HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-18-2012 workshop
City Council of Peachtree City
Workshop Minutes
JUnent ~Ol2
'6:30 p.m.
The Mayor and Council of the City of Peachtree City met in workshop session on Monday, June
18, 2012. Mayor Don Haddix called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Other members
attending: Vanessa Fleisch, Kim Tearnard, and Eric Imker. George Dienhart was delayed and
arrived at approximately 7: 15 p.m.
City Manager Jim Pennington noted that there were several unknowns for the coming year,
including the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) mediation results and the final property tax digest.
He said he had neglected to inclQde in the budget message that the City's number one asset
was its employees. They were more important than the buildings, vehicles, etc., because they
delivered the services to residents.' Services were what the City provided.' He ask:ed Council to
give consideration to a minimum.. two percent ($275,000) across the board salary increase to
employees, since there had been. no raises in four years. The amount was not included in the
proposed budget, but he was presenting it separately.
Salvatore said that the City was projecting a 38% fund balance by year end, of which
approximately $5 million was committed for future budget stabilization.
Salvatore noted that the City fac~d three threats to revenue: a continued decline in property
values, the depletion/discontinuation of the Fayette County Transportation Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST),and LOST negotiations. He continued that Peachtree City
~ property values had declined n~arly 11 % since 2009, including a 4.6% decline since 2011
($529,000 in associated revenue).' The model for 2013 was projecting no further decline, but
there would probably be a 4.6% d~cline.
To offset the $529,000 decline sinc~ the previous year, staff was proposing a 0.3 mill II roll up" of
the Maintenance & Operation (M&O) millage rate to offset the digest value decline. This would
not qualify under state law as a tax increase because it would be revenue neutral.
The 2005 Fayette County SPLOSTHad provided roughly $2 miUion. PE3r year for streets and cart
paths. The SPLOST had expired, arid the remaining funds would be completely depleted by the
end of FY 2013. There would be q regional Transportation SPLOSr(TSHOST) vote afthe end of
July that could provide new revenue to the City. If the regional TSPLOST failed, staff was
proposing a General Obligation (GO) bond referendum for Peachtree City voters in FY 2014.
Salvatore said staff continued to project a significant decline infheCitY'spercenta~e of the
LOST due to the population shifts vYithin the County since 2000. Negotiations were still pending,
and the model estimated between $150,000 and $300,000 less in revenue for future years. This
would have an ongoing, annual impact on the budget model.
Ongoing expense challenges included the ongoing demand for maintenance of City facilities
and infrastructure and a continued need for technology upgrades. Salvatore noted that the FY
2013 operating budget under revi~w that evening did not include any cost of living increases or
raises for employees. He said other future expense increases were nominal in future years (1.5%).
Salvatore said staffcol1tinLJeq tolp9kforyvClYs to reorganize and econory)i~einprovicjing existing
services. If revenues continued fo s~ffer and there was no desire for millage rate increases, there
would need to be further adjustm~nts in the level of services or the way they were delivered.
City Council Workshop
June 18, 2012
Page 2
~ Staff needed clear direction from citizens and Council on the outcomes expected from the
budget process.
Salvatore reviewed the five-year 'financial model, saying the projected revenues for FY 2012
were $28.37 miUion. For 2013, staffwas dnticipafing $28.07mllHon il'1revenue, which included the
proposed 0.3 mill roll-up. With the proposecjbLJcjget of$28.9 rnillion, this ..Vv'ould result in the use of
$850,000 of the reserve funds. Future year projections had a 0.2 mill increase each year through
2016 to help offset some of the expected revenue shortfalls.
Imker said the model included several assumptions about matters that were not yet finalized.
The results of the TSPLOST vote qnd the LOST negotiations needed to be programmed into
budget if available before its adoption. Originally, FY2016 had been the year the City planned
to have a balanced budget without the use of cash reserves. That projection had moved to
2017, but the City would remain sli~htly above the reserves minimum. If the employee increases
were implemented, that would eliminate the excess reserves.
Salvatore said that, if Council did not want to include the roll-up millage increase for FY 2013,
then they had to find over $800,000 in savings to cover the digest decrease and employee
raises. Imker said he did not want to look at cuts inthe proposed budget that evening and
asked when they could expect answers regarding the LOST negotiations.
Pennington said the 60-day mediation period should be completed near the end of July or
beginning of August, and the regional TSPLOST vote was on July 31. August would be the month
when at least some of the information was available.
Salvatore said he had originally sc:hecjulE;ld the first publichearingon the budget for July, and it
could be moved to the first meeting In August. The adoption of the millage rate was supposed
to be completed by August 1 to meet state requirements. However, Council could adopt the
millage rate prior to adopting the budget. The County usually obtained an extension on the
August 1 deadline, but the millage rate was probably the more critical decision. The GO bond
referendum for transportation projects would not really be needed until FY 2014.
Imker asked what would be requir\3d in the millage rate hearings if the 0.3 mill increase were to
be implemented. Salvatore said that, as long as the City remained revenue-neutral, the three
public hearings for a tax increase would not be required. The 0.3 mill roll-up would not qualify as
a tax increase and would therefore not require the three public hearings.
Imker noted that the 0.3 millage was tens of dollars on the average home. Salvatore clarified
that it would only increase on homes for which the value remained the same or had increased.
Haddix asked why staff was showing the digest remaining the same for 2014 and seeing a 0.75%
increase for 2015, when Haddix felt there would continue to be declines. Salvatore said the
projection might be optimistic, but' also factored in some antiCipated new growth, so staff was
working to provide a realistic projeCtion.
Imker said he would like to consk~er dedicating the projected amount over the 20% reserves
showing for FY 201 7 earlier in the model to reduce the projected millage increases. Salvatore
noted that, if salary increases werE;l added, that would fac:tor in each year and would address
the total. · Salvatore noted that t~ere had been severql qdditional cuts on the expense side,
including the Administrative ServicE;ls Director position and the reorganization of the Recreation
Department. .
City Council Workshop
June 18, 2012
Page 3
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Haddix said he understood the legalities regarding the rnilla~e roll~up, but the homeowners who
had no change in their property v91ue would seea tax increase. He said he was seeing 0.9 mills
in tax increases, a decline in res~rves, and overly optimistic projections. on property values in
future years. Haddix felt the City n~eded to examine priorities Clnd s~e ifItVv'as providing services
that were better provided by the private sector. Staying on the path of not reducing any
services was no longer tenable.
Salvatore sad that, compared to much of the country, Peachtree City was in a bubble in that
no services or facilities had been eliminated. This was happening cin over the country.
Fleisch asked what specific servicE';s Haddix wanted staff to review for reductions. Haddix said
reducing recreational services to eliminate any outside-City residents might have a positive
impact or could be used in a way to generate more revenue.
Pennington noted that there were certain things that had remained constant in the City. Staff
was directed to take the needs/wClnts of the citizens into. account and place them in the
context of the five-year model. Eliminating programs was not a simple task. The next step was
to look at how to provide the same levels of service. To date, no one had said to cut police, fire,
recreation, or other services, and those services also needed to be reviewed in the context of
the five-year plan to see how long It would be sustainable.
Pennington continued that the City did not have a strategic plan outside the budget. If Council
wanted to move toward reducing services, they needed to initiate. a more intense strategic
planning process that incorporated community input.
IfII1!i""""r
Salvatore continued there were :a few remaining adjustments,.such as .the removal of an
unmarked police vehicle (resulting"in a $1 O,OOO/year reduction in debt service) and adjusting the
utility expenses, that would be included in the proposed budget priortOlhenext workshop.
Currently, the budget also showed $27,500 for non-profit agencies. This amount included $5,000
for Peachtree City Elementary, but the RecreOtion & SpeCial Events Advisory Board had
recommended no funding for the project, which dropped the Iiheitem fo$22,000.
Learnard asked how much the overall cost of living had increased since employees last
received raises. Salvatore said staff would obtain that information. Salvatore noted it had also
been 12 years since the City did a salary and pay study to determine. how salaries were
comparing.
Pennington clarified that cost of living had a nation-wide figure, but true comparisons varied by
region or metropolitan area.
Imker asked Salvatore to review th~ budget schedule. Salvatore said the LOST negotiations had
put the originally proposed schedule in flux. Haddix asked staff to provide a revised calendar to
allow for as much information as possible on the TSPLOST and LOST negotiations. Salvatore
reiterated that the millage adoption was the most time-sensitive; the budget could be put off
until September.
Imker asked that they schedule the millage rate hearing on July 12 for the 0.3 roll-up. Salvatore
clarified that the City would need to. have thedi~est from th~. County before. scheduling and
advertising the hearing... Realisticafly, the City would need to haye a special called meeting at
the end of July. The public heafjn~i on the budget would be in August.
City Council Workshop
June 18, 2012
Page 4
Imker said he would like to have .another workshop at which he would provide
recommendations on possible budget cuts. Pennington asked if the week of July 12 would work.
Imker said it could be scheduled ope hour before the Council meeting on July 12.
Haddix thanked staff for their work .and adjourned the me
e1*
I Betsy Tyler, City Clerk