Finance Committee Meeting
Minutes
Glynn
County Board of Commissioners
4:00 P.M., Tuesday, April 8, 2003
Third Floor Conference Room
W. Harold Pate Courthouse Annex
Brunswick, Georgia
Present:
Committee Members: M.
Bedner, J. Chapman, and C. Fendig
Staff: J. Bruner, D. Chunn, W. Davis,
M. Eckert, G. Grovener, J. Hegstrom, P. McNicoll, J. Pereles, B. Rogers, S.
Santee, S. Schaeffner,R. Shell
Press: Josh Rayburn, Matthew
Permar
Others: Ralph Guarracino, Bill Tipton,
John Witherspoon
1. Consider approval of the Consent Agenda.
a) Approve the March 25, 2003 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes.
b) Deny request by Ms. Alberta R. Lenge that
$41.92 paid in penalty and interest on her 2002 property tax be refunded.
c) Approve the
real and personal property corrections to the 2002 Digest as recommended by the
Board of Assessors and/or the Chief Appraiser at their March 19, 2003
meeting.
d) Declare the unusable items listed on the attached page
as surplus and approve the sale of these items in the best interest of the
County.
Item 1(b) was pulled from the consent agenda and
deferred until the next Finance Committee meeting. The following motion made by Commissioner Fendig and seconded by
Commissioner Bedner passed unanimously.
Commissioner Chapman had not yet arrived at the meeting.
Recommend approval of items 1(a),
1(c), and 1(d). (Vote: 2-0-0)
2. Consider authorizing
the Recreation Director to initiate the following as outlined:
A.
4% rate increase effective July 1, 2003, for
the Blythe Island Campground to include:
1.
Long-term Monthly Campground Rental = $364
plus $50 late fee
2.
Nightly Rates for Full hook-up sites = $25
3.
Nightly Rates for Water & electric = $23
4.
Nightly Rates for Tent sites = $22
B.
New schedule of operation for the BIRP
Campground Office to include:
1.
Reduction from 13 hours to 8 hours per day on
Sunday & Monday / 13 hours per day Tuesday – Saturday / April – October.
2.
Reduction from 11 hours to 8 hours per day on
Sunday & Monday / 11 hours per day Tuesday – Saturday / November – March.
C.
New schedule of operation for the BIRP Boat
Launch Facility to include:
1.
Closed Mondays (except on Holiday Weekends) /
15 hours per day / Tuesday – Sunday / April – October.
2.
Closed Mondays (except on Holiday Weekends) /
12 hours per day / Tuesday – Sunday / November – March.
D.
Elimination
of a Recreation Specialist position, effective July 1, 2003, which will provide
a savings in the Recreation Operation’s
04 Budget in the amount of $29,261
E.
Immediate posting of vacant part-time
Recreation Site Attendant position.
Recommend authorizing the Recreation Director to initiate
the following as outlined:
A. 4%
rate increase effective July 1, 2003, for the Blythe Island Campground to
include:
1. Long-term Monthly Campground Rental = $364
plus $50 late fee
2.
Nightly Rates for
Full hook-up sites = $25
3.
Nightly Rates for
Water & electric = $23
4.
Nightly Rates for
Tent sites = $22
B.
New schedule of
operation for the BIRP Campground Office to include:
1. Reduction from 13 hours to 8 hours per day
on Sunday & Monday / 13 hours per day Tuesday – Saturday / April – October.
2. Reduction from 11 hours to 8 hours per day on
Sunday & Monday / 11 hours per day Tuesday – Saturday / November – March.
C. New
schedule of operation for the BIRP Boat Launch Facility to include:
1. Closed Mondays (except on Holiday Weekends)
/ 15 hours per day / Tuesday – Sunday / April – October.
2. Closed Mondays (except on Holiday Weekends)
/ 12 hours per day / Tuesday – Sunday / November – March.
D. Elimination of a Recreation Specialist
position, effective July 1, 2003, which will provide a savings in the
Recreation Operation’s 04 Budget in the amount of $29,261
E. Immediate posting of vacant part-time
Recreation Site Attendant position.
(Vote: 3-0-0)
3.
Consider authorizing the
Recreation Director to initiate immediately the following sports sponsorship
rates per sport to provide supplemental revenues to the Recreation Department’s
Athletic Fund:
Mr. Wesley Davis presented this
item and stated that the County is currently receiving sponsor fees for
baseball and softball and that because of the publicity received through the
sponsorships it should be no problem to obtain sponsors for the other
sports. Commissioner Chapman questioned
how much staff time would be required to solicit the sponsors and Mr. Davis
stated that it would not take much time since a database is already set up and
it would only require a mailing from that database. The following motion made by Commissioner Fendig and seconded by
Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.
Recommend authorizing the
Recreation Director to initiate immediately the following sports sponsorship
rates per sport to provide supplemental revenues to the Recreation Department’s
Athletic Fund:
4.
Consider authorizing the
Recreation Director to initiate the County to:
a.
No
longer provide pants and socks to participants in the sports of Baseball and
Softball. Parents would be
directed to local retailers to purchase these needed items. Local retailers would be provided information
in advance to allow time for them to sufficiently stock items. This reduction would provide a total savings
to the FY 04 Operating Budget in the amount of $9,075.
b.
Surplus stock of baseball and softball pants would
be recommended for sale at the next available County auction.
Mr. Wesley Davis stated that this
proposal was being made in an effort to reduce costs for the County.
After discussion the following motion made by
Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Fendig passed unanimously.
Recommend authorizing the
Recreation Director to initiate the County to:
a.
No longer provide pants and
socks to participants in the sports of Baseball and Softball. Parents would be directed to local retailers to purchase these needed
items. Local retailers would be
provided information in advance to allow time for them to sufficiently stock
items. This reduction would provide a
total savings to the FY 04 Operating Budget in the amount of $9,075.
b.
Surplus
stock of baseball and softball pants would be recommended for sale to the
highest bidder. (Vote: 3-0-0)
5.
Consider authorizing the
acceptance of the proposal from Integrated Science & Engineering for
$41,913 to complete the East Beach drainage engineering, and design as an
addendum to their current water and sewer contract. Further, funding for the design and subsequent construction to be
from approved SPLOST III funds.
Mr. Jim
Bruner, County Engineer, stated that the County is currently in design for
water & sewer rehabilitation on East Beach and the rehabilitation of the
drainage system should be completed at the same time that the water and sewer
work is performed. He requested the
approval of an addendum to the Integrated Science and Engineering water and
sewer contract to include the design for rehabilitation of the remainder of the
storm sewer system. The following
motion made by Commissioner Fendig and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed
unanimously.
Recommend
authorizing the acceptance of the proposal from Integrated Science & Engineering
for $41,913 to complete the East Beach drainage engineering, and design as an
addendum to their current water and sewer contract. Further, funding for the design and subsequent construction to be
from approved SPLOST III funds. (Vote: 3-0-0)
6.
Consider authorizing the Chairman
to sign the attached agreement with Georgia Department of Transportation
specifying that the County will pay for operations and maintenance costs for
high mast lighting at Grant’s Ferry Road Interchange (I-95/SR99).
Mr. Joe Pereles, Public Works Director, stated that the County has
several projects encompassing the I-95/Exit 42, State Route 99, Grants Ferry
Road interchange that are scheduled to be completed in the near future. He stressed the importance of including the
lighting in the design specifications so that DOT would assume all costs for
material and installation of the lighting.
By doing this, Glynn county would save approximately $190,000 and would
only have to fund maintenance and operations costs. The following motion made by Commissioner Fendig and seconded by
Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.
Recommend
authorizing the Chairman to sign the attached agreement with Georgia Department
of Transportation specifying that the County will pay for operations and
maintenance costs for high mast lighting at Grant’s Ferry Road Interchange
(I-95/SR99). (Vote: 3-0-0)
7.
Consider adopting the proposed FY
03-04 contract between the County and Visitors Bureau as presented by staff and
direct the Chairman to sign.
Mr. Mark Eckert, County Administrator, presented
this item and stated that this was a follow-up to action that was taken by the
Board of Commissioners on December 19, 2002.
He stated that in addition to the $2.45 million cap on the distribution
to the Visitor’s Bureau, the contract was modified by changing the Fireworks
funded by the Contractor to $10 thousand and by deleting the $3 thousand in
Lighthouse utilities. Commissioner
Chapman requested that the Sidney Lanier Bridge lighting be handled in a manner
similar to the Interstate lighting and Mr. Bill Tipton, Visitor’s Bureau
Director, stated that they had intended to share in the costs of the bridge
lighting. The following motion made by
Commissioner Fendig and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.
Recommend
adopting the proposed FY 03-04 contract between the County and Visitors Bureau
as presented by staff and direct the Chairman to sign. (Vote: 3-0-0)
8.
Consider directing staff to
advertise a public hearing for May 1, 2003 as per 2-2-9 of the Code of
Ordinances on the proposed ten percent (10%) late fee on the unpaid balance of
past due water & sewer bills and increase the fee for
disconnection/reconnection of service to $100.
This
item was pulled at the request of the Assistant County Attorney and the County
Administrator.
9.
Consider directing staff to
advertise a public hearing for May 1, 2003 as per 2-2-9 of the Code of
Ordinance on the proposed adjustment to the sewer rates for the North Mainland
customers to fund the increased costs assessed by the City of Brunswick for
wastewater treatment.
This item was pulled at the request of the Assistant County Attorney
and the County Administrator.
Chairman
Bedner requested that John Witherspoon, Southland Waste, respond to the Committee
regarding phone complaints that the Commissioners had received concerning
garbage collection.
Mr.
John Witherspoon discussed the residential garbage collection process and
stated that he had directed their drivers to tag and not pick up garbage if the
lid to the cart was not completely closed.
The Commissioners had been receiving phone calls from customers
complaining about that process. After
discussion Chairman Bedner stated to the press that there would be zero
tolerance concerning garbage cans with lids not completely closed.
10.
Request that Chairman Bedner
identify the Finance Committee items which should be included as consent items
in the Commission’s Meeting Agenda.
Chairman Bedner identified all items except
item 2 as consent items. Item 2 was
referred to the full Board of Commissioners because a fee increase public
hearing will be required.