRANKING OUT THAT KNEW NEEDED A LOT OF POWER, BUT REALLY BLEW US AWAY. 
          SO THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, I THINK THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY HAS BEEN A, A REALLY A GREAT THING AND HR IS DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THAT. 
          THAT'S OPTIMISTIC. 
          UH, ONE OTHER QUESTION AND THEN I'LL TURN IT OVER. 
          UH, AND THIS IS FOR, UH, MR. SANLESS, YOU, UH, I JUST WANNA BETTER UNDERSTAND THE AG PRESERVATION AREAS OF IT. 
          IT SAYS THE CAPITAL OUTLAY, UM, FOR AG PRES IS 9.2 MILLION, UM, TO, UH, TO, IT'S A DECREASE OF COURSE FROM LAST YEAR, BUT, UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S A CAPITAL PROJECT THAT'S FUNDED IN THE CAPITAL SIDE, BUT LISTED HERE, I JUST WANT TO BE CON UH, JUST CONFIRM THAT THE AG PRE MONEY COMES FROM THE TRANSFER TAX AS WE ALL KNOW, A PERCENTAGE OF IT. 
          UM, AND I JUST WASN'T SURE IF WE, ARE WE MATCHING SOME OF THOSE FUNDS OR IS IT COMPLETELY TRANSFER TAX? THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME, WELL, THERE'S TWO, THERE'S TWO AG PRES, THERE'S THE STATE MOUTH PROGRAM, WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE WILL PROVIDE A, A, A SMALL MATCH MATCH, UM, UH, MATCH FOR AND SOME, SOME COUNTY MONEY. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE THE COUNTY PROGRAM, WHICH IS WHERE WE USE OUR, OUR HALF OF THE TRANSFER TAX, AND FROM THE ONE WHERE WE USE OUR HALF OF THE TRANSFER TAX, THAT, THAT'S THE BULK OF IT. 
          UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO. 
          I THINK THIS YEAR AROUND, I THINK WE'VE SET ASIDE AROUND NINE OR $10 MILLION OF, OF, UM, NEW PURCHASES. 
          YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, EXISTING DEBT SERVICE TO PAY THERE FOR BACK WHEN WE USED TO DO THOSE IPAS A FEW YEARS AGO. 
          UM, SO WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THOSE WE'RE PAYING OFF AND WE STILL HAVE, UM, UH, THERE'S CERTAIN TAXES TAX CREDITS THAT ARE GIVEN TO, UH, AG PROPERTIES THAT WE ALSO PAY OUTTA THAT FUND AS WELL. 
          AND I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE AG PRE, UH, PROGRAM, UM, WHEN WE HAVE THE FUNDS AVAILABLE. 
          SO NOTHING FROM THE GENERAL, UH, BUDGET IS BEING USED TOWARDS AG PRES OTHER THAN WHAT'S BEING BONDED IN FINANCED. 
          YEAH. 
          AND EVEN THOUGH EVEN THERE, IF IT'S BEING BONDED AND FINANCED, WE'RE USING THOSE TRANSFER TAX DOLLARS TO PAY TO PAY FOR THAT, FOR THAT, WHEN WE SAY BONDED, I MEAN REALLY WE'RE, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S AN INSTALLMENT PURCHASE AGREEMENT. 
          UM, SO, BUT YEAH, IF WE WERE TO USE BONDS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT'S ALL PAID FOR BY THE TRANSFER TAX. 
          UM, THE STATE PROGRAM IS PAID FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, BY THE STATE AGRICULTURAL TRANSFER TAX, AND THEN OUR LOCAL PROGRAM IS PAID FOR JUST BY THE GENERAL TRANSFER TAX AND THERE'S NO GENERAL FUND DOLLARS THAT GO INTO IT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AND INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, WE, SO ANY NEW AG PRESERVATION, UM, THAT WE GO INTO, AS WELL AS THOSE TAX CREDITS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO PEOPLE IN THE AG CREDIT FOR TRANSFER, UH, IN, IN THE AG PROGRAM IS ALL PAID FOR WITH DEDICATED FUNDS. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MR. GINGER. 
          DEON, MR. GRIM. 
          SO NUMBER, NUMBER ONE, I'M, I'M GLAD YOU'RE FEELING BETTER. 
          UM, I, I CERTAINLY AM GLAD YOU'RE BACK AND EVERYTHING AND I, I DO WANT TO THANK YOU, UM, FOR PAST A YEAR AND A HALF OF HAVING ACCESS TO YOU. 
          IT'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS TREND, TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, UM, INFORMATION THAT I'M ABLE TO GET NOW THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO GET BEFORE. 
          UM, SO I CERTAINLY DO APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HELP CALLING BACK. 
          UH, I KNOW YOU CALLED ME EVEN ON A WEEKEND. 
          I SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO, AND, AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT AND, AND, UH, SO I DEFINITELY, UH, APPRECIATE THAT. 
          MO, I'M, I'M SORRY TO HEAR YOU GO. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, UH, 36 YEARS, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? YES, SIR. 
          36 YEARS YEARS. 
          WOW. 
          SO IT'S HARD TO, AS PAT SAID, AND SOME OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE UP HERE, IT'S HARD TO REPLACE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT GETTING PEOPLE TO COME IN THERE. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE GET SOME PEOPLE AND, AND, AND THE KNOWLEDGE, UM, WE CERTAINLY CAN'T TEACH 'EM. 
          SO I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEBODY LIKE YOURSELF GOES AND KIM GOES AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TRANSFER THAT KNOWLEDGE TO, BUT YOU GUYS ARE CERTAINLY GONNA BE MISSED AND, UH, IT MIGHT GIVE YOU A HARD TIME, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWERS SOMETIMES AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE HERE FOR. 
          SO APPRECIATE THAT. 
          THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. 
          YES. 
          UH, THANKS SHANE FOR BEING HERE. 
          AND MO I GOT TWO QUESTIONS. 
          ONE I ASKED, UH, MR. TRUITT EARLIER IS, UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE THESE, AND YOU KNOW ABOUT THESE EVENTS THAT HAPPEN UP NORTH WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE A LICENSE OR THEY HAVE A LICENSE, SUPPOSED TO BE ONE DAY AND THEY GO FOR SIX, IS THERE, AND IT'S USUALLY ON THE WEEKENDS. 
          AND, UM, I PUT MY PHONE OUT TO TOO MANY PEOPLE AND SAY, THEY CALL ME PERSONALLY AND I'M SUPPOSED TO GO OUT AND SHUT 'EM DOWN. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY WAY TO ENFORCE THAT DURING THE WEEKENDS? SO OUR ZONING ENFORCEMENT SECTION HANDLES ALL THOSE BY COMPLAINT ONLY. 
          SO TYPICALLY WE'RE, WE'RE NOT RECEIVING A COMPLAINT UNTIL AFTER THE EVENT IS OVER, RIGHT? SO WE DO NOT HAVE ZONING IN INSPECT INSPECTORS THAT ARE OUT JUST CANVASSING THE COUNTY ON WEEKENDS, WAITING FOR CALLS, NEVER, NEVER HAVE. 
          SO AGAIN, IT'S GENERALLY AFTER THE EVENT HAS HAPPENED, ALTHOUGH WE ARE KIND OF MAKING A LITTLE BIT OF A TANGENT HERE, IS WE'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT OVER THE LAST YEAR THE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES WE HAVE IN DEALING WITH LARGER EVENTS FROM A PERMITTING PERSPECTIVE 
          [04:05:01]
AND ALSO THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR ZONING CODE HAS IN DEALING WITH THESE TYPES OF EVENTS, WHETHER THEY BE AGRICULTURAL PUBLIC EVENTS, OR WHETHER THEY JUST BE STANDARD PUBLIC EVENTS. 
          WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL AND SORT OF THE ISSUES WE HAD THERE. 
          SO WE ARE WORKING NOW WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AND THE LAW DEPARTMENT TO TAKE A LOOK AT VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE CODE RELATED TO THOSE PUBLIC EVENTS AND FIGURING OUT A BETTER WAY TO DEAL WITH THOSE. 
          ALSO, WHAT I'LL SAY IS THE LAW DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN LOOKING AT A LOT OF THE PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE AND ALSO WORKING WITH DI SO THAT WE ARE GETTING BETTER INFORMATION INTO THE SYSTEM SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON THESE TYPES OF EVENTS BEFORE THEY GET TOO FAR DOWN THE ROAD. 
          AND IT'S NOT A WEEK BEFORE THE EVENT AND WE'RE SAYING, HEY, WE NEED THIS, WE NEED THAT. 
          SO IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS, IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME, BUT I DO THINK THE END RESULT WILL GIVE US A LITTLE BIT, BE BETTER HANDLE ON THOSE TYPES OF LARGER EVENTS IN THE COUNTY AND ALSO EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON FARMS AS WELL. 
          THE OTHER THING IS YOU TALK ABOUT THIS SEXY GIS, UM, WHAT MAY AS A COUNCILMAN CAN I GET OUT OF THAT GIS THAT WOULD HELP ME WITH WHATEVER I'M DEALING WITH AND THE TOOLS I NEED? WELL, WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS THERE'S NOTHING IN THE WORLD THAT CAN'T BE ANALYZED BY GIS THESE DAYS. 
          I THINK, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK PEOPLE REALLY TEND TO GRAVITATE TOWARDS THAT IN SCHOOL THESE DAYS. 
          IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S ECONOMICS, DEMOGRAPHICS, LAND USE TRANSPORTATION, YOU CAN ANALYZE GIS WITH ANYTHING. 
          SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS WHAT YOU CAN GET AS A CITIZEN IS YOU CAN CALL UP OUR FOLKS AND SAY, HEY, LOOK, YOU KNOW, I'D NEED A MAP OF THIS TO SHOW A CERTAIN AREA OF THE COUNTY AND WHAT THE ZONING OF THAT AREA OF THE COUNTY IS, AND YOU'RE GONNA GET A REALLY NICE PRODUCED PROFESSIONAL MAP THAT YOU CAN USE, UH, IN A PUBLICATION OR, OR ANY TYPE OF DOCUMENT. 
          SO THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR GIS SECTION ARE, ARE GREAT, ARE EXCELLENT, AND THEY ARE PROVIDING STAFF FOR SUPPORT TO THINGS LIKE THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE. 
          A LOT OF THE STUFF THAT'S COMING OUTTA THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE IS BEING ANALYZED, WHETHER IT BE BY THE FOLKS THAT DO GIS IN MY SECTION, OR DPW HAS FOLKS THAT DO GIS AS WELL. 
          I LIKE TO THINK THAT MY DEPARTMENT DOES IT BETTER, BUT WE ALL, WE ALL DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB. 
          BUT, UH, NO, THE D THE DPW FOLKS ARE ALSO DOING A LOT OF GIS WORK TOO. 
          SO IT'S, UM, IT'S A REALLY NEAT THING AND EVERY PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN THIS COUNTRY RELIES ON IT. 
          DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO THAT OR THE CITIZENS HAVE ACCESS TO THAT OR EVERYTHING'S GOTTA BE A CALL CALL THROUGH YOU? NO, NO. 
          ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, I, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW LONG AGO IS WE DEVELOPED A PLATFORM CALLED WEB GIS AND WEB GIS IS AVAILABLE TO ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC. 
          YEAH. 
          IN YOUR OFFICE. 
          IT'S VERY INTUITIVE, EASY TO USE, MUCH LIKE USING GOOGLE EARTH. 
          OCCASIONALLY FROM TIME TO TIME, WE WILL HAVE FOLKS CALL US AND ASK US, YOU KNOW, HOW TO USE IT, BUT NOT VERY OFTEN. 
          IT'S VERY INTUITIVE TO USE AND THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT IS AVAILABLE TO ANY CITIZEN FREE OF CHARGE BY CLICKING ON A PROPERTY IS GREAT. 
          WE'VE TAKEN ALL OF OUR, OUR HANGING FILES, WE SCANNED THEM YEARS AGO AND WE SCAN NEW ONES NOW, AND THAT GOES UP ONLINE AND IT'S A VERY TRANSPARENT THING WHERE ANYBODY CAN GET THE INFORMATION THEY NEED AND IF THEY CAN'T GET IT, THEY JUST GIVE US A CALL AND WE'LL HELP 'EM WITH THAT. 
          THANK YOU, SHANE. 
          MR. NANDO, SHANE, GOING BACK TO, UH, COUNCILMAN RILEY'S, UM, QUESTION ABOUT IF THERE'S A VIOLATION ON ONE OF THESE, UH, EVENTS AT A FARM AND SOMEBODY CALLS HIM, UM, NOBODY'S AVAILABLE ON THE WEEKEND TO CALL FOR ENFORCEMENT, WHERE COULD HE CALL TO ENFORCE SOMETHING THAT'S GOING ON? WOULD HE CALL THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND SAY, THIS IS COUNCILMAN RILEY, I'VE GOT AN ISSUE WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, AN EVENT THAT'S GOING ON FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS. 
          WOULD, WOULD THEY STEP IN AND, AND ENFORCE THAT, NOT BECAUSE WHAT HE SAID OR, OR DO WE HAVE TO CALL YOU AND SOMEBODY FROM YOUR OFFICE HAS TO SAY, YES, IT'S AN ENFORCEMENT ISSUE AND I'LL CALL THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, SO THAT HE GETS BOMBARDED WITH THAT, THAT WE CAN ACT ON SOMETHING IN A, IN A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO ADDRESS THAT? IS THAT POSSIBLE? THE EASY ANSWER IS THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GENERALLY IS NOT GONNA GET INVOLVED UNLESS THERE'S SOME CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ON THE PROPERTY. 
          IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE, THEY'RE GONNA TELL THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, IF THEY WERE CALLED TO THE PROPERTY, IS GONNA SAY, YOU NEED TO CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING AND MAKE A COMPLAINT ON MONDAY MORNING. 
          SO IT'S A CHALLENGE. 
          YES. 
          WHAT WE DO IS WE FOLLOW UP THOUGH, WHEN WE IDENTIFY THAT THERE HAS BEEN A PRO PROBLEM ON THE PROPERTY AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP AND SEND A LETTER TO THAT PROPERTY OWNER LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THEY WERE ENGAGED IN, UH, ACTIVITIES THAT DID NOT HAVE A PERMIT. 
          BUT IF IT'S DURING THE WEEK AND LET'S SAY IT'S A FRIDAY, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEN IF YOU DID HAVE TIME 
          [04:10:01]
AND SOMEBODY CALLED AND COMPLAINED, WHAT WOULD BE THE PROCEDURE THEN THAT UH, YOU KNOW, MR. RILEY GETS PHONE CALL, THERE'S AN ISSUE, SOMETHING WENT ON THURSDAY AND THERE'S GONNA BE AN EVENT FRIDAY. 
          WOULD, WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO, WHAT WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO DO ANYWAY AT THAT TIME? NOTHING. 
          WELL, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE AN EVENT ON FRIDAY AND WE FOUND OUT ABOUT ON THURSDAY. 
          WE WOULD DEFINITELY MAKE ALL EFFORTS TO REACH OUT TO THAT PROPERTY OWNER TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY HAVE AN UNPERMITTED EVENT AND IT SHALL NOT GO FORWARD. 
          NOW WE HAVE CIVIL CITATIONS NOW, WHICH THANK YOU TO COUNSEL FOR PASSING THAT LEGISLATION. 
          SO WE HAVE MORE OF A HAMMER NOW TO SAY, YOU WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS EVENT THAN WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HIT YOU WITH CIVIL CITATIONS. 
          AND THAT'S STILL NEW, SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO USE IT AS A HAMMER AS MUCH. 
          BUT ONE THING I'LL TELL YOU IS IN THE 23 YEAR, WELL, EXCEPT FOR MY FIVE YEAR HIATUS AND HAMMER GRACE, UM, I'LL JUST SAY 23 YEARS IN MY 23 YEARS, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY TIME WHERE WE'VE EVER SENT A ZONING INSPECTOR OUT ON A MISSION TO DO A, LIKE A STOP WORK ORDER LIKE TILT WOULD DO. 
          I'M SURE IT'S PROBABLY HAPPENED OVER TIME AT SOME POINT, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT. 
          AGAIN, TYPICALLY THINGS HAPPEN ON WEEKENDS OR AFTER HOURS AND WE'RE JUST AT THE MERCY OF HAVING TO DEAL WITH THAT AFTER THE FACT. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          'CAUSE IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT MOST OF THOSE THINGS ARE COMPLAINT DRIVEN, RIGHT? IF YOU GET A COMPLAINT, YOU REACT TO IT, RIGHT? CORRECT. 
          THE EXCEPT FOR THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE RIGHT NOW, HISTORICALLY, ZONING ENFORCEMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN COMPLAINT DRIVEN WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES INITIATIVES IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTY, WE HAVE BEEN MORE PROACTIVE WITH CANVASSING OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND, AND SPECIFIC AREAS IN THE, IN THAT AREA. 
          OKAY. 
          MR. BENNETT? HELLO. 
          UM, NOT A BUDGET QUESTION, BUT I JUST WANNA SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IN REGARDS TO ZONING, ESPECIALLY AS I ATTEND MAKE GO TRAININGS. 
          AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY RIGHT NOW IT'S ALL ABOUT COMPREHENSIVE REZONING, BUT JUST PLANTING A SEED FOR FUTURE CONVERSATION. 
          'CAUSE I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EXPERTISE, BUT LIKE WITH REGAL RECENTLY CLOSING AND I MEAN, WE ALL KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IF YOU DRIVE FROM HERE DOWN TO REGAL WITH THE AMOUNT OF CLOSED BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOW IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, UM, JUST WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE SHAPING UP IN, UH, BELL CAMP OR ABINGDON AND THE WAY IT'S BEEN BUILT OUT, UM, AS A YOUNG, I, I AM 29, BUT I STILL COUNT MYSELF AS A YOUNG PERSON, YOUNGEST COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          UM, I THINK ABOUT, UH, HOW MUCH OUR WORLD HAS CHANGED WITH NOW E-COMMERCE, YOU KNOW, E ENTERTAINMENT, UM, AND I THINK ABOUT, UH, WHAT PEOPLE MY AGE AND YOUNGER ARE LOOKING FOR AS FAR AS A PLACE TO LIVE. 
          AND I JUST WONDER IF WE NEED TO RETHINK THE WAY WE'RE BUILDING OUT OUR COMMUNITY AND THE RE REWORK THE WAY OUR ZONING WORKS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT'S MORE APPEALING TO THE YOUNG ADULT DEMOGRAPHIC TO HELP HELP OUR BUSINESSES STAY OPEN AND, AND MAKE SURE WE'RE CONTINUING TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE MOVE TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND WE, UH, KEEP HAVING, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN BORN IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, UM, TO KEEP OUR COUNTY GROWING. 
          UM, SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING I'M THINKING THROUGH HOW DO WE MAKE OUR COMMUNITY ONE IN WHICH MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING OUTTA THEIR HOUSE AND SPENDING MONEY IN PERSON AND YOUNG PEOPLE AREN'T GRADUATING FROM OUR HIGH SCHOOLS AND TAKING THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY OR, OR BALTIMORE COUNTY OR MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
          UM, AND, UH, SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE, THAT'S ONE OF, ONE OF THE THINGS I'M SURE YOU READ A LOT ABOUT THAT I FOLLOW, LIKE STRONG TOWNS FOR INSTANCE, AND, UH, THE WORK THAT THEY DO TO PROMOTE THOSE CONCEPTS. 
          BUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, THINKING ABOUT, UM, JUST THE WAY WE MIGHT NEED TO, UH, PIVOT TO KEEP GROWING. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE DEPARTMENT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS, WHICH WE HAVEN'T HAD FOR QUITE SOME TIME, IS A COMMU COMMUNITY PLANNING SECTION. 
          JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER COUNTY, WE ARE A COUNTY OF COMMUNITIES, WHETHER IT BE BELL CAMP ABBEY AND WHITEFORD, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON THOSE COMMUNITIES AND AS THE DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE BUILDS OUT, WE NEED TO LOOK AT REDEVELOPMENT, REIN, UH, INCENTIVES AND REVITALIZATION STRATEGIES. 
          SO THAT IS WHERE WE REALLY NEED TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITIES UNDERSTANDING WHAT EACH OF THOSE COMMUNITIES NEEDS ARE. 
          AND RIGHT NOW, WITHOUT HAVING A, A COMMUNITY PLANNING SECTION WITH COMMUNITY PLANNERS TO BE OUT THERE DOING THAT TYPE OF WORK, IT'S A CHALLENGE. 
          UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD A TRUE COMMUNITY PLANNING SECTION, PROBABLY 15 YEARS, 20 YEARS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY IT WAS DONE AWAY WITH AT, AT THE TIME, BUT WE REALLY DO NEED TWO TO THREE PLANNERS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE ENGAGING IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          JUST SAY, SAY EDGEWOOD GOING TO EDGEWOOD AND FIGURING 
          [04:15:01]
OUT WHAT THE NEEDS ARE. 
          WHAT ARE THE AMENITIES THAT ARE LACKING, WHAT ARE THE SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED IN THAT COMMUNITY? WHAT ARE THE BUSINESSES THAT NEED HELP NEED PROPPING UP THAT THEY CAN COME BACK? UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LACKING AS WELL IS IN THAT COMMUNITY PLANNING SECTION, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT IS ABLE TO ADMINISTER GRANTS, WRITE GRANTS, AND, AND, AND LOOK FOR GRANTS. 
          NOT SOMETHING THAT THIS DEPARTMENT HAS DONE A LOT OVER THE YEARS. 
          SO IN THE FUTURE MOVING FORWARD, I'D LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE OUT THERE THAT IS A GO-GETTER, IS GOING AFTER THAT MONEY THAT'S OUT THERE TO BE ABLE TO REVITALIZE OUR COMMUNITIES AND DO THINGS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT NEED HELP DESPERATELY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THAT WOULD COST TO BRING THAT BACK TO THE BUDGET IN FUTURE YEARS? LIKE AN FY 26 27? I, I HAVE NOT SAT DOWN WITH BUDGET TO REALLY FIGURE THAT OUT. 
          I THINK IT WOULD BE A, A FAIRLY EASY THING TO DO. 
          UM, CERTAINLY FROM A SPACE PERSPECTIVE, WE HAVE SPACE IN THE DEPARTMENT TO, TO HOUSE SOME PLANNERS, BUT, UH, IN ORDER TO REALLY BE EFFECTIVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE NEED PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT HAVE THEIR, THEIR EAR TO THE GROUND. 
          AND IF THAT WORK WAS DONE AND DONE WELL, HOPEFULLY IT WOULD GROW OUR REVENUE AND THEN BE COST NEUTRAL OR EVEN COST NEGATIVE. 
          AND, AND JUST FROM A STAFFING PERSPECTIVE TOO, HISTORICALLY, THE COMMUNITY PLANNERS AND THE COMMUNITY PLANNING SECTION TOOK THE LEAD ON UPDATING, WHETHER IT BE A BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN OR, OR THE MASTER PLAN ITSELF. 
          THAT'S WHERE THOSE FOLKS REALLY THRIVE IN THOSE TYPES OF AREAS, WRITING PLANS AND THINGS. 
          AND WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD THAT AREA FOR A WHILE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. 
          ANYONE ELSE? MS. MOON? UH, COMMUNITY PLANNING STOPPED IN 2002. 
          UH, I WAS ACTUALLY STILL AROUND THEN. 
          . 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND IT WAS REALLY A GOOD THING PLANNING AND ZONING CAME OUT TO THE, UH, COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS. 
          THEY WERE THE PLANNING COUNCILS BACK THEN. 
          THEY TAUGHT ALL OF US HOW PLANNING WORKS, HOW THE COUNTY WORKS, HOW EACH DEPARTMENT WORKS. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN SO EMAILING TO ALL OF YOU GUYS THANKS TO THE, THE COMMUNITY PLAN. 
          THEY TAUGHT US EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY WAS REALLY PLEASED AND I THINK IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU'D GO OUT AND GET RID OF ALL THE MISCONCEPTIONS AND TEACH PEOPLE. 
          THAT WAS GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THIS IS BEING RECORDED, CORRECT? YES. 
          BECAUSE I BELIEVE MS. MOON SENT THAT PLANNING WORKS. 
          SHE DID. 
          IT DOES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SHE DID. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MS. MOON. 
          MR. SHIZA, THIS MIGHT BE MORE A QUESTION FOR MR. SANDLES JUST TO MAKE SURE I'M FOLLOWING, BUT ON PAGE 2 39, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU OUTLINED WITH THE 12,000,009 50 ON THAT THE BOND SERVICE ON PAGE 82, THE 2.04 MILLION IS PAID FOR WITH TRANSFER TAXES AS WELL, AND THEY'RE WITHIN $50,000 ON PAGE 57. 
          BUT WE'RE BUDGETING, YOU KNOW, 9 MILLION IN TRANSFER TAX INCOME, 50% OF THE 18 MILLION THAT CAME IN FOR 23, WHICH I THINK IS PROBABLY GONNA BE THE SAME LIKE YOU WERE SAYING THE OTHER DAY, OR WE WERE SHOWING A FUND BALANCE EXPENDITURE FROM AG ON PAGE 57. 
          UM, ROUGHLY, WHAT IS THAT 6 MILLION GIVE OR TAKE? UM, YEAH, I MEAN, SO WE'RE, WE, WE, WE BUILT UP A, A, A SIZABLE FUND BALANCE, UM, IN THIS FUND AS WELL, UM, WHEN TRANSFER TAX WAS BOOMING. 
          UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE WERE UM, TRYING TO KIND OF GO THROUGH, UH, A PROCESS OF, OF, UM, I THINK KIND OF, UH, PRIORITIZING AND REPRIORITIZING WHAT TYPES OF PROPERTIES AND ALL WE WANTED TO PURCHASE. 
          SO, UM, KIND OF A COMBINATION OF, OF, OF NOT A WHOLE LOT OF ACQUISITIONS IN SOME YEARS AND SOME BOOMING TAX REVENUES. 
          WE, WE HAD A, UM, UH, A HUGE INCREASE IN OUR, IN OUR FUND BALANCE. 
          AND SO THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WE'VE HAD SOME VERY AGGRESSIVE NUMBERS. 
          YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WE WERE BUDGETING 20 MILLION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, TRYING TO, TRYING TO SPEND DOWN, BUT NOW THE TRANSFER TAX IS COMING DOWN. 
          YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR TRANSFER TAX WENT FROM ABOUT 25, UM, THIS IS TOTAL TRANSFER TAX, UM, ABOUT 25 MILLION. 
          SO IN THIS CASE IT WOULD BE HALF OF IT. 
          SO IT WENT FROM ABOUT 13 MILLION, UM, YOU KNOW, NOW DOWN TO, UM, NOW DOWN TO ABOUT 9 MILLION. 
          UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE EATING INTO SOME OF THAT FUND FUND BALANCE. 
          UM, KIND OF, BUT, BUT I THINK IN THE LONG TERM, AT LEAST IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT HAVING, UM, REDUCED LEVELS OF, OF, UM, REVENUE UNTIL, UNTIL THESE INTEREST RATES ARE CUT AND, AND TRANSFER TAX KIND OF BOUNCES BACK. 
          AND I GUESS THAT'S MY MAIN, MAYBE THIS MIGHT GO MORE TO THE DEPARTMENT NOW, BUT I GUESS WITH THE CHANGES TO AG AND ALLOWING THE PURCHASE OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OR B THREE PROPERTY, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T SEE THAT CHANGE OVER TIME, 
          [04:20:01]
AND AGAIN, I'M SURE THE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL WEED OUT THE BAD LAND TO NOT PURCHASE, BUT IF WE START GOBBLING UP MORE LAND NOW OUTSIDE OF JUST AG, I JUST WORRY ABOUT THOSE FUNDS OVER TIME IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO, TO GROW THOSE. 
          SO. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ANYONE ELSE? KIM CAPITAL PROJECT ON PAGE 81. 
          GREAT. 
          YES, SO THE CAPITAL PROJECT THAT WE HAVE NOW, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL FOR US, BUT IS FOR A STUDY THAT IS BEING DONE TO LOOK AT IMPACT FEES, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IMPACT FEES HAVE NOT, THIS IS A TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY, I THOUGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          SORRY. 
          THAT'S OKAY. 
          OH, I'M SORRY. 
          I GOT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON MY MIND LINE, ALEX. 
          I KNOW. 
          YEP. 
          WE ARE DOING THAT STUDY AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          IMPACT FEE STUDY AS WELL, NOT THE CAPITAL BUDGET. 
          RIGHT. 
          LOTS OF STUDIES GOING ON, UM, RIGHT NOW FOR THE TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDIES WITH THE CHANGES THAT COUNCIL MADE TO THE ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES, WHEREIN PREVIOUSLY A DEVELOPER WOULD CAUSE A TRAFFIC STUDY TO BE PREPARED AND SUBMIT THAT TO THE COUNTY FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL. 
          NOW THE COUNTY CONTRACTS WITH A CONSULTANT, A TRAFFIC CONSULTANT TO PREPARE THAT TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS AND DO ALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE WORK AND THEN CAUSE THAT STUDY TO BE PREPARED. 
          SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. 
          SO IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PAY THOSE CONSULTANTS, WE HAD TO PUT IN THE BUDGET MONEY SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO COVER THE ANTICIPATED TRAFFIC STUDIES THAT WE WOULD BE DOING IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          SO WE HAVE BUDGETED $750,000 IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, UH, ACCOMMODATE THAT. 
          NOW MOVING FORWARD, WHAT WE BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH SELECTING AN ON-CALL CONSULTANT THAT WOULD BE A SINGULAR CONSULTANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE TRAFFIC STUDIES. 
          SO THIS MAY CHANGE IN THE FUTURE, BUT FOR NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE HAVE A ROTATING LIST OF CONSULTANTS THROUGH DPW THAT WE USE AND WE CALL ON THEM TO COME TO SCOPING MEETINGS AND THEN THEY GIVE US A SCOPE OF SERVICES AND THEN WE GIVE THAT SCOPE OF SERVICES TO THE DEVELOPER AND SAY, HERE'S HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST AND YOU HAVE TO LET US KNOW WITHIN 30 DAYS WHETHER THIS IS ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THIS IS HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST YOU TO DO YOUR TRAFFIC STUDY. 
          SO WE DO GET REIMBURSEMENT. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO BE SURE. 
          OKAY. 
          IF LIKE, IF YOU EVER SEE DEVELOPER AS, AS THE FUNDING SOURCE IN NET CAPITAL PROJECT, AND THAT'S WHAT THAT ENTAILS, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SETTING THIS UP TO IN ORDER TO ACCEPT THAT THOSE REVENUES AND TO SPEND SPEND THE MONEY. 
          BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE IT'S COMING FROM. 
          OKAY. 
          ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK ADAM, STATE'S ATTORNEY. 
          HOW ARE YOU PRESENT? I'M DOING WELL. 
          HOW YOURSELF? GOOD TO SEE YOU. 
          I'M DOING FINE. 
          YOU'LL FIND, UM, STATE'S ATTORNEY'S SUMMARY ON PAGE 5 0 4 AND 5 0 5 AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND QUICKLY READ THROUGH THAT AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO, UM, SO STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE INCREASES 613,256 AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THAT IS ALL IN PERSONAL SERVICES. 
          UM, THEY DID HAVE SOME TURNOVER THAT OFFSET SOME OF THE INCREASES OF 180 5, 5 99. 
          UM, FISCAL YEAR 20 FOURS COLA WAS IN THERE AT 1 93, 3 12, THE FISCAL YEAR, 25 COLA OF 1% AND $1,000 IS AT A COST OF 180 3 3 17. 
          UM, PENSION, WORKERS' COMP, HEALTH BENEFITS AND FICA OF COURSE, ARE ALL BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          UNDER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, YOU'LL SEE AN INCREASE THERE OF $6,550. 
          UM, THIS IS FOR CONTRACTUAL LEGAL SERVICES, TELEPHONE SERVICE, PERSONNEL, RECRUITMENT, OTHER PROFESSIONAL AND SO FORTH. 
          AND THESE WERE ALL BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES 39,940. 
          THIS IS, UM, MAINLY THE RESULT OF ONE-TIME SOFTWARE FUNDS THAT WE PROVIDED IN FISCAL YEAR 24 OFFSET BY INCREASES IN GENERAL, UM, OFFICE 
          [04:25:01]
SUPPLIES, COMPUTER SUPPLIES AND SO FORTH. 
          BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES $8,095. 
          UH, THE, THIS IS FOR TRAINING SEMINARS, COURSES AND ALL THE LODGING AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT. 
          AND THAT'S BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY. 
          AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT. 
          I HAVE ONE, RIGHT? THIS'LL WORK. 
          YEP, EXACTLY. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO I PROVIDED A COPY OF MY REMARKS AS I DID LAST YEAR. 
          I, I KNOW MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FELT THAT WAS HELPFUL SO THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO REMEMBER ALL THE WORDS AND NUMBERS THAT I SAID. 
          UM, PRESIDENT VICENTE, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, I'M PROUD TO COME BEFORE YOU TODAY AFTER A LITTLE OVER ONE YEAR IN OFFICE AND REPORT TO ALL OF YOU THAT I'VE KEPT MY PROMISES. 
          THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS BACK TO ALMOST FULL WORK IN CAPACITY WITH ONLY ONE VACANT PIN REMAINING. 
          IF YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR WE HAD, I THINK OVER 20, UM, WE HAVE RESTORED THE OFFICE'S WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL THE COUNTY'S LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. 
          I'M HAPPY TO SAY THE CONVICTIONS AND STRONG SENTENCES ARE NOW THE DAILY NORM IN THE COURTROOMS OF HARTFORD COUNTY. 
          OUR FY 25 BUDGET REQUEST SUBMITTED TO COUNTY EX EXECUTIVE LEY WAS AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF THE NEEDS OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN THE COMING YEAR. 
          AS THE MONTHS PASSED AFTER OUR BUDGET REQUEST WAS SUBMITTED, I MADE MULTIPLE REQUESTS TO MEET WITH MR. LINA'S TEAM TO DISCUSS THE NEEDS OF MY OFFICE AND FURTHER EXPLAINED THE CONCEPTS OF OUR BUDGET PROPOSAL LAST WEEK DURING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES TEAM BUDGET WORK SESSION, MR. MCCORD INDICATED TO THE COUNCIL THAT THEY SPOKE WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TO EXAMINE THE NEEDS OF EACH DEPARTMENT. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, THAT NEVER HAPPENED FOR THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, DESPITE OUR NUMEROUS REQUESTS, MR. KALEY'S FAILURE TO APPEAR BEFORE YOU LAST WEEK AS AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF THE TREATMENT I HAVE RECEIVED THIS YEAR AS WELL. 
          IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO ASSESS THE NEEDS OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR ANY AGENCY FOR THAT MATTER WITHOUT HAVING A CONVERSATION REGARDING THE OFFICE AND UNDERSTANDING THE OBSTACLES WE FACE. 
          IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THERE IS SO MUCH DIVISION IN OUR COUNTY AND WE ARE IN YET ANOTHER BUDGET CYCLE WHEREIN US VERSUS THEM CLIMATE HAS BEEN CREATED. 
          IT IS MY HOPE THAT WE CAN ALL COME TOGETHER AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEEDS OF EVERYONE RATHER THAN EXCEEDING THE NEEDS OF JUST ONE OR A FEW IN THE EFFORT OF COMPROMISE AND UNDERSTANDING THAT NEEDS EXIST ACROSS ALL THE VARIOUS COUNTY AGENCIES. 
          I COME BEFORE YOU TODAY CUTTING MY ORIGINAL FY 25 REQUEST, AND I'M REQUESTING A BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR THE BARE MINIMUM REQUIRED FOR MY OFFICE IN THE UPCOMING YEARS YEAR. 
          WHILE MANY AMEN. 
          WHILE MANY AGENCIES HAVE NEEDS THE NEEDS OF PUBLIC SAFETY SHOULD ESPECIALLY BE ADDRESSED. 
          THIS BARE MINIMUM REQUEST ENSURES THAT ALL OF THE HARD WORK OF OUR COUNTY'S LAW ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT RESULT IN A CATCH AND RELEASE POLICY AND ENSURES THE SAFETY OF ALL THE CITIZENS OF HARFORD COUNTY. 
          ONE OF THE MANY CHALLENGES I FACED WHEN I TOOK OFFICE WAS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN THE TALENT REQUIRED TO RESTORE THE OFFICE TO FULL WORK AND CAPACITY, WHICH PROVED TO BE AN INCREDIBLE CHALLENGE DUE TO HARFORD COUNTY HAVING THE LOWEST STARTING SALARY OF ANY OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICES AT THE TIME OF OUR FY 25 BUDGET REQUEST. 
          IN OCTOBER OF 2023, THE STARTING SALARY FOR AN ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEY IN HARFORD COUNTY WAS $66,126 IN COMPARISON TO THE STARTING SALARIES FOR THE SAME POSITION IN NEIGHBORING COUNTIES AT THAT TIME. 
          AND THOSE ARE LISTED 76,474,000 389, 70 7,070 9,085. 
          EXPERIENCED PROSECUTOR AND STAFF SALARIES IN THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES ARE LIKEWISE FAR, FAR HIGHER THAN OURS IN HARPER COUNTY. 
          AND WE HAVE LOST EXPERIENCE PROSECUTORS AND STAFF AS A RESULT SINCE OCTOBER, 2023. 
          AND AS OTHER COUNTIES HAVE LEARNED OF THEIR ANTICIPATED FY 25 BUDGETS, HARFORD COUNTY HAS ONLY FALLEN FURTHER FROM THOSE FIGURES, WHICH CREATES THE VERY REAL THREAT OF LOSING ADDITIONAL PROSECUTORS AND STAFF TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE THE ABILITY TO PAY THEM SIGNIFICANTLY MORE. 
          UM, AS WE'VE SEEN IN THE ANTICIPATED INCREASES, CECIL COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS, UH, RECEIVING APPROXIMATELY A 5.5 INCREASE, WHICH INCLUDES 5.5% INCREASE, WHICH INCLUDES A COLA AND A STEP AND ONE NEW POSITION. 
          BALTIMORE COUNTY RECEIVED A 3% MERIT INCREASE OF POSSIBLE COLA AND TWO NEW POSITIONS, AND CARROLL COUNTY IS GETTING A 4% COLA INCREASE IN ONE ADDITIONAL UNIT CHIEF POSITION. 
          EVEN WITH THE 10% PARITY INCREASE I REQUESTED IN MY PERSONAL PERSONNEL BUDGET, HARTFORD COUNTY WILL REMAIN THE LOWEST PAYING COUNTY OF ALL OF THE SURROUNDING STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICES BY FAR AT THIS RATE. 
          WE WILL CONTINUE TO FALL FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND EACH YEAR, PUTTING US AT GREATER AND GREATER RISK OF LOSING THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY NEGATIVELY IMPACT PUBLIC SAFETY IN HARTFORD COUNTY. 
          I FOUND IT INTERESTING THAT LAST MONDAY WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN RELATION TO THE DRASTIC EMS INCREASES OVER THE LAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES, MR. SANDLES COMMENTED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF RECRUITING AND RETAINING IN A VERY COMPETITIVE FIELD. 
          THE SAME IS TRUE FOR MY OFFICE AND WITH THE CURRENT BUDGETS OF SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND THEIR ADDITIONAL ANTICIPATED INCREASES, MR. KALEY'S FOI 25 PROPOSED BUDGET IS PUTTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AT RISK. 
          THE OTHER BARE MINIMUM REQUEST I'M SEEKING IN THIS AMENDMENT IS FOR THE ADDITION OF SIX BODY-WORN CAMERA TECHNICIAN POSITIONS. 
          WHEN THE BODY-WORN CAMERA UNIT WAS CREATED IN JULY OF 2023, THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WAS IN RECEIPT OF, OF 11,665 HOURS OF BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE THE PREVIOUS YEAR. 
          WE KNEW AT THAT TIME AND I CAME AND SPOKE WITH YOU, THAT THE ORIGINAL SIX TECHNICIANS GRANTED AN 
          [04:30:01]
FY 24 WOULD NEED TO WATCH 7.47 HOURS OF BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE PER DAY TO EVEN COME CLOSE TO THE NEEDS OF THE OFFICE. 
          THOSE FIGURES DID NOT INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL TIME IT WOULD BE SPENT SHIELDING AND REDACTING FOOTAGE PROVIDING FOOTAGE AND DISCOVERY OR PREPARING FOOTAGE FOR TRIAL. 
          WE ALSO KNEW THAT THIS NUMBER DID NOT ACCOUNT FOR VACATIONS OR MEDICAL LEAVE OR REALLY EVEN BATHROOM BREAKS DURING THE DAY TO SUCCESSFULLY PROCESS ALL OF THE FOOTAGE WE LEARNED THIS YEAR AS EXPECTED THAT THIS IS NOT NEARLY SUFFICIENT. 
          AS THE HOURS OF BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE INCREASED AS WE PREDICTED FURTHER, WHEN MEMBERS OF THE UNIT HAD VACATIONS OR MEDICAL ISSUES, THE FOOTAGE WAS UNABLE TO BE SUCCESSFULLY PROCESSED ON TIME. 
          AND EVEN AT FULL STAFF TIMELY DISTRIBUTION WAS CHALLENGING AT BEST OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 14,566 HOURS OF BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE. 
          A NEARLY 25% INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. 
          AND THIS NUMBER WILL ONLY CONTINUE TO INCREASE DESPITE THE HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT OF THE TECHNICIANS IN THE UNIT. 
          THE OFFICE IS CURRENTLY PROVIDING BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE TWO TO THREE BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE TRIAL, BEFORE THE TRIAL DATE IN DISTRICT COURT. 
          WELL SHORT OF THE COURT'S EXPECTATIONS OF OUR OFFICE, FAILURE TO PROVIDE TIMELY DISCOVERY CAN RESULT IN THE EXCLUSION OF EVIDENCE, DISMISSAL OF CASES AND SANCTIONS AGAINST OUR PROSECUTORS. 
          OBVIOUSLY WITH THESE INCREASES AND AN ALREADY OVERWHELMED BODY-WORN CAMERA UNIT, WE ARE IN DIRE NEED OF ADDITIONAL TECHNICIANS IN ORDER TO REMAIN IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW AND TO PROVIDE DISCOVERY IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER AS EXPECTED OF US BY THE COURT. 
          DUE TO THE CONTINUING BURDEN, THE BODY-WORN CAMERA CAMERA PLACES ON OUR OFFICE, WE HAVE HAD TO GRANT OVER 2,648 HOURS OF COMPENSATORY TIME TO OUR STAFF IN FY 24, WHICH ULTI ULTIMATELY EQUATES TO $158,654 OF LEAVE. 
          GRANTED, IF ANY OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO REVIEW THE BODY-WORN CAMERA REVIEWING AND SHIELDING PROCESS RELATING TO A CRIMINAL CASE, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO FACILITATE THAT REVIEW TO PROVIDE A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THIS BURDENSOME PROCESS. 
          THE FY 25 BUDGET PROPOSAL MAKES IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS THE FORGOTTEN ARM OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          IT IS INEXPLICABLE HOW IN THE BREAKDOWN ON PAGE 90 AND 91 OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS NOT EVEN LISTED UNDER PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          WE COULD NOT BE MORE SUPPORTIVE OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS AND THE INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING JOBS THEY DO EVERY DAY. 
          BUT WITHOUT OUR OFFICE, ALL THEIR EFFORTS WILL BE FOR NOTHING. 
          WHEN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS MAKE AN ARREST THAT IS ONLY HALF THE JOB, WE THEN MUST DO OUR PART TO KEEP THOSE OFFENDERS OFF OUR STREETS. 
          SUPPORTING OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND POLICE OR BACKING THE BLUE ALSO MEANS SUPPORTING THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. 
          DESPITE THE LACK OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET BUDGET. 
          WE ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ARE ABSOLUTELY AN EQUAL PARTNER TO OUR POLICE OFFICERS, EMS AND ALL FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF HARPER COUNTY. 
          AND WE ARE SIMPLY ASKING TO BE TREATED AND SUPPORTED. 
          AS SUCH, A LOT OF TIME WAS SPENT DISCUSSING, DISCUSSING REVENUE STRATEGIES IN LAST WEEK'S BUDGET WORK SESSIONS. 
          THE REALITY IS THAT FAILING TO PRIORITIZE PUBLIC SAFETY WILL ENSURE THAT HARTFORD COUNTY IS NO LONGER A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO WORK, LIVE AND SPEND THEIR FREE TIME AND MONEY. 
          AS OUR COUNTY GROWS AND OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT GROWS, IT IS ONLY REASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT OUR STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE MUST GROW AS WELL IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR COUNTY SAFE. 
          EVERY AGENCY IN OUR COUNTY HAS NEEDS AND EVERY AGENCY IN OUR COUNTY SERVES AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SUPPORTING OUR CITIZENS. 
          WE ARE SIMPLY ASKING FOR THE BARE MINIMUM REQUIRED TO CONTINUE SERVING HARTFORD COUNTY CITIZENS SUCCESSFULLY AND TO ENSURE HARTFORD COUNTY CONTINUES TO BE THE SAFE PLACE WE CALL HER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU ALLISON FOR THIS IN-DEPTH, UH, PRESENTATION. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE HERE LAST YEAR TALKING ABOUT BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE AND THE TIME AND EFFORT THAT IT WAS GONNA TAKE TO VIEW IT. 
          UM, AND WE HEAR THE SAME THING FROM OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE RIVER. 
          WE HEAR THE SAME THING WHERE OUR PARTNERS AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. 
          UM, SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. 
          UM, AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA FLIP IT TO MR. DEANDRE. 
          ALLISON, THANK THANKS FOR THIS REPORT TO, TO HAVE IT WHILE YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THAT SOMETHING, SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 
          SO IT IT'S NICE TO GO OVER AND SEE AND SEE THE NUMBERS. 
          IS IT HARD TO GET PEOPLE TO COME IN AND DO THE, UM, THE JOB FOR BODY CAM? ARE ARE YOU NO, I MEAN WE, WE, WHEN WE STARTED, UM, BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIG DIFFICULT THINGS WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA HAVE THAT TRYING TO FIND PEOPLE. 
          NO, WHEN WE GOT THE PINS LAST YEAR, I THINK WE GOT 50 OR A HUNDRED APPLICATIONS. 
          I MEAN, ACTUALLY ECHOING WHAT MR. GRIM SAID BEFORE ME, YOU KNOW, COMPUTERS AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SORT OF THE FUN STUFF KIDS LIKE TO DO. 
          SO WE, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF, UM, APPLICATIONS. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO OBVIOUSLY TO HIRE SIX. 
          WE DID A LOT OF INTERVIEWS, UM, TRYING TO NARROW DOWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST COMPUTER SAVVY. 
          THEY COULD DO IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, OBVIOUSLY GIVEN THE HOW BURDENSOME IT IS. 
          UM, BUT NO, WE HAVE NOT HAD DIFFICULTY. 
          WE JUST 
          [04:35:01]
DON'T HAVE THE PINS TO ACCOMMODATE OUR BODY. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AND I SEE, UM, ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEYS ARE ONE AND THEN YOU'RE UH, YOU'VE GOT 15 OF THEM THAT ARE GOING OR WHATEVER, GOING FROM ONE TO TWO. 
          SO IS THAT THIS YEAR, WELL IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, ASSISTANCE TO ATTORNEY OVER THE LAST YEAR. 
          LAST YEAR WAS UH, ENACTED AND THEN THIS YEAR YOU'RE GOING, YOU GOT 15 FROM FIVE STATE ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY TWO FROM FIVE TO 15. 
          IS THAT AN INCREASE OF THE, OF THE ONES FROM THE ONE FROM LEVEL ONE TO LEVEL TWO? RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, LAST YEAR WE HAD A LOT OF VACANCIES OBVIOUSLY, AND WE HAD PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN THERE FOR A LITTLE BIT. 
          SO WE WERE HAVING AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF DIFFICULTY FINDING EXPERIENCE PROSECUTORS BECAUSE AS I SAID, WE DON'T PAY AS WELL AS THE OTHER COUNTIES. 
          SO WHAT WE ULTIMATELY ENDED UP DOING IS PROMOTING FROM WITHIN. 
          SURE. 
          SO WE MOVED A LOT OF THE ONES INTO TWOS AND THEN HIRED NEW ATTORNEYS. 
          UM, WHICH EVEN WAS DIFFICULT. 
          WE WERE STILL LOSING PEOPLE. 
          WE WOULD OFFER JOBS AND SOME WOULDN'T TAKE IT BECAUSE OF PAY IS OUR, IS OUR LEVEL TWO IN, IN COMPARISON TO OTHER LEVEL TWOS ACROSS THE DIFFERENT COUNTIES OR WE'RE STILL BELOW. 
          SO THE NUMBERS DON'T MATCH UP LIKE THAT. 
          LIKE OUR, OUR PACE IS ONES AND TWOS AREN'T THE SAME AND THEY DON'T CALL PROSECUTORS THE SAME IN EVERY COUNTY. 
          BUT I WOULD SAY NO, WE ARE, WE ARE BEHIND EVERYBODY THAT STILL BEHIND WITH, WITH EQUAL EXPERIENCE. 
          SO IF WE MATCH SOMEONE WHO HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF YEARS EXPERIENCE HERE WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE IN OTHER COUNTIES, UM, WE HAVE FOUGHT IN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE LOST PROSECUTORS. 
          WE'VE HAD TO FIGHT TO KEEP PROSECUTORS WHO ARE BEING POACHED BY OTHER COUNTIES BECAUSE THEY'RE DANGLING ALL THIS MONEY IN FRONT OF THEM. 
          SURE. 
          UM, IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. 
          I MEAN WE'RE, I'M HAPPY TO SAY WE'VE SUCCEEDED TO AN EXTENT, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP, KIND OF KEEP WAITING FOR EACH BAR EXAM TO HAPPEN, TO HIRE PEOPLE AT THE LOWER END AND KIND OF KEEP PUSHING PEOPLE UP. 
          HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE FROM A ONE TO A TWO AND FROM A TWO TO A THREE? SO TWO TO A UM, ONE TO A TWO, IDEALLY YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THREE, THREE TO FOUR YEARS? WE DID NOT HAVE THAT UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE WE JUST COULDN'T FIND BODIES. 
          SO WE, WE ULTIMATELY PROMOTED PEOPLE TO TWOS WHO MAYBE HAD LIKE TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. 
          UM, JUST BECAUSE WE NEED BODIES TO, OBVIOUSLY WE HAD TOO MANY VACANCIES. 
          UM, BUT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THEM HAVE ABOUT THREE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BEFORE THEY PROMOTE TWO, THREE TO FIVE I WOULD SAY BEFORE THEY PROMOTE TO A TWO. 
          AND THEN THE THREE IS REALLY THOSE FELONY PROSECUTORS. 
          AGAIN, WE HAVE PROSECUTORS NOW THAT MAYBE HAVE LESS YEARS. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU'D LIKE TO SEE LIKE FIVE TO EIGHT TO FROM GOING TO A TWO TO A THREE. 
          BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE PEOPLE WITH LESS EXPERIENCE IN THAT RIGHT NOW FOR THE SAME REASONS. 
          ARE YOU FINDING THAT THE PEOPLE THAT LEFT BEFORE, NONE OF THEM ARE COMING BACK. 
          DO THEY, ARE THEY GOING TO OTHER POSITIONS IN OTHER COUNTIES OR ARE THEY GOING INTO PRIVATE PRACTICE OR ARE THEY JUST UM, SO THE PEOPLE THAT LEFT BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE LEFT FOR THE OBVIOUS REASONS OF BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE. 
          AND THEN, UM, THOSE THAT LEFT THAT WE LOST HERE WENT TO OTHER COUNTIES AS PROSECUTORS. 
          OKAY. 
          FOR MORE MONEY THAN WE COULD GIVE THEM WITHIN OUR BUDGET. 
          THANK YOU MR. VIN. 
          THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT. 
          UH, MS. HEALY. 
          MS. RYAN, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND UH, PRESENTING TO US. 
          UM, I HAVE TO SAY, UM, FROM THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE, YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT PARTNER. 
          IT'S BEEN NIGHT AND DAY, UH, FROM THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. 
          UM, SO YOUR COLLABORATION WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND IN MUNICIPALITIES IS KEY 'CAUSE YOU ARE PART OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY NETWORK. 
          UM, AND IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE MAKE SURE WE INVEST IN YOU AND YOUR AND YOUR, UH, DEPARTMENT, UH, AND COMPETITIVE SALARIES. 
          I'M JUST LOOKING AT, UH, $66,000. 
          I MEAN, UM, WITH A FOUR YEAR, SIX YEAR DEGREE, PRETTY MUCH RIGHT? BARE MINIMUM SEVEN, SEVEN YEAR DEGREE. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GETTING ANYBODY TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, UM, WHEN YOU CAN COME IN AND THERE'S A LOT OF JOBS ACROSS THE BOARD WITH VERY LITTLE EDUCATION AND MAKE COMPETITIVE SALARIES WITH THAT. 
          SO, UH, IT'S DEFINITELY AN ISSUE, UH, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE COMPETENT STATE'S ATTORNEYS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IT MAKES EVERYONE'S JOB HARDER ON THE STREET AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, AND EVERYONE SUFFERS. 
          SO, UH, THAT NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED. 
          OBVIOUSLY IT'S DIFFICULT IN A ONE YEAR, UM, UH, INITIATIVE, BUT MAYBE OVER THE COURSE OF YEARS, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE GETTING THE 1% EVEN THOUGH IT'S, IT'S A PAY CUT WITH INFLATION, UH, BECAUSE OTHER ENTITIES AREN'T GETTING THAT. 
          UM, BUT THERE IS ONE OTHER THING I WANTED TO DISCUSS, UH, THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT. 
          UM, IS AN INDEPENDENT SERVER FROM, FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOUR AGENCY, I THINK IT'S CRUCIAL YOU HAVE SENSITIVE INFORMATION. 
          I KNOW THAT'S NOT HERE BECAUSE THAT'S A LUXURY ITEM AT THIS POINT. 
          UH, BUT UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WISH TO HAVE A CONVERSATION GOING FORWARD AND MAYBE PERHAPS YOUR OFFICE CAN, CAN RESEARCH THAT ON WHAT IT WOULD COST TO HAVE AN INDEPENDENT SERVER TO 
          [04:40:01]
PROTECT YOU AND YOUR INVESTIGATIONS GOING FORWARD. 
          SO WE ACTUALLY DID A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH INTO THIS, I'LL SAY IN THE SUMMER OF MAYBE FALL OF LAST YEAR, UM, WE HAD, UM, ONE OF OUR FORMER IT PEOPLE SORT OF PRICE OUT AND SORT OF GIVE US INFORMATION. 
          I AM NOT AN IT EXPERT, SO, UM, IF I'D HAVE KNOWN THIS QUESTION WAS COMING, I'D BROUGHT THEM WITH ME. 
          BUT, UM, WE, THERE IS SORT OF A PATCHWORK SITUATION WHERE WE CAN, IT WOULD BE LESS MONEY WHERE WE CAN GET ON A DIFFERENT, LIKE EMAIL EXCHANGE KIND OF, UM, SO TO GET LIKE OUR SAVED FILES AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. 
          BUT TO DO A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT SERVER, I MEAN, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND IT ALSO REQUIRES WIRING AND HARDWARE. 
          AND AGAIN, ALL THINGS I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS A LONG-TERM GOAL FOR US THAT WE HAVE HELD ALPHA IN, UM, REALLY AT MR. CASTLE'S QUE REQUEST LAST YEAR IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY WE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN OUR OWN BUILDING. 
          AND THE IT PERSON'S RECOMMENDATION IS THAT IF AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THOSE THINGS INTO THE WALLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WOULD BE AN EASIER TRANSITION AND MORE DONE, MORE COST EFFECTIVELY THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING CURRENTLY. 
          WASN'T IT, UH, LAST YEAR THEY WERE MOVING FROM ACROSS THE STREET. 
          SO WE, THEY ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT WITH VARIOUS LOCATIONS, M AND T 18, OFFICE STREET, AND 29 WEST CORTLAND. 
          UM, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, AND I'M PROBABLY SPEAKING FOR THE FOLKS WHO ARE GOING AFTER ME, BUT, UM, OUR MAGISTRATES ARE CURRENTLY ACROSS THE STREET WITHOUT SECURITY. 
          UM, JUDGE CURTIN OBVIOUSLY WOULD LIKE TO BRING THEM INTO THE COURTHOUSE SO THEY HAVE SECURITY AND WE SUPPORT THAT. 
          WE BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE SAFE, OBVIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF WHAT TRANSPIRED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY AND WHAT HAVE YOU. 
          SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THEY NEED OUR SPACE. 
          UM, SO WE ARE NOW BEING, UM, MOVED INTO STILL VARIOUS LOCATIONS, UM, AND SORT OF CRAMMED IN AND STILL UNITS ARE GONNA BE SEPARATED AND EVEN OUR FELONY UNIT WON'T ALL BE TOGETHER BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL SPACES BY THEMSELVES DON'T ACCOUNT FOR THAT. 
          UM, BUT THE, THE PLAN IS SORT OF A WORK IN PROGRESS TO MOVE US OUT OF THERE. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE NOT, THAT, THAT'S NOT A ONE BUILDING SITUATION THAT'S REALLY TO ACCOMMODATE THE MAGISTRATES MOVING INTO THE COURTHOUSE. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, IN THE BODY-WORN CAMERAS, I'LL, I'LL CLOSE ON THAT. 
          UM, JUST THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT IT TAKES TO GO IN AND WATCH SEVEN DEPUTIES ON THE DOMESTIC AND, AND EVERY ANGLE, UH, IS UM, I MEAN IT'S LABOR INTENSIVE. 
          UH, I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE DOING IT. 
          SO, UM, STEP YEAH, AND I THINK, I THINK ONE OF THE IMP MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE IS NOT ONLY DOES THE MINUTES INCREASE, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR, EVERY TIME A DEPUTY IS ADDED, RIGHT, THAT'S ANOTHER BODY-WORN CAMERA THAT'S ON THE STREET. 
          SO EVERY SINGLE TIME, YOU KNOW, THEY INCREASE, WE INCREASE. 
          UM, I MEAN I, I CAN TELL YOU I LOOKED AT A PARTICULAR CASE I'VE BEEN WORKING ON AND IT'S NOT ALL VIDEOS. 
          IT'S VIDEOS AND DIGITAL EVIDENCE. 
          IT HAS 1,446 ITEMS IN EXXON. 
          UM, WHICH IS WHY WE ASKED FOR BOTH PARALEGALS AND BODY-WORN CAMERA INITIALLY. 
          UM, BUT WE REALLY AT THIS POINT OBVIOUSLY TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE COUNTY ARE, ARE BACKING OFF AND SAYING THESE ARE THE PRIORITY ITEMS FOR US AS AN OFFICE. 
          ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU. 
          YEP. 
          I WAS GONNA TOUCH ON THE SAME THING. 
          I MEAN, SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS A DAY FOR SIX TECHNICIANS VIEWING BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE. 
          I MEAN, YOU'RE GONNA GET BURNOUT ON THOSE FOLKS, I WOULD THINK. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU COULD KEEP THAT UP. 
          NOW, I DO KNOW THAT YOU PUT SOME SORT OF TECHNOLOGY IN PLACE, I THINK IT WAS EITHER HERE AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WHERE YOU COULD VIEW SEVERAL CAMERAS AT ONE TIME. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          WE, WE DO HAVE THAT, UM, WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO VIEW, BUT AGAIN, UM, YOU CAN VIEW FOUR AT ONCE BUT CAN'T HEAR FOR AT ONCE. 
          SO YOU SORT OF HAVE TO NOTE WHAT, WHICH ONES YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO AND LISTEN TO CERTAIN PARTS. 
          YOU GOTTA KINDA WATCH AND SAY, OKAY, THEY'RE WATCHING THE SAME THING. 
          YOU CAN IGNORE THAT, YOU KNOW, AND WHERE DO I HAVE TO GO BACK AND WATCH? SO YES, THEY CAN SEE FOUR SCREENS AT ONCE, BUT AGAIN, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HUNDREDS RIGHT. 
          THAT THAT'S NOT THE WHOLE CASE. 
          YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S VERY TIME INTENSIVE. 
          UM, I MEAN I KNOW THAT'S THEIR JOB. 
          I KNOW THAT'S THEIR PROFESSION, BUT SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS A DAY EVERY DAY FOR SIX PEOPLE. 
          I, I, THAT WOULD CONCERN ME GREATLY FOR SURE. 
          AND AND IT DOES. 
          AND AND FRANKLY WE HAD, AS I STATED, WE HAD SOMEONE WHO HAD AN EXTENDED MEDICAL LEAVE, SHE BROKE HER ARM AND COULDN'T OBVIOUSLY DO RIGHT. 
          DO IT, DO HER JOB. 
          AND THAT CREATED, YOU KNOW, ONE BAD THING LIKE THAT HAPPENS SENDS US SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND. 
          RIGHT. 
          YOU KNOW, SO ANYONE ELSE SEEING NO ONE ELSE? THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          APPRECIATE YOU. 
          HAVE A GOOD DAY. 
          YOU TOO. 
          YEAH. 
          JUDICIAL IS GONNA START ON PAGE 4 82. 
          OKAY. 
          [04:45:11]
GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          I UNDERSTAND JUDGE CURTIN WILL NOT BE WITH US. 
          NO, SHE'S NOT. 
          HER STEPDAD DIED. 
          YEAH, OUR CONDOLENCES. 
          PLEASE PASS THAT ALONG, SIR. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. 
          OKAY. 
          ON PAGE 4 82, THIS IS CIRCUIT COURT. 
          THERE'S AN INCREASE THERE OF 58,822 AND YOU WILL SEE THAT AS ALL IN PERSONAL SERVICES EXCEPT FOR $800 FOR, UM, MISCELLANEOUS FOR BAR LIBRARY AND SERVICE AWARDS. 
          UM, IN PERSONAL SERVICES, THEY HAD SOME TURNOVER FOR A DECREASE OF $89,023. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE THE 24 AND 25 COLA, UM, WERE INCLUDED. 
          AND THEN, UM, ALL THE OTHER ONES WERE ADJUSTED BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          ON PAGE 4 85, JURY SERVICES, YOU WILL SEE NO CHANGE THERE. 
          IT IS STILL AT THE SAME AMOUNT AT 345,500 AND THERE WAS NO CHANGES IN CONTRACTUAL OR SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. 
          ON PAGE 4 88, YOU'LL SEE A VERY SLIGHT INCREASE THERE. 
          THIS IS, UM, GRAND JURY OF $3,000 AND THIS IS, UM, JUROR FEE INCREASE DUE TO STATE MANDATED RATES. 
          ON PAGE FOUR 90 IS THE JURY COMMISSIONER, UH, CALL CENTER. 
          THERE'S A SLIGHT INCREASE THERE OF 17,000 9 0 2, EXCUSE ME, UNDER PERSONAL SERVICES, THERE'S A NET INCREASE THERE OF 9,000 9 0 2. 
          THEY HAD SOME TURNOVER THERE FOR A DECREASE OF 13,213. 
          BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 24 COLA AND THE 25 COLA AND THEN ADJUSTMENTS TO PENSION, WORKERS' COMP AND SO FORTH. 
          UM, UNDER SUPPLIES YOU'LL SEE NO CHANGE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES. 
          UNDER SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, YOU'LL SEE AN INCREASE THERE OF $8,000. 
          AND THIS IS FOR GENERAL OFFICE MAILING AND THAT'S BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY. 
          THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL. 
          RETURN TO PAGE 4 93, THIS IS THE MAGISTRATES. 
          THERE'S AN INCREASE THERE OF 31,937. 
          UM, THE BULK OF THAT IS IN PERSONAL SERVICES FOR A NET INCREASE THERE OF 26,317. 
          UM, IT STILL PROVIDES FOR THE 24 COLA OF 5,005 11, THE 25 COLA OF 5,846. 
          AND THEN ADJUSTMENTS TO PENSION WORKERS' COMP AND HEALTH SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. 
          THERE WAS NO CHANGE. 
          BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES $5,000 FOR PROFESSIONAL BOOKS AND PERIODICALS. 
          AND THEN, UM, UNDER MISCELLANEOUS THERE'S A SMALL AMOUNT OF, UH, INCREASE OF 620 AND THIS IS TO PROVIDE RETIREE HEALTH SAVINGS FOR A GRANT FUNDED EMPLOYEE UNDER COMMUNITY WORK SERVICES. 
          ON PAGE 4 96, YOU'LL SEE AN INCREASE THERE OF 54,472. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT'S ALL IMPERSONAL SERVICES. 
          UM, WE PROVIDED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 24 COLA OF $8,039, THE 25 COLA OF 9,810. 
          WE INCREASED TEMPORARY SALARIES BY 7,791. 
          AND THEN THERE WERE ADJUSTMENTS TO PENSION HEALTH AND RETIRE YALE SAVINGS. 
          THERE WAS NO INCREASES IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES OR SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS UNDER PAGE 4 99, FAMILY COURT SERVICES, SLIGHT INCREASE THERE OF $19,014. 
          UH, PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASE IS $30,014. 
          IT PROVIDES FOR THE 24 COLA, THE 25 COLA. 
          AND THEN ADJUSTMENTS TO, UM, OPED RETIREES HEALTH AND PENSION. 
          YOU WILL SEE A SLIGHT DECREASE THERE, UM, UNDER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES OF $11,000. 
          AND THIS IS FOR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. 
          AND AGAIN, THAT'S BASED ON ACTUALS. 
          AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MS. MALLOY. 
          I, UM, EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY FLATLINED OUR BUDGET. 
          UM, AND WE'RE, ALTHOUGH WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF THE 1% INCREASE WHEN WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH OTHER COUNTIES, IT'S THE SAME ISSUE. 
          YOU KNOW, OTHER COUNTIES ARE GETTING HIGHER INCREASES AND WE HAVE THE SAME POSITIONS SUCH AS JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE WHERE, WHERE WE WERE LIKE LEVEL AND THEY JUST KEEP ON GOING UP AND WE ARE HERE. 
          SO IT'S LIKE OVER A COUPLE YEARS IT COULD BE LIKE FIVE, $10,000. 
          ALSO WE HAVE WHERE WE WILL HAVE THE SAME POSITION. 
          ONE IS GRANT FUNDED AND ONE IS FUNDED BY THE COUNTY. 
          WELL, WHEN THE GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS FOLLOW THE RAISES OF THE STATE, THEY'RE GETTING NICE RAISES. 
          SO 
          [04:50:01]
THEN WE HAVE THE SAME PERSON, TWO PEOPLE DOING THE SAME JOB. 
          AND BECAUSE OF THE INCREASES, ONE'S LIKE GROWING, GROWING AND THE OTHER ONE'S JUST STAYING LIKE THIS. 
          SO OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY THING. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, COUNSEL, ANY QUESTIONS? JUST A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT SECURITY. 
          UH, I WASN'T AWARE OF, UH, AS MS. HEALY MENTIONED, SOME OF THE JUDGES DON'T HAVE PROPER SECURITY. 
          YES. 
          UM, I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT. 
          UM, CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THAT AND KIND OF HAS THERE REQUEST BEEN MADE? YES, A REQUEST, A REQUEST HAS BEEN MADE. 
          WE HAVE OVER 18 OFFICE STREET, TWO OF OUR FAMILY MAGISTRATES. 
          THERE IS NO SECURITY OVER THERE. 
          AND, UM, WE HAVE REQUESTED SECURITY AND THEY'RE UNABLE TO PROVIDE IT. 
          SO HOPEFULLY WITH THIS RENOVATION, IF WE MOVE THEM OVER INTO THE COURTHOUSE, THEN THEY'LL HAVE SECURITY. 
          BUT RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO SECURITY. 
          DO WE HAVE A TIMELINE ON THAT RENOVATION AT ALL? I THINK IT'S LIKE TWO, THREE YEARS OUT. 
          YEAH. 
          OH WOW. 
          YES. 
          THE LAW, IT'S, YEAH, IT'S RIGHT IN THE DESIGN FEES NOW, I THINK. 
          YES. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, WELL IS THERE A TENTATIVE PLAN TO PROVIDE SECURITY, UH, FOR THEM IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS? NO, THEY JUST SAID THEY'RE UNABLE TO PROVIDE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK INTO IN TODAY'S DAY AND AGE, RIGHT? OH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          MR. RILEY. 
          YES. 
          JUST TO, UH, BRING MY COLLEAGUE FROM DISTRICT D UP. 
          UH, THAT WAS ACTUALLY A CHOICE THAT THE COURTS MADE WHEN I WAS CLERK OF THE COURT. 
          UH, I TRIED TO GET HIM TO STAY OVER THERE AND THE, THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE DECIDED TO PUT 'EM ACROSS THE STREET. 
          SO AGAIN, THEY CREATED THIS SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT COULDN'T SUPPLY IT AND STILL HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO SUPPLY IT. 
          BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE CIRCUIT COURT CREATED. 
          IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WANTED TO DO. 
          IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE DECIDED TO DO. 
          MS. MALLOY, YOU WERE GONNA SAY SOMETHING? I'M, THAT WAS PROBABLY BEFORE MY TIME, BUT I COULD TELL YOU THAT THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE COURTHOUSE FOR THEM NOW. 
          OH, IT ISN'T NOW BECAUSE THEY MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE OTHER PEOPLE AND PUT THE MAGISTRATES OVER THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT WAS A CONSCIOUS DECISION BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE THAT'S NO LONGER THERE BACK WHEN I WAS CLERK OF THE COURT. 
          BUT I THINK WE WOULD ALL AGREE THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT. 
          SO, UH, ESPECIALLY IN THESE DAYS AND TIMES. 
          UM, COUNSEL, ANYONE ELSE AGAIN? MS. MALLOY, PLEASE, UH, GIVE, UH, JUDGE CURTIN OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES. 
          OKAY. 
          I WAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          HOW ARE YOU DOING SIR? I'M DOING GREAT. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD HERE TODAY, SIR? I HAVE NOTHING. 
          I THINK MS. MALLOY DID A WONDERFUL JOB. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR SITTING HERE ALL DAY AND LISTENING. 
          YOU, YOU BENEFIT FROM BEING THE LAST ONE, . 
          I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THIS WILL GO AHEAD AND CONCLUDE THIS, UH, WORK SESSION FOR THE TODAY. 
          AND WE'LL START RIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW MORNING.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.