MINUTES

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS                          LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP

                             BUDGET MEETING                                               OCTOBER 1, 2018                              

 

The following were in ATTENDANCE:

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS	TOWNSHIP STAFF
H. Edward Black, President	Thomas G. Vernau Jr., Township Manager
Jack R. Simpson, Jr., Vice President	Erin Trone, Assistant Township Manager
Carolyn E. Holtzman	David Holl, Director of Public Safety
Dean W. Villone	Daniel Flint, Community Development
	Richard Grove, Finance
	Bob Nailor, Public Works
	Bryan Harshbarger, Highway
	Tom Stambaugh, Parks
	Charlie Reynolds, Fleet Maintenance
	Scot Emerson, Maintenance
	Tina Thomas, Recording Secretary

 

President Black called the October 1, 2018 Budget Meeting of the Board of Commissioners to order at 6:08 pm.  He announced that Proof of Publication was available for review.  Commissioner Schin was absent due to illness.

 

ANY BUSINESS PERTINENT TO THE TOWNSHIP:  None.

INTRODUCTION TO BUDGET:

Mr. Vernau announced that it was time to put together the 2019 budget. He stated that he has received capital budgets and operating budgets from all of our departments. He told the Commissioners that the revenue section of the budget is not yet complete.  All non-public safety departments will be presenting their budgets tonight.

Mr. Grove stated that he does not yet know what healthcare costs will be for next year or what the non-uniform pay increases will be. Capital financing will look a little different this year due to borrowing for the Bon Ton project which is a 10-year borrowing. There are increased MS4 expenses due to the fact that new projects are taking place.  Costs will come out of the General Fund. The new Stormwater Authority will collect all of the revenue that comes in and pay back the General Fund.

Mr. Grove spoke about the economy which continues to do well and revenues continue to increase.  He stated that the Board has enacted a tax increase with long term vision which will hopefully provide for surplus for a long time.  There is also money from MS4 that will be coming into the General Fund. Mr. Grove pointed out that in the budget handout, the capital projects are part of a 5 year plan and have funding to cover them.  The next tax increase will come from the operating side. The budget as proposed will increase the operation part of the budget by $923, 960.00.  If the Board wants to avoid raising taxes for a long time, Mr. Grove would recommend increasing the budget by no more than approximately $700,000. 

Mr. Vernau spoke about the upcoming department presentations.  He stated that they will be focusing tonight on the new items or large items, unless someone has a particular item they would like to discuss. Salaries and benefits will not be discussed at this meeting.

400-ADMINSTRATION – Mr. Vernau:

Account		$	Justification/Reasoning
260	MinorEquipment	+$5,525	Keyboard tray, Standing desk, L-Shaped desk, 5 Commissioner valises
314	Legal Services	-$12,500	This was elevated in 2018 for anticipated police arbitration
318	Other Professional	+$20.00	Hiring of Branding Consultant to increase Township’s visibility for economic development.  Ran out of time for 2018
340	Advertising & Printing	+$1,400	Costs for advertising have gone up over recent years and the new amount is the actual amount being spent
420	Dues, Sub, Memberships	+$850	Tom’s ICMA Conference is in Nashville in 2019; he will need to fly

Mr. Vernau stated that the bottom line is a 1.6% increase or $7,700.

406–HUMAN RESOURCES – Mr. Vernau:

315

Other Professional

+$960

In addition to drug and alcohol screening for CDL drivers, Twp will also be randomly testing two other employees throughout the year

Mr. Vernau stated that this is a 3.4% increase in budget or $2,780.00.

407-INFORMATION SERVICES – Mr. Vernau:  (Status Quo)

260	Minor Applications	-$4,570+$875 +$2,150	Upgrades are not due in 2019Mail filtering Switching from AVG anti-virus to Webroot for better performance
730	Equipment	+$6,700+$18,500	Replacement of serverReplacement workstations (yearly expense)

Mr. Vernau stated that the total budget is $121,500; this is a 1% increase of $1,630.00

407-INFORMATION SERVICES – Mr. Vernau:  (Alternate 407 Budget)

260	Minor Applications	+$540/month  +$4,000 +$2,400 +$24,480   +$4,224 +$2,400	Cloud storage fee; for e-mail only – not dependent on building systems; more storage and data accessCloud migration tool (one-time fee) Additional mailboxes; not everyone has one Microsoft E3 licenses (upgrade over current ProPlus, includes server licenses) ActivTrak Monitoring Security Awareness Training
312	Services Bureau	+$9,600	Annual service fee for Datto server
730	Equipment	+$4,590	Datto cloud server; backs up software every hour; allows cloud to be used as a temporary server

Mr. Vernau stated that the total budget is $150,820; this is $29,000 additional to status quo budget; it is a 26% increase of $30,950.00

409: – MUNICIPAL BUILDING – Mr. Vernau and Mr. Emerson:

250	Building Repairs	-$1,650
260	Minor Equipment	-$1,280	$2500 to replace grip tape on concrete steps with rubberized stair treads$1,000 for roof vents and insulation for section of roof over kitchen and evidence lab
366	Water	+$1,750	Increased to match actual expenditures for water; not increased water usage
375	Grounds Maintenance	+$1,250	Additional and replacement plantings around building; mulch helped a lot with weeds

The budget for Municipal Building maintenance decreased by $5,290, or -1.5%

434-FLEET MAINTENANCE – Mr. Vernau and Mr. Reynolds

145	Salary – Mechanic	$0	Money already in the budget to add on a full-time mechanic who is currently working part-time with the dept as a vo-tech student
730	Mach, Equip, & Vehicles	$6,500	A/C Recovery and Recharge Unit; allows for in-house repair of vehicle A/C which is currently outsourced

Mr. Vernau stated that this is a budget increase of $1,480, less than 1%; mainly due to higher costs for tires and oil

402 – FINANCE- Mr. Grove:

260	Minor Equipment	+$2,020	Replace mail opener if current one breaks
730	Mach, Eqpt, & Vehicles	+$342,400	Computer software for finance and codes departments; would for online bill payment, electronic timecards, future tax collection if applicable

Some increases for MS4 billing; financing upgrade for software could be tied in with loan for the Bon Ton property

403 – TAX – Mr. Grove:

451

Fidelity Bond

+$30,070

Fourth highest percent increase in budget due to commissions paid on tax money collected

413 – COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – Mrs. Trone:

131	Part-time office staff salary	-$5,500	Not needed next year
190	Contract Labor	+$1,600	Outsourcing for plan reviews; used if needed
210	Office Supplies	+$300	Additional employee was added and budget has not been increased in recent years to reflect actual expenditures
220	General Expenditure		Shredding, collection, and filing fees; Increased due to increased number of plans recorded
231	Gasoline	-$450	Decreased due to purchase of hybrid vehicle
244	Code books & Publication	-$750	2015 code books were just purchased
245	Engineering Supplies	+$300	Plotter supplies
312	Service Bureau	+$3,130	ARCVIEW; if you turn in one concurrent license you can get three; planning on increased use of GISARC GIS online; allows for editing and mapping out in the field; must purchase as credits
313	Engin & Arch	+$10,000+$20,000	Hiring ARRO Engineering to do GIS updates for base mapsPedestrian / Bike committee to help find location for additional trails
318	Other Professional	+$10,000	IT services to create an online scheduling tool that works with township website; allows for online permits and scheduling with appropriate staff person
321	Communications	+$570	Phones and mobile hotspot; one additional for Complaints Coordinator
370	Maintenance and Repair	+$250	Copy machine may need to be replaced
420	Dues & Memberships	+$500	Professional organizations that employees belong to
421	Training	+$3,000	10 employees, 3 are presidents of their chapters and must attend every conference
451	Contract service other	+$2,000	Mowing was increased this year due to rain
730	Mach, Eqpt, & Vehicles	+$1,000	$25,000 to replace 15 yr old truck with a Ford Escape SUV

Mrs. Trone reported that this is a 2.7% increase of $21,820

430-HIGHWAY GENERAL – Mr. Nailor, and Mr. Harshbarger:

260	Minor Equipment	+$4,960	$4,600 for Backhoe hydraulic thumb to assist with picking up large objects
730	Machines, Eqpt, Vehicles	+$185,000+$50,000 +$75,000	2003 large dump truck replacement2008 F350 pickup truck replacement 2004 Leaf machine replacement

434-FLEET MAINTENANCE – Mr. Reynolds:

145	Salary – Mechanic	$48,570	Replace part-time mechanic with full-time mechanic.  Work load has increased and a mechanic student could be transitioned into the position and become full-time.  Possible vehicle leasing was discussed as an option.  Discussion ensued on this request.
245	Operating Supplies	+$200	Increased pricing of Nuts & Bolts.
395	Hwy Vehicle Repair	+$1,000	Increased based on repairs this year and because parts are becoming more expensive.
420	Dues, Sub, Membership	$6,060	EMAINT Fleet & Facility software (3-year subscription).  Current system is 20 years old and is no longer supported.  The system keeps track of vehicles, maintenance, stats, VIN and repairs.  The cost includes upgrades, maintenance and training. This would also replace the Facility maintenance software.

435-SIDEWALKS, CROSSWALKS, CURBS – Mr. Nailor and Mr. Harshbarger:

246

Highway Supplies

+$7,500+$1,500

Use of Hot Tape for crosswalks instead of paintContracting 2 people from Flagger Force to help with traffic control

440-HIGHWAY BUILDING – Mr. Nailor, Mr. Harshbarger & Mr. Emerson:

260	Minor Equipment	+$740	Four new desks
373	Repair & Maint Building	+$2,400	Replace half of shop lights with LED lights
710	Bldgs. & Improvements	+$848,720	Building Expansion, Choice #3 (preferred choice)

452- GENERAL RECREATION – Mr. Stambaugh & Mr. Emerson:

371	Maintenance,Grounds	+$4,300+$2,700 +$3,000   +$4,800	Walk behind brush mower for trails currently done by handBlacktop for Beacon Hill/Allendale Trail; has been underwater Replace wood bleachers with aluminum for Pete’s Field, LACP, and Wass Park (2/year) 10 LED tennis court lights for Wass Park
387	Rentals	+$1,200	Paver rental for Beacon Hill/Allendale Trail
421	Training	+$900+$1,500	Certification as a playground inspectorOne attendant to Univ of Wisconsin Snow and Ice Conference
730	Machines, Eqpt, Vehicles	+$11,000	Replace box trailer to carry mowers; has ramp to get mowers in and out

454- RECREATION – LACP– Mr. Stambaugh & Mr. Emerson:

371	Maintenance, Grounds	+$2,000  +$2,600   +$5,000	35 foot flag pole replacement; eliminates need to rent a lift for New Year’s EvePond restoration treatment; currently overgrown but company can be hired to treat it Two bay swing set replacement due to safety issue
373	Maint & Rep Building	+$3,900  +$2,600   +$2,800 +$8,190	Replace barn front handicap doors; original doors are not closing correctly and setting off alarmReplace deck on front of barn; shifting and preventing doors from opening Replace barn lower level bathroom stalls Barn attic insulation; currently no insulation in ceiling; $42,000 in air handlers were installed but need insulation to keep cool air in
710	Bldgs. & Improvements	+$5,100	Replace upper pavilion roof with metal; sustained wind damage and has missing shingles and rotted wood; metal roof has 45 yr warranty and work can be done in-house

ADJOURNMENT

The Budget Meeting of the Board of Commissioners adjourned at 8:34 pm.