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46 The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met in recessed session in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Cabarrus County Governmental Center in Concord, North Carolina on Tuesday, March 12, 1996, at 5:30 P.M. Present - Chairman: Jeffrey L. Barnhart Vice-Chairman: Arne L. Fennel Commissioners: Sue B. Casper Kenneth Mills Franklin C. Niblock, Jr. Also present were Mr. Frank W. Clifton, Jr., County Manager; Mr. John Day, Budget Officer/Area Manager; and Mrs. Frankie F. Bonds, Clerk to the Board. Chairman Barnhart called the meeting to order at 5:30 P.M. Overview of Budget Development Process Mr. Day gave an overview of the FY 1997 Budget Calendar and the budget development process. Presentation of the Manager's recommended budget is scheduled for May 21 with the public hearing scheduled during the regular meeting on June 3. The Board set two meetings to discuss the budget: May 21 5:00 P.M. to 6:15 P.M. - Budget Presentation and Work Session; and May 30 - 5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Work Session. Additional meetings will be scheduled at a later date. Budgetary Philosophy Mr. Clifton discussed his budgetary philosophy and outlined his approach to budgeting as follows: (1) Conservative but innovative; (2) County funds should not be used as on-going subsidization of programs run by a community group; (3) Program expenses should be justified each year; (4) New positions will probably not be approved unless other revenue sources are available to fund the position. In regards to personnel compensation, Mr. Clifton advised that he is less cost of living allowance (COLA) oriented and more merit/performance oriented. Significant Budget Issues Overview Mr. Day presented an overview of significant budget issues. These issues included Schools Expenditures; Departmental Capital Outlay Requests; Personnel, including a COLA of 2.5 percent for county employees and $230,000.00 in merit funds; New Programs, including Watershed Improvement Commission and Mt. Pleasant Library; Unfunded programs, including Economic Development Incentives and Animal Shelter; The Unknown, including Welfare; Landfill Capital Outlay and the Recycling Program. Requests have been received for 28 new positions. General Fund revenues are expected to increase by $5,551,174.00 over currently budgeted figures. Mr. Day distributed a Memorandum from Mr. Blair Bennett, Finance Director/Area Manager, regarding the allocation of sales tax revenues to Cabarrus County and each of the municipalities. The County experienced a 3.86 percent increase in sales taxes for the first two quarters of 1996 compared to the first two quarters of 1995. There was brief discussion regarding such items as the operational costs of the new schools, economic development inducements, the increase in Medicaid costs and the consolidation of Concord and Cabarrus County Animal Control. It was noted during discussion that a tax increase would be necessary if the school bond referendum is approved on May 7, 1996. County Budget Priorities - County Commissioners Board members briefly outlined their budget priorities for the FY 1997 budget as follows: Commissioner Fennel - Include 4h to 5 cents for educational facilities, one cent for park development and one cent for the economic development fund with no tax increase; Chairman Barnhart - Get to and maintain an eight-minute response time for emergency medical services throughout the county; Commissioner Casper - Concur with eight-minute response time but better