Apr 28, 2025 County Council Budget Work Session

UM, THAT HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY AT NO CHARGE, WHICH BRINGS US INTO OUR BUDGET.

MORNING.

I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO ALLOW OUR BOARD PRESIDENT TO SPEAK FIRST.

ARE YOU SURE YOU WANNA DO THAT? SORRY, I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK.

GOOD MORNING, COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, MY NAME IS GEORGE HEMI, AND I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD FOR THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF HARFORD COUNTY.

WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE THIS MORNING TO PRESENT OUR BUDGET AND FOR YOUR CONS, UH, FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

JOINING ME TODAY ARE SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS.

WE HAVE JESSE BAIN, CHUCK WELLINGTON, JOAN RIDER, AND JOE CALERO.

I CALL HIM JOEY BAGS 'CAUSE I ALWAYS SCREW UP HIS LAST NAME.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

UM, AS YOU MAY KNOW OR MAY NOT KNOW, WE HAVE A NEWLY APPOINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMANDA HICKMAN.

AMANDA JOINS US WITH A BACKGROUND IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, A DEEP COMMITMENT TO SERVICE, AND WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WITH HER LEADERSHIP, WE WILL USHER IN A NEW ERA OF COLLABORATION AND PROGRESS FOR OUR ORGANIZATION.

WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO AMANDA.

THANK, GOOD MORNING COUNSEL.

UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, PRESENT THIS BUDGET AND TO SPEAK BEFORE YOU AGAIN, JUST TO ECHO, UH, WHAT GEORGE HAS STATED, WE DO DEEPLY APPRECIATE OUR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP AND YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS.

UH, YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU A COPY OF OUR BUDGET AS WELL AS OUR 2024 IMPACT REPORT, UM, AND SOME ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS THERE.

I WILL JUST BRIEFLY TOUCH ON THAT.

I'LL, I'LL READ THIS.

UM, I'M VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT AS OF 2024, THE SHELTER IS NOW FULLY STAFFED.

UM, THANKS TO THAT, A FULL AND QUALIFIED TEAM HAS ALLOWED US TO ENHANCE OUR SERVICE MODEL.

UM, THIS NOW INCLUDES THE LAUNCH OF A COMPREHENSIVE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR PROGRAM, SOMETHING THAT WE DID NOT HAVE PREVIOUSLY.

THIS INITIATIVE FOCUSES ON FEAR FREE REHABILITATION TECHNIQUES AIMED AT IMPROVING ADOPTION RATES AND REDUCING EUTHANASIA A TIMELY STEP AS WE FACE A NATIONAL TREND OF LONGER STAYS AND DECREASED ADOPTIONS.

WE'VE ALSO RECENTLY COMPLETED A ROBUST MARKETING PLAN THAT WILL AID IN GUIDING OUR STAFF IN THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE.

AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE ARE SEEING THESE SUCCESSES, UM, WE'RE SEEING A TROUBLING SHIFT IN TRENDS, UM, IN THE DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING FOR THE ANIMALS AS OF 2024.

SO, PUBLIC INTAKES HAVE DECREASED BY 7% FROM THE PUBLIC.

UM, BUT ANIMAL CONTROL INTAKES HAVE SURGED BY 34%.

SO THE COMPOSITION OF THE ANIMALS, THE WAY THAT THEY'RE BEING BROUGHT IN IS DIFFERENT.

UM, OF THOSE 34%, WE'VE SEEN A 157% INCREASE IN FARM ANIMALS AND EXOTIC ANIMALS.

UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH OUR BUILDING, BUT WE HAVE ONE BARN.

IT IS NOT INTENDED TO HOLD THAT MANY ANIMALS AT ONCE.

UM, OWNER SURRENDERS AND SEAS ANIMALS ARE BOTH UP SIGNIFICANTLY.

MANY OF THESE CASES REQUIRE LONGER STAYS, UM, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OR MEDICAL SUPPORT.

TODAY, 48% OF OUR INCOME COMES FROM THE COUNTY, WHILE 51% OF THE ANIMALS BROUGHT IN ARE FROM ANIMAL CONTROL.

IT IS A CLEAR STRAIN ON OUR RESOURCES.

AND THEN THE REMAINDER OF OUR BUDGET RELIES ON THE GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS.

WE WORK CLOSELY WITH ANIMAL CONTROL TO PREVENT THESE CASES WHEN POSSIBLE FROM ENTERING OUR SYSTEM AND COMING INTO OUR BUILDING.

BUT WHAT WE'RE REALIZING IS THAT HARTFORD COUNTY'S POPULATION IS GROWING WITH THAT AS A CONTINUED STRAIN ON OUR RESOURCES.

THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A HIGHER DEMAND FOR OUR SERVICES.

SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE CONTINUED ECONOMIC PRESSURES ARE HAVING AN IMPACT.

OUR, UM, PET FOOD PANTRY ALONE, IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT PROGRAM, OFFERS FREE SUPPORT TO THOSE IN NEED IN THE COMMUNITY.

WE SAW 53% INCREASE IN THOSE VISITS LAST YEAR.

SO THAT WAS 1700 BAGS OF FOOD,

[00:05:01]

FINANCIALLY, WE'VE BEEN OPERATING AT A DEFICIT.

WHILE WE ARE DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES RECOMMENDED INCREASE OF 150,000, OUR CURRENT TRAJECTORY IS UNSUSTAINABLE.

OUR OPERATING COSTS, WHICH HAVE RISEN APPROXIMATELY 25%, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR DUE TO INFLATION, INCREASED SUPPLY AND COSTS, UTILITY COSTS, MEDICAL EXPENSES, COUPLED WITH FLAT FUNDING FROM THE COUNTY FOR THE LAST TWO FISCAL YEARS HAVE HAD A COMPOUNDING EFFECT.

MOVING FORWARD.

OUR FINANCIAL STRATEGY INCLUDES, UM, A VERY AMBITIOUS FUNDRAISING GOAL.

WE'VE DOUBLED OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL FOR THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, UM, AS WELL AS WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, STAFF CUTS, UM, AND A POSSIBLE REDUCTION IN SERVICES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

UM, WITH THAT IN CONSIDERATION, IT MAY ALSO REQUIRE A REVISION TO OUR EXISTING MOU WITH THE COUNTY.

UM, SO WE'RE LIMITED, WE'RE LIMITED IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE STREAMS, UM, AND WHAT THOSE OPTIONS ARE.

UM, WE'RE EVALUATING ALL EXISTING FUNDRAISING EFFORTS MOVING FORWARD.

WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO BE RESPONSIBLE MOVING FORWARD.

SO WITH THAT ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD, OUR STAFF, OUR VOLUNTEERS, AND THE ANIMALS THAT DEPEND ON US.

I KEPT IT PRETTY BRIEF AND I WILL SAY, UH, I DID NOT BRING A DOG.

I KNOW THE LIBRARY STOLE OUR THUNDER WITH THAT.

SO, UH, NEXT TIME SO WE CAN GO GET ONE.

IF SO, I TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

ANIMALS THAT ARE ADOPTED OUT, UM, AND THEN MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO US ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO PLACE FOR A SECOND TIME.

UM, SO I JUST GOT A MESSAGE WHEN YOU SPEAK, IF YOU COULD SPEAK INTO THAT MICROPHONE, I'D APPRECIATE THAT.

BUT, UH, FIRST OF ALL, AMANDA, UH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE MEETING THAT WE HAD RECENTLY, AND I KNOW YOU WANNA HAVE ANOTHER ONE.

I, I BELIEVE I'M RIGHT THAT I, THAT YOU WANNA SCHEDULE ANOTHER ONE.

SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.

UM, THE ONE QUESTION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK TODAY AND IS, CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT ON SOME OF THE NEGATIVE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING AT THE MICROPHONE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT? UM, I, I KNOW THAT THE HUMANE SOCIETY DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB.

I, I KNOW THAT, AND I KNOW THERE'S ISSUES WITH EVERYTHING.

I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET INTO ANY TYPE OF HR ISSUES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT JUST GIVE ME SOME UNDERSTANDING OF WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE HEARING SOME NEGATIVE COMMENTS.

UM, SO I CAN'T NECESSARILY, UH, EXPLAIN WHY FOLKS ARE DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND WHY THEY'RE CHOOSING NOW TO DO THAT NECESSARILY.

UM, I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, UM, WE ARE HIGHLY VISIBLE.

UM, WE HAVE LEADERSHIP NOW.

UM, WE ARE GETTING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

I AM DOING MY VERY BEST, UM, TO, TO BE MORE VISIBLE.

UM, SO IT COULD BE A COMBINATION OF, WELL, NOW WE HAVE SPOTLIGHT ON US FOR OTHER REASONS.

UM, I WILL SAY IN TERMS OF THE NEGATIVITY AND THE SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD RECENTLY, UM, REGARDING OUR EUTHANASIA POLICY, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE AND FOR FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND, UM, OUR POLICY HAS NOT CHANGED.

THIS HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE, THIS IST NEW, UM, WHAT WE HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY IS STREAMLINE OUR APPROACH AND WE'VE OPTIMIZED THINGS.

WE HAVE WRITTEN POLICIES.

SO WHERE SOMETHING MAY NOT HAVE BEEN, UH, SET IN STONE WITH A WRITTEN POLICY PREVIOUSLY, IT IS NOW, UM, AND IT IS CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD.

UM, THERE ARE TWO METHODS.

I I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND.

THERE ARE TWO METHODS, UM, THAT ARE USED FOR US TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT EUTHANASIA IS THE CORRECT STEP.

UH, ONE BEING, UM, DIRECTED BY OUR MEDICAL DIRECTOR OR LEAD VET.

UM, SO THE RECOMMENDATION CAN COME FROM ANY ONE OF THE FOUR THAT WE NOW HAVE ON STAFF OR THE PATHWAYS COMMITTEE.

SO THIS COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF LEADERSHIP FROM EVERY DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.

WE LOOK AT, UM, ANY ANIMAL THAT IS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, ANY ANIMAL THAT IS RECOMMENDED, UM, THAT WE NEED TO LOOK INTO, MAYBE NOT NECESSARILY FOR EUTHANASIA, BUT WE HAVE THESE COMMITTEE MEETINGS ONCE A WEEK.

UM, AND WE GO OVER ANY ANIMAL THAT A VOLUNTEER CAN RECOMMEND NEEDS SOME ADDITIONAL LOVE OR ATTENTION, UM, TO THOSE THAT OUR MEDICAL TEAM IS RECOMMENDING.

WE LOOK AT, AND IT IS DURING THOSE MEETINGS THAT WE WOULD THEN DECIDE WHICH DIRECTION WE'RE TAKING.

UM, SO THOSE DECISIONS ARE NOT MADE BY ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL.

UM, YOU KNOW, RANDOMLY WE LOOK AT THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE.

UM, WE LOOK AT POTENTIAL PLACEMENT FOR THAT ANIMAL.

UM, WE KNOW THAT

[00:10:01]

THEY COME BACK, UM, WITH SCARS, SO THEY'RE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT.

UM, SO THOSE ARE THE TWO METHODS.

THE OTHER, THE OTHER AREA THAT I'D LIKE TO NOTE IS, I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN, UM, IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS WELL, A SHELTER AND A PRIVATE PRACTICE, PRIVATE VETERINARY PRACTICE ARE VERY DIFFERENT, TOTALLY DIFFERENT BEASTS.

UM, SHELTERS NEED TO, UM, NEED TO WORRY ABOUT POPULATION MANAGEMENT.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING, THIS IS AN AREA THAT A PRIVATE PRACTICE DOES NOT HAVE TO CONSIDER.

SO WHEN WE HAVE AN OUTBREAK OF A COMMUNICABLE DISEASE, THAT WILL AFFECT QUITE LITERALLY THE ENTIRE POPULATION.

SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS, UM, THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT FOR THE GOOD OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION.

CAN I TAKE A QUESTION? SURE.

SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY A COUPLE QUICK THINGS.

SO OUR BUSINESS IS VERY PASSIONATE, AS YOU CAN TELL AMANDA'S PASSION, I'M PASSIONATE, AND FOLKS OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER ARE VERY PASSIONATE TOO.

AND I, AND I CAN APPRECIATE THAT.

HOWEVER, SOME OF THE PASSION, UM, GETS UNWIELDY AND IT BECOMES ALMOST, UM, AGGRESSIVE.

WE'VE ADDRESSED EVERY SINGLE ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN OUT THERE, AND IT SEEMS LIKE ONCE WE DO SOMETHING ELSE POPS UP.

SO WE'VE CHOSEN TO TO, TO ADDRESS WHAT WE FEEL IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT AND LET OUR STATISTICS AND OUR NUMBERS SHOW FOR US.

THERE WAS SOMETHING SAYING THAT OUR EUTHANASIA RATE IS SKYROCKETING.

OUR EUTHANASIA RATE IS STILL WELL UNDER 90%, WHICH IS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD.

THERE ARE SHELTERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THAT LITERALLY WILL WALK THROUGH AND PICK DOGS AND CATS AND ANIMALS THAT THEY WILL EUTHANIZE FOR SPACE.

WE, UNLIKE THAT, RENTED A CIRCUS TENT LAST YEAR TO HOUSE 17 DOGS THAT WERE BROUGHT IN FROM A, FROM A SEIZURE CASE.

SO WE'RE NOT OUT PICKING BLACK DOGS WHO ARE NOT GONNA BE ADOPTED TO EUTHANIZE THEM.

WE ARE NOT EUTHANIZING ANIMALS THAT ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE EUTHANIZED BECAUSE OF HEALTH OR BEHAVIOR REASONS.

EVERY POST OR EVERY INQUIRY THAT GOES OUT THERE AND STARTS A STIR TAKES WEEKS OF EFFORT TO DISARM THAT AND BRING IT DOWN.

AND THAT HARMS THE SHELTER MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

SO GEORGE, I'M THE LAST PERSON YOU NEED TO TALK TO ABOUT YOUR PASSION.

, I SEE IT, I SEE IT EVERY DAY, UH, THROUGH ROTARY.

I SEE THE PASSION THAT JOEY BRINGS TO THE TABLE.

I SEE THE PASSION THAT OUR FORMER SHERIFF BRINGS TO THE TABLE.

SO I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ALL ARE THERE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.

THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

AND LISTEN, LEMME SAY ONE OTHER THING IF WE'RE WRONG, I MEAN, YOU LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES, AND I AM, I AM AND WE ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO IDENTIFY ANY MISTAKES THAT WE'VE MADE AND CORRECT THEM GOING FORWARD.

HOWEVER, WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ANY THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING WRONG.

EUTHANASIA THE PARVO OUTBREAK, EVERYTHING AMANDA HAD, HAD BEEN THERE FOR ONE MONTH OR TWO MONTHS, CAME IN WITHOUT A ANIMAL BACKGROUND AND TOOK A PROBLEM LIKE THAT AND MANAGED IT BETTER THAN ANYBODY HAS EVER SEEN.

UM, MR. JAN JORDANA.

UM, MANDY, GOOD MORNING, GEORGE.

UM, JUST LOOKING AT YOUR FUNDRAISING, I, I THINK IT'S, UM, COMMENDABLE THAT YOU GUYS DO RAISE A LOT OF MONEY.

I SEE SOME OF THEM ONES ARE GOING UP, SOME GOING DOWN, UH, LIKE BINGO.

UM, YOU STARTED OFF WITH NOTHING AND 26 GRAND AND UP TO 40 GRAND AND THERE'S A PHOENIX FUND DONATION THAT LOOKS LIKE IT FELL OFF AND THEN MAYBE COMING BACK.

UM, IS THAT A PRIVATE FUND OR WHAT'S PHOENIX FUND DONATION? THE PHOENIX FUND DONATION, UM, IS WHAT WE USE.

THERE'S GREAT, GREAT, UH, VALUE IN THAT AND WE THINK THAT'S GONNA HELP THE SHELTER GREATLY IN RAISING MONEY.

UM, IT IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE ILL AND CRITICAL ANIMALS THAT COME THROUGH OUR DOOR, SO THAT IS FULLY FUNDED BY DONATIONS.

OKAY, GREAT.

UM, NOW I, NOW I COMMEND YOU GUYS FOR TRYING TO RAISE MONEY TO SUPPLEMENT, UM, WHAT YOU NEED.

AND I KNOW YOU'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY FROM THE COUNTY AND SOME OTHER PLACES WE'RE FLAT FUNDED, BUT, UM, UM, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY MY ONLY QUESTION.

IT WAS JUST LOOKING AT YOUR, YOUR, UM, FUNDRAISERS AND SEEING SOME OF 'EM UP AT SOME OF THEM DOWN AND NOT SURE HOW YOU CAN GET THEM BACK UP AGAIN AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE COULD HELP YOU WITH.

BUT, UH, YEAH, TONY, TO YOUR POINT WITH THAT, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE A LOOK AT A LOT OF THE FUNDRAISERS AND GET AWAY FROM, FROM THE BASKET BINGOS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND WE, WE HAVE IN PLACE SOMETHING THAT'S CALLED THE VOSS SOCIETY, WHICH IS, I WON'T GET TOO FAR INTO THE WEEDS, BUT IT'S INDIVIDUALS WHO GIVE A THOUSAND DOLLARS OR MORE FOR A THREE YEAR PERIOD.

MRS. VOS IS THE ONE WHO DONATED THE LAND AND STARTED THE SHELTER.

WE THINK

[00:15:01]

AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT LIKE, I MEAN, I BELIEVE IN BULL ROASTING FUNCTIONS, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THE THOUSAND DOLLARS IS GONNA GO DIRECTLY TO THE SHELTER.

IT'S A THOUSAND DOLLARS.

IT'S NOT LIKE 900 OF IT WILL, AND THEN OTHERS WILL GO TO EXPENSES.

SO WE'RE EXCITED AMANDA'S GETTING HER ARMS AROUND THE SHELTER.

WE'RE GONNA START KICKING THAT OFF IN ABOUT A MONTH.

UM, MISSING OFF.

UM, GOOD MORNING.

SO, UM, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

YOU GUYS ARE IN DISTRICT B.

UM, MY FAMILY AND I HAVE DONATED A CAR A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND THANK YOU.

UM, I WOULD LOVE, IT WAS A VERY SEAMLESS PROCESS, SO I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF WE CAN GET MORE INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITY ON HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING THAT.

UM, I ALSO COME FROM AN AGRICULTURAL BACKGROUND.

UM, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH YOUR GUYS' PET SUPPLY DONATION, LIKE DOG FOOD, CAT FOOD, BEDS, TOYS, STUFF LIKE THAT.

IS THERE ANY ASSISTANCE YOU GUYS NEED FOR THE AGRICULTURAL, UH, CLIENTS, FOR LACK OF BETTER TERMS THAT YOU GUYS SERVE? ? UM, SO YES, WE CERTAINLY WOULD ACCEPT DONATIONS THERE AS WELL.

WE ALWAYS NEED STRAW.

THAT BARN.

I MEAN, IT HAS TO BE CLEANED EVERY SINGLE DAY.

UM, AND REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT WE HAVE.

RIGHT NOW.

I THINK WE ONLY HAVE CHICKENS THANKFULLY, BUT WE KNOW WE HAVE, UM, TWO GOATS, UH, 60 PIGS.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF SHEEP THAT, UM, ANIMAL CONTROL IS WORKING ON RIGHT NOW THAT COULD BE MAKING THEIR WAY TO US SHORTLY.

UM, SO CERTAINLY STRAW, UM, FEED OR, UM, WE ALWAYS MAINTAIN A WISHLIST ON AMAZON AND WALMART.

UM, WE ALWAYS SHARE WHEN WE HAVE AN IMMEDIATE NEED.

SO SAY WE SEE A MASSIVE INFLUX IN THOSE FARM ANIMALS, UM, WE WILL POST SOMETHING TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS SO THAT FOLKS KNOW THIS IS THE ISSUE WE'VE GOT RIGHT NOW AND THIS IS WHAT WE NEED.

SO I WOULD DEFINITELY FOLLOW THAT TOO.

AND ALONG THAT NOTE, I SEE YOU GUYS, UM, ARE YOU GUYS GONNA BE DOING AN OVERHAUL OF YOUR WEBSITE? I SEE THAT THERE'S, UH, A NEED THERE.

SO WE ACTUALLY JUST COMPLETED OUR MARKETING PLAN.

WE DID NOT HAVE ONE IN PLACE PREVIOUSLY, SO THAT'S BEEN FULLY DEVELOPED AND WE ARE IN IMPLEMENTATION NOW.

WITH THAT COMES A BRAND NEW WEBSITE.

OUR CURRENT WEBSITE IS EVERY BIT OF 10 YEARS OLD.

, IT'S CLUNKY.

UM, IT'S DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE.

SO, UM, YES, I HOPE TO BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT, UM, HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.

SOUNDS GOOD, MS. BROWN, GOOD MORNING.

AND, AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, THIS LOVELY SHEET THAT'S HERE.

UM, AND I SEE THAT YOU RECEIVE SOME GRANTS.

IS THAT A POSSIBILITY FOR YOU GUYS TO GET MORE GRANTS? UM, ARE THERE OTHER GRANTS OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP YOU, UM, KIND OF FINANCIALLY SUSTAIN A LITTLE BIT BETTER? SO, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I TOOK A LOOK AT WHEN I FIRST CAME ON BOARD.

IT'S DEFINITELY, UH, THERE ARE PROGRAMS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE.

WE'RE LIMITED AGAIN IN THOSE AS WELL.

UM, ONE IN PARTICULAR BEING THE MARYLAND SPAY AND NEUTER GRANT, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LOVE TO PURSUE IN THE FUTURE THAT WOULD COVER THE COST OF, UH, SPAY AND NEUTER FOR BOTH, UM, RESCUE ANIMALS, UM, AS WELL AS PUBLIC PETS RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND THIS IS, UH, WHAT I'D LIKE TO PURSUE IN THE FUTURE, TO, TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW, BASED ON OUR ZONING AND OUR USE, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES TO PETS.

THEY HAVE TO STRICTLY BE OUR IN-HOUSE ANIMALS THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, PERFORMING THOSE SURGERIES ON.

SO THAT GRANT IS ABSOLUTELY A POSSIBILITY, UM, BUT WE'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO PURSUE THAT CURRENTLY.

AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OUT THERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO ASSIST WITH SOME OF THAT.

HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO THEM ABOUT THAT SPAY AND NEUTER PROJECTS? SO WE, UM, WE DO HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER RESCUES THAT WE DO SERVE FOR THEIR SPAY AND NEUTER.

UM, WE HAVE A VERY, UH, LIMITED NUMBER OF SPOTS THAT, UH, WE FILL FOR THOSE RESCUE PARTNERS.

UM, WE HAVE BEEN SPENDING THE BULK OF OUR TIME RECENTLY ON OUR ANIMALS.

UM, SO WE HAVEN'T HAD A GREAT DEAL OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OPEN SPACE IN OUR SCHEDULING FOR THOSE SURGERIES.

BUT YES, WE DO HAVE THOSE PARTNERSHIPS ESTABLISHED AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU MR. ROBERT.

MR. BEN.

$525,000 GAP THAT EXISTS BETWEEN WHAT YOU ASKED FOR AND, AND, UM, WHAT YOU'RE GETTING.

UM, GOOD TO BE WITH Y'ALL.

UM, FIRST I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UH, WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR BUDGET VERSUS WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR BUDGET.

I SAW THAT ON, UH, YOUR BUDGET SHEET THAT YOU SHARED WITH US, THAT YOU HAD $1,862,000 FROM THE COUNTY LISTED AS YOUR BUDGETED.

IS THAT YOUR ASK? THAT IS OUR ORIGINAL ASK.

CORRECT.

AND WE HAVE BUDGETED FOR 1,337,000.

SO THAT'S A $520,000,

[00:20:02]

AND I DO KNOW IN OUR PREVIOUS BUDGETS THAT HAVE COME FORWARD SINCE THIS COUNCIL'S BEEN HERE, AND THIS ADMINISTRATION'S BEEN HERE, YOU'VE BEEN FLAT FUNDED, UH, UP UNTIL THIS YEAR, AND THERE'S A SMALL INCREASE THIS YEAR.

BUT, UM, IS THAT A, A BIG REASON FOR THE, THE STRAIN YOU'RE SPEAKING OF, UH, BEING THERE AND THE DEFICIT THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF BEING THERE? ABSOLUTELY.

AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE I KNOW FROM MY, UH, PERSONAL CAREER, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S NO MONEY FOR ME TO GET, UH, NEW MATERIALS OR SUPPLIES FOR MY STUDENTS, I'M USING, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, MAYBE, UH, BEATEN AND BORROWED THINGS THAT DON'T LOOK THE BEST.

AND THEN SOMEBODY SAYS, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHY IS MY KID USING THIS DIRTY OLD TOY IN CENTERS? WELL, THE DIRTY OLD TOY IS ALL I HAVE 'CAUSE THERE'S NO MONEY FOR A NEW TOY.

UM, IS SOME OF THE, UM, LIKE NEGATIVE STORIES THAT WE'RE HEARING OF, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE ONE THAT REALLY STUCK WITH ME WAS A WATER BOWL BEING FROZEN IN THE WINTERTIME.

IS SOME OF THAT ROOTED IN THE BUDGET STRAIN THAT YOU GUYS ARE UNDER RIGHT NOW? IS LIKE, ARE THOSE TWO THINGS INTERTWINED? YES AND NO.

UM, SO WE HAVE, UM, AT ANY ONE TIME WE HAVE 66 DOG KENNELS AND 61 CAT KENNELS.

UM, WE ARE SHORT STAFFED WHEN FOLKS CALL OUT.

UM, THEY SIMPLY CAN'T GET TO EVERYWHERE.

THEY NEED TO BE IN THE BUILDING AT ALL TIMES.

SO, UM, SOMETIMES IT IS JUST VERY SIMPLE.

UM, THE BOWL HAS BEEN MOVED, THE DOG HAS MOVED IT OVER TO THE GUILLOTINE DOOR, AND IT IS FEBRUARY.

IT IS VERY COLD.

THE WIND IS COMING IN AND NOW THE WATER'S FROZEN.

THE FLOORS ARE HEATED IN THOSE KENNELS.

THE DOGS ARE FINE.

THE KENNELS THEMSELVES NEVER REACH BELOW 61 DEGREES.

THEY'RE ALWAYS HUMANE.

UM, SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS.

WE RELY ON OUR VOLUNTEERS HEAVILY.

THEY ARE WONDERFUL AND ESSENTIAL TO OUR OPERATIONS.

UM, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT, AGAIN, THEIR STANDARDS COMPARED TO SHELTER STANDARDS MAY SIMPLY BE DIFFERENT.

WE RECEIVE THOSE COMPLAINTS FROM THEM AS WELL.

THEY ARE VERY QUICK TO COME AND FIND ME IN MY OFFICE AND TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON.

UM, AND WE'RE ABLE TO ADDRESS THEM QUICKLY.

UM, AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS JUST ABOUT FUTURE PLANNING.

YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF TALK THAT WE MAY BE, UH, ENTERING A RECESSION AND WE KNOW, LIKE HISTORICALLY WHEN WE ENTER ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS, THAT THAT INCREASES THE STRESS AND STRAIN ON ORGANIZATIONS LIKE YOUR OWN, AS FAMILIES MAKE THIS TOUGH DECISION TO SAY, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FEED OUR DOG OR CAT.

AND THEY EITHER BRING 'EM DIRECTLY TO YOU OR RELEASE 'EM AND THEN ANIMAL CONTROL BRINGS 'EM TO YOU.

UM, I GUESS WHAT WORK ARE YOU ALL DOING TO PREPARE FOR THAT SEASON? WE MAY BE ENTERING, UH, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALREADY UNDER A LOT, UH, OF STRAIN TO, TO OPERATE WITH WHAT IS GOING ON CURRENTLY.

AND WE MAY BE ENTERING A SEASON WHERE THERE'S MORE DOGS AND, UH, CATS AND OTHER ANIMALS, YOU KNOW, OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

UH, YOU KNOW, ANIMAL STATISTICS? SO, UM, FOLKS CAN ACTUALLY VISIT THE SHELTER PET DATA ALLIANCE WEBSITE.

UM, SO WE'RE GOING TO FEEL THAT CRUNCH.

WE'RE ALREADY SEEING IT AND WE ANTICIPATE IT.

UM, WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD OUT FURTHER OUR FOSTER PROGRAM, UM, AND OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER RESCUES.

WE NEED THEM.

WE NEED THEM TO PULL THESE ANIMALS.

UM, WE EXPECT IT TO GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER.

NOW, MR. BENNETT, AND TO YOUR POINT, UM, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE THE PANTRY, THAT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A SMALL THING IS SUCH A HUGE THING BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL COME IN AND SAY, I NEED TO SURRENDER MY ANIMAL.

AND WE'RE LIKE, WELL, WHY? AND THEY CAN'T SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD THE FOOD.

SO AS SILLY AS IT SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE SOMEBODY A BAG OF FOOD, UM, IT HELPS.

SO WE TRY TO, TO, UM, NOT HAVE FOLKS SURRENDER THEIR ANIMALS.

AND TO YOUR POINT ALSO ABOUT BEING A TEACHER, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.

I COMMEND YOU.

WE ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE SO PASSIONATE THAT FOLKS BEQUEST MONEY TO US EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WE ARE DOING CASH ANALYSIS EVERY SINGLE DAY.

AND UNLIKE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, UNLIKE OTHER NONPROFITS, WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH THAT IF WE HAVE TO ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL AND, AND PULL FROM OUR PORTFOLIO TO MAKE UP A SHORT FALLING, WE CAN DO THAT.

BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT FOR LONG BECAUSE OUR NEST EGG, IT'S JUST LIKE A SAVINGS ACCOUNT, RIGHT? IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN, YOU HAVE A HUNDRED BUCKS IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN IT MUCH LONGER.

UM, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, UM, A FREQUENT REQUEST WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IS TO MOVE FROM QUARTERLY, UH, UH, STATISTICAL RELEASE TO MONTHLY FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE HAD CONVERSATION ABOUT? AND I WAS CURIOUS WHAT THE COST WOULD BE TO, UH, TO DO MONTHLY UPDATES ON,

[00:25:01]

IT'S SHELTER PET DATA ALLIANCE.ORG.

UM, WE SUBMIT OUR DATA THERE MONTHLY.

IT ACTUALLY PULLS DIRECTLY FROM OUR PET POINT SYSTEM, WHICH IS OUR INVENTORY, UM, FOR OUR ANIMALS.

SO THEY CAN VISIT THERE FOR, YOU KNOW, MONTHLY DATA.

UH, WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE SORT OF A, A DASHBOARD OR ANYWHERE ON OUR WEBSITE CURRENTLY TO HOUSE THAT DATA.

WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT YET.

SO WITH THE NEW WEBSITE, MY INTENT IS TO HAVE THAT DASHBOARD AVAILABLE.

UM, WITH THAT THOUGH, WE, WE NEED TO SIT DOWN AND DETERMINE HOW WE WANT TO SHARE THAT DATA.

UM, HOW YOU CALCULATE SAY THE LIVE RELEASE RATE, YOU KNOW, IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY ORGANIZATION.

SO, UH, WE SIMPLY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN HOW WE ARE SHARING THAT BECAUSE IT IS JUST OPEN TO INTERPRET INTERPRETATION.

I WANT IT TO BE TRANSPARENT AND CLEAR TO UNDERSTAND.

BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.

I THINK, UM, IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THE BUDGET, IF YOU COULD FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE THE OPERATIONAL COSTS TO, TO IMPLEMENT SOMETHING LIKE THAT MONTHLY, I THINK THAT INCREASED TRANSPARENCY MAY HELP TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE DOUBT AND MISGIVING IN THE COMMUNITY IF THEY FELT LIKE, OH, I CAN SEE THAT RIGHT AWAY.

UM, BUT ALSO I KNOW WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT ADDITIONAL WORK IN COST AND ADDITIONAL MONEY.

AND SO FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE FOR YOU ALL TO, TO HAVE THE MONEY THAT NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, I THINK IS SOMETHING ACTIONABLE WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP WITH AND HELP SOME OF THE COMMUNITY CONCERNS WE'RE HEARING ABOUT.

GREAT.

THANK YOU MR. BENNETT.

MS. SOS, THANK YOU.

UM, YOU GUYS DO A WONDERFUL JOB AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.

UM, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION.

IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN INCREASE THE SHELTER REVENUE WITH THE RESOURCES THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE? CERTAINLY.

SO, UM, WHAT I TOUCHED ON EARLIER IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE ARE EXPLORING IN TERMS OF OUR CURRENT APPROVED ZONING USE.

UM, I KNOW THIS MAY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP IN THE PAST, UM, BY A PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET, UM, BACK TO EXPLORING THE, UH, REVISION AND THE DEFINITION OF A SHELTER, ANIMAL SHELTER, UM, FOR HARTFORD COUNTY RIGHT NOW THAT PREVENTS US FROM BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE LOW COST SPAY NEUTER SERVICES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

WE HAVE THE RESOURCES, WE HAVE THE BUILDING, WE HAVE THE CLINIC, WE HAVE THE STAFF, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT NOW, AND I THINK WE HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO OFFER THAT TO THE PUBLIC.

UM, WE'RE BEING HELD UP BY LANGUAGE.

I WILL BE IN TOUCH ABOUT THAT.

MS. SONS.

MR. ANA, IS THERE ANYWHERE ON YOUR WEBSITE WHERE IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO GO AND DONATE THAT THEY CAN DO THAT AUTOMATICALLY? AND DO YOU HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF HOW MUCH, LIKE 500 GIVES YOU HOW MANY DOGS OR CATS THAT FEEDS? IS THAT SOMETHING ON THERE THAT SOMEBODY COULD SEE THAT AND SAYS, IF I GIVE 500, I'LL FEED THIS AND IF I'LL GIVE A THOUSAND ON FEED THAT? SO, UH, THERE IS THE ABILITY TO DONATE DIRECTLY ON OUR WEBSITE.

IT'S ACTUALLY AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN.

UM, HOWEVER THAT WHAT YOU'RE UM, BRINGING UP IS FANTASTIC BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THAT AND HAVING THE ABILITY TO DO THAT WITH THE NEW WEBSITE, UM, THROUGH SPONSORING A PET.

AND THAT WOULD GIVE THE BREAKDOWN ON, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY BAGS OF FOOD, UM, FOR THIS DOG IN PARTICULAR AND AND THINGS LIKE THAT MOVING FORWARD.

SO I LOVE THAT IDEA AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PURSUING.

SO, UM, I KNOW THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN VERY GENEROUS TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY OVER THE YEARS.

UM, SEVERAL IN PARTICULAR.

UM, BUT VOLUNTEERS, YOU MAY HAVE TOUCHED ON IT, I MAY HAVE MISSED IT.

HOW MANY VOLUNTEERS DO YOU HAVE THERE? WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 250 ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS RIGHT NOW.

UM, CITIZENS, MR. TIPS, THANK YOU FOR, UH, ENLIGHTENING US.

UM, I HEARD YOU SAY THE, NOW YOU HAVE 60 PIGS ON THE PREMISES, POTENTIALLY.

POTENTIALLY.

SO ANIMAL CONTROL IS, UM, WORKING WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROPERTY OWNER TO TRY TO, UH, DIVERT THE PIGS SPECIFICALLY FROM COMING TO US.

WE'RE TRYING, TRYING TO WORK WITH USDA TO GET THEM OUT.

UM, BUT ULTIMATELY IF THEY DO HAVE TO REMOVE THEM ALL AT ONCE, THEY WILL MAKE THEIR WAY TO US.

OH, IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DON'T HAVE THEM ON SITE AS OKAY.

THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING AT.

I'VE SAID, HOLY COW.

THEY CAN'T, THERE'S WAY.

[00:30:01]

ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

JUST GOOD SEEING YOU.

GOOD SEEING TOO.

YES, MR. JESSE, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD TO SEE YOU.

WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, SIR.

UM, SO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPEARS ON PAGE 500.

THE COUNTY HAS ALLOCATED A TOTAL OF SE OF 351,079,748 FOR FY 26 AND TWO BUDGETARY COST CENTERS ALL FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

OPERATING BEGINS ON PAGE 5 0 3.

THERE'S A TOTAL OF 347,602,277 PER FY 26, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 26,249,875 OVER FY 25.

THESE FUNDS EXCEED THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT AMOUNT BY 27,256,215.

BOARD OF EDUCATION SUPPORT BEGINS ON PAGE 5 0 5.

THIS IS A NEW COST CENTER CREATED FOR BETTER ACCOUNTING OF COUNTY FUNDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL PURPOSES.

FUNDS BUDGETED HERE ARE MANAGED BY HARTFORD COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE BOARD OF ED AND OR THE MARYLAND STATE PENSION SYSTEM AS APPROPRIATE.

THERE'S A TOTAL BUDGET OF 3,477,471 CONTRACTUAL SERVICES FUNDING TOTALS 91,986 TO PROVIDE FOR COUNTY ICT SUPPORT OF VOIP SERVICE IN SCHOOL LOCATIONS.

AND THEN MISCELLANEOUS FUNDING TOTALS 3,385,485 FOR, FOR THE STATE MANDATED COST SHIFT TO COUNTY GOVERNMENT FOR TEACHER PENSIONS.

AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE WILL BE CAPITAL TO FOLLOW THE OPERATING.

AND THAT BEGINS ON PAGE 1 32 WHEN WE GET TO THAT TIME.

SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO PRESIDENT POINTIN.

UH, GOOD MORNING PRESIDENT VINCENTI AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL.

SOME BRIEF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE DETAILS.

AS YOU KNOW, I'M AARON POINTIN, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, JOINED TODAY BY, UH, SUPERINTENDENT DR.

SEAN BALSON, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS DEBORAH JUDD AND KATHY BENDIS, AS WELL AS SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE IN OUR AUDIENCE.

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF THE 2026 HCPS BUDGET.

AT THE START OF THIS YEAR.

THE BOARD WORKED CLOSELY WITH OUR FUNDING PARTNERS AT THE STATE AND COUNTY LEVEL, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THEIR FEEDBACK AND THE FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS THAT WE FACED.

WE ASKED THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DEVELOP A BUDGET THAT WAS BOTH REALISTIC AND MET THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

THROUGH CLOSE COLLABORATION, THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET.

THE 2026 UNRESTRICTED OPERATING BUDGET REQUEST IS $670 MILLION, WHICH IS A 2.6% INCREASE OVER THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

NOTABLY, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS STEPPED UP WITH AN 8% INCREASE TO THE COUNTY SHARE, HELPING TO COVER THE GAPS FROM THE STATE, INCLUDING INCREASED PENSION COSTS AND BLUEPRINT REQUIREMENTS.

THIS BRINGS THE COUNTY REQUEST TO 347.6 MILLION.

HOWEVER, EVEN WITH THESE INCREASES, THE COST OF OPERATING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM CONTINUES TO RISE, DRIVEN BY INFLATION, HIGHER INSURANCE, AND PENSION COSTS, UNFUNDED MANDATES AND SKYROCKETING ENERGY PRICES.

AS A RESULT, WE HAD TO MAKE SOME DIFFICULT DECISIONS BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF OUR REVENUE SUPPORTS OUR EMPLOYEES.

THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL SAVINGS WAS TO REDUCE STAFF.

NEXT YEAR, WE EXPECT TO ELIMINATE 160 POSITIONS ACROSS THE SYSTEM, PRIMARILY THROUGH ATTRITION, RETIREMENTS, AND RESIGNATIONS.

WITH NO ANTICIPATED INVOLUNTARY LAYOFFS, STILL FEWER EDUCATORS AND FEWER SUPPORT STAFF WILL MEAN HEAVIER WORKLOADS AND SLIGHTLY LARGER CLASS SIZES.

ON AVERAGE, ABOUT ONE TO TWO STUDENTS PER CLASSROOM.

DISTRICT-WIDE, THIS DECISION WASN'T MADE LIGHTLY.

IT COMES AT A TIME WHEN TEACHING IS MORE

[00:35:01]

CHALLENGING THAN EVER.

AS WE CONTINUE TO ADDRESS COVID RELATED, RELATED LEARNING LOSSES, INCREASING STATE MANDATES, AND EVOLVING SAFETY AND SECURITY NEEDS.

DESPITE THESE CHALLENGES, THE POSITION CUTS WERE MADE STRATEGICALLY KEEPING THE BOARD'S TOP PRIORITIES IN MIND, NOTABLY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.

ADDITIONALLY, WE WERE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT OUR HARDWORKING EDUCATORS WHO ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR SYSTEM, STILL RECEIVE BOTH A STEP INCREASE AND A COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT.

ASIDE FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET, THE BOARD HAS REQUESTED 123 MILLION IN CAPITAL BUDGET.

OF THAT 51 MILLION IS PROPOSED TO BE FUNDED.

OF THAT 51 MILLION, 43 MILLION IS FOR STATE SUPPORTED PROJECTS WHERE IF WE DON'T GET STATE, WHERE WE WILL NOT GET STATE FUNDING UNLESS THE COUNTY COMMITS ITS PORTION.

THESE FUNDS ARE DEDICATED TO SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING RED INNOVATIONS AT SEED, MILTON WRIGHT AND HARTFORD TECH, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW HARTFORD ACADEMY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BEL AIR.

THESE INVESTMENTS ARE CRITICAL TO SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS AND OUR EDUCATORS.

IN CLOSING, I WANT TO THANK THE COUNTY COUNCIL FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP.

WE HOPE TO SEE THIS BUDGET FULLY FUNDED SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE DELIVERING FOR THE STUDENTS AND THE FAMILIES OF HARTFORD COUNTY.

AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR SUPERINTENDENT, DR. SEAN OLSON, FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

I WOULD JUST SAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.

DR. OLSON, COULD YOU BRING THAT MIKE OVER PLEASE? SORRY.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.

UM, A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE INTO DEVELOPING SOMETHING THAT BALANCES BOTH THE NEEDS OF THE COUNTY AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AND JUST ONE MORE TIME, PULL IT A LITTLE CLOSER TO A LITTLE CLOSER.

THERE YOU GO.

WELL, I WAS JUST, I'M JUST GONNA ACTUALLY TAKE THIS AND HAND IT OFF NOW TO DEBORAH WHO'S GONNA WORK THROUGH THE SPECIFIC DETAIL, AND I'LL BE HERE FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS.

AWESOME, .

CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES.

STUDENT SAFETY LIAISON POSITIONS, UH, TOTAL $1.1 MILLION.

UM, SO I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH THE OPERATING AND CAPITAL PROPOSED BUDGETS, AND WE WILL TAKE QUESTIONS WHEN WE'RE THROUGH.

SO, DR.

POINTIN RAN THROUGH SOME OF THE NUMBERS.

OUR UNRESTRICTED FUND, UH, FOR FY 26 IS $670 MILLION, WHICH IS A 2.6% INCREASE.

AND OUR RESTRICTED, WHICH IS OUR, UM, GRANTS AND RESTRICTED FUNDS COMING FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES, MAKES UP OUR CURRENT EXPENSE FUNDS.

SO A TOTAL OF 3.6% INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR.

WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW OUR REVENUE WAS BROKEN DOWN, UM, OUR LOCAL REQUEST WAS 26.2 MILLION.

OUR STATE ESTIMATED NUMBER IS 10.7 MILLION, AND WE WERE PROPOSING TO REDUCE THE USE OF FUND BALANCE BY 20 MILLION FOR FY 26.

NOW, THE LOCAL REVENUE THAT IS PROPOSED RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN THE 26 MILLION.

AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE PENSION SHIFT THAT MR. LLOYD REFERENCED, UM, TO THE COUNTY.

SO THE COUNTY IS TRANSFERRING AN ADDITIONAL THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO PAY FOR THAT PENSION BILL.

WHEN WE DO RECEIVE THAT, THE STATE NUMBER, WE DO ANTICIPATE GOING DOWN SLIGHTLY BECAUSE OF THE SHIFT IN NON-PUBLIC COSTS, UH, TO THE LOCALS AS WELL.

SO WE'LL FINALIZE ALL OF THOSE BUDGET DETAILS WHEN WE RECONCILE FOR JUNE.

WE STILL NEED SOME MORE DETAILS FROM THE STATE ON THAT.

SO BRIEFLY, GOING THROUGH THE REQUEST THAT WE HAVE BY LINE ITEM, WE HAD A SALARY AND WAGE PACKAGE OF $12.9 MILLION, REDUCING STAFF SYSTEM WIDE.

THIS INDICATES 167 POSITIONS FOR $15.4 MILLION.

THAT WAS USING AN AVERAGE COST OF SALARY.

SO THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF FTE WILL VARY SLIGHTLY FROM THAT.

FOR OUR CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT AREAS, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ADDITION OF NINE FTE FOR THE PRE-K EXPANSION GRANT THAT WE ARE USING THIS YEAR.

AND THEN PART OF THAT GRANT IS THEY REQUIRE THE NINE FTE TO BE ROLLED INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.

THAT'S A TOTAL OF $1.1 MILLION ELECTRICITY.

BASED ON THE ESTIMATES WE HAVE, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN INCREASE OF ALMOST $3 MILLION THAT WE NEED TO INCLUDE IN THE OPERATING BUDGET INSURANCE AND OTHER FIXED CHARGES.

THIS IS THE PENSION.

IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL SHIFT OF THE PENSION IN THIS NUMBER.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR NORMAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BOTH ACTIVE EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS RETIREES.

AND WE HAVE AN INCREASE FOR OUR OPEP CONTRIBUTION.

WE HAD OPEP IN THE BUDGET, WE HAD TO REMOVE IT FOR THIS YEAR IN ORDER TO BALANCE.

AND WE ARE TRYING TO PUT SOME MORE BACK IN FOR NEXT YEAR.

AND THEN OUR GENERAL PROPERTY IN GENERAL, LIABILITY INSURANCE INCREASES, AND FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, ANOTHER LARGE PRIORITY FOR THE BUD FOR THE BOARD.

UM, 10 ADDITIONAL SSL POSITIONS, UM,

[00:40:01]

AND THEN OUR CONTRACTED BUS INCREASE OF A MILLION DOLLARS AS WELL.

SO THIS IS SIMPLY A SUMMARY OF WHAT I'VE JUST GONE THROUGH, SHOWING, UM, A REDUCTION NET REDUCTION OF POSITIONS OF 148 TOTAL OF $16.7 MILLION INCREASE TO THE OPERATING BUDGET.

OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, WE HAVE SEVERAL SLIDES ON HERE JUST TO MAKE IT SO THAT IT WAS LEGIBLE , UM, MULTIPLE COLUMNS HERE WE HAVE THE STATE REQUEST, THE LOCAL REQUEST, THE STATE PROPOSED FUNDING, AND THE LOCAL PROPOSED FUNDING WITH OUR TOTAL PROPOSED.

SO THE STATE PORTION IS ONLY AT THE TOP, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE COUNTY DID MATCH, UM, WHAT THEY WERE NEEDED TO FOR THE PROPOSALS, UM, FOR THOSE STATE PROJECTS.

AS WE GO THROUGH THE LOCAL ONLY PROJECTS, WHICH BEGINS WITH SECURITY MEASURES DOWN, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE LOCAL PROPOSED IS INDICATED IN RED ON THIS SHEET.

AND AGAIN, I, I WON'T WANT RUN THROUGH, WE CAN COME BACK TO THIS, BUT THERE'S SO MANY DETAILS HERE.

SO AS WE GET TO TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU'LL SEE THAT UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE NOT BEING FUNDED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR MANY OF THOSE ITEMS. WE DO HAVE THE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY PROGRAM INCREASES HERE RELATED TO SPECIAL ED PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY.

UM, OTHER ITEMS WERE NOT ABLE TO BE FUNDED IN THE PROPOSAL.

SO FAR, THE FACILITIES MASTER PLANNING, WE DO HAVE A PROPOSAL OF $750,000.

OUR REQUEST WAS LONG .

SO YOU CAN SEE THE STATE PROPOSED, UM, THE LOCAL, OR I'M SORRY, THE STATE REQUEST, THE LOCAL REQUEST, AND THEN THE PORTION THAT WAS PROPOSED BY THE STATE AND THE PORTION THAT WAS PROPOSED, UM, BY THE LOCAL.

SO GIVING OUR TOTAL PROPOSED CAPITAL BUDGET OF $68 MILLION.

SO THAT'S A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY OF THOSE LINE ITEMS. WE CAN GO BACK TO EACH PAGE.

WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME.

SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, WELCOME, UM, GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE THIS MORNING.

UH, DR.

POINTIN, YOU, YOU REFERRED TO THIS BEING A FULLY FUNDED BUDGET.

I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW LEADING UP TO SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, UM, WE UNDERSTOOD THERE WAS A $60 MILLION DEFICIT PLUS AND 26 MILLION HAS FILLED THE GAP.

SO I'M QUITE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT PERSONALLY.

THAT'S, THAT'S MY FIRST QUESTION.

AND MY SECOND QUESTION FOR, UH, BOTH YOU AND THE SUPERINTENDENT IS THE 160 POSITIONS.

I QUESTIONED THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ILLNESS THE OTHER DAY, UH, BECAUSE IT JUST TROUBLES ME TERRIBLY THAT WE HAVE 160 FAMILIES IN TURMOIL AND HAVE BEEN SINCE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN MADE.

AND NONE OF THEM FROM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, MAYBE MAYBE IT'S CHANGED IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO, BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NONE OF THEM KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING, WHETHER THEY HAVE A JOB.

HOW MANY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY HAVE DECIDED THEY'RE GOING TO RETIRE OR MOVE OR ANY OF THAT? HAS ANY OF THAT TRANSPIRED YET? SURE.

I'LL ASK DR.

BALDETT TO START.

YEAH, I'LL DO THAT.

SO FIRST PART OF THE QUESTION IS 60 MILLION, UM, AND THAT CAME FROM YOU? YES.

A NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION IN ANNAPOLIS WAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AND REDUCED THE MAINTENANCE OF THAT FOR BY $20 MILLION TWO YEARS AGO, CORRECT? YEAH.

SO WE, UM, BEGAN IN THE FALL TALKING ABOUT A REQUEST FOR $60 MILLION.

UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION, AGAIN, WE MEET MONTHLY WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE FUNDED IN TOWN.

I MEAN, OUR BUDGET REQUEST BROKE DOWN FAIRLY SIMPLY INTO ABOUT HALF OF THAT REQUEST WAS NEW COST, APPROXIMATELY $30 MILLION IN INCREASED COSTS FOR THE DISTRICTS.

AND THEN THE OTHER 30 WAS, WE USED $30 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE LAST YEAR.

AND SO THE OTHER 30 WAS THAT WE NEED TO REPLACE THE REVENUE FROM THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE USED LAST YEAR.

SO THE NEED WAS ABOUT 60 MILLION.

UM, CURRENTLY IN OUR FUND BALANCE, WE HAVE, UH, WE'RE ANTICIPATING, AND IF I MAY JUST STOP YOU THERE YEAH.

JUST FOR A SECOND.

SO LET'S GO BACK YEAH.

TO, UH, WHEN THE GAP STARTED, IT WAS BASICALLY

[00:45:01]

AND THEN AT THAT SAME TIME, YOU WERE FLAT FUNDED FOR ANY NEW REVENUE, CORRECT.

IN THE FY 24 BUDGET? YES.

WE, UM, OR THE LOCAL FUNDING WAS $10 MILLION.

ULTIMATELY, THE LOCAL FUNDING WAS $10 MILLION BELOW THE FY 23 BUDGET.

BUT LONG, YEAH, GO AHEAD.

SO, AND, AND THAT WAS DUE TO THE LEGISLATURE, YOU KNOW, PASSING A BILL, THE VERY END OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT ALLOWED, UH, RESET FROM COUNTIES THAT SOMETHING TO DO WITH HOLD HARMLESS DURING NI PAYING ALL SORTS OF STUFF.

BUT, UM, AND SO AT THAT TIME, A HANDFUL OF COUNTIES HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE THE FUNDING TO DISTRICTS.

AND, UM, THE OUTCOME WAS IN HARTFORD COUNTY, THE PROPOSAL WAS INITIALLY TO RE, YOU KNOW, REDUCE THEIR FUNDING FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR BY ABOUT $20 MILLION.

IN THE END, UH, IT ENDED UP BEING $10 MILLION REDUCTION.

AND SO, I MEAN, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN THE BUDGET IS IF YOU DO TAKE A STEP BACKWARD, THAT COMPOUNDS OVER TIME.

AND SO WHAT WE SAW HAPPEN WAS OUR NEXT YEAR'S REQUEST WAS FAR HIGHER.

UM, THEN WE'D ANTICIPATED, AND YOU KNOW, IN THE END, THE, THE COUNTY INCREASED THE FUNDING BY ABOUT, I THINK $6.4 MILLION OVER THE FY 24 FUNDING.

UM, WHICH WAS STILL APPROXIMATELY THEN THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS BELOW THE FY 23 FUNDING.

SO WE SPENT TWO YEARS, UM, NOT KEEPING UP WITH THE COST OF LIVING, WHICH WAS GROWING PRETTY QUICKLY DURING THAT TIME.

SO, YOU KNOW, GETTING TO THE, YOU KNOW, THAT ALL COMPOUNDED.

AND SO THAT LED US TO A $60 MILLION INCREASE, WHICH WE KNOW IS A, A VERY HEAVY LIFT FOR ANY COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A 20 SOMETHING PERCENT INCREASE IN ONE YEAR.

AND KNOWING THAT THE, THE COUNTY WAS NOT ANTICIPATING THAT TYPE OF GROWTH IN COUNTY REVENUES.

AND IT WAS PRETTY EVIDENT FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY LEADERSHIP THAT, UH, THERE WOULDN'T BE $60 MILLION.

UM, WE WORKED TO IDENTIFY A NUMBER AND BASICALLY WHAT IT CAME DOWN TO IS WE SAID, OKAY, WE WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE THE CUTS NECESSARY TO ABSORB HALF, AND WE WOULD ASK THE COUNTY TO COVER THE OTHER HALF.

AND THAT WAS, UM, WHAT WE WORKED TOWARD THROUGH THE FALL.

AND ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD, WE HAD A BUDGET THAT ACHIEVED THAT.

UM, BUT ONE THING WE WERE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THROUGHOUT THE FALL WAS THAT WE, THERE WAS NO WAY WE WERE GONNA REDUCE OUR, THE GAP WE HAD TO FILL BY HALF WITHOUT ELIMINATING POSITIONS.

AND SO ESSENTIALLY THE WAY WE ELIMINATED THERE WAS ABOUT $15 MILLION IN POSITION CUTS.

AGAIN, THE POSITIONS REPRESENT 2086 AND 87% OF OUR TOTAL BUDGET.

SO, UM, WE TOOK $15 MILLION IN POSITION CUTS, WHICH WE PROVO PROPOSED HERE.

UH, WE PROPOSED TO USE ABOUT $10 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE.

AND, UM, AND THEN IN OTHER PLACES, YOU KNOW, WE TRIMMED IN A COUPLE OTHER PLACES TO GET THAT ASS DOWN TO 26 POINT, UH, THREE, I THINK WAS THE, WHAT'S THE NUMBER THERE? UM, 26.249.

SO THAT IS THE NUMBER THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, UH, FUNDED.

PLUS, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS THE, THE PASS THROUGH OF ANOTHER 3 MILLION SOMETHING DOLLARS IN PENSIONS.

SO WE SEE THAT COMING IN AS WELL.

SO I, I, THAT'S THE FIRST QUESTION THAT AT LEAST GIVES YOU THE JOURNEY TO, TO A A $26 MILLION.

ASK IF I MAY ANSWER ONE PIECE OF CONTEXT TO THAT BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE, UM, THE 160 POSITIONS SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR AS WELL FOR SOME HISTORIC CONTEXT.

THE OTHER THING THAT HAPPENED, WHICH WAS A PRETTY BIG HIT FOR US, WAS THAT WE LOST ALL OF OUR FEDERAL COVID CO COVID GRANTS THAT WERE FUNDED BY, UH, FEDERAL DOLLARS.

AND THAT AT THE TIME, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT IT WAS OVER A HUNDRED POSITIONS.

IT WAS A HUNDRED, YEAH, ABOUT 10 MILLION.

SO, SO OVER, OVER A HUNDRED POSITIONS THAT, UH, EITHER NEED TO BE AT THE TIME NEEDED TO BE ELIMINATED, COVERED DOWN BY FUND BALANCE, OR THE COUNTY NEEDED TO PICK IT UP.

SO IN LAST YEAR'S REQUEST, WE SORT OF ROLLED EVERYTHING INTO THAT BIG NUMBER, INCLUDING, UH, WHAT WE WERE LOSING, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

BUT I THINK WE ALL KNEW THAT THERE WAS NO CHANCE THAT THE COUNTY WAS GONNA PICK.

THAT THAT WOULD BE THE NUMBER THAT WOULD THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE WOULD BE SENDING OVER? UH, I MEAN AROUND WHEN IT BECAME PUBLIC? ARE YOU ASKING ME WHEN? YEAH, WHEN WAS THAT? UH, UH, WHAT WAS THAT? A MONTH? A MONTH? I DON'T KNOW.

DR.

POINTIN, WHEN DID YOU IDENTIFY THE 26 MILLION NUMBER? UH, I'M SORRY, CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT? UH, WHEN DID YOU UNDERSTAND

[00:50:01]

THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING YOU.

WHEN WAS THAT? YEAH.

I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT TIMING, BUT, UH, RELATIVELY RECENTLY, MAYBE WITHIN A MONTH OR SO.

WHEN WE, WE PROPOSED OUR BUDGET JANUARY AND THE BOARD APPROVED THE BUDGET IN FEBRUARY.

SO, AND THEN I THINK IT WAS MARCH.

WHEN THAT ARE, ARE YOU OFFICIALLY RECEIVED THE NUMBER? ARE YOU ASKING WHEN, WHEN IT BECAME PUBLIC TO US THAT, THAT THE COUNTY, WHEN YOU FIRST HAD KNOWLEDGE THAT THAT WOULD BE THE NUMBER THAT WOULD BE COMING, IS WHAT I'M ASKING.

I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA SAY MAYBE ABOUT A MONTH AGO OR SO.

YEAH, IT WAS THE SECOND WEEK.

IT WAS BEFORE APRIL 15TH.

I'LL TELL YOU, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE, BUT THE TIME EXECUTIVE CALLED ME JUST BEFORE YOU WENT.

SO, YEAH.

SO LET ME TRY TO RESPOND TO PART TWO OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

SO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, UM, WE'VE PROPOSED LITTLE OVER ABOUT 160 POSITION CHANGES, BASICALLY, UM, ELIMINATING FTES.

AND SO WE'VE NOTIFIED APPROXIMATELY 160 PEOPLE THAT THE CURRENT POSITION THEY HAVE WON'T BE IN THEIR SCHOOLS, UH, OR WON'T BE.

I MEAN, IT'S NOT JUST SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT 120, UH, STUDENT FACING OR CLASSROOM POSITIONS, AND IT'S AROUND 40, YOU KNOW, NON-STUDENT FACING POSITIONS.

A MIX OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ASSIGNED OUT TO SCHOOLS AND SOME WHO WORK IN THE ROBERTI BUILDING.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN THAT NOTICE WAS SENT TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS? 'CAUSE THAT'S BEEN A WHILE AGO TOO.

IT HAS BEEN.

UM, AFTER, SO AFTER THE BOARD APPROVED THE BUDGET, IT WAS A WEEK OR TWO AFTER THAT, IT, SO IT WOULD'VE BEEN LATE FEBRUARY, EARLY MARCH.

IS FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS, BEFORE THEY LEAVE FOR THE SUMMER.

UM, AND SO NOW, NOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A WAITING GAME.

SO WHAT WE KNOW, LAST YEAR WE HIRED 270 TEACHING POSITIONS.

WE HIRED OVER 500 TOTAL PEOPLE.

UM, BUT THAT'S THE WHOLE HIRING PROCESS.

IN OTHER WORDS, BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE START DOING THE HIRING AND SAY JANUARY OR FEBRUARY UP THROUGH AUGUST WHILE WE'RE PUTTING FINISHING TOUCHES ON, THAT'S WHERE WE GET THE NEARLY 300 POSITION TEACHING POSITIONS, AND THEN A COUPLE MORE, A COUPLE HUNDRED MORE IN OTHER POSITIONS.

AS OF RIGHT NOW, UH, WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH VACANCIES TO ABSORB ALL OF THOSE POSITION CUTS, BUT WE FULLY EXPECT TO HAVE THOSE, BUT THEY TRICKLE IN OVER TIME.

WE GET THE BIGGEST SORT OF PUSH WITH THE VACANCIES COMING IN IN FEBRUARY BECAUSE WE'VE DONE A, UH, AN INCENTIVE, A $400 INCENTIVE FOR PEOPLE TO LET US KNOW BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THEY'RE RESIGNING OR RETIRING.

UM, WE'VE PASSED THAT DATE.

BUT AGAIN, WE FULLY ANTICIPATE HAVING AN ADEQUATE NUMBER OF VACANCIES TO ABSORB EVERYONE.

THE TROUBLE IS WE CAN'T NOTIFY, FINALLY, WE CAN'T TELL PEOPLE FINALLY WHERE THEY'RE GOING UNTIL WE HAVE THOSE VACANCIES IN PLACE.

AND SO ONE THING THE BOARD HAS COMMITTED TO IS, UM, THAT IF WE REACH A POINT, AND THE GOAL IS THE END OF THE, THE SCHOOL YEAR, IF WE REACH A POINT WHERE WE STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VACANCIES, THOSE THAT WE DO HAVE LEFT, UM, THE BOARD IS, IS PREPARED TO DISCUSS USING FUND BALANCE TO SUSTAIN THOSE POSITIONS FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REASONS WE'RE IN THIS PARTICULAR PLACE WITH NEEDING TO CUT TO MAKE A SUSTAINABLE BUDGET IS BECAUSE OUR, THE FUND BALANCE IS LIMITED.

AND IF WE KEEP USING LARGE NUMBERS OF FUND BALANCE EVERY YEAR, THIS IS GONNA CONTINUE TO NOT BE SUSTAINABLE.

WHAT IS THE FUND BALANCE NOW? SO CURRENTLY OUR UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, WE EXPECT TO BE ABOUT $26 MILLION AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, MORE OR LESS.

AND WE HAVE ABOUT $10 MILLION IN ASSIGNMENTS THAT WE COULD UNSIGN.

I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY PROPOSE THAT.

SO ALL IN, YOU KNOW, IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, WE'D HAVE ABOUT 36, 30 $7 MILLION.

UM, BUT WE'RE PROPOSING 10, I THINK BEFORE THIS YEAR ENDS WHEN WE RECONCILE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THAT.

UM, BUT BY SUGGESTING THAT IT'S, IT BOARDS DISCUSS THIS AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, UH, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE PROPOSED TO THEM, IS THAT WE ENSURE THAT NOBODY ENDS THIS YEAR WITHOUT A JOB.

THAT EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYED WITH US CAN REMAIN EMPLOYED WITH US IF THAT'S THEIR CHOICE.

WE JUST CAN'T GUARANTEE WHERE THAT WILL BE, YOU KNOW? AND WHAT POSITION IN THE DISTRICT.

SO WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE YOU THINK AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO LET THESE, OUR EXPECTATION

[00:55:01]

UM, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE, SO I MEAN, IN PRACTICE HOW THAT LOOKS IN A SCHOOL IS EVERY SCHOOL HAS A NUMBER OF POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED.

NO SCHOOL'S GONE UNTOUCHED HERE.

UM, BUT IF ONE SCHOOL WAS LOSING TWO POSITIONS AND THEY'VE ALREADY HAD THREE PEOPLE RETIRE OR RESIGN, YOU KNOW, MOST LIKELY THOSE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO STAY IN PLACE IN THAT SCHOOL.

AND OTHER SCHOOLS, IF THEY'VE LOST MULTIPLE POSITIONS, BUT NO ONE RETIRED OR RESIGNED, THEN WE'RE STILL WAITING ON RESIGNATIONS TO COME IN, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE ACROSS THE DISTRICT.

WE'LL MAKE THE PLACEMENTS AS SOON AS WE CAN.

UM, BUT THAT NEVER GETS SETTLED UNTIL WE'VE HAD ALL THOSE RESIGNATIONS COME IN.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE COMMITMENT FROM THE BOARD AND FROM THE ADMINISTRATION IS THAT, YOU KNOW, NO ONE FINDS THEMSELF WITHOUT A JOB.

WE JUST CAN'T GUARANTEE EXACTLY WHERE WE WHERE THAT WILL BE.

AND WE KNOW THAT'S HARD.

I MEAN, WE KNOW PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE THEY WORK FOR, THE PEOPLE THEY WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS THEY SERVE.

AND SO IT'S NOT A, IT'S, IT'S NOT A SMALL THING TO SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED TO MOVE YOU.

UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE PRIORITY IS ENSURING EVERYONE REMAINS EMPLOYED.

SO MOVING FORWARD, UM, TO THE NEXT CYCLE, ARE WE ANTICIPATING ANOTHER CUT AS IN THE NEXT CYCLE OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET? YES.

IT'S HARD TO SAY.

UM, I, I, WE HAVE SOME THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEGUN LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, BENEFITS.

WE COULDN'T MAKE SPECIFIC CHANGES IN OUR BENEFITS THIS YEAR BECAUSE THAT WE HAVE TO NEGOTIATE.

IT TAKES A LONGER PROCESS.

UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WOULD TAKE LONGER TO ACHIEVE.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE POSSIBLE OUTSOURCING OF POSITIONS.

IF, IF THAT CAN, WE HAVE TO STUDY IT IF THAT CAN YIELD.

BUT IF THERE'S A HANDFUL OF THINGS WE CAN LOOK AT THAT INC THAT COULD DECREASE OUR OVERALL COSTS, THAT COULD HELP US EITHER AVOID OR MITIGATE THE NEED FOR, UM, POSITION CUTS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I DO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE STATE.

I'M, I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT STATE REVENUE AND THEIR ABILITY TO FUND THEIR COMMITMENT THROUGH THE BLUEPRINT.

HUGE CONCERNS ABOUT THAT.

UM, I WOULD HOPE THAT HARVARD COUNTY'S REVENUE CONTINUES ON THE TRAJECTORY IT'S BEEN, BUT WITH ALL THE UNCERTAINTY WE'VE SEEN, UH, PARTICULARLY WITH STATE REVENUE, UM, THAT WE SAW SOME STUFF COMING OUT OF ANNAPOLIS THIS YEAR WHERE THEY WERE PASSING MORE DOWN.

WE'VE SEEN IT IN OUR BUDGET.

I KNOW THE COUNTY'S SEEN IT IN THEIRS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, MY HOPE IS WE CAN WEATHER THAT.

UM, WE NEED, AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OTHER THINGS THAT WILL DRIVE OUR ASK FOR NEXT YEAR.

UM, I SUSPECT WE'LL HAVE TO USE FUND BALANCE AGAIN NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS WHY I DON'T WANT TO EXHAUST OUR FUND BALANCE THIS YEAR.

YOU'RE AT THAT MAXIMUM STATE ALLOCATION NUMBER.

UH, TO RIDE THIS OUT.

UM, SO AGAIN, WE HAVE THINGS IN PLACE TO TRY TO AVOID CUTS.

I'M HOPING TO DO THAT, BUT I CAN'T GUARANTEE THAT NOW WITH ALL THOSE VARIOUS VARIABLES AT PLAY.

SO YOU TOUCHED ON STATE FUNDING.

BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION, HARTFORD ACADEMY AND MOVING FORWARD, I KNOW THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TALKED ABOUT HIS HOPE AND DESIRE BY MOVING IT TO A, UH, PRIMARY FUNDING AREA.

I THINK IT WAS CALLED, UM, THAT THE STATE WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING 50% OF THAT COST.

ROBBIE, I THINK YOU REMEMBER THAT CORRECT.

AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT $50 MILLION OVERALL COST A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

BUT AS I LOOK IN YOUR SPREADSHEET, DEBORAH, THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE REQUEST WAS 45 MILLION AND IT SAYS TO BE DETERMINED, UH, BY THE STATE.

AND I ASSUME, CHRIS, YOU GUYS ARE WAITING ON THE IAC TO MEET, UM, TO KIND OF DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF FUNDING WOULD BE AVAILABLE WHEN YOU GUYS WANNA COME UP.

, KATHY, I MEAN WHOEVER CHRIS IS, HE'S NO PROBLEM.

HE'S GOT IT.

, GOOD MORNING.

SO THE STATE HAS COME BACK WITH THEIR A HUNDRED PERCENT RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEY HAVE NOT GRANTED LOCAL PLANNING APPROVAL AS OF YET WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THE STATE PROCESSES.

WE DID RECEIVE, UH, SCHEMATIC, SCHEMATIC DESIGN, UH, COMMENTS BACK APPROVING US TO GO INTO DESIGN DEVELOPMENT.

THE STATE IS IN THE SAME BOAT AS THE LOCALS ARE IN TERMS OF REVENUES AND FUNDING.

I'M JUST BEING HONEST.

AND THEY HAVEN'T, LAST YEAR THEY GAVE OUT ONE LOCAL PLANNING PROJECT.

WE ARE ANTICIPATING IT'S OUR NUMBER ONE ASK AND WE'RE HAVE TO HAVE QUESTIONS AS TO WHY WE DIDN'T GET LOCAL PLANNING.

UH, WE WERE NOT REQUESTING FUNDING.

AND WE DID THAT INTENTIONALLY BECAUSE ONCE YOU LOCK IN, YOU'RE AT THEIR HIGH,

[01:00:01]

SO WE ACTUALLY HELD OFF AND WERE ASKING, UH, THAT FOR NEXT YEAR SO THAT WE CAN LOCK IN AT THE HIGHER COST PER SQUARE FOOT.

SO THAT WAS A STRATEGY THAT WE WERE USING, BUT FOR THE COST OF THAT PROJECT, WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE STATE, IT, IT WILL REQUIRE SOME MORE CONVERSATIONS.

UM, AND WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD JUST ALSO NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE STATE CERTAINLY HAS THEIR FORMULAS AND LIKE THEY MAY SAY THAT THIS PROJECT IS, IS GOING TO BE FULLY FUNDED FROM THEIR, UH, FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE.

AND PERHAPS IN THE LONG TERM IT, IT WILL.

BUT FROM A VERY PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, THE OVERALL SIZE OF THE STATE ALLOCATION TO SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION HAS GENERALLY BEEN A FIXED NUMBER FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

AND WE NORMALLY GET AROUND $15 MILLION.

SO IF YOU HAVE A $50 MILLION PROJECT FROM A PRACTICAL CONCERN, WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PROJECTS, MAYBE ROOFS OR HH VCCS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY ALL AT ONCE.

YOU KNOW, I IMMEDIATE, WHICH DOES CREATE PRACTICAL CONCERNS.

SO CORRECT.

SO MY OTHER QUESTION IS, I SEE THAT THE COUNTY'S GOT 26 MILLION IN CORRECT.

IS SOME OF THAT MONEY GONNA BE USED FOR DEMO? SO, , SO BECAUSE OF THE PUBLIC PRESSURE AND THE FEELING THAT THAT STRUCTURE IS UNSAFE, THEY WANTED TO MOVE THAT UP SOONER THAN LATER.

SO THE COUNTY'S ACTUALLY FUNDING THE DEMO AND WORKING WITH US AND COOPERATING TO TAKE IT DOWN SOONER.

WE DID TIGHTEN UP THE SITE WITH FENCING AND SIGNAGE.

WE WERE GONNA TAKE THE BUILDING DOWN AS PART OF THE WHOLE SITE PACKAGE AS ONE BIG PACKAGE THAT WAS ALREADY IN CONTRACT WITH OUR CONSULTANTS AND EVERYTHING, BUT THEY WANTED IT TO GO SOONER.

AND IT'S A REAL, REAL CAREFUL BALANCING ACT TOO, BECAUSE IF YOU, IF YOU GO ANY 5,000 SQUARE FEET OF DISTURBANCE, THEN IT KICKS IN STORMWATER MANAGEMENT CENTER.

THAT'S A YEAR PROCESS EVEN TO GET A PERMIT.

SO EVEN THE COUNTY RECOGNIZED THAT THE MOST YOU CAN DO IS JUST TAKE DOWN THE WOODEN STRUCTURE DOWN TO THE SLAB, AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA FILL THE ELEVATOR SHAFT.

SO IT IS A PARTNERSHIP.

THEY ARE WORKING WITH US JUST TO MAKE IT SAFER.

TAKE IT DOWN.

ARE WE GONNA WORK WITH, UH, BEL AIR FIRE COMPANIES AS A TRAINING THING? I KNEW THERE WAS SOME TALK ABOUT THAT AT ONE TIME.

NO, IT HAS BEEN OFFERED.

NO, DEFINITELY NOT THEN.

SO IT WAS A LITTLE FEAR AFTER WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN CALIFORNIA AND STUFF.

I'M JUST BEING HONEST.

THAT'S FINE.

THAT'S, THAT'S FINE.

WHAT'S THE EXPENSE OF THE DEMO? IT'S AROUND A HUNDRED THOUSAND, THAT'S ALL.

ALRIGHT.

GOOD, GOOD.

UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW.

MR. BENNETT.

PERSON KNEW WAS NOT GOING TO BE FUNDED.

GOOD TO BE WITH Y'ALL.

UM, AND UH, FIRST I JUST WANTED TO ASK IN GENERAL ABOUT, UH, LIKE, UH, IT'S LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A META QUESTION, BUT THE BUDGET STRATEGY IN, UH, CHOOSING TO NOT PRESENT, UH, THE ASK THAT WOULD NOT INVOLVE ELIMINATING POSITIONS, UH, IN CHOOSING TO COME FORWARD, UH, WITH THE COMPROMISE AS THE FIRST STEP RATHER THAN THE FULL ASK.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, REACHING A COMPROMISE THROUGH, UM, THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, UH, JUST BECAUSE, UH, BY REVERSING THE PROCESS AS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS, IT KIND OF PUTS, UM, THE COUNCIL AS A WHOLE IN A POSITION WHERE WE CAN'T, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT IN TRYING TO, TO MAKE THAT COMPROMISE, UH, EVEN MORE FAVORABLE.

UH, AND YOU KNOW, AND THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS, WE'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THERE'S $50 MILLION MORE IN, UH, UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE FOR THE COUNTY THAN WAS EXPECTED IN LAST YEAR'S PROPOSED BUDGET.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I THINK THE LONGER YOU WAIT, JUST LIKE SPEAKING ABOUT THE STATE PORTION OF FUNDING FOR HARTFORD ACADEMY, THE LONGER YOU WAIT, THE MORE INFORMATION YOU HAVE AND YOU KNOW, IT'S THE ROLL OF THE DICE, BUT SOMETIMES THAT INFORMATION'S MORE FAVORABLE TO GETTING WHAT YOU NEED.

SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT THE STRATEGY WAS FOR YOU ALL AND DETERMINING RATHER THAN PUTTING FORWARD 60 MILLION 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO NOT CUT POSITIONS.

WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT FIRST STEP AND THEN, UH, GO FROM THERE.

UH, GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMAN.

I CAN ADDRESS THAT AND THEN, UH, WE CAN FILL IN AS NEEDED.

UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THAT ALTHOUGH WE LOOK AT THE BUDGET IN TERMS OF ANNUAL, UM, REALLY IT'S AN ONGOING BUDGET.

SO WE TRY TO STEP BACK AND LOOK THROUGH A WIDER APERTURE LENS AND SAY, OKAY, IF WE DO THIS BUDGET THIS YEAR, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR? UH, AND SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T DO IT RIGHT IN ONE YEAR, THAT CAN HAVE A SNOWBALL EFFECT AND IT JUST BECOMES A BIGGER PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN FUTURE YEARS.

THE FIRST PROBLEM THAT WE HAD WAS WE WERE ASKING FOR A BUDGET IN PREVIOUS YEARS THAT I THINK ANY REASONABLE

[01:05:01]

IT WAS COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC.

UM, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.

WE WERE GROWING THE SCHOOL BUDGET REQUEST IN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE GREATER THAN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTY AND IN THE STATE.

PART OF WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO WAS SORT OF SCALE THAT BACK AND GET TO A PLAN WHERE WE COULD PUT THE SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET IN LINE WITH THE COUNTY AND STATE'S PROJECTED GROWTH OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, WE DETERMINED THAT TO BE AROUND 5%.

SO THIS YEAR THE COUNTY IS FUNDING 8%, WHICH IS PROBABLY HIGHER THAN THE PROJECTED, UH, YOU KNOW, REVENUE INCREASE FOR THE COUNTY, AND WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.

BUT THIS IS PART OF A THREE YEAR PLAN TO GET US TO A TRAJECTORY WHERE THE SCHOOL IS, WHERE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS GROWING IN LINE WITH ECONOMIC GROWTH.

OTHERWISE, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IS OVER TWO, THREE OR FOUR YEARS, THAT IS GONNA CONTINUE TO WIDEN AND IT WILL GET WORSE.

THE SECOND REASON WE DID IT WAS FOR THE REASONS WHICH, UH, PRESIDENT VINCENTI WAS DESCRIBING EARLIER.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE RIPPING OFF THE BANDAID OF THE 160 POSITIONS.

UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD RATHER DO THOUGHTFULLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

UH, WE'D RATHER DO IT BY MITIGATING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PAIN AND SUFFERING, IF YOU WILL, AND HAVING THE, TO GIVE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ENOUGH TIME TO PREPARE FOR ALL OF THESE CHANGES.

IF YOU'VE EVER PLAYED CHESS, IMAGINE THAT YOU'RE PLAYING CHESS, BUT EVERY SINGLE PIECE IS MOVING AT THE SAME EXACT TIME, AT THE SAME EXACT MOVE.

THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT PIECES THAT ARE MOVING AROUND HERE THAT IF WE WAITED TO LATER, UH, IN THE BUDGET CYCLE OR AT THE END OF THE YEAR LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR, IT WOULD BE COMPLETE CHAOS.

SO THIS ALLOWS US TO SORT OF PLAN, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT IT'S, IT'S BETTER.

AND THEN LASTLY, YOU, YOU MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FUND BALANCE, UH, AT, YOU KNOW, AT AT, AT THE COUNTY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO WORK WITHIN, UH, THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AT THE TIME.

THINGS COULD CHANGE.

THEY COULD GO UP, THEY COULD GO DOWN.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR FUND BALANCE, UH, AS A BUFFER, BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THAT FUND BALANCE, UM, ISN'T GONNA LAST FOREVER.

AND BOARD IS TRYING TO USE IT IN, IN SMART AND WISE WAYS.

ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? YEAH, SO I GUESS I'D SAY THE LAST TWO YEARS I FELT LIKE WE BROUGHT A BUDGET REQUEST THAT WAS REASONABLE.

AND I MEAN, WE DIDN'T ADD ANYTHING EXCESSIVE IN THOSE BUDGET REQUESTS, BUT THOSE WERE BUDGET REQUESTS THAT WOULDN'T HAVE REQUIRED POSITION CUTS.

THE FIRST ONE WE WENT DOWN $10 MILLION.

THE NEXT ONE WE WENT UP SIX AND A HALF, AND THAT WAS SIX AND A HALF ABOVE THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S ORIGINAL PROPOSAL, WHICH WAS FLAT FUNDING.

UM, AND I, I APPRECIATE THAT THE COUNCIL WAS WORKING WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL DOLLARS, BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE LIMITED CAPACITY OF THE COUNCIL.

ONCE THAT BUDGET IS PROPOSED, YOU DON'T GET TO CHANGE THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES REVENUE, REVENUE PROJECTIONS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT YOU DON'T GET TO.

AND UM, SO IT REALLY WAS THE, THE CALCULUS THAT DR.

POINTIN TALKED ABOUT, THAT TO PUT FORWARD SOMETHING AND POSSIBLY BE FLAT FUNDED OR FUNDED BELOW THE NUMBER WE ULTIMATELY ENDED UP ON WOULD'VE LEFT US IN JUNE WITH AN INSURMOUNTABLE TASK.

BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE FROM ESSENTIALLY FEBRUARY TO AUGUST TO ABSORB THESE CUTS.

AND I THINK WE CAN DO IT WITHOUT PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS.

IF WE TRIED TO START THAT IN JUNE, IT WOULD'VE COMPLETELY CRIPPLED US NOT KNOWING WHAT WE COULD DO, UH, HIRING FOR THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS.

I MEAN, RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A COUPLE POSITIONS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE STILL EXPECT A SHORTAGE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.

SO WE MAY HIRE, BUT FRANKLY WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO FROM A HIRING PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS ALMOST NONE.

UM, AND WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IN TERMS OF WORKING WITH OUR, OUR VACANCIES.

SO IT DOES ALLOW US THAT ADDITIONAL TIME.

IT'S, UM, DEFINITELY A HARD DECISION.

DEFINITELY HAS TO BE SORT OF A PHILOSOPHICAL STRATEGIC DECISION.

AND YOU KNOW, AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, IT APPEARS WE'VE YIELDED MORE THAN WE DID THE LAST TWO YEARS, BUT IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT IDEAL.

UM, THANK YOU.

AND THEN I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE FOR US TO THINK, UH, ABOUT PREDICTABILITY IN FUTURE YEARS AS A COUNCIL.

AND NOT IMMEDIATELY RIGHT NOW, BUT JUST IN THE COMING DAYS AND WEEKS, BASED ON THE NUMBER OF STAFF THAT YOU ALL HAVE RIGHT NOW, IF YOU WERE TO JUST MAINTAIN THE NUMBER THAT, UH, WILL BE AN FY 26

[01:10:01]

BUDGET AND FY 27 BASED ON YOUR PREDICTABLE WAGE PACKAGE AND, AND ALL THAT, WHAT YOU WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT COST INCREASE TO BE ON THE COUNTY AND TO JUST MAINTAIN BASED ON THE CUTS GOING INTO THIS BUDGET.

AND THEN ALSO TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT IT WOULD COST TO RESTORE.

AND THE REASON I JUST ASK FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SEE THOSE LONG-TERM NUMBERS IS, YOU KNOW, I'VE SHARED THIS STORY, UH, I THINK WITH ALL OF YOU BEFORE, BUT MY FIRST THREE YEARS TEACHING, IT WAS THREE YEARS IN A ROW OF POSITION CUTS.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, UH, DR.

OLSON'S FIRST NIGHT AS SUPERINTENDENT WAS HEARING THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR OF THAT AND HOW THE COMMUNITY WAS REACTING.

BUT THEN ALSO BECAUSE ALL FUN BALANCE HAD BEEN SPENT AT THE END OF THOSE THREE YEARS, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS DR.

BOLSON HAD TO DO IN HIS POSITION WAS CUT 10% OF ALL SCHOOL ALLOCATED FUNDS, WHICH MEANT, UH, ME AS A 24-YEAR-OLD BUYING SOAP FOR ALL THE BATHROOMS THAT HAVE GRACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

'CAUSE THERE WAS NO MORE MONEY FOR SOAP AND WE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO WASH HANDS WHEN WE WENT TO THE BATHROOM.

SO IT, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL FOR US TO KNOW AS WE LOOK AT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, WHAT'S NEEDED FOR NEXT YEAR TO NOT END UP IN THE SAME SPOT AGAIN OR IN TWO YEARS FROM NOW.

UM, AND THAT LEVEL OF PREDICTABILITY AND FUTURE PLANNING CAN HELP US IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

SO THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IS HELPFUL.

SO THE LAST TIME WE CUT POSITIONS WAS, UH, JANUARY OF 2019, UH, DOING THE FY 20 BUDGET.

UM, AND WE SPENT THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ADDING POSITIONS BACK.

AND AS IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT TO US, SOME OF THOSE ADD BACKS CAME WITH FEDERAL DOLLARS.

AND, YOU KNOW, OUR HOPE WAS TO JUST SLOWLY IN, YOU KNOW, INCREMENTALLY INCREASE SO THAT WE COULD ABSORB THOSE WITH TIME.

AND WE WERE ON A TRAJECTORY TO DO THAT.

BUT THE, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING HASN'T SUPPORTED THAT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.

UM, WE EXPECT WITH THIS YEAR'S CUTS, WE'RE GONNA BE BACK PRETTY CLOSE TO THE FUNDING LEVELS WE HAD IN 20 AFTER 2019.

YOU KNOW, OUR CLASS SIZES WILL BE ABOUT WHERE THEY WERE, UH, AFTER, AFTER THOSE CUTS TOOK PLACE IN THAT YEAR.

UH, WE HAVE SOME DATA TO KIND OF SUPPORT HOW THAT LOOKS, YOU KNOW, GOING INTO NEXT YEAR.

UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE KIND OF HAVE COMPETING, COMPETING STRATEGIES HERE.

ONE IS TO, AGAIN, AS DR POINT DESCRIBED, TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL ASK, TO TRY TO GET DOWN TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN BEGIN APPROACHING, YOU KNOW, A REGULAR, UH, ASK THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE GROWTH IN THE COUNTY.

AT THE SAME TIME, UM, WE HAVE SOME SALARY CHALLENGES BECAUSE, UH, WITH THIS YEAR'S SALARY PACKAGE, WE ARE GONNA BE BEHIND IN HITTING THE STATE'S MANDATE OF A $60,000 STARTING SALARY.

UH, WE'VE FALLEN OFF OUR TRAJECTORY FOR THAT.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO NEGOTIATE FOR NEXT YEAR, HOW WE'RE GONNA ACHIEVE THAT.

UM, IF WE WERE GOING TO DO IT JUST BY HITTING THE $60,000, THAT WOULD MEAN OUR ASK WAS FAR, FAR HIGHER THAN WE'RE READY TO DO AT THIS POINT.

AND IF ANYONE MUST BE TO EXPLAIN THAT MORE, I CAN.

BUT, UM, AND SO THERE'S A CHALLENGE THERE.

YOU KNOW, WITH THIS YEAR'S SALARY PACKAGE, WE'RE PROPOSING, UH, A 1% INCREASE, 1% COLA PLUS A STEP.

YOU KNOW, FOR MANY PEOPLE THAT WILL AVERAGE A LITTLE OVER 3%, BUT FOR THOSE WHO DON'T GET STEPS, IT'S 1%.

UM, CPI IS TWO AND A HALF ISH FOR THIS PAST YEAR, SO WE'RE NOT KEEPING UP THERE.

SO THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF PRESSURE THAT WOULD CAUSE US TO INCREASE THAT AS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE NEED TO NAVIGATE HOW TO, TO, TO GET TO SOMETHING WHERE WE CAN REMAIN SUSTAINABLE IN THE COUNTY.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE REALLY THE NATURE OF OUR CONVERSATIONS OVER THE NEXT YEAR AS WE BUILD OUR NEXT BUDGET.

WE'RE CUTTING TEACHER SUPPORT.

AND THEN, UM, ANOTHER QUESTION.

UH, AS YOU KNOW, I SERVE AS OUR BOARD OF ED LIAISON FOR THE COUNTY COUNCIL FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS BECAUSE OF PATERNITY LEAVE.

I'VE BEEN VIRTUALLY WATCHING, BUT STILL TAKING NOTES AND SHARING RELATIVE INFORMATION WITH THE COUNCIL.

BUT I ALSO TRY AND ENGAGE WITH THE STATE BOARD OF ED AND KNOWING WHAT THEY'RE UP TO.

UM, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS, UM, BOTH IN THIS BUDGET AND FUTURE BUDGETS, UM, WHAT THE CONVERSATION HAS BEEN AROUND WITH, UH, REGARD TO CERTAIN STATE POLICY, LIKE THE MATH POLICY THAT JUST PASSED, FOR INSTANCE, THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE 60 MINUTES PER DAY MINIMUM K THROUGH EIGHT FOR MATH INSTRUCTION.

UM, THE ELIMINATION OF GEOMETRY AND MOVING TO INTEGRATED ALGEBRA ONE AND TWO, AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR CURRICULUM ACQUISITION FOR BOTH MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS.

UM, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE MINUTES, COST MONEY.

AND ALSO WE JUST PUT ALL THIS TIME AND MONEY INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL INNOVATION AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT DOES TO IMPACT WHEN NOW WE'RE SAYING WE HAVE TO HAVE 60 MINUTES OF MATH EVERY DAY.

UM, SO I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, THE MATH POLICY IS A BIG EXAMPLE OF THAT.

THERE'S THINGS IN THE LITERACY POLICY THAT IMPACT

[01:15:01]

US FINANCIALLY.

UM, AND THERE'S TALKS OF A SOCIAL STUDIES POLICY COMING FORWARD, UH, WHICH I ADVOCATED TO THE STATE BOARD OF ED SLOW DOWN ON THAT.

YOU, YOU CAN ONLY ASK PEOPLE TO WHISTLE AND JUGGLE AND READ A BOOK AT THE SAME TIME FOR SO LONG.

BUT, UM, SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS HOW THOSE THINGS AT THE STATE LEVEL, THE BLUEPRINTS, THE BIG THING PEOPLE TALK ABOUT, BUT THERE'S OTHER POLICIES THAT ARE IMPACTING THE COUNTY.

YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE DEAD ON WITH, WITH ALL OF THAT.

UM, I MEAN, WE HAVE A RELATIVELY NEW ADMINISTRATION WHO'S BEEN CHARGED WITH ADVANCING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

BUT OF COURSE A LOT OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS ARE SORT OF ALIGNED WITH THE BLUEPRINT.

BUT THERE ARE ADDITIONAL ASKS ABOVE AND BEYOND THE BLUEPRINT.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE JOB OF HELPING OUR FOLKS MANAGE EVERYTHING FLOWING AT THEM.

AND WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT BECAUSE YEAH, I MEAN, FOCUSING ON LITERACY ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

NO DOUBT WE COULD AT LEAST AGREE ON THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION.

, UM, AND THE WORK HAPPENING IN MATH, AGAIN, ESSENTIAL, BUT IT'S A LOT.

AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, OUR TEAM'S WORKING ON HOW TO DO THAT WITH FEWER STAFF BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST TEACHERS OBVIOUSLY.

'CAUSE WE'VE CUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO DELIVER THAT TYPE OF SUPPORT.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE TAKEN OUT, UH, 10 OF THE 20, SORRY, 17 OF THE 27 COACHES WHO SUPPORT NEW TEACHERS.

SO WE'RE DOWN TO JUST 10.

UM, WE ARE TAKING OUT TEACHER SPECIALIST POSITIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT STUDENT FACING.

UM, BUT THEY OF COURSE SUPPORT.

SO WITH ALL THESE CHANGES IN CURRICULUM, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE FEWER PEOPLE TO ROLL THEM OUT.

UM, SO THIS IS GONNA GET HARDER AND WE KNOW THAT, UH, WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, SO THERE IS ADVOCACY AT THE STATE LEVEL JUST TO, YOU KNOW, PLEASE UNDERSTAND, WELL, YOU'RE ROLLING THESE PLANS OUT THAT REQUIRE ALL THIS EXTRA TEACHER SUPPORT.

AND SO WE WILL, WE WILL CONTINUE THE ADVOCACY THERE TO, TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO TO HELP MAKE THAT MORE MANAGEABLE.

UM, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT THE STATE HAS OFFERED FOR TRAINING THAT SOME OF OUR PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THAT HAVE BEEN VERY VALUABLE.

THEY'VE ALSO OFFERED OTHER TRAININGS THAT HAVE BEEN LESS.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP WORKING WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD FIT SO THAT THEIR RESOURCES ARE WELL SPENT IN THESE AREAS.

UM, BUT YEAH, NO DOUBT, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S BUDGET CHALLENGES ALL ACROSS THE STATE THAT'S NOT SLOWING THEM DOWN .

SO, BUT THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT.

YES, THANK YOU.

AND THEN I HAVE A FEW CAPITAL BUDGET QUESTIONS.

UM, I NOTICED THAT HARTFORD ACADEMY, YOU ASKED FOR 45 MILLION AND ARE RECEIVING 26 MILLION.

WILL THAT DIFFERENCE IMPACT THE DESIGN OR PLAN OF HARTFORD ACADEMY? IS THAT GONNA CHANGE THE LAYOUT OR IS THE HARTFORD ACADEMY STILL GONNA BE BUILT AS PROPOSED AND AS WAS WORKED WITH WITH, UH, UH, RANDY GEIER AND, AND HIS STAFF? FIND THE RIGHT PERSON THAT CAN ANSWER THAT.

WE NEED MORE CHAIRS.

HELLO AGAIN.

COUNCILMAN BENNETT.

UH, SO, UH, THE COUNCIL AND THE COUNTIES BID FUND OUR DESIGN.

I APOLOGIZE.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

SO IN TERMS OF DESIGN, WE'RE FUNDED, WE'RE UNDER CONTRACT AND WE'RE SUBMITTING AND RECEIVING STATE APPROVAL.

WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FUNDING THAT RECEIVED CASH FLOW, WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THE STATE.

AND WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS AT SOME POINT.

SO IT, IT COULD COMPROMISE THE ORIGINAL DESIGN IF THERE ISN'T ENOUGH MONEY TO GET IT COMPLETED AS PLANNED.

SO IT SHOULD NOT COMPROMISE THE ORIGINAL DESIGN.

EVERYTHING STARTS WITH AN ED SPEC.

AND THE ED SPEC IS THE PROGRAM OF THE BUILDING THAT IS COMPLETE, THAT IS, UH, BOARD APPROVED, THAT IS STATE APPROVED, THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DESIGNING TO, IS THAT ED SPEC.

SO AT THIS POINT, THERE IS NO COMPROMISE ON THAT UNTIL THE POINT WHERE WE GET THROUGH DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS, WE GET UPDATED ESTIMATES AND THEN SEE WHERE OUR FUNDING LIES.

THAT'S WHEN THE CONVERSATIONS WOULD HAPPEN.

WE'RE NOT THERE YET, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

IF WE GET TO A POINT, UH, WHERE THAT BECOMES A RISK, I WOULD JUST LIKE FOR ALL OF US TO KNOW.

'CAUSE THINKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY THAT ATTENDS HARFORD ACADEMY, THEY'RE ALREADY IN A BUILDING THAT WAS NEVER MADE FOR THEM.

AND I DON'T WANNA SHORTCHANGE THAT COMMUNITY BY BUILDING A COMPROMISE RATHER THAN WHAT THEY DESERVE.

SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THOSE STUDENTS AND THE STAFF THAT SUPPORT THEM BY MAKING SURE THEY HAVE A BUILDING THAT'S BUILT FOR THEM AND NOT BUILT FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON HAND.

SO MAYBE JUST TO, TO FLESH THIS, THIS OUT.

SO IT'S, IT'S NOT SO MUCH ON THE DESIGN.

WHERE ARE WE GETTING THIS GETS INTO THE, THE ISSUE OF, OF THE STATE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE BOTH NEED THE APPROPRIATION AUTHORITY IN ORDER TO ENTER INTO CONTRACTS, BUT YOU ALSO JUST NEED THE MONEY.

AND, YOU

[01:20:01]

KNOW, THIS WILL BE MOSTLY FUNDED, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, BY THE, BY BY THE COUNTIES.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED TO, TO A $50 MILLION, UM, RATIO.

BUT AS I SAID BEFORE, THE PROBLEM WITH THE STATE IS THAT THE STATE IS, IF THEY'RE ONLY GONNA PUT FORTH, EVEN IF THEY SAY, HEY, WE'RE IN FOR $50 MILLION, THEORETICALLY, IF PRACTICALLY THEY'RE ONLY IN FOR $15 MILLION.

AND THAT WOULD MEAN THAT WE WOULD NEED TO FORWARD FUND OR COVER THEIR SHARE.

SO WE WOULD THEN HAVE TO WORK WITH THAT.

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER.

THERE'S BEEN OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE DONE STUFF LIKE THIS, BUT IT WOULDN'T AFFECT THE DESIGN.

IT WOULD MORE OR LESS JUST, UM, TO ME WOULD, WOULD DEAL WITH THE, THE, THE TIMING OF THE OVERALL OF THE OVERALL CONSTRUCTION.

AND WHAT I WOULD, MR. BENNETT IS, I, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE ABOUT THE, UH, A PUBLIC DAY SCHOOL PORTION OF THE PROJECT, BUT KEEP IN MIND THERE'S ALSO A 600 STUDENT, TWO STORY CAPACITY PROJECT AS PART OF THAT ELEMENTARY.

AND WE KICK OR WE PUSH THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS OUT UNTIL THAT OPENS.

THAT WOULD IMPACT THAT AS WELL.

KATHY VENUS, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT TOUCH SCREEN.

UM, I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE PFAS LINE ABLE, IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET, I SAW YOU ASK FOR $5 MILLION AND YOU'RE RECEIVING JUST OVER $250,000.

THAT'S BEEN A POINT OF CONVERSATION DURING ACTUALLY MULTIPLE OF OUR BUDGET SESSIONS.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT ON THE REDUCED, UH, AMOUNT RECEIVED VERSUS ASKED ON MAKING SURE OUR SCHOOLS HAVE SAFE DRINKING WATER? SO, UH, PATTY JOE BEARD, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR FACILITIES AND MYSELF ARE PART OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES, UH, PFAS TASK FORCE.

SO WE'VE BEEN ATTENDING ALL THOSE MEETINGS.

RIGHT NOW THERE ARE FIVE SCHOOLS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED.

UH, ONE OF THE, UH, CONSULTANTS THAT CAME TO THE TASK FORCE WAS MEA, WHO'S A QUASI STATE AGENCY.

UH, WE ARE ABOUT THE CONTRACT WITH THEM.

UH, AND IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE TO THE LEVEL THE, THE BOARD WILL SEE THE CONTRACTS, BUT IT'S GOTTA GO OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND FOR IT TO BE A PRESENTATION.

AND IT'S GONNA BE RIGHT THERE.

WE'RE FINALIZING THAT PROPOSAL WITH MES AND WE ARE GOING TO PILOT, IF YOU WILL, WITH OUR OPERATING MONEY FROM OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COUNT FOR THE FIRST PFAS PROJECT THAT HARTFORD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL, THEY CAN WORK WITH US TO SUBMIT FOR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.

BUT YOU SUBMIT, YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA GET IT.

SO THAT IS A DIRECTION THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS.

AND IN TERMS OF THAT WHOLE LIFE, HEALTH, SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE WITH WHAT THE ASK WAS AND WHAT WE RECEIVED, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK INTERNALLY TO DECIDE WHERE THOSE DOLLARS ARE MOST CRITICAL AND WHERE THEY GO FROM A BOARD PERSPECTIVE AND THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PERSPECTIVE.

UM, THANK YOU.

AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, THE TECHNOLOGY REFRESH FOR, UH, INTERACTIVE, UH, BOARDS.

AND I ASSUME MOST OF THOSE ARE IN CLASSROOMS, ALTHOUGH I KNOW SOME OF THEM ARE IN OTHER PLACES.

UM, HOW WILL THAT IMPACT YOU ALL IN YOUR CONTRACTS THAT YOU HAVE FOR, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE ACTIVE INSPIRE MIMEO AND THE LIKE, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TECH TRAINING FOR STAFF ON, YOU GOTTA GET RID OF YOUR ACTIVE INSPIRE AND MOVE TO MIMEO.

YOU GOTTA GET RID OF YOUR MIMEO AND MOVE TO, YOU KNOW, DOLE OR WHATEVER THE NEXT THING'S CALLED.

UM, BUT WITH, UH, CLASSROOMS STILL HAVING THE PREVIOUS BOARD SYSTEM, DOES THAT IMPACT, YOU KNOW, THE CONTRACTS ON THE SOFTWARE THAT THE COUNTY HAS APPROVAL TO USE? YEAH, I'M SORRY, CONTROLLING, SORRY.

SO TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, NOT AT THIS POINT, HOWEVER, SHOULD THAT BECOME AN ISSUE, WE'LL CERTAINLY MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT.

UM, THIS IS DEFINITELY MORE FOR THE REFRESH OF THOSE BOARDS, SO, UM, WE'LL MORE TO COME.

SO EVEN WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO JUST REPLACE VARIOUS PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, WE HAVE TO THEN MEET THOSE A DA, UM, COMPLIANCE ISSUES.

AND THEN, UM, LAST QUESTION I HAD WAS ABOUT, UH, PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

I SAW THAT THERE WAS $50,000 REQUESTED TO MAKE, UM, BEL AIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S PLAYGROUND MORE A DA COMPLIANT.

UH, AND THEN I SAW THERE WAS $250,000 TO, UM, FIX PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT THAT HAD SAFETY CONCERNS.

AND NEITHER OF THOSE ASKS WERE APPROVED.

UH, IF ANYONE COULD SPEAK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE HOPING TO DO AT BEL ELEMENTARY TO MAKE IT A DA COMPLIANT, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT SO ALL CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE PLAYGROUND.

AND THEN WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE, UH, PLAYGROUND SAFETY CONCERNS THAT EXIST IN THE COUNTY YOU WERE HOPING TO FIX THIS YEAR? SURE.

SO LET ME SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO BEL AIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

UM, SO WE HAVE HAD SOME, UM, CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, REGARDING THAT SPECIFIC PLAYGROUND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO INVESTIGATE.

AND, UM, ANY TYPE OF ADDITION OR, YOU KNOW, REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF A PLAYGROUND AT THIS POINT HAS TO MEET ANY NEW A DA STANDARD.

SO OBVIOUSLY THE STANDARD, UM, WHEN BELLA ELEMENTARY WAS BUILT, UM, DOES NOT MEET TODAY'S CURRENT STANDARD.

SO THINGS LIKE SIDEWALKS, IT HAS TO BE ACCESSIBLE FROM THE PARKING LOT.

UM,

[01:25:01]

SO SPECIFICALLY WITH BEL AIR, UM, THE, UH, SIDEWALK CONCERN AND BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THAT FROM THE, UM, PARKING LOT LOCATION, UM, IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE SOME OF THE PLAYGROUNDS ARE AT OUR VARIOUS LOCATIONS, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT COST TO DO THAT.

UM, WE HAVE SOME LOCATIONS THAT ARE COMPLETELY AROUND, UM, THE BUILDING.

SO, UM, I DO WANNA TOUCH ON THAT.

THE, UM, WE DID HAVE A PLAYGROUND ASSESSMENT, UM, OBVIOUSLY RECOGNIZING THAT AGAIN, WE DO HAVE SOME NEEDS, UM, AT OUR MANY PLAYGROUNDS, AND WE DID HAVE THAT, UM, INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT DONE, AND THAT, UM, ASK DID REFLECT THOSE NEEDS, UM, OVERALL FOR THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.

ARE, ARE THERE PRESENTLY STUDENTS AT BEL AIR ELEMENTARY WHO CAN'T ACCESS THE PLAYGROUND DUE TO THE A DA, UH, REQUIREMENTS? NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE.

UM, THE SPECIFIC INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVED WAS FROM A COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY EVEN BEING ABLE TO USE THAT, UM, AS WELL.

BUT NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE.

WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR STUDENTS IN THOSE SITUATIONS.

MR. BENNETT, IF I MAY, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, ROBBIE, THIS IS MORE OF A QUESTION FOR YOU AND MR. MCCORD, UM, ENLISTING TO, UM, A POSSIBILITY OF THE STATE NOT COMING THROUGH WITH THE REVENUE THAT WE WERE ANTICIPATING AND POSSIBLY SLOWING DOWN THIS PROJECT.

I SEE AGAIN, THIS YEAR YOU HAVE $10 MILLION IN FOR SITE ACQUISITION.

DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF THE AREAS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR OR THAT YOU HAVE TARGETED FOR THIS $10 MILLION? WELL, I, I MEAN, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD ALL BE FOR, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THAT, THAT, THAT THAT'S MORE OR LESS A CATCHALL PROJECT THAT, THAT, THAT COULD COVER ANY TYPE OF, OF LAND ACQUISITION THE COUNTY WOULD NEED.

BUT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, ITEMS WITHIN, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE THE BULK OF IT FOR THIS, THIS ABERDEEN, UM, ABERDEEN H GRACE PROJECT.

YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WILL WORK WITH PLANNING, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, THE OFFICE OF PLANNING TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS AVAILABLE.

THAT'S MORE OR LESS HOW WE ENDED UP WITH THE, THE, UM, UH, THE PROJECTS THAT WE LOOKED AT FOR, FOR, FOR WHERE THE HARTFORD ACADEMY IS.

UM, AND THAT WILL MEET KIND OF BOTH THE, UM, UH, PROJECTED GROWTH AREAS.

I MEAN, I THINK IT'S SOMEWHAT OF A CHALLENGE IN THIS, IN THIS AREA BECAUSE WE KNOW DEFINITELY WHERE THE BULK OF THE STUFF IS GOING, WHICH IS IN THE, THE RIPKIN STADIUM, UM, THE RIPKIN STADIUM AREA, WHICH I THINK IS BAKERFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRENT CURRENTLY COVERED.

BUT THEN THERE IS ADDITIONAL PRESSURES FROM HDY GRACE AS WELL, YOU KNOW, AND THEN SORT OF THEN TRYING TO WORK WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WORKS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WORKS BEST.

AND AGAIN, HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WE'VE, WE'VE HAD WITH HARTFORD ACADEMY, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S WITHIN THAT PRIORITY FUNDING AREA, WHICH REALLY MEANS WATER AND SEWER.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, JUST AS WE DID WITH THEM BEFORE, WE WOULD WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM.

YOU KNOW, THE WAY THE PROJECT WORKED THE LAST TIME IS, I KNOW THAT PLANNING AND ZONING KIND OF CAME UP WITH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT, UH, PROPERTIES AND THEN WE WORKED WITH THEM AND, AND LIKE, YEAH, THIS, THIS ONE WOULDN'T BE GOOD.

I KNOW THERE WAS LIKE SOME WHERE LIKE, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE TOUGH JUST GETTING BUSES THERE OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO IT CERTAINLY WOULD BE A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH, BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFIED, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE EXACT, UM, UM, PARCELS, PARCELS WOULD BE.

HAVE WE STARTED THAT PROCESS YET? WE, WE HAD SOME MEETING, UM, UM, OF AADE TO LOOK AT SOME POTENTIAL, UM, SITES THAT THEY PROVIDED DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE PUBLIC, UM, BROUGHT TO THE SITE.

UM, BUT THEY CAN PUT FOR THAT, UM, THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED, OKAY, AND I REMEMBER, UH, THE HARTFORD ACADEMY WAS WHAT, $8 MILLION? UH, YEAH, WE ENDED UP, UM, PAYING, YEAH, YEAH, $8 MILLION BECAUSE WE, WE WOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE, THE PURCHASE OF THE LAND AS WELL AS SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE ALREADY THERE.

I THINK IT WAS 6.2 FOR THE LAND AND, YOU KNOW, 1.8 OR SOMETHING IN THAT RANGE FOR, SO PROBABLY IN THE FUTURE WE WOULD BE LESS MONEY FOR A SITE THEN.

AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN AND, YOU KNOW, WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AND SEE WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHERE EXACTLY IT WOULD, IT WOULD ALL, UM, IT, IT WOULD ALL BE, UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, I MEAN, IT'S SOMEWHAT HARD TO SAY UNTIL YOU, UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT, UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THE AREA IS.

IT DOESN'T NECESS OF COURSE, HAVE TO BE WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ABERDEEN AS WELL, BUT IT DOES NEED TO BE IN THE WATER, IN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE WATER.

AND SO AREA.

SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS THIS $10 MILLION IS FOCUSED ON A SCHOOL SITE.

WELL, WE'VE USED THAT $10 MILLION FOR, YOU KNOW, PURCHASING OF, OF ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF, YOU KNOW, OF, UM, UM, LAND ACQUISITIONS, YOU KNOW, OVER, OVER THE YEARS.

SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN THE PRIMARY COMPONENT OF IT, BUT WE'VE ALSO USED IT, WE'VE USED IT FOR WHEN, UNDER THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.

I KNOW WE PURCHASED THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE ON THE, ON THE CORNER THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NEW, UM, UM, BROWN, BROWN AND YOUNG.

SO I DO KNOW THAT THE SCHOOL SITE IS THE OVERWHELMING, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OVERWHELMING NEED AND PROBABLY WAS WOULD FAR AND AWAY BE THE, THE LARGEST, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LARGEST EXPENDITURE TO COME OUTTA THERE.

ALL THOSE, YEAH, ALL THE, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS PURCHASED OUT OF THAT, UM, UM, OUT OF THAT PROJECT.

I'M TRYING TO THINK OF SOME OTHER, UM, PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE TAKEN OUT OF THERE, THERE TOO, IN THE, IN THE PAST.

BUT YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE USED THAT FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS.

UM,

[01:30:01]

BUT AGAIN, THE EXACT COST, UM, THAT WE WOULD NEED FOR THAT, THAT THAT PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, YOU KNOW, WOULD NEED TO BE DETERMINED, YOU KNOW, ACCORDING TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE APPRAISED VALUE WOULD BE.

THANK YOU MR. JANA.

SO I DO HAVE A CAPITAL QUESTION FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO COME BACK UP.

I WAS TRYING TO CATCH YOU BEFORE YOU, BEFORE YOU LEFT.

UM, THAT'S WHAT IT IS.

WE'LL, WE'LL TAG, WELL, THE QUESTION IS HOMESTEAD WAKEFIELD? YES.

UM, WHERE DO WE STAND ON THAT? IS IT, UH, ON BUDGET? OVER BUDGET? UNDER BUDGET? AND WHEN'S THE COMPLETION DATE? I LIKE THIS.

I LIKE THIS QUESTION.

IT IS ON BUDGET AND WE ANTICIPATE, UH, USE IN OCCUPANCY IN MAY.

AND, UH, , JUST PULL THAT MIC UP FEELING YOU NEED, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT THE HOT SEAT .

UH, NO, IT'S GONE EXTREMELY WELL.

WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE WITH ALL OF OUR CONSULTANTS, ALL OF OUR STAFF AND TEAM.

AND IT'S HONESTLY, UH, WE'RE, THEY'RE PUTTING FINAL PAVEMENT IN, THEY'RE WAXING FLOORS.

WE'RE GETTING READY TO RECEIVE FURNITURE.

UH, SOME OF THE TEACHERS ARE GETTING TOURS OF THEIR SPACES.

IT'S GOING UP REALLY WELL.

AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY JUST TO WORK OUT THE EMERGENCY ACCESS ROAD.

I THINK WE'RE CLOSE.

UH, IT'S IN, THAT'S CONTRACTED.

IT'S JUST THE AGREEMENT.

COME IN AND HAVE A CHANCE TO, TO, UH, SAY HI TO THEM, WELCOME THEM WHEN THEY COME.

YEAH, I, I KNEW WE HAD A GOOD PRICE ON THAT WHEN WE DID THAT, AND I JUST WAS CURIOUS TO WHERE THAT STOOD ON ON THAT.

SO, SO THAT IS MY QUESTION ON THAT, AND I'M, I'M GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THAT.

UM, IF I JUST SAY DOCTOR, DOCTOR, DOES THAT COVER BOTH OF YOU? YEAH.

SO, UM, AND DEBORAH, JUDD, I SEE YOU BACK THERE.

SO, UM, SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE, UM, NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES FROM 2019 TO 2025 THAT WERE BACK TO WHERE WE WERE.

BUT THEN YOU ALSO MENTIONED ABOUT THE CO MONEY IN THE COVID POSITIONS.

UM, SO I'M NOT REALLY CLEAR ABOUT HOW MANY POSITIONS, UM, WERE THEY TEMPORARY POSITIONS THAT WERE GOING TO FULL-TIME WITH THE COVID, THAT THAT'S WHERE I'M, I KIND OF LOST YOU ON ON THAT.

DI DIDN'T YOU KNOW, HOW MANY, HOW MANY OF THOSE POSITIONS WERE FUNDED BY COVID THAT YOU WANTED TO KEEP FUNDING MOVING FORWARD? UM, AND ARE THEY ALL, ARE THEY TEACHERS OR ARE THEY, I GUESS YOU CALL THEM, UH, FRONT FACING VERSUS SOMETHING FACING? SO IF YOU GO BACK TO BUDGETS, SO IN THE FY 24 BUDGET, WHICH IS THE BUDGET WHERE I HAVE OUR ASK WAS, I FORGET WHAT THE ASK WAS, IT WAS ABOUT $27 MILLION, I THINK, AND THAT'S THE YEAR WE WENT DOWN.

SO, OR WAS 24 MILLION OR SOMETHING.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE WENT DOWN.

ONE OF THE LINE ITEMS IN THAT BUDGET WAS BETWEEN NINE AND $10 MILLION.

AT THE TIME POSITIONS WERE, I MEAN, A FEW YEARS AGO, POSITIONS WERE A LITTLE CHEAPER.

UM, SO LESS EXPENSIVE.

YEAH, , UH, SO IT WAS AROUND A HUNDRED POSITIONS THEN THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO CARRY FORWARD AND MOVE INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET.

SO I, IN THE END, IF I REMEMBER THE NUMBERS, IT WAS LIKE A 34, 30 $5 MILLION SWING OF WHAT WE HAD ASKED FOR AND WHAT WE ULTIMATELY GOT.

AND SO HAD WE BEEN FUNDED, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, MOST OF THESE POSITIONS WOULD'VE BEEN ABSORBED.

SO YOU, YOU CAN SAY, YOU KNOW, THEY GOT IN THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE HAD ADDITIONAL FUNDS FROM THE PANDEMIC.

WE HAD, WE HAD NEARLY $90 MILLION IN, IN FEDERAL FUNDS.

AND WHAT WE'VE SAID ABOUT THAT IS, AT THE TIME, YOU KNOW, THE STUDENT FACING POSITIONS, WHETHER THEY WERE TEACHERS OR PARAEDUCATORS, THOSE WERE THE POSITIONS WE NEEDED TO DO THE WORK.

AND WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE WE'D BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM, BUT WE HAD BUILT A PLAN TO INCREMENTALLY SORT OF BRING THEM INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET.

IT'S JUST THAT PLAN DIDN'T PLAY OUT THE WAY WE HAD HOPED.

SO NOW WE'RE AT A PLACE, THE FEDERAL MONEY IS GONE.

WE HAVE NO WAY TO SUPPORT THOSE.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE LAST TWO YEARS, UH, WE'VE SUPPORTED THEM THROUGH FUND BALANCE.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MILLION DOLLARS IN FUND BALANCE.

TWO YEARS AGO LAST YEAR WE HAD 30 MILLION.

IF WE KEPT ON THAT TRAJECTORY, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO COVER, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT DOING CUTS, SO.

GOTCHA.

SO IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE ALSO MOVING FORWARD THAT COME I GUESS AUGUST, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO MAYBE HIRE SOME, BUT YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW MANY, WHEREAS LIKE LAST YEAR, YOU, UH, I WAS AT THAT FAIR, I GUESS, WHAT WAS THERE ABOUT 300, 300 NEW TEACHING POSITIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT ON, OR? SO YEAH, LAST YEAR I THINK WE ENDED ABOUT A LITTLE OVER TWO 70.

TWO 70, SO, YEAH.

UM, YEAH.

AND WE IN, YOU KNOW, YEAH.

AND THAT'S WHEN WE DO THE NEW TEACHER ORIENTATION AND PEOPLE

[01:35:01]

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT OCCURS ALL YEAR.

UM, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY VACANCIES, VACANCIES WE HAD AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR.

I THINK WE HAD A FEW MORE AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, BECAUSE FRANKLY, VACANCIES IN THE STATE ARE COMING IN MORE SLOWLY BECAUSE MORE DISTRICTS ARE CUTTING THE UNCERTAINTY AND THE ECONOMY AND ALL THAT HAS PEOPLE BEING A LITTLE MORE CAUTIOUS ABOUT MOVING AROUND.

SO IT IS A LITTLE SLOWER THIS YEAR, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO GET TO TWO 70.

WE JUST NEED TO GET TO, UM, ABOUT ONE 60.

AND RIGHT NOW, UH, THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO OUR HR TEAM, WE'RE STILL ABOUT 60 POSITIONS SHORT.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE ON A TRAJECTORY TO HAVE ENOUGH VACANCIES.

IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER BECAUSE THE VACANCIES AREN'T ONE-TO-ONE MATCHES.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TOO MANY SOCIAL STUDY TEACHER VACANCIES, BUT YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WE HAVE AVAILABLE MAYBE DON'T TEACH IN THAT AREA.

SO GETTING THAT TO MATCH UP OVER THE SUMMER WILL BE A BIG PART OF THE CHALLENGE.

BUT AGAIN, WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, INFORM EVERYBODY WHERE THEY'RE MOST LIKELY TO BE, UH, BY THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

AND WHEN IT COMES TO BENEFITS, ARE YOU ABLE TO, AND YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT, I THINK ABOUT THAT.

ARE YOU GUYS ABLE TO LOOK AT YOUR BENEFITS OR IS IT ALL UNDER CONTRACTUAL WITH THE, THE TEACHERS AND THE UNIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANTED TO CHANGE SOMETHING ON, ON, ON THE HEALTHCARE INSURANCE, YOU CAN'T DO THAT WITHOUT IT GOING THROUGH.

YOU HAVE TO NEGOTIATE.

SO THIS, I MEAN, THIS ALL STARTED, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE STARTED DOING THAT IN ANTICIPATION OF, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED BECAUSE WE THOUGHT GOING INTO FY 21, WE WERE GONNA DO A BIG CHANGE WITH, WE KIND OF EXPECTED THAT WAS GONNA BE OUR STRATEGY GOING INTO FY 21.

AND THEN WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, EVERYTHING WITH BENEFITS JUST CHANGED.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE WERE HAVING THIS BIG SURPLUS FROM BENEFITS THAT WE HADN'T HAD IN FOREVER.

UM, SO NOW WE'RE AT THE PLACE WHERE BENEFIT THE COST AND YOU CAN SEE IS A $13 MILLION AD FOR ALL OF OUR INSURANCES THIS YEAR.

UM, SO THAT'S BEGINNING TO CREEP UP.

AND I THINK PROBABLY EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCING THAT.

I KNOW THE COUNTY IS, AND SO WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT WE OFFER OR THE COST OF WHAT WE OFFER.

OUR DEDUCTIBLES AND COPAYS ARE STILL LESS THAN HALF OF ANY OF OUR ADJOINING LIKE NEARBY DISTRICTS, BUT WE'LL JUST HAVE TO NEGOTIATE THAT.

AND SO THERE'S ROOM THERE TO, YOU KNOW, DECREASE OUR COSTS A LITTLE BIT.

OF COURSE, THAT GOES ON THE BACKS OF SHOULD, I MEAN, ON THE SHOULDERS OF OUR STAFF, IF WE GOTTA DO IT CAREFULLY.

SO IF WE DON'T DO TOO MUCH THERE, BUT, UM, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEEDED MORE THAN THIS ONE BUDGET CYCLE TO DEAL WITH.

SO WE'RE GONNA START THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND ANTICIPATION FOR BRINGING SOMETHING FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

OH, I JUST WANTED TO ADD ONE MORE THING.

SO PART OF THE CHALLENGE WITH THE BENEFITS, IT DOES HAVE TO BE NEGOTIATED, AND THERE'S CERTAIN TIMES THAT YOU CAN DO THAT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL THAT BECAUSE OUR SALARIES ARE NOT COMPETITIVE, WE HAVE THE BENEFITS.

SO IF WE REDUCE OUR BENEFIT OFFERINGS AND STILL CAN'T INCREASE OUR SALARIES, WE BECOME EVEN LESS COMPETITIVE AND LESS ATTRACTIVE TO TEACHERS WHO WANT TO COME TO HARTFORD COUNTY.

SO IT'S, IT'S A BIG BALANCING ACT WITH ALL OF THAT.

AND LET ME MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR.

I'M, I'M NOT BENEFITING, UH, ADVOCATING FOR CUTTING BENEFITS OR ANYTHING , I'M WAS JUST ASKING ABOUT, ABOUT THE COST.

I, I KNOW THE VALUE OF THE BENEFITS, WHICH IS ASTRONOMICAL WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO OUT IN THE, IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND DO THAT.

SO I, I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE TEACHERS LOOK AT WAS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I'M NOT GETTING PAID AS MUCH, BUT IF, IF I HAD TO PAY, YOU KNOW, MY HEALTH INSURANCE FOR A FAMILY, IT'S $3,600 A MONTH, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, 30, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 40, $40,000.

SO I'M, I'M NOT BENEF, UH, THAT, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF RETIREES ALSO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THEIR INSURANCE IS PAID FOR AND, AND EVERYTHING.

I, SO THAT, THAT WASN'T MY, YOU KNOW, JUST TO MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR WITH THAT.

SO THANKS MS. ROBERT? YES.

UH, GOOD MORNING.

IT'S STILL MORNING TIME.

UM, I AM LOOKING AT THE POSITIONS AND I THINK I'VE FIGURED OUT WHERE THE, THE ONE 60 NUMBER IS COMING FROM.

MY QUESTION, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE IS, IT HAS TEACHER, COUNSELOR AND PSYCH LUMPED IN TOGETHER, IF I'M LOOKING AT THAT CORRECTLY, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY ARE OF EACH? SO ABOUT 120, UH, TEACHER FACING POSITIONS WHEN WE, THE STATE DEFINES WHAT A TEACHER IS, AND ALL OF THOSE CATEGORIES ARE CONSIDERED A TEACHER.

UM, THEY MAY NOT BE DIRECT STUDENT FACING POSITIONS, BUT WHEN WE ARE COUNTING FOR TEACHERS, THAT'S WHERE IT GOES INTO INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES AND SO FORTH.

SO THAT'S, I THINK, WHAT YOU'RE PROBABLY SEEING.

TRADE, SO, AND I'M GOING AT IT IN THIS WAY, UM, BECAUSE OF THE REDUCTION.

WELL, YEAH, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT.

'CAUSE IT SAID THREE ADMINISTRATIVE, AND THEN IT HAD THOSE THREE LUMPED IN.

UM, AND I'M A THERAPIST BY

[01:40:01]

THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING WHAT POSITIONS, LIKE ARE THERE A COUPLE OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS OR COACHES I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE I WAS HEADING WITH THAT.

WHAT PAGE ARE YOU LOOKING AT? WHERE I'M LOOKING AT THE, THE, UM, DOCUMENT, THE PACKET THAT, THE PACKET THAT WAY.

OH, THE ACTUAL PACKET, YEAH.

ON PAGE 40.

AND I WAS JUST FIGURING THAT WAS THE NUMBERS.

AND SO THAT'S WHERE MY CURIOSITY CAME FROM.

YEAH, I'LL SAY THAT THE POSITION REDUCTIONS ARE, WERE REALLY ACROSS THE BOARD, UH, EVEN AT, UH, CENTRAL OFFICE.

UM, BUT BECAUSE MOST OF OUR POSITIONS ARE EDUCATORS, THAT IS WHERE IT HITS, HITS THE HARDEST.

I'LL ALSO SAY THAT THAT WOULDN'T GET TOO FIXATED ON THAT ONE 60 NUMBER.

WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO HIT A, A, A COST SAVING.

SO IT COULD BE ONE 50, IT COULD BE 1 65.

SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE, YOU KNOW, THE TENURE OF THE POSITIONS AND THE NUMBER OF OTHER FACTORS.

MS. , UM, SO KIND OF ALONG WITH COUNCILMAN BENNETT'S QUESTION ABOUT THE A DA ACCESSIBILITY AT BEL AIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, I SAID THAT THERE'S TWO OTHER A DA IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FUNDED.

ONE AT EDGEWOOD MIDDLE AND ONE AT NORTH HARTFORD MIDDLE.

UM, THE ONE AT EDGEWOOD MIDDLE IS FOR RESTROOMS AND FOUNTAINS, AND THE OTHER ONE AT NORTH HARTFORD MIDDLE IS FOR A SCHOOL ELEVATOR.

ARE THERE STUDENTS THAT WERE CURRENTLY NOT MEETING THEIR NEEDS? I, I KNOW IN GENERAL, WE ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL THE STUDENTS AT EACH BUILDING, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AS STREAMLINED AS WHAT IT COULD BE WITH SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL.

GOTCHA.

UM, AND THEN ALSO, DO YOU GUYS CONSULT WITH LIKE YOUR INSURANCE BROKER? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE'S CERTAIN, UM, THINGS THAT LOOK, UH, SAFETY WISE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE GOTTEN FUNDED FOR.

BUT AGAIN, COMING FROM AN AGRICULTURAL BACKGROUND, I NOTICED THAT NORTH HARTFORD AGRICULTURAL FENCES WAS NOT FUNDED.

AND SO IS THERE JUST CERTAIN PRIORITY LEVELS BASED OFF OF DETERIORATION OR INSURANCE RECOMMENDATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? SO WE'RE, THERE'S INVESTIGATIONS THAT COME FROM THE STATE AND DIFFERENT, UM, CONSULTANTS WITH INSURANCE, AND THEY LOOK AT ALL OF THAT.

AND WE WORK WITH, SO OUR RISK MANAGER EVALUATES ALL OF THAT, WORKS WITH KATHY'S TEAM TO IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS A PRIORITY WHEN, UM, MR. MORTON AND MS. VALENTINO ARE MEETING WITH ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS WE ARE, THERE'S A RUBRIC THAT WE GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS PRIORITY MM-HMM .

AND IT HAS TO MEET CERTAIN LEVELS IN ORDER TO BE ELEVATED.

SO UNFORTUNATELY MANY OF OUR, UM, REQUESTS ARE HIGH PRIORITY MM-HMM .

SO IT'S PRIORITIZING HIGH PRIORITY, WHICH GIVES A FALSE SENSE OF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS ISN'T AS IMPORTANT AS SOMETHING ELSE.

SO, UM, QUITE HONESTLY, EVERYTHING ON HERE IS PROBABLY VERY HIGH PRIORITY.

BUT IT'S, WE HAVE TO BRING IT DOWN AT SOME POINT IN ORDER TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST THAT MAKES SENSE.

AND KIND OF ALONG THAT LINES, I KNOW, UH, I'M A MOM OF TWO ELEMENTARY AGE GIRLS AND I'VE WORKED A LOT IN SCHOOL SYSTEMS WHERE THE BOILER SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK IDEALLY, OR HALF THE SCHOOL IS REALLY COLD AND HALF THE SCHOOL IS REALLY HOT , AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDING MORE KIDS TO CLASSROOMS TO BE ABLE TO MEET A BUDGET.

UM, BUT I NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE MAJOR HVAC REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN FUNDED.

UM, DO WE HAVE A BANDAID BUDGET AS THE YEAR GOES ON, ? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MEET THAT NEED? LET ME GIVE A BIG PICTURE QUESTION.

I'M GONNA HAND IT BACK TO MS. BENDIS FOR A MORE DETAILED ANSWER TO YOUR SPECIFIC QUESTION.

WE HAVE 55 SCHOOLS AND WE'RE CURRENTLY ON A TRAJECTORY TO REPLACE OR SIGNIFICANTLY RENOVATE ONE SCHOOL.

WE WERE ON ONE EVERY TWO YEARS MM-HMM .

UM, BUT A COUPLE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED THE LAST FEW YEARS AND THAT'S EVEN BEEN SLOWED DOWN.

SO LET'S SAY WE GET BACK TO THE TWO YEAR TRAJECTORY, THAT'S 110 YEAR CYCLE.

PROBABLY OUGHT TO HAVE SOME TIME WITH OUR NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.

IDEALLY, UM, WE'D BE, I MEAN, AND I DON'T KNOW IF KATHY HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION ON THIS, BUT I'VE BEEN, HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH, WITH OTHERS, IDEALLY WE'D BE DOING ONE MAJOR RENOVATION A YEAR AND REPLACING ONE BUILDING A YEAR BECAUSE EVERY BUILD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD DO A 50 YEAR CYCLE FOR OUR BUILDINGS MM-HMM .

UM, BUT DURING THAT 50 YEAR CYCLE AT ABOUT THE 25 YEAR MARK THAT NEED TO HAVE ALL THE BIG STUFF REPLACED, THE HVAC, THE ROOF, YOU KNOW MM-HMM .

AND SO IF WE COULD BE DOING THAT BIG, YOU KNOW, EITHER THE RENOVATION FOR ONE BUILDING THAT'S MID MIDLIFE AND THEN ONE BUILDING BEING REPLACED, THAT WOULD BE A MORE SUSTAINABLE CAPITAL APPROACH.

BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THE TABLE TO PLAN.

YOU KNOW, HOW AS A COMMUNITY ARE WE GOING TO CREATE THAT SUSTAINABILITY MM-HMM .

UM, SO THAT'S THE BIG PICTURE AND SOMETHING I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A LITTLE BIT.

BUT, UM, I THINK WE

[01:45:01]

AND I'M, AND KATHY CAN ANSWER MORE SPECIFICALLY, I, I'LL JUST SAY ON THE BANDAID BUDGET MM-HMM .

THAT'S THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE HAVE.

SO THE BOARD AND WORKING WITH THE ADMINISTRATION CAN DETERMINE, SO THINGS COME UP ALL THE TIME.

I'M SURE YOU GUYS HEARD LAST WEEK WE JUST HAD A TRACK CONDEMNED .

SO, UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THE BOARD CAN USE TO, TO FILL THOSE GAPS.

AND THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY AS WELL.

I WOULDN'T BE DOING MY JOB AS A FINANCIAL PERSON IF I DIDN'T SAY THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF FUND BALANCE.

SO WE CAN USE IT IN OUR OPERATING BUDGET, BUT THAT IS TO REPLACE RECURRING COSTS.

SO WE NEED A FUNDING STREAM FOR THOSE RECURRING COSTS, OR THOSE COSTS NEED TO GO AWAY BECAUSE IT'S NOT FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE TO NOT HAVE THAT FUND BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR THESE THINGS THAT TEND TO COME UP.

DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION OR? I KNOW THEY WANTED TO PASS IT DOWN TO ME.

I DO WANNA JUST SAY , I, UM, FROM A STANDPOINT OF LOOKING AT IT MORE HOLISTICALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND WE HAVE A SUSTAINABILITY, UM, COMMITTEE NOW, UM, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY REDUCE ENERGY.

CAUSE IF WE CONTINUE TO NOT FUND THESE PROJECTS, IT IS ULTIMATELY GONNA END UP COSTING US MORE ON OUR ENERGY COSTS.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE REALLY NEED TO, I THINK, BE MINDFUL OF AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THESE PROJECT REQUESTS.

UM, BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, WE TELL PEOPLE NOT TO USE, YOU KNOW, ANY PORTABLE HEATERS, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE THIS PLUGGED IN OR THAT PLUGGED IN.

UM, BUT AGAIN, IF THEY'RE COLD, THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH THEY CAN DO.

OR WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING TO THEN BRING IN UNITS, UM, THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, INCREASING OUR OVERALL ENERGY COSTS.

SO, UM, JUST SOMETHING WE WANNA BE MINDFUL OF AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.

THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

THANK YOU MS. ROBERT.

UM, AND WITH THE INCREASING OF POSSIBLE CLASSROOM SIZES, AND I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE SCHOOLS HAVE PORTABLES AND I CAN SEE IN THE, UM, CAPITAL BUDGET LOOKS LIKE THAT WASN'T GONNA GO THROUGH, IS SOME OF THESE PORTABLES.

HOW DO YOU GUYS SEE THIS HAPPENING WITH THE OVERSIZING OF CLASSROOMS? SO, YEAH, I'LL TAKE THAT.

SO THE IRONY OF THIS OF COURSE IS CLASSROOM SIZES GET GREATER.

YOU NEED FEWER CLASSROOMS. UM, SO THIS IS LESS OF A PRESSURE ON PORTABLES, UH, AS WE'RE, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD A HUNDRED STUDENTS WHO WERE SPREAD AMONG THIS MANY CLASSES, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT WE, THE CLASSES ARE LARGER, THAT IN SOME CASES THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE AS MANY ROOMS. SO THAT WILL ACTUALLY CREATE MORE BUILDING CAPACITY.

BUT, YOU KNOW, BUT WE'RE SEEING, BUT THERE'S STILL AN ISSUE WITH, WITH BUILDING CAPACITY.

AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ABERDEEN.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS PROJECT IN BEL AIR.

'CAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME PLACES WHERE WE'RE GROWING.

UM, BUT LIKE I SAID, IRONICALLY, UM, FEWER TEACHERS MEANS A NEED FOR FEWER CLASSROOMS. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT AN IDEAL STATE EITHER.

NO.

AND, AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I HEAR FROM A LOT OF MY KIDS AT THE CLASSROOM SIZES THEMSELVES RIGHT NOW, THEY FEEL LIKE ARE OVERCROWDED AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING TO LEARN.

AND ANOTHER PHRASE OF NOT SAYING NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, THEY'RE FEELING A LITTLE BIT STRUGGLING.

AND SOME OF THEM ARE SPECIAL NEEDS.

AND I KNOW AT SOME POINT THERE WERE, THEY'LL NOTE I DID HAVE MRS. SO AND SO IN THE CLASSROOM.

NOW SHE'S GONE.

LIKE, SO THEY NOTE THAT THERE WAS A SECOND PERSON IN THERE, OR MAYBE EVEN SOME CASES A THIRD.

UM, HOW IS IT LOOKING FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION KIDS WITH SOME OF THE, THE CUTS AND LACK OF FUNDING THAT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION BUDGET'S QUITE A BIT DIFFERENT.

IT'S MUCH MORE PROTECTED.

UH, IN FACT, THERE'S AN EXPECTATION.

THERE'S A, THERE'S A KIND OF A MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT REQUIREMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT WE CAN'T.

SO WHERE WE'RE MAKING ALL THESE POSITION CUTS, THAT'S NOT HAPPENING THE SAME WAY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.

WE ARE DOING SPECIAL EDUCATION IS A WHOLE OTHER CONVERSATION IN OUR BUDGET BECAUSE IT'S THE FASTEST GROWING PART OF OUR BUDGET.

SO WE ARE INTERNALLY DOING A GREAT DEAL OF WORK TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE SPENDING THOSE DOLLARS, HOW WE'RE USING OUR STAFF, ARE WE GETTING THE RESULTS WE WANT FROM THAT? THAT'S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PROJECT FOR US, BUT WE'RE DOING THAT WITH ESSENTIALLY THE SAME BUDGET.

SO WE DIDN'T ALLOW THAT BUDGET TO GROW MM-HMM .

BUT WE ALSO, UM, WERE, WE ARE REQUIRED TO FUND AT THE SAME PER PUPIL AS WE HAVE IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS.

'CAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE EXPECTATION FOR GETTING THE FEDERAL MONEY MM-HMM .

UM, SO WITH THE, IM, YOU SHOULDN'T SEE A HUGE IMPACT ON SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST UNLESS ANYTHING BIG CHANGES FEDERALLY WITH HOW THAT'S ALL FUNDED, UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING HAPPEN YET, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON ALSO.

THEN THAT'S HOW WE'RE MAKING THE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH ON OUR CAPITAL REQUESTS.

MS. LYNCH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

I HAVE TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS.

THE FIRST ONE IS AROUND THE PROJECTS.

AND SINCE A LOT OF THE PROJECTS ARE HIGH PRIORITY, WHAT IS THE CRITERIA ASSOCIATED WITH HOW YOU GO ABOUT ALLOCATING THE FUNDS? SURE.

SO WE HAVE A SCORING MATRIX THAT WE USE TO PRIORITIZE.

UM, THAT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING IF YOU WANTED, UM, WE CAN SEND THAT OVER TO YOU.

IT IS ALSO PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, UM, AS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD.

UM, SO THAT INFORMATION IS PRESENTED TO THEM.

UM, AND

[01:50:01]

UM, A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE URGENCY OF THE NEED.

UM, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A LIFE HEALTH, SAFETY, UM, COMPLIANCE ISSUE, UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE LEVELS BROKEN DOWN.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE THEM CATEGORIZED IN FOUR DIFFERENT PRIORITY CATEGORIES.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

OF COURSE.

SO I WOULD ADD JUST, BUT THE OTHER, THE OTHER DETAIL THERE IS IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR, UM, OPERATING BUDGET, THE, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT DOESN'T PROPOSE SPECIFIC ITEMS TO FUND.

IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET, THE COUNTY DOES PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH PROJECTS.

AND SO WE PRIORITIZE AND WE SEND THOSE PRIORITIES OVER.

BUT, UM, IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN THE PRACTICE TO, TO, TO CHOOSE BASED ON SPECIFICALLY ON OUR, OUR PRIORITIES.

SO, UM, AND WE CERTAINLY SEE THAT BECAUSE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE NEVER BEEN FULLY FUNDED IN CAPITAL.

AND SO IF WE DO HAVE THINGS THAT WE SEE AS A HUGE CRISIS, WE SOMETIMES FIND WAYS TO DO THAT WITH END OF YEAR FUND BALANCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AS TIGHT AS OUR BUDGET IS THIS YEAR, I EXPECT OUR CAPACITY IN THAT TO BE, UH, PRE LIMITED.

MY SECOND QUESTION IS AROUND RECRUITMENT AND HIGHLY RETENTION.

IT'S ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED THAT WE'RE BEHIND AND THAT WE'RE NOT COMPETITIVE.

SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER INCENTIVES, INTANGIBLES THAT WE'RE OFFERING, UH, NEW TEACHERS AS WELL AS EXISTING TEACHERS? THAT'S, UH, THAT'S A GROWING CONCERN.

A FEW YEARS AGO, OUR STARTING SALARY WAS THIRD IN THE STATE.

UH, NOW IT'S ABOUT IN THE MIDDLE.

UM, OUR BENEFITS, UH, I WOULD ARGUE ARE STILL MORE ROBUST THAN, UH, ANY DISTRICT IN THE STATE.

HOWEVER, THAT ISN'T ALWAYS THE DECIDING FACTOR FOR BEGINNING TEACHERS.

MORE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS I THINK ARE MORE AWARE AND PLACE A HIGHER VALUE ON THE BENEFITS.

THE STARTING SALARY IS SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY I THINK GETS THEIR ATTENTION MORE, EVEN THOUGH IT, YOU KNOW, IS, ARE FAIRLY SMALL DIFFERENCES.

UM, THIS IS A CHALLENGE.

I MEAN, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE, UM, CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUPPORTS WE'RE TAKING AWAY AND COACHES AND SPECIALISTS.

THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HELP OUR TEACHERS, YOU KNOW, FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE AND THAT, SO I'M LOOKING INTERNALLY AT WAYS THAT WE CAN REDUCE SOME OF THE BURDEN ON TEACHERS, BUT THAT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE FULLY TAKEN TO FRUITION YET.

SO THERE'LL BE MORE ON THAT THIS YEAR.

ERIC, UH, THANK YOU MR. COUNCIL PRESIDENT, DR.

BULLON.

UM, ACTUALLY JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON MS. LYNCH'S QUESTION.

WHAT, WHAT IS THERE, WHAT IS THE MANDATED STARTING SALARY NOW FOR TEACHERS? THERE'S NO MANDATE TODAY.

UM, BUT BY FY 27, SO IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, WE'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE A $60,000 STARTING SALARY.

WE ARE CURRENT THIS YEAR, WE'RE AT 56 SOMETHING WITH THE 1% INCREASE.

UM, THERE ARE FOUR OR FIVE DISTRICTS IN THE STATE WHO'VE ALREADY HIT THAT $60,000 MARK.

UM, THERE ARE MANY WHO HAVEN'T.

AND, UM, AGAIN, WE'RE ABOUT IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT NOW.

O OKAY.

AND, AND I BELIEVE YOU PREVIOUSLY SAID THAT IF YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THE FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET, AS IT SAYS, YOUR YOUR FUND BALANCE WILL REDUCE DOWN TO ABOUT 26 MILLION.

IS THAT THE NUMBER YOU BEFORE I WAS TRYING TO FOLLOW? THAT WOULD BE THE ESTIMATE, YEAH.

THE ESTIMATE.

SO IF EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE, BUT DO, DO YOU RECALL OVER THE PAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES, WHAT WAS THE BURN RATE? WHERE WERE YOU ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AT THIS TIME? SO TWO YEARS AGO WE USED ABOUT $15 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE.

LAST YEAR WE USED ABOUT 30.

AND EACH OF THOSE YEARS WE GENERATED A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, SURPLUS.

UM, AND SO WE WERE, I THINK IN THE 60 TO $70 MILLION UNASSIGNED, UH, GOING INTO THE BUDGET TWO YEARS AGO.

UH, AND, AND JUST ONE FINAL, SO, UH, GETTING BACK TO ANOTHER POINT, I THINK MS. LYNCH MADE, WE HAVE YOU, AND I THINK I ASKED THIS EVERY YEAR, HAVE YOU PROJECTED OUT, UH, CLASSROOM SIZE WITH SOME OF THE CUTS HERE AND STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIOS MOVING FORWARD? WE EXPECT, SO CLASSROOM SIZE IS ALWAYS A HARD THING TO TALK ABOUT BECAUSE THEY'RE DIFFERENT AT ALL DIFFERENT LEVELS.

SO THE THE SHORTEST ANSWER IS, AND DR.

POINTIN HAD THIS IN HIS OPENING REMARKS, WE EXPECT TO SEE ABOUT ONE TO TWO MORE STUDENTS PER CLASS.

THANK YOU, MR. REPPER.

MR. PARISH.

KNOW THE PRE COVID NUMBERS OF TOTAL STUDENTS AND TOTAL EMPLOYEES VERSUS THE CURRENT NUMBER OF TOTAL STUDENTS AND TOTAL EMPLOYEES? AND THEN KIND OF WHY WOULD CLASS SIZES GO UP IF, IF THE NUMBERS AREN'T REALLY CHANGING AND THEN WHAT MAYBE WHAT THE PLAN IS TO, TO BALANCE CAPACITIES IF THERE IS ONE MOVING FORWARD.

MY FIRST QUESTION I'LL, I'LL PIG YOU BACK OFF OR OFF OF MR. ROBERT'S QUESTION.

SO, UM, YOU TALKED AT ONE POINT ABOUT CLASS SIZES BEING ABOUT THE SAME AS WHERE THEY, WHERE THEY WERE LIKE PRE COVID, AND THEN WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CLASS SIZES GOING UP TO ONE TO TWO STUDENTS.

SO I GUESS MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU HAPPEN TO

[01:55:01]

SO I EXPECT THE RESULT OF THIS BUDGET WILL, WILL PUT US BACK IN A PLACE WHERE WE'RE SIMILAR TO WHERE WE WERE AFTER WE MADE THE CUTS.

UM, AND THAT IN JANUARY OF 2019, IT'S, IT'S NOT ALWAYS AS EASY TO PIN IT DOWN THE WAY YOU DID BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF, YOU KNOW, POSITIONS.

ONE OF THE WAYS WE'VE LOOKED AT THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, ACTUALLY IT'S SOMETHING MY COLLEAGUE IN CECIL USES, WHICH ACTUALLY TURNS OUT TO BE A PRETTY GOOD EXPLANATORY TOOL, IS WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR COURSES HAVE MORE THAN 25 STUDENTS IN THEM? THERE'S NO MAGIC ABOUT 25 BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE CONSIDER THAT A LARGE CLASS, SOMEWHAT CONSIDER THAT A SMALLER CLASS, BUT IT JUST GIVES YOU A SENSE.

SO, SO ONE, THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT.

WE LOOK BY, BY LEVEL, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR CLASSES HAVE MORE THAN 25 STUDENTS.

AND SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE 2019 FY 19, BEFORE WE CUT, WE SAW WHERE OUR CLASS SIZES WERE.

AND THEN AFTER WE MADE THE CUTS, WE HAD A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF CLASSES THAT WERE OVER 25.

WE, UM, WE TOOK A BIG DIP WHEN WE STARTED ADDING POSITIONS BACK.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAD FEWER CLASSES OVER 25.

AND NOW WE'RE, AGAIN, I EXPECT US AFTER THIS BUDGET TO BE ABOUT WHERE WE WERE IN FY 20 AFTER WE DID THOSE CUTS.

UM, SO ON THE ONE HAND WE'RE SEEING CLASS SIZES GOING UP ON ANOTHER HAND, WE KNOW THAT THE STUDENTS WE'RE SERVING, WE'VE HAD MORE CHALLENGES, WHETHER IT'S FOR MENTAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS, THESE SORTS OF THINGS.

SO WE KNOW IT'S A CHALLENGE, BUT AGAIN, THESE ARE CLASS SIZES THAT WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.

THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED WHERE WE'RE GOING, BUT I'D BE CONCERNED IF IF THEY GOT MUCH LARGER SAY, WE COULD DEFINITELY GET YOU, GET YOU THOSE NUMBERS AS A FOLLOW UP.

THE OTHER, THE OTHER THING TO CONSIDER AS WELL IS JUST NOT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, BUT SORT OF THE, THE, THE COMPOSITION OF THOSE EMPLOYEES.

YOU KNOW, AS, AS, UH, DR.

BALSON ALLUDED TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PUTTING MORE RESOURCES INTO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, SPECIAL EDUCATION, SOME OTHER SPECIALTIES.

SO, UM, THAT MAY ALSO AFFECT CLASSROOM SIZE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE OVERALL NUMBER MAY BE BACK TO WHERE IT WAS AGAIN.

IS THERE ANY LOOK AT, AT BALANCING CAPACITIES ACROSS DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, LOOKING AT, AT ACTUAL NUMBERS OF KIDS IN CERTAIN SCHOOLS? OH, WE ABSOLUTELY DO THAT.

I MEAN, AS WE STAFF THE BUILDINGS, THAT'S ALWAYS A PART OF IT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE USE RATIOS FOR STAFFING, SO WE HAVE SOME SORT OF CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY IS LOOKING AT CLASSROOMS AND, UM, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS OVER THE SUMMER IS, YOU KNOW, KINDERGARTNERS DON'T SHOW UP IN NICE LITTLE PACKAGES OF 20 KIDS OR 18 KIDS, OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS.

AND THAT'S THE HARDEST GRADE LEVEL TO PREDICT.

AND SO MOSTLY WE'RE WATCHING, WE'RE WATCHING ALL ENROLLMENT 'CAUSE YOU SEE SHIFTS, BUT AS YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SEE A SCHOOL WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SET CLASS CAP TARGETS, WE HAVE TO CALL 'EM TARGETS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO EXCEED THOSE.

BUT, UM, WE'RE ALWAYS WATCHING THOSE AND WE DO HOLD ON TO SOME STAFF, YOU KNOW, SO IF ENROLLMENT CHANGES, WE HAD IT HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY.

TWO YEARS AGO, RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY, THEY CAME BACK IN AUGUST AND THEY HAD CLOSE TO 150 MORE STUDENTS AND THEY ANTICIPATED WE HAD TO SEND STAFF TO THEM.

UM, AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS, WE'RE ALWAYS MONITORING THAT.

IT GETS HARD TOWARD THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE WE TRY TO GIVE THOSE STAFF OUT EARLIER.

SO THE TEACH THE SCHOOL HAS THE TIME TO HIRE AND FIND A CLASSROOM AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.

SO IT'S ALWAYS, THERE'S A BIT OF AN ART AND A BIT OF A SCIENCE THERE, BUT DEPLOYING STAFF, IT'S, WE WATCH THAT VERY CLOSELY ALL THROUGH THE HIRING IN THE SUMMER.

THIS MIGHT BE A ROBBIE QUESTION.

THE, UH, THE STATE MANDATED SHIFTS FOR THE, THE VOIB AND THE, UH, TEACHER PENSIONS, IS THAT DEDUCTED FROM THE INCREASE IN IN LOCAL SHARE? I GUESS WE HAVE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT HERE.

YEAH, I MEAN IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SEPARATE.

I MEAN, IT'S DO YOU KEEP IT SEPARATELY? IN THE CASE IN VOIP, WHICH ISN'T MANDATED, THAT'S JUST, UM, A, A COST THAT WE SHARE BUT BENEFITS THEM AND WE'RE JUST KIND OF SHOWING IT, UM, THIS, WE WILL NEED TO PAY THESE PENSION COSTS DIRECTLY TO THE STATE.

NOW THIS DIFFERS FROM WHAT HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO WHEN THE STATE GAVE US, UM, A SHARE OF TEACHER PENSIONS AND WE PROVIDED FUNDS TO THE SCHOOLS AND THEN IT, IT MORE OR LESS IT INCREASED THE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT NUMBER AND THEN THE SCHOOLS HAD TO PAY THE, UM, UH, PAY THE STATE PENSION.

SO THIS IS A LITTLE, LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

IT WAS SOMETHING THAT AT MAKO WE TRIED TO, TO SEE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS NOT, NOT AS CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC, BUT, UM, THAT'S WHY WE, WE OPTED THOUGH TO SHOW IT THIS WAY, JUST SO THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, YEAH, THIS IS A, A NEW COST THAT THE COUNTY WILL BE PAYING ON THEIR BEHALF.

RIGHT BACK, THE SCHOOLS.

UM, WHEN DECIDING LIST FOR CUTS FOR, WAS TEACHING CERTIFICATES, DEGREES EVALUATIONS

[02:00:01]

TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION? OR WAS IT REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, LAST IN, FIRST OUT TYPE THING? NO, SO WE HAVE VERY SPECIFIC PROCESSES IN THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT.

SO TECHNICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFER PROCESS, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM A REDUCTION OF FORCE PROCESS BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS TO NOT HAVE ANYONE LOSE A JOB.

REALLY ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS HOW WE'RE TRANSFERRING THEM.

AND SO THE PROCESS FOR THAT, THE, THE FIRST CRITERIA IS THE NUMBER OF YEARS, UH, SERVING IN HARTFORD COUNTY.

UH, SO YOU COULD BE A 20 YEAR TEACHER, BUT YOU MOVED HERE FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY THREE YEARS AGO.

YOU ESSENTIALLY ARE ON THE LIST WITH EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S BEEN HERE FOR THREE YEARS.

SO THAT IS THE MAJOR CRITERIA IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFER PROCESS.

AND ONE OF THE REASONS WE'VE WORKED WITH THE BOARD TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT CUTTING POSITIONS IS IF WE HAVE TO SWITCH TO THE REDUCTION OF FORCE PROCEDURE THAT'S LISTED IN THE ASSOCIATED ASSOCIATION AGREEMENTS, THE CRITERIA ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

AND SO ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE INFORMED, THERE'S A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF 'EM WHERE THINGS WOULD CHANGE AND THAT WOULD CREATE A LOT OF CHAOS.

SO AGAIN, THE IDEA HERE IS NOT TO REDUCE ANY POSITIONS AND STAY WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFER PROCEDURE, WHICH AS I SAID IS BASED ON TENURE IN HARTFORD COUNTY.

YOU MENTIONED A, UH, A RETIREMENT INCENTIVE OF $400, UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, GREAT TO HAVE A RETIREMENT INCENTIVE, BUT I KNOW, UH, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT'S DONE PRETTY WELL WITH SOME RETIREMENT INCENTIVES IN THE PAST.

HAVE YOU GUYS CONSIDERED ANYTHING A LITTLE MORE INCENTIVIZING TO SOME OF YOUR LONGER SERVING? NO, IT WASN'T REALLY DESIGNED AS A RETIREMENT INCENTIVE SO MUCH AS A NOTIFICATION INCENTIVE.

IF YOU NOTIFY US BY A CERTAIN TIME, THAT GIVES US TIME TO PLAN.

WE DON'T EXPECT $400 TO CONVINCE SOMEONE TO RETIRE THIS YEAR, AS OPPOSED NEXT YEAR.

THAT'S, THAT'S NEVER BEEN IN OUR THINKING.

UM, AND WE, WE, WE'VE CERTAINLY TALKED ABOUT THAT, BUT WITH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE RETIRING EVERY YEAR, LET'S SAY WE DID A $10,000, WE WOULDN'T KNOW IF IT MOVED TWO PEOPLE OR A HUNDRED PEOPLE, BUT WE'D PAY FOR EVERYONE WHO RETIRES.

AND SO I, I MEAN, IN TERMS OF THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A, A NET LOSER, UNFORTUNATELY.

SO YEAH, IT'S JUST TO NOTIFY US NOT TO REALLY, WE'RE NOT FOOLING OURSELVES TAKING RETIREMENT FOR THAT.

MY LAST QUESTION, YOU KEEP THAT MIKE .

SO DR.

DR.

POINTIN MENTIONED, UH, A LOT ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE COUNTY.

I, I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT, WHAT YOUR OPINION IS ON, YOU KNOW, IF YOU FEEL LIKE THE COUNTY'S REALLY BEEN DOING ALL THEY CAN TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC GROWTH, UH, KNOWING YOUR TIES WITH HARVARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND, AND, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOBS IN THE COUNTY.

NO, THAT, I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S A HARD ONE TO ANSWER.

I CAN SPEAK TO OUR ROLE IN IT.

AND, UM, I BELIEVE SCHOOLS PERFORM TWO FUNCTIONS.

ONE, WE EDUCATE PE WELL, MANY FUNCTIONS, BUT TWO, WITH REGARD TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

ONE, WE EDUCATE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE, AND WE HAVE SOME TREMENDOUS DATA TO SHOW HOW WE'VE BEEN GROWING IN THAT AREA.

BUT THE OTHER IS TO, UM, MAKE OUR SCHOOLS ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH TO, YOU KNOW, ATTRACT PEOPLE WHO WOULD, FAMILIES WHO WOULD WANT TO MOVE HERE AND PUT THEIR CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS YOU RUN INTO CONCERNS WITH SALARIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT THAT MIGHT CREATE CONCERNS FOR PEOPLE LOOKING THAT WAY.

AND SO I'D, I'D BE, UM, I WOULD ALMOST ASK THAT QUESTION, LIKE PERSPECTIVE BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND DO THEY HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CHANGES WE'VE HAD TO MAKE? SO I, I DO SEE A POTENTIAL IMPACT THERE.

UH, BUT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COUNTY'S WORK IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, UH, NOT REALLY MY PLACE TO ANSWER.

UM, BUT KNOWING THAT SUPPORTING STRONG SCHOOLS IS I THINK A VERY STRONG POSITIVE MOVE FOR, UH, FOR ADVANCING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

MR. TIS, THANK YOU.

UH, OVERALL ENROLLMENT FROM SAY 2019 TO NOW AND PROJECTING OUT FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT? WE'RE DOWN, UM, WE'RE DOWN ABOUT A THOUSAND STUDENTS, I'D SAY FROM 2019.

IF I, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS MEMORIZED, BUT WE'RE DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

WE'RE PROJECTED TO BE RELATIVELY FLAT, BUT WE SEE A LOT OF, UM, WE DO SEE A LOT OF BUILDING HAPPENING AND, AND IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW MANY STUDENTS THAT THIS BUILDING WILL GENERATE.

UM, I THINK OUR CHALLENGE WITH THE ENROLLMENT IS WHILE WE'RE NOT SEEING RAPID GROWTH ACROSS THE COUNTY, IT'S IN POCKETS AND THE CAPACITY IN OUR BUILDINGS ISN'T NECESSARILY IN THOSE POCKETS RIGHT NOW.

SO THAT'S OUR, THAT'S OUR BIGGER CHALLENGE.

IT'S MORE ABOUT BALANCING WHERE STUDENTS ARE AND HOW TO MEET THEIR NEEDS.

UM, INTERESTINGLY, ONE OF THE CHANGES WE MADE THIS YEAR WAS AROUND OUR CELL PHONES.

AND THEN STUDENT DISCIPLINE IN CLASSROOMS. I KNOW THAT'S A PROBLEM, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN, BUT I HEAR SOME TEACHERS ALL THE TIME TALKING ABOUT, I CAN'T TEACH WITH THESE KIDS IN HERE, AND WHAT CAN I DO? THERE'S A LOT OF WORK GOING ON AROUND THAT.

IN FACT, WE JUST HAD A PRESENTATION.

[02:05:02]

AND WE'RE EXPECTING TO END THE YEAR BETWEEN 30 AND 50% DOWN IN SOME OF THE MAJOR DISCIPLINE INFRACTIONS, NAMELY THINGS LIKE FIGHTS OR ATTACKS ON STUDENTS AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.

UM, REMOVING THE CELL PHONES FROM THE STUDENTS.

AND AGAIN, WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN A HUNDRED PERCENT SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT, BUT WE'VE MADE ENOUGH OF AN IMPACT THAT WE'RE SEEING VERY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SOME OF THOSE BEHAVIORS.

UM, IT'S NOT THE ONLY ANSWER.

THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS GOING ON AROUND DISCIPLINE, AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND LEARNING AND FINDING BETTER WAYS TO DEAL WITH THIS.

BUT THIS IS A CHALLENGE.

YOU KNOW, I, I'M IN A NUMBER OF GROUPS WITH COLLEAGUES AROUND THE COUNTRY.

WE'RE HAVING THE SAME CONVERSATIONS AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, BUT IT'S, IT'S BEEN A CHANGE, PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.

I, I KNOW EVEN IN OUR OWN FARMING SITUATION, WE HIRED SOME YOUNG KIDS, YOU HAVE TO TELL 'EM TO KEEP THEIR SELF .

I MEAN, THEY'RE ON IT ALL THE TIME.

AND I CAN IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE IN SCHOOL.

IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOT, IT'S, YEAH, NO, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN HELPFUL WITH THEM HAVING LESS ACCESS.

AND I THINK FOR SOME OF THEM, THEY'RE EVEN REALIZING HOW FREEING IT IS TO ACTUALLY HAVE TIME TO FOCUS, JUST SAY AS WELL.

WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO, TO TIGHTEN THAT UP A LITTLE BIT, ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.

SO THERE'S A, A PROPOSED CHANGE TO THAT POLICY THAT'S OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT RIGHT NOW, WHICH WOULD TIGHTEN IT UP.

I, I SAW THAT.

I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT SOME OF THIS IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET AS WELL, BECAUSE SAFETY, SECURITY AND DISCIPLINE IS A TOP BOARD PRIORITY.

UM, YOU CAN SEE UP THERE ON, WE'VE ALSO ADDED THIS YEAR 10 ADDITIONAL SAFETY SECURITY LIAISONS TO THE BUDGET, WHICH WILL ALSO HELP NOT ONLY WITH SAFETY, BUT WITH DISCIPLINE AS WELL.

WE CAN CUTS.

THAT'S ONE OF THE ONLY AREAS WE'VE GROWN, IN FACT.

UM, I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION HERE.

UM, THE CAPITAL BUDGET WHERE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IN THERE AND, AND YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT 25 YEARS IS ABOUT WHERE WE START DOING SOME THINGS, BUT I SAW IN THERE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE REPLACING THE ROOF ON NORTH HARTFORD HIGH SCHOOL, AND THAT HASN'T BEEN 25 YEARS.

IS THERE A PROBLEM THERE? OR WHAT WAS IT, THE OLD ROOF OR CAN YOU NO GOOD THAT FOR THESE GUYS, .

SO WHEN WE DID THE, UH, COMPREHENSIVE, UH, RENOVATION OF THE BUILDING, THE ROOF SYSTEMS WERE NOT AT AN AGE WHERE THE STATE WOULD PARTICIPATE.

SO THE EXISTING ROOF, AND IT'S A VERY LARGE BUILDING.

AS YOU KNOW, IT'S SPRAWLING WAS NOT REROOFED.

THE ONLY THING THAT WAS ROOFED WAS THE NEW ADDITIONS.

THEN WE HAD TO WAIT, WERE FOR THOSE TO GET PAST IT, IT ENDS UP BEING 17 YEARS, IT'S 15, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S LIKE, IT COMES OUT TO 17 WITH THE FISCAL YEAR.

SO NOW IT'S ELIGIBLE AND NOW WE'LL BE REDOING THE WHOLE ROOF SYSTEM.

SO YOU RE BE REPLACING THE NEW ROOF SYSTEM ALSO, OR JUST BECAUSE IT'S OVER 17 YEARS OLD? THAT IS CORRECT.

I DIDN'T REALIZE IT'D BEEN 17 YEARS SINCE TIME GOES ON AND IT'S, AND IT'S ONLY THE ADDITION.

SO WHEN, WHEN YOU SAY THE WHOLE SYSTEM, A MAJORITY OF THE SYSTEM WAS OLD.

NOT, YEAH, I'M JUST, YEAH.

WELL, I, I JUST SAW THAT.

I DIDN'T REALIZE IT HAD BEEN 17 YEARS , I'M TELLING YOU.

I KNOW WHEN YOU GET MY AGE, IT'S JUST NOTHING, YOU KNOW, , THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MCKINNEY.

ANYONE THERE ELSE? OKAY, MR. BENNETT.

IS LOSING THREE CLASSROOM TEACHERS OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, I AM, I'M READY TO BE RESPONSIVE TO MY CONSTITUENTS.

JUST A FEW FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.

UH, BASED ON EVERYTHING WE'RE HEARING, UM, FIRST QUESTIONS MORE SO REQUESTS BASED ON ONE OF COUNCILWOMAN ROBERT'S QUESTIONS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IN ANY, UH, YEAR LIKE THIS WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE, UM, NEGATIVE IMPACTS FELT ON COMMUNITIES, WE OFTEN ARE THE ONES PEOPLE REACH OUT TO AND, AND ASK FOR AN EXPLANATION OR THEY SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVE.

YOU KNOW, RUMORS FLY FAST.

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, I THINK IT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A SCHOOL BY SCHOOL LIST OF WHAT THE EXPECTED IMPACTS OF THIS BUDGET IS, PERSONNEL WISE.

THAT WAY WHEN SOMEBODY REACHES OUT AND SAYS, YOU KNOW, I HEARD MY SCHOOL'S LOSING BLANK, AND THE SCHOOL NEXT TO US ISN'T LOSING ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE, WE HAVE THE INFORMATION TO BE INFORMED TO RESPOND TO THEM.

AND ALSO FOR US TO NOT GET FIRED UP, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO PROTECT OUR DISTRICT AND SAY, I'M HERE TO HELP, YOU KNOW, MY SCHOOL.

AND THEN WE GET TO YOU AND YOU SAY, OH, WHAT YOU HEARD IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE TRUTH, BUT KIND OF TWISTED IN THIS WAY.

GIVING US THE FORWARD INFORMATION HELPS US TO NOT HAVE TO REACH OUT TO YOU AND SAY, IS THIS TRUE? IF WE JUST KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, DROP OF TOWN ELEMENTARY

[02:10:01]

SO THAT'S JUST A REQUEST.

AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT A REQUEST TO GET BY LUNCH, BUT JUST, UH, AS WE PREPARE FOR PEOPLE TO START FEELING THAT IMPACT, I WOULD ANTICIPATE WE START GETTING EMAILS AS COUNCIL PEOPLE.

UM, QUESTION NUMBER TWO IS JUST BASED ON THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT LAND ACQUISITION AND ADDING AN ADDITIONAL SCHOOL.

AS DR.

BOLSON STATED, WE ALREADY BUILD SCHOOLS TOO SLOW.

WE RENOVATE SCHOOLS TOO SLOW.

AND THE MORE BUILDINGS YOU ADD, THE MORE TIME YOU PUT INTO WHEN A SCHOOL CAN, UH, BE RENOVATED.

AND ALSO WHEN YOU ADD A SCHOOL, YOU ADD A PRINCIPAL, YOU ADD A LEAD CUSTODIAN, YOU ADD A NURSE, YOU ADD A SPECIAL AREA TEAM, LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF FOREVER COSTS THAT COME WITH ADDING ANOTHER NUMBER TO OUR TOTAL SCHOOL LIST.

AND THAT'S PART OF LIKE WHY IN HAV GRACE WE HAVE A MIDDLE SCHOOL SLASH HIGH SCHOOL PARIS MILL MIDDLE SCHOOL SLASH HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION HELPS REDUCE COSTS.

SO I GUESS IN THAT ABERDEEN HAVERTY GRACE, UM, PRESSURE THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING EXPERIENCED BY THAT POPULATION, I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT PROS AND CONS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED OF ADDING A BRAND NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL VERSUS TAKING ONE OF THOSE, UH, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT ARE IN THAT REGION LIKE ROY WILLIAMS OR HAVE DEGREES TO ELEMENTARY THAT ARE 70 PLUS YEARS OLD FROM BASE CONSTRUCTION AND SAYING, LET'S JUST MAKE THAT A MUCH LARGER FACILITY, UM, TO THEN BE ABLE TO ABSORB CHILDREN.

AND UH, YOU KNOW, AND THINKING OF ROY AS AN EXAMPLE, THERE WAS A BIG PUSHBACK WHEN PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ROY.

'CAUSE THEY WERE LIKE, OH, WE DON'T WANNA BE AT, AT ROY WILLIAMS. I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A GREAT SCHOOL, BUT I THINK IF IT'S A BRAND NEW BUILDING, YOU DON'T GET AS MUCH PUSHBACK ABOUT YOUR KID'S GONNA GET TO GO TO A BRAND NEW BUILDING.

UM, SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS, WHAT'S THE PROS AND CONS OVER BUILDING AN ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL VERSUS MAKING THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR AGING LARGER AND NEWER? I'LL TRY TO DO THE HIGH LEVEL AND THEN CHRIS, FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN.

UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA BE GOING THROUGH IS A BALANCING ENROLLMENT PROCESS.

UM, YOU SAW THAT REQUEST THROUGH THE CAPITAL.

UM, SO LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WHERE OUR STUDENTS CURRENTLY ARE, WHERE THEY'RE PROJECTED TO BE, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE IS IN TERMS OF THE STATE FUNDING, THEY WILL NOT FUND, UM, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION UNTIL THOSE STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY THERE.

UM, AND THEN AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT SPECIFIC CAPACITY IN OUR CURRENT REGIONS THROUGH THAT BALANCING ENROLLMENT PROCESS.

SO THINKING THROUGH WHAT THAT LONG-TERM PLAN IS GONNA BE.

UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE DATA TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY IS IT GONNA BE BETTER TO BUILD A NEW SCHOOL OR SHOULD WE JUST THEN DO A REPLACEMENT.

UM, BUT THOSE ARE CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS THAT WE ARE HAVING, UM, INTERNALLY WITH THAT DATA THAT WE HAVE BASED ON WHERE ARE WE PROJECTING, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC GROWTH TO BE, WHERE ARE THE NEW RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS GONNA BE? WE DO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A YIELD THAT IS EXPECTED OUT OF THOSE COMMUNITIES.

UM, AND THEN CONTINUING WITH THAT BALANCING ENROLLMENT PROCESS.

BUT, UM, THE CHALLENGE AGAIN WITH THE STATE FUNDING SITUATION, UM, UNDERSTANDING KIND OF WHERE WE STAND WITH THAT AND THEN WHAT THE COUNTY IS ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PRESENTING THE BEST PLAN MOVING FORWARD.

KATHY, I THINK YOU GOT, SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO SPEAK UP .

SO YOU ARE CORRECT.

AND YOU'LL NOTICE WE DON'T HAVE IN OUR OUT YEAR A NEW SCHOOL IN THAT AREA.

UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THE COUNTY TO DO WHAT'S CALLED LAND BANKING.

UM, THE REASON THE PROPERTY HERE FOR THE NEW SCHOOL COSTS SO MUCH IS BECAUSE WE BOUGHT IT WHEN THERE'S LIMITED PROPERTY AVAILABLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE, UM, THE GOAL IS TO PLAN AHEAD.

UM, THERE IS A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR THE ABERDEEN AREA.

WE ALREADY KNOW OUR H GRACE SCHOOLS ARE AT OR OVER CAPACITY.

UM, WE CAN ONLY MOVE ONE DIRECTION FROM H GRACE, RIGHT? SO OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE RIGHT INTO ROY WILLIAMS. ROY ROY WILLIAMS HAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CAPACITY IN THAT AREA.

UM, SO WE ARE LOOKING TO UTILIZE THAT CAPACITY STILL.

UM, AS WE LOOK AT OUTWARD CURRENT PLANS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF, UH, SYSTEMIC NEEDS IN THAT AREA.

HARVARD GRACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS ONE OF THEM.

UM, MEADOWVALE, BAKERFIELD, ALL THESE SCHOOLS ARE ARE OLDER FACILITIES.

UM, THERE ARE FACILITIES THAT NEED SYSTEMIC RENO RENOVATIONS.

SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE HAVE TO GET THE DATA TO SEE HOW WE CAN BALANCE ENROLLMENT WITHIN THAT AREA, WITHIN THE CAPACITY WE HAVE.

AND THEN DEPENDING ON THE DEVELOPMENT THAT TAKES PLACE AND TIMELINES, BECAUSE, UM, THE ECONOMY PLAYS A LOT IN HOW QUICKLY THOSE DEVELOPMENTS PROCEED THROUGH PHASES, UM, THAT WILL DETERMINE HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.

BUT THIS, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS LAND BANKING, RIGHT? SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT.

UM, WE JUST DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER AT THIS

[02:15:01]

TIME.

SO, AND OF COURSE WE CAN'T ENGAGE IN THE LAND BANKING WITHOUT, WITHOUT HAVING A BUDGET AND THE LEGAL APPROPRIATION TO, TO, UH, TO PURCHASE THOSE PROPERTIES.

AND JUST TO ADD COUNCILMAN BENNETT, UH, WITH OUR CAPITAL BUDGET BALANCES, WE MOVE MONEY.

THE BOARD APPROVED LAST YEAR, WE'RE UNDER CONTRACT WITH GWW ARCHITECTS AND WE'RE DOING A SPACE UTILIZATION AS WE SPEAK.

WE JUST SCHEDULED THE KICKOFF MEETING.

SO EVEN THOSE OLDER BUILDINGS THAT MISSY MENTIONED, LAKE BAKERFIELD AND MEADOWVALE AND SBY, AND UH, EVEN THOUGH YOU LOOK AT THE THINGS, THOSE BUILDINGS WERE OLDER, SO THEY DON'T HAVE THE SPACES AS YOU KNOW, THAT NEWER BUILDINGS HAVE THOSE SUPPORT SPACES, STORAGE ROOMS, ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS, ART ROOMS, MUSIC ROOMS. SO IT, THE ANSWER IS A COMBINATION OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

IT'D BE A COMBINATION OF MAYBE A NEW SCHOOL IN THE AREA THAT'S EXPANDING THAT, UH, MR. SAND SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, H GRACE ABERDEEN, THAT YOU CAN SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, BUT YOU'RE CORRECT, IT'S GONNA BE RENOVATING THOSE OLDER BUILDINGS AND SOME TYPE OF COMBINATION OF MAYBE AN ADDITION.

AND I APPRECIATE ALL THAT.

AND I, UH, YOU KNOW, I JUST IN GENERAL, I'M A FAN OF SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF LONG-TERM EFFICIENCY AND WORKING AT, AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, 900 KIDS AND EIGHT KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS, I SEE HOW MUCH CHEAPER IT IS PER CHILD TO DO THAT WHEN THERE'S ONE PRINCIPAL THEN SPLITTING THOSE EIGHT KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS INTO TWO SEPARATE BUILDINGS THAT NOW NEED TWO PRINCIPALS AND TWO HEAD CUSTODIANS AND TWO NURSES.

UM, SO I DO THINK AS WE THINK THROUGH, 'CAUSE I MEAN THE ABERDEEN HAVERTY GRACE AREA, WHICH I REPRESENT A MA UH, A LARGE PORTION OF THOSE SCHOOLS ARE ALL OLD.

AND, UM, AND I THINK IF WE COULD GIVE THOSE PEOPLE NEW BUILDINGS FOR WHAT THEY HAVE, UM, IT MAKES SCHOOLS LIKE ROY WILLIAMS MORE, IT'S EASIER TO SAY YOU'RE GONNA GET TO SEND YOUR KID TO A BRAND NEW BUILDING.

UM, 'CAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH PUSHBACK LAST TIME, AND IT'S A WONDERFUL SCHOOL, THEY DO SO MUCH GREAT STUFF.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A 70-YEAR-OLD BUILDING AND YOU'RE TOLD, YOU KNOW, I LIVE IN A X NUMBER DOLLAR HOUSE AND YOU'RE GONNA SEND MY KID TO THE SCHOOL FROM 1953, THERE'S SOME PUSHBACK THERE.

AND SO I JUST THINK THAT'S PART OF THE, YOU KNOW, POLITICAL WAY OF HOW DO WE SELL THESE SHIFTS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN THAT I JUST WANTED TO ENCOURAGE ON THIRD, YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CHANGE IN STUDENT POPULATION AND THE IMPACT ON BUDGET, AND I JUST, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN AN EARLY CHILDHOOD WORK GROUP LOOKING AT EARLY CHILDHOOD BEHAVIOR.

YOU KNOW, I CAN AGAIN SPEAK PERSONALLY THAT I TO HELPED TOILET THREE CHILDREN THIS YEAR, SOMETHING I'VE NEVER DONE IN MY CAREER.

UM, CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, IN, IN EX EXPLICIT TERMS, WHAT THAT SHIFT IN STUDENT ENTERING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS BECOME LIKE? BECAUSE I THINK THAT CAN HELP EXPLAIN WHILE NUMBERS HAVEN'T CHANGED NEEDS AND WHAT IS REQUIRED OF STAFF HAS CHANGED, WHICH IS WHY YOU MIGHT SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, POPULATION FLAT, BUT COST GOING UP.

HELPING ESSENTIALLY PARENTS GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED WHILE THEIR CHILDREN IN THAT ZERO TO FIVE RANGE.

I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF ANSWERS HERE OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXPERIENCING THAT EVERYWHERE.

AND THAT'S, AGAIN, SOME OF THE ADVOCACY AT THE STATE LEVEL TO ENSURE THAT WHAT WE'RE FUNDED, PARTICULARLY FOR THE PRE-K STUDENTS WHO ARE THE GROWING POPULATION, IS WE'RE SERVING A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THEM AND WE'RE EXPERIENCING THE HIGH LEVEL NEEDS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

AND, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE NOT ADDRESSED IN PRE-K, THEN THEY END UP ON YOUR PLATE IN KINDERGARTEN.

UH, SO THAT TO ME IS MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, ADVOCACY FOR ADEQUATE FUNDING OF PRE-K STUDENTS, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT'S AN AREA WHERE THE STATE COMES UP A LITTLE SHORT.

UM, SO MY, I MEAN, ALL OF MY FOCUS HAS BEEN THIS YEAR THROUGH THE BUDGET WITH THE SUPERINTENDENTS.

WE'VE REALLY BEEN GREATLY FOCUSED ON JUST THE ADEQUACY OF THE FOUNDATION FUNDING IN GENERAL.

AND I WOULD SAY WHAT WE'RE DOING AT PRE-K IS ONE OF THOSE PLACES WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE STRONGER.

SO, BUT THAT WILL CONTINUE.

I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING WE'LL JUST HAVE TO CONTINUE WORKING ON.

WE, WE DO HAVE THAT GROUP AS YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT, THAT'S CONSTANTLY LOOKING AND, AND SOME OF IT, UM, BECAUSE ANOTHER THING THAT'S HAPPENING, AND I WISH I GOT, I CAN CLOSE WITH THIS.

WE HAVE A SEPARATE GROUP THAT'S LOOKING AT THE ZERO TO FIVE RANGE.

YOU KNOW, HOW IS THIS COMMUNITY SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN THE ZERO TO FIVE RANGE? AND THAT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, THAT ACTUALLY IS PEOPLE FROM THE HOSPITAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE DIFFERENT GROUPS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY OUR FIRST PRIORITY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT WORKING WITH THEM.

BUT THERE IS A GROWING ACTION PLAN FOR HOW ALL OF THOSE COMMUNITY ENTITIES.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN PARTICIPATING WITH THEM.

WE, WE ENLISTED THEIR HELP THIS YEAR AND GOT THIS GROUP STARTED AND THEY'VE JUST BEGUN TALKING ABOUT, UM, ACTION STEPS.

AND SO I THINK

[02:20:01]

SO WHEN THEY ARRIVE IN OUR BUILDINGS, THEY'RE A LITTLE BETTER PREPARED.

UM, IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, NOT SOMETHING WE'RE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR, BUT IT CERTAINLY BENEFITS OUR OUTCOMES IF WE CAN GET SOME PROGRESS IN THAT AREA.

UM, THANK YOU.

AND TWO LAST QUESTIONS.

UH, FAMILY HOMELESSNESS IS ON THE RISE DRAMATICALLY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, AND I KNOW THAT IMPACTS US HERE IN HARTFORD COUNTY, UH, BECAUSE THIS YEAR, INSTEAD OF HOME VISITS, I'VE BEEN DOING HOTEL VISITS FOR MANY OF MY STUDENTS.

AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS, AGAIN, AS WE PREPARE FOR A RECESSION, WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF THE RISE OF FAMILY HOMELESSNESS ON THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT ALSO WHAT PLANS ARE IN PLACE TO HELP, UH, SUPPORT THAT GROWING NEED AS A COMMUNITY OF HAVING STUDENTS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, BEING BUSED A LONGER DISTANCE OR REQUIRING ADDITIONAL NEEDS OR ADDITIONAL PPWS TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND.

UM, JUST WHAT'S THE PLANS AROUND THE RISE OF FAMILY HOMELESSNESS? WELL, IT'S, YOU KNOW, PROACTIVE PLANS.

I MEAN, THAT'S NOT AN AREA WHERE WE ENGAGED ANY CUTS THIS YEAR.

SO IN A BUDGET LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT WHERE ARE YOU AT IN CAPACITY, IT'S WHERE ARE YOU PRESERVING THE CAPACITY WE HAVE.

SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A GROWING CHALLENGE IN OUR TEAM.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY DIFFICULT WORK THERE, BUT, SO I GUESS THE ONLY, THE ONLY SILVER LINING IN THAT IS THAT THAT'S NOT AN AREA WHERE WE'VE CUT.

UM, AND THEN LAST QUESTION AND, UH, OUR COUNCIL PRESIDENT ASKED THIS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO CHANGE THE WORDING A LITTLE BIT.

WAS THE $26 MILLION NUMBER IN EXPLICIT OR IMPLICIT SUGGESTION OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND HIS TEAM, EITHER IN YOUR MONTHLY MEETINGS OR IN ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION? NO, I MEAN, WE PRODUCED THAT NUMBER.

SO IT WASN'T A, IF YOU SAY THIS NUMBER THAT WORKS FOR US.

'CAUSE I REMEMBER THERE WAS BIG HOOPLA AND CECIL COUNTY WHEN THEIR COUNTY EXECUTIVE MADE A, A SUGGESTION LIKE THAT TO THEIR, UH, BOARD OF ED PRESIDENT.

AND, AND I WILL AGREE ON, ON OUR END TOO.

WE, WE, WE DID NOT GIVE A A SPECIFIC NUMBER.

AGAIN, THE MESSAGE THAT WAS CONTINUING TO BE RELAYED WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, YES, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE TYPE OF REVENUE GROWTH WE CAN REASONABLY EXPECT TO HAVE.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT 5% JUST KIND OF BASED UPON PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, AND SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT MESSAGE WAS, WAS RELAYED, BUT NO, NO SPECIFIC NUMBER.

AND WE REALLY DID NOT KNOW OUR SPECIFIC NUMBER REALLY UNTIL, UM, AFTER WE GOT THE FEBRUARY INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION.

AND AT THAT POINT THEN WE'RE LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS PROBABLY GONNA BE YOUR NUMBER.

IT'S ALSO AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT SPENDING AFFORDABILITY WRAPPED UP THEIR WORK AND, UH, WE WERE IN AGREEMENT, SO THANK YOU.

I'LL CONFIRM WE, WE DIDN'T BACK INTO THAT.

UM, COUNSEL, IF I MAY, UM, LET'S MOVE ON TO CAPITAL.

WE DID NOT ALL OF IT.

NO, I CAN JUST, I CAN JUST RUN DOWN THE LIST.

OF COVERED A LOT OF THIS ALREADY.

OH, SURE.

UM, SO IF WE WANNA RUN DOWN THE, THE LIST, UM, IT APPEARS IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET ON PAGE 1 32.

UM, SO FIRST WE HAVE THE BLUEPRINT FACILITY PROGRAM, UM, FOR FY 26, WE ARE PUTTING IN, UH, 2 MILLION, 2,500 IN COUNTY BONDS.

UM, NEXT YOU SEE WHERE WE SHOW OUR, UH, DEBT SERVICE.

THIS IS JUST WHERE WE, UM, SORT OF BRING IN OUR RECORDATION AND TRANSFER TAX FUNDS, UH, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PAYING DOWN SCHOOL DEBT.

AND THEN IT'S TRANSFERRED INTO THE GENERAL FUND.

UM, AND THEN SORT OF GENERAL FUND MONEY JUST MAKES UP THE DIFFERENCE, UH, TO PAY PAY DOWN SCHOOL DEBT EVERY YEAR.

NEXT WE HAVE THE SEA MOUNT WRIGHT HIGH SCHOOL LIMITED RENOVATION.

UH, WE HAVE FOR FY 26 7 MILLION IN COUNTY BONDS.

THE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY PROGRAM, 500,000 IN COUNTY BONDS.

NEXT WE HAVE HARTFORD ACADEMY MAJOR PROJECT, WE HAVE 26 MILLION IN COUNTY BONDS, HCPS FACILITIES MASTER PLAN 750,000 IN COUNTY BONDS.

HARTFORD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL LIMITED RENOVATION PROJECT FY 26.

WE HAVE 6 MILLION IN COUNTY BONDS AND 10 MILLION IN STATE BONDS.

NEXT IS THE LIFE HEALTH SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE MEASURES PROJECT FOR FY 26, WE HAVE $5 MILLION IN COUNTY BONDS.

NEXT IS ROOF REPLACEMENT AT NORTH HARTFORD HIGH SCHOOL FOR FY 26.

WE HAVE 3,705,000 IN COUNTY BONDS AND 4,631,880 IN STATE FUNDS.

AND THAT IS ALL THE FY 26 PROJECTS.

PRESIDENT VINCENTI, WE, WE'VE KIND

[02:25:01]

I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANYTHING NEW TO ADD ON CAPITAL.

ANYONE ELSE? ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL? ALRIGHT, WELL, SEAN, AARON, I SAW MISSY LEAVE, BUT DEBORAH, I MEAN MISSY, I SAW DEBORAH LEAVE.

UH, MISSY.

UH, KATHY, UH, MS. BRUCE, UH, CHRIS, I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'VE SPENT WITH US TODAY.

I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UM, ABILITY TO, UH, WORK WITH OUR GREATEST ASSET, WHICH IS OUR CHILDREN.

UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

I DISCUSSED IT WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, UH, THIS PAST WEEK AT HIS BUDGET SESSION.

TRULY, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT.

APPRECIATE IT.

AND WE'LL TAKE A RECESS RIGHT NOW AND RETURN AFTER LUNCH.

HERE.

HE'S GONNA BE HERE ALL DAY TOMORROW THOUGH.

SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND START THIS AFTERNOONS, UH, WORK SESSIONS AND JUST REMINDING EVERYONE THAT, UH, WE'RE LIVE STREAMING AUDIO TODAY AS EVERY DAY.

SO, UM, I WANNA WELCOME, UH, DI UH, RICH, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, BUDDY.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 58,323 THERE.

I'LL JUST RUN THROUGH THE NUMBERS.

UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTIONS LICENSES AND PERMITS BEGINS ON PAGE 3 44.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 4,559,100 AND HAS FOUR DIVISIONS ALL FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE BEGINS ON PAGE 3 49.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 1 MILLION 2 48 5 26, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 95,060.

PERSONAL SERVICES.

INCREASE IS 71,584.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARY ADJUSTMENT OF 4,564.

THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 35,086.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 31,934.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASED 499 FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

DECREASES 800 FOR SAFETY EQUIPMENT BASED ON ACTUALS, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES 24,775 FOR NEW CODE BOOKS AND FOR LODGING.

PARTIALLY OFFSET BY DECREASES FOR VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND POLES.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN MISCELLANEOUS FUNDING FOR FORWARDS AND COMMISSION STIPENDS.

NEXT IS BUILDING SERVICES, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 3 52.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 1 MILLION 5 79 2 61, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 2200 27,801.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 223,701 SALARIES DECREASED 21,266 AS THE NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND TURNOVER SAVINGS.

THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 43,997.

THERE WAS THE TRANSFER OF ONE CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST FROM PLANNING AND ZONING CURRENT PLANNING DIVISION, WHICH IS ON PAGE 2 22.

UH, AT A COST TO THIS DIVISION OF 75,847.

THERE WAS THE TRANSFER OF ONE CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST TWO FROM PLANNING AND ZONING CURRENT PLANNING DIVISION ON PAGE 2 22 AT A COST OF 106,000 6 22.

TEMPORARY SALARIES INCREASE 6,400 AND BENEFIT RATE INCREASES TOTALING 12,101.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.

DEPOSIT MATERIALS INCREASES 3,800 DUE TO AN INCREASE IN MAILING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH LIVABILITY CODE ENFORCEMENT.

PARTIALLY, PARTIALLY OFFSET BY A DECREASE IN SAFETY EQUIPMENT BASED ON ACTUALS.

AND THEN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES 300 BASED ON ACTUALS FOR MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT FOR EMPLOYEE CALL OUTS DURING AFTER HOUR EMERGENCIES, UH, PLUMBING SERVICES BEGINS ON PAGE 3 55.

HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 932,900 HUNDRED TWO, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 55,823.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARY ADJUSTMENT OF 13,540.

THE FY 26 COLA AT 29,045.

TEMPORARY SALARIES INCREASE 800 AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 14,938.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASES 1,500 FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

DECREASES 1000 FOR SAFETY EQUIPMENT BASED ON ACTUALS.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL AND NO CHANGE IN MISCELLANEOUS FUNDING FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSION STIPENDS.

AND THEN THE LAST DIVISION IS ELECTRICAL SERVICES, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 3 58.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 798,441, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 30,004 10.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 33,110.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARIES INCREASING 2,835 AS THE NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND TURNOVER.

THE FY 26 COLA AT 24,617.

TEMPORARY SALARIES INCREASE 800 AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 4,858.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASES 1,500 FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

[02:30:01]

DECREASES 1200 FOR, UM, A REDUCTION IN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT, PARTIALLY OFFSET BY AN INCREASE IN MAILING BASED ON ACTUALS.

AND THEN THERE'S NO CHANGE IN BUSINESS, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL OR MISCELLANEOUS.

AND THAT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR TROT.

THANK YOU MR. LLOYD.

UH, COUNCIL PRESIDENT OF VINCENTE, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.

IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TO DISCUSS THE 26 FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

AGAIN, MY NAME'S SIR TROT, THE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT.

I HAVE TO MY WRIGHT HAROLD BOWLING, MY DEPUTY DIRECTOR.

AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE JOE ROUTE, MY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT.

WE WERE PART OF THE TEAM THAT PUT THIS WHOLE PACKAGE TOGETHER AND PROPOSED, UM, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS.

AND AS A REMINDER TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION IS ONE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTION, NOT ONLY THROUGH BUILDING, BUT ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL FUEL, GAS SYSTEMS. OUR OTHER PART OF THE MISSION IS LICENSING.

SO WE HANDLE LICENSING FOR TOW TRUCKS AND, UH, AUCTIONEERS DOG LICENSES, PLUMBERS, MECHANICAL, UH, CONTRACTORS, ELECTRICIANS AND SO ON.

SO IF YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGET, AGAIN, 95% OF OUR BUDGET IS PERSONNEL SERVICES BASED.

AND THAT IS ACTUALLY DI'S GREATEST ASSET.

UM, THE STAFF IS AMAZING.

I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE A THE DIRECTOR OF THAT STAFF AND IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO COME IN EVERY DAY AND WORK WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS 'CAUSE THEY ARE TOP NOTCH AND THEY'RE ONE OF THE BEST IN THE, IN THE STATE.

THIS YEAR.

THE PROPOSED BUDGET INCREASES DUE TO, AS MR. LLOYD SAID, TWO STAFF MEMBERS COMING FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING ZONING.

THEY WOULD BE, UH, STILL PROCESSING PERMIT APPLICATIONS.

BUT THIS CHANGE WE FEEL IS GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE NOT ONLY TO HELP STREAMLINE THE PROCESS FOR OUR CUSTOMER BASE, BUT ALSO INTERNALLY TO ALLOW FOR GREATER EFFICIENCIES AND ALSO QUALITY CONTROL MEASURES.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN THE BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS, IT CAN HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT ALL THE WAY THROUGH, THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS PERMITS, WATER AND SEWER PERMIT APPLICATIONS, AND ALL THE WAY TO A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.

SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THESE RIGHT.

ONE OF THE LARGEST CHALLENGES THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR, AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE AS HIRING STAFF.

WE HAVE HAD SOME FAIRLY LARGE TURN TURNOVER IN THE DEPARTMENT AND WE CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE TO HIRE AN ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR.

AND WE JUST MADE AN OFFER TODAY.

BUT THAT POSITION'S PRETTY MUCH BEEN OPEN THIS WHOLE BUDGET YEAR, UM, WITH MANY INTERVIEWS AND MANY REJECTIONS FOR OUR OFFERS.

THE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ICT TO LEVERAGE AND ENHANCE THE INTER GOV SYSTEM.

THE INTER GOV SYSTEM IS A ONE STOP SHOP FOR THE DEPARTMENT THAT HANDLES ALL OF OUR PERMITTING AND LICENSING AND CODE ENFORCEMENT.

EVERYTHING WE DO RUNS THROUGH THIS SYSTEM AND WE STRIVE TO IMPROVE IT EVERY DAY FOR CUSTOMER ENHANCEMENT.

WE ALSO HAVE LOOKED AT UTILIZATION OF AUTOMATIC EMAILS IN LIEU OF MAILED CORRESPONDENCE DATA AND ANALYTICAL ANALYSTS.

AND OUR ANALYSTS, UH, ANALYZE IZATION WITH USE OF DASHBOARDS SO THAT OUR STAFF UNDERSTANDS, KNOWS WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND THEIR WORKLOADS ARE.

LAST YEAR YOU SAW, EXCUSE ME, THE TRANSFER OF THE BUSINESS NAVIGATOR POSITION TO OUR DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

THAT POSITION HAS WORKED WITH ALLIED AGENCIES TO INCREASE, UH, AND CUSTOMER BASE TO, TO ASSIST IN PERMITTING NEEDS AND TO ASSIST IN THE TIMELY ISSUANCE OF PERMITTINGS AND PERMITS AND CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY.

WE HAVE MODIFIED THE ROLE AND MATURED IT TO COORDINATE WITH PUBLIC EVENTS AND TRACKING EXPIRATION DATES OF PERMITS AND APPLICATIONS SO WE CAN PREVENT THOSE FROM OCCURRING.

IT HAS WORKED SO WELL THAT ON THE BUILDING SIDE LAST MONTH WE SAW AN 89% REDUCTION IN EXPIRATION OF ELIGIBLE PERMITS ON NOT ONLY APPLICATIONS BUT ISSUED PERMITS.

SO THE PROCESS IS WORKING.

THAT INDIVIDUAL ALSO MANAGES THE DEPARTMENT'S SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE EFFORTS AND DOES THE DATA, DATA ANALYTICS.

ANALYTICAL, UH, INFORMATION PROVIDES IT BACK TO FOR, UH, REVIEW.

YOU ALSO SEE AN INCREASE THIS YEAR FOR UNDER BUSINESS AND TRAVEL FOR THE DEPARTMENT FOR APPROXIMATELY $25,000.

THIS IS IN PREPARATION FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE MANDATED 2024 I CODES AND NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE THAT'S MANDATED BY THE STATE OF MARYLAND.

WHILE WE'RE PROBABLY AT LEAST A YEAR OR SO OUT BEFORE THAT LEGISLATION WOULD BE POSED TO THIS BODY, WE STILL NEED TO PURCHASE CODE BOOKS.

WE STILL NEED TO LOOK AT DIGITAL ONLINE ACCESS FOR OUR CO FOR OUR STAFF.

AND PART OF THAT WILL ALSO BE UTILIZED TO, FOR DIGITIZATION OF LOCAL CUSTOM CODES SO THAT OUR CUSTOMER BASE CAN HAVE A ONE STOP SHOP FREE OF USE,

[02:35:01]

UM, WEBSITE TO GO TO.

THAT WILL INCLUDE ALL OF THE, UH, ADOPTED CODES AND THE ADOPTED CODE LANGUAGE.

SO NONE OF OUR CUSTOMER BASE WILL ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO OUT AND PURCHASE A CODE BOOK.

HMM.

I'D LIKE TO GO THROUGH SOME, UH, STATISTICAL NUMBERS REAL QUICK.

UH, THIS BODY HAS ALWAYS ASKED FOR THAT INFORMATION, SO I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT.

THE DEPARTMENT ISSUES APPROXIMATELY 16,000 PERMITS A YEAR ACROSS THE BOARD THIS YEAR.

WE HAVE SEEN TO DATE ABOUT A 2.5% INCREASE IN PERMITS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED INSPECTIONS.

USUALLY AROUND 45 TO 50,000 INSPECTIONS ARE PERFORMED BY THE DEPARTMENT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

THIS YEAR, IN COMPARISON TO LAST YEAR, OUR COMP NUMBER IS INCREASED 17.48%.

SO WE ARE DOING MORE INSPECTIONS THAN WE HAVE IN PREVIOUS YEARS.

AND OUR ENFORCEMENT NUMBERS ARE ALSO UP IN FY 24.

WE, UM, INVESTIGATED OVER 705, UH, COMPLAINTS THIS YEAR.

TO DATE, WE'RE ALREADY AT 794 COMPARED TO WHAT THIS TIME LAST YEAR OF 518.

SO WE'VE SEEN A 38% INCREASE IN INVESTIGATIONS THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS UH, CONDUCTING.

AND MOST OF THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE TRANSFER OF ENFORCEMENT FROM THE LIVABILITY CODE FROM HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS, LICENSE PERMITS.

UM, I BELIEVE SO FAR THIS YEAR WE'VE INVESTIGATED OVER 80, UM, HOUSING COMPLAINTS AND WE STILL HAVE 10 THAT ARE, THAT ARE CURRENTLY OPEN.

LAST YEAR.

THIS BODY TOOK ON THE, UM, UH, PROPOSAL TO INCREASE FEES.

I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE SOME IN, UH, INPUT AND FEEDBACK FROM WHERE WE WERE WITH THAT PIECE OF LEGISLATION.

IF YOU REMEMBER, MR. BOWLING INDICATED, AND DURING OUR PRESENTATION, WE WERE LOOKING AT INCREASING REVENUE BY ABOUT 150% IN JANUARY THIS YEAR WHEN THE FEES, UH, WERE FINALLY INCREASED, WE SAW 125% OVER THE AVERAGE JANUARY NUMBERS THAT WE WOULD TYPICALLY SEE IN FEBRUARY THAT WENT TO 164% AND IN MARCH 142%.

SO I BELIEVE WE HIT THE MARK RIGHT WHERE WE WERE TARGETING.

WITH THAT, I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOUR FAVORABLE APPROVAL OF THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET REQUEST AND I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME.

THANKS, RICH.

HAROLD, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? YES, SIR.

ALRIGHT, VERY GOOD.

I THINK, UM, ALL OF US CAN SAY CONFIDENTLY THAT, UM, WHENEVER WE GET AN ISSUE JUST LIKE TODAY, UH, IN REFERENCE TO A PERMIT REQUEST OR WHATEVER, UH, ALL WE DO IS FLIP IT TO YOU AND YOU TAKE CARE OF IT.

AND, UM, FOR VERY CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A, A GREAT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PERMITS OFFICE AND THE CITIZENS.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.

UM, AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE INCREASE IN NEW REVENUE, THE 130% AVERAGE MM-HMM .

WHAT KIND OF MONEY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? UM, WE INCREASED, UH, THE DELTA AVERAGE IN JANUARY WAS ABOUT 171,000.

FEBRUARY WAS 228, AND MARCH WAS 239,000.

AND REALLY THOSE NUMBERS ARE GONNA BE DEPENDENT UPON THE NUMBER OF PERMITS THAT WE SEE.

UM, AS, AS YOU WELL KNOW, WE, WE INCREASED FEES AND WE INCREASED, UM, IMPACT FEES.

SO WE DID SEE A LITTLE BIT OF AN INFLUX IN THOSE PERMIT APPLICATIONS.

SO WE'VE STARTED TO SEE THE, THE RESIDUAL OF THAT AND A LITTLE BIT OF A SLOWDOWN.

UM, WE'RE HOPING BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR WE'RE, WE'RE AT LEAST BREAK EVEN OR, YOU KNOW, SLIGHTLY ABOVE.

AND BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THE TYPES OF PERMITS THAT BE, COULD BE ISSUED, YOU KNOW, A FEW MONTHS AGO, I BELIEVE WE ISSUED OVER 500 ELECTRICAL PERMITS FOR UPGRADING SERVICES IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX.

WELL, WE TYPICALLY DON'T SEE THAT EVERY YEAR.

SO WE DO SEE THE EBB AND FLOWS OF PERMITTING, WHICH WILL HAVE DIRECT RESULTS ON THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT WE DO COLLECT, BUT ON AVERAGE WE'RE HITTING THE TARGET WHERE WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA BE.

AND I THINK, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, THIS COUNCIL SUPPORTED THE INCREASED FEES.

NO LONGER HAVE A, A BUILDINGS SUPERVISOR, PROJECT COORDINATOR, AND SENIOR PLAN REVIEWER.

BECAUSE OF THE TIME THAT HAD GONE PAST SINCE IT'D BEEN INCREASED.

SO, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT IT'S MOVING FORWARD.

I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT.

UM, IT'S BENEFITING THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE AND, UH, YOUR DEPARTMENT ESPECIALLY.

SO THANK YOU.

UH, COUNSEL QUESTIONS.

MR. BENNETT? HELLO.

GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.

UM, JUST I WANTED TO ASK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POSITION SHIFTS IN THE DEPARTMENT.

'CAUSE WHILE IT IS ONLY A, A NET GAIN OF TWO POSITIONS COMING FROM PLANNING AND ZONING, I NOTICED THAT, UM, YOU NOW HAVE AN ADDITIONAL, UH, PLANS REVIEWER, MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT TWO AND CHIEF FOR INSPECTIONS LICENSING AND PERMITS, BUT ALSO

[02:40:01]

AND I WAS JUST TRYING TO KNOW, UM, WHAT, LIKE THE REASONING FOR THOSE CHANGE IN POSITIONS.

IS IT JUST CHANGE OF TITLE THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY THERE OR IS IT DUTIES CHANGING AND, UH, THE JOB CHANGING? UH, A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH.

SO OBVIOUSLY SOME OF IT'S FROM ATTRITION MM-HMM .

UM, SO WHEN WE LOST A SENIOR PLANNER VIEWER, WE KIND OF BUMPED UP, UM, THOSE POSITIONS INTERNALLY.

BUT THEN WHEN WE WENT BACK OUT FOR THE REQUEST FOR EMPLOYMENT, WE BROUGHT THAT INDIVIDUAL IN AT A PLAN REVIEW ONE, THE CHANGE IN, UM, THE CHIEF POSITION THAT WAS DUE TO RETIREMENT AND, UM, THAT NOW ALIGNS THE DEPARTMENT WITH THE REST OF THE DIVISIONS THAT THEY'RE ACTUAL DIVISION CHIEFS.

SO, AND THE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT, UM, WAS A PROMOTION IN THAT, UH, AREA.

IT'S THE SAME INDIVIDUAL, BUT THAT INDIVIDUAL IS THE LIAISON BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT AND THE ICT.

SO SHE COORDINATES ALL OF OUR PER OR OUR PROGRAMMING REQUEST CHANGES.

SHE DOES OUR PROCESS MANUAL, SHE TRAINS STAFF, UM, SO THAT WE HAVE AN EFFICIENT TRANSITION AS WE MOVE INTO DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODULES OR DIFFERENT BUSINESS PRACTICES.

I APPRECIATE ALL THAT.

I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT WASN'T LIKE A CHANGE IN WHAT THE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE WORKING ON OR NO, THANK YOU.

ANYONE ELSE? MR. ADA? OH, IT'S MR. TRUITT.

GOOD AFTERNOON SIR.

AFTERNOON SIR.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SERVICE.

AND I KNOW WE'VE GONE OVER A BUNCH OF THINGS AND I THINK ONE OF THE BIG THINGS, UH, YOU GUYS HELPED WITH, WITH THE CODE WAS, UM, WRAPPING THE HVAC SO PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE TO PUT THE R SOMETHING UP TOP ON THAT, UH, FOR COOLING.

WASN'T THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOKED AT DOING OR YOU DID? UH, WHEN WE ADOPTED THE, THE CURRENT BUILDING CODE, YEAH.

WE, WE WORKED WITH THE STATE OF MARYLAND TO COME UP WITH A MARYLAND AMENDMENT TO BE ABLE TO, UM, MOVE US INTO WHAT THE 24 CODE'S GONNA SAY, BUT TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE REASONABLE APPROACH TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND GIVE OUR, OUR CUSTOMER BASE A WAY OF, UM, EFFICIENTLY, UH, COMPLIANT WITH THE CODE.

SO NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE NEW ELECTRICAL CODES.

IS THAT FEDERAL OR IS THAT STATE OR THAT, THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE WORKING ON THAT? NO, THE, THOSE ELECTRICAL CODES WERE ALSO UPDATED THE LAST TIME WE WERE OVER HERE.

WE BROUGHT EVERYTHING OVER AS A PACKAGE, SO WE INTEND TO DO THAT AGAIN.

UM, LIKE AS I INDICATED, WE'RE PROBABLY AT LEAST A YEAR AWAY FROM DOING THAT, BUT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE THESE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DO THE RESEARCH, GET OUR STAFF TRAINED SO WHEN WE DO COME OVER TO THIS BODY AND GET AN ADOPTION, WE'RE READY TO GO.

AND YOU'RE, HOW MANY INSPECTORS DO YOU HAVE NOW FOR ELECTRICAL? UH, WE'RE BUDGETED FOR FOUR ELECTRICAL POSITIONS AND ONE CHIEF, CURRENTLY WE HAVE THREE.

SO IT'S JUST HARD FINDING THAT LAST PERSON.

WE'RE KEEPING OUR FINGERS TOGETHER, WE'RE CROSSED.

WE, WE MADE AN OFFER TODAY, SO HOPEFULLY.

UM, I THINK THE ONLY OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS NOT ON THE BUDGET, BUT IT'S JUST A REAL QUICK ONE ON, IF YOU HAVE A CENTER ISLAND, CAN YOU NO LONGER HAVE A PLUG ON THE CENTER ISLAND NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODES HAVE REMOVED THAT AS A REQUIREMENT AND BASICALLY A PROB PLACED IT AS A PROHIBITION.

SO THE ISSUE WAS, UM, APPLIANCES BEING PLACED ON THOSE ISLANDS WHERE A CHILD OR SOMEBODY MAY BE ABLE TO GO AROUND, CATCH THE CORD AND PULL THE APPLIANCE OFF AND ACTUALLY INJURE THE CHILD.

SO THAT WAS THE, SO NOW WE'RE GONNA RUN THE CORD FROM THE, FROM THE WALL ONTO THE, ONTO THE COUNTERTOP AND THEY'RE GONNA GET HIT THAT WAY.

IF, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS WHERE WE CAN PLACE THE, THE RECEPTACLE INSIDE THE ISLAND AS A POPUP OR SOMETHING ELSE INSIDE THE ISLAND TO AS A OKAY.

ALRIGHT, THAT'S GOOD AS AN OPTION TO THAT.

REQUIRED TO HAVE PERMITS.

THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW.

IS THAT ONLY ON RENOVATIONS? IF YOU RENOVATE YOUR KITCHEN AND YOU GO AND YEAH, IT WOULD NOT BE RETROFITTED TO EXISTING CONSTRUCTION.

THAT'S IT.

THANK YOU MR. TIBS? YES, SIR.

AFTERNOON MR. TRUETT.

SIR, I JUST WAS WONDERING HOW YOU HANDLE PERMITS WITH THESE OUT-OF-STATE FLIPPERS THAT COME IN, BUY THESE HOUSES.

I I'M SURE THAT YOU'VE, I KNOW THAT WE HAD SOME TROUBLE DOWN OUR DIRECTION AND, UH, I I JUST, IS THERE A REQUIREMENT THAT THESE PEOPLE BUY THESE HOUSES HAVE TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT OR DO THEY WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL SOMEBODY REPORTS 'EM FOR DOING SOMETHING? UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S, UM, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A REPORTING MECHANISM.

UM, WE, WE ARE UNAWARE OF THE PROPERTY TRANSFERS.

I MEAN, THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THAT AMOUNT, THAT AMOUNT OF VOLUME TO BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A POTENTIAL FLIPPING CASE MAY BE.

AND THERE ARE ALSO SOME CASES WHERE THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PURCHASING THESE HOMES MAY BE DOING RENOVATIONS AT HOME THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY

[02:45:01]

WELL, THAT'S TRUE.

SO THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF, UM, SCOPE OF POTENTIAL WORK.

WE DO GET THOSE COMPLAINTS.

UM, THAT'S PART OF THE INCREASE THAT WE ARE, WE ARE DEALING WITH, UM, THE INCREASE IN ADMINISTRATIVE FEES, THE ABILITY TO NOW ISSUE CIVIL CITATIONS HAVE ALL BEEN A, UM, TOOL THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S UTILIZING TO HELP WITH THAT.

BUT IT'S SOMEWHAT STILL IF WE HAVE TO CATCH 'EM.

AND, UH, UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE, I, I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S MORE SO THAN NOT MORE ARE GOING THROUGH AND BEING RENOVATED.

THOSE HOUSES ARE BEING SOLD AND THE DEPARTMENT'S UNAWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.

I, I, THAT'S WHAT I'M SEEING.

I MEAN THESE, THESE HOUSES THAT ARE, MIGHT BE EVEN UNFIT FOR HABITATION AND THEN PEOPLE ARE COMING IN AND, AND I MEAN, IT'S UNREAL THAT THE ONE THAT WE SAW, I MEAN SPECIFICALLY NOW'S BEEN STOPPED, BUT YEAH, IT, IT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES BY THE TIME WE DO GET THE COMPLAINT, IT'S THE NEW PROPERTY OWNER AND IT'S WAY TOO LATE AND THEY'RE DEALING WITH A CIVIL ISSUE.

UM, AND WE WORK WITH THEM AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

BUT YEAH, IT, IT'S DEFINITELY A CONCERN AND UNFORTUNATELY WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO POLICE THAT.

THANK YOU MR. TIBS.

ANYONE ELSE? MR. JAN? YEAH, ONE MORE THING.

UH, PREDATORY, UH, PRE PREDATORY TOWS.

SO I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE.

UM, BUT YOU GUYS DON'T, THE, THE PERMITS THAT YOU ISSUE, IS IT FOR ALL TOWING COMPANIES OR IS IT JUST FOR SPECIFIC? SO THE LICENSING THAT WE ISSUE IS FOR POLICE INITIATED TOWING.

UH, SPECIFICALLY MORE SO FOR THE, FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

SO THAT WHEN THEY NEED A RELIABLE TOW TO COME OUT, REMOVE A VEHICLE BECAUSE IT'S DISABLED THROUGH ACCIDENT, UH, BREAKS DOWN WHATEVER MEANS THEY HAVE A RELIABLE TOWERW THAT'S REGULATED, THAT'S TAKING THAT VEHICLE TO A STORAGE FACILITY.

IT'S REGULATED ON THE COST THAT AND UH, SUCH.

SO WE DO HAVE REGULATED COSTS WHEN THEY TAKE IT TO A STORAGE FACILITY FOR HARFORD COUNTY.

UNDER THAT, UNDER THAT, UNDER THAT APPLICATION.

THERE IS A STATE LAW THAT TALKS ABOUT PREDATORY TOWING, UM, THAT WOULD COVER THIS.

BUT THE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM UNFORTUNATELY IS A CIVIL MATTER BETWEEN THE TOW AND, AND THE VEHICLE OWNER.

TONY, THERE'S ONLY 20 OF THOSE TOWER THAT ARE SIGNED UP FOR THAT PROGRAM.

THANKS.

ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU GENTLEMEN.

OKAY, NEXT WE, NEXT WE HAVE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES AND THAT BEGINS ON PAGE 2 42.

FATHER COMING UP, I JUST GETTING SOME THE NUMBERS.

IS THAT, THAT'S ALRIGHT.

TEMPORARY SALARIES INCREASED 10,000 AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 48,454.

UM, SO IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 7 MILLION 932 622, UH, SPREAD ACROSS FIVE DIVISIONS ALL FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE BEGINS ON PAGE 2 47.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 1 MILLION 7 98 223, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 5,568.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 44,068 SALARIES DECREASE 16,040 AS THE NET OF TURNOVER AND SALARY ADJUSTMENTS, UH, THE FY 26 COLA AT 40,000 7 99 AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 19,309.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASE 8,000 FOR A REDUCTION IN OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASE 5,000 DUE TO REDUCTIONS IN PRINTING AND OTHER SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES 1000 BASED ON ACTUALS FOR MILEAGE PARKING AND TOLLS.

MISCELLANEOUS DECREASES 26,500 DUE TO REDUCTIONS IN GRANTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY.

AND THEN THERE'S NO CHANGE IN INTER INTERGOVERNMENTAL HOUSING BEGINS ON PAGE TWO 50.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 2 MILLION 2 65 0 38, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 227,159.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 1 93 2 44, WHICH IS THE RESULT OF A DECREASE IN SALARIES OF 5,124 AS THE NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND ADDITIONAL GRANTS TO OFFSET SALARIES THAT THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 32,286.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE TRANSFER OF ONE PIN FOR GRANTS ADMINISTRATOR FROM PLANNING AND ZONING, UH, WHICH IS COST CENTER OH SIX 3000, WHICH APPEARS ON PAGE 2 22, UM, AT A COST TO THIS DIVISION OF 107,628.

[02:50:03]

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASED 640 FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE AND ADVERTISING SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES 1050 FOR DELIVERY CHARGES AND MAILING BUSINESS AND TRAVEL DECREASES 1050 FOR PARKING, PROFESSIONAL BOOKS, MEMBERSHIP FEES AND TRAINING.

AND THEN MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES 36,655.

UH, THAT'S THE RESULT OF GRANTS AND AID BEING FUNDED AT 1 MILLION 2 7 270 3,900, WHICH IS A INCREASE OF 3,600 OVER FY 25.

OTHER GRANTS INCREASE A TOTAL OF 33,000, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, THE FUNDS DEDICATED FOR SARCS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE GRANT.

AND, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, THAT THAT GRANT IS AT 65,000 AND THAT GRANT IS SEPARATE FROM ANY FUNDING.

SARC MAY RECEIVE THROUGH GRANT IN EIGHT.

GRANT IN EIGHT.

AND THEN THERE WAS FUNDS FOR THE HUMAN SERVICES GRANT, CRISIS ASSISTANCE AND EMERGENCY SHELTER ASSISTANCE TOTALING 100,000.

NEXT DIVISION IS THE OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 2 53.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 1,230,150, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 14,589.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 29,361.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARIES DECREASING 7,162 DUE TO TURNOVER.

THE FY 26 COLA AT 12,349.

TEMPORARY SALARIES ADJUSTED 8,733 AND THEN HEALTH BENEFITS ADJUSTED 23,220 BASED ON FFY 26 RATES.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASE 11,950 FOR REDUCTIONS IN ADVERTISING AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BASED ON ACTUALS.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

BUSINESS AND TRAVEL DECREASES 2000 FOR TRANSPORTATION COSTS AND TRAINING BASED ON ACTUALS.

AND THEN MISCELLANEOUS DECREASES 30,000 BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR RECOVERY, MONTH ACTIVITIES, PEER RECOVERY, AND AFTER PROM INITIATIVES.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 2 56.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 157,346, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 63,455.

PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASES 51,755.

THAT'S A RESULT OF A DECREASE IN TEMPORARY SALARIES OF 40,662.

HEALTH BENEFITS DECREASED 16,900 AND THEN THE FY 26 COLA OF 4,397.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASES 7,500 DUE TO REDUCTIONS IN ADVERTISING AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.

BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES 4,200 DUE TO REDUCTIONS FOR OFFICE SUPPLIES, PRINTING, MAILING, AND OTHER SUPPLIES.

AND MATERIALS BASED ON ACTUALS, AND THERE'S NO CHANGE IN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE OFFICE ON AGING, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 2 59.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 2,481,865, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 153,384.

PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASES 1 54 872.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARIES DECREASING 34,561 AS THE NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND TURNOVER.

THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 62,983.

TEMPORARY SALARIES DECREASE 141,258 DUE TO ADJUSTMENT AND TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE GRANT OFFSETS.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE, UH, DECREASES TOTALING $42,036 DUE TO ADJUSTMENT OF TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE GRANT OFFSETS.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASED 2,288 FOR ELECTRICITY AND BUILDING AND CUSTODIAL SERVICES BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

DECREASES $500 FOR GENERAL OFFICE SUPPLIES.

BUSINESS AND TRAVEL DECREASES 300 FOR PUBLICATIONS THAT CAN BE SHIFTED TO A GRANT.

AND THEN THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CAPITAL OUTLAY FOR EQUIPMENT.

AND THEN FINALLY, WE HAVE HARTFORD TRANSIT, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 2 62.

IT'S OF COURSE, LARGELY GRANT FUNDED WITH COUNTY GRANT MATCHES, TOTALING 3,936,109.

THE GRANT MATCH FUNDS APPEAR ON PAGE 6 0 6 IN THE GRANT MATCH CALL CENTER PER GS B ACCOUNTING PRACTICES.

WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR RICHARDSON.

GOOD AFTERNOON, BARB.

HOW ARE YOU? I'M GOOD.

HOW ARE YOU SIR? WELCOME TO THE CHAMBER.

UM, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.

CONTINUES TO SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY BY OVERSEEING THE DISTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $40 MILLION ANNUALLY.

UH, WELL, WELCOME COUNTY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, COUNCILMAN, AND HAPPY TO SAY COUNCILWOMAN .

SO, UH, HAPPY TO BE HERE.

TODAY I HAVE WITH ME, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR SUSAN AFFLECK BAUER AND KEVIN GREENWELL.

I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT IS FULLY STAFFED.

PRIOR VACANT POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED BY HIGHLY QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS.

OUR DEPARTMENT

[02:55:01]

OUR OFFICE ON AGING HAS SERVED MORE SENIORS THAN EVER BEFORE.

DESPITE FUNDING CUTS AND CHALLENGES AT BOTH THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS.

HARTFORD TRANSIT LINKS RIDERSHIP HAS SURPASSED PRE COVID RIDERSHIP LEVELS BY 20% YEAR OVER YEAR THROUGH FY 24 NEW TECHNOLOGIES INSTALLED AT TRANSIT HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED ROUTE TIMES AND REDUCED COSTS.

OUR OFFICE OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH HARTFORD COUNTY'S TRACK ONE RECIPIENT OF GOVERNOR MOORE'S ENOUGH INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS CONCENTRATED CHILDHOOD POVERTY IN MARYLAND.

OUR OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES HAS STRENGTHENED EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS AND CREATED NEW PARTNERSHIPS, MOST NOTABLY WITH OUR OFFICE OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, HELPING TO CONNECT OUR SERVICE MEMBERS WITH QUALIFIED PROVIDERS.

OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION IS WORKING ON SEVERAL CRITICAL PROJECTS, INCLUDING A LONG ANTICIPATED RENOVATION TO THE WELCOME ONE EMERGENCY SHELTER AND THE INSTALLATION OF NEW LIGHTING IN THE HARTFORD SQUARE COMMUNITY.

A COLLABORATION WITH OUR SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE.

THE HOUSING AGENCY CONTINUES TO PROVIDE RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO MORE THAN 1200 AT RISK HOUSEHOLDS, AND IS DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $115,000 IN DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE TO FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS.

FINALLY, OUR OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY IS PREPARING TO AWARD UP TO $3 MILLION IN BOTH OPIOID RESTITUTION FUNDS AND COMMUNITY REPAIR AND REINVESTMENT FUNDS TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE DIVISION'S INAUGURAL AROUND OF COMPETITIVE FUNDING.

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE LINDA WILLIAMS, WHO RECENTLY RETIRED AFTER A LONG CAREER WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES SUFFERING FROM ADDICTION.

MS. WILLIAMS WAS A FIERCE ADVOCATE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND WILL BE DEEPLY MISSED, BUT HER LEGACY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH OUR EFFORTS.

I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING.

MR. BENNETT.

OH, I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO RAISE MY HAND.

, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? JAKE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT IS LEARNING.

I JUST KNOW , I COULD JUST FEEL YOU STARING.

THAT MEANS I'M AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER.

IS THAT WHAT THAT MEANS? I HAVE A QUESTION.

UH, A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS ARE GONNA DO WITH GRANT AID FUNDING JUST BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST BUDGET I'VE BEEN THROUGH WHERE I HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN AN ITEMIZED LIST OF GRANT AID RECIPIENTS.

AND I, I, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE, UH, IMPACT MY DISTRICT ARE, UM, I ACTUALLY, WE WAS, WE WERE LATE FINALIZING THE WORDS THIS YEAR.

I APOLOGIZE.

BUT I DO HAVE A LIST THAT WE CAN PROVIDE AND I CAN ANSWER ANY OF THE QUESTIONS, REALLY.

THAT'S WHY I WENT TO YOU FIRST SEE THAT RESULTS.

I HAVE A QUESTION ON PAGE 2 51 OF THE BUDGET, UNDER MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES, IT SAYS THE TOTAL LIKE NET MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES IS 36,655 MM-HMM .

BUT THEN IT JUST LISTS, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THREE INCREASES, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE DECREASES COME IN.

UM, SO LIKE HOW, HOW DO THOSE, UH, EXPLANATIONS ADD UP TO THE 36,655 WHEN IT JUST TALKS ABOUT THE $3,600 INCREASE FOR GRANT AID? $65,000 FOR SARC AND A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER ASSISTANCE.

THAT, LIKE, TO ME, THAT LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD BE 170,000 OF MISCELLANEOUS INCREASE.

WELL, LAST YEAR, SARC WOULD, I THINK, RECEIVE MORE.

THAT AMOUNT IS BASED ON THE MARRIAGE LICENSE FEE.

SO THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT GET MARRIED, SO I KNOW LAST YEAR THIS, THAT FIGURE WAS HIGHER.

SO THAT'S A DECREASE TO 65,000.

WE DON'T CHOOSE THAT NUMBER.

THAT'S THROUGH THE LICENSES.

UM, THE GRANTS AND AID WAS A LITTLE INCREASE AND WE'RE ASKING FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE THIS YEAR.

AND HUMAN SERVICES AND CRISIS ASSISTANCE, I THINK WE UPPED THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE THIS YEAR BECAUSE, UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD A VERY, VERY COLD WINTER.

WE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON MOTEL NIGHTS AND, YOU KNOW, HOUSING OUR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS, UH, THAT MONEY, IF IT'S A MILD WINTER, IT ALWAYS GETS RETURNED TO THE COUNTY.

BUT I THINK IF YOU ADD THOSE ALL I, YEAH, I GUESS WHAT I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR, INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING THAT FARC OR SARC GOT 65,000, THE NET CHANGE, BECAUSE IT JUST WAS VERY CONFUSING LOOKING AT THAT, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT'S THE MATH THAT LEADS TO 36,655? YEAH, I I I'M SORRY I MISSED A PART OF THE QUESTION, BUT I, I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING.

I KNOW THAT, UM, YEAH, I BELIEVE THE SHARK WENT DOWN 10,000.

UM, AND, AND THAT, THAT SPECIFIC SARC IS SEPARATE FROM THE GRAND AID SARC.

THIS, THE SARC HERE IS BASED ON, UM, REVENUE FROM, I BELIEVE IT'S MARRIAGE LICENSES THAT IS DEDICATED FOR THAT.

SO THAT NUMBER JUST BASICALLY REFLECTS WHATEVER CAME IN FOR THAT PURPOSE.

UM, AND THEN THERE WAS, UH, THE HUMAN SERVICES GRANT, WHICH INCREASED, UM, BY, I BELIEVE

[03:00:04]

WE, WE WILL, WE WILL PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN BECAUSE NORMALLY IN ON THE NOTES IT SAYS THE CHANGE, NOT THE TOTAL.

YES, WE WILL, WE WILL PROVIDE THAT INTO THE PACKET THAT WE GIVE AT THE END.

THANK, THANK YOU.

AND THEN, UM, I JUST HAVE A FEW FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS ABOUT GRANT NEED FUNDING.

UH, I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THIS LIST AND I'M SO THANKFUL TO HAVE IT.

UM, BUT I, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE NONPROFITS THAT SUPPORT MY DISTRICT ARE EXPERIENCING HEARTACHE AND AND CONCERN RIGHT NOW, JUST IN LOOKING AT THE PROPOSED FEDERAL BUDGET.

AND A LOT OF THEIR GRANT AID SUPPORTS BEING ZEROED OUT.

AND, UM, I THINK THAT'S LED TO THEM FEELING MORE PRESSURE OVER THEIR COUNTY, UH, LEVEL SUPPORT BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE SAY IN SWAY OVER THAT VERSUS WHAT'S GOING ON IN DC.

UM, IS THERE A UNIVERSAL RUBRIC OR SCORING FORMULA THAT YOUR OFFICE USES WHEN EVALUATING THE NONPROFIT APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTING THERE? THIS IS A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS.

UM, THERE IS A SCORING SHEET.

THERE'S A, A REVIEW COMMITTEE THAT, UM, FIRST THAT, WELL, INTERNALLY WE MAKE SURE EVERYTHING ADDS UP.

THEN IT GOES BEFORE THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD, UM, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND WE TRY TO ALWAYS TELL THEM, WORK WITH FLAT FUNDING, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.

IT'S HARD TO GET INCREASES.

UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF, YOU CAN IMAGINE THE ASKS ARE WAY GREATER THAN THE AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE WORKING WITH US.

SO IT'S ALL KIND OF DIFFICULT.

BUT, UM, THE ONE GOOD THING WE HAVE IN OUR OFFICE NOW IS WE HAVE SOME OTHER, SOME NEW FUNDING REVENUE STREAMS. A LOT OF OUR NONPROFITS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR EITHER THE COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT REPAIR ACT FUNDING OR PERHAPS OPIOID RELIEF FUND.

SO THAT WILL BE A BIG HELP.

UM, WE'RE HOPING THAT GRANTON EIGHT DOESN'T GET CUT THIS YEAR, , AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ASKED FOR A LITTLE BIT OF AN INCREASE.

BUT, UM, SO THAT IS SOME GOOD NEWS SINCE THERE ARE A LOT OF CUTS AT THE OTHER LEVELS.

AND I'M DEFINITELY GONNA ASK ABOUT THE CRRF MM-HMM .

IN JUST A SECOND.

BUT ONE OF THE, UM, UH, CONCERNS I'VE HEARD FROM A FEW OF THE NONPROFITS IN THE COMMUNITY IS THAT FEELS LIKE THE EVALUATION PROCESS OR WHAT IS LIKE VALUED IN THAT SCORING IS KIND OF, UM, UH, BEHIND LIKE A CURTAIN, SO TO SPEAK.

IS THERE A WAY TO POST ON THE WEBSITE EXPLICITLY, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW APPLICATIONS ARE SCORED AND THE PROCESS THAT GO, IT GOES THROUGH JUST TO HELP THEM WHEN THEY'RE APPLICATION? SURE.

AND THEY HAVE THAT, THAT'S IN THE APPLICATION.

IT TELLS YOU HOW MANY POINTS IN EACH SECTION WHEN THEY APPLY.

THEY KNOW THAT THIS IS GONNA BE JUDGED AT 10, 15, 20.

SO THAT'S, THAT RUBRIC IS IN FRONT OF THEM WHEN THEY APPLY FOR THE GRANT.

UM, I DON'T THINK WE CAN PUT SCORES FOR EVERYBODY ON THE, ON THE, UH, WEBSITE, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY PUT WHO GETS THE AWARDS ONCE THEY'RE FINALIZED.

AND AS ALWAYS, IF THERE'S AN ORGANIZATION WHO THINKS THEY DIDN'T GET FULLY FUNDED OR HAD A REDUCTION, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO MEET WITH THEM AND TALK ABOUT WHY.

UH, 'CAUSE ALL THE REVIEWERS WILL PROVIDE COMMENTS IN THEIR REVIEWS AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHY, WHY IT WASN'T A GOOD FIT OR WHY THERE WAS CUTS.

AND, UM, 'CAUSE THERE WAS ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS TALK TO EACH OTHER AND SHARE WHAT, WHAT DID THEY SAY TO YOU? WHAT DID THEY SAY TO ME? AND UM, IT'S, THE RUMOR WAS AN UNEVEN APPLICATION OF RULES SUCH AS YOU CAN'T USE GRANT AID FUNDING TO PAY FOR SALARIES.

UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE SOME NONPROFITS WERE TOLD THAT, BUT THEN THEY CALLED OTHER NONPROFITS AND THEY WERE LIKE, WE HAVEN'T HEARD THAT.

SO THIS YEAR, THAT IS A RULE WE SAID, CAN'T USE, WE SAID WET LIVING IT, UH, FEDERAL GRANTS, GRANTS WERE ALL LIMITED TO LIKE EIGHT 15% OF ADMINS.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME ORGANIZATIONS, LIKE 100% OF THE COUNTY TAXPAYER DOLLARS WENT TO SALARIES.

SO WE REACHED OUT TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, SAID, LOOK, IT MIGHT BE A BETTER, YOUR APPLICATION WILL SCORE HIGHER, YOU'LL GET BETTER RESULTS IF MAYBE YOU CAN CHANGE THAT A LITTLE BIT, PUT MORE INTO DIRECT SERVICES.

BUT NO, EVERYBODY WAS AWARE OF THAT.

AND THERE IS NOT ONE ORGANIZATION THAT'S GETTING FULLY FUNDED FOR SALARIES.

DETERMINE HOW MUCH THEY WERE GONNA GIVE.

AND I, YEAH, THAT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT MIGHT LIKE A UNIVERSAL MEMO THAT JUST FLATLY SAYS THE SAME LANGUAGE MIGHT BE HELPFUL.

'CAUSE YOU NEVER WANT TO CREATE THE APPEARANCE OF INEQUITABLE APPLICATION OF RULES.

AND IT'S NOT THAT I THINK YOU WOULD EVER DO THAT, BUT WE WANNA, UH, SET UP FIREWALLS MM-HMM .

TO PREVENT THAT FROM BECOMING THE RUMOR OR THE, UM, ESPECIALLY AS PEOPLE ARE FEELING SUCH PRESSURE RIGHT NOW OF TRYING TO GET EVERY DOLLAR THEY CAN.

UM, AND THAT'S, YEAH.

SO I JUST THINK FROM A RISK MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE, PUTTING AS MUCH OF THAT ON THE WEBSITE AS POSSIBLE WOULD BE HELPFUL.

UM, AND THAT, YEAH.

'CAUSE THE OTHER THING, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SHARED THAT ONE OF THE THINGS KEEPING THE GRANT AID LIST FROM GETTING OUT IS AN AUDIT PROCESS, UM, ON, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.

AND WHEN I HAD SHARED THAT WITH, UH, RECIPIENTS WHO WERE WORRIED ABOUT NOT HEARING ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE GETTING YET, THEY WERE LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.

WHAT'S BEING AUDITED? NOBODY'S CONTACTED US TO, TO AUDIT OUR, UM, SO COULD YOU JUST MAYBE TALK ABOUT LIKE, WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE? ARE YOU REFERRING TO MONITORING AS OPPOSED TO AN AUDIT, UM, FINANCIAL AUDIT, SOMETHING? YEAH.

I THINK WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAD SAID WAS THAT THEY WERE AUDITING CERTAIN, UH, APPLICATIONS IN ORDER TO, UH,

[03:05:01]

AND THAT'S WHY THE GRANT AID RECIPIENTS WERE LATE.

UM, THERE WASN'T AN AUDIT, I WILL SAY.

UM, I TOOK OVER AS THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES, I FOUND THAT, UM, THEIR GRANT AND AID WAS BEING, UH, ADMINISTERED VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

AND SO THIS FIRST YEAR, UH, WORKING TOGETHER, WE NOW TOOK A MUCH MORE IN-DEPTH LOOK, UM, GRANT AND AID IS A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS USING COUNTY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

SO I FELT I NEED TO BE GOOD STEWARD OF THIS TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

SO I WILL SAY, INSTEAD OF JUST ABSOLUTELY FLAT FUNDING, EVERYBODY, WHICH I WILL SAY THE COUNTY IS ALMOST THE RESULT, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE RECEIVING THIS MONEY, UM, AGAIN, THAT THE APPLICANTS TAKE A LOT OF TIME FILLING OUT THE APPLICATIONS.

THE REVIEWERS GIVE THEIR TIME, REVIEWING IT, IT NEEDS TO BE AN IN-DEPTH PROCESS.

SO WE LOOKED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, STARTED LOOKING AT NINE NINETY'S, LOOKING AT, UM, TAX RETURNS, LOOKING AT THEIR BUDGET AND TAKING A MUCH MORE, UM, DEEPER DIVE INTO THEIR FINANCIALS.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME ORGANIZATIONS HAVE 5, 10, 15, $20 MILLION BUDGETS.

THAT'S KIND OF NOT WHAT GRANT AND AID WAS HISTORICALLY MEANT FOR.

I WAS WORKING FOR A NONPROFIT 40 YEARS AGO, AND EVENTUALLY VERY FIRST YEAR I THINK THAT CAME GRANT AND ANDREW SECOND YEAR WAS AVAILABLE ON THE TABLE.

AND BASICALLY IT WAS PUT OUT THERE THAT THIS MONEY IS TO HELP, UM, BUILD CAPACITY OF NONPROFITS TO GET THEM UP.

YOU KNOW, AGAIN, EARLY ON, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES USED TO OFFER, UH, GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO TRY TO GET THE SMALLER NONPROFITS UP TO THE POINT WHERE THEY COULD BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT AND FUNDRAISING.

BUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST 10 YEARS IS DESPITE GOING THROUGH THIS COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS, EVERYTHING IS JUST FLAT FUNDED AND RUBBER STAMPED.

SO WE'RE NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE.

WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT EACH APPLICATION AS IT IS A COMPETITIVE PROCESS.

WE'RE LOOKING AT FINANCIALS AND REALLY DOING AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW.

SO, YEAH, MAYBE, UM, IN-DEPTH REVIEW WOULD'VE BEEN MORE PRECISE LANGUAGE THAN AUDIT, WHICH MIGHT HAVE CAUSED SOME OF THE CONFUSION FROM, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT WAS DONE ACROSS THE BOARD YEAH.

OF ALL APPLICANTS.

AND THEN, UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS WITH THE CRRF FUNDS AS FAR AS, UM, HAVE THE APPLICATIONS FINISHED BEING REVIEWED? HAVE WE ANNOUNCED WHO'S RECEIVING THE MONEY YET? SO NO, THE APPLICATIONS, JUST THE PERIOD JUST CLOSED A WEEK OR TWO AGO.

UM, THEY'RE CURRENTLY BEING REVIEWED.

THERE WAS, UM, A REVIEW, AGAIN, A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD THAT SCORED THE APPLICATIONS.

UM, UH, THERE IS A RUBRIC THAT WE'D BE HAPPY TO PUT.

I, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF THE APPLICATION.

UH, SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE FINAL REVIEW PROCESS AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU AND THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE IN THE COMING WEEKS.

THAT'S REALLY EXCITING.

I'M REALLY VERY EXCITING AND I, AND I, KUDOS TO YOUR STAFF FOR MAKING THAT HAVE AS LOW A BARRIER AS POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT SMALL DOLLAR SUPPORT.

WHO, AND THAT'S WHO WE'RE REALLY TARGETING WITH THAT FUND.

I MEAN, THE OPIOID RESTITUTION FUNDS HAVE A LOT OF STRINGS ATTACHED AS YOU KNOW.

UM, BUT THE CRRF CAN REALLY HELP SOME OF THOSE GRASSROOTS, UM, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY.

UM, AND THEN COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, PEER RECOVERY AND OTHER ADDICTION SUPPORTS? UM, I HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ONE PAGE, OH, ON PAGE 2 54, UH, FOR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASES LAST YEAR ON THAT SAME PAGE.

PEER RECOVERY WAS SPECIFICALLY LISTED UNDER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, BUT THIS YEAR IT JUST SAYS, UM, $10,000 DECREASE TO OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSES.

IS THAT $10,000 DECREASE A DECREASE TO PEER RECOVERY, OR WHAT DOES THAT DECREASE TO? I'M LOOKING FOR THE, I I'M TRYING TO FIND THE 10 OH DECREASE IN OTHER, THAT'S JUST THE TOTAL AMOUNT AND THAT WHOLE BUDGET ITEM.

UH, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WE ARE FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS FOR PEER RECOVERY SERVICES, AND I THINK THAT WAS JUST BASED ON THE ACTUAL USAGES OF THAT TOTAL POT OF MONEY, WHICH IS I THINK, A PRETTY BIG AMOUNT AS I RECALL.

WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO, UH, EITHER YOU OR OR ANYONE IN THE BUDGET OFFICE BE ABLE TO PROVIDE LIKE, UH, A NET YEAR TO YEAR, UM, UH, DIFFERENCE IN TOTAL MONEY SPENT ON, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, RECOVERY EFFORTS? UH, SO I CAN SEE JUST LIKE HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE SURE.

I MEAN, WE CAN TRACK THAT BACK FOR A FEW YEARS.

WE WON'T, OBVIOUSLY WE WON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA BE SPENT IN FY 26, BUT YES, WE CAN GIVE YOU THE STARTING WITH THE CURRENT YEAR AND GOING BACK.

THIS IS A GOOD USE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PUTTING EVERYTHING WE CAN TOWARDS, UH, THOSE EFFORTS.

UM, AND THEN, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE MOVED TO SUPPORTING VOICES OF HOPE FOR, UH, SOME OF THE RECOVERY EFFORTS AND FUNDING.

UH, WE, WE'VE GIVEN THEM A CONTRACT TO, TO FULFILL THE CURRENT YEAR.

WE HAD TO SHERMAN WITH A PRIOR, UH, WITH ANOTHER PROVIDER, BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO, NO BREAK IN SERVICES, SEAMLESS TRANSITION AND INVOICE IS DOING A GREAT JOB AND VOICES OF HOPE HAS RECEIVED A LOT OF FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING.

SO THEY'RE VERY GOOD REPORTING AND THEY'VE HAD AN ON FINANCIAL AUDIT.

SO WE FEEL REALLY GOOD THAT

[03:10:01]

NO, THEY ARE AMAZING.

I LOVE VOICES OF HOPE.

UM, I WAS JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW WHERE THAT FALLS IN THE BUDGET TO KNOW, UH, LIKE WHERE THAT WOULD BE IN THAT SAME MONIC CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, SO, OKAY.

MR. BENNETT, YOU MENTIONED WELCOME ONE.

IS THAT AN EXPANSION OR IS THAT JUST LIGHT FIXTURES? WELCOME.

ONE IS GOING TO BE HOPEFULLY KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED AN EXPANSION.

SO YES, WE HAVE FUNDING SET ASIDE.

I THINK WE'VE, UM, COMPLETED ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS.

SO, UM, WE RECEIVED MONEY FROM, UM, HOME ARP, WHICH WAS HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM UNDER A, UM, HOME ARP, UM, EXCUSE ME, RECOVERY FUNDING AND HAD TO BE USED FOR NON CONGREGATE SHELTER.

SO, UH, WE ALWAYS WANTED TO EXPAND, WELCOME ONE WITH A VIEW THAT WOULD NORMALLY HAVE BEEN CONGREGATE, BUT THIS WILL BE, I BELIEVE, FIVE OR SIX SINGLE ROOM OCCUPANCIES THAT'LL BE TAKEN OVER THE LIBRARY, A LITTLE BIT OF THE SPACE OF THE LIBRARY.

SO EACH OF THESE UNITS WILL HOUSE UP TO, I THINK, FOUR TO FIVE INDIVIDUALS AND CAN BE FLEXIBLE SPACE.

SO RIGHT NOW, IF A HUSBAND AND WIFE COMES INTO THE WELCOME ONE SHELTER, THEY HAVE TO BE SEPARATED.

THEY'LL BE ABLE TO BE TOGETHER.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE SEPARATE ENTRANCES SO FAMILIES WILL BE ABLE TO STAY THERE, BROTHERS, SISTERS.

SO YEAH.

UM, I KNOW THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR QUITE SOME TIME, SO LONG TIME.

AND THEN, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE PREPARED TO SPEAK TO IT TODAY OR NOT.

I SEE GARY'S IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, BUT TRANSIT, UH, I KNOW THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE COPS FACILITY DOWN ON 22 EXPANDING THERE AT SOME POINT.

IS THAT CORRECT? YES.

OH, POSSIBLY.

THAT'S NOT A DONE DEAL THEN.

YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WILL REQUIRE GRANT GRANT PARTICIPATION.

I MEAN OKAY.

SO ASSUMING THAT THE GRANT DOLLARS ARE THERE, BUT OKAY.

BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR, CORRECT? THAT'S THE PLAN.

THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE PLAN.

BUT AS YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WITH FEDERAL DOLLARS, YEAH.

UM, MR. GINGER, DENNIS.

HI BARBARA.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? UH, THANKS FOR COMING.

SO I SEE THE GRANT NEED FOR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 26.

DO YOU HAVE, UH, OR WHERE IS LAST YEAR'S TO COMPARE THOSE TWO? AND IS THERE ANY THAT ARE NOT ON THIS LIST FROM LAST YEAR THAT, THAT ARE NOT ON THIS LIST THAT WERE THERE LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE? NO, I WOULD SAY ALMOST EVERYBODY ON THAT LIST WAS FLAT FUNDED.

THERE WAS SOME SMALL INCREASES TO, I GAVE ALL MY COPIES AWAY.

UM, UH, THE HOPE CENTER IS WE'RE ASKING FOR A $5,000 INCREASE AND THE GRACE MINISTRY FOOD PANTRY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT IN REVIEWING GRANTING AID IS WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN SERVICES AND WHAT ARE THE MOST NEEDS? AND FOOD INSECURITY WAS HIGH THIS YEAR.

SO, UH, GRACE DID NOT RECEIVE FUNDING LAST YEAR.

THEY HAD RECEIVED IT IN PRIOR YEARS.

SO WE WENT BACK AND FUNDED THEM, GAVE A SMALL INCREASE TO THE HOPE CENTER FOR FOOD.

UM, THERE IS AN INCREASE FOR WELCOME ONE, UH, BECAUSE THEY WILL BE MOVING TO 24 7 AND NEED TO INCREASE THEIR, UM, OPERATING EXPENSES.

AND THERE WAS TWO GREASE DECREASES.

THERE WAS A DECREASE TO THE HAWK CREEK COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY AND A SMALL DECREASE TO END STEP.

JUST A, CAN YOU EMAIL THAT? UH, LAST YEAR'S OVER, SO WE, SO I CAN LOOK AT BOTH OF THOSE.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT, UH, MR. BENNETT ASKED FOR WAS SOME SORT OF COMPARISON.

SO IS THAT IT? OKAY.

YES, THAT'D BE GREAT.

WE'LL, WE'LL PROVIDE THAT TO YOU, BUT IF YOU CAN'T WAIT QUITE THAT LONG, IT'S ON, UM, LAST YEAR'S APPROVED BUDGET FOR LIST IS ON PAGE 3 52 APPROVED, BUT WE'LL STILL EMAIL THAT TO YOU.

YEAH, THAT'S FINE.

UH, COUNSEL, ANYONE ELSE? QUESTIONS? MM-HMM.

CITIZENS.

MR. PARIS, JUST A COUPLE OF OF GENERAL QUESTIONS.

UM, THE FREEZING WEATHER CONGREGATE SHELTER OPERATIONS, IS THAT TO ANYONE IN PARTICULAR OR IS THAT JUST A LINE ITEM? UH, WELL WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND FINDING SOMEONE TO TAKE A, FIND SOMEONE TO HOLD IT.

SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.

WE DO NOT WANNA DO MOTEL VOUCHERS THIS YEAR.

WE FOUND OUT WE HAD A LOT OF, UM, NON-RESIDENTS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT.

AND WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY.

SO HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, A CONGREGATE SHELTER OPPORTUNITY FOR FREE FREEZING WEATHER, STILL LOOKING FOR A PROVIDER, YOU KNOW, ANYBODY SEND 'EM MY WAY.

THAT ACTUALLY KIND OF LEADS RIGHT INTO THAT, THAT WELCOME ONE RENOVATION TOO.

JUST TIMING ON THAT.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN THAT MIGHT OCCUR? I WOULD IMAGINE IT WON'T BE READY FOR NEXT WINTER, SO PROBABLY WILL NOT BE READY FOR NEXT WINTER, BUT HOPEFULLY THE FOLLOWING WINTER.

COOL.

UM, DOES THAT REQUIRE ANY MATCH FROM THE COUNTY? NO.

ANY SORT OF REPLACEMENT? WE ARE, UM, 11 VEHICLES JUST ARRIVED UP AT HICKORY.

FULLY GRANT FUNDED.

UM, THE LIGHTING YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT WAS HARTFORD SQUARE, BY THE WAY.

UM, TRANSIT.

I HAPPEN TO NOTICE TOO, UH, PAT ACTUALLY ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT FACILITY.

UH, BUT BUS REPLACEMENT ALSO HAS KIND OF BEEN AN ISSUE.

I KNOW WE, WE HAVE IN THERE, IT LOOKS LIKE A CAPITAL MATCH OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.

UH, WHAT IS THAT CAPITAL MATCH GOING? MAINTENANCE.

MAINTENANCE.

SO OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE AN AGING FLEET.

IS THERE ANYTHING IN THERE FOR

[03:15:01]

WE HAVE SEVEN HEAVY DUTIES, UH, WHICH WILL PROBABLY BE HERE IN SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS.

AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FOLLOW UP ORDER OF SIX MORE HEAVY DUTIES TO REPLACE EXISTING VEHICLES.

WE OPERATE ABOUT 1.3 MILLION MILES A YEAR.

UM, BUT ALL OF THAT IS BEEN PROCESSED.

SO THE VEHICLES THAT ARE SET UP, THE SHOULD BE IN SERVICE BY THE END OF MAY AT THE LATEST UNTIL WE GET ALL HARDWARE INSTALLED.

THERE'S A REPLACEMENT VEHICLES, I WOULD IMAGINE.

CORRECT.

UH, FOR ODCP, UM, THE CONTRIBUTIONS, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE THAT'S GONNA GO YET? I WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT WAS THE A CR TO NOW VOICES OF HOPE MONEY, BUT I GUESS, WELL THAT'S PART OF, IT'S ALSO OTHER THINGS TOO, SO, OKAY.

WE, WE CAN ASSURE YOU THERE WILL BE SOME PROVIDER LINKING, UH, INDIVIDUALS THAT NEEDS SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENTS TO PROVIDERS.

SAY IT WASN'T IN MY BOOK, MR. TIPS, MR. RICHARD.

I, I ALSO WANTED TO GET IN ON THIS FREEZING WEATHER CONGREGATION.

I KNOW OUR CHURCH SPONSORS A LOT OF THIS AND, AND AS YOU SAY, YOU GET OUT OF TOWNERS COMING IN AND THEY JUST WANNA STAY OVERNIGHT IN A MOTEL.

AND THAT'S WHY WE WILL NOT BE HAVING ANY MOTEL ROOMS THIS FREE THIS COMING WINTER.

IT'LL ALL BE CONGREGATED.

SLEEPING ON A COT IN A, IN A CHURCH BASEMENT IS PROBABLY LESS APPEALING TO GET IN YOUR OWN MOTEL ROOM.

SO HOPEFULLY WE'RE GONNA LIMIT THOSE PEOPLE THAT REALLY NEEDED TO GET OUTTA THE SHELTER VERSUS THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR A FREE NIGHT IN THE MOTEL.

THANK YOU MR. TIBS.

ANYONE ELSE? MR. BENNETT? UM, I THINK YOU HAD SAID TO, UH, OUR COUNCILMAN FROM DISTRICT C THAT NO RECIPIENTS WERE TAKEN OFF THE LIST.

I'M PRETTY SURE, UH, I'M MY LEGISL SLATE PRINTED ME LAST YEAR'S LIST.

UH, DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF MD.

OH, THEY DIDN'T? YEAH, THEY DID NOT APPLY THIS YEAR.

UM, AND THEN THERE'S JUST A FEW OTHER, I'LL EMAIL YOU JUST 'CAUSE IT'S ONE OF THOSE REASONS.

IT'S REALLY NICE TO HAVE THIS BEFOREHAND.

SO YOU CAN DO THE SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON, UH, FOR, UM, CAN YOU SPEAK TO ANY OF THE SPECIFIC INCREASES OR DECREASES, UM, IN THE RATIONALE FOR THEM? LIKE FOR INSTANCE, I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE GET $20,000 MORE.

UH, BUT THE ACTION AGENCY GETTING $26,000 LESS, YOU KNOW, TO KNOW.

UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW IS REQUEST VERSUS RECE, UH, WHAT WAS RECEIVED TO HELP US KIND OF KEEP IT TABS OF, OF ALL THAT.

THANK YOU MR. BENNETT.

ANYONE ELSE? OH, SO I CAN JUST EMAIL YOU ALL THAT INFORMATION PLEASE.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 41,649.

ALRIGHT.

WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

YOU THANK YOU.

WE'LL GO TO PLANNING AND ZONING.

NEXT.

RAGE AGAINST ADDICTION WASN'T, OKAY.

UM, PLANNING AND ZONING BEGINS ON PAGE 2 0 6.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 20 MILLION 612 791 OF WHICH 4,192,791 IS GENERAL FUND.

16,250,000 IS COUNTY AG PRESERVATION AND 170,000 IS STATE AG PRESERVATION.

THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE BEGINS ON PAGE TWO 12.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 865,253, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 187,629 FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARIES INCREASING 15,941 AS THE NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND TURNOVER.

THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 16,888 BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 8,820.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES 150,180 FOR CONSULTING SERVICES RELATED TO COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, SUCH AS THE UPDATE TO THE MASTER PLAN APPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES 3,200 DUE TO REDUCTIONS IN GENERAL OFFICE SUPPLIES, PRINTING, UNIFORM PURCHASE, AND COMPUTER SUPPLIES BASED ON ACTUALS.

BUSINESS AND TRAVEL DECREASES 1000 DUE TO REDUCTIONS IN TRANSPORTATION COSTS BASED ON ACTUALS.

AND THEN THERE'S NO CHANGE IN MISCELLANEOUS FUNDING FOR CONTRIBUTIONS.

COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING BEGINS ON PAGE TWO 15.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 1,102,416, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 34,878 FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASES 34,878.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARIES DECREASING 101,974 AS THE

[03:20:01]

NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS, TURNOVER AND PARTIAL FUNDING OF VACANT FFY 26 FFY 26 PO POSITIONS.

UH, THE COLA COST AT 25,000 8 0 8.

TEMPORARY SALARIES INCREASED 51,000 FOR A PART-TIME AG PRESERVATION, EASEMENT MONITORING SPECIALIST, AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS AND PARTIAL YEAR FUNDING RESULTING IN A DECREASE OF 9,712.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CON CONTRACTUAL SERVICES AND NO CHANGE IN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL GIS AND ANALYSIS BEGINS ON PAGE TWO 18.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 479,837 AND IS FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASE IS 30,036.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS OF 7,811, THE FY 26 COLA OF 12,952.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 9,273 BUSINESS AND TRAVEL FUNDING OF 6,500 PROVIDES FOR LODGING TRAINING, SEMINARS, TRANSPORTATION COSTS, ET CETERA.

CURRENT PLANNING BEGINS ON PAGE 2 21.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 1 MILLION 745 285, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 131,956 FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASES 131,956.

THAT'S RE THE RESULT OF SALARIES DECREASING 1,632 AS THE NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS, TURNOVER AND A HALF YEAR FUNDING OF POSITIONS IN FY 25.

THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 50,581.

THERE WAS A TRANSFER OUT OF ONE CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST TO D TO COST CENTER, 26 3000.

ON PAGE 3 53 ADD A SAVINGS TO THIS DIVISION OF 72,478.

THERE WAS THE TRANSFER OUT OF ONE CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANALYST TWO TO DI, UM, ALSO ON PAGE 3 53 AT A SAVINGS TO THIS DIVISION OF 100 1001 67.

THEN THERE WAS THE TRANSFER OUT OF ONE ZONING INSPECTOR ONE WHICH WAS HALF FUNDED FOR FY 25 TO HOUSING.

AND THAT'S CALLED CENTER ZERO NINE 2000 ON PAGE 2 51 AND RECLASSIFIED AS GRANTS COORDINATOR AT A SAVINGS TO THIS DIVISION OF 39,813.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 32,533.

THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES OR BUSINESS AND TRAVEL.

NEXT IS AG PRESERVATION COUNTY, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 2 24.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 16,250,000, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 3 MILLION 2 99 9 22 FUNDED BY THE COUNTY AG PRESERVATION FUND.

CAPITAL OUTLAY INCREASES 3 MILLION FOR PURCHASE OF AG PRESERVATION EASEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS ADJUSTED BASED ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.

AND THEN MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES OF 299,922 BASED ON ANTICIPATED TRANSACTION EXPENSES.

AG PRESERVATION STATE BEGINS ON PAGE 2 26.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 170,000, WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE STATE AG PRESERVATION FUND.

THESE FUNDS PROVIDE REIMBURSEMENT TO THE COUNTY FOR ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT ON BEHALF OF THE STATE'S MOUTH AG PRESERVATION PROGRAM IN THE FORM OF 30,000 IN SALARY REIMBURSEMENT AND A AND 140,000 FOR MATCHING FUNDS FOR EACH EASEMENT PURCHASES.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR GRIM.

GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT VINCENTI.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TO DISCUSS OUR BUDGET TODAY.

THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING REVIEWS ALL OF THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROJECTS IN THE COUNTY AND ALSO DOES MASTER PLANNING FOR THE COUNTY.

AND AS SUCH, THE DEPARTMENT IS MADE UP OF A COUPLE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS AND WE'VE ADDED A DIVISION OR CUT OUT OR MADE A SEPARATE DIVISION FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM.

SO WE HAVE CURRENT PLANNING AS BEN WENT OVER COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING AND GIS AND CURRENT PLANNING HANDLES ALL OF THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT FROM PERMITTING TO REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT PLANS AND SUCH.

WHEREAS LONG RANGE PLANNING DOES ALL OF THOSE LONG RANGE PLANS, BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLANS TO MASTER PLAN AND OTHER PLANS AS WELL AS PREDOMINANTLY WORKING ON THINGS LIKE SUCH AS COMPREHENSIVE ZONING, WHICH RECENTLY PASSED.

AND ALSO GIS, WE HAVE MADE THEM A SEPARATE DIVISION TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE UNIQUELY IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE SERVICES ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AND DIFFERENT AGENCIES WITHIN THE COUNTY.

AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE THEM SEPARATE AND IDENT IDENTIFY THEM SEPARATELY.

SO THAT HAS BEEN SEPARATED OUT IN THE BUDGET.

AND ALSO, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO WAS, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING WORKS VERY COLLABORATIVELY AND CLOSELY WITH THE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS, LICENSING AND PERMITS.

WE ARE INTERTWINED AND HAVE BEEN FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE DIFFERENT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN THE STATE WHERE OFTENTIMES IF YOU'RE GOING IN BALTIMORE

[03:25:01]

COUNTY OR ANOTHER COUNTY, YOU HAVE TO GO TO PLANNING AND ZONING AND GET A PERMIT OR A ZONING CERTIFICATE AND THEN GO TO THE OTHER AGENCY FOR PERMITTING.

WHEREAS WE'RE A ONE STOP SHOP.

AND I REALLY WANT TO GIVE A LOT OF CREDIT TO RICH TRUITT, DIRECTOR OF DI AND ALSO HAROLD BOWLING, WHO HAS SPENT MANY YEARS GETTING THAT SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING THROUGH ENTER GOV AND OTHER POLICIES THAT HAVE REALLY MADE THAT, UH, REALLY A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND GET PERMITS AND ALSO ONLINE PORTAL SO THAT FOLKS CAN REALLY DO IT FROM THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN HOME.

WE STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE PERMITS IN PERSON, BUT AS PART OF THAT GROWTH OF THAT DEPARTMENT AND RECOGNIZING CHALLENGES AND NEEDS, WE HAVE DECIDED THAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT TAKING THE PERMIT CENTER AND CUTTING IT IN HALF SORT OF, AND TAKING TWO OF THOSE PINS AND MOVING IT TO DILP, WHICH THEN EXPLAINED, AND TWO OF THOSE OTHER PINS WILL STAY WITH US AND WILL BE MOVED UPSTAIRS.

AND THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS, IS OVER THE YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT MORE THINGS WITH THE BUILDING CODE THAT HAVE CREATED A LOT MORE WORK WITHIN THAT SECTION WITHIN D AND WE'VE BEEN TAKING AND DOING A LOT OF THAT WORK AS WELL IN THE PERMIT CENTER.

AND IT JUST FELT RIGHT THAT WE SHOULD TAKE THAT DIVISION OF LABOR AND MAKE SURE THAT CERTAIN PARTS OF THAT STAY WITH DI AND CERTAIN PARTS STAY WITH PLANNING AND ZONING AND MAKE SURE THAT THE DIVISION OF LABOR MAKES SENSE FOR WHAT PLANNING AND ZONING STAFF DO.

SO THE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS LICENSING PERMITS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INTAKE OF PERMITS WHERE THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING WAS BEFORE.

SO MOVING FORWARD, AGAIN, DILP WILL TAKE IN THOSE PERMITS AND WE HAVE A SYSTEM SET UP THAT'S BEEN WORKED ON BY RICH AND HIS STAFF AND THEY'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB IN WORKFLOW SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING CONTINUES TO BE EFFICIENT AND INSTEAD OF INTAKING PERMITS, DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING STAFF, CURRENT PERMITS CENTER STAFF WILL BE REVIEWING THOSE PERMITS LIKE ANY OTHER REVIEWING AGENCY WITHIN THE COUNTY.

AND THERE ARE STOP GAPS SO THAT THOSE PERMITS WON'T MOVE FURTHER ALONG IN THE REVIEW UNTIL WE MAKE SURE THAT PLANNING AND ZONING FEELS THAT THE PERMIT APPLICATION IS ADEQUATE AND CAN MOVE ALONG TO OTHER REVIEWS BY OTHER AGENCIES.

SO THAT'S THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING IN A NUTSHELL.

LOOKING FORWARD NOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN THROUGH THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CYCLE, WHICH HAPPENS GENERALLY EVERY EIGHT YEARS, WE'LL BE MOVING INTO AN UPDATE TO THE COUNTY'S MASTER PLAN, WHICH IS REQUIRED TO HAPPEN EVERY 10 YEARS BY THE STATE, UM, UH, BY THE STATE LAND USE ARTICLE.

SO WITH THAT, WE ARE BEGINNING TO PREPARE FOR THAT WITH A LOT OF BACKGROUND WORK.

I WANT TO INTRODUCE TIM BOER, MY ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR.

AND TIM COMES WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND PREPARATION OF COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND PREPARING COMPREHENSIVE PLANS.

SO HE'S ALREADY BEGUN TO TAKE THE REINS THERE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PREPARING APPROPRIATELY FOR THAT AND REALLY LOOKING AT THE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE NECESSARY TO PREPARE THAT MASTER PLAN.

AND WE'VE BUDGETED FOR SOME CONSULTANTS AND THINGS THAT WE'LL NEED TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS.

IT'S TAKES ANYWHERE FROM 18 MONTHS TO THREE YEARS.

I WOULD SUSPECT IT WOULD TAKE CLOSER TO TWO AND A HALF TO THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE A MASTER PLAN AS THE COUNTY CONTINUES TO MATURE AND CHANGE FROM REALLY AN AGRARIAN COUNTY ALL THOSE YEARS AGO TO NOW MORE OF AN URBAN RESIDENTIAL COUNTY IN THE DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE AS IT WAS PLANNED MANY YEARS AGO.

SO AS A DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE CONTINUES TO BUILD OUT AND MATURE, WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT REDEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES.

SO THAT MEANS WE REALLY HAVE TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT OUR MASTER PLAN AND REALLY CHANGE IT TO LOOK AT REDEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE AND ALSO THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE, WHICH WAS AN INITIATIVE OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, WHICH WE'VE STARTED OUT WITH LOOKING AT THAT AS MORE OF A LIFE HEALTH SAFETY TYPE THING.

BUT CERTAINLY AS MOVING FORWARD, I WOULD EXPECT WE WOULD START TO LOOK AT WHAT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IN THE MASTER PLAN TO ADDRESS THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE AND CHANGES IN THE ZONING CODE AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

SO LOTS OF THINGS ON THE HORIZON FROM A PERSONNEL PERSPECTIVE.

I'D LIKE TO THANK TIM AND, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES FOR ASSISTING US WITH REBUILDING THE DEPARTMENT.

AND WE'VE BEEN DOWN A NUMBER OF PEOPLE OVER, OVER THE YEARS.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED THE COUNTY, I THINK WE WERE AROUND 45 OR 48 PEOPLE.

THE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW I THINK IS 27.

AND UH, SO WE'RE AN ANXIOUS TO GET SOME PEOPLE ON BOARD.

AND WE'RE HAVING SOME SUCCESS NOW IN GETTING SOME QUALIFIED APPLICANTS TO APPLY FOR POSITIONS LIKE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, WHICH WE'VE, WE HAVE A TRANSPORTATION PLANNER, BUT ALEX RAS, WHO'S MY CHIEF OF LONG RANGE PLANNING IS, IS WEARING MANY HATS RIGHT NOW.

SO I'D LIKE TO REDUCE SOME OF THE BURDEN ON HIM.

AND SO WE'RE REALLY PLEASED TO SEE WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THE DIRECTION OF THE DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS PERSONNEL AND REBUILDING POTENTIALLY A COMMUNITY PLANNING SECTION THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD FOR MANY YEARS.

COMMUNITY PLANNING WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE OF THOSE SMALL AREA PLANS AND GETTING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND DETERMINING WHAT THE NEEDS OF THE, OF THE COMMUNITIES ARE SO THAT WE CAN DO APPROPRIATE THINGS, LOOK FOR GRANTS AND, AND ALSO DO SMALL AREA PLANS AND

[03:30:01]

THINGS LIKE THAT THAT CAN REALLY ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THOSE COMMUNITIES.

THAT WAS QUITE A BIT.

SHANE.

UM, IF I MAY LET ME START OUT BY THANKING YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, THROUGH THIS COMP ZONING PROCESS.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE OF A NEW MASTER PLAN.

UM, AND I, UM, I AGREE WE ARE A CHANGING COMMUNITY.

THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT WE'VE MAYBE TAKEN FOR GRANTED IN THE PAST, BUT AS, AS AVAILABLE LAND, UH, DRIES UP, IF YOU WILL.

AND AS WE CONTINUE TO DO OUR PRESENTATION EFFORTS, UM, THAT WHOLE REDEVELOPMENT IS, IS ABSOLUTELY THE WAY WE NEED TO GO.

UH, BUT YOU THANKED EVERYBODY ELSE.

SO I WANT TO START OUT BY THANKING YOU.

SO DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT.

I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WHENEVER WE CALLED THROUGHOUT THIS CURRENT PROCESS, I MEAN, YOU DIDN'T HESITATE TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS.

YOU DIDN'T HESITATE TO COME OUT AND MEET.

YOU DIDN'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT TO A CONSTITUENT THAT HAD AN ISSUE OR A QUESTION.

SO I THINK, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, SIR.

UH, MR. JAMES.

SHANE, I WANT THANK YOU TOO.

I KNOW MANY TIMES I'D CALL YOU, IT WAS KIND OF LATE AND YOU'D CALL ME BACK.

I'M LIKE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CALL ME BACK NOW, BUT YOU CALLED ME BACK.

APPRECIATE IT.

I I COULD ALWAYS WAIT, BUT I FIGURED IF I DIDN'T CALL YOU AND ASK YOU THE QUESTION, I PROBABLY WOULD FORGET ABOUT IT.

LIKE MM-HMM .

20 MINUTES LATER MM-HMM .

SO, UM, AND UH, ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T HAVE, UH, MORE THAN THREE PROPERTIES, I CERTAINLY LOOKED AT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ONES DUR DURING PLANNING AND ZONING.

SO, UH, JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

HOW MUCH DO YOU GUYS INTERACT WITH, UM, THE MUNICIPALITIES ON, ON STUFF? DO, DO THEY, IS THAT A BIG, UH, YES.

BIG BLOCK OF TIME AND, AND AS SOMEBODY'S LIKE, ESPECIALLY ABERDEEN THAT'S GROWING, IS THAT A, YOU KNOW, BIG, UH, AMOUNT OF THE TIME THAT THE COUNTY SPENDS ON THAT? WE ARE SPENDING MORE TIME ON IT THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST.

I WOULD SAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE AND ALSO TIM'S EXPERIENCE WORKING IN HABER GRACE, WE HAVE A GOOD PERSPECTIVE ON HOW THE MUNICIPALITIES OPERATE.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK MOST PEOPLE AREN'T AWARE OF, NOT JUST MY DEPARTMENT, WHERE WE PROVIDE CON FOR LACK OF A BETTER DESCRIPTION, CONSULTING SERVICES TO THE MUNICIPALITIES WITH RESPECT TO TRAFFIC STUDIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHILE WE CAN'T REQUIRE THEM TO DO CERTAIN THINGS, WE HAVE THAT LEVEL OF EXPERTISE WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES TO THE MUNICIPALITIES.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT PLANNING AND ZONING DOES FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE.

THE COUNTY DOES OFFER THOSE SERVICES WITH RESPECT TO PERMITS, AND THAT'S MORE ON RICH TRUITT'S GROUP, BUT THEY REVIEW ALL THE PERMIT APPLICATIONS THAT COME INTO THE MUNICIPALITIES, AND THEN MUNICIPALITIES ULTIMATELY ISSUE THOSE PERMITS.

BUT WE ARE SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME LOOKING AT THE GROWTH OF THOSE MUNICIPALITIES.

AND, AND REALLY IT'S ABERDEEN, RIGHT? THE TOWN OF BEL AIR DOESN'T REALLY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW OUTSIDE OF ITS LIMITS.

IT COULD CERTAINLY ANNEX PROPERTIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED, BUT AROUND THE PERIMETER OF BEL AIR, THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF UNDEVELOPED LAND TO BE GOBBLED UP THROUGH ANNEXATION AND DEVELOPED.

HAER GRACE HAS SOME OPPORTUNITIES AND THEY ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT ANNEXING PROPERTIES ALONG ROUTE 40 TO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE GO THROUGH HA GRACE THINK, HEY, I'M IN HAER GRACE.

BUT IT'S REALLY KIND OF UNIQUE IN THE SENSE THERE ARE CERTAIN PARCELS THAT ARE NOT WITHIN THE CITY.

SO THEY'RE REALLY LIMITED IN THEIR GROWTH BY THE FACT THEY'RE, THEY'VE ALREADY BUTTED UP AGAINST ABERDEEN AND ALSO THEY'RE LIMITED BY 95, SO IT'S UNLIKELY THAT THEY'LL BE ANNEXING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF 95.

SO A LOT OF OUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON WORKING WITH ABERDEEN AND DISCUSSING WHAT THEY HAVE PLANS FOR AND THEIR CHALLENGES.

AND A LOT OF THOSE CHALLENGES HAVE TO DO WITH SPECIFICALLY THE ROADS AND HOW THAT INTERACTS WITH THE COUNTY AND HOW THE MAINTENANCE OF THE, THOSE ROADS AND OWNERSHIP OWNERSHIP OF THOSE ROADS OCCURS.

AND THEN ALSO WITH SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN ON THE, THE FRONT BURNER, UH, IF YOU WILL, IN LOOKING AT AND MAKING SURE THAT THE GROWTH OF ABERDEEN IS THAT THERE ARE ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES, SPECIFICALLY WITH SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE SCHOOL SITES AVAILABLE.

SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, COUNCIL PRESIDENT IEN IN DIFFERENT WORK GROUPS THROUGH THE ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES WORK GROUP, AND ALSO IN DISCUSSIONS OR, OR MEETING WITH ABERDEEN AS THEY LOOK AT THEIR PLANS.

AND SO WE PROVIDE THEM WITH OUR OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS, BUT IN THE END WE HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO TELL THEM HOW THEY SHOULD DO THINGS OR HOW THEY PLAN.

BUT I WOULD SAY TO, TO RECAP THAT WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES AND I THINK THERE'S MORE INTERACTION THAN THERE EVER HAS BEEN IN DECADES.

GOTCHA.

UM, ANOTHER QUESTION WITH THE NEW, UH, TRAFFIC STUDIES, I THINK THAT THEY'VE IMPLEMENTED LAST COUPLE YEARS AGO WHERE THE COUNTY NOW PICKS THE TRAFFIC STUDY.

DO WE, DOES THAT COME OUT OF

[03:35:01]

THE BUDGET AND THEN REIMBURSED? OR IS THAT JUST SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY DOESN'T SHOW UP IN HERE? 'CAUSE WE, WE PICK THE TRAFFIC STUDY PEOPLE TO DO THE TRAFFIC STUDY, CORRECT.

ON A, ON A NEW PROJECT.

THAT'S CORRECT.

WE HAVE A, A GROUP OF TRAFFIC CONSULTANTS THAT WE UTILIZE TO REVIEW THOSE TRAFFIC STUDIES.

I THINK FROM A BUDGET PERSPECTIVE, IT'S, UH, REIMBURSED.

REIMBURSED.

SO WE, WE TELL THE, UM, WE TELL THE DEVELOPER HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST.

THEY WRITE A CHECK FOR US TO US BEFORE WE CAUSE THAT TRAFFIC STUDY TO BE COMPLETED.

DO WE USE LOCAL, UH, TRAFFIC STUDY GROUPS OR DO WE USE NATIONAL? I MEAN, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I THINK BEFORE WE WERE, THEY WERE MOSTLY LOCAL.

ARE WE USING LOCAL OR ARE WE USING NATIONAL OR IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT? SO WE KEEP SOME OF THE MONEY IN THE COUNTY WITH WORKFORCE OR ANYTHING? WELL, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY TRAFFIC CONSULTANTS WITHIN HARTFORD COUNTY ITSELF.

ANYONE ELSE? MR. BENNETT? HELLO.

THERE ARE A FEW THAT HAVE ALWAYS DONE WORK IN THE COUNTY THAT ARE WITHIN THE STATE.

I APOLOGIZE, I DON'T HAVE A LIST OF CONSULT THAT'S RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S, BUT THE CONSULTANTS TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE ARE ALL WITHIN THE STATE AND GENERALLY IN THE CENTRAL MARYLAND AREA C KNOW THEY'LL KNOW MORE.

GOOD TO BE WITH YOU ALL.

TIM, WELCOME TO THE COUNTY IN CASE YOU'RE MISSING THE CITY OF HAV GRACE.

I'LL SAY HOSPITALS PARKING REVITALIZATION, AND YOU SHOULD FEEL RIGHT AT HOME WITH EVERY MEETING YOU'VE BEEN AT FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS.

UM, I DID HAVE A QUESTION.

UH, IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAK TO A LITTLE BIT, UH, WHAT THE, UM, WHAT THE PROCESS IS GONNA LOOK LIKE THIS YEAR AS WE LOOK AT THE MASTER PLAN.

LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, IT WAS PRETTY STEP BY STEP WITH COMPREHENSIVE REZONING, UH, WHAT, YOU KNOW, TIMELINE AND MEETINGS.

LIKE WHAT, WHAT SHOULD FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH THAT BEFORE, WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE? SURE.

WE'RE IN A UNIQUE TIME BECAUSE WE'RE COMING UP ON ELECTION SEASON OR WE'RE ALREADY REALLY STARTING DOWN THAT PATH.

SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST REALLY DOING THE BACKGROUND LEGWORK.

I DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC TIMELINE FOR YOU, BUT CERTAINLY TIM AND MYSELF AND OTHER STAFF ARE STARTING TO LOOK AT WHAT THAT PROCESS IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.

SO WE'RE STARTING TO DO THE BACKGROUND WORK, WHETHER IT BE DATA AND DEMOGRAPHICS, GETTING OUR GIS FOLKS TO PREPARE PLANS TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTY SO THAT WE CAN FOCUS ON CERTAIN AREAS WHERE WE MIGHT TAKE SECTIONS OF THAT MASTER PLAN AND REALLY DRILL DOWN DEEPER INTO WHAT WE WANT TO SEE AND WHAT WE WANT THINGS TO LOOK LIKE.

BUT REALLY YOU'RE GONNA SEE, LIKE WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST, WE'RE GONNA HAVE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND THERE'S PUBLIC MEETINGS TYPICALLY, OR AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS LIKE WE DID FOR COMPREHENSIVE ZONING AND WE GENERALLY HAVE 'EM AT HCC EVERY TIME THAT I, THAT I RECALL.

BUT THERE DEFINITELY WILL BE PUBLIC MEETINGS TO GET PUBLIC INPUT ON THAT.

AND I REALLY ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC TO COME OUT TO THOSE MEETINGS.

ONE OF THE FRUSTRATING THINGS IN MY WHOLE CAREER, AND WHILE I HAVEN'T DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THE LONG RANGE PLANNING, UH, WORLD OVER MY YEARS, WHAT I CAN SAY IS THE WORK THAT I HAVE DONE IS CAN BE DISAPPOINTING WHEN YOU HAVE A COUNTY OF ABOUT 260,000 PEOPLE AND YOU HAVE A PUBLIC MEETING AT HCC AND YOU GET 30 PEOPLE SHOW UP MM-HMM .

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HEAR A LOT OF COMPLAINTS WHEN, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHY IS THIS PROJECT COMING INTO D WHY ARE WE ALLOWING THESE TYPES OF THINGS? WHY, WHY HAS THE MASTER PLAN CHANGED? UH, WHY IS THE ZONING FOR THIS PROPERTY CHANGED? AND I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT AT LEAST THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING PROCESS, WE SAW A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT.

BUT TYPICALLY DURING THAT MASTER PLAN PROCESS, WE DON'T SEE THE PEOPLE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUT.

I ALWAYS SAY WE NEED TO START BRINGING FOOD AND UH, MAYBE THAT'LL GET PEOPLE, IT ALWAYS GETS ME OUT.

I'LL GO TO ANY MEETING, THERE'S FREE FOOD, , NOT ON THIS END.

WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY.

I KNOW YOU TOO.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT EXPLANATION.

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD ANTICIPATE THE MASTER PLAN TO BE STARTED BEFORE THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR COMING UP? I, I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE STARTED.

NOT SAYING THAT THAT'S HOW WE'RE GONNA DO IT THIS TIME, BUT CERTAINLY WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE MAJOR IDEAS THAT, UH, THE 30,000 FOOT LEVEL IF YOU WILL.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STARTED, BUT THE LIKE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING, THERE'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT LEGISLATION TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE STARTING THE MASTER PLAN RIGHT NOW.

IT'S REALLY VERY, VERY EARLY IN THE PROCESS.

BUT LIKE I SAID, TIM HAS SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE IN THAT AND I HAVE EXPERIENCE AS WELL.

BUT YOU KNOW, THAT SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE WILL GO A LONG WAY BECAUSE HE'S REVIEWED MANY MASTER PLANS, BEEN INVOLVED IN WRITING OF MASTER PLANS.

SO WE WE'RE, WE'RE UNDERWAY ALREADY, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY EARLY.

UH, FOR THOSE OF US AS DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES, IF WE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR HAVE HEARD THINGS FROM OUR COMMUNITY, IS IT GOOD FOR US TO BE FORWARD IN EMAILING YOU THOSE THINGS NOW? OR WOULD YOU RATHER US WAIT UNTIL WE GET INTO THE PUBLIC INPUT PORTION OF THE WORK? NO, I WOULD SAY NOW IS A FINE TIME IF YOU HAVE CERTAIN THINGS YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ADDRESSED IN THE MASTER PLAN.

BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHERE IT STARTS OUT IN, IN THE IDEAS PHASE OF WHAT ARE THE BIG, LIKE LAST TIME AROUND WE HAD FIVE BIG IDEAS.

I'M

[03:40:01]

WE WILL LOOK AT THOSE MAJOR IDEAS AND THEN WE WILL LOOK AT THE ONES THAT WE WANNA FOCUS ON AND WE WILL WRITE THE PLAN AROUND THOSE.

UH, THANK YOU.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

THANK YOU MR. BENNETT.

ANYONE ELSE? MR. PARIS, JUST A CLARIFICATION QUESTION.

THE, IN THE AG PRESERVATION COUNTY DOLLARS, THE 16 MILLION, IS THAT, DOES THAT COME FROM THE TRANSFER FUNDS? YEAH, IT'S HALF, HALF OF THE TRANSFER, HALF OF THE COUNTY TRANSFER TAX GOES TO REZ, THE OTHER HALF GOES TO SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION, DEBT SERVICE.

ANYONE ELSE? YES MA'AM.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION AROUND MAKING SURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS AWARE.

SO YOU MENTIONED WITH THE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND US HAVING REALLY LOW PARTICIPATION, WHAT EFFORTS ARE ALL OF YOU DOING TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC AND NOTIFY THEM IN A REASONABLE TIMEFRAME? SO CERTAINLY SOCIAL MEDIA, EVEN SINCE THE LAST TIME WE DID THE MASTER PLAN HAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT.

SO I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT WE'LL BE UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET THINGS OUT TO THE PUBLIC TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE PARTICIPATION.

AND CERTAINLY WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS THAT ARE OUT THERE, WE WILL DO A ROAD SHOW LIKE WE ALWAYS DO WITH THOSE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS.

AND IT WON'T JUST BE ONE.

I'M SURE THAT WE'LL HAVE STAFF THAT ARE GOING OUT TO THEM MULTIPLE TIMES.

AS WE DEVELOP THINGS WITH THE PLAN, WE WILL THEN GO BACK OUT TO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD BOARDS.

AND CERTAINLY THERE ARE ONES THAT ARE MORE ACTIVE AND A LOT MORE PARTICIPATION.

CERTAINLY JOB OF TOWN IS ONE THAT REALLY HAS A LOT OF PARTICIPATION AND I'VE ENJOYED MEETING WITH THEM.

AND SO WE WILL BE OUT TALKING TO THEM AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL HELP US TO SPREAD THE WORD AS WELL ABOUT THE PLAN.

I WOULD ALSO SAY IF YOU CAN ENGAGE WITH THE HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS THAT WE DO HAVE THAT ARE ACTIVE, UH, I ALWAYS HEAR IN MY DISTRICT THAT WE WANT TO BE AWARE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY FOLLOWING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.

SO WHAT OTHER AVENUES ARE BEING, UH, RESEARCHED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT INFORMATION IS GETTING TO RESIDENTS? WELL, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.

HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, WE DO MOSTLY THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS.

I TYPICALLY DON'T DEAL WITH HOAS.

ONCE A PROJECT IS DONE, A PLAT IS APPROVED AND WE DON'T, WE DON'T DEAL WITH THAT.

BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS DOES BECAUSE OF REVIEWING AND INSPECTING STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PONDS AND FACILITIES LIKE THAT WITHIN A COMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA.

TIM.

TIM IS HERE AND HERE'S THAT.

AND WE WILL TAKE THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE GET A LIST FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND WE CAN NOTIFY THOSE COMMUNITIES.

SOMETIMES THEY BECOME DEFUNCT, BUT UH, CERTAINLY WE CAN MAKE AN EFFORT TO REACH OUT TO THOSE HOAS.

ANOTHER THING WE CAN DO, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, IS THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FIRMS OUT THERE THAT DO THE MANAGEMENT HOA MANAGEMENT, SO WE CAN REACH OUT TO THOSE.

THERE ARE, THERE ARE SEVERAL I BELIEVE IN HARTFORD COUNTY WE CAN REACH OUT TO AND SEND THAT INFORMATION TO THEM AS WELL.

MR. TIPS, MR. GRIM, ON THE ADVISORY PLAN, HOW WILL YOU, OR ARE YOU MAYBE GETTING SOME REQUESTS ALREADY FOR SOLAR FIELDS AS IT RELATES TO THE MASTER PLAN, SIR? YES.

NO, I HAVEN'T DEALT WITH THAT AS WITH RESPECT TO THE MASTER PLAN, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH, AND WE'RE STILL TRYING TO SEE WHAT THE FALLOUT THAT I'M GETTING IS, WILL BE FROM THE STATE.

AND TIM HAS BEEN DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB IN MONITORING THAT AND GETTING BACK TO THE STATE AND REGISTERING OUR OBJECTIONS TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE STATE IS DOING.

AND AS YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY MANY TIMES IN DIFFERENT FORUMS, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THE STATE IS CONTINUING TO TAKE AWAY LOCAL REGULATORY AUTHORITY IN MANY REGARDS.

BUT SPECIFICALLY WITH SOLAR, I'M NOT SAYING THAT I'M OPPOSED TO SOLAR, BUT CERTAINLY WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT AG PRESERVATION, AND WE'VE MADE SUCH GREAT EFFORTS OVER MANY DECADES TO GET TO APPROXIMATELY 68,000 ACRES OF PRESERVED LAND AND THEN TO HAVE THE STATE COME IN AND LAST YEAR SAY, OH, THE RED LINE IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THESE ON AG PRESERVATION LANDS.

AND THEN YOU START TO HEAR THAT NOW THAT RED LINE SEEMS TO BE GETTING CLOSER.

RIGHT? SO WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS CERTAINLY WE WILL ADDRESS THAT IN OUR, ON OUR PLAN IN THE SECTION THAT TYPICALLY IN THE PAST HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE NATURAL RESOURCE DISTRICT ELEMENT PLAN.

THAT'S WHAT, WHERE WE WILL ADDRESS THAT AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE ARE ON TOP OF MAKING SURE THAT THE STATE KNOWS THAT WE HAVE OBJECTIONS TO THEIR PLANS.

MR. GRIM, YOU, YOU MENTIONED OUR A PFO MEETINGS.

UM, AND THEN

[03:45:01]

I APPRECIATE YOUR INVOLVEMENT THERE AS WELL AS MR. SANDLES AND, UH, MR. TRUITT.

UM, AND, UH, I'M, I'M PLEASED THAT THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE, UH, CHOSE TO, UH, LISTEN TO YOUR RECOMMENDATION ABOUT THE PROJECTED ENROLLMENT, UH, LANGUAGE FOR, UH, THE REQUIREMENT IN THE ANNUAL GROWTH PLAN.

SO WE GROWTH REPORT.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT, APPRECIATE YOU, YOUR INVOLVEMENT.

WE JUST, I HAD A MEETING WITH THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL PRESIDENTS AND UM, MAYBE 50 50, UH, RE YOU KNOW, RESPONSE OUT OF THAT YET, WE'RE NOT SURE, UH, BUT STILL MOVING FORWARD AND, UH, I KNOW WE HAVE A, ANOTHER MEETING SCHEDULED HERE SOON.

SO, UM, WE'LL, UH, APPRECIATE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND, UM, WITH NO OTHER QUESTIONS.

UM, THANK YOU FOR TODAY.

YES SIR.

THEY'RE PROBABLY BARBARA RICHARDSON'S.

NEXT WILL BE OUR STATE'S ATTORNEY, MS. HEALY.

WHOSE GLASSES ARE THOSE? I'M SORRY? WHOSE GLASSES ARE THOSE? UH, I THOUGHT THEY WERE .

IF ANYBODY'S LISTENING FROM HOUSING COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SOMEBODY PAIR OF GLASSES ON THE TABLE, THEY'RE DONE.

ALRIGHT.

UH, STATE'S ATTORNEY BEGINS ON PAGE 4 85.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 11,353,474, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 1,079,817 FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 1,059,362.

UH, THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARY INCREASES OF 94,016 DECREASES DUE TO TURNOVER OF 94,000, UH, ZERO.

HOLD ON.

UH, YEAH, ZERO 16 AND FOR, FOR NO NET CHANGE IN PREW WAGE SALARIES, FFY 26 COLA AND MERIT INCREASE OF 341,532.

THE FY 26 STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE INCREASE FOR ADDITIONAL RAISES AND OR NEW POSITIONS TOTALING 525,000.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 192,830 CONTRACTUAL SERVICES INCREASES 10,238 FOR CONTRACTUAL LEGAL SERVICES DUE TO RISES IN COST RELATED TO THE EXTRADITION OF CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS AS WELL AS INCREASES IN TELEPHONE SERVICE, OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, PERSONNEL AND RECRUITMENT OFFICE EQUIPMENT, INSURANCE, AND FAX SERVICE BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

INCREASES 6,570 FOR GENERAL OFFICE SUPPLIES, ICE AND BOTTLED WATER, COMPUTER SUPPLIES AND UNIFORM PURCHASE BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL INCREASES 3,647 FOR MEMBERSHIP FEES, PROFESSIONAL BOOKS AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS BASED ON ACTUAL EXPENSE HISTORY.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN YOU OVER TO THE STATE'S ATTORNEY.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

UM, SO I GAVE YOU, AS I NORMALLY DO, MY REQUEST, UM, BUDGET MEMO THAT I SUBMITTED TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE, AS WELL AS MY REMARKS FROM TODAY, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN REFER TO THEM LATER AS NEEDED.

SO, UM, PRESIDENT VINCENTI AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, AS PROMISED UNDER MY LEADERSHIP, THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS HAD ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR.

WE ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY EACH DAY TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY IN OUR COUNTY AND WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE RESOURCES WE HAVE IN JUST 16 OF OUR MAJOR CASES.

IN 2024, WE SECURED OVER 639 YEARS OF ACTIVE INCARCERATION AND ONE LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE SENTENCE FOR CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS.

THIS OF COURSE, DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL SENTENCES IN THOUSANDS OF MORE CASES.

I BELIEVE THE MESSAGE IS BEING SENT LOUD AND CLEAR THAT HARFORD COUNTY'S TOUGH ONE CRIME APPROACH HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RESTORED.

OUR FY 26 BUDGET REQUEST WAS AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF THE NEEDS OF MY OFFICE IN THE COMING YEAR.

AFTER ALL OF LAST YEAR'S BUDGET REQUESTS WERE DENIED.

WE AS EXPECTED, FELL FURTHER BEHIND NEIGHBORING COUNTIES AND ARE CURRENT AND CURRENTLY ARE OFFICIALLY ONE OF THE LOWEST, IF NOT THE LOWEST PAID STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN THE STATE.

IN MY REQUEST, I PRIORITIZED OUR TWO GREATEST NEEDS, A 10% SALARY INCREASE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES TO COMBAT THE PARODY DEFICIT AND SIX ADDITIONAL BODY-WORN CAMERA TECHNICIANS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE NEARLY 44% INCREASE IN BODY-WORN CAMERA MINUTES RECEIVED YEARLY SINCE THE UNIT'S INCEPTION.

WHILE MR. CAST'S PROPOSED FY 26 BUDGET INCLUDES SOME CONSIDERATION FOR MY OFFICE, IT TRULY IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.

AND AS IT WAS PRESENTED BY THE COUNTY TO MY EMPLOYEES, I AM IN THE DPO DIFFICULT POSITION OF DECIDING IF I AWARD THE SALARY INCREASES AS PRESENTED BY MR. CALEY TO JUST MY ATTORNEYS TO ACHIEVE THE PARODY.

WE SO DESPERATELY NEED TO RETAIN THEM, BUT IN DOING SO,

[03:50:01]

EXCLUDE MY SUPPORT STAFF FROM CONSIDERATION.

DESPITE THEIR DILIGENCE AND COMMITMENT TO OUR OFFICE AND THE CASEWORK THEY SUPPORT OUR ATTORNEYS ARE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY DO THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF THE INCREDIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR SUPPORT STAFF IN CASE PREPARATION, DISCOVERY AND BODY CAM REVIEW AND SHIELDING EVENLY DISTRIBUTING THE TOTAL PERSONNEL FUNDS PROVIDED IN THE F 3 26 BUDGET AMONG ALL MY EMPLOYEES, IS NOT AN OPTION AS IT WOULD NOT ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF PARITY FOR ATTORNEYS OR ANY OF OUR EMPLOYEES WITH SURROUNDING COUNTIES.

AND I WOULD PUT OUR OFFICE AT FURTHER RISK TO LOSE THESE HIGHLY TRAINED, EDUCATED, AND TALENTED INDIVIDUALS IN WHICH WE HAVE INVESTED.

SO WHILE THIS FY 26 BUDGET IS A START AND CERTAINLY AN IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST YEAR'S FLAT FUNDING, IT PLACES ME IN AN IMPOSSIBLE POSITION AWARD THE INCREASES AS INTENDED BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO ATTORNEYS ONLY TO DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDS EVENLY AMONG MY ENTIRE STAFF AND FAIL TO MEET THE PARITY GOAL.

WE MUST ACHIEVE OR ADDRESS THE ATTORNEY DISPARITIES AND JUST THE MOST NECESSARY SUPPORT STAFF INCREASES, WHICH WILL UNFORTUNATELY STILL RESULT IN THE INCLUSION OF A LARGE PORTION OF MY STAFF.

AS MENTIONED SINCE THE BODY-WORN CAMERA UNITS INCEPTION, WE HAVE SEEN A 44% INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF FOOTAGE RECEIVED IN CRIMINAL AND TRAFFIC CASES WITH ONLY SIX TECHNICIANS.

EACH TECHNICIAN NEEDED TO WATCH APPROXIMATELY 11 HOURS OF FOOTAGE EACH DAY TO MANAGE THE CASELOAD.

IN AN EFFORT TO COMBAT COMBAT THE RESO RESOURCE DEFICIENCY, WE HAVE REASSIGNED A CIRCUIT CORE PARALEGAL TO THE UNIT TO ASSIST FULL-TIME IN THAT ROLE, RESULTING IN THE BODY-WORN CAMERA UNIT PROCESSING JUST UNDER 17,000 HOURS OF FOOTAGE IN 2024.

WHILE IT HELPED TO LIFT SOME OF THE BURDEN OF THE BODY-WORN CAMERA UNIT, IT SIMPLY SHIFTED THE RESOURCE STRAIN TO ANOTHER UNIT IN THE OFFICE WITH THE ADDITION OF TWO NEW BODY-WORN CAMERA TECHNICIANS AND FY 26, DESPITE THE SIX REQUESTED, WE WERE HOPEFUL THAT THESE NEW POSITIONS WILL ALLEVIATE SOME OF THIS IMMENSE BURDEN AND INCREASE OUR DISCOVERY TIMELINES TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURT.

BUT AS I DISCUSSED WHEN ADDRESSING SALARY, THIS TOO IS JUST A START AND DOES NOT FULLY MEET OUR NEEDS AS THE POLICE AGENCIES GROW.

SO DO THE NUMBER OF BODY-WORN CAMERA MINUTES AND SO WILL THE NEEDS OF THIS UNIT.

WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENSURE THAT THOSE NEEDS AND THE CONTINUING NEEDS OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ARE MET IN YEARS TO COME.

WHILE IN THE SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE, WE ARE WILLING TO NAVIGATE THE CHALLENGES OF BODY-WORN CAMERA WITH JUST THE TWO BODY-WORN CAMERA TECHNICIANS PROPOSED BY MR. CALEY IN LIEU OF THE SIX THAT WERE REQUESTED.

I AM URGING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THIS COUNCIL TO CONSIDER AN ADDITIONAL PAY INCREASE FOR OUR SUPPORT STAFF MEMBERS, IN ADDITION TO THE FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR OUR ATTORNEYS TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION TO THESE SPECIALLY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS WHO SUBSTANTIALLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF PARKER COUNTY AND TO CREATE PARITY AMONG COMPARABLE POSITIONS IN OTHER COUNTY AGENCIES.

AS A FINAL NOTE, WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK MR. BEN LLOYD, WHO HAS SEAMLESSLY TRANSITIONED INTO HIS NEW ROLE AS DIRECTOR OF THE BUDGET OFFICE.

HE CONTINUES TO REMAIN AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE AND SUPPORT TO US THROUGHOUT THE BUDGETED SEASON, AND WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR HIS GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT AS WE NAVIGATE VARIOUS BUDGET NEEDS.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR OFFICE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND I APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY AS A WHOLE.

UM, SO OUR OFFICE IS LARGER JUST IN GENERAL.

THANK YOU ALLISON.

UM, AND, AND WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU AND THANK YOU ON THE SUCCESS OF YOU AND YOUR TEAM AT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

UH, YOU GUYS ARE A MAJOR, MAJOR PART OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAM HERE IN THE COUNTY.

COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU.

AND, UM, I KNOW THAT, THAT I HAVE A DIRECT LINE TO YOU AND I LISTENED TO YOU, UH, ON MANY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.

AND I REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE BODY-WORN CAMERA FOLKS AND THE, THE, UM, RESEARCH THAT THEY HAVE TO DO, THE HOURS SPENT.

UM, I CAN'T IMAGINE, UH, DOING IT WITH LESS.

AND AS YOU SAID, AS OUR COUNTY GROWS AND ISSUES CONTINUE TO INCREASE, THAT'S MORE AND MORE TIME.

UM, BUT UM, ANYHOW, THAT'S, THAT'S MY THOUGHT.

JUST MOVING FORWARD, I JUST WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE JOB THAT YOU DO, UH, SPECIFICALLY, MORE IMPORTANTLY WITH THE LATEST CASE.

UM, AND, UM, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES.

HOW ARE YOU DOING? I'M GOOD.

HOW ARE YOU? ? UM, SO I, I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FROM COMING FROM CECIL COUNTY AND ALWAYS SEEING THEM, CONSTANTLY HIRING NEW NEW STATE'S ATTORNEYS ALL THE TIME.

DO, ARE WE HAVING THE SAME AMOUNT OF ATTORNEYS THAT THEY HAVE UP IN CECIL? ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER DO YOU HAVE HERE? UM, JUST BECAUSE OF THAT SALARY DIFFERENTIAL THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? YEAH, I THINK WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE MORE ATTORNEYS 'CAUSE WE'RE SLIGHTLY BIGGER JURISDICTION.

[03:55:01]

UM, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE HAVE LOST, SO WE HAD THREE LAW CLERKS HERE THAT CLERKED FOR JUDGES.

UM, THEY WENT TO STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THEY WENT TO CECIL, THEY WENT TO FREDERICK, AND THEY WENT TO, I WANNA SAY IT WAS BALTIMORE COUNTY.

UM, ALL BECAUSE WE COULDN'T OFFER THEM.

WE HAVE HAD A DISTRICT COURT POSITION OPEN SINCE THE TIME I TOOK OFFICE.

LIKE WE HAVE NOT FILLED DISTRICT COURT IN TWO YEARS.

UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE OUR SALARY WAS SO LOW.

I MEAN, THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF IT WHEN OTHER COUNTIES WERE PAYING, YOU KNOW, $10,000 MORE.

UM, AND SO, UM, AND THAT DISPARITY GOES THROUGH ALL, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS ONE OF THE THINGS I SPOKE WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ABOUT.

IT'S NOT JUST THE ATTORNEY, YOU KNOW, IT, IT COVERS ALL OF THE POSITIONS MM-HMM .

UM, AND SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY WHEN THE BUDGET CAME OUT AND WE SAW HOW NOT ONLY DID HE GIVE US MONEY, BUT ANNOUNCED HOW IT WAS INTENDED TO BE USED, THEN IT LEFT OUR SUPPORT STAFF.

AND THAT'S SORT OF THE PREDICAMENT THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY HAVING PARITY BETWEEN THOSE JURISDICTIONS AS WELL AS WITH OTHER COUNTY AGENCIES WITHIN HARTFORD COUNTY.

UM, AND IS THE RETENTION RATE THOUGH GOOD FOR YOUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW DESPITE THAT SALARY? SO WE'VE, WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB.

WE HAVE MANAGED THE BUDGET WITHIN OUR OWN.

WE SORT OF CREATED OUR OWN.

I'VE GONE DOWN A DEPUTY.

UM, WE'VE LOWERED THE NUMBER.

SO BASICALLY MY EXECUTIVE TEAM IS MS RIDDEN AND MS RIDDEN.

THAT'S IT.

AND SO WE'VE GONE DOWN, WE SAVED SOME MONEY.

UM, WE BROUGHT IN SOME PEOPLE AND MOVED MONEY AROUND TO TRY TO MANAGE IT OURSELVES, UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE COULD.

UM, I THINK WE HAVE COMPENSATED WHERE WE CAN'T GIVE MONEY IN WORK ENVIRONMENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO TRY TO KEEP PEOPLE.

UM, BUT WE HAVE LOST PEOPLE AS RECENTLY AS I'D SAY A MONTH OR TWO AGO.

UM, WE LOST A PROSECUTOR, YOU KNOW, FOR SALARY REASONS.

SO, UM, SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD, BUT COULD BE BETTER.

THANK YOU MR. ROBERT.

MR. BENNETT.

HI.

GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, TO SEE YOU, UM, AS YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE THINKING THROUGH HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK.

'CAUSE I, I HEAR YOUR CONUNDRUM OF YOU WANNA SUPPORT YOUR, UM, YOU KNOW, LOWEST PAID STAFF AND MAKE IT WORK FOR THEM TO TRY AND CLOSE THAT GAP.

AT THE VERY LEAST, CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN HERE AND CECIL COUNTY SINCE IT'S SO CLOSE AND SO SIMILAR IN, YOU KNOW, COST OF LIVING.

UM, YOU KNOW, ONE CONSIDERATION AS YOU WORK THROUGH YOUR BUDGET IS IF YOU GAVE INSTEAD OF A PERCENTAGE COLA A DOLLAR AMOUNT COLA, UM, YOU KNOW, SO FOR INSTANCE, I WAS JUST DOING THE MATH ON YOUR PRICE DIFFERENCE.

UH, YOU KNOW, YOUR COST DIFFERENCE OVER THE YEARS, IT'D BE ABOUT $3,500 PER, UM, STAFF MEMBER IF YOU JUST GAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT COLA VERSUS A PERCENTAGE, WHICH WOULD ACTUALLY BE A LOT BETTER FOR YOUR, UH, UH, FOR YOUR SUPPORT STAFF.

LIKE YOUR, UH, YOU KNOW, YOUR BODY-WORN CAMERA PEOPLE BE LIKE $2,000 MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSED TO GET WITHOUT INCREASING THE COST.

NOW THE, THE OFFSHOOT OF THAT IS, UM, SOME PEOPLE GET LESS , YOUR TOP END PEOPLE WILL GET LESS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THOSE AREN'T THE PEOPLE YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT JUMPING SHIP AS MUCH AS IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING $50,000 A YEAR RIGHT NOW, $60,000 A YEAR RIGHT NOW.

SO I, I THINK THAT CUTS BOTH WAYS, RIGHT? MM-HMM .

SO WE HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE AFRAID TO LOSE FOR MONEY REASONS, BUT THEN WE HAVE THESE REALLY EXPERIENCED PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY WELL TRAINED IN HANDLING OUR TOP LEVEL CASES.

YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SORT OF AT THE HIGH END.

AND SO THAT CUTS BOTH WAYS BECAUSE WE LOSE THEM.

WE MAY NOT HAVE SOMEONE TO FILL THAT, YOU KNOW, TO FILL THOSE SHOES.

SO IT, IT CUTS BOTH WAYS.

UM, SO I JUST, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, IT WAS VERY CLEAR AND IT WAS SAID A CERTAIN NUMBER OF ARRAYS TO ATTORNEYS.

AND AGAIN, IT JUST PUTS US IN A PREDICAMENT.

AND OF COURSE, WE DON'T WANT, I MEAN, OUR, OUR CASELOAD IS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CASES A YEAR.

UM, SO THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT THE SUPPORT STAFF MEMBERS ARE WORKING ON, IT'S NOT JUST THE ATTORNEYS BECAUSE THE ATTORNEYS CAN'T GET THEIR JOB DONE WITH THIS MANY CASES UNLESS THE SUPPORT STAFF DOES THE CASE PREP AND THE DISCOVERY AND YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT.

SO IT'S SORT OF A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.

UM, SO WHILE I UNDERSTAND THOSE POSITIONS, IT, IT DOES KIND OF CUT, CUT BOTH WAYS.

I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THAT CONSIDERATION 'CAUSE I'M A BIG FAN OF, UH, FLAT DOLLAR AMOUNT ADJUSTMENTS.

'CAUSE IT'S ALSO VERY EASY TO EXPLAIN TO YOUR STAFF YOU'RE GETTING X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS VERSUS THIS NEBULOUS PERCENTAGE.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR MY PAYCHECK, UM, IN LABOR ORGANIZING? IT'S SOMETHING I TALK ABOUT A LOT, BUT, UH, AND OBVIOUSLY WE AS A COUNCIL, LIKE WE HAVE EVERY YEAR, WE'LL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT YOUR OFFICE.

OF COURSE.

THEY'RE ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY, 93,128, OUR EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, 83,000 ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST, 86,502.

MS. SUTER, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

OF COURSE.

UM, JUST A FEW QUICK QUESTIONS.

DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR SUPPORT STAFF SALARIES COMPARE TO COMPARABLE POSITIONS IN THE COUNTY? SO LOOKING AT, UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET, ACTUALLY I THINK THE MOST CONCERNING THING TO ME IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LAW DEPARTMENT.

'CAUSE I THINK OBVIOUSLY THE TYPE OF WORK, I MEAN IT'S NOT THE SAME, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR

[04:00:01]

WE'RE HANDLING CASES.

UM, SO I'LL JUST COMPARE THEM.

OUR PARALEGAL ONE IS 52 TO 64.

OUR, OUR PARALEGAL ONE IS THAT PARALEGAL TWO IS 68 PAR, UH, LEGAL ASSISTANT 2 46 TO 50.

UM, LEGAL SPECIALIST, ONE WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS 79 9 0 3.

COMPARABLE POSITIONS IN OUR OFFICE ARE THE PARALEGAL 1 52 TO 64.

UM, AND THEN THEIR ATTORNEYS, THEIR ASSISTANT COUNTY ATTORNEY ONES, I THINK IF WE'VE DONE THE MATH CORRECTLY, STARTS AT LIKE 1 18, 7 88.

WE'RE STARTING 66.

BUT IF YOU ADD THIS YEAR'S, IT WOULD BE IN THE SEVENTIES.

UM, AND THEN ASSISTING A COUNTY ATTORNEY TWO IS 1 28.

SO I DON'T THINK WE ARE DOING SIMILAR WORK.

AND ARGUABLY WE ARE HANDLING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE CASES AND, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S MORE TIME INVESTED.

UM, LIKEWISE WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE, YOU'LL SEE THE SIM SIMILAR DISPARITY IF YOU LOOK AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST.

SO IT IS A VAST DIFFERENCE.

AND SO I THINK IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE PARITY, NOT JUST FROM WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, BUT WITHIN OUR OWN COUNTY AGENCIES.

I MEAN, THEY'RE DOING THE SAME KIND OF WORK.

I LISTENED TO MR. BLOMQUIST, UM, PRESENTATION.

I KNOW AT LEAST ONE OF THESE PEOPLE IS PARALEGAL.

SO, UM, AND THEY'RE MAKING, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MONEY.

AND I DON'T KNOW REALLY HOW I'M SUPPOSED TO EXPLAIN THAT, YOU KNOW, TO MY EMPLOYEES WHEN WE'RE ASKING FOR JUST SOME, SOME INCREASE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY ASKING FOR $20,000, BUT WE'RE ASKING FOR SOME INCREASE.

DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT.

UM, AND THEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PROJECTS FOR, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR YOU.

UM, HAS ANYTHING COME TO FRUITION WITH THAT? AND HOW ARE YOU FUNCTIONING AT THIS POINT? UM, WE ARE CRAMMED IN TO A VERY SMALL SPACE.

WE ARE STILL, UM, SPREAD OUT DOWN DOWN THE STREET.

UM, AND, UM, I TOLD THIS PROJECT WAS GOING, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN A WHOLE LOT OF PRO PROGRESS IN TERMS OF M AND T AND OFFICE STREET.

UM, I DON'T, I DON'T, I HAVEN'T HEARD AN UPDATE I THINK IN SIX MONTHS PROBABLY OR SO ON THAT.

UM, I CAN TELL YOU WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW IS WE HAVE NO ADDITIONAL ROOM WHATSOEVER.

SO LIKE OUR BODY-WORN CAMERA SUPERVISOR HAD A SPACE IN THE OFFICE IN CASE SHE HAD TO COME IN.

SHE NO LONGER HAS IT BECAUSE WE, WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE ROOM AND WE HAD TO TAKE THAT SPACE.

UM, SO WE ARE, WE'RE OUT OF SPACE.

UM, SO WE OBVIOUSLY NEED SOME MORE PHYSICAL SPACE.

WE HAVE HELD OFF ON THE CAPITAL PROJECT.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.

UM, I KNOW IT GOT HELD UP LAST YEAR.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD SPEAK TO MR. MCCORD? GOOD TO YOU.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

YEAH, SO I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THAT PROJECT STANDS RIGHT NOW.

UM, THANK YOU ROBBIE, YOU WERE GONNA SAY SOMETHING? I MEAN, YEAH, I MEAN THAT THAT MEAN THAT ULTIMATELY MEAN THAT THE, THE FUNDING OF THAT PROJECT WAS, WAS REDUCED DURING LAST YEAR'S, LAST YEAR'S BUDGET.

SO WE DO HAVE IT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL NEED THAT APPROPRIATION AUTHORITY.

I, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK TO IT, BUT I DISAGREE.

I DON'T THINK THE COUNCIL SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT THEY WERE DE DID NOT DEFUNDING THAT PROJECT.

SO, UM, WE DID NOT, AND I KNOW THAT JUDGE CURTIN AND I HAD HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT WHEN THAT WAS RELEASED.

SO I, I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE AS TO WHETHER THE COUNCIL DID THAT.

CORRECT.

BUT, UM, AND, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TRYING TO MOVE SO THAT YOU CAN OPEN UP MORE ROOM FOR JUDICIAL, RIGHT? YEAH.

SO, UM, THE ISSUE FOR JUDICIAL IS, UM, SAFETY, WHICH I DON'T DISAGREE WITH.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THAT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO OR SO, THE WASHINGTON AND WASHINGTON COUNTY JUDGE WAS MURDERED AS A RESULT OF A FAMILY LAW CASE.

AND AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, OUR MAGISTRATES ARE IN 18 OFFICE STREETS WHERE WE WILL ULTIMATELY GO WITHOUT SECURITY.

AND TO ME THAT'S A PROBLEM.

UM, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND JUDGE CURTIN'S CONCERN ON THAT, BUT SHE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO FIX IT UNTIL WE'RE OUT.

SO WE'RE THE FIRST CHESS PIECE IN THAT MOVING THOSE MOVING PARTS, UM, FOR THE MAGISTRATES.

'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA RENOVATE OUR SPACE FOR THE MAG MAGISTRATES IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE PLANNING SESSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH, UM, FACILITIES.

SO, UM, WE'LL JUST NEED TO, UM, BE OUT.

BUT REALLY WE ALSO NEED TO BE OUT BECAUSE WE NEED MORE ROOM.

LIKE WE, WE WE'RE JUST, WE'RE BUSTING AT THE SEAMS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO SUPERVISE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW MR. VINCENTIA TALKED ABOUT THIS IN YEARS PAST, BUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, OUR BUILDINGS WERE THE WHOLE WAY DOWN MAIN STREET, YOU KNOW, AND I, I DO MY BEST AND I MAKE MY WAY TO ALL THOSE UNITS ON THE REGULAR, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THE SAME IF WE WERE ALL IN THE SAME AND IT WOULD BE A MUCH MORE OBVIOUSLY COHESIVE OFFICE IF WE WERE ALL IN ONE BUILDING, WHICH IS THE GOAL AT SOME POINT LONG TERM, BUT JUST NOT RIGHT NOW.

AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR STAFF, IT'S ALL RELATIVE FOR ALL OF US BECAUSE WE ALL RELY ON OUR STAFF.

THEY ALL DO AN OUTSTANDING JOB.

WE COULDN'T DO THE JOB WE DO WITHOUT OUR STAFF EVERY DAY.

GREAT.

SO, UM, ANYONE ELSE QUESTIONS? MR. ANA? ALLISON? HELLO.

[04:05:01]

HI.

HOW ARE YOU? GOOD.

SO NUMBER ONE, THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR STAFF'S.

UM, I, I DEFINITELY SEE THAT THERE'S A, A STRUGGLE.

I, I HAVE AN IDEA.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA WORK, IT'S JUST AN IDEA.

I COME UP WITH CRAZY IDEAS, BUT IF FOR SOME REASON WE CAN'T, NO COMMENT.

ALSO, NO COMMENT.

ALRIGHT, SO HOW ABOUT TIME OFF FOR THE PEOPLE KEEP KEEPING THEIR PAY THE SAME, BUT ESPECIALLY ROTATING THROUGH NOW IS GIVING THEM SOME EXTRA TIME OFF AND THEY STILL GET PAID.

I KNOW IT'S NOT, I KNOW IT'S NOT MONEY, BUT TO SOME PEOPLE TIME IS MONEY.

UM, AND I KNOW I DO THAT FOR, FOR MY EMPLOYEES.

I GIVE THEM TIME OFF AND THEY'RE STILL GETTING PAID FOR THAT TIME OFF.

IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE CARROT, YOU KNOW, AND IT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, A, A DAY HERE DURING THE WEEK, UH, AND YOU ROTATE THAT OUT THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THROUGH, THROUGH THE REST OF THE YEAR AND SO FORTH.

AND JUST SO YOU HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S BUDGETED EVERY, IT'S, IT'S, YOU PUT IT IN THERE AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST AN IDEA.

I MEAN WE, WE DO THINGS LIKE, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS STAY.

WE GIVE THEM LIKE FOUR HOURS OF ADMIN OF ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AGAIN, GOING BACK TO GOOD WORK ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT? LIKE, WE TRY TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT AND CERTAINLY THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD CONSIDER, BUT WE HAVE TO, HAS TO BE LIMITED.

'CAUSE LIKE PARTICULARLY BODY-WORN CAMERA, LIKE IF I KEEP GIVING THEM DAYS OFF, THEN WE'RE GONNA FALL FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND.

WELL, MAYBE NOT THEM, BUT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, , OKAY, EVERYONE GETS THESE OFF EXCEPT BODY WOR .

BUT YOU HAVE A LOT, BUT YOU, YOU HAVE A LOT OF STAFF ATTORNEYS AND ASSISTANTS AND ALL THAT, RIGHT? WHERE SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, HEY, IF I'M GONNA BE OFF A FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, I'M STILL GETTING PAID.

IT, IT, IT'S AN IDEA.

A HUNDRED PERCENT.

AND, AND MY PEOPLE LOVE THAT.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I'M BRINGING IT UP.

AND LIKE I SAID, A IDEA.

WE ALWAYS WELCOMES A SUGGESTION, AN .

ANYONE ELSE? I'M GOOD FOR NOW.

UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING ALLISON AND ADVOCATING FOR YOUR TEAM.

I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.

ARE WE ALSO GONNA GET A COPY OF THE PACKET YOU GAVE THE COUNCIL? OH, UM, I HAVE A FEW EXTRAS.

YEAH, BUT I CAN, I CAN GIVE YOU ONE.

AND WE CAN EMAIL ANYBODY ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE ONE.

THANK YOU MS. LYNCH.

ANYONE ELSE? ALLISON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

APPRECIATE YOU.

UH, JUDICIAL IS NEXT.

JU JUDICIAL BEGINS ON PAGE FOUR 60.

I GET TO LEAVE HERE AND GO TO WORK.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 95,539.

WHILE THEY'RE COMING UP, I'LL GO AHEAD AND READ THROUGH THE NUMBERS.

JUDICIAL HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 5,390,869 AND HAS SEVEN BUDGETARY DIVISIONS ALL FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND CIRCUIT.

COURT BEGINS ON PAGE 4 65.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 2,629,355, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 94,059.

THAT'S A RESULT OF SALARIES DECREASING $15,098 AS A NET OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND TURNOVER.

THE FFY 26 COLA COSTING 79,904.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 30,000 7 33.

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DECREASED 900 FOR TELEPHONE AND FAX SERVICE BASED ON ACTUALS, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

DECREASES 500 FOR FOOD SUPPLIES BASED ON ACTUALS, BUSINESS AND TRAVEL DECREASES $80 FOR MEMBERSHIP FEES AND DUES.

AND THERE'S NO CHANGE IN MISCELLANEOUS JURY SERVICES BEGINS ON PAGE 4 68.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 345,500, WHICH IS NO CHANGE FROM FY 25.

AND THESE FUNDS PROVIDE FOR JUROR FEES, MEALS AND WATER.

THE GRAND JURY BEGINS ON PAGE FOUR 70.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 17,000, WHICH IS NO CHANGE FROM FY 25.

THESE FUNDS PROVIDE FOR GRAND JURY JURORS FEES.

JURY COMMISSIONER BEGINS ON PAGE 4 72.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 477,904, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 20,531.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 20,731.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF THE FY 26 COLA 14,511 AND BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 6,220.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.

SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DECREASES 200 BASED ON ACTUALS AND THERE'S NO CHANGE IN BUSINESS AND TRAVEL.

THE MAGISTRATE'S OFFICE BEGINS ON PAGE 475.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 483,000 4 0 9, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 155,000 8 26.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 1 55 826.

THAT'S THE RESULT OF SALARY ADJUSTMENTS OF 11,733.

A NEW LAW CLERK POSITION CREATED AT A COST OF 106,248.

[04:10:03]

THE FY 26 COLA COSTING 11,053.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 26,792.

THERE'S NO CHANGE IN SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

BUSINESS AND TRAVEL OR MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNITY WORK SERVICE BEGINS ON PAGE 478.

IT HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 510,793, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 17,664.

PERSONAL SERVICES DECREASES 17,664 AS A RESULT OF THE FY 26 COLA OF 15,028.

TEMPORARY SALARIES DECREASE 11,381 AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS FOR A DECREASE OF 21,311.

AND THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES OR SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

AND THEN LASTLY, WE HAVE FAMILY COURT SERVICES, WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 4 81 AND HAS A TOTAL BUDGET OF 926,000 9 0 8, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 50 3016.

PERSONAL SERVICES INCREASES 53 50 3016 AS A RESULT OF SALARY, A SALARY ADJUSTMENTS OF 16,910 FY 26 COLA COSTING 23,134.

AND THEN BENEFIT RATE ADJUSTMENTS TOTALING 12,972.

AND THERE'S NO CHANGE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS OR BUSINESS AND TRAVEL.

AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO JUDGE CURTIN.

GOOD AFTERNOON, YOUR HONOR.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL.

UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, OUR BUDGET DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE.

UM, THE BULK OF WHAT HAS CHANGED HERE IS THAT WE ASKED FOR AN ADDITIONAL POSITION.

WE ACTUALLY ASKED FOR TWO POSITIONS.

ONE WAS APPROVED AND THAT WAS FOR A LAW CLERK TO HELP OUR FAMILY LAW MAGISTRATES.

THEY'RE A ONE PERSON SHOP.

UM, THE MAGISTRATES HANDLE A LOT OF OUR FAMILY LAW CASES.

UM, THEY HAVE AN, A JUDICIAL ASSISTANT, BUT THAT'S IT.

THEY DO THEIR OWN RESEARCH.

THEY DO THEIR OWN WRITING, UNLIKE JUDGES WHO DO HAVE LAW CLERKS.

UM, SO I FELT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE LAW CLERK THAT WOULD ASSIST ALL THREE FAMILY LAW MAGISTRATES.

UM, SO THAT'S REALLY THE BULK.

UM, WE HAD ASKED ALSO FOR A, A, UM, FAMILY, FOR AN ATTORNEY POSITION TO HAVE A FAMILY LAW SCHEDULER WHO WILL ASSIST US IN OUR SCHEDULING ORDERS FOR FAMILY LAW CASES AND TRY TO SHEPHERD THESE CASES BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A HIGH VOLUME OF FAMILY LAW CASES.

WE DIDN'T GET AN APPROVAL FOR THAT.

UM, BUT WE ARE HAPPY THAT WE AT LEAST GOT THE LAW CLERK, UH, POSITION.

UM, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT SECURITY.

AND I LISTENED TO, UH, STATE ATTORNEY HEALY TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE NEEDS TO CHANGE AROUND OUR MAGISTRATES ARE STILL HOUSED AT, UM, 18.

OFFICE STREET DOES NOT, DOES NOT HAVE ANY SECURITY AT ALL.

UM, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THE SHERIFF HAD PUT IN A REQUEST, I BELIEVE FOR FOUR ADDITIONAL COURTHOUSE DEPUTIES.

I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT REQUEST WAS GRANTED.

UM, THIS IS A PROBLEM.

UM, IT'S A SAFETY PROBLEM FOR US.

UM, WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE WE OBVIOUSLY NEED OUR MAGISTRATES.

WE OBVIOUSLY NEED THEM TO DO THEIR JOB.

UM, BUT WE ARE NOT PROVIDING ADEQUATE SECURITY FOR THEM.

AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN HAVE, UM, SOME PROCEEDINGS AT THE COURTHOUSE, DEPENDING ON WHAT FALLS OUT, WE CAN'T CONSISTENTLY DO THAT.

UM, SO I KNOW THAT THE JUDICIARY HAD PROPOSED A BILL TO REQUIRE, UM, CERTAIN SECURITY STANDARDS TO BE MET.

UM, THAT BILL WENT THROUGH SOME CHANGES.

UM, I BELIEVE THE LEGISLATURE RECOGNIZED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF SECURITY OFFICERS IN EVERY SINGLE PROCEEDINGS.

BUT THE HANGUP IS THE COST AND WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR THAT COST.

SO THE BILL THAT DID EVENTUALLY PASS WAS FOR, UH, THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT PROVIDES SECURITIES TO THE COURTHOUSE TO COME BACK BY SEPTEMBER OF 2025, I BELIEVE IT IS.

WITH HOW, HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? HOW CAN WE PROVIDE AT LEAST A MINIMUM SECURITY OFFICER IN EVERY SINGLE COURT PROCEEDINGS REGARDLESS OF WHERE THAT COURT PROCEEDING IS.

I KNOW HARTFORD COUNTY ALREADY DID IT.

IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE AHEAD OF THE CURVE BECAUSE, UM, THEY DID PUT THAT TOGETHER.

UH, BUT EVENTUALLY I THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO BE REQUIRED BY LAW THAT SECURITY OFFICERS BE IN EVERY SINGLE PROCEEDING, AT LEAST ONE.

UM, THE LAW MAY VERY WELL REQUIRE ALSO TWO IF A PERSON'S INCARCERATED.

UM, SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO GET AHEAD OF IT.

UM, BUT AT THIS POINT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT HASN'T BEEN APPROVED FOR, FOR THIS, FOR THIS COMING YEAR.

SO, YOUR HONOR, I APPRECIATE THE TOUR THAT YOU GAVE ME, UH, ACROSS THE STREET AT THE MAGISTRATE'S OFFICE WHEN WE FIRST TALKED ABOUT YOUR SECURITY CONCERNS.

UM, AND I KNOW THAT I HAD BOTH CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AT THE TIME, AND ALSO

[04:15:01]

THE SHERIFF AT THE TIME.

AND, UM, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR AND ADVOCATE FOR BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE DEPUTIES RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, YOU KNOW, SECONDS MATTER.

AND, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.

BUT ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TURN YOUR TV ON ANY DAY AND YOU SEE THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

SO, UH, I WILL CONTINUE ALONG WITH MY COLLEAGUES HERE AT THE COUNCIL TO ADVOCATE FOR MORE SECURITY FOR YOU AND THE MAGISTRATES, AND, UM, ALSO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, UH, WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE SHERIFF, BECAUSE IT TAKES BOTH OF THEM.

IT'S NOT JUST THE ONE OR THE OTHER.

IT'S BOTH.

AND, UM, SEE IF WE CAN'T HAVE SOME BETTER SUCCESS, UM, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAYBE ALTERNATE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE COURTHOUSE TO ACROSS THE STREET, BUT THAT'S NOT, THAT'S WHAT YOU NOT WHAT YOU NEED.

IT'S, IT'S CHALLENGING.

IT IS, IT'S CHALLENGING SCENARIO TO HAVE.

IT IS.

UM, AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

SO I WILL ABSOLUTELY CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

UM, COUNSEL, MS. ROBERT? HI, YOUR HONOR.

HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? GOOD, GOOD TO SEE YOU.

UM, YEAH, I, I HAVE TO SAY, SAY MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE SECURITY.

I SPENT 18 YEARS IN FAMILY COURT, UM, WORKING WITH THE MAGISTRATES AND THE JUDGES, AND I'M JUST SHOCKED THAT THERE IS NO SECURITY FOR THE MAGISTRATES.

THE FAMILY LAW DIVISION IS ACTUALLY THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL CASES, AND I HAVE SEEN THREATS, UM, MAGISTRATES HAVE BEEN THREATENED, UM, IN OPEN COURT.

AND IT JUST, IT SCARES ME WITH THIS CLIMATE OF HOW PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GO OUT AND JUST SHOOT OTHER INDIVIDUALS 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT HAPPY, UM, WHEN WE TAKE OUR KID, TAKE THEIR KIDS AWAY OR CHANGE CUSTODY ARRANGEMENTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

SO I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF TRYING TO HELP YOU GET SOME OF THAT SECURITY BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY RIDICULOUS AT THIS POINT.

THANK YOU, MS. ROBERT.

ANYONE ELSE? UM, YOU'RE GETTING OFF EASY, YOUR HONOR.

, I, I NEVER HAVE A BIG ASK, SO I WANT YOU TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT , I NEVER HAVE A BIG ASK, BUT LEMME TELL YOU THIS.

I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY.

I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE TODAY AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME IN THIS CHAMBER.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.