These are the final amendments made by Personnel & Finance and the only place I know to find out what is in the budget that will be voted on this Monday. See here for the first pile of amendments made. Only one little rant at the end . . .
MORE TESTIMONY
– There were a couple people there to testify on the senior case management amendment taking money from the nutrition program. (HHN 6)
– A couple people were there saying they were opposed to not filling positions at Badger Prairie due to safety issues. (P&F 5)
– AFSME 720 testified on P&F 5 telling them that some of the positions that were to be held open are about to be filled. 2 are hired, 3 are on leave, 2 have little or no impact on general purpose revenue due to grant or state funding. 26 of 30 are AFSCME positions. 2 of 4 union units have approved their contracts and provided $2.4M in savings, ¾ million more in savings. Already 80 – 100 vacancies. Already working under layoff conditions, huge caseloads, overworked and understaffed and bad public policy to reduce positions when economic struggles.
– A couple people testified about the small business services provided and told them that they are not duplicated services. deFelice suggested charging for the services, but the staff said people wouldn’t use the services then. Also, federal funding requires some of the services to be provided free of charge. McDonell suggests seeking funding from WMC or other large companies.
AMENDMENTS
P&F 6 – Withholding Grants until Genesis Corporation pays its Taxes
McDonell asks Dr. Davis from Genesis to come up.
Stubbs explains that they didn’t know this amendment was submitted, they never notified Genesis and she says that they should have let them know. She found out Friday at 1:30, contacted Genesis staff and board. Met this afternoon. She explains that Dr. Davis is V.P. of Social Services. There is a development corporation that is a for-profit and also a separate non-profit. Dr. Harris is with the non-profit entity. Genesis Development Corporation is who he pays rent to. Not fair to punish the tenant for the taxes not paid by the building owner.
Stoebig says that he was making the presumption that the dollar amounts are for Genesis Corporation, not Genesis Social Service Corporation.
Dr. Harris says that in 2000 they went from non-profit to for profit. The Social Services Corporation was formed in 2006. They have separate audits. He has sent a letter to Human Services explaining Genesis Social Service Corporation is who they should be contracting with. Genesis Development Corporation is the for profit and Genesis Social Services is one of 35 different tenants.
Stoebig asks who gets the contracts and who is responsible.
Foster says there has been confusion, Dr. Harris is correct, intent is to contract with the non-profit. Might say Genesis Development Corporation, but intent is not that.
McDonell moves to reconsider, deFelice seconds.
Stoebig says there is $103,000 in back taxes plus 2009 taxes to be paid, they are in foreclosure for failure to pay taxes and that was a violation of the loan from WHEDA subsidiary. Grant money going to non-profit arm but there is a portion going to leasing costs for profit making arm.
Dr. Davis says they have to pay rent to somebody, they are a tenant. And he says Rev. Jones was upset no one called him.
McDonell has concerns along the line of Stoebig, where will the program be in 6 months, how is the program running? He knows that there are other places where you have groups of non-profits and this could happen anywhere. Seems he wouldn’t want to hold a tenant responsible for a landlord, even if same board of directors. Thinks they should revisit and see where we are at with their taxes and not forget about this issue.
O’Laughlin asks Davis who is Genesis Development Corp? Davis says Richard Jones is the president, not also on GSSC.
O’Laughlin asks Davis if he is on the board? He’s not on his board, but he goes to the board meetings, can’t vote he’s advisory.
O’Lauglin asks why they have the problems with Dane County? Davis says he would have to ask Richard Jones, but he does have a plan to pay the back taxes.
O’Laughlin says that we don’t have to talk to Jones, that is the Treasurer that has the problem, this is about the grant money.
Stoebig asks what happens if foreclosure commences? Davis says that Pastor Jones said the Mt. Zion would accept the programs back, they have a new building with offices in the basement.
Motion to reconsider passes unanimously.
No one moves the motion again, so it is essentially removed from the budget.
P&F 5 – Not funding 30 vacant positions
Wells explains the County Executive’s Memo. He listed 4 concerns that would attach themselves to the memo in general. We already have significant personnel savings built into the budget and this is one of the devises to accomplish that. If they adopt the amendment, they would have to make some adjustments because some of the positions would still be vacant at the end of the year and they are already counted. They try to get some savings and work with department to mitigate the effects. They did keep the vacancy period at 16 weeks which gives them some flexibility. Vacancies were an issue that came up with AFSCME negotiations, county executive says they would not expand the list and extend the vacancy policy past 16 weeks, that was a positive thing in the bargaining. The additional defining of positions would create an additional burden for some of the workers.
O’laughlin says that he looked at the levy proposed he thought that they could maybe take 30 of the 101 and don’t cut the jobs, just not fund them immediately, but he understands how that would impact them. He thought they could reduce that and help with the deputy sheriff’s union and now there is another issue. [This seemed kind of cryptic and he seemed to be struggling, they must have learned something in closed session that was limiting what he could say.[ He asks if there is a “me too” clause that might impact this. It seemed there was not in the answer from staff. They said the goal for everyone is to achieve a target saving, but how achieved might be different.
O’Laughlin amends his motion, change number to read 10 vacant position for savings of $600,000 instead of 30 positions for $1.8M.
Hulsey asks which 10. Points out two open for a long time.
Staff explains one of the open positions has been split by other staff even tho open since 2004. Wells says they don’t have a good explanation of the grant position.
O’Laughlin moves not funding 10 positions, Ripp seconds.
O’Laughlin explains that there are 16 unfilled positions and he’s willing to drop it to 10 and then have a further discussion about what can be done with that money.
McDonell says that some of them are IT positions which O’Laughlin thinks they don’t spend enough on, DA and Court positions are critical, sheriff, emergency management and juvenile court is important too. Highway is also short because of what they have done to them the last few years. He says there are not enough people to call up in the Exec’s office, especially compared to the Mayor’s office. He says it is unhealthy. Quips that Kathleen answers her own phone.
Hulsey says to look at the empty ones on the last two columns of the sheet. Hulsey says that have we asked Dane County workers to sacrifice enough, not just do their job but someone else’s for less money.
O’Laughling says he speaks for the 450,000 in Dane County who are the silent majority who don’t come and sign in and give their three minutes night after night. All four taxing entities are going to go up, this is the first year all four are raising taxes. We’re going up but not as much as one of the others, they are going from 4.7 or 4.8 to 7.9. That’s a healthy increase. His intent was to try to make this palatable for the silent majority of Dane County tax payers out there right now.
McDonell asks which 10 – O’Lauglin says they should defer that to DOA. McDonell quips there won’t be anyone there to talk to. They are clearly very frustrated.
The motion fails 5 – 3 with Stoebig, Ripp and O’Laughlin voting aye.
P&F 8 – Delete funding for UW Small Business services
No motion
P&F 10 – Reduce funds for Monument Restoration by $5,000
Ripp moves adoption, O’Laughlin seconds. Staff says they sent an email, I don’t think they did get the email. He says he sent it on Friday. 2007 spent half the line, 75 monuments which are a 30 inch pipe with brass cap. Other half of 2007 saved to be spent on parcel mapping in Maple Bluff but got grant money and didn’t spend it. 2008 recession, revenue shortfall and used for that. Did not spend any money, did the same in 2009. $2000 for binders spent in 2009. The reason they have not requested replacement is because the county surveyor has persuaded them to replace the monuments themselves. We give them the monument, they do it themselves.
Someone asks if they want $10K or $5K. Staff would like to keep it, but won’t be broken by it, may have to tap into the reserve fund.
Miles says that if there is an over run, the other accounts in the department have all been hit to make targets so they would have to go to reserve.
Passes 8 – 0.
P&F 27 – Library Board
No motion
P&F 28a & b Reverse Mortgage Program
deFelice explains the home loan program started as a pilot 3 years ago and it helps taxpayers pay their taxes – this is the final year of the program. He says there was a misunderstanding that there was contingency to continue – this would continue the program. He says this cuts funding from $60,000 to $30,000 but its general purpose revenue neutral, offset by funds from the solid waste fund.
Hulsey asks what is the nexus? McDonell says same as before.
deFelice tries to explain something about collecting taxes and paying taxes, utilities and sewer but kind of gets interrupted.
Ripp says that he doesn’t remember it that way, he says it was borrowed from that fund, that it would be paid back. We’ve done it before and the money wasn’t paid back. Expectation was that it would be paid back. Solid Waste didn’t need the money but would in the future.
McDonell says that when the person dies or sells they home they get the money. Reverse mortgage, once the house is sold, we get the money. Has to be equity in the house. Not a huge amount of money but keeps people in their homes, low interest rate charged.
Stoebig asks how many users of the program? 6 in last three years and one was a repeater? Staff says 8 – 11 loans in three years, some will be back again, of 5 they helped last year, 4 had borrowed previously, the program has a limit of 3 years or $15,000 total. One new person applied on Friday.
Stoebig asks for clarification.
Ripp says he just wants to make sure that people have to pay it back with interest. He says in the past the interest went away before it gets to the fund.
Stoebig makes the point that these weren’t brought before the standing committee.
Passes 8 – 0.
HHN 6 – Sr. Case Management/Nuitrition
Stoebig moves HHN 6 which has no general purpose revenue fiscal effect. McDonell seconds for discussion.
Stoebig talks about personal experience, his mom live Kenosha, moved her to Madison, case manager came to look at apartment to avoid falls. As Stoebig is talking, caucusing going on and they are not paying attention – Stoebig says they do this every day, got mom settled into apartment. He says he knows there was a 2.8% cut, this would take nutrition money, back out gpr for nutrition and keep case management at its current level. Because of aging demographics the case loads and need continuing to grow. If it had a fiscal effect, wouldn’t be pushing it. Won’t cost the general fund.[It seems odd that supervisors are advocating for programs they use.]
deFelice says case managers are important. He isn’t wild about this idea to fund them, wonders if between now and the budget they could resolve something.
Wheeler says that HHN passed it, AAA board advocates for people they represent. One time round – stimulus money to be used and stimulate the economy. They know it is a one time deal. Willing to take a risk and hope the economy may be better next year. Husband is blind and has used one herself.[Again, seems odd to have them advocating for programs they have used.]
McDonell asks what the stimulus money is doing, the meals have gone over in the past few years. Staff says it would be used, they just put it in the tbd line. It will be used for meals.
At this point, there is alot of confusion. They are asking questions and staff seem to not understand what they are saying. They seem to be talking past each other. But the supervisors seems to understand what they are being told even if the answers aren’t responsive.
Ripp says that they are taking the money from the reserve for food so reserve will be smaller. Smaller reserve or less food. They are all confused and a lot of talking.
Wells says that you either will not serve as many meals or serve the meals and department will have to pay for it some other way.
Foster says there is $69,000 for food reserve. Past practice was when meals go over department was forced to find money elsewhere. This forces them to find money when it goes over.
DeSmidt says that food in the left hand is still food in the right hand. [?] We are feeding more and more people at the senior sites and at the centers. They number of people needing meals is enormous, and we’re going to need more money this year. The stimulus money is going to be needed.
deFelice says that $69,000 and if the put it in tbd line, they will need all that money and even more.
Fails 7 – 1. Stoebig is only one to vote for it.
ZLR #2 – Thrive budget cut and decrease zoning revenues
Hendrick explains that they cut Thrive, but they didn’t decrease the zoning revenues.
I missed who made the motion, but it passes 8 – 0.
FINAL VOTES ON OPERATING, CAPITAL AND LEVY
The controller says that after all that, they are essentially where they started.
McDonell moves approval of the operating budget with their amendments. DeSmidt seconds.
Passes 6 – 2, Ripp and O’Laughlin vote no.
McDonell moves approval of the Capital budget with their amendments, DeSmidt seconds.
Passes 8 – 0.
McDonell move approval of the 7.89 levy, DeSmidt seconds.
Hulsey says its higher than want it to be. He says that the hand and can only afford 4.5 fingers, staff gave 3%, purchase of service agencies gave 3% and taxpayers 3%.
[Wow. That is some funky math. And the unions got the best part of the deal. Let me just point out again, the unions got a 3% cut, but they also bargained and got something in return. The POS agencies not only took a 3% decrease in their wages, but took a 3% cut in their operating expenses and got nothing in return through bargaining. It’s hardly the same! I think its high time that they stop perpetrating this myth.]
Stoebig says if 7.9 increase he’d like to see more but instead we raised taxes and but 3% to employees and POS. He notes that sales tax revenues are way lower, but that they also can’t forget about the cuts we experienced from the state. He lists specific examples. He says the only responsible thing to do is to hold our nose and vote for this.
O’Laughlin notes sales taxes were up in September. There is some disagreement about that.
Hulsey says we could second guess decisions made in the past.
McDonell says 7.9 we fixed a lot of holes that will serve us well when the economy recovers and hopefully we’ll be able to fund things in a more reasonable way.
Levy passes 6 – 2, O’Laughlin and Ripp vote no.
I just want to note, Hendrick and Miles should get an award for attending the most of the meetings. Others who took time to be there beyond when they were presenting their amendments or for their committee were Erickson, Stubbs, Gau, Vedder, Levin and Wheeler. Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone.
