Board of Commissioners

Town of Swansboro Board of Commissioners April 28, 2022, Special Meeting In attendance: Mayor John Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Tursi, Commissioner Pat Turner, Commissioner Larry Philpott, Mayor Pro Tem Tursi, and Commissioner Jeffrey Conaway. Commissioner Harry PJ Pugliese arrived at 4:24 pm. ********************************** Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:00 pm. Mayor Davis led the Pledge of Allegiance. The purpose of the meeting will be for further discussion of the FY 22/23 Draft Budget. At the April 25, 2022, regular meeting the Board reviewed a budget amendment which included the following options for HVAC replacements at Town Hall. • Replace the current unit that is not operational-$9,898 • Replace both units- $18,804 (Train) • Repair the current unit that is not operational-$1,974 At that meeting, it was decided to proceed with the repair option ($1,974) and to obtain additional quotes for other unit types to determine if cost could be less than $18,804 and if additional quotes were obtained those details could be provided at this meeting. Public Works Director, Gerald “Tank” Bates reviewed all quotes received to date as follows: Carteret Heating & Air (both units)* Swansboro Heating & Air* • Train $18,804 (7 to 10 days to get • Train $18,738 (7 to 10 days to get units) units) • Carrier $19,179 (4-6 Weeks to get • Goodman $15,760 units) • Goodman $17,288 • Ducane $15,411 * Install required a crane due to location of units being on top of the building In response to an inquiry form the Board, Mr. Bates shared that there was a warranty of 5 year for compressor, 1 year labor. He indicated that in research he found that Carrier may have a lifetime warranty, but that detail was not disclosed on the quotes. On a motion by Commissioner Philpot, seconded my Mr. Conaway with unanimously approval, Mr. Bates was directed to purchase the Carrier units ($19,179) if they had a lifetime warranty, otherwise continue with purchase of the Train units ($18,804). Page 1 of 4 Manager Webb review that a draft FY 22/23 Budget and CIP was prepared for discussion and further guidance. The Manager and Finance Director met twice with each department director to date in preparation of this draft. Itwis also acknowledged that the American Rescue Plan funding allocations were extremely helpful with updating the CIP plan and other items that would typically have been requested through the budget submittals. The current draft was balanced with zero appropriation from fund balance. Funded highlights include: • 3% COLA (average proposed COLAs gathered to date suggest 7%) • New Personnel $112,887 (Project Coordinator & Maintenance Technician) • Proud City Website one time cost of $6,000 and $1,200 annual Support/Maintenance • Municode Agenda Manager Subscription $3,600 • NCLM Property & Casualty Increased 9.4% • NCLM Workers Comp Decreased 5% • NCLM Group Health Insurance Decreased 3% • CIP $144,366 • Capital Outlay $214,900 Only two major budget requests were unfunded (to date): • Facility Supervisor $58,890 • Snap On Contract $25,000 Manager Webb share that the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), originally adopted in FY 17/18, was re-introduced, following a three-year absence/deferral. Additional work could be done to the document if there was support to reimplement the plan. A simpler approach could be accomplished through notations during budget deliberations and noted in the final Budget Ordinance. It was noted that allocations to the CIP must remain as capital expenditures. Although amendments can be made, once allocated as capital funds they could not be returned to the General Fund for other appropriations. The Board was interested in seeing an alternative that could simply the document for them and the process for the Finance Director. In response to inquiries form the Board, the following details were clarified: • In polling area municipalities, the average for COLAs was 7% • Merit raise was not considered due to Pay in Classification Plan Study approval resulting in pay increases for many positions Page 2 of 4  • New personnel requested was for a Project Coordinator position would be funded 50% from planning/permitting budget and 50% from administration budget, and a Maintenance Technician funded in Public Works 100% Manager Webb reviewed each Departments budget and provided details to explain the increase or decrease from prior year’s budget as follows: • Fire – increase, due to Pay in Classification plan implementation and personnel changes • Governing Body – increase, due to COVID contributions were not included in past budget • Administration – increase, due to Project Coordinator position 50% • Finance – increase, county tax collection fee increases and software support fee increase • Legal – monthly retainer increase • Public Buildings – increase, • Permitting – increase, due to Project Coordinator position 50% • Police – increase, due to gas cost, loan for detective vehicle and Capital Reserve • Public Works Streets – increase, due to Capital items with loan proceeds • Powell Bill Streets – increase, due to Capital Outlay items • Parks & Recreation – increase, due to CIP items and part-time salaries • Church Street Dock – decrease, due to repairs completed • Emergency Management – remained the same • Festival/Events – increase, mullet parade award increases • Non-Departmental – decrease, due to vehicle payments moving to departments • Stormwater – decrease, due to equipment purchase/lease payments ending • Solid Waste – decrease, due to equipment purchase/lease payments ending During discussion, it was desired that expenses for the Visitor’s Center be separated into its own individual line for there to be visible overall detailed operation cost. An increase to the Police and Fire Chief salaries was indicated by Mayor Davis as desired, however the completed and implemented Pay in Classification study that was implemented made pay for employees competitive. There was recommendation to monitor the salaries to ensure they remain competitive for all public safety salaries. Public Works Director Bates shared that while one new Maintenance Technician position would help, he really needed more. Mr. Bates offered to give up equipment purchases from this budget if he could get two positions. The Board agreed to consider and directed Mr. Bates to finalize that change with the Manager and Finance director. Page 3 of 4 Manager Webb shared there were no funds considered in the current budget for that project and thought that it could be possible for the Water Street project could be funded by a 319 grant, but the Coastal Federation shared that they did not want to fund that project in the coming year. She reached out to Dewberry, the firm handling the Towns RCCP grant, and the project was added to our portfolio for future phases. The maintenance needs for Ward Shore Park and a resolution to the ongoing erosion issue at that location was still to be determined. Staff was directed to bring back more information on resolution at a future meeting and consider use of ARP funds or Payment in Lieu of Parks fees. It was recommended to reach out to the property owner at Church Street dock and inquire on plans for maintenance of their portion which was not in good repair. Police Chief Jackson shared that the 5 vehicles approved for purchase with ARP funds did not provide for fully equipped vehicles. In order to get them sooner and to have the vehicles fully equipped, he was recommending going with an alternative SUV vehicle and reuse the lights/equipment from existing vehicles that would be decommissioned. The vehicles would also provide for longer life of 5 years/100,000 miles, which would change the CIP plan timelines. The Board agreed with the product/plan change. Adjournment On a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Tursi, seconded by Commissioner Turner, and with unanimous approval, the meeting adjourned at 6:31 pm. Page 4 of 4