Board of Town Commissioners

MINUTES BUDGET LISTENING SESSION Thursday, February 1, 2024 A Budget Listening Session was held on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 10:00 am at the Bel Air Town Hall. IN ATTENDANCE: Commissioner Paula S. Etting, Chair Commissioner Mary F. Chance Commissioner Steven T. Chizmar Edward Hopkins, Town Administrator Steven Kline, Director of Public Works Lisa Moody, Director of Finance Charles Moore, Chief of Police Angela Robertson, Director of Economic Development Kevin Small, Director of Planning David Anderson, Media & Public Relations Specialist Jane Sudbrink, Recording Secretary ABSENT: Commissioner James B. Rutledge III Commissioner Jakob D. Taylor I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Etting called the meeting to order at 10:00 am. Mr. Hopkins made opening remarks. He welcomed everyone and said this was a forum for employees to speak to commissioners and department heads about their concerns for the budget. He noted that suggestions made at last year’s listening sessions were implemented into the FY24 budget. Charles Dawson, Deputy Director of Public Works requested money to be budgeted for a part-time inspector who would inspect town streets and parks and address environmental issues. He asked for a full-time janitor to replace the private company the department currently uses at a cost of $65,000. He also asked that the streets budget be fully funded, particularly for the purposes of paving and storm drains. The paving of streets has fallen behind. Ms. Moody noted that she received an estimate from SHA this week and it is projected that the town will receive an additional $100,000 this fiscal year. She stressed that state highway funds must be used for streets and was hopeful that this money will come through to help Mr. Dawson’s streets budget. In answer to Mr. Dawson, the SHA money cannot be used for salaries. She also confirmed for Commissioner Chizmar that the funds are for local roads only. Mr. Dawson continued that he would like to request two more vehicles, a leaf-vac truck and a pickup truck at a cost of $180,000. As far as town buildings, he would like that budget fully funded. In particular, he has an Armory project that needs piping and a storage tank replaced. Mr. Dawson stressed that the parking garage stairs are failing and he is working on getting estimates to replace both sides. Repairs would cost $60,000 for two to three floors. He requested that at least the Courtland St side be repaired this year. Mr. Dawson would also like COLA step increases. 1  Ms. Moody asked Mr. Dawson to forward her the information on the vehicles he would like to replace in FY26. She is considering moving these requests to FY25 so that they can be funded through ARPA. Commissioner Chizmar asked if the stairs could be fixed through ARPA funds. Ms. Moody affirmed this is possible but noted that the town would pay 32% of the repairs and the county would pay the rest. This project could also be suitable for the capital improvement fund. Mr. Small asked if the SHA funds could be used as a match for the Safe Streets and Roads for All implementation grant. Ms. Moody gave a tentative yes but said she would have to look at the regulations. Alex Maro, President of the police union, said that members have requested that they are moving equitably along the pay scale. In the past, steps along the pay scale have been frozen and COLA adjustments did not always match up. Members would also like healthcare to stay secure and have commented that the plan is employer-friendly. When adjustments have to be made, they tend to disadvantage the employees. Corporal Maro noted that union members are not asking for parity with the county, rather they are asking for respectability. He said last year was a step in the right direction. Commissioner Chizmar said the town runs on its employees and it is important to find good people and keep them. Charles Moore, Chief of Police, asked for the budget to include a conversion to a smaller firearm, a 9mm Glock. Understanding that this request is costly, he said he could offset this cost by reducing the fleet down to two from three, bringing the price to under $80,000. Chief Moore mentioned the mid-year renewal of the Axon contract for body-worn cameras at a cost of $100,000. He said costs have continued to increase on the clerical side as the demand for transparency and public information remains paramount. Chief Moore said he is also asking for more law enforcement personnel due to the increase in shoplifting, petty thefts, and major crime. With the focus on these areas, personnel are not available for smaller, but still important needs, like traffic. The cost to hire a police officer is $150,000 with benefits. Chief Moore requested an increase in command structure. Currently, the force has one chief and one captain, whereas other comparable police departments have three or four command employees. Chief Moore asked to civilianize the training staff. Testing and certification of police officers is essential under the police accountability act so he would like to civilianize testing such as physical and psychological evaluations. Chief Moore touched on salaries and asked for consistency with surrounding jurisdictions. He noted that the sheriff’s office has pay increases. Furthermore, the state police and the Aberdeen and Havre de Grace police forces offer incentives for officers to make lateral moves. Chief Moore said that his department currently has incentives that override lateral move bonuses, but he is worried these will subside. He noted that the police department’s starting salary is $58,000 while the sheriff’s office is $70.000. He did not want our quality of officer to be compromised. Commissioner Chizmar asked Chief Moore for a list of these lateral incentives. Chief Moore agreed and said sometimes these incentives pay out in increments rather than in a lump sum. Corporal Keith Smithson said he lives and works in town. He shared anecdotes to demonstrate the quality and dedication of employees who work for the town. In his estimation, they are far better than employees of other jurisdictions where he has worked. 2  Corporal Smithson said his chief concern is finance. He, too, discussed the signing bonuses and starting salaries of officers who work for the sheriff’s department. Although Corporal Smithson said he did not expect the same incentives here, his request was to stay comparable. He said last year’s budget was a huge advancement for morale. He said he is asking for at least a COLA increase again. He noted that staying comparable would mean that the town would not get “bottom-of-the-barrel” applicants, which is detrimental to safety. In terms of budget requests, it may look like the police may not need a certain item, but in a small department, cutting out budget requests is damaging. James Farrell, Administrative Sergeant, suggested controlling the population of Bel Air by limiting building projects such as the Kleins project and potential apartments. He said retired police officers have not received COLA increases and requested that the pension plan be reviewed. He asked if unused sick time could be used as credit to extend the years of service. He said that in twenty-five years there have been no changes to the pension plan. Ms. Moody noted for Commissioner Chizmar that the town has its own pension plan and sworn officers contribute 10 percent. Paula Flint, Records Administrator, asked for the pay scale to be revisited as a whole. She said if you do not get a COLA increase, the pay scale goes backwards. Mr. Hopkins said he and Mr. Krantz have also talked to Ms. Flint about implementing a higher fee for public information requests. Currently, the first two hours are free, but these requests can be broad in focus and time-consuming. Mr. Dawson said the Department of Public Works encounters similar issues. Mr. Dawson also mentioned that the starting hourly rate for a public works employee is $17.70, an amount that is insufficient for hiring enough quality people. Chair Etting noted that the town is competing with private industry for hires and stressed the importance of the public works employees and the police to the town’s citizens. Nick Rhodes, School Resource Officer, said he represents the police union. He spoke to reinforce the need for the important budget items the chief mentioned, including gear and equipment. He said it is critical that the town’s weapons are compatible with other agencies in terms of back-up and liability. Julia Potler, Events Manager, recognized the Department of Public Works, the commissioners, and the town staff for their support of the changes and improvements at the Armory. She stressed its importance as a landmark of the town. In particular, it is now an affordable, award-winning option for weddings and celebrations and does not have a restricted list. Sam Vivino, Detective Corporal, said he is on the interview panel for new recruits. Last year, they interviewed twenty-eight people, and only one was hired. He said when candidates see the pay rate, they do not want to work for the town. He asked commissioners and staff about increased revenue options. Chair Etting showed the audience a map of the town with large swaths of highlighted areas where the town cannot collect tax revenue, including churches, county properties, and the hospital. She said she would like to work with the county to determine if there are properties in town that it no longer needs. She also noted that the town cannot annex more properties, and that, furthermore, people do not always want to pay the extra town taxes for the town benefits. 3  Mr. Small discussed the possibility of issuing permits to retailers for the extra burdens that are being placed on the police department. Chief Moore detailed that he, along with Mr. Small, have issued temporary permits to local establishments for events that would require extra police presence, like St. Patrick’s Day. Ms. Moody explained the two types of tax revenues, real property (building, land) and personal property (the business itself). In order for the town to really grow, it needs real property—new buildings and renovations. She said that according to the town’s recent re-assessment for real property, the town is only increasing about two percent per year. She described the obstacles to the town’s growth. New businesses coming to the town are good, but they do not generate a lot of tax revenue. Maryland law prohibits the town from creating its own sales tax. If the town’s real property does not grow, neither does the town. Chair Etting noted that some funding sources are dedicated to certain items only. Ms. Moody added that for FY25, the town has lost about $100,000 in revenue from county and state property. Ms. Robertson described the importance of bringing quality jobs to this community while providing quality places for those people to live—in town. She noted that the apartments at the mall will be high end and could provide housing for hospital employees. More real property will keep taxes from increasing. Mr. Small said “one drives the other” in that businesses will not come if they do not see rooftops, and residential drives commercial. Mr. Small mentioned how the town has leveraged a lot more grants than the county. These grants offset monies that would ordinarily come from the town’s coffers. The grants drive improvements in the town. Ms. Robertson recognized Stephanie Zahn, Grants Coordinator, who is managing over a million dollars in grants for the town. Ms. Flint asked about a possible extra tax for apartments to offset the costs. Ms. Moody said there is one real property tax and you cannot change it or the rate. The meeting adjourned at 11:21 am. APPROVED: February 5, 2024 Signature on file _____________ Paula S. Etting, Chair Board of Town Commissioners Signature on file____________ Michael L. Krantz, Town Clerk 4