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Onslow County North Carolina P roposed Budget. FY 2013-2014. Jeffrey L. Hudson County Manager June 3, 2013. Public Policy & Program Triage Budget At-a-Glance Key Issues Highlights of Proposed Budget Looking Ahead: Future Years Board Action Requested. www.onslowcountync.gov.
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Onslow CountyNorth CarolinaProposed Budget FY 2013-2014 Jeffrey L. Hudson County Manager June 3, 2013
Public Policy & Program Triage • Budget At-a-Glance • Key Issues • Highlights of Proposed Budget • Looking Ahead: Future Years • Board Action Requested www.onslowcountync.gov
Proposed FY2013-2014 Budget Public Policy & Program Triage www.onslowcountync.gov
Proposed FY2013-2014 Budget Budget At-a-Glance www.onslowcountync.gov
Budget At-a-Glance • Balanced Budget • All debt payments (P&I) are included • Requests totaled around $196million • Manager cuts totaled around $8 million • Total Budget is $188 million (All Funds) • General Fund proposed budget is $177 million www.onslowcountync.gov
Budget At-a-Glance, cont. • 1.29% increase over last year (All Funds) • Increases found in: • Mandated DSS Programs ($1.18 million) • Insurance Costs ($1.13 million) • Public Safety Vehicles & Equipment ($768,000) • Volunteer Fire & Rescue ($229,000) • Living Wage, Public Safety, Salary Range Adjustments ($2.9 million) • Costs beyond $3.2 million covered in cuts www.onslowcountync.gov
Budget At-a-Glance, cont. • Recommended Property Tax Rate is held at 58.5-cents per $100 in valuation, 2-cents below current revenue neutral • 63rd Lowest Tax Rate of all 100 NC Counties • 100% of Article 46 Local Option Sales Tax Monies are spent in accordance with promises made to voters in 2010 www.onslowcountync.gov
Budget At-a-Glance, cont. • General Fund Balance Appropriated • FY 09-10: $9.9 million • FY10-11: $10.1 million • FY 11-12 $15.2 million • FY12-13 $17 million • Proposed for FY-14: $13.4 million www.onslowcountync.gov
Proposed FY2013-2014 Budget Key Issues www.onslowcountync.gov
State Budget Adoption • Intergovernmental Revenues • Lottery Funds: $1,646,000 budgeted to pay for existing school debt • Unemployment Insurance • $285,000 • Other? www.onslowcountync.gov
Maximization of Available Revenue • Property Tax Collections • 96.06% • $8.9 million in delinquent taxes owed • Tax and Tag will provide more money if implemented as planned • Sales Tax Proceeds • Previously under a 40%-60% Blended • Change to 100% Ad Valorem • $1.2 million increase for FY-14
Bottom Line • Fewer General Government County Employees are providing higher service levels for a growing county population • Growth in Public Safety Employees may be primarily attributed to two reasons: • New Onslow County Justice Complex • Institution of Emergency Responder Program • Current Issue: County pay ranges are, on average, 14% below market.
Proposed FY2013-2014 Budget Highlights of Proposed Budget www.onslowcountync.gov
2009 Funding formula Pros • Used Objective Measures • Created Significant Increases in Appropriations to Schools • Allowed for budget certainty and planning Cons • No Consideration for Factors Affecting County Government • other obligations • natural disasters • loss of state revenue • increased mandates • property devaluation • military downsizing • declining fund balance • Increasing school fund balance
Today… • Multiple factors to be considered • Other obligations and needs of county • Uncertainty of State Budget • Increased mandates • Devaluation of Property at next Revaluation • Sequestration • Declining County Fund Balance • Possible School Bond Tax Increase • School System Fund Balance Levels
School System Fund Balance • As reported by the NCACC • Wake: $73 million • Cumberland: $49 million • Charlotte/Mecklenburg: $32.1 million • Onslow: $28.7 million
Unassigned Fund Balance of the Onslow County Public Schools $25,397,967* *as of June 2012
Recommend New Formula • Recognize that county government has other obligations beyond that of public education • Eliminates funding based on uncertainty of student population projections • Bases increases on a percentage of new revenues realized by the county
Public School Bond Referendum • If passed by the voters: • Tax increase necessary on July 1, 2014 • If not passed by the voters: • School system likely to request funding for construction of new schools • If funded, tax increase necessary on July 1, 2014
CCCC • Operational Budget Flat-Funded • Annual Capital Budget Flat-Funded • Building new Maintenance Facility at the Western Boulevard Campus • $5.5 million project • Funded within existing capital improvement program
Implement 4-Step System • Step 1: Create a Living Wage • 65 Lowest Employees in Onslow County Government • Federal Poverty Rate for Family of 3: $19,530 • Onslow County Custodian: $17,788 • City of Jacksonville Custodian: $20,376 • Public Schools Custodian: $22,280
Implement 4-Step System • Step 2: Correct Inequities in Public Safety • Up to 242 Public Safety Employees • Onslow E911 Operator: $24,345 • New Hanover Operator: $29,514 • Onslow Deputy: $32,037 • Jacksonville Police Officer: $34,001
Implement 4-Step System • Step 3: Across-the-Board Pay Adjustment • 1,254 Employees • 4% Raise
Implement 4-Step System • Step 4: Reorganize County Government • Net reduction of 18 positions • Consolidate Human Services Agencies • Health, Senior Services, Social Services • Series of personnel actions • Overall Savings to Onslow County: $900,000+
Public Education Appropriations • Increasing Student Enrollment • Continued School Facility Needs • Additional Requests for Operating Expenses • Issues for both the K-12 Public School System and CCCC
Correcting the Divergence of Taxation and Governance • Under Current Law • School System Governs and Spends • County Government Taxes • If County Government Does Not Provide Enough, Schools take County to court • Proposed Change • School System Governs and Spends • School System Taxes • County Reduces Tax Rate by 32.33 cents of the 58.5 cent current rate.
Proposed FY2013-2014 Budget Summary www.onslowcountync.gov
As proposed, this budget… • Keeps Property Tax Rate at Current Levels • Pays for all current debt service and funds the proposed C.I.P. • Recommends Revision to the School System Funding Formula while maintaining current levels of support • Maintains CCCC funding at current levels • Implements 4-step program of changes to county personnel structure
Budget Available At: • Onslow County Administration • Onslow County Finance • All Onslow County Public Libraries • Jacksonville • Richlands • Swansboro • Sneads Ferry • www.onslowcountync.gov
Comments Received At: budgetcomments@onslowcountync.gov Or Budget Comments c/o Onslow County Administration 4024 Richlands Highway Jacksonville, NC 28540
Proposed FY2013-2014 Budget Action Requested:Set Public Hearing www.onslowcountync.gov
Onslow CountyNorth CarolinaProposed Budget FY 2013-2014 Jeffrey L. Hudson County Manager June 3, 2013