Council Budget and Finance

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Budget & Finance Committee met on November 27, 2012, at 1:00 p.m., with Eliinger presiding. The committee addressed five agenda items during the session, including approval of the committee meeting summary, a presentation on the monthly financial report and fund balances, and consideration of the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) balance. The committee took six votes during the meeting and heard five public comments. Two items—the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Items Referred to Committee—were deferred for future consideration.

Attendance

Present: Eliinger, Lane, Gorton, Kay, Farmer, Stinnett, Myers, Beard, Blues, Lawless, and Bartow

Absent: O'Mara

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included six votes, all of which passed. 2:22

Old Courthouse Amendment A motion by Lane, seconded by Blues, to amend the Old Courthouse request to $20,000 passed unanimously. All eight members voted in favor: Eliinger, Lane, Gorton, Kay, Farmer, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues.

Chevy Chase Intersection Redesign Amendment A motion by Farmer, seconded by Myers, to amend the Chevy Chase intersection redesign request to $31,500 passed unanimously. All eight members voted in favor: Eliinger, Lane, Gorton, Kay, Farmer, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues.

Living Arts & Science Center UDAG Fund Allocation A motion by Lane, seconded by Gorton, to allocate $60,000 for the Living Arts & Science Center from the UDAG Fund passed unanimously. All eight members voted in favor: Eliinger, Lane, Gorton, Kay, Farmer, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues.

Gainesway Small Area Plan Allocation A motion by Gorton, seconded by Myers, to allocate $39,000 for the Gainesway Small Area Plan passed by roll call vote with 2 ayes and 1 nay. Lane and Stinnett voted in favor, while Myers voted against.

Living Arts & Science Center General Fund Allocation A motion by Farmer, seconded by Beard, to allocate $20,060 to the Living Arts & Science Center from the General Fund passed unanimously. All eight members voted in favor: Eliinger, Lane, Gorton, Kay, Farmer, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues.

Police & Fire Pension Plan Consultant Study A motion by Shapiro to approve a Police & Fire Pension Plan consultant study with $80,000 passed by roll call vote with 8 ayes and 1 nay. Ellinger, Lane, Gorton, Kay, Farmer, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues voted in favor, while Myers voted against.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included appropriations and contract authorizations totaling $252,682 from various municipal funds:

UDAG Fund Allocations:

• Living Arts & Science Center: $60,000 appropriation
• Chevy Chase intersection redesign: $31,500 appropriation for the Chevy Chase Project
• Gainesway Small Area Plan: $39,000 appropriation
• Old Courthouse roof and abatement: $20,000 appropriation for the Old Courthouse Project
• Engine brake signs: $2,122 appropriation for Traffic Engineering

General Fund Allocation:

• Living Arts & Science Center: $20,060 appropriation

Contract Authorization:

• Police & Fire Pension Plan consultant: $80,000 contract authorization

The Living Arts & Science Center received combined funding of $80,060 across both UDAG and General Fund sources. Infrastructure and facility improvement projects, including the Chevy Chase intersection redesign, Gainesway Small Area Plan, and Old Courthouse restoration work, accounted for $90,500 in UDAG allocations. Traffic Engineering received $2,122 for engine brake signage. An $80,000 consultant contract was authorized for the Police & Fire Pension Plan.

Public Comment

Five community members provided public comment on housing-related issues during the meeting.

Adam Jones 1:30:07 addressed the urgent need for affordable housing. He drew on personal experience and community support to emphasize that the affordable housing shortage has worsened over time.

Catherine Goetz 1:32:50 highlighted a disconnect between downtown revitalization efforts and deteriorating housing conditions in other parts of the city. She urged the council to prioritize housing maintenance as a means to create safer neighborhoods.

Ann Garaghty 1:34:41 stressed that homelessness and housing issues extend beyond downtown areas. She called for a comprehensive, city-wide strategy to effectively address the housing crisis.

Sister Iris Thedden 1:36:22 shared her personal struggle to secure affordable housing despite being semi-retired. She described the stress and instability caused by unaffordable rents and the rapid turnover of rental properties.

Vera Thomas 1:39:41 spoke about "hidden homelessness"—individuals living with others due to financial hardship. She emphasized the importance of recognizing and supporting those in overcrowded or unstable living situations.

The public comment period reflected broad community concern about affordable housing availability and quality across the city, with speakers highlighting both personal experiences and systemic gaps in housing strategy.

Appointments

The following personnel changes were noted during the meeting:

• Jane Driscoll resigned from her position as Commissioner of Finance
• Ryan Barrow resigned from his position as Budget Director

Contested Items

Use of UDAG Funds for Police & Fire Pension Consultant

A disagreement arose regarding the allocation of $80,000 from UDAG (Urban Development Action Grant) funds for a pension consultant study. The core dispute centered on whether this expenditure was an appropriate use of UDAG funding.

The motion to allocate the funds passed with a vote of 8-1. Council member Myers cast the sole dissenting vote, opposing the allocation based on the position that the pension consultant issue was not appropriate for UDAG funding.

Committee Meeting Summary

The committee voted to approve the summary from the previous meeting. The motion to approve was made by Beard and seconded by Blues. The approval was unanimous.

Monthly Financial Report, Fund Balances & Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

8:50

Jane Driskell and Bill O'Mara presented the monthly financial report, which highlighted positive revenue trends and favorable variances across the organization's finances.

Ryan Barrow discussed expenditure details, noting that personnel costs remained below budget during the reporting period.

A significant achievement was the early delivery of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). This marked the first time the CAFR had been delivered early since 1988.

Outcome: This item was presented for informational purposes.

Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) Balance

2:22

The committee discussed the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) balance and reviewed multiple project requests seeking funding from the available balance. The projects under consideration included the Living Arts & Science Center, the Chevy Chase redesign, the Old Courthouse, and the Gainesway Small Area Plan.

Key speakers in the discussion included Ellinger, Lane, Gorton, Myers, Beard, Farmer, Blues, and Shapiro.

Several amendments were presented and considered during the discussion. The committee voted on these amendments, with all amendments passing unanimously. Following the amendments, the committee allocated funds from the UDAG balance to the various projects according to the approved allocations.

The overall outcome of the discussion was approval, with the committee moving forward with the fund allocations for the projects presented.

Affordable Housing Trust Fund

59:53

The committee discussed the Affordable Housing Trust Fund but deferred action on the matter to allow additional time for a pending report. Council Member Kay confirmed that the Mayor's Commission on Homelessness would complete its report by mid-January, and the committee agreed to revisit the issue during the January budget meeting.

Key speakers in the discussion included Paul Schoeniger, Council Member Kay, Council Member Stinnett, Council Member Lawless, and Council Member Ford.

The outcome of this agenda item was a deferral of action pending the completion of the Mayor's Commission on Homelessness report.

Items Referred to Committee

1:41:20

The committee discussed three items referred for further consideration: the Procurement Task Force, the Waste Management Task Force, and the activity-based costing initiative.

Council Member Lane and Schonger were the key speakers during this discussion. Council Member Lane requested that financial efficiency measures be scheduled for the first 2013 meeting.

The outcome of this discussion was deferred, indicating that the items were not finalized during this meeting and will be addressed at a later date.