on them
foreign
ER
got me
good afternoon everyone I'd like to
welcome you to the Russell County Board
of Supervisors the 20 uh 23 24 budget
Workshop I like to first start off with
a roll call and a call order Tim
Lovelace
Carl Ray here
David here
Steve Brady here Rebecca dye here or
it's Christian present and Luanne Wells
here
Tim should be here soon so
as we had
during our last budget meetings
during our last budget meetings and
since then
uh between you know
uh the commissioner of Revenue of course
the County Treasurer myself and Mr Brady
you know we went through some of the big
discussion items that were facing US
during the 23-24 budget cycle
of course everyone knows that due to the
rate of inflation and of course over you
know the board
is
uh has these for considerations we also
looked at you know a number of topics
especially some of the big Revenue lines
that
that generates revenue for the county so
one of the topics was of course the uh
Casino money which the board had
appropriated out between
based off the terms and conditions we
had appropriate y'all had appropriated
out to transportation
education or the court system so in
public safety so what the board had
decided to do is uh look at
given to the fire and rescue which I did
increase the 50 on the fire and rescue
you also looked at completely paying for
the race program and the rest was
dedicated by the by the code
to the court systems to take care of
these issues in the additional court
cases that will come up due to the
casino so that was approximately six
hundred thousand dollars
of course the second topic that was
looking at we were looking at is the
personal property tax we took a look at
it ran the numbers on the end of all
what we had seen from the books between
the we did a uh analysis of the years 20
21 22 and 23 didn't we stayed so we sat
and looked and did a three-year analysis
between what the values of the cars had
become and what the where on the books
and what is everyone has seen
that
in the in the private sector these cars
are either coming in at or below or a
small percentile above what the market
price is and now this is based off the
state analysis the state evaluations of
the naida that does over a million
evaluation and assessments on a monthly
basis so that's what sets our books the
the naeda book from the state sets our
books we actually when we evaluate it it
is not on a model or a year it is by VIN
number so we have 25
683 cars that we go through and look at
and it's done VIN number by being number
it's not based off the year the model or
the make is by be another so when we did
that and looked at them again to
emphasize either he was either at the
current market value it was at a little
bit below or a little bit above but was
it enough to be able to make a large
variants and adjust the tax base no
and also speaking to the other counties
they have come to consign conclusion of
their assessment you know we have talked
to other counties over Canada and arrest
but they had came to the same assessment
the third item that we had to consider
on the budget was trash Believe It or
Not disposal
uh the Waste Management Authority had a
meeting Friday night we attended Carl
attended Tim attended and of course
we're working through that now based off
we can't discuss these numbers because
they're still preliminary
we are comfortable with going ahead and
proceeding within the range of what
we've got to be able to proceed with
setting the tax rate and tax budget
so with that being said if we can work
within these components of the personal
property the waste management and the
casino money
but with what we got live within our
means at my request at the board's
request in approval I would like to go
ahead and ask for us to go ahead and set
the 23 24 tax rate at the current tax
rates to be able to live with intervenes
with what we have and what we've got
so with that being said I'll take any
questions or any concerns
with what we have seen over the last six
weeks
questions
I don't have any does any of the board
members have any questions or concerns
for the public
since
we're here trying to do things in the
public
when I met with Lonzo and treasure under
commissioner uh Lonzo says 99.2 percent
of all the vehicles fall into that
category where they're at or near or
below the 21 assessment
and only eight tenths of a percent were
above that in that category well that
equates to about 200 Vehicles out of 26
000.
so you know it's and and we don't know
how many of those are business we didn't
make adjustments on business anyway so
it's really kind of a in those Vehicles
as I understand were the high-end
Vehicles the 350s 450s Escalades that is
whatever they're holding their value
much better so there's I don't think
there's anything we can do overall to
make any kind of adjustments out of the
25 683 cars we had evaluated 1695
through all year 21 year 20 21 and 22.
we went back beyond the 21 base that we
had utilized last year to set the tax
rate to give this million point one
discount refund back to the citizens of
Russell County so we even went back to
see what kind of barriers it was so when
we did an analysis we had year 20 21 and
22 based off the 23
evaluations from the end the Ada and we
looked at each and every one on
different models Different Bikes 1695 of
them that we're sitting in there but
like Mr breeding had emphasized for
stated that it's the specialized
Vehicles these in some SUVs and some of
them would drop I mean even Toyota's we
were very surprised even the type of
cars because usually the total brand
usually either maintains its value or uh
during this time but some of the makes
some of the models were up some were
down the 450s 350s of course the
escalates you know the big the big
vehicles but overall we feel comfortable
as you know I can't speak for the
treasury commissioner
they were both in the room we feel
comfortable to be able to go ahead and
say it the current tax rate right now at
the real estate the personal property
the Machining tool that will be on the
agenda for tonight
that will be only agenda for approval
tonight to go ahead and advertise and
set the tax rate at the same as it was
last year
and And discussing these rates do they
include or consider the mileage or the
condition of that protective vehicle
what and you'll be surprised what all is
in it when you pull up the VIN number it
has every uh
uh accommodation that's within the the
vehicle every uh add-on that's on it
every every model it actually when you
title it it had the existing uh mileage
on it too didn't it yes
sure does
any more questions
what kind of buffer do you have built in
on the waste
you allowed for some escalation but yes
we just don't know how much yet right
well I can say this and this is the
range and I'm not giving away you know
any Trade Secrets here all right as Carl
knows
one of the things that we we build into
the waste management in the landfill we
were estimating 200 to 250 000 increase
there's let me explain this is what we
found out Friday
now we're into the 180 range we had a
hundred thousand built into the base
budget of the waste management to be
able to handle this
but board what we're seeing in the
contracts that we got over a five-year
period this will escalate so I'm saying
for FY 23 24 we have in the bank to be
able to include what we've got and what
we clicked at the transfer station to be
able to meet it now I can depend upon
the final numbers that come in in May we
the 24 25 is going to be very very
difficult
so
and and these guys will agree what do we
have seen so far
so I I hate to say that the whole budget
comes down to trash but you know
it is the bar basic and what one of the
things that
people have to understand is when we sit
in those rooms we have three counties in
us you know looking at that plus the
region
Russell County operates we we're about
twenty one dollars done you can't touch
that I mean you can't touch it no one
can touch it I mean
the taping phase the environmental phase
the CPI indexes it's the rate of
inflation is what we're paying for not
what county the Russell County is up
right now this is an increase by the
contractors at the landfills that the
Waste Management Authority does our own
not our internal operations not our
disposal sites not what compactors we
have not what we do on a daily basis at
each one of these sites this is the
Cumberland Plateau Waste Management
Authority contract
so
between that and what we we're hoping
again I'll go I'll go to the casino
topic we're hoping they
they are profitable I hate to say it
that's
that's from gambling but
because you know I don't believe in it
but they are it is improving it is
improving but again you only got three
things that you can dedicate this to
Transportation you know
our
our co-serverance is doing okay so you
you know vdots got its own set of money
but you know between Public Safety and
education that's two very very important
topics to the Board of Supervisors yes
so and that way we can be able to
dedicate that additional phones as they
come in and we'll be able to have a
historical Trend once it gets in place
they are building their own what's
existing but when these two major Hotel
Towers go up and the stage that
accommodates 50 000 people now they're
expecting go from a 200 million dollar
operation to a 400 million dollar
operation so therefore when their
revenue goes up our Revenue goes up
so that's a good thing it helped you not
raise taxes
so
again we've made it through it
without raising taxes on any front now
is this
have room for flexibility you know of
course you know our sales tax is coming
in higher of course other fees could
come in higher and we work on that
because we know that that's things that
we give extra on top of what we can do
and you can do does that make sense like
at the battlefield at the community
centers you know give back on the events
and this we will continue working with
those ones to be able to do to maximize
what fees that we can generate
so
any questions good everybody good so
tonight on the agenda
will be to advertise the 23 24 tax rates
at the rates now they we will be
releasing them which I've got them in
the pipeline just to be released this
afternoon into the papers and on the
websites in Facebook so all those
weights are recent
will be released as of this afternoon
other than that on the agenda that's
that's that's the big thing but that's a
big accomplishment because talking to
the other counties about you know trash
and Disposal and rest and personal
property and all this some of them are
having a very very difficult time but
like I said during the previous meeting
you got 41 employees that's on the
full-time I mean they're they're looking
nice and not saying talk to other
counties and they've got they got people
that are sitting full-time on a park I'm
going my gosh
we don't have that luxury
on parks on park trash size full-time
benefits ours is part-time barley do you
know they're happily on Social Security
yes but they do operate the size
and you can't operate it any cheaper 21
a ton
so if that being said
I'd like to go ahead and close proceed
on to the five o'clock closed meeting
uh that has to deal with economic
development that's another thing jobs
y'all working on you so hopefully
these jobs in placement extra income
Casino we may not be in this position
again next week all depends so again
Lord thank you thank you for
consideration Miss green thank you for
helping us during this time
get this straight through the Commission
of Revenue and treasure because we're
all we all have our different point of
views and we all are very concerned and
we make sure that the Opera the county
is operated within its means that's it
so again
the last thing I want to say before you
pass the tax raise tonight it includes
the seven percent for County employee
pay raise yes and that include yes
it says the tempo
30 pay increase 30 in two bonuses
in eight years that's pretty good Lord
has blessed us
so with that being said I'd like to end
my presentation and wait for the five
o'clock closed session concerning the
mouse three project
thank you
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