COUNTY OF DUKES COUNTY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
A regular meeting of the County of Dukes County Commissioners was held on Wednesday, February 28, 2001, at 7:30 p.m. in Courtroom of the Courthouse, notice of such meeting having been posted as required by law.
Commissioners Present: Leslie H. Leland, Chairman
E. B. Collins
Robert Sawyer
Roger Wey
Absent: John Alley
Daniel Flynn
Leonard Jason, Jr.
Also Present: Carol Borer, County Manager
David O’Sullivan, Special Sheriff
Sandra Lothrop, Associate Commissioner
William Weibrecht, Airport Manager
Dianne Powers, Register
Noreen Flanders, Treasurer
Katherine Wiley, Vineyard Gazette
Anson Krickl
Chairman Leland called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m. The County Manager began her report by reviewing her organization of the SSA Task Force Meeting of the previous Thursday and the preparation of a booklet of letters and statistics for the Task Force. Mrs. Borer will be following up on additional information for Judge Kass.
Mrs. Borer reported that the Financial Advisory Board will be meeting to review the Supplemental Budget. Departments are submitting Budgets for FY2002. Rob O’Leary will be on the Island on April 4th. He will be meeting with the County Commissioners and County Departments. The Chairman thanked Mrs. Borer for organizing the Task Force Meeting and commended her for her hard work. Chairman Leland reminded the Commissioners that they have to address the County Manager’s Performance Evaluation.
Chairman Leland voiced his concern about continued heating problems in the Courthouse and mentioned possible solutions, including the installation of a temperature alarm devise. Discussion followed and focused on the possibility that electrical surges may also be creating some of the problems.
The Chairman read a letter from the Permanent Endowment Fund asking for the Commissioners to either reappoint John Alley (the representative since 1989) whose term is up, or appoint someone else to serve the next 5 years.
Commissioner Wey Moved that John Alley be re-appointed to the Endowment Fund so he can continue to serve. Commissioner Collins Seconded the Motion. The Motion passed Unanimously.
Chairman Leland read a letter from the West Tisbury Selectmen asking that Abbe Burt be appointed as their representative to the DCRHA. Commissioner Sawyer Moved that Abbe Burt be appointed to the DCRHA. Commissioner Collins Seconded the Motion. The Vote to appoint Ms. Burt was Unanimous.
Mrs. Borer announced the next meeting of the Emergency Medical Services Committee will be March 5. Commissioner Sawyer said the League of Women Voters will be meeting and will consider sponsoring the non-binding question about regionalization of schools with the County Commissioners.
Mrs. Borer distributed the Allocation of Overhead Plan dated February 25, 2001 (on file in County Manager’s Office), and reviewed it. She reviewed the Cost Allocation Plan Summary prepared by the County Manager’s Office, as well as the Treasurer’s Allocation Plan on page 3. The recommendation by the Auditors for Department 1000, is that the Departments be charged for time allocated. They also recommend a plan showing the division of time spent on Departments. Discussion followed. Mrs. Borer recommended that the Plan be reviewed since Budget FY2002 is being prepared. The purpose in preparing the Plan dates back to the FY2001 Budget in which $108,000 was allocated for overhead charges. The Commissioners had voted to allocate the funds, and wanted to revisit the formula.
Findings and Recommendations as explained on page 4 are as follows:
The County has not included certain direct expenditures for Auditing and Accounting Services charged to department 1000.
Recommendation: The County should include in their cost allocation, those expenditures which are charged directly to department 1000 and are expended for various departments throughout the County. The individual bills should be broken down by the department they are expended for and should be included as part of the cost allocation or charged to separate departments based on usage.
The County’s percentage of time for allocation for both the County Manager and County Treasurer are based on estimates. There is no formal record keeping related to time spend on the various departments for the County Manager and Assistant or on the activities of the County Treasurer’s Office.
Recommendation: The County should formulate a plan that will allow for the documentation of time spent on various activities by department or by function that will allow for a more accurate allocation percentage. After the plan has been established, the County may adjust the allocation percentages to reflect a more accurate allocation to each department.
Referring to the Airport’s Financial Statements beginning on page 4 of the Allocation Plan, Mrs. Borer reported that she has asked Powers and Sullivan to recommend the mechanism to retrieve the money the County used to support Airport Operations when the Airport operated at a net loss of $108,574, in Fiscal Years1995-1997. The $20,000 (from Economic Development funds) that the County lent the Airport on 12/18/98 for infrastructure is an example of what is being recouped. That is now part of the County’s Fund Balance.
The Visioning Session followed. Commissioner Collins and Commissioner Sawyer discussed the County’s role in administering regional activity. Commissioner Collins reiterated that the County can only do what the Towns want it to do. Commissioner Wey suggested asking the Towns, “What can the County do for you?” Rat control is an example mentioned. The Engineer is an example of the County already helping Towns. Commissioner Sawyer mentioned that there will continue to be the need for funds for new projects. Discussion continued. Mrs. Borer recommended hiring a grant writer, as this was also a recommendation from the Health and Human Services Ad Hoc Committee. Commissioner Sawyer agreed this would help us bring funds to all kinds of Island programs. Chairman Leland mentioned the
need to have money to continue funding programs after grants end. Mrs. Borer mentioned some funding priorities: building a website, New York Avenue property, water testing lab certification and expenses. Commissioner Wey suggested getting feedback from Department Heads to see what growth they’d like to see in their Departments. Associate Commissioner Lothrop mentioned some needs and issues she sees as priorities: SSA policy and housing. Discussion followed. Mrs. Borer suggested asking for a report on the Community Development Corporation. Commissioner Sawyer suggested forming a subcommittee about funding, with the source of funds coming from a form of tax, possibly real estate.
The meeting adjourned at 9:40.
Complete text of meeting is available on tape at the County Commissioner’s office.
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JOSEPH E. SOLLITTO, JR.
CLERK OF THE COURTS
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