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FY 2013 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS Agenda Part 1 – How these recommendations were developed

FY 2013 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS Agenda Part 1 – How these recommendations were developed Part 2 – Issues Part 3 – Recommendations A) What should be eliminated? B) What should be reduced?

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FY 2013 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS Agenda Part 1 – How these recommendations were developed

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  1. FY 2013 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS Agenda Part 1 – How these recommendations were developed Part 2 – Issues Part 3 – Recommendations A) What should be eliminated? B) What should be reduced? C) What this group will be working to change or eliminate at the State level

  2. PART 1 – HOW THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE DEVELOPED A group of concerned citizens got together and developed these recommendations Diverse coalition of people from all 5 Supervisor’s districts, and from both the Democrat and Republican parties -This is a presentation of consensus items ONLY. There were many other items discussed, but only the ones with complete agreement are presented here - Wanted to present these recommendations now to allow sufficient time for a thorough evaluation and discussion prior to the budget being passed in September The purpose of this group is to help identify items that the public may support, and if desired by the Board, to form committees to do further evaluation - No criticism of Supervisors, nor dumping this in their lap - We believe in volunteerism, and will support you, if desired

  3. PART 2 - ISSUES Tax comparison – How do other counties do it? This information is from the State Auditor’s website. Only 2 counties in Mississippi have a steeper slope than PRC. While PRC has increased 14.2% in population, tax revenues have increased by 64.15%. If increased by inflation, we should be at 16%. Washington About the same size Lowndes About the same size PRC Prentiss ½ Population of PRC

  4. PART 2 – ISSUES • Estimated budget shortfall in 2013 of ~ $700K (from 2012 baseline) • Reduction in revenue from car tag and decreased property values ($800K) • Increased benefit costs for retirement and health insurance ($200K) • $300K for fairgrounds construction not planned in 2013, and should be used as an offset for other increased costs • - Are there any other such line items that could be used? • GROUND RULE: AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF SAVINGS NEEDS TO BE GENERATED TO AVOID A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

  5. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS These recommendations address only three funds (in red) FUNDASSESSED MILLAGE General 34.66 Reappraisal 1.30 Trust 1.00 PRCC Maintenance 2.19 PRCC Improvement 2.24 Roads5.50 Bridges/Culverts 3.50 TOTAL COUNTY WIDE 50.39 Hospital (Districts 1, 2, & 3 only) 4.00 Schools (Pville @ 57; Pic @ 60.25; PRC @ 58.67; Lmbt @ 50.73) Avg: 56.66 Fire Districts 4.80 RANGE: 115.44 – 116.19 (Does not include city assessments)

  6. Part 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS This presentation is to the best of our knowledge and is not to be construed as the ABSOLUTE TRUTH, but the facts as we best understand them. Savings estimates are either estimates based on data provided by the County Administrator/Sheriff’s office or WAGs based on prior budgeting experiences. ANYONE – OR BETTER YET EVERYONE – PLEASE, do your own investigation and estimates and make your information available to others. Eliminate specific services which are not mandated by law: Sr. Center 10K VOCA 71K Phase out and replace with restitution “fines” Airport 1K Pearl River Basin 105K Soil Conservation 25K Council on Aging 20K Parks (other) 50K SMPDD 12K Civil Defense (EOC) 130K Automate sirens; utilize citizen volunteers National Guard Arm 1K PRC ARC 5K County Planning 122K Repeal subdivision laws Chambers of Commerce 5K Election Commissioners Ins 48K Eliminate insurance for part time positions SAVINGS OF $605,000

  7. Part 3 - RECOMENDATIONS Reduce services which are not mandated by law: WASRECOMMENDED SIMS/GIS 20K 10K; charge for services Air Ambulance 150K 75K assumed (needs verification); Delete participation in Air Ambulance service; maintain Ground Ambulance Libraries 202K TBD: Committee willing to develop recommendations based on charging for services SAVINGS OF $85,000

  8. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS Eliminate duplication of services Chimney square costs about $800,000 per year in salaries, operations, and maintenance. The cost does not justify the benefits. SAVINGS OF $800,000 Liquidate property Liquidate ALL unused property and use proceeds to establish a “rainy day” fund. Committee willing to evaluate potential savings and make recommendations. SAVINGS NEED TO BE EVALUATED Departmental challenges Current headcount is 240 (up from 140 in 2001). Reduce total headcount by 20%. Recommend analysis of each department in lieu of across the board, as some departments have had significant reductions in recent years, while others have not. THIS INCLUDES BOTH ROAD DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. Reduce materials and S/C by 5%,including both road department budgets. SAVINGS OF $2,500,000

  9. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS Cell Phones – Sensitive issue to the public Evaluate need for cell phones and reduce to 20 or less (Supervisors, Sheriff, Road Manager, and limited others who need to be in communication after hours). SAVINGS OF $108,000 Vehicles – Sensitive issue to the public County has129 vehicles for 240 employees. That is a HIGH ratio. Most businesses allow VERY FEW vehicles to be “housed” with employees because it is not cost effective - Insurance, maintenance, and cost of vehicle is prohibitive - Government mandated per mile has been proven cheaper

  10. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS Vehicles Recommend that only county employees who have a documented history of being called out at night and on weekends be allowed to keep a vehicle (sheriff deputies and select members of the road crew ONLY). All others would either: - Paid mileage for actual usage - Drive their cars to designated equipment pools and check out vehicles as needed. Equipment logs should be established to validate usage Sell excess vehicles and use revenue for “rainy day” fund. SAVINGS $568,000

  11. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS Standardization of salaries and salary caps Citizens committee willing to do a market analysis and establish min/max range and salary caps for all job descriptions. SAVINGS OF $275,000 Consolidate election districts Citizens committee willing to develop recommendations and support this activity until approved by Justice Department. SAVINGS OF $15,000 Evaluation of property tax rolls Citizens committee willing to evaluate tax rolls and make recommendations (specifically with respect to churches). SAVINGS OF $60,000

  12. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS • Jail/Sheriff Administration: Issues • When jail was built, some perceived it as a revenue source; money to be made from housing other non-PRC prisoners. Jail designed for 475 and as of 7/7/12 housed about ~225 (~135 are PRC prisoners). • Cost to house a prisoner is $28 - $35/day, depending on number of prisoners. Medical must be provided and legal defense of lawsuits must also be paid. • What value do we get from housing prisoners of non-violent crimes (such simple things such as speeding, driving without a license)? What do such “crimes” cost us in terms of deputies, courts, and the jail?

  13. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS • Jail/Sheriff Administration • Citizens committee willing to evaluate recommendation for enforcement of some victimless crime laws. Refusal to implement certain laws has a magnifying effect on other costs (i.e. the court system). Community support and savings must be assessed. • COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND SAVINGS NEED TO BE EVALUATED • Citizens committee willing to study efficiency of housing our prisoners at another facility • - Estimated cost of $30/day • - Shut down the jail; sell the property • SAVINGS OF $1,600,000

  14. PART 3 – RECOMMENDATIONS TOTAL SAVINGS IDENTIFIED OF $6,661,000 + PROPERTY LIQUIDATION Less $700K shortfall, this would translate to net reduction of $5,961,000. Property tax COULD BE REDUCED BY UP TO ~ 19.9 mills. Property liquidation could be used to develop a rainy day fund. THE OBVIOUS CHOICES ARE: 1) Make no cuts, raise taxes by 3 mills 2) Make some cuts, keep taxes the same 3) Make DEEP cuts, reduce taxes by up to 19 mills THIS CITIZENS COMMITTEE IS WILLING TO DO FURTHER EVALUATION AND/OR SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE SUGGESTIONS IF DESIRED BY THE BOARD

  15. PART 3 – CHANGES AT THE STATE LEVEL • Elimination of property tax altogether? • Should the county be working on a plan to eliminate all property taxes and replace them with sales taxes? • - HUGE ECONOMIC IMPACT. Business and home construction will • boom in PRC • - Citizens become a property owner instead of a tenant • - Citizens can’t lose their home because of non-payment of “rent” • - All citizens will pay the burden for the operation and services of • government • - When government grows, everyone feels the pain and will naturally • stop that expansion • Hard battle at the State level either way – and this is worth the fight • A citizens group will be formed to analyze and make recommendations to the State legislature

  16. PART 3 – CHANGES AT THE STATE LEVEL This citizens committee will be working on other things at the State level : - Eliminating select State mandates - Cutting salaries of elected county officials - Eliminating retirement of elected officials and government employees, starting at some date in the future. People who have paid in and currently planning retirement based on this benefit would not be affected - Cutting the hours of operation of county offices - Serving notice that there are just too many laws, and the county will not be enforcing them all - Others as identified

  17. BACK UP INFORMATION

  18. PART 2 - ISSUES Tax comparison – How do other counties do it? IF COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAD INCREASED BY 3% INFLATION (FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FIGURE), THEN GROWTH WOULD HAVE BEEN 16% VS THE 64% WE NOW HAVE Pearl River County Population 55,834 810 sq. mi. 64.15% increase Washington County (~ 1X) Population 50,405 725 sq. mi. 5.25% increase Lowndes County (~ 1X) Population 59,671 605 sq. mi. 6.18% increase Prentiss County (~1/2X) Population 25,330 415 sq. mi. 5.78% increase NOTE: ONLY TWO COUNTIES INCREASED MORE THAN PRC (Lafayette & Humphreys)

  19. Part 2 – FY 2012 County Budget Overview FY 2012 Approved Budget (Sept. 19, 2011 – Book 152; pg 182) DEPARTMENT BUDGET NOTES Board of Supervisors 1,200,000 ~500K salaries + prop ins, atty, etc. Chancery Clerk 475,000 ~430K salaries Circuit Clerk 314,000 ~290K salaries Tax Assessor 636,000 ~540K salaries County Administrator 300,000 ~280K salaries Supt. of Ed (PRC) 16,000 Offices/phones Maint Bldgs/Grounds 600,000 ~235K salaries Data Processing 200,000 ~86K salaries, 82K S/C Veterans Service Office 45,000 ~41K salaries SIMS/GIS (mapping) 20,000 ~13.5K salaries Chancery Court 150,000 ~130K salaries Circuit Court 380,000 ~195K salaries County Court 350,000 ~330K salaries; impl @ svgs of 300K Juvenile Court 150,000 ~30K salaries

  20. Part 2 – FY 2012 County Budget Overview FY 2012 Approved Budget DEPARTMENT BUDGET NOTES Lunacy Court 170,000 ~26K salaries Justice 400,000 ~330K salaries Coroner 165,000 ~68K salaries District Attorney 245,000 ~243K salaries County Attorney 61,000 ~60K salaries Public Defender 235,000 ~233K salaries VOCA 71,000 71K salaries MDOC Office 20,000 Elections 200,000 ~99K salaries (com ins pd) Sheriff Administration 3,000,000 ~2,400K salaries Animal Control Officer 18,000 15K S/C Jail 3,400,000 ~1,348K salaries SO – Legal Dept 200,000 S/C legal services Inventory/Safety Coordinator 61,000 ~60K salaries

  21. Part 2 – FY 2012 County Budget Overview FY 2012 Approved Budget DEPARTMENT BUDGETNOTES Air Ambulance Service 150,000 Includes ground ambulances Civil Defense 130,000 ~117K salaries National Guard Armory 1,000 Constables 14,000 ~7K salaries; ins paid Poplarville Airport 3,000 Sanitation/Waste Removal 160,000 ~137K salaries; road trash pickup Rabies/Animal Control 35,000 Contract for taking in stray animals Health Dept 110,000 Mental Health 100,000 Contract with GCMH Welfare Administration 85,000 About ½ reimbursed by State Council on Aging 20,000 PRC ARC 5,000 PRVO 5,000 Libraries 202,000 Law allows sep. mills (>2)

  22. Part 2 – FY 2012 County Budget Overview FY 2012 Approved Budget DEPARTMENT BUDGET NOTES Parks 75,000 ~43K salaries for mowing Parks (other) 50,000 Discretionary funds Pearl River Basin District 105,334 Drainage, recreation Soil Conservation 25,000 ~6.5K salaries County Extension 70,000 ~47K salaries (no benefits) SMPDD 12,000 Dues County Planning 122,000 ~115K salaries (S/D regulations) Economic Development 25,000 Sr Center, CoC, Rain St 19,000 Roads, bridges, culverts 4,848,200 ~2,279K salaries

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