Carefree Truth
Issue #744, May 6, 2019
With Councilman Gene Orrico absent, the 3rd budget workshop to review the Line Item Budget (LIB) began. Gary Neiss noted that all 3 of the budget workshops were held in public meetings. The LIB had been available to the Council members via their packets and to the public on the Town of Carefree website for approximately a week. Formulating Carefree's budget is an open, transparent process. The purpose of the 3rd workshop was to address any questions about the LIB from the Council or the public.
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer questioned the $100,000 under the Mayor & Council heading. Mr. Neiss explained that it is a placeholder in case the Town receives any grants in the coming fiscal year (FY). If the money is not included in the budget, it cannot be spent. The figure was based on previous grants that were received in the past, the largest being approximately $80,000 for new digital radios for the fire department.
Councilman Vince D'Aliesio asked if a grant for a larger amount could be accepted. Mr. Neiss said yes, but the overage could only be spent in a future FY. Mayor Les Peterson asked if money left to the Town in the future from the Harry Vadarkis Trust would be considered a grant. Mr. Neiss said it would not be considered a grant. It would be put into Revenue when received and would be included in future budgets under Expenditures to be used for investments in the Town. Councilman Stephen Hatcher added that it could be restricted to certain uses by the Trust.
Councilman Mike Krahe asked if the $20,000 under Information & Technology was for the document management system. Mr. Neiss confirmed that was correct.
Since a more comprehensive cost recovery plan is in place now for the Pumpkin Festival, Mayor Peterson asked if money offsets that come in from the Pumpkin Festival can be spent? Mr. Neiss explained that because the money budgeted to pay for the Festival will have already been spent, offsets gained from it would be placed under Income but cannot be spent in the same FY.
Dr. Krahe asked if the $160,000 under Legal was because of water, and Ms. Kroyer asked if it was because Town attorney Mike Wright would be spending more time on the water issue. Mr. Neiss confirmed that and noted that it represented the total for all Town legal expenses, including the regular day-to-day ones. Mayor Peterson explained that litigation is ongoing and separate, and is a contracted rate that is an estimate, as opposed to a fixed fee over time.
Mr. D'Aliesio asked if the figure under Capital Improvements had jumped so much because of the water. Mr. Neiss explained that it will be used for a combination of water, streets, crosswalks, and signage. Mr. Neiss said as of the end of March, the reserves were at an all time high of $9.3 million due to good, restrained fiscal management. Carefree's policy is "save, then spend", and it's now time to reinvest in the infrastructure. The Town is trying to "spread the love" among the 4 issues over the next FY. $4.5 million is a slot in Capital Reserves to look at investing in all 4 categories. Mr. Hatcher reiterated that there would be contributions from the General Reserve Fund for roads, etc.
Dr. Krahe asked why the budget for Public Works had increased to $867,000. Was it for the streets? Mr. Neiss reminded everyone that at the first workshop, Travis Johnson, the head of Public Works, had requested a new Case Tractor and a new pick-up truck, as the current very old ones were no longer performing up to par, and these were included in the budget. There would be an offset from the Carefree Water Company, as they and the Town have an equipment sharing agreement. Dr. Krahe thanked Mr. Neiss, saying he had been absent from the first workshop.
Dr. Krahe noted that the amount under Education and Tuition he was looking at seemed low, and asked if the Town utilized seminars and conferences to develop and educate their people. Town accountant Jim Keen explained that Dr. Krahe was only looking at the figure for one department. Certain staff members require more training and certifications than others. Each department has it's own budget line for that. Mayor Peterson said the Town is very, very positive in that direction. Many programs are offered at reduced rates through the League of Cities and Towns. Mr. Neiss said he has many degrees as well as management and administrative certificates that require continuing education. The lines for each department are based on the professional training and certifications required.
Ms. Kroyer asked if the budget details presented were required by the State. Mr. Neiss explained that it is not a State requirement. The budget presented will be reformated into the State Auditor General's Schedule A-G, which is a totally different and less transparent format. Carefree's budget is very detailed, with line item expenses for each department in the Town. The Auditor General's Schedules are just a consolidation of each department. Mr. Neiss didn't know of many communities that do something like this. Many communities are larger, with more complex budgets. Scottsdale's budget is $1.3 billion; Phoenix' is even larger. Cave Creek's budget is north of $20 million. Carefree's is one of the smaller budgets in the metropolitan area, so it is easier to generate this degree of detail. Mr. Hatcher asked if the State required this degree of detail. Mr. Neiss said it does not.
Vice Mayor John Crane asked if they would be working off of this document or off of the Schedules at the Council meeting on May 7th. Mr. Neiss explained that the Schedules are prepared after the Council officially adopts the bottom line at the regular meeting, since there could be changes. Because issues have been worked through at the workshops, there never have been changes, but the Schedules cannot be populated until that acceptance of the bottom line is final, at which point the Schedules will be advertised in newspapers, as is required by the State. The Schedules will also be available on the Town website, and COINS will notify the citizens that they can be viewed there.
Mayor Peterson explained that if, for instance, $100,000 is authorized in a category, it is the maximum that can be expended over the course of that FY. Expenditures tend to be pulled back until revenues to support those expenditures are positive. These are human pull-backs, "namely, all of us".
https://vimeo.com/333673178
There being no more questions, the meeting was adjourned.
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.