BC 2012 01 28 Board Retreat - Laserfiche WebLink

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January 28, 2012 (Board Retreat) Lunch was served at 12:09 p.m. Page 955 The meeting resumed at 1:15 p.m. County Manager - Budget Directive - Continued A general discussion continued on voting precincts and the possibility of obtaining special legislation or adding it to the County's legislative goal's agenda. A number of individual programs identified in the Program Funding Matrix were discussed in general, including ones that could be privatized or regionalized. County staff responded to a number of questions on these programs, their purpose, funding, and /or service level. Board members requested additional information on Transportation services, funding, etc. With regard to setting the tax rate, Vice Chairman Burrage and Commissioner Measmer were in favor of an amount below revenue neutral (73 cents). Commissioner Carruth was in favor of a revenue neutral tax rate. In order to make informed decisions, Commissioner Measmer suggested the Board receive additional information on certain programs and /or departments at future meetings prior to the budget meetings in May. Following discussion, it was determined that budgetary information would be presented to the Board at future work sessions. The concept of a 5 percent across -the- board reduction was also mentioned again. County staff responded to additional questions on various programs or services. Communications - Budget Process - Public Information Plan Aimee Hawkins, Communications and Outreach Manager, presented a plan to educate and collect feedback from taxpayers about the budget process and property revaluation while creating a shared understanding of issues and challenges. The plan included the following components: budget- building community exercise, community online survey, town hall meetings, enhanced utilization of the County website, utilization of social media and coordination with media outlets. A general discussion ensued with Ms. Hawkins responding to questions from the Board. Commissioner White suggested budget meetings be televised on Channel 22 and bookmarked for specific topics. However, he was not in favor of holding town hall meetings due to low turnout. Discussion continued. With regard to the budget- building community exercise, several Board members advised that it is the Commission's responsibility to identify potential cuts. BOC - Vision /Goals: Changes /Updates Needed & Legislative Goals Due to time constrains, the Board agreed to discuss these items at a future work session. Note: The legislative goals were reviewed and adopted at the February 20, 2012 regular meeting. Adjournment UPON MOTION of Commissioner White, seconded by Vice Chairman Burrage and unanimously carried, the meeting adjourned at 2:42 p.m. Kay one u o the Board