Meeting: Council Workshop

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	OK, so.	00:00:04
	Every year around this time, we like to connect with our clients just to kind of start the new year with with.	00:00:07
	What things are you looking at as far as?	00:00:15
	Projects or challenges or opportunities?	00:00:19
	I've got the slide show up on my screen. We're just going to kind of go with a.	00:00:22
	Really casually, I really want this to be a back and forth conversation. I know right now probably one of your concerns is.	00:00:27
	Proposed legislation out there, and I will talk a little more specifically about that here in a few minutes.	00:00:35
	That should be a pretty big concern.	00:00:42
	There's a lot of things going on out there that will directly impact revenues for local government.	00:00:45
	But beyond that?	00:00:52
	And again, I will talk a little bit about that, but I just want to hear from you all like what, what do you have going on this	00:00:54
	year? How can we better provide services to you? What, what are some projects you're thinking of, if any? I know there was some	00:00:59
	suggestion that you might want to look at.	00:01:04
	Perhaps.	00:01:10
	Reducing maybe your public safety local income tax.	00:01:11
	So just kind of let us know what things you're looking at for this year.	00:01:16
	Well, I think.	00:01:22
	You've hit on the.	00:01:24
	The two main things, one is proposed legislation and the other is umm.	00:01:25
	Our added revenue with the.	00:01:30
	Public safety.	00:01:33
	That was put in.	00:01:34
	We've looked at moving.	00:01:37
	Around $2,000,000 out of the general fund into that.	00:01:39
	We've got some proposed holdover in case, you know, we're waiting on the commissioners to make a decision on.	00:01:45
	EMS service.	00:01:52
	There's a possibility we may have to have money for capital.	00:01:55
	If we do a county owned and operated.	00:01:58
	System and if not then.	00:02:01
	We'll see.	00:02:04
	You know what the what the future cost is in that area, so.	00:02:05
	That's that's our main areas of concern this year. We have some.	00:02:11
	Some lingering.	00:02:18
	Budget concerns of.	00:02:21
	Departments that.	00:02:23
	May need some help like Parks Department.	00:02:26
	I'm sure there's other.	00:02:31
	Others along the way that.	00:02:33
	But that's that's the main one that I can think of that's kind of been.	00:02:36
	Held off for quite a while so.	00:02:40
	OK. Well that all sounds sounds good.	00:02:46
	We. We would.	00:02:50
	We would like to update your comprehensive financial plan, and I think that's going to cover some of these things like #1.	00:02:52
	The legislative changes, we've got a long legislative session this year. It goes through the end of April.	00:03:00
	Whatever comes out of that, we would like to run that through your comprehensive financial plan to see how it's going to impact	00:03:06
	you as far as.	00:03:10
	As the revenues go, it's also going to help you obviously with budgeting.	00:03:14
	So, you know, if we can get that updated maybe towards the end of May, that will take us right in the budget season and that will	00:03:20
	help us determine as far as shifting those costs from general to public safety number one, also trying to figure out how we can	00:03:26
	better help the Parks Department.	00:03:32
	Uh, meet their funding requirements.	00:03:39
	So, and I know I did update a couple funds for you, but again we suggest that we update all of the funds so that you can get a	00:03:42
	better picture of what's happening in the county.	00:03:48
	So we we would like to move forward with at least starting to update that model and then we can finish it up as the legislative	00:03:56
	session then comes to a close.	00:04:00
	Page, are you looking for approval to do that or?	00:04:07
	Your or are you just, yes, I mean Denise is we can go ahead and send you an updated agreement, an updated scope of service, OK for	00:04:10
	that.	00:04:15
	Yeah, yeah. Send us that and we'll.	00:04:19
	We'll get that.	00:04:22
	Decided.	00:04:26
	At our next meeting.	00:04:28
	So just and you may already know some of this, but here's some of the legislative changes that are out there right now. Senate	00:04:32
	Bill One has gone through some some pretty big changes over the last two weeks, but here's what we know right now.	00:04:38
	So as far as property tax relief.	00:04:45
	Cynical one is limiting the levy growth quotient so that levy growth on your maximum levy each year. Right now the limit is 0% in	00:04:48
	2026, so no growth in 2026.	00:04:56
	1% growth in 2027.	00:05:03
	2% growth in 2028.	00:05:07
	And then the years.	00:05:10
	After the maximum levy growth quotient is going to be based on a formula. It's a pretty complicated formula.	00:05:12
	But what we could tell right now is that probably in 2029 and going forward, we'll see levy growth between 3%.	00:05:19
	And four point 3%, so not very much growth.	00:05:28
	For Floyd County, just your unit. This is not county wide. This is just the Floyd County unit.	00:05:32
	We're looking at a loss in revenue for you of about 469,000 and 2026.	00:05:38
	Almost 900,000 in 2027.	00:05:45
	And then 1.2 million in 2028.	00:05:49
	So we're going to have some challenging times for for budgeting coming up here in the next couple years.	00:05:53
	So I have a couple questions about that.	00:06:00
	Yeah, go ahead. What?	00:06:03
	What? How does that help the the individual taxpayers employed county?	00:06:04
	So how that how that helps is that they're not going to see much of an increase to their property tax bill.	00:06:11
	Because it's not going to say we just won't go up.	00:06:19
	Then they would see an increase in their tax bill. OK, it's not going to go down. So this helps it not go up.	00:06:24
	I think that's what we're going to see. Yes, absolutely. Now there's also some things happening with deductions like on your, on	00:06:32
	your net assessed value. So that's going to help the taxpayer as well.	00:06:38
	There's some additional deductions for over 65 and some some other deductions going on there as well. So I agree with you Denise,	00:06:45
	I think it's just gonna.	00:06:50
	Perhaps limit the growth on your tax bill, but not necessarily reduce it.	00:06:55
	Some kind of remains seen.	00:07:02
	Did you have another question, follow up question on that? Yeah.	00:07:07
	So.	00:07:12
	Should we be thinking about putting in a go bond here?	00:07:14
	Because we know our tax growth is much.	00:07:19
	It's going to be much bigger. Well, it's going to be bigger than 0 for sure, right? It's going to be much bigger than that.	00:07:25
	And I know we've done this before and I think that rose off this year.	00:07:32
	Yeah, sure. You're ahead of me on that. In fact, I'll just go to that. This is why Jason is on is because yes, you have.	00:07:36
	A series 2022 Geo Bond that's maturing at the end of this year.	00:07:45
	And I think Jason was going to kind of talk a little bit about that. So Jason, this might be a good time to talk about that.	00:07:51
	Engineering stuff and if you guys remembering off but the Jason's similar here and worked with Paige and.	00:07:57
	That's exactly right. We didn't notice, you know, last year that.	00:08:03
	Your 2022 bonds are going to be maturing.	00:08:07
	This year it'll be making your last payment, so if you do nothing.	00:08:11
	That tax rate that's in place right now will fall off.	00:08:15
	So I think this is what you said you've done in the past is in order to kind of keep the tax rate level.	00:08:21
	I think you've done this in the past, something that you may want to consider doing again.	00:08:28
	This year is issuing another bond.	00:08:32
	To account.	00:08:36
	For that tax rate falling off.	00:08:38
	And we can do that. And you probably do this in the past and a lot of communities are doing this to help fund.	00:08:40
	A lot of their capital projects.	00:08:46
	So if there's any capital projects that you.	00:08:48
	You know that, you know you have that you're going to have here next couple of years.	00:08:51
	Umm that are maybe one time expenses. We could fund it from this bond.	00:08:55
	Or if there's any capital expenses that you may would have normally included in your budget?	00:09:00
	For 2026, we can take that out of your budget, like your general fund or?	00:09:06
	You know, Kim Fun or whatever funds.	00:09:11
	And pay for those out of this bond issue and then that will free that revenue up for to help cover operating costs.	00:09:13
	That might now be more difficult to cover because of the.	00:09:21
	Proposed legislation.	00:09:24
	Wow, we got a lot of moving pieces here.	00:09:27
	Lots of moving pieces.	00:09:30
	That was the intent. Before. When that was passed, I wasn't on the council yet, but it went into effect when I came on the council	00:09:32
	and it was supposed to be the agreement that the council wasn't going to get funds back from the commissioners, but they reneged	00:09:37
	on that deal, so it cost us.	00:09:41
	500,000 over each three years, so a million and a half dollars. So I I think kind of what Matt to understand this situation	00:09:45
	because understanding we lost those revenues and the intent was passing is to help us since we're losing those revenues.	00:09:53
	And that it can be rolled over into capitals, but the commissioners would offset that some some way else. But they never did it.	00:10:00
	They never Matt. What he means is us and them is.	00:10:05
	At the usually the commissioners pay for capital.	00:10:10
	So and then we pay for operating.	00:10:13
	So they got the capital go Mon money.	00:10:17
	And there was some.	00:10:21
	Words exchanged that they that was going to be some money given back to us, but that never.	00:10:23
	Did occur.	00:10:29
	And because we didn't pass a resolution, yeah, I'm still in favor of looking at this and but I think our the language or the OR	00:10:30
	the way it's drawn up is going to look a lot different than it did.	00:10:35
	Well, I think there's so many moving parts here that we're going to need a lot of help page.	00:10:40
	Lot of help, there's so many moving parts.	00:10:44
	There, there really is and.	00:10:49
	Something else too is there's a House Bill 1461 has to do with Rd. funding and right now the way it's written it says that.	00:10:51
	Basically, you have to adopt A real tax in order to continue to get the community crossing screen. Wow.	00:10:59
	Yeah. So they're trying to push it back on you to adopt as many taxes as possible.	00:11:09
	But that's something that we can help you determine how much revenue that would generate if you adopt that wheel. That's again the	00:11:15
	way it's written right now. It could change, but that that would be commissioners, correct?	00:11:21
	I believe it is, Commissioner, you know, Jason, is that commissioners, I think.	00:11:29
	It is right? I think it is, but I just have to verify that too. But.	00:11:33
	But any new toxis has to go through the camp.	00:11:38
	Council doesn't it for approval, no.	00:11:41
	Not all depends on how the legislation was written.	00:11:44
	I'll have to look at that. I can't remember if it's council.	00:11:48
	It doesn't matter, but yeah, regardless.	00:11:53
	The county would have. I mean, they're gonna.	00:11:57
	It I don't like this legislation, I think it's ridiculous to withhold community Crossing grant funds unless you adopt this tax.	00:12:00
	However, that's that's the reality of it.	00:12:07
	Alyssa, this is all bad.	00:12:11
	Over the past few years, we've seen more and more.	00:12:14
	State legislation and rulings that are pushing.	00:12:17
	More financial burden onto the local.	00:12:26
	Taxing units and this just continues. I mean, it just continues.	00:12:29
	Yeah, I think.	00:12:34
	I think when we've heard this from I think David Barth and, you know, other, you know not.	00:12:36
	Association of counties and also you know, association of seasoned towns and I know you guys have already increased your local	00:12:41
	income tax.	00:12:45
	The last couple years, but.	00:12:49
	I think really what legislators are are telling us.	00:12:51
	Is that, hey, we've given you a tool. I'm not saying I agree with what they're saying, but I think what they're telling.	00:12:55
	Is that? Hey, we've given you a tool.	00:13:01
	And that's local income tax. And we've given you a ceiling of, you know, 2 1/2 percent.	00:13:04
	So don't come to asking for more money until you've hit that ceiling and.	00:13:09
	Because we're taking all these other, you know, cuts, you know, from here and there.	00:13:15
	We've given you the tool to increase your revenue by increasing your local income tax.	00:13:19
	So to your point, they're forcing you.	00:13:23
	Really, to get to that math, acts of 2 1/2 percent on the expenditure rate is what they're doing, yeah.	00:13:26
	CS GO for sure.	00:13:32
	So that's where the big things as far as legislation is concerned. There's some other things out there. We're going to keep	00:13:37
	monitoring it if we find something that.	00:13:41
	We feel that would be beneficial for you to know. Absolutely. We're going to put that out there for you. And we've launched	00:13:46
	something today. It should have went out in an e-mail.	00:13:51
	It's a legislative kind of summary on our website.	00:13:55
	I think your auditor may have gotten an e-mail about it and it is just going to try to keep up to date on the legislation so.	00:14:00
	Again, we're monitoring it. We'll we'll make sure we build it in and build the information into any sort of financial analysis	00:14:08
	that we do.	00:14:12
	The other thing I want to talk to you about capital develop.	00:14:17
	Go ahead. I'm sorry. This is Matt Millies.	00:14:20
	It's a pleasure to meet you.	00:14:23
	Do you guys have any sense on timing on any of that legislation? Is portions of it moving faster than others or do you guys have	00:14:25
	any sense from the state what's going on for timing?	00:14:31
	I don't. I'm gonna say it's not gonna be over until the last day of legislative session. Senate Bill one, which is the property	00:14:38
	tax relief. I think that's moving pretty quickly. I don't know that any of it's passed yet.	00:14:45
	And you just never know what these things because sometimes.	00:14:52
	People try to stick things in at the very end into some of these bills.	00:14:56
	So I really don't know about timing other than they've got all the way up until the end of April on some of these things, but we	00:15:00
	will see some sort of property tax relief.	00:15:06
	I don't know that that Senate bill once is going to change much.	00:15:11
	It remains to be seen, but.	00:15:16
	You know, I don't think it's going to go away. I think we're going to see some sort of property tax relief and it is going to have	00:15:19
	a negative impact, unfortunately.	00:15:22
	On local governments, what's much, much less impact than when it started?	00:15:26
	Well, actually, yeah.	00:15:32
	That is very true. That is very, very true. Like I said, the last couple of weeks there's really been a lot of changes where some	00:15:34
	of it's been stripped out.	00:15:38
	And it is to the better, but still, you know, not not a good impact.	00:15:42
	Painting everybody here. I was just reading this morning. Capital Chronicles states that Braun is prepared to veto that bill if	00:15:49
	they don't pass in its original version.	00:15:53
	And that's another fight.	00:15:58
	And it's an original version that is another fight. And and then I did hear that as well.	00:15:59
	That'll be very interesting to see what happens.	00:16:06
	If he insists that there's no, that's another fight.	00:16:12
	They'll have to come back in May. Yeah, come back in May and override it is another.	00:16:17
	Wow, yeah, it'll be interesting to see I.	00:16:22
	Politically, I think that that'd be a mistake on this part, but.	00:16:26
	I just, I don't know, it'll be interesting. Very.	00:16:32
	Very interesting.	00:16:35
	The other thing I want to talk to you about was the Q Capital Development Fund. I did talk to your attorney about this, and she	00:16:40
	was drawing up some paperwork or something. She was going to talk to the commissioner, so I don't know.	00:16:45
	If that's moving forward, you have or the commissioners have until the end of May. We talked about this yesterday, yeah.	00:16:50
	We had a we had a joint meeting with, we had a joint meeting with commissioners yesterday and they.	00:16:57
	They're going to take it up in their next meeting.	00:17:02
	I'm sure you talked to Christy.	00:17:04
	That's the commissioners, Yes, again. Yeah, yeah.	00:17:06
	The commissioner's attorney, do we have to approve that rate?	00:17:09
	Or is this?	00:17:14
	A commissioner only.	00:17:15
	So the Commissioners will.	00:17:19
	Of Max. But then during budget time, the council will have to approve the rate.	00:17:22
	OK, that's kind of what I thought that I couldn't remember exactly how that went.	00:17:27
	And this was a phased in and had to start at half.	00:17:32
	And then, yeah, it was, it was a phased in, phased in, right. So this would be the last.	00:17:35
	Phase and it will generate another probably about 700,000 for you. So that's good and it can be used for pretty much any capital.	00:17:41
	Expenditure that you can think of. So once you've reestablished this, you'll never have to reestablish it again unless the	00:17:48
	legislation changes so.	00:17:52
	That'll put you in good shape there. You won't have to mess with that right anymore.	00:17:57
	So those were the main things I really wanted to talk about. Again, this was just a touch base, see how you all were doing. We've	00:18:03
	got a good idea of kind of what you're planning for this year.	00:18:08
	We'll send you an agreement for the.	00:18:15
	Covers the financial plan update.	00:18:19
	And again that will lead right into budget season that should be extremely helpful for for you all and the auditor to.	00:18:21
	To prepare the budget.	00:18:30
	This year I have a couple more questions I know in our talks here in the county and workshops.	00:18:32
	There's been some discussion about the net neutral.	00:18:40
	Tax again.	00:18:46
	The getting rid of the PRT. It's PRT still going to be.	00:18:48
	In existence after this is all over.	00:18:53
	And then putting in jail lead and the judicial Ed.	00:18:57
	I don't know if that's still on the table with everybody.	00:19:00
	Or if it's not.	00:19:04
	I want to bring that up.	00:19:07
	I was told the PR team may look very different after.	00:19:09
	This session, but I haven't got an update on that.	00:19:12
	So do you know anything, Paige?	00:19:15
	Yeah, I recall seeing something in there, but.	00:19:18
	I think it's still going to be around. I don't think that's been eliminated. The property tax replacement credit, the local income	00:19:22
	tax, property tax replacement credit.	00:19:25
	I know for for all of you, we were gonna.	00:19:30
	Do an analysis. As soon as we get the circuit breaker information in for 2025, we're going to do an analysis to see what it would	00:19:32
	look like if we eliminated that.	00:19:36
	For you.	00:19:41
	But as far as I know it has not been eliminated.	00:19:44
	And the current proposed legislation, but we'll keep looking at it. I know it was in a.	00:19:48
	Previous version might have been in Seneca one but.	00:19:54
	I I don't think it's eliminated right now at this point.	00:19:59
	So Paige for me.	00:20:02
	There's so many moving parts here.	00:20:04
	Yes, what I think I need to see, even before we put a new comprehensive plan together, is all the options.	00:20:08
	And the impact of each of those options on the revenue stream?	00:20:18
	To the county, but also the impact on the.	00:20:24
	Our constituents.	00:20:29
	And I'm talking about CDC. I'm talking about the Gond.	00:20:31
	Whether we do that or whether we don't.	00:20:37
	I I'm even talking about the new fire territories and the impact that that's going to have.	00:20:39
	And and and I know we.	00:20:47
	I keep saying we're not, we're not responsible for that, but at the end of the day, I think we do have to approve that, right?	00:20:50
	Right.	00:20:58
	Yes, you yes, during budget time like if they approve this new.	00:21:00
	Expanded fire territory then at budget time, yes, you will approve their budget. So I'm talking about that. That's three things.	00:21:06
	And then this net neutral.	00:21:10
	Situation.	00:21:16
	I would like to know about.	00:21:18
	That as well.	00:21:20
	If that even is a possibility. And maybe you can't even do a lot of these things until the session is over, I don't know.	00:21:23
	And then I would like to for us to get together and talk about all those.	00:21:30
	Moving parts and decide what we want to put into a.	00:21:35
	A5 year plan outlook.	00:21:41
	That's the way I would like to see this go down. I don't know what other people are are thinking.	00:21:44
	Honestly, at this point I would even have one more request and that is.	00:21:50
	Taking my last point on my e-mail to you and that is taking the.	00:21:57
	Public safety tax back from 5 down to 2.5 and putting in.	00:22:02
	The jail lit and the judicial it and what the impact of that is to the county and what the impact of that is to the.	00:22:07
	To the taxpayers, I mean, there are.	00:22:14
	At least five different moving parts here.	00:22:17
	For our taxpayers and also for county revenue streams, there's more than 5 because commissioners have decisions to make 2 that.	00:22:21
	We're going to have to deal with.	00:22:30
	So, umm.	00:22:31
	Yeah.	00:22:33
	Yeah, I think we as a council need to.	00:22:36
	I mean, this estimated fund balance report we got, I mean we need something much more detailed to this. And I already look at this	00:22:39
	and I've.	00:22:43
	Question some of these things already. I think Denise said the Community Foundation numbers are pretty low. They're half million	00:22:47
	dollar, they're about half $1,000,000 short. And who knows what the stock market is going to do in the next 5 years. But I think	00:22:53
	we at least keep it flat from what we know 2020. And our forecast needs to adjust some of these things because our year in balance	00:23:00
	for the general fund was half $1,000,000 better than estimated. So we need to revise these budget numbers in with that.	00:23:06
	Even the.	00:23:13
	The jail was was less than what the estimates were.	00:23:16
	I mean, riverboat funds, we need to take that in. That's a, that's an income source.	00:23:19
	I think all of this needs to come together before we can start.	00:23:24
	Making any decisions, especially like.	00:23:27
	I thought we were supposed to be looking at something on our next council meeting. I don't see how we can do any of this.	00:23:29
	Until we really have a hand on what where we're at and what where our true.	00:23:34
	Estimates are going to be. That's the other question I wanted to ask you. Is there any hurry in distributing?	00:23:39
	In in moving funds around, I mean.	00:23:45
	There's no reason for us to move $2,000,000 out of that.	00:23:51
	Out of the general fund.	00:23:55
	Next month we can wait till May and do that after we get.	00:23:57
	The revised budget, right? Or there's something I'm missing?	00:24:02
	I don't think there should be a hurry, in fact.	00:24:06
	I would slow down a little bit because we do have that pending legislation. We don't even know what it's going to be unless you're	00:24:09
	running out of money in the general. I don't think there's a hurry to do that yet.	00:24:14
	I think we, I agree with all of you, we need to get a good handle on your finances and it's only, you know, the end of February	00:24:20
	right now we need to get.	00:24:24
	You know, umm.	00:24:29
	A really good handle on your cash flows, your finances, how you ended 2024.	00:24:31
	We haven't really dug into that yet.	00:24:36
	I think some of these things though, these options, we can start working on those individually and say, OK, here's what the fire	00:24:39
	territory does to you, here's CCD phone, here's what general obligation bond will.	00:24:46
	Will do for you and your constituents. Like some of these little pieces. I think we can do those individually as we wait to see	00:24:52
	what happens in the legislative session.	00:24:57
	So I don't think you should be in a hurry. We are helping some other counties and municipalities and we are kind of.	00:25:02
	We're building the model, but we're kind of taking a slowdown approach because we need to see what comes out of the legislative	00:25:09
	session because that could really.	00:25:13
	Make some big changes and I don't we don't want to waste a whole bunch of time trying to finalize cash flows when.	00:25:18
	There's still a bunch of moving parts. Yeah. So we, we can work on these little, we can work on these little buckets of items, you	00:25:25
	know, to see how they impact individually and then we can roll those into the financial plan as we get additional information.	00:25:32
	Matt, did you have something?	00:25:42
	No, I was just gonna reiterate. I mean, just from my perspective, I feel like we have some fundamental.	00:25:43
	Things wrong.	00:25:50
	In our county finances and I really want to see us get those corrected. I understand that rushing to do that but.	00:25:51
	You know some of our operating at, you know.	00:25:58
	A million and a half plus.	00:26:02
	Negative in our general fund, I mean.	00:26:04
	We're not. We're not a million and a half.	00:26:07
	Negative in our general plan.	00:26:09
	Or not. Can we take a look at those on the screen page, page. Yeah, let me see if I can pull those up. We have $4 million at the	00:26:11
	end of the year. I'm talking about where we came in last year, but.	00:26:18
	I know that the number was the the.	00:26:25
	What was projected right, but we still overspent by a million and 1/2, right.	00:26:27
	No, no, we didn't. We didn't even flat, but still.	00:26:32
	We didn't even spend our whole budget last year.	00:26:37
	Go ahead. No.	00:26:39
	No, we did not.	00:26:42
	I'm pretty sure.	00:26:44
	I wish the auditor.	00:26:45
	We're on.	00:26:48
	OK, I can. You know what I think I can pull a spreadsheet up and tell you.	00:26:49
	But I'm pretty sure we did not.	00:26:54
	Work like so you have a quick projection there.	00:26:58
	Here's the general funds.	00:27:03
	It's on 2 pages.	00:27:06
	OK, so here's 2024 you actually.	00:27:09
	Added to your cash reserve in 2024 by 338,000 so you didn't spend the whole budget that you had budgeted.	00:27:12
	You ended with a $4 million.	00:27:20
	Cash balance at a 20% cash reserve, that's pretty good. And, and, and Matt, let me explain a little bit of that. I think I can	00:27:23
	explain the biggest chunk of that was in our.	00:27:28
	Our health.	00:27:34
	Care Fund or.	00:27:36
	Our medical fund.	00:27:38
	We went you SO two years ago.	00:27:40
	We started self funding.	00:27:42
	And it has saved us a tremendous amount of money.	00:27:45
	And so the biggest piece of that, and not all of it.	00:27:49
	But the biggest piece of that is, is that.	00:27:53
	Matt, maybe what you're thinking is what we know what's ahead this year is the EMS funding is almost 1.4 million now that's a new	00:27:57
	expense we didn't have last year's refunded.	00:28:02
	Partially through the year and we funded it through other, you know, through some money out of Community Foundation and some other	00:28:08
	funds we have. But this year, now it's got to come somewhere else. And maybe that's what you're thinking, right? We're just now	00:28:12
	experiencing that this year.	00:28:16
	And we did need to pass a tax to cover 1.4 million, but we didn't need to pass a tax for 6,000,006 and a half million.	00:28:20
	I don't know why we did that, to be quite honest.	00:28:29
	But umm.	00:28:32
	Yeah, there's that's where we're at.	00:28:34
	Well, and I guess I going back to my original point.	00:28:37
	I just I feel like.	00:28:40
	From all of my experiences, I want to be a little more proactive about.	00:28:42
	Going at these things rather than reactive.	00:28:47
	And, and I'll just tell you before I got on the council.	00:28:50
	We weren't even doing five year projections, we were just going budget year to budget year.	00:28:56
	And it's in the last six to eight years.	00:29:01
	Six years, I'd say.	00:29:04
	That about right stands that we have actually tried to be proactive and actually put plans together where we could anticipate.	00:29:06
	What our expenses are?	00:29:14
	Out into a five year projection. So I feel like we really have done taken some major steps forward.	00:29:16
	And being proactive in the last five years.	00:29:25
	And putting some new revenue streams in place, we put the judicial.	00:29:30
	Stream in place to help our.	00:29:35
	Who were falling short?	00:29:38
	We put the jail let in place.	00:29:40
	Again, because we didn't have enough money.	00:29:43
	To sustain all of the expenses of running a jail.	00:29:46
	And so we have been very proactive.	00:29:52
	In not only projecting.	00:29:55
	And but in anticipating.	00:29:58
	Revenue shortfalls, but also in putting those revenue shortfalls in putting those new revenue streams in place to to shore us up.	00:30:01
	So.	00:30:12
	I completely agree with you. We need to continue to do that thing.	00:30:15
	But let's I mean.	00:30:20
	We are flat this this.	00:30:22
	Ending balance does have rainy day.	00:30:25
	No, this isn't a rainy day. This isn't a rainy day not included in this one. So look at the no, this is just the general look at	00:30:29
	the projections going out.	00:30:33
	27 shows us.	00:30:38
	Spending into cash 28 and 29. But it's wrong because the there's another half, $1,000,000 each year.	00:30:40
	That is not in this projection that needs to be. So it's not until we get to the end of this five year plan period where we're	00:30:49
	actually eating into our cash.	00:30:54
	Even with these projections now? Are these projections correct?	00:30:58
	I do think we need to shore up some things.	00:31:03
	But just given that.	00:31:05
	We are not sure.	00:31:09
	Where's the extra half a million that you just referenced? Well, the Community Foundation spend rate she's got in here at 3.5.	00:31:11
	Yep, we already got a an e-mail from Linda, from Linda Speed from the Community Camp Foundation giving us the actual dollars that	00:31:18
	we will receive.	00:31:24
	Which are going to be 3.9.	00:31:31
	I've got it in this e-mail I sent out.	00:31:34
	So.	00:31:37
	It's it's almost a half $1,000,000 short and that is a half $1,000,000 for each year if you hold that flat.	00:31:39
	Now we don't know what the stock market is going to do. Do you want me to tell you?	00:31:46
	Yeah, I'd love to know 'cause I could use that information.	00:31:49
	I don't know. That one doesn't even close. The riverboat funding wasn't it that's that's over a $200,000 net.	00:31:54
	Doesn't include this adjustment. We're talking for the employee benefits to healthcare. It doesn't it's the expenses are.	00:32:01
	Too high right now in this forecast and so once that's revised rainy day. So it really alters this dramatically.	00:32:08
	But it does that. There are some other things that I feel like need to be included in here, for instance.	00:32:14
	We need to pay the interest on the new ban that we agreed to for lifetime. That needs to be in here. If it's going to come out of	00:32:21
	this, I sincerely think it needs to come out of the edit fund because that's where it belongs.	00:32:26
	But we need probably need to even manipulate manipulate. That's not a good.	00:32:33
	Working. That's a fun word.	00:32:38
	It is.	00:32:39
	Some of the numbers and because there's some operating expenses in the edit fund that I think we should take and absorb back into	00:32:42
	the operating expenses.	00:32:47
	They were moved out at periods.	00:32:52
	Over the last five years, do you have a page in the your CFP that has like all the funds listed on one page then kind of like as a	00:32:54
	total?	00:32:58
	In the older CF, yes. In the previous CFP I don't have a pool.	00:33:03
	Yeah.	00:33:08
	Yeah, we had a page where we tried to summarize all that because.	00:33:09
	These funds are kind of interconnected well and even when even since I've been on the council.	00:33:13
	Which is now going on 8 years. It's hard to believe but.	00:33:20
	The general fund used to have nearly all the operating costs for the county in the general fund. Now those operating costs are	00:33:24
	spread out amongst 3, amongst 4, at least 4.	00:33:30
	Different.	00:33:37
	Different funds.	00:33:40
	And it's it's.	00:33:42
	We can't just look at the general fund anymore, we've got to be looking at.	00:33:44
	The jail lit fund, we've got to be looking at the traditional lit fund.	00:33:49
	It's those those those operating expenses have been.	00:33:54
	Dispersed.	00:34:00
	Into other accounts. Into other funds.	00:34:01
	And I don't think it's fair to just look at the general fund anymore.	00:34:05
	Paige, please.	00:34:10
	You know, pipe in.	00:34:11
	And I completely agree. Yeah, I completely agree with that.	00:34:13
	Yeah.	00:34:19
	Funds gonna be short.	00:34:20
	We know that's short. Yeah, it's short. And so is the edit fund an edit short? Yep.	00:34:22
	So I think we have a lot of work to do here.	00:34:31
	In the next few months.	00:34:34
	Trying to figure out.	00:34:36
	Give you some good go forward assumptions.	00:34:37
	To go on and then let you produce that.	00:34:41
	That.	00:34:46
	Yeah, OK.	00:34:49
	All right. Well, we will send over scope of service, just an updated scope of service and then we can get started on working on	00:34:54
	these, the impacts of some of these revenue options that you have.	00:35:00
	And I'd like to see all of them brought together so that we understand if we do.	00:35:07
	You know if we do.	00:35:14
	A&B This is the impact if we do A and C if we do AB and C.	00:35:16
	You know.	00:35:21
	Yeah, you know what I'm saying to you?	00:35:23
	We may have to have you here on in in our room at some point with the big white board and just go through all that.	00:35:25
	OK.	00:35:33
	Sure.	00:35:34
	Anybody have anything else? Any other questions? Jason, do you have any other comments?	00:35:38
	I guess if you are thinking about, you know, potentially doing a bond issue.	00:35:42
	You know, I guess kind of keep.	00:35:48
	That in the back of your mind, as far as what?	00:35:50
	Capital projects that you might want to fund.	00:35:53
	And I think.	00:35:56
	What might be helpful as?	00:35:58
	We determined, you know, all the new legislation that's going to, you know, come.	00:36:00
	Into fruition. Once you figure out that impact, if you're looking at the CCD fund, you know all these other things that you do	00:36:05
	have control over.	00:36:09
	You know, once we kind of get the, you know, when the dust settles and this is the impact the taxpayers.	00:36:13
	Then we can look at OK, if we, if you want us to, we can look at.	00:36:18
	And if you have the need to issue a bond, we can also add that on top of.	00:36:22
	The overall impact.	00:36:26
	If you want us to.	00:36:28
	I agree And and is our do we looking at any timetables that are going to push us?	00:36:30
	Are most of those towards the end of the year?	00:36:38
	As far As for a bond issue, for a bond issue to get the tax rate in place for next year in 2026.	00:36:42
	We have to close on the bonds by the end of the year.	00:36:51
	So December 31.	00:36:54
	But I mean.	00:36:56
	As you know, the bond process takes, you know, 3-4 months.	00:36:57
	So that's fall.	00:37:00
	For local income tax, as you know, if you want to make a change there, it's by October 31st, October 31st, OK. We have a plethora	00:37:02
	of capital projects, so that won't be an issue. Not an issue at all. Maybe deciding on one or yeah.	00:37:10
	So and I will tell you your tax rate.	00:37:18
	I looked while we were on the call and your tax rates like under a penny.	00:37:22
	Just because when you issue those tax rates a few years ago, your tax base has been growing.	00:37:26
	And your annual payments been roughly that 500,000 every year, so as your tax base grows.	00:37:30
	That tax rate that you originally implemented a couple of years ago is probably, you know, a penny pay and a half, 2 pennies.	00:37:35
	And that's it's a decrease to less than opinion because your tax base has grown.	00:37:42
	So I bring that up is because tax rates or tax bases have grown so much the last 2-3 years.	00:37:45
	That it's hard to.	00:37:53
	Generate the same amount of bonds and keep the tax rate level because your tax rates decrease somewhat from what it was originally	00:37:57
	when you did the bonds.	00:38:00
	So we can talk more about that, but.	00:38:04
	I just did want to bring that up that your tax rates not very much this year.	00:38:07
	But that's good. I mean, for for residents, you know, we can do a calculation that says OK, because of all these changes that the	00:38:13
	legislators made.	00:38:17
	Homeowners might see a net decrease in tax rate next year.	00:38:21
	So if you were to increase the.	00:38:25
	Debt service tax rate, they may not really see the impact because of all the.	00:38:26
	Which which is what I would love to be able to say. It's what I was getting at throughout this whole conversation.	00:38:30
	Of having all the options and then understanding.	00:38:38
	What the impacts are, yeah.	00:38:41
	It yeah, if we can just say to our taxpayers, yeah, they've pushed it all down to the local level.	00:38:43
	But we're keeping your tax rate flat.	00:38:50
	So yeah, those you, you, you're right on a target for.	00:38:54
	What I think we need to.	00:39:00
	To go with a message to our constituents.	00:39:02
	Yeah.	00:39:07
	All right, well, I'll be looking for.	00:39:09
	The e-mail.	00:39:11
	And we'll get that out, OK.	00:39:12
	Work on getting that approved and back to you and.	00:39:15
	We'll go from there, so.	00:39:19
	Everybody keeps their calendars clear for.	00:39:20
	July and August.	00:39:23
	Maybe. Maybe June.	00:39:25
	Will be a lot to go over and say June, July, Yeah, there's gonna be a.	00:39:28
	A lot of information to dice up and a lot of decisions to be made so.	00:39:34
	Can we do it in my backyard?	00:39:37
	All right. Thank you.	00:39:41
	Thank you very much.	00:39:44
	Aye, bye, bye.	00:39:46
	Is everybody OK scrapping from the agenda the the movement?	00:39:56
	I do think we need to appropriate the money.	00:40:01
	OK.	00:40:05
	I do think we need to appropriate the money that we're spending.	00:40:06
	For the EMS contracts and it's going to be in the fund that it's in, I think.	00:40:11
	OK. So are you talking about the public safety?	00:40:17
	Yes, that we're going to scrap removing the money into it right now. Well, now we're talking about do we want to?	00:40:21
	Move the EMS contract there because we know that's going to be there.	00:40:27
	So.	00:40:31
	And I don't want to take a vote here, but.	00:40:33
	Is that the direction we're looking at is holding off on the big movement only moving the contract contractual?	00:40:37
	But we're not moving that money, we're leaving it in the public safety.	00:40:42
	We're just creating.	00:40:47
	Are we creating a new fund for that or we is it going to stay?	00:40:50
	Oh, OK, it's a new fund. OK, OK, I.	00:40:55
	I guess I'm missing.	00:40:58
	I had to send the revised ad.	00:41:00
	I'm not sure if they'll let they'll.	00:41:03
	It might be. It might make it into the advertisement or.	00:41:04
	The breakdown we had before.	00:41:08
	That if those numbers are going to change then.	00:41:10
	As long as we have enough money to appropriate.	00:41:14
	If we have to do it in April, if we have to do it in April, we'll do it in April. Just look into it and we'll.	00:41:18
	But we, yeah, well, I just have the brakes on the on the big movements just yeah, I totally agree. I mean, we've got an EMS	00:41:22
	contract. It's got to be paid this year. It's already being paid. It's just not appropriated.	00:41:29
	And I really think it should be.	00:41:36
	Yeah, it's being paid.	00:41:39
	Oh, it's definitely been, yeah.	00:41:41
	Sure it would fund. It's being paid out. Yeah. I don't know where you're not.	00:41:44
	OK.	00:41:55
	Very well.	00:41:56
	All right.	00:41:59
	Good meeting.	00:42:01
	That's why that's right.	00:42:04
	Absolutely.	00:42:05
	We are done.	00:42:06

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Agenda
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	OK, so.	00:00:04
	Every year around this time, we like to connect with our clients just to kind of start the new year with with.	00:00:07
	What things are you looking at as far as?	00:00:15
	Projects or challenges or opportunities?	00:00:19
	I've got the slide show up on my screen. We're just going to kind of go with a.	00:00:22
	Really casually, I really want this to be a back and forth conversation. I know right now probably one of your concerns is.	00:00:27
	Proposed legislation out there, and I will talk a little more specifically about that here in a few minutes.	00:00:35
	That should be a pretty big concern.	00:00:42
	There's a lot of things going on out there that will directly impact revenues for local government.	00:00:45
	But beyond that?	00:00:52
	And again, I will talk a little bit about that, but I just want to hear from you all like what, what do you have going on this	00:00:54
	year? How can we better provide services to you? What, what are some projects you're thinking of, if any? I know there was some	00:00:59
	suggestion that you might want to look at.	00:01:04
	Perhaps.	00:01:10
	Reducing maybe your public safety local income tax.	00:01:11
	So just kind of let us know what things you're looking at for this year.	00:01:16
	Well, I think.	00:01:22
	You've hit on the.	00:01:24
	The two main things, one is proposed legislation and the other is umm.	00:01:25
	Our added revenue with the.	00:01:30
	Public safety.	00:01:33
	That was put in.	00:01:34
	We've looked at moving.	00:01:37
	Around $2,000,000 out of the general fund into that.	00:01:39
	We've got some proposed holdover in case, you know, we're waiting on the commissioners to make a decision on.	00:01:45
	EMS service.	00:01:52
	There's a possibility we may have to have money for capital.	00:01:55
	If we do a county owned and operated.	00:01:58
	System and if not then.	00:02:01
	We'll see.	00:02:04
	You know what the what the future cost is in that area, so.	00:02:05
	That's that's our main areas of concern this year. We have some.	00:02:11
	Some lingering.	00:02:18
	Budget concerns of.	00:02:21
	Departments that.	00:02:23
	May need some help like Parks Department.	00:02:26
	I'm sure there's other.	00:02:31
	Others along the way that.	00:02:33
	But that's that's the main one that I can think of that's kind of been.	00:02:36
	Held off for quite a while so.	00:02:40
	OK. Well that all sounds sounds good.	00:02:46
	We. We would.	00:02:50
	We would like to update your comprehensive financial plan, and I think that's going to cover some of these things like #1.	00:02:52
	The legislative changes, we've got a long legislative session this year. It goes through the end of April.	00:03:00
	Whatever comes out of that, we would like to run that through your comprehensive financial plan to see how it's going to impact	00:03:06
	you as far as.	00:03:10
	As the revenues go, it's also going to help you obviously with budgeting.	00:03:14
	So, you know, if we can get that updated maybe towards the end of May, that will take us right in the budget season and that will	00:03:20
	help us determine as far as shifting those costs from general to public safety number one, also trying to figure out how we can	00:03:26
	better help the Parks Department.	00:03:32
	Uh, meet their funding requirements.	00:03:39
	So, and I know I did update a couple funds for you, but again we suggest that we update all of the funds so that you can get a	00:03:42
	better picture of what's happening in the county.	00:03:48
	So we we would like to move forward with at least starting to update that model and then we can finish it up as the legislative	00:03:56
	session then comes to a close.	00:04:00
	Page, are you looking for approval to do that or?	00:04:07
	Your or are you just, yes, I mean Denise is we can go ahead and send you an updated agreement, an updated scope of service, OK for	00:04:10
	that.	00:04:15
	Yeah, yeah. Send us that and we'll.	00:04:19
	We'll get that.	00:04:22
	Decided.	00:04:26
	At our next meeting.	00:04:28
	So just and you may already know some of this, but here's some of the legislative changes that are out there right now. Senate	00:04:32
	Bill One has gone through some some pretty big changes over the last two weeks, but here's what we know right now.	00:04:38
	So as far as property tax relief.	00:04:45
	Cynical one is limiting the levy growth quotient so that levy growth on your maximum levy each year. Right now the limit is 0% in	00:04:48
	2026, so no growth in 2026.	00:04:56
	1% growth in 2027.	00:05:03
	2% growth in 2028.	00:05:07
	And then the years.	00:05:10
	After the maximum levy growth quotient is going to be based on a formula. It's a pretty complicated formula.	00:05:12
	But what we could tell right now is that probably in 2029 and going forward, we'll see levy growth between 3%.	00:05:19
	And four point 3%, so not very much growth.	00:05:28
	For Floyd County, just your unit. This is not county wide. This is just the Floyd County unit.	00:05:32
	We're looking at a loss in revenue for you of about 469,000 and 2026.	00:05:38
	Almost 900,000 in 2027.	00:05:45
	And then 1.2 million in 2028.	00:05:49
	So we're going to have some challenging times for for budgeting coming up here in the next couple years.	00:05:53
	So I have a couple questions about that.	00:06:00
	Yeah, go ahead. What?	00:06:03
	What? How does that help the the individual taxpayers employed county?	00:06:04
	So how that how that helps is that they're not going to see much of an increase to their property tax bill.	00:06:11
	Because it's not going to say we just won't go up.	00:06:19
	Then they would see an increase in their tax bill. OK, it's not going to go down. So this helps it not go up.	00:06:24
	I think that's what we're going to see. Yes, absolutely. Now there's also some things happening with deductions like on your, on	00:06:32
	your net assessed value. So that's going to help the taxpayer as well.	00:06:38
	There's some additional deductions for over 65 and some some other deductions going on there as well. So I agree with you Denise,	00:06:45
	I think it's just gonna.	00:06:50
	Perhaps limit the growth on your tax bill, but not necessarily reduce it.	00:06:55
	Some kind of remains seen.	00:07:02
	Did you have another question, follow up question on that? Yeah.	00:07:07
	So.	00:07:12
	Should we be thinking about putting in a go bond here?	00:07:14
	Because we know our tax growth is much.	00:07:19
	It's going to be much bigger. Well, it's going to be bigger than 0 for sure, right? It's going to be much bigger than that.	00:07:25
	And I know we've done this before and I think that rose off this year.	00:07:32
	Yeah, sure. You're ahead of me on that. In fact, I'll just go to that. This is why Jason is on is because yes, you have.	00:07:36
	A series 2022 Geo Bond that's maturing at the end of this year.	00:07:45
	And I think Jason was going to kind of talk a little bit about that. So Jason, this might be a good time to talk about that.	00:07:51
	Engineering stuff and if you guys remembering off but the Jason's similar here and worked with Paige and.	00:07:57
	That's exactly right. We didn't notice, you know, last year that.	00:08:03
	Your 2022 bonds are going to be maturing.	00:08:07
	This year it'll be making your last payment, so if you do nothing.	00:08:11
	That tax rate that's in place right now will fall off.	00:08:15
	So I think this is what you said you've done in the past is in order to kind of keep the tax rate level.	00:08:21
	I think you've done this in the past, something that you may want to consider doing again.	00:08:28
	This year is issuing another bond.	00:08:32
	To account.	00:08:36
	For that tax rate falling off.	00:08:38
	And we can do that. And you probably do this in the past and a lot of communities are doing this to help fund.	00:08:40
	A lot of their capital projects.	00:08:46
	So if there's any capital projects that you.	00:08:48
	You know that, you know you have that you're going to have here next couple of years.	00:08:51
	Umm that are maybe one time expenses. We could fund it from this bond.	00:08:55
	Or if there's any capital expenses that you may would have normally included in your budget?	00:09:00
	For 2026, we can take that out of your budget, like your general fund or?	00:09:06
	You know, Kim Fun or whatever funds.	00:09:11
	And pay for those out of this bond issue and then that will free that revenue up for to help cover operating costs.	00:09:13
	That might now be more difficult to cover because of the.	00:09:21
	Proposed legislation.	00:09:24
	Wow, we got a lot of moving pieces here.	00:09:27
	Lots of moving pieces.	00:09:30
	That was the intent. Before. When that was passed, I wasn't on the council yet, but it went into effect when I came on the council	00:09:32
	and it was supposed to be the agreement that the council wasn't going to get funds back from the commissioners, but they reneged	00:09:37
	on that deal, so it cost us.	00:09:41
	500,000 over each three years, so a million and a half dollars. So I I think kind of what Matt to understand this situation	00:09:45
	because understanding we lost those revenues and the intent was passing is to help us since we're losing those revenues.	00:09:53
	And that it can be rolled over into capitals, but the commissioners would offset that some some way else. But they never did it.	00:10:00
	They never Matt. What he means is us and them is.	00:10:05
	At the usually the commissioners pay for capital.	00:10:10
	So and then we pay for operating.	00:10:13
	So they got the capital go Mon money.	00:10:17
	And there was some.	00:10:21
	Words exchanged that they that was going to be some money given back to us, but that never.	00:10:23
	Did occur.	00:10:29
	And because we didn't pass a resolution, yeah, I'm still in favor of looking at this and but I think our the language or the OR	00:10:30
	the way it's drawn up is going to look a lot different than it did.	00:10:35
	Well, I think there's so many moving parts here that we're going to need a lot of help page.	00:10:40
	Lot of help, there's so many moving parts.	00:10:44
	There, there really is and.	00:10:49
	Something else too is there's a House Bill 1461 has to do with Rd. funding and right now the way it's written it says that.	00:10:51
	Basically, you have to adopt A real tax in order to continue to get the community crossing screen. Wow.	00:10:59
	Yeah. So they're trying to push it back on you to adopt as many taxes as possible.	00:11:09
	But that's something that we can help you determine how much revenue that would generate if you adopt that wheel. That's again the	00:11:15
	way it's written right now. It could change, but that that would be commissioners, correct?	00:11:21
	I believe it is, Commissioner, you know, Jason, is that commissioners, I think.	00:11:29
	It is right? I think it is, but I just have to verify that too. But.	00:11:33
	But any new toxis has to go through the camp.	00:11:38
	Council doesn't it for approval, no.	00:11:41
	Not all depends on how the legislation was written.	00:11:44
	I'll have to look at that. I can't remember if it's council.	00:11:48
	It doesn't matter, but yeah, regardless.	00:11:53
	The county would have. I mean, they're gonna.	00:11:57
	It I don't like this legislation, I think it's ridiculous to withhold community Crossing grant funds unless you adopt this tax.	00:12:00
	However, that's that's the reality of it.	00:12:07
	Alyssa, this is all bad.	00:12:11
	Over the past few years, we've seen more and more.	00:12:14
	State legislation and rulings that are pushing.	00:12:17
	More financial burden onto the local.	00:12:26
	Taxing units and this just continues. I mean, it just continues.	00:12:29
	Yeah, I think.	00:12:34
	I think when we've heard this from I think David Barth and, you know, other, you know not.	00:12:36
	Association of counties and also you know, association of seasoned towns and I know you guys have already increased your local	00:12:41
	income tax.	00:12:45
	The last couple years, but.	00:12:49
	I think really what legislators are are telling us.	00:12:51
	Is that, hey, we've given you a tool. I'm not saying I agree with what they're saying, but I think what they're telling.	00:12:55
	Is that? Hey, we've given you a tool.	00:13:01
	And that's local income tax. And we've given you a ceiling of, you know, 2 1/2 percent.	00:13:04
	So don't come to asking for more money until you've hit that ceiling and.	00:13:09
	Because we're taking all these other, you know, cuts, you know, from here and there.	00:13:15
	We've given you the tool to increase your revenue by increasing your local income tax.	00:13:19
	So to your point, they're forcing you.	00:13:23
	Really, to get to that math, acts of 2 1/2 percent on the expenditure rate is what they're doing, yeah.	00:13:26
	CS GO for sure.	00:13:32
	So that's where the big things as far as legislation is concerned. There's some other things out there. We're going to keep	00:13:37
	monitoring it if we find something that.	00:13:41
	We feel that would be beneficial for you to know. Absolutely. We're going to put that out there for you. And we've launched	00:13:46
	something today. It should have went out in an e-mail.	00:13:51
	It's a legislative kind of summary on our website.	00:13:55
	I think your auditor may have gotten an e-mail about it and it is just going to try to keep up to date on the legislation so.	00:14:00
	Again, we're monitoring it. We'll we'll make sure we build it in and build the information into any sort of financial analysis	00:14:08
	that we do.	00:14:12
	The other thing I want to talk to you about capital develop.	00:14:17
	Go ahead. I'm sorry. This is Matt Millies.	00:14:20
	It's a pleasure to meet you.	00:14:23
	Do you guys have any sense on timing on any of that legislation? Is portions of it moving faster than others or do you guys have	00:14:25
	any sense from the state what's going on for timing?	00:14:31
	I don't. I'm gonna say it's not gonna be over until the last day of legislative session. Senate Bill one, which is the property	00:14:38
	tax relief. I think that's moving pretty quickly. I don't know that any of it's passed yet.	00:14:45
	And you just never know what these things because sometimes.	00:14:52
	People try to stick things in at the very end into some of these bills.	00:14:56
	So I really don't know about timing other than they've got all the way up until the end of April on some of these things, but we	00:15:00
	will see some sort of property tax relief.	00:15:06
	I don't know that that Senate bill once is going to change much.	00:15:11
	It remains to be seen, but.	00:15:16
	You know, I don't think it's going to go away. I think we're going to see some sort of property tax relief and it is going to have	00:15:19
	a negative impact, unfortunately.	00:15:22
	On local governments, what's much, much less impact than when it started?	00:15:26
	Well, actually, yeah.	00:15:32
	That is very true. That is very, very true. Like I said, the last couple of weeks there's really been a lot of changes where some	00:15:34
	of it's been stripped out.	00:15:38
	And it is to the better, but still, you know, not not a good impact.	00:15:42
	Painting everybody here. I was just reading this morning. Capital Chronicles states that Braun is prepared to veto that bill if	00:15:49
	they don't pass in its original version.	00:15:53
	And that's another fight.	00:15:58
	And it's an original version that is another fight. And and then I did hear that as well.	00:15:59
	That'll be very interesting to see what happens.	00:16:06
	If he insists that there's no, that's another fight.	00:16:12
	They'll have to come back in May. Yeah, come back in May and override it is another.	00:16:17
	Wow, yeah, it'll be interesting to see I.	00:16:22
	Politically, I think that that'd be a mistake on this part, but.	00:16:26
	I just, I don't know, it'll be interesting. Very.	00:16:32
	Very interesting.	00:16:35
	The other thing I want to talk to you about was the Q Capital Development Fund. I did talk to your attorney about this, and she	00:16:40
	was drawing up some paperwork or something. She was going to talk to the commissioner, so I don't know.	00:16:45
	If that's moving forward, you have or the commissioners have until the end of May. We talked about this yesterday, yeah.	00:16:50
	We had a we had a joint meeting with, we had a joint meeting with commissioners yesterday and they.	00:16:57
	They're going to take it up in their next meeting.	00:17:02
	I'm sure you talked to Christy.	00:17:04
	That's the commissioners, Yes, again. Yeah, yeah.	00:17:06
	The commissioner's attorney, do we have to approve that rate?	00:17:09
	Or is this?	00:17:14
	A commissioner only.	00:17:15
	So the Commissioners will.	00:17:19
	Of Max. But then during budget time, the council will have to approve the rate.	00:17:22
	OK, that's kind of what I thought that I couldn't remember exactly how that went.	00:17:27
	And this was a phased in and had to start at half.	00:17:32
	And then, yeah, it was, it was a phased in, phased in, right. So this would be the last.	00:17:35
	Phase and it will generate another probably about 700,000 for you. So that's good and it can be used for pretty much any capital.	00:17:41
	Expenditure that you can think of. So once you've reestablished this, you'll never have to reestablish it again unless the	00:17:48
	legislation changes so.	00:17:52
	That'll put you in good shape there. You won't have to mess with that right anymore.	00:17:57
	So those were the main things I really wanted to talk about. Again, this was just a touch base, see how you all were doing. We've	00:18:03
	got a good idea of kind of what you're planning for this year.	00:18:08
	We'll send you an agreement for the.	00:18:15
	Covers the financial plan update.	00:18:19
	And again that will lead right into budget season that should be extremely helpful for for you all and the auditor to.	00:18:21
	To prepare the budget.	00:18:30
	This year I have a couple more questions I know in our talks here in the county and workshops.	00:18:32
	There's been some discussion about the net neutral.	00:18:40
	Tax again.	00:18:46
	The getting rid of the PRT. It's PRT still going to be.	00:18:48
	In existence after this is all over.	00:18:53
	And then putting in jail lead and the judicial Ed.	00:18:57
	I don't know if that's still on the table with everybody.	00:19:00
	Or if it's not.	00:19:04
	I want to bring that up.	00:19:07
	I was told the PR team may look very different after.	00:19:09
	This session, but I haven't got an update on that.	00:19:12
	So do you know anything, Paige?	00:19:15
	Yeah, I recall seeing something in there, but.	00:19:18
	I think it's still going to be around. I don't think that's been eliminated. The property tax replacement credit, the local income	00:19:22
	tax, property tax replacement credit.	00:19:25
	I know for for all of you, we were gonna.	00:19:30
	Do an analysis. As soon as we get the circuit breaker information in for 2025, we're going to do an analysis to see what it would	00:19:32
	look like if we eliminated that.	00:19:36
	For you.	00:19:41
	But as far as I know it has not been eliminated.	00:19:44
	And the current proposed legislation, but we'll keep looking at it. I know it was in a.	00:19:48
	Previous version might have been in Seneca one but.	00:19:54
	I I don't think it's eliminated right now at this point.	00:19:59
	So Paige for me.	00:20:02
	There's so many moving parts here.	00:20:04
	Yes, what I think I need to see, even before we put a new comprehensive plan together, is all the options.	00:20:08
	And the impact of each of those options on the revenue stream?	00:20:18
	To the county, but also the impact on the.	00:20:24
	Our constituents.	00:20:29
	And I'm talking about CDC. I'm talking about the Gond.	00:20:31
	Whether we do that or whether we don't.	00:20:37
	I I'm even talking about the new fire territories and the impact that that's going to have.	00:20:39
	And and and I know we.	00:20:47
	I keep saying we're not, we're not responsible for that, but at the end of the day, I think we do have to approve that, right?	00:20:50
	Right.	00:20:58
	Yes, you yes, during budget time like if they approve this new.	00:21:00
	Expanded fire territory then at budget time, yes, you will approve their budget. So I'm talking about that. That's three things.	00:21:06
	And then this net neutral.	00:21:10
	Situation.	00:21:16
	I would like to know about.	00:21:18
	That as well.	00:21:20
	If that even is a possibility. And maybe you can't even do a lot of these things until the session is over, I don't know.	00:21:23
	And then I would like to for us to get together and talk about all those.	00:21:30
	Moving parts and decide what we want to put into a.	00:21:35
	A5 year plan outlook.	00:21:41
	That's the way I would like to see this go down. I don't know what other people are are thinking.	00:21:44
	Honestly, at this point I would even have one more request and that is.	00:21:50
	Taking my last point on my e-mail to you and that is taking the.	00:21:57
	Public safety tax back from 5 down to 2.5 and putting in.	00:22:02
	The jail lit and the judicial it and what the impact of that is to the county and what the impact of that is to the.	00:22:07
	To the taxpayers, I mean, there are.	00:22:14
	At least five different moving parts here.	00:22:17
	For our taxpayers and also for county revenue streams, there's more than 5 because commissioners have decisions to make 2 that.	00:22:21
	We're going to have to deal with.	00:22:30
	So, umm.	00:22:31
	Yeah.	00:22:33
	Yeah, I think we as a council need to.	00:22:36
	I mean, this estimated fund balance report we got, I mean we need something much more detailed to this. And I already look at this	00:22:39
	and I've.	00:22:43
	Question some of these things already. I think Denise said the Community Foundation numbers are pretty low. They're half million	00:22:47
	dollar, they're about half $1,000,000 short. And who knows what the stock market is going to do in the next 5 years. But I think	00:22:53
	we at least keep it flat from what we know 2020. And our forecast needs to adjust some of these things because our year in balance	00:23:00
	for the general fund was half $1,000,000 better than estimated. So we need to revise these budget numbers in with that.	00:23:06
	Even the.	00:23:13
	The jail was was less than what the estimates were.	00:23:16
	I mean, riverboat funds, we need to take that in. That's a, that's an income source.	00:23:19
	I think all of this needs to come together before we can start.	00:23:24
	Making any decisions, especially like.	00:23:27
	I thought we were supposed to be looking at something on our next council meeting. I don't see how we can do any of this.	00:23:29
	Until we really have a hand on what where we're at and what where our true.	00:23:34
	Estimates are going to be. That's the other question I wanted to ask you. Is there any hurry in distributing?	00:23:39
	In in moving funds around, I mean.	00:23:45
	There's no reason for us to move $2,000,000 out of that.	00:23:51
	Out of the general fund.	00:23:55
	Next month we can wait till May and do that after we get.	00:23:57
	The revised budget, right? Or there's something I'm missing?	00:24:02
	I don't think there should be a hurry, in fact.	00:24:06
	I would slow down a little bit because we do have that pending legislation. We don't even know what it's going to be unless you're	00:24:09
	running out of money in the general. I don't think there's a hurry to do that yet.	00:24:14
	I think we, I agree with all of you, we need to get a good handle on your finances and it's only, you know, the end of February	00:24:20
	right now we need to get.	00:24:24
	You know, umm.	00:24:29
	A really good handle on your cash flows, your finances, how you ended 2024.	00:24:31
	We haven't really dug into that yet.	00:24:36
	I think some of these things though, these options, we can start working on those individually and say, OK, here's what the fire	00:24:39
	territory does to you, here's CCD phone, here's what general obligation bond will.	00:24:46
	Will do for you and your constituents. Like some of these little pieces. I think we can do those individually as we wait to see	00:24:52
	what happens in the legislative session.	00:24:57
	So I don't think you should be in a hurry. We are helping some other counties and municipalities and we are kind of.	00:25:02
	We're building the model, but we're kind of taking a slowdown approach because we need to see what comes out of the legislative	00:25:09
	session because that could really.	00:25:13
	Make some big changes and I don't we don't want to waste a whole bunch of time trying to finalize cash flows when.	00:25:18
	There's still a bunch of moving parts. Yeah. So we, we can work on these little, we can work on these little buckets of items, you	00:25:25
	know, to see how they impact individually and then we can roll those into the financial plan as we get additional information.	00:25:32
	Matt, did you have something?	00:25:42
	No, I was just gonna reiterate. I mean, just from my perspective, I feel like we have some fundamental.	00:25:43
	Things wrong.	00:25:50
	In our county finances and I really want to see us get those corrected. I understand that rushing to do that but.	00:25:51
	You know some of our operating at, you know.	00:25:58
	A million and a half plus.	00:26:02
	Negative in our general fund, I mean.	00:26:04
	We're not. We're not a million and a half.	00:26:07
	Negative in our general plan.	00:26:09
	Or not. Can we take a look at those on the screen page, page. Yeah, let me see if I can pull those up. We have $4 million at the	00:26:11
	end of the year. I'm talking about where we came in last year, but.	00:26:18
	I know that the number was the the.	00:26:25
	What was projected right, but we still overspent by a million and 1/2, right.	00:26:27
	No, no, we didn't. We didn't even flat, but still.	00:26:32
	We didn't even spend our whole budget last year.	00:26:37
	Go ahead. No.	00:26:39
	No, we did not.	00:26:42
	I'm pretty sure.	00:26:44
	I wish the auditor.	00:26:45
	We're on.	00:26:48
	OK, I can. You know what I think I can pull a spreadsheet up and tell you.	00:26:49
	But I'm pretty sure we did not.	00:26:54
	Work like so you have a quick projection there.	00:26:58
	Here's the general funds.	00:27:03
	It's on 2 pages.	00:27:06
	OK, so here's 2024 you actually.	00:27:09
	Added to your cash reserve in 2024 by 338,000 so you didn't spend the whole budget that you had budgeted.	00:27:12
	You ended with a $4 million.	00:27:20
	Cash balance at a 20% cash reserve, that's pretty good. And, and, and Matt, let me explain a little bit of that. I think I can	00:27:23
	explain the biggest chunk of that was in our.	00:27:28
	Our health.	00:27:34
	Care Fund or.	00:27:36
	Our medical fund.	00:27:38
	We went you SO two years ago.	00:27:40
	We started self funding.	00:27:42
	And it has saved us a tremendous amount of money.	00:27:45
	And so the biggest piece of that, and not all of it.	00:27:49
	But the biggest piece of that is, is that.	00:27:53
	Matt, maybe what you're thinking is what we know what's ahead this year is the EMS funding is almost 1.4 million now that's a new	00:27:57
	expense we didn't have last year's refunded.	00:28:02
	Partially through the year and we funded it through other, you know, through some money out of Community Foundation and some other	00:28:08
	funds we have. But this year, now it's got to come somewhere else. And maybe that's what you're thinking, right? We're just now	00:28:12
	experiencing that this year.	00:28:16
	And we did need to pass a tax to cover 1.4 million, but we didn't need to pass a tax for 6,000,006 and a half million.	00:28:20
	I don't know why we did that, to be quite honest.	00:28:29
	But umm.	00:28:32
	Yeah, there's that's where we're at.	00:28:34
	Well, and I guess I going back to my original point.	00:28:37
	I just I feel like.	00:28:40
	From all of my experiences, I want to be a little more proactive about.	00:28:42
	Going at these things rather than reactive.	00:28:47
	And, and I'll just tell you before I got on the council.	00:28:50
	We weren't even doing five year projections, we were just going budget year to budget year.	00:28:56
	And it's in the last six to eight years.	00:29:01
	Six years, I'd say.	00:29:04
	That about right stands that we have actually tried to be proactive and actually put plans together where we could anticipate.	00:29:06
	What our expenses are?	00:29:14
	Out into a five year projection. So I feel like we really have done taken some major steps forward.	00:29:16
	And being proactive in the last five years.	00:29:25
	And putting some new revenue streams in place, we put the judicial.	00:29:30
	Stream in place to help our.	00:29:35
	Who were falling short?	00:29:38
	We put the jail let in place.	00:29:40
	Again, because we didn't have enough money.	00:29:43
	To sustain all of the expenses of running a jail.	00:29:46
	And so we have been very proactive.	00:29:52
	In not only projecting.	00:29:55
	And but in anticipating.	00:29:58
	Revenue shortfalls, but also in putting those revenue shortfalls in putting those new revenue streams in place to to shore us up.	00:30:01
	So.	00:30:12
	I completely agree with you. We need to continue to do that thing.	00:30:15
	But let's I mean.	00:30:20
	We are flat this this.	00:30:22
	Ending balance does have rainy day.	00:30:25
	No, this isn't a rainy day. This isn't a rainy day not included in this one. So look at the no, this is just the general look at	00:30:29
	the projections going out.	00:30:33
	27 shows us.	00:30:38
	Spending into cash 28 and 29. But it's wrong because the there's another half, $1,000,000 each year.	00:30:40
	That is not in this projection that needs to be. So it's not until we get to the end of this five year plan period where we're	00:30:49
	actually eating into our cash.	00:30:54
	Even with these projections now? Are these projections correct?	00:30:58
	I do think we need to shore up some things.	00:31:03
	But just given that.	00:31:05
	We are not sure.	00:31:09
	Where's the extra half a million that you just referenced? Well, the Community Foundation spend rate she's got in here at 3.5.	00:31:11
	Yep, we already got a an e-mail from Linda, from Linda Speed from the Community Camp Foundation giving us the actual dollars that	00:31:18
	we will receive.	00:31:24
	Which are going to be 3.9.	00:31:31
	I've got it in this e-mail I sent out.	00:31:34
	So.	00:31:37
	It's it's almost a half $1,000,000 short and that is a half $1,000,000 for each year if you hold that flat.	00:31:39
	Now we don't know what the stock market is going to do. Do you want me to tell you?	00:31:46
	Yeah, I'd love to know 'cause I could use that information.	00:31:49
	I don't know. That one doesn't even close. The riverboat funding wasn't it that's that's over a $200,000 net.	00:31:54
	Doesn't include this adjustment. We're talking for the employee benefits to healthcare. It doesn't it's the expenses are.	00:32:01
	Too high right now in this forecast and so once that's revised rainy day. So it really alters this dramatically.	00:32:08
	But it does that. There are some other things that I feel like need to be included in here, for instance.	00:32:14
	We need to pay the interest on the new ban that we agreed to for lifetime. That needs to be in here. If it's going to come out of	00:32:21
	this, I sincerely think it needs to come out of the edit fund because that's where it belongs.	00:32:26
	But we need probably need to even manipulate manipulate. That's not a good.	00:32:33
	Working. That's a fun word.	00:32:38
	It is.	00:32:39
	Some of the numbers and because there's some operating expenses in the edit fund that I think we should take and absorb back into	00:32:42
	the operating expenses.	00:32:47
	They were moved out at periods.	00:32:52
	Over the last five years, do you have a page in the your CFP that has like all the funds listed on one page then kind of like as a	00:32:54
	total?	00:32:58
	In the older CF, yes. In the previous CFP I don't have a pool.	00:33:03
	Yeah.	00:33:08
	Yeah, we had a page where we tried to summarize all that because.	00:33:09
	These funds are kind of interconnected well and even when even since I've been on the council.	00:33:13
	Which is now going on 8 years. It's hard to believe but.	00:33:20
	The general fund used to have nearly all the operating costs for the county in the general fund. Now those operating costs are	00:33:24
	spread out amongst 3, amongst 4, at least 4.	00:33:30
	Different.	00:33:37
	Different funds.	00:33:40
	And it's it's.	00:33:42
	We can't just look at the general fund anymore, we've got to be looking at.	00:33:44
	The jail lit fund, we've got to be looking at the traditional lit fund.	00:33:49
	It's those those those operating expenses have been.	00:33:54
	Dispersed.	00:34:00
	Into other accounts. Into other funds.	00:34:01
	And I don't think it's fair to just look at the general fund anymore.	00:34:05
	Paige, please.	00:34:10
	You know, pipe in.	00:34:11
	And I completely agree. Yeah, I completely agree with that.	00:34:13
	Yeah.	00:34:19
	Funds gonna be short.	00:34:20
	We know that's short. Yeah, it's short. And so is the edit fund an edit short? Yep.	00:34:22
	So I think we have a lot of work to do here.	00:34:31
	In the next few months.	00:34:34
	Trying to figure out.	00:34:36
	Give you some good go forward assumptions.	00:34:37
	To go on and then let you produce that.	00:34:41
	That.	00:34:46
	Yeah, OK.	00:34:49
	All right. Well, we will send over scope of service, just an updated scope of service and then we can get started on working on	00:34:54
	these, the impacts of some of these revenue options that you have.	00:35:00
	And I'd like to see all of them brought together so that we understand if we do.	00:35:07
	You know if we do.	00:35:14
	A&B This is the impact if we do A and C if we do AB and C.	00:35:16
	You know.	00:35:21
	Yeah, you know what I'm saying to you?	00:35:23
	We may have to have you here on in in our room at some point with the big white board and just go through all that.	00:35:25
	OK.	00:35:33
	Sure.	00:35:34
	Anybody have anything else? Any other questions? Jason, do you have any other comments?	00:35:38
	I guess if you are thinking about, you know, potentially doing a bond issue.	00:35:42
	You know, I guess kind of keep.	00:35:48
	That in the back of your mind, as far as what?	00:35:50
	Capital projects that you might want to fund.	00:35:53
	And I think.	00:35:56
	What might be helpful as?	00:35:58
	We determined, you know, all the new legislation that's going to, you know, come.	00:36:00
	Into fruition. Once you figure out that impact, if you're looking at the CCD fund, you know all these other things that you do	00:36:05
	have control over.	00:36:09
	You know, once we kind of get the, you know, when the dust settles and this is the impact the taxpayers.	00:36:13
	Then we can look at OK, if we, if you want us to, we can look at.	00:36:18
	And if you have the need to issue a bond, we can also add that on top of.	00:36:22
	The overall impact.	00:36:26
	If you want us to.	00:36:28
	I agree And and is our do we looking at any timetables that are going to push us?	00:36:30
	Are most of those towards the end of the year?	00:36:38
	As far As for a bond issue, for a bond issue to get the tax rate in place for next year in 2026.	00:36:42
	We have to close on the bonds by the end of the year.	00:36:51
	So December 31.	00:36:54
	But I mean.	00:36:56
	As you know, the bond process takes, you know, 3-4 months.	00:36:57
	So that's fall.	00:37:00
	For local income tax, as you know, if you want to make a change there, it's by October 31st, October 31st, OK. We have a plethora	00:37:02
	of capital projects, so that won't be an issue. Not an issue at all. Maybe deciding on one or yeah.	00:37:10
	So and I will tell you your tax rate.	00:37:18
	I looked while we were on the call and your tax rates like under a penny.	00:37:22
	Just because when you issue those tax rates a few years ago, your tax base has been growing.	00:37:26
	And your annual payments been roughly that 500,000 every year, so as your tax base grows.	00:37:30
	That tax rate that you originally implemented a couple of years ago is probably, you know, a penny pay and a half, 2 pennies.	00:37:35
	And that's it's a decrease to less than opinion because your tax base has grown.	00:37:42
	So I bring that up is because tax rates or tax bases have grown so much the last 2-3 years.	00:37:45
	That it's hard to.	00:37:53
	Generate the same amount of bonds and keep the tax rate level because your tax rates decrease somewhat from what it was originally	00:37:57
	when you did the bonds.	00:38:00
	So we can talk more about that, but.	00:38:04
	I just did want to bring that up that your tax rates not very much this year.	00:38:07
	But that's good. I mean, for for residents, you know, we can do a calculation that says OK, because of all these changes that the	00:38:13
	legislators made.	00:38:17
	Homeowners might see a net decrease in tax rate next year.	00:38:21
	So if you were to increase the.	00:38:25
	Debt service tax rate, they may not really see the impact because of all the.	00:38:26
	Which which is what I would love to be able to say. It's what I was getting at throughout this whole conversation.	00:38:30
	Of having all the options and then understanding.	00:38:38
	What the impacts are, yeah.	00:38:41
	It yeah, if we can just say to our taxpayers, yeah, they've pushed it all down to the local level.	00:38:43
	But we're keeping your tax rate flat.	00:38:50
	So yeah, those you, you, you're right on a target for.	00:38:54
	What I think we need to.	00:39:00
	To go with a message to our constituents.	00:39:02
	Yeah.	00:39:07
	All right, well, I'll be looking for.	00:39:09
	The e-mail.	00:39:11
	And we'll get that out, OK.	00:39:12
	Work on getting that approved and back to you and.	00:39:15
	We'll go from there, so.	00:39:19
	Everybody keeps their calendars clear for.	00:39:20
	July and August.	00:39:23
	Maybe. Maybe June.	00:39:25
	Will be a lot to go over and say June, July, Yeah, there's gonna be a.	00:39:28
	A lot of information to dice up and a lot of decisions to be made so.	00:39:34
	Can we do it in my backyard?	00:39:37
	All right. Thank you.	00:39:41
	Thank you very much.	00:39:44
	Aye, bye, bye.	00:39:46
	Is everybody OK scrapping from the agenda the the movement?	00:39:56
	I do think we need to appropriate the money.	00:40:01
	OK.	00:40:05
	I do think we need to appropriate the money that we're spending.	00:40:06
	For the EMS contracts and it's going to be in the fund that it's in, I think.	00:40:11
	OK. So are you talking about the public safety?	00:40:17
	Yes, that we're going to scrap removing the money into it right now. Well, now we're talking about do we want to?	00:40:21
	Move the EMS contract there because we know that's going to be there.	00:40:27
	So.	00:40:31
	And I don't want to take a vote here, but.	00:40:33
	Is that the direction we're looking at is holding off on the big movement only moving the contract contractual?	00:40:37
	But we're not moving that money, we're leaving it in the public safety.	00:40:42
	We're just creating.	00:40:47
	Are we creating a new fund for that or we is it going to stay?	00:40:50
	Oh, OK, it's a new fund. OK, OK, I.	00:40:55
	I guess I'm missing.	00:40:58
	I had to send the revised ad.	00:41:00
	I'm not sure if they'll let they'll.	00:41:03
	It might be. It might make it into the advertisement or.	00:41:04
	The breakdown we had before.	00:41:08
	That if those numbers are going to change then.	00:41:10
	As long as we have enough money to appropriate.	00:41:14
	If we have to do it in April, if we have to do it in April, we'll do it in April. Just look into it and we'll.	00:41:18
	But we, yeah, well, I just have the brakes on the on the big movements just yeah, I totally agree. I mean, we've got an EMS	00:41:22
	contract. It's got to be paid this year. It's already being paid. It's just not appropriated.	00:41:29
	And I really think it should be.	00:41:36
	Yeah, it's being paid.	00:41:39
	Oh, it's definitely been, yeah.	00:41:41
	Sure it would fund. It's being paid out. Yeah. I don't know where you're not.	00:41:44
	OK.	00:41:55
	Very well.	00:41:56
	All right.	00:41:59
	Good meeting.	00:42:01
	That's why that's right.	00:42:04
	Absolutely.	00:42:05
	We are done.	00:42:06