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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/15/2005 - Special March 15, 2005 339 Roanoke County Administration Center 5204 Bernard Drive Roanoke, Virginia 24018 March 15, 2005 The Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia met this day atthe Roanoke County Administration Center, this being a special meeting for the purpose of a work session to discuss fiscal year 2005-2006 budget development. IN RE: CALL TO ORDER Chairman Altizer called the meeting to order at 4:08 p.m. The roll call was taken. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Michael W. Altizer, Vice-Chairman Michael A. Wray, Supervisors Joseph B. “Butch” Church, Joseph McNamara, Richard C. Flora MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Elmer C. Hodge, County Administrator; Paul M. Mahoney, County Attorney; John M. Chambliss, Assistant County Administrator; Dan O’Donnell, Assistant County Administrator; Diane S. Childers, Clerk to the Board; Teresa Hamilton Hall, Public Information Officer IN RE: WORK SESSION 1. Work session to discuss fiscal year 2005-2006 budget development. (Brent Robertson, Director of Management and Budget) (a) General Services Department Budget Presentation March 15, 2005 340 The work session was held from 4:08 p.m. until 4:37 p.m. Staff present included the following: Anne Marie Green, Director of General Services; Jim Vodnik, Assistant Director of General Services; Nancy Duval, Solid Waste Manager; and David Anderson, Garage Manager. Ms. Green advised that General Services is divided evenly between external and internal services. With respect to external services, she advised that the department collects solid waste for 32,000 households weekly, which amounts to 1.5 million pickups per year. She advised that the rate of missed collections is 0.05% and staff is hoping to reduce this to 0.04% next year. She noted that two of the more popular programs offered include the following: (1) Freeloader service: this program allows citizens to receive a free trailer for a period of 24 hours. The trailer is delivered and citizens can load it with debris or trash, and the trailer is then subsequently picked up by General Services. (2) Homeowner disposal program: citizens can take their trash to the transfer station and dispose of it at no cost. This service is available to citizens who live in the County and is limited to a weekly drop-off; however, if there are special circumstances that necessitate additional drop-offs, citizens can call the transfer station and a waiver will be granted. In addition, multiple drop-offs are allowed on Saturdays. Ms. Green outlined the following upcoming issues in the Solid Waste Division: (1) She advised that despite the census data, there is significant growth in the number of households in Roanoke County. She reported that every 1,000 households March 15, 2005 341 equates to a new bandit route. (2) The County encompasses 240 square miles and the rising cost of fuel presents concerns. (3) New bandit cans, at a cost of $40 each, will be needed to replace the original cans that were purchased approximately 18 years ago. In addition, cans are needed for new households. Ms. Green advised that a $25,000 add back request was included in the department’s budget for additional cans to address this issue. With respect to recycling, Ms. Green advised that the department receives several calls per month requesting recycling service. In order to accommodate these requests for service, the add back request includes recycling drop-off trailers that could be parked in areas such as schools, libraries, or fire stations to allow for drop-off of recycling. She indicated that this could be handled within current staffing levels. It was noted that from a cost perspective, recycling is not cost effective; however, this would be an inexpensive way to make the option available to citizens. Ms. Green stated that General Services would also like to increase their ability to service vehicles in-house. She indicated that there is currently $300,000 in the budget for vehicle repairs performed by outside vendors. She advised that with the right facility, most of these repairs could be handled in-house. With respect to internal services, Ms. Green stated that the first area to be addressed is building maintenance and property management. Roanoke County owns and maintains many buildings of varying types. She reported that utility costs are skyrocketing and that in the last fiscal year, the department was $30,000 over budget; March 15, 2005 342 further, an additional $25,000 has been requested this year for costs related to the new Court Services Building. She noted that the target amount in the budget for utilities was increased by $25,000 and this should be adequate for the coming year; however, this is an issue that will need to be addressed for the next year. Ms. Green advised that most of the buildings are heated with natural gas and despite the fact that environmental controls have been put in place, costs continue to rise. Also, the buildings are aging and need major repairs. A capital needs sheet was distributed showing a breakdown by category. Ms. Green reported that the department receives $225,000 per year for capital maintenance and they have prioritized projects based on this allocation. She noted that many of the needed repairs are for buildings where direct services are provided to citizens and that $439,000 is the cost for repairs to fire and rescue facilities alone. By 2009, it is anticipated that $2.3 million will be necessary to meet the building maintenance needs, not including unanticipated repairs. She advised that the County will be returning the former Southview School (Public Safety Building) to the School Board, and the new Public Safety Building will have a warranty for at least the first year so this will help with lowering some of the repair costs. She also stated that there is no designated funding source in Roanoke County to cover new carpet, painting, tile, etc. for County facilities in need of remodeling. The second area within internal services is the Roanoke County Garage. Ms. Green reported that the garage maintains vehicles for the Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA), including both Roanoke City and Roanoke County vehicles. When March 15, 2005 343 the transition was made to the WVWA, they were given the choice of using either the City or County garage. It was anticipated that garage repairs would be split evenly between the City and County; however, this has not proven to be the case. The vehicles owned by the WVWA are all coming to the County garage, and this has increased usage at the garage to about 600 vehicles. The garage is under-sized; it does not have enough property surrounding it; it consists of only four bays; and it has only five mechanics. She stated that it is very difficult to maintain the fleet and much of the repair work must be outsourced. Ms. Green stated that they would like to build a new garage and noted that this was ranked very high in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) process. She advised that other funding mechanisms are also being examined for building the garage and noted that it has increased its functionality. The vehicle replacement committee oversees the $233,000 allocated for vehicle replacement and the upgraded computer system installed last year helps to determine which vehicles are due for replacement. Staff is now able to track vehicle mileage, miles per gallon, repair costs, vehicle purchase dates, etc. and this assists in making recommendations for vehicle replacement. Ms. Green also advised that fuel is a significant issue for all departments due to rising prices. Mr. Hodge stated that the quality of service at the City garage is nowhere near the level received at the County garage. He advised that Roanoke City has 20 mechanics doing the same job that five mechanics in the County handle. He stated that the quality of services rendered by the County garage is so good that the March 15, 2005 344 City is bringing their vehicles to the County garage for repairs. In response to an inquiry from Supervisor Church, Ms. Green advised that there is an offsetting revenue source which is approximately $6,000 per month for repairing the WVWA vehicles. Supervisor Altizer inquired how the County was doing with respect to retention of mechanics. Mr. Anderson responded that we are doing very well and noted that there are currently no vacancies and staff has gone to 10 hour days. Ms. Green reported that the garage charges a rate of $51 per hour for labor, which is lower than outside sources. It was noted that this rate was set by Roanoke City. Supervisor Altizer further inquired if the technicians are qualified to work on hydraulics. Mr. Anderson responded in the affirmative. Supervisor Wray questioned when we reach the break-even point on vehicles where it is more feasible to have newer equipment than to keep putting money into repairs. Ms. Green advised that the vehicle replacement policy is based on the type of vehicle, and noted that police cars are replaced the earliest and these are done following five years or 100,000 miles; passenger cars are replaced after 9 years or 120,000 miles. If a particular vehicle begins to show escalating maintenance costs, the vehicle replacement committee will examine whether this vehicle needs to be replaced. Ms. Green stated that regarding fuel, concerns are related not just to the cost of the fuel, but also to the fact that the County owns the underground tanks at Kessler Mill Road and they need to be removed and upgraded. She stated that there are many potential liability costs. Other options are being explored, one of which is a March 15, 2005 345 pilot program of privatization with credit cards. This would provide the ability to track car and individual identification numbers through credit card purchases. The credit card company deducts the taxes from the cost and then sends all the information to the County garage for processing. Ms. Green further advised that the County purchased the following hybrid vehicles in accordance with the Ozone Early Action Plan: 2 Honda Civics, 1 Ford Escape, and 1 Toyota Prias. Supervisor Flora noted an ongoing problem of bandit cans that are left on the street. Ms. Green advised that the procedure for addressing these issues is that Ms. Duval sends a letter requesting compliance with the guidelines. Supervisor Flora requested that a letter be sent to the residents in the area of Oakland Boulevard between Verndale Drive and Orlando Avenue. With respect to the capital projects list, Supervisor Flora noted that some of the projects on the list can be delayed while others are more critical and need to have a regular funding source to handle the repairs. He stated that the County might want to consider setting aside a pool of funds that can be used for making repairs and then the pool can be replenished periodically. He asked that Ms. Hyatt, Chief Financial Officer, take this into consideration when the County is issuing bonds for projects and there may be additional funds set aside; if some of these funds could be put into a pool and used for repairs then once the bonds have been issued, the funds could be replaced. He stated that the County needs to look at minor capital funding sources as well. March 15, 2005 346 Ms. Green advised that they had not received any comments regarding the reciprocal trash collection agreement with Roanoke City. (b) Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department Budget Presentation The work session was held from 4:37 p.m. until 5:09 p.m. Staff present included the following: Pete Haislip, Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism; Mark Courtright, Assistant Director of Parks; Wendi Schultz, Tourism and Event Coordinator; and Gray Craig, Marketing Coordinator. Mr. Haislip advised that the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department consists of two divisions: (1) Parks Division: this area is responsible for park development, maintenance, repairs, street signage, snow removal, and internal work orders for County staff and special events. Staff maintains 92 different sites around the County and assists with landscaping at sites such as the Center for Research and Technology (CRT). In addition, they coordinate activities for approximately 670 youth athletic teams comprised of 9,000 youth. The department maintains portions of 17 elementary and middle school sites. (2) Recreation Division: this area is the main programming area and encompasses youth services, Camp Roanoke, Special Events, the therapeutic recreation program, teen events, adult athletics, youth sports, etc. This division coordinates in excess of 1,000 programs per year. Mr. Haislip outlined the following challenges facing the Parks Division for the coming year: (1) Capital maintenance program: funding for this program was March 15, 2005 347 upgraded to $150,000 and it is critical to continue this level of funding for a number of years. He advised that Page 3 of the information distributed at the work session lists the capital maintenance needs for the County. With continued funding, staff will work through the list of needed repairs. There are plans to replace all old playgrounds within the next five to six years. Mr. Haislip stated that while staff tries to adhere to the prioritized list, events such as last fall’s hurricane require additional repairs. He noted that over time, County parks will take on a new look with continued capital maintenance funding. Also, the lighting at some of the fields will need to be replaced. (2) Update parks and recreation master plan: Mr. Haislip advised that the update of the master plan is long overdue. A request for proposals (RFP) has been submitted for a vendor to conduct an inventory of all facilities and the type of work needed based on the County’s changing demographics. This process will inventory and assess existing sites in the County, land banking options, determination of where there is a deficit of park land, a survey of County residents, and community meetings will be held to elicit citizen input. He stated there is a deficit of indoor recreation space and the County needs to address quality indoor recreation facilities. He advised that an add-back request of $25,000 has been included to fund a portion of the master plan update. Mr. Haislip further indicated that through the existing sports marketing program, it is becoming evident that the Roanoke Valley needs another facility like Moyer Complex. As part of the master plan study, we are requesting information regarding the financial feasibility of constructing an additional facility somewhere in the valley. Mr. Haislip indicated that the study will take March 15, 2005 348 approximately eight (8) months to complete. (3) Upgrade maintenance on joint use school and park facilities – Parks and Recreation has increased staff at a cost of $13,558 annually and a new infield machine needs to be purchased at a cost of $10,000. Mr. Haislip stated that as the schools have expanded their facilities and have relied more on Parks and Recreation, this has placed a strain on the available staff and resources. He indicated that staff has attempted to identify the projected cost for joint maintenance of the facilities. (4) Infield soils to replace lost supply from Bent Mountain: Mr. Haislip stated that the County could put $60,000 worth of infield soils on ball fields each year. In the past, the infield soils were produced from a site in Bent Mountain using internal staff and a sifter acquired when the Dixie Caverns landfill was closed. The soils were produced for $7 to $8 per ton for use on the fields; however, all the available soils have been used. To purchase infield soils on the open market costs $28 per ton. He advised that this is a hidden cost that is necessary in order to provide quality facilities. (5) Vehicle replacement program: the vehicle fleet is in good shape; however, there are some pieces of major equipment which need replacement. He advised that there are four mowers that cost $40,000 each. Funding in the amount of $16,000 has been requested for replacement of equipment such as the mowers, aerators, graders, etc. (6) Conversion of a parks maintenance worker to full-time: this position would be part of a work crew that handles internal work orders and assists with capital maintenance projects. March 15, 2005 349 Mr. Haislip outlined the following initiatives for the coming year: (1) Expansion of therapeutic recreation services: He advised that the expansion of services will be funded by Roanoke City in order to accommodate their participation in the program. Roanoke County is the only group offering this type of program in the Roanoke Valley. The City’s first installment of $10,000 is being used to conduct a community needs assessment which is currently underway. Mr. Haislip further advised that Roanoke City has agreed to increase their funding over a period of four years from $10,000 to $80,000 and the additional revenues will be used to target under-served areas. (2) On line program registrations: Mr. Haislip reported that within the next month, Parks and Recreation will offer program registrations on line. They will be the first department in Western Virginia to offer this service which typically leads to an increase in program registrations. Ms. Schultz advised that with respect to tourism and event services, the County has added five new events since 2002. She further reported that annual partnership events have increased considerably. 350 March 15, 2005 IN RE: ADJOURNMENT Chairman Altizer adjourned the meeting at 5:13 p.m. until Tuesday, March 22, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. for the regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting. Submitted by: Approved by: fJ~)J, &IJuN Diane S. Childers, CMC Clerk to the Board ~J1. Michael W. Altizer Chairman