* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] ALRIGHT, [1.01 Call to Order] WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. UM, CAN I GET A ROLL CALL ON THE CITY SIDE? DR. HARRIS? SHE'S ONLINE. YEAH. COUNCILOR HARRIS, ARE YOU THERE? YES, MA'AM. ALL WE'RE DOING ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR HARRIS? YES. HERE, COUNSELOR. HERE. COUNCILOR ELLIS. VICE MAYOR JOINER. HERE. MAYOR. PARDON? HERE. COUNSELOR DAY HERE. COUNCILOR WHEAT? HERE. COUNCILOR OLI HERE. ALL RIGHT. YOU GUYS WANNA GO AHEAD AND DO THIS ONE? YES, MA'AM. I HAVE IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. WELL, YOU'RE WELCOME. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. HOPE EVERYBODY'S DOING WELL. MAD CLERK MR. JOHN GRIFFIN? HERE. MR. CHRIS REBERT? HERE. MRS. RUTH JOHNSON. HERE. MRS. HEATHER BENNETT. HERE. MRS. PATIENCE BENNETT. OKAY. UM, I'LL, UH, TEE US OFF AND THEN, UH, ALLOW MR. GRIFFIN AND, UH, DR. HACKNEY TO SAY A FEW COMMENTS. UH, ONE, FIRST I'LL SAY THANK YOU, UM, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE, UH, CITIZENS PRESENT. UM, WELL, I TAKE THAT BACK. WE STILL GOT MR. UH, VINCENT JONES . WE GOT TWO MORE DAYS. . UM, BUT WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR TUNING IN ONLINE. AND ALSO, UM, MAYBE THOSE THAT WILL COME, UH, HERE SHORTLY PRESENT FOR OUR JOINT MEETING. UM, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE THESE JOINT MEETINGS WHERE WE CAN TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW THE CITY AND THE SCHOOLS CAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH EACH OTHER AND, UM, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE GOOD SERVICE TO OUR STUDENTS. UM, AND, UM, YEAH, I'LL JUST, UH, GO WITH THAT SO THAT WAY WE CAN GET STARTED. UH, DR. HACKNEY, MR. UH, GRIFFIN? I'M SORRY, MAYOR. [Additional item] CAN WE GET MR. HARRIS TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY? I'M SO SORRY. YEP. UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ALLOW, UH, COUNCILOR HARRIS TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY? I MOVE. I ALRIGHT. MOTION HAS BEEN MADE BY, UH, VICE MAYOR JOINER AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR DAY. UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE? ROLL CALL PLEASE. VICE MAYOR JOINER? YES. MAYOR. PARDON? YES. COUNCILLOR ELLIS. COUNCILOR DAY? YES. COUNCILOR WHEAT? YES. COUNCILOR OLE? YES. MOTION PASSES. FIVE TO ZERO. OKAY. WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING US. UM, WE ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK SESSION. MM-HMM . UM, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE THE, UH, NOT ONLY THE YEAR FORWARD, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, NOW SPRING IS HERE. MM-HMM . UH, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT'S TO LIFT OUR STUDENTS AND AS YOU STATED, MAYOR, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE QUALITY SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. SO I THINK, UM, WE, WE'VE GOT A GOOD AGENDA LAID OUT FOR YOU ALL, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. HACKNEY. WELL, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. WE WE'RE, UH, WE REMAIN IN LIMBO WITH THE STATUS OF THE STATE BUDGET, AND WE HAVE TOYED WITH, UH, CONTINUING TO DELAY OUR TIMING, UH, OF THIS MEETING BECAUSE, UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE MOST PERTINENT INFORMATION THAT WE USUALLY NEED TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME. UH, AND THAT IS THE STATUS OF THE, THE, UH, GENERAL ASSEMBLY BUDGET. I DID HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK TO DE DELEGATE DAUGHTERY THIS, UM, PAST WEEK AT OUR, UH, TEACHER APPRECIATION BANQUET. AND SHE INDICATED THAT, UH, THE SOONEST WE MIGHT HAVE A STATE BUDGET, AND YOU ALL MAY KNOW THIS BETTER THAN I, BUT, UH, SOONEST WE MIGHT HAVE A STATE BUDGET IS, UH, THE END OF MAY. AND, UH, SHE GUESSED IT WAS GONNA BE MORE LIKELY MID TO LATE JUNE, WHICH, UM, OBVIOUSLY IS A LITTLE PROBLEMATIC FOR US. BUT I, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US AT THIS TABLE OR, OR, UM, INDIVIDUAL, UM, LEGISLATORS HAVE MUCH CONTROL OVER THAT. SO, UM, WE, AS MR. GRIFFIN SAID, WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO COMING TOGETHER AND JUST, JUST SHARING SOME INFORMATION WITH YOU AS, AS FAR AS WHERE WE TYPICALLY STAND, WE'RE DOING THE SAME FORMAT AS USUAL, UM, LOOKING AT ANY NEW, UH, UH, FUNDS THAT WE NEED. AND, UH, AGAIN, OUR USUAL PROTOCOL IS TO FIND STATE FUNDS, UH, FOR THOSE, UH, A ADDITIONS TO OUR BUDGET. UM, RIGHT NOW, WE JUST DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE. WE WILL, AND JANELLE IS GONNA GO OVER THE THREE, VERY BRIEFLY, THE THREE, THE BOTTOM LINE FOR THE THREE BUDGET, UM, PROPOSALS FROM THE HOUSE, THE SENATE, AND THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET. WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA GET ANY ONE OF THOSE AND PROBABLY SOME KIND OF COMBINATION OF MAYBE ALL OF THOSE OR THE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS THAT ALL CAN AGREE UPON, BUT IT'S REALLY ALL WE HAVE TO WORK WITH RIGHT NOW. SO WE'VE GIVEN YOU AN, A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT IT, WHAT OUR NEEDS COULD LOOK LIKE GIVEN THE POTENTIAL REVENUE OF THOSE THREE VERSIONS. SO, UM, [00:05:01] IT'S MY JOB TO GO AHEAD AND, AND YOU ALL HAVE COPIES? YES. WE HAVE ONE MORE THING WE HAVE TO DO. YES. I APOLOGIZE. [1.04 Adopt Agenda] OH, THAT'S OKAY. MR. MAYOR AND MADAM CLERK, UM, AT THIS TIME WE'LL TAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA, PLEASE. SO, MOVE, MOVED BY MR. REAVER, SECOND BY MS. JOHNSON. MADAM CLERK. MS. JOHNSON? YES. MR. AVER? YES. MR. GRIFFIN? YES. MR. YES. GO [1.05 Joint Budget Work Session- HCPS Budget Discussion] RIGHT AHEAD, MA'AM. OKAY. UH, SO THE FIRST HANDOUT YOU HAVE IS, UH, OUR STAFFING REQUESTS FOR THIS YEAR. AND, UM, WE HAVE DIVIDED THE, OUR STAFFING NEEDS INTO TWO CATEGORIES BECAUSE THE FIRST, THE FIRST GROUP, OUR CURRENT POSITIONS THAT WERE FUNDED THIS YEAR WHEN YOU ALLOWED US TO ROLL OVER, CARRY OVER FUNDS TO, UH, MEET THE NEEDS OF THE REMAINING ESSENTIAL POSITIONS THAT WE NEEDED FOR LAST YEAR. SO THAT'S ABOUT $1.1 MILLION. AND AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR ALLOWING US TO DO THAT. BUT WHAT THAT ALSO, UH, CAUSES IS, UH, A DEFICIT EACH YEAR WHEN WE USE SAVINGS TO COVER THOSE. SO THOSE ARE ALL POSITIONS THAT YOU ALLOWED US TO FUND LAST YEAR, AND WE'RE ALL PROPOSED AND PRESENTED TO YOU ALL LAST YEAR, UM, BY USING SOME OF OUR, OUR, UM, OUR SAVINGS, UH, FROM YEAR END, LAST FISCAL YEAR. THE NEW POSITIONS ARE ONLY ABOUT $233,000. AND, UM, UH, THE, THE MAIN ONES THAT THE TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR POSITION AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE FULL-TIME SOCIAL WORKER AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSITION COORDINATOR ARE ALL EXISTING POSITIONS THAT WE NEED TO ADD A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY TO. UM, THE TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR IS TO HELP THAT PERSON, UH, BE ABLE TO GET, UH, EXEMPT STATUS FROM THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT SO THAT SHE CAN WORK, UH, ADDITIONAL HOURS, UH, THAT ARE REQUIRED TO MONITOR TRANSPORTATION ALL DAY LONG. UM, THE FULL-TIME SOCIAL WORKER POSITION IS FUNDED, BUT WE NEED, WE, OUR STUDENT NEEDS DICTATE, UH, MOVING THAT FROM A PART-TIME TO A FULL-TIME POSITION. UM, AND THE TRANSITION COORDINATOR IS A PREVIOUS ROLE THAT WAS CLASSIFIED AS A TEACHER ASSISTANT, AND WE NEED TO, FOR SPECIAL EDU EDUCATION REASONS, EXPAND THAT THAT POSITION SOMEWHAT. THE OTHERS ARE ADDITIONAL VAN DRIVERS AND AIDES. WE ARE, UM, CONTINUING TO HAVE SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT STUDENT NEEDS, UH, UH, AND PERSONALIZED TRANSPORTATION NEEDS. AND, UH, WE NEED TO ADD SOME DRIVERS, UH, TO PROVIDE THOSE SUPPORTS. AND THE LAST ONE, I, I APOLOGIZE, I'M BOUNCING ALL AROUND, IS THE TEAM PROGRAM, WHICH IS A, UH, INTENSIVE BEHAVIOR PROGRAM FOR OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. MANY OF THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THIS PROGRAM, UM, WERE COVID BABIES AND ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO MAKE THE TRANSITION TO, UM, THE ROUTINES AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF, UM, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SO WE NEED A SPECIALIZED, SPECIALIZED PROGRAM FOR THEM. UM, AND THAT WOULD, THAT THOSE FUNDING, THAT 110,000 WOULD FUND ONE TEACHER AND ONE, UM, TA FOR A MORE, UM, A CONSOLIDATED PROGRAM FOR DUPONT AND PATRICK COPELAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SO THE TOTAL OF BOTH THE CURRENT POSITIONS THAT ARE, THAT WERE FUNDED THIS YEAR THROUGH, THROUGH, UM, SAVINGS AND THE NEW POSITIONS WE NEED IS APPROXIMATELY $1.3 MILLION. UH, DR. HADLEY? YES, SIR. FOR THE COUNSEL, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT PATHWAYS? YES. AND PATHWAYS EXISTS BECAUSE OF COUNCIL PATHWAYS IS THE PROGRAM THAT, UM, WE WORKED WITH COUNCIL TO, UM, PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE FOR, UH, BETWEEN 60 AND 80 STUDENTS AT HOPEWELL HIGH SCHOOL THAT WERE STILL, UH, MANDATED TO BE IN SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THEIR AGE, BUT WERE NOT ENGAGED IN ACADEMICS AND, UH, WERE DISRUPTIVE TO THE SCHOOL. AND THAT WAS SUCH A BLESSING. THOSE STUDENTS HAVE NOW MOVED OVER TO THE, WELL, THEY ARE DOING WELL AND, UH, AND HOPEFUL HIGH SCHOOL IS MUCH MORE ORDERLY. AND, UH, THOSE, THOSE THOSE STUDENTS WHO HAD ADDITIONAL NEEDS ARE NOW MET IN A, IN A SEPARATE PROGRAM IN, UM, THE SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE. OKAY. YOU'RE WELCOME. SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONE THAT YOU, THAT THE KIDS HAD THE DISCIPLINE ISSUES? YES. OKAY. YES. GOTCHA. OKAY. UM, ARE THESE, WHEN YOU HAVE 'EM WRITTEN OUT, IS THIS, YOU KNOW, IN RANKED IN LIKE PRIORITY? LIKE IF YOU WERE TO, YOU SAY YOUR NUMBER ONE FOR A NEW POSITION IS THE TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR MANAGER. OH, UH, I'M SORRY. YOU'RE ON THE NEW POSITIONS? YEAH. OR I MEAN, SAME THING FOR THE CURRENT POSITIONS. NO, NO, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT IN PRIORITY. THE PRIORITY WOULD HAVE TO [00:10:01] BE THE VAN DRIVERS AND AIDES. UM, THE TEAM PROGRAM IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE, LET ME SAY THIS, AND I, I, I, I HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THIS, BUT WE HAVE DONE, UM, THIS WILL, THIS WILL BE THE FOURTH VETTING OF THIS GROUP. SO THESE ARE THE PO THE THINGS THAT WE THINK ARE ESSENTIAL TO OPERATIONS. OKAY. BUT, AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO REORDER THOSE FOR YOU. BUT, UM, UH, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE, UM, VAN DRIVERS, THE TEAM PROGRAM, AND THEN THE THREE OTHER, THE, THE POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE EXPANDED. OKAY. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES. OKAY. OKAY. SO THE SECOND HANDOUT, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO, THESE ARE ALL RELATED. I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AT ANY POINT. THE SECOND HANDOUT IS, UM, UH, NON-PERSONNEL, UH, BUDGET REQUESTS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THIS SCHOOL YEAR. SO THIS COMING UP SCHOOL YEAR, SO THE POSITIONS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT BETWEEN THE, BOTH THE ONES THAT WERE FUNDED LAST YEAR WITH SAVINGS AND THE NEW ONES THAT WE BELIEVE WE NEED, UM, THOSE, THAT'S YOUR FIRST COLUMN. THE REST ARE ALL NON PERSONNEL RELATED. UM, BUT ESSENTIAL, UM, WE STARTED THIS SEASON WITH A 39% INCREASE IN HEALTH INSURANCE. AND, UM, BY MOVING TO LOCAL CHOICE, UH, WE GOT THAT PERCENTAGE RATE DOWN TO 26%. AND WE HAVE BUDGETED PASSING OFF 25% OF THAT INCREASE TO OUR EMPLOYERS EMPLOYEES. WE HATE TO DO THAT BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS HELPED US MAINTAIN A REAL COMPETITIVE COMPETITIVENESS IN OUR REGION IS THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS, UH, PAID THE, THE EMPLOYEE ONLY THE FULL, UM, EMPLOYEE ONLY PREMIUM. BUT WITH, WITH THESE KINDS OF RATES AND INCREASES, WE JUST CAN'T DO THAT, UM, ANYMORE. SO THAT'S THE COST. THE MILLION, $5,000 IS THE COST OF THAT AT 26% WITH 25% OF THAT INCREASE DEDUCTED AND, AND BEING PASSED ON TO EMPLOYEES, SMALL TUITION INCREASE TO GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL. UM, WE ARE AT THE POINT OF WHERE WE NEED TO REFRESH AND REPLACE ALL OF OUR, UH, UH, LAPTOPS, OUR CHROMEBOOK LAPTOPS. AND THE RECOMMENDATION, JUST BECAUSE OF THE, THE, THE COST IS THAT WE BUDGET 20% EACH YEAR FOR A, A, A ROTATION THAT IS COMPLETED WITHIN FIVE YEARS. AND THAT'S THE COST THERE. UM, WE'VE BUILT IN THE, THE RAISE, THE PROPOSED RAISES, THE HOUSE AND GOVERNOR'S BUDGETS. AGAIN, WE, ALL WE CAN DO IS GAUGE FROM THOSE, BUT THOSE ARE BOTH FUNDING A 2% RAISE. THE SENATE PROPOSES A 3% RAISE. SO WE BUILT THAT IN. YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST COLUMNS ARE THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET. THE SECOND COLUMN IS THE HOUSE. AND THEN THE THIRD IS, IS, UH, A THIRD MORE BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL PERCENTAGE POINT. AGAIN, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GONNA, UM, TURN OUT TO BE. I TEACH AS OUR PROGRAMMING, OUR STATE PROGRAM FOR ACCELERATING TEACHER LICENSING. AND WE HAVE GOT SOME AMAZING RESULTS FROM MOVING SOME OF OUR TEACHERS THAT NEED ARE EITHER PROVISIONALLY LICENSED OR NOT LICENSED AT ALL, UH, INTO, UH, GREATER POSITIONS OF ADDED MEETING, ADDED, UM, UH, REQUIREMENTS OR ACTUALLY ACHIEVING THEIR, THEIR TEACHING LICENSE. AND, AND THAT COST WE'RE ESTIMATING FOR NEXT YEAR AT $50,000 MAINTENANCE IS ALWAYS, WE, WE'VE, YOU ALL KNOW WE'VE GOT TO HAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS WE CAN TO JUST CONTINUE TO, UM, MAINTAIN SOME OF THE STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS THAT WE, UM, HAVE. AND WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR ALL YOU ALL ARE DOING TO HELP US GET, UH, AHEAD OF THAT WITH THE, THE MONIES THAT YOU ARE HELPING TO BORROW FOR US ON OUR BEHALF. AND THEN THE LAST, I WAS SPEAKING TO STACY ABOUT BRIEFLY, OR THE, UM, UH, CONTINUING THE CONSULTANTS THROUGH THEIR, THEIR CONTRACT, UM, UH, WITH THE MUNI IMPLEMENTATION. SO, UM, THAT THE POSITIONS FROM, UH, WE, ME MENTIONED BEFORE WITH THE OTHER NEW, UM, UH, COSTS AND, UH, NEEDS, UH, ARE TOTALED THERE. UM, DON'T PANIC YET. 'CAUSE THERE'S ANOTHER, THERE'S ANOTHER PAGE AFTER THIS. BUT THE, THAT WOULD BE THE, THE ESTIMATED COST OF ALL OF THOSE NEEDS, UM, ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS OUR, OUR STATE REVENUE. SO BEFORE FLIPPING THE PAGE YES, SIR. UH, THE, THIS IS, UM, BASICALLY Y'ALL'S PREP WORK AND WITH FINANCES FOR THE AUDIT, CORRECT? YES. THE 2026 AUDIT. MM-HMM . OKAY. GOTCHA. MR. MAY I JUST, YEAH, THAT QUESTION THAT YOU JUST ASKED, WHEN YOU SAY PREP WORK, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS IN HERE? WHAT, YES. OKAY. THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S VANESSA. ALRIGHT. YEAH. OKAY. ALRIGHT. [00:15:03] OKAY. AND, UH, JANELLE'S GONNA GO AHEAD AND GO OVER THIS NEXT ONE. I THINK I, I SHARED WITH YOU ALL THAT'S WE'RE, WE'VE, JUST FOR REF YOUR REFERENCE, WE'VE PLUGGED THOSE NUMBERS INTO THE ONLY BUDGET PROPOSALS THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH. THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED, THE HOUSE PROPOSED AND THE SENATE AND JANELLE WILL GO THROUGH THE WHAT SPECIFICALLY THAT MEANS. I WILL SAY ONE THING TO YOU THOUGH, UM, THAT, THAT IS GOOD NEWS. WE ARE, UM, ESTIMATING, UH, RIGHT NOW AT THIS POINT, JUST SHY OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN, IN, UM, SAVINGS TO EITHER GO INTO THE BUS REPLACEMENT FUND OR POTENTIALLY WITH YOUR BLESSING, POTENTIALLY FUND SOME OF THESE DEFICITS. BUT, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT NUMBER. IT, IT CAN CHANGE, BUT IT SHOULD NOT GO DOWN. OKAY. SORRY. UM, YOU'LL SEE THE CHART, UM, WITH STATE REVENUES. THE FIRST COLUMN SHOWS OUR CURRENT BUDGET AS IT IS NOW. AND THEN THE NEXT COLUMN IS JUST SHADED AND GRAY IS THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET. SO IF YOU COMPARE THE TWO, WE WOULD GET AN ADDITIONAL $2.6 MILLION. AND IF YOU FOLLOW THAT STRAIGHT DOWN FROM THAT $2.6 MILLION, WE'VE SUBTRACTED THE ESTIMATED DISTRICT NEEDS OF FOUR, ALMOST 4.5 MILLION, WHICH WOULD LEAVE US IN A DEFICIT OF ABOUT 1.9 MILLION. AND SO THEN IF WE CARRY OVER THE SURPLUS AGAINST THAT, THAT'S 940,000 APPROXIMATELY. SO IT WOULD STILL LEAVE US IN A DEFICIT OF NINE 50. SO, AND WE, WE, EXCUSE ME, BELIEVE THAT'S PROBABLY THE LEAST LIKELY BUDGET TO HAPPEN SINCE WE HAVE A BRAND NEW GOVERNOR AND NEW ADMINISTRATION IN, UM, IF YOU GO OVER THE NEXT SET OF COLUMNS, THE NEXT SHADED GRAY IS THE HOUSE PROPOSED BUDGET. IT'S 50 MILLION 5 9 8 20 $1. IF YOU COMPARE THAT TO OUR CURRENT BUDGET OF $47 MILLION, THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL 4.9 IS 5 MILLION BUCKS. THAT LOOKS LIKE BEST CASE SCENARIO IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, UM, IF YOU SUBTRACT OUR DISTRICT NEEDS OF 4.5 FROM THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SURPLUS OF $488,000. AND THAT WAY IF WE HAVE THE ANTICIPATED SURPLUS OF $940,000, WE CAN HOPEFULLY CARRY THAT ALL OVER TO OUR BUILDING AND BUS REPLACEMENT FUND AND USE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS. AND THEN THE THIRD SCENARIO WE HAVE IS THE THIRD SHADED COLUMN IS THE SENATE PROPOSED BUDGET. THAT'S 51 MILLION $162,000. AND IF YOU COMPARE THAT TO THE CURRENT BUDGET, WE WOULD BRING IN AN ADDITIONAL $3.6 MILLION. AND YOU CAN SEE THE ESTIMATED DISTRICT NEEDS ARE $5 MILLION ON, UM, THAT BUDGET. AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE SENATE HAS A 3% INCREASE, UM, FOR RAISES INSTEAD OF THE 2% FOR THE HOUSE AND THE GOVERNOR. AND SO IF YOU SUBTRACT OUR NEEDS FROM THE ESTIMATED, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDS, WE'LL GET, IT'S A DEFICIT OF 1.4 ON ALMOST $1.5 MILLION. AND IF WE CAN CARRY OVER THE $940,000, THAT'LL STILL LEAVE US WITH A DEFICIT OF FIVE 18,000. SO THESE ARE JUST THREE SCENARIOS WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AT THIS TIME. UM, I SAID WE DON'T HAVE A FINAL BUDGET YET, SO THIS IS BEST INFORMATION WE HAVE. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM, UH, COUNSEL? YES MA'AM. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE A MORE DETAILED, I I THINK IT MIGHT HELP US UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE COMING FROM, IF WE CAN HAVE A LINE BY LINE SO WE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, JUST TO, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHY, AND MAYBE IF WE HAD A LITTLE MORE DETAIL. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE LINE BY LINE THOUGH. WELL, YOU KNOW, OF, OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW WHERE SOME OF THESE EXPENSES ARE COMING FROM, HOW THEY ADD UP TO, TO, TO SOME OF THESE SUMMARY NUMBERS. ANY, ANY POSSIBILITY. I MEAN, CERTAINLY JUST SHARE IT WITH OUR FINANCE OFFICER, RIGHT? YEAH, WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY GIVE YOU ANY DETAIL YOU WANT. OKAY. YEAH. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF EXACTLY, YOU KNOW SURE. POINT IN THE DIRECTION. I'LL GET YOU. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. ALRIGHT. YEAH. ALRIGHT. UM, YES, SO, YOU KNOW, HERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CHANGES, BUT I, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE BASELINE. YOU KNOW, WE ARE SPENDING 87 MILLION AND I DO, I'M LOOKING FOR MORE DETAIL ON HOW THAT MIGHT BE, BUT I MEAN, I, I SEE SOME OF THE DETAIL ALREADY, ALREADY ON PART BUDGET WITH ADMIN VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THE FOOD PROGRAM. I MEAN, SO THERE IS ALREADY SOME DETAIL ITEM. [00:20:02] CERTAINLY. YEAH. I MEAN, I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW TO SHOW LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHERE WE ARE NOW, WHERE WE'RE GOING, TREND LINES, THAT KIND OF THING, AND WHERE, WHERE THOSE INCREASES ARE REALLY COMING FROM. UM, UM, AND SO, SO YOU ANSWERED THE, I HAD A QUESTION A A FEW MINUTES AGO ABOUT THE ROLLOVER FUNDS, BUT YOU HAD KIND OF ANSWERED THAT IN, IN THE FACT THAT, UM, IT'S NOT GOING TO THE BUS FUND. WE USE THOSE TO, YOU KNOW, TO ACTUALLY, UM, ADDRESS THE DEFICITS THAT WE HAD. AND, UM, AND, UM, SO I UNDERSTAND NOW WHERE THOSE DOLLARS ARE GOING. UM, BUT YEAH, UM, MAY, YEAH. SO I MEAN, WE'VE LEARNED FROM THE HVA SYSTEM ISSUES AND OTHERS THAT WE'VE GOT TO START PUTTING MONEY ASIDE FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES. WE CAN'T KEEP USING THAT TO FUND DAY TO DAY EACH YEAR. SO DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED? WHAT SHOULD BE PUT ASIDE FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES? WELL, I MEAN, WE PRESENTED THE, UH, CAPITAL BUDGET, BUT TO TAKE SOME OF THE GUESSWORK OUT OF THAT, UM, WE RECENTLY APPLIED FOR ANOTHER GRANT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND PART OF THAT GRANT WAS TO COMPLETE A VERY IN DEPTH FACILITIES CONDITION ASSESSMENT, UM, BY A THIRD PARTY PAID FOR BY THE, BY THE GRANT. AND SO THEY WERE TELLING US GOING THROUGH THE GRANT WAS FOR WOODLAWN AND BECAUSE THOSE ARE WHERE OUR, OUTSIDE OF THE HVAC, THOSE ARE WHERE OUR GREATEST CAPITAL NEEDS ARE, UM, AS FAR AS FACILITIES. AND SO THERE, WE DID THOSE THREE WEEKS AGO AND THEY'RE COMPILING THE REPORTS NOW. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO SELL, CAN PROVIDE, UM, THE REPORT, BUT IT'LL TELL US EXACTLY WHERE OUR MONIES NEED TO BE TARGETED, WHAT THE, THE MOST DIRE NEEDS ARE, AND GIVE US A BALLPARK OF, OF WHAT THAT MIGHT COST. OBVIOUSLY IT CHANGES SOME BASED ON FUEL COSTS AND OTHER THINGS, BUT THERE WE ARE, WE WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHERE OUR FUNDS NEED TO NEED TO GO AND WHERE, WHERE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITIES ARE, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH THE CRANE. WE'RE HOPING THAT IT WOULD EXPAND TO, TO ALL THE SCHOOLS. BUT, UM, IT CAME OUT OF, AND I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEETINGS AS WELL, BUT, UH, THERE'S REALLY DIS DISPROPORTIONATE SPENDING ACROSS THE STATE. AND SO THIS GRANT IS, UH, KIND OF A DESIGNED TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT AND TELL US WHERE OUR REAL NEEDS ARE. MM-HMM . SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CAPITAL, I GUESS THIS IS A, I HAD A QUESTION AND UM, I ASKED OUR CFO, UH, TODAY, AND I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, THE, UM, THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND FOR 15 MILLION, THAT KIND OF THING. AND I GUESS MY QUESTION WAS WITH REGARD TO HVAC, I'M, I'M JUST NOT TRYING TO, I KNOW THIS IS SOME KIND OF WATER, WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE OVER THE DAM, BUT DID WE, DID WE GET A LOT OF OTHER ESTIMATES FOR THAT HVAC SYSTEM? I MEAN, DID WE JUST GO WITH, WERE YOU JUST, I MEAN, WERE THERE MULTIPLE ESTIMATES FOR THAT SYSTEM? WE DID, UH, WE ARE USING STATE CONTRACT FOR THAT, BUT WE DID RECEIVE, UM, A, A PROPOSAL FROM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE SAME EQUIPMENT THAT'S BEING INSTALLED, PROPOSED TO BE INSTALLED, AND IT WAS ABOUT $5 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE PROPOSAL THAT WE RECEIVED UHHUH. AND MOST OF IT WAS DUE TO, TO LABOR. OKAY. UM, AND, AND A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE IN PROPOSAL, BUT SAME EQUIPMENT, BUT, BUT ANY BUT IN, BUT OTHER, WE DIDN'T GO TO ANY OTHER VENDORS NECESSARILY TO, WE DO NOT PUT IT OUT TO R FRP. NO, MA'AM. NO, YOU DID NOT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. IT'S OFF OF COOPERATIVE CONTRACTS. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND. BUT YEAH. OKAY. IT'S A LOT OF MONEY. . SO YOU GUYS SAID THAT YOU DID A, A, I GUESS YOU GUYS GOT A GRANT TO DO A CAPITAL, UH, IMPROVEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR TWO SCHOOLS, RIGHT? WE DID. OKAY, GOTCHA. OKAY. OKAY. OUR HOPE IS TO DO IT AT EVERY BUILDING MM-HMM . UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S QUITE EXPENSIVE, JUST THE TWO BUILDINGS, I THINK IT WAS RIGHT AROUND $48,000 TO DO THE, THE ASSESSMENT. UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S VERY IN DEPTH. ELECTRICAL STORM WATER, HVAC, SPRINKLERS. THAT'S EXCELLENT. UH, WINDOWS, IT'S, IT'S EVERYTHING. YEAH. UM, SO OUR HOPE IS TO DO THAT AT, AT EVERY BUILDING. UH, THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS IN THE WRONG PLACE OR IN THE WRONG ORDER. YEAH. NO, THE REASON WHY I WAS ASKING THAT IS BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, EXPLORE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT THAT THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION TO, YOU KNOW, PASS ALONG AND SAY, ALL RIGHT, LOOK, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NEED THIS IN THE SCOPE. YOU CAN CUT THIS PART OUT. AND THEN THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A LEVEL OF COST SAVINGS, YOU KNOW, AS WELL. THAT'S A GREAT POINT. [00:25:03] JUST A GENERAL QUESTION, DO WE ANTICIPATE ENROLLMENT CHANGING FOR OUR NUMBER OF STUDENTS GOING UP OR DOWN? I, I CAN ANSWER THAT. THE ENROLLMENT IS DOWN ACROSS THE STATE, UH, VIRTUALLY. I THINK IT'S 122 COUNT. DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT, BUT IT'S, IT'S UP THERE. 122 COUNTIES OF THE 134 ARE, ARE, UM, DECLINING ENROLLMENT. WE'RE NOT SURE. I REMEMBER GOVERNOR YOUNGEN PRESENTING TO A SUPERINTENDENTS A FEW YEARS AGO AT, AT OUR SUPER NETS CONFERENCE, AND HE SAID, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING VIRGINIA. SO IT'S A, IT'S A PROBLEM PERVASIVE TO THE STATE. SO YES, WE, WE, UM, OBVIOUSLY TREND OUR OWN, BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF ED TRENDS IT TOO. AND OUR, AND OUR, OUR BUDGET IS BASED ON THEIR ANTICIPATED ESTIMATED PER NUMBER OF PUPILS. AND IT IS, IT IS DECLINING, BUT IT, IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE. BUT WHAT IS IT FOR ? IT'S RIGHT. I'M SORRY, WHAT IS IT FOR? DO YOU, DO YOU KNOW, IT'S RIGHT THERE ON, IT'S ON THE THING. YEAH. WE'RE ABOUT 34 90, I THOUGHT 80 SOMETHING. I THINK IT WAS 84 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. RIGHT. YEAH. DO WE THINK PRIVATE SCHOOLS, UH, ARE PULLING AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC? I'M SO SORRY. I COULDN'T HEAR YOU. SO OF THE, THE DOWNED ENROLLMENT, WHAT FACTOR OR WHAT DO WE THINK THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS WOULD BE? ARE THEY PULLING AWAY MORE STUDENTS FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS? I CAN, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT LIKE FROM MY HEAD, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS, UH, THE ONLY PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT, THAT FOR THE MOST PART FEEDS OUR DISTRICT IS, UH, WEST END. AND SO WE COULD TRACK THAT. WE DON'T TRACK THAT. UM, BUT WE COULD DO THAT. BUT, UM, UH, WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS ESTIMATED, AND I HEARD EVEN BEFORE I WAS HERE, WAS THAT IT'S THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF, OF THE, OUR, MOST OF OUR CONSTITUENTS IN PARTICULAR, THE PROXIMITY TO FORT LEE. UM, I CAN GET YOU THAT INFORMATION. I JUST DON'T HAVE IT HANDY. WESTON ENROLLMENT IS GOING UP EXPONENTIALLY. WELL, I THINK THAT'S PRETTY COMMON IN MOST PLACES RIGHT NOW WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION, BUT I, I WOULD CERTAINLY, YEAH, THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT SHE WAS ASKING. AND IN ADDITION, BIRTH RATES ARE DOWN, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. ALL OVER. SO THERE ARE, I I I, AND I WILL JUST TELL YOU THIS BECAUSE I DID IT MYSELF. THERE'S A LOT OF RESEARCH, IF YOU GOOGLE VIRGINIA'S DECLINING ENROLLMENT, UM, I THINK THAT THE PERCEPTIONS THAT IT'S BECAUSE OF CRIME OR SCHOOLS OR WHATEVER ARE NOT NECESSARILY FOUNDED. I THINK THIS IS A PERVASIVE PROBLEM THROUGHOUT THE STATE. UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF LITERATURE ON IT. I WENT AND LOOKED MYSELF JUST BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW . COULD YOU SEND US SOME OF THOSE? I, I'D HAPPY TO. THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE JUST, I ACTUALLY GAVE IT TO ALL MY, JUST FROM A, JUST FROM AN INTELLECTUAL YEAH. UM, YOU KNOW, CASE STUDY POINT. IT'D BE INTERESTING TO KNOW. YEAH. I'VE JUST GOT A GENERAL QUESTION AND I'M JUST GONNA BE BOLD AND ASK IT. OKAY. SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BUDGET SESSION, WHEN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TALK, TALKING ABOUT, I'M SURE WE, Y'ALL, THE SCHOOLS WERE TOLD LEVEL FUNDING, YOU KNOW, NO, NO INCREASES, THAT KIND OF THING. AND SO WHEN YOU ALL ARE BUILDING YOUR BUDGET, DO YOU TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT? I MEAN, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE HERE ARE THESE ADDITIONAL, YOU KNOW, REQUESTS FOR, UM, TEACHERS AND THIS AND THAT AND THE OTHER. AND IF YOU'RE TOLD THAT THERE'S NO MORE MONEY, WHY ARE WE BUILDING A BUDGET BASED UPON INFORMATION? YOU KNOW, WHEN WE KNOW THAT'S NOT CORRECT. I, AND SO I'M JUST, I ASKED THAT QUESTION. I I'M, I I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THAT. AND IF YOU WANNA, UH, YEAH. READ THE LAW REQUIRES US TO, TO, TO TELL YOU WHAT WE NEED, NOT WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD TO PAY. WE HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY, UM, CONSERVATIVE OVER THE YEARS, JUST OUT OF SENSITIVITY FOR ALL OF OUR ISSUES WITH LOCAL FUNDING. BUT, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO NOT LOOK AT THE ABILITY TO PAY AND JUST TELL YOU WHAT OUR CHILDREN NEED. AND SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE. BUT NUMBER TWO IS WE HAVE, FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME THAT I HAVE BEEN THE SUPERINTENDENT, WE HAVE RECEIVED LEVEL OR LESS FUNDING. SO WE'VE HAD TO CUT POSITIONS UPWARDS OF 200 OVER 10 YEARS, 200 POSITIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION JUST TO BALANCE THE BUDGET TO LEVEL FUNDING. SO WE'RE, WE'RE ALWAYS BEHIND BECAUSE WE'RE OUR, OUR STAFF TO STUDENT RATIOS HAVE GONE UP. UM, OUR, AND THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE RESEARCH ABOUT LOWER CLASS [00:30:01] SIZES. SO, UM, I MEAN, WE, WE BUY WHAT WE CAN AFFORD, BUT WE HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT WE NEED. OKAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT. THAT, YEAH, I, I THINK, UM, 'CAUSE IT JUST KIND OF REMINDS ME OF A LITTLE BIT FROM WHEN I WAS DOWN THERE AT THE, THE WASTEWATER PLANT ON THE COMMISSION THAT I THINK EACH, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT HAS TO, YOU KNOW, PUT FORTH THE, THE BUDGET THAT THEY BELIEVE IS GOING TO GET THE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL BOARD ON THEIR END, YOU KNOW, HAS TO GO THROUGH AND SIFT IT AND SAY, ALRIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BEST THING WE CAN, WE CAN PUT TOGETHER JUST LIKE US ON THE CITY SIDE BECAUSE WE, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, SO MANY COMPETING PRIORITIES. UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF COURSE, WHICH IS, UM, AND I KNOW MATT ALLEN HOUSE IS GONNA LOVE IT WHEN I SAY THIS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SATISFYING ALL, YOU KNOW, THOSE REQUIREMENTS ON, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR CONSENT ORDER THAT WE HAVE, UM, WITH DEQ. BECAUSE I MEAN, THAT WOULD JUST, IF WE END UP, YOU KNOW, NOT GOING ALONG WITH THAT AND, AND NOT MEETING THOSE, UM, THOSE REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH BEFORE US, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PAYING MONEY AND FEES AND JUST, AND LOSING OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S KIND OF DIFFERENT. BUT ANYWAY, I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT DR. HACKNEY IS, IS SAYING, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT JUST, I HAD TO ASK THE QUESTION BECAUSE IT, IT DOES, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE AT THIS BUDGET SESSION AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE MONEY'S COMING FROM. I DON'T KNOW. WELL AROUND ON THAT, MS. JOINER, WE, WE'VE DONE THIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND WE WILL DO IT AGAIN. WE WILL, NOBODY'S TOLD ME LEVEL FUNDING, THEY'VE NEVER DONE THAT. 'CAUSE THEY'RE, THEY, THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW? I MEAN, BUT, BUT, BUT WHEN YOU COME BACK AND IF YOU SAY WE CAN'T DO ANY MORE THAN LEVEL FUNDING, THEN WE HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT. RIGHT. RIGHT. AND WE WILL, AND WE HAVE SURE. AND YOU KNOW SURE. YEAH. YEAH. AND THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS, YOU KNOW, OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT'S GONNA BE REALLY GOOD, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. UM, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU, THE A AND M TEAM ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR CONTRACTORS IS GOING TO HELP IDENTIFY THOSE ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF FUNDING. SO THAT WAY WE CAN TRY TO, YOU KNOW, EXECUTE AS MUCH AS WHAT WE CAN AS FAST AS WHAT WE CAN. UM, GREAT. YEAH. , , MR. ROGERS OR STACY OR MR. JONES, I DO HAVE, UM, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. HOW MANY VACANCIES DO YOU GO? HMM. I CAN TELL YOU, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY VACANCIES. I CAN TELL YOU OUR, I'LL TELL YOU THE PERCENTAGE BECAUSE I JUST GOT THE DATA THIS MORNING. 3.5% OF OUR, OF TOTAL, HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO YOU HAVE? ABOUT 800. WHEN, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS INFORMATION HERE WITH THE, UM, THE NEEDS FOR PERSONNEL, DOES THIS INCLUDE BENEFITS OR DOES THIS SELL? IT DOES, IT DOES INCLUDE BENEFITS. YES, MA'AM. THE MILLION DOLLARS CARRY OVER MM-HMM . IS THAT DERIVED? YES, SIR. FROM THE VACANCIES PRIMARILY? YES, SIR. YES, SIR. COULD IT BE POSSIBLE THAT PART OF THAT IS USED FOR THE OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND THE REST OF THE CAPITAL SINCE IT'S STILL IN THIS FISCAL YEAR? UH, I MEAN, YES, IS, IS THE ANSWER, BUT I THINK 940,000 AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHER, THE OTHER POSITIONS, YES. AND I HAVE A QUESTION TOO. ON THE, UM, RAISES THE $1.2 MILLION, IS THAT ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL EMPLOYEES OR IS THIS JUST FOR THE 1.2 IS SPECIFIC FOR, UM, SOQ? YEAH, IT'S, IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL EMPLOYEES. THAT'S SO THE STATE PAYS PART OF Y'ALL'S THAT'S CORRECT. REIMBURSEMENT? THAT'S CORRECT. CAN WE GET A, A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THE STATE WILL PAY VERSUS WHAT IS STILL REQUIRED FOR LIKE THE, UH, CITY HALL OF CENTRAL OFFICE EMPLOYEES? ABSOLUTELY. DIFFERENCE. BECAUSE I THINK WE, BUT REMEMBER THAT REVENUE IS BUILT INTO THAT. YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE. I JUST WANTED TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE OF WHAT THE STATE IS GONNA REIMBURSE. YEP, ABSOLUTELY. VERSUS WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO PAY AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY. SO WITH THE, UH, THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS THAT WERE TAKEN OUT FOR THE SCHOOLS, UM, DO YOU GUYS HAVE AN IDEA CAPITAL WISE, UM, LIKE WHAT YOU'VE PROGRAMMED, UM, IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT IS GONNA BE ABLE TO BE OFFSET, UM, FOR, FOR THIS [00:35:01] BUDGET, IF THAT MAKES SENSE? YEAH. WE, WE, WE SENT THAT TO STACY, DIDN'T WE? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE BALANCE OF THE YEAH, SO LIKE IN, IN YOUR PROPOSED BUDGET, YOU, YOU'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, X NUMBER OF DOLLARS IN CAPITAL PROJECTS, RIGHT? YEAH. AND I ASSUME THAT THOSE, YOUR CAUTION ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES MM-HMM . THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE GO BONDS ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE PAY FOR THOSE, WHICH THEN, YOU KNOW, ENDS UP FREEING UP SOME MONEY. OH, I SEND TO, UH, MAYOR PARK TOO, I BELIEVE. YEAH. THE, UH, YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT, I THINK THE QUESTION WAS DID YOU GO ASK FOR A WEEK OR SO AGO ABOUT, UM, WHERE EXACTLY THE, UM, YOU PROBABLY ASKED MONIES WOULD GO FROM THE, UH, 15 MILLION? YEAH. SO YEAH, YOU GAVE ME A, A, A LIST, RIGHT? UM, OF LIKE, SO THAT WASN'T INCLUDED IN THIS 400,000 THAT'S JUST OKAY. MAINTENANCE STUFF THAT NEEDS DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. SO THOSE WERE, WERE LARGER PROJECTS LIKE, UM, BUSES. OKAY. WHICH HAVEN'T BEEN PART OF THE CONVERSATION. THAT WAS LIKE $2 MILLION. UM, THE HVAC MM-HMM . UM, OBVIOUSLY, AND THEN SOME, SOME OTHER ISSUES FINISHING UP THE, UH, CORRECT. WE WILL APPLY FOR THE SCAP GRANT AGAIN, UM, TO TRY TO GET THAT 30%, BUT YOU'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS WORTH WORTH OF ROOF THAT HAS TO BE DONE AT CAR G. UM, SO IT WAS, IT WAS LARGER PROJECTS THAT DIDN'T FALL WITHIN, WITHIN THIS. OKAY. SO, SO THE BUDGET THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEFORE US TONIGHT DOESN'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THERE? IT, IT HAS, IF WE GET THE STAT GRANTS, IT WOULD BE OUR LOCAL MATCH FOR THAT. THAT'S WHAT'S IN THERE. OKAY. SO OUTSIDE OF THAT, NO, SIR. HONOR. OKAY. WHERE'S, WHERE'S DO YOU KNOW, I SEE WHERE'S, WHERE'S THAT, WHERE, WHERE WILL WE FIND THE CAPITAL? I DON'T THINK IT'S LISTED. IT'S NOT LISTED HERE. NO. UHUH? NO. SO THAT'S NOT ON HERE. W YEAH, I THINK THAT'S WHERE I THINK, YOU KNOW, STACY AND LIN ARE SAYING, I THINK IT MAY BE AN EMAIL GOT SENT OR MAYBE THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION IN WHAT THE, THE REQUEST OR ASK WAS FOR MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, I DO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. IS IT A POSSIBILITY, 'CAUSE WE, THE EMAIL, WHEN WE SPOKE ACROSS THE EMAIL THE OTHER DAY, I KNOW YOU GUYS WERE COMING TO ASK FOR MORE MONEY, BUT I PRETTY MUCH STATED THAT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THE FUNDING AVAILABLE AND MAYBE IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT WE SIT DOWN AND KIND OF GO THROUGH LINE BY LINE FOR YOUR BUDGET IN REGARDS TO THE 940. I KNOW YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO BE CARRIED OVER, BUT I'M TRYING TO THINK AHEAD IN REGARDS TO THE DO BONDS THAT THE CITY IS WORKING ON, TAKING ON, ON BEHALF OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. THAT'S GONNA BE AN ADDITIONAL DEBT PAYMENT ON TOP OF THE 13 AND A HALF THAT WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE ALSO PAY $1.6 MILLION IN DEBT SERVICES. SO WE'RE REALLY GIVING YOU GUYS LIKE OVER 15 MILLION, UM, I MEAN, UH, A YEAR HONESTLY. UM, AND WE'RE GETTING READY TO TAKE ON ADDITIONAL DEBT TO COMPENSATE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS AND CAPITAL VISA THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. IS IT A POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN LOOK AT PART THIS 940 THAT YOU HAVE REMAINING PART OF IT GO INTO THE CAPITAL ASSESSMENT, THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE SCHOOLS, AND THEN WHATEVER IS LEFT, CAN WE PUT THAT TOWARDS THE DEBT PAYMENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PICKING UP SHORTLY? STACEY, I'M GONNA SAY AGAIN, THE ANSWER IS YES. OKAY. BUT IT'S AT THE EXPENSE OF, YOU KNOW, OTHER, OTHER, OTHER THINGS. SO WE, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT SO THAT NONE OF US ARE IN A BAD SITUATION BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE OBLIGATIONS. WE PICKED UP OUR ADDITIONAL GONNA BE PAID FOR 27, BUT WE STILL NEED TO LOOK FORWARD, PAST, WE HAVE A REASSESSMENT YOU'RE COMING UP WITH THAT MONEY'S GONNA GO TOWARDS OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE NEED. UNDERSTOOD. UNDERSTOOD. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE AS WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THIS STUFF. AND WE DIDN'T BUDGET, ALTHOUGH I, I, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF, I'M NOT GONNA SPEAK FOR THE BOARD, ALTHOUGH I THINK I CAN, I'M ALL FOR THE OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT. I TOLD MS. MAYOR PARTON THAT MM-HMM . MONTHS AGO. UM, UH, BUT WE WERE TOLD THAT THE COUNCIL WAS GONNA PAY FOR IT. AND WHEN WE, WE WERE JUST GONNA, WE WERE GONNA TAKE IT. THE ONLY WAY WE COULD PAY FOR IT IS TAKE IT FROM THE MONEY WE PROVIDE YOU GUYS. OKAY. WELL THAT WASN'T TOLD TO US. THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE COULD GET THE MONEY FROM. OKAY. WELL WE HAVE OTHER NEEDS RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO FOR, UM, SOME ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CITY TO BRING ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO THE CITY. SO WITHOUT ADDITIONAL REVENUE, WE CAN'T PROVIDE THE SCHOOLS ANYTHING ELSE. WITHOUT INFRASTRUCTURE, WE CAN'T PROVIDE ANYTHING ELSE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD UP THE CITY AND THE SCHOOLS AT THE SAME TIME. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO, I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK, UM, OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER AND GET WHEN WE NEED THAT. OKAY. YEAH. AND I, AND I'LL BE THE FIRST TO SAY IT, YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, WAS MY, YOU KNOW, INTENTION WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY WAS GOING TO PAY FOR, YOU KNOW, HOUSING AUTHORITY AND FOR SCHOOLS AT THE SAME TIME. AND, YOU KNOW, BY TRYING TO GET 'EM BOTH DONE, YOU KNOW, SIMULTANEOUSLY WE CAN GET SOME, YOU KNOW, COST SAVINGS. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY [00:40:01] WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, SOME, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL ISSUES, UM, YOU KNOW, COME UP CITY-WISE WE'VE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, TO HELP PREVENT, YOU KNOW, A, A MASSIVE PROJECT, UM, THAT IF IT HAD JUST LEFT, YOU KNOW, IGNORED FOR ANOTHER TWO OR THREE YEARS, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THE SCOPE WOULD'VE BEEN A LOT BIGGER. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, JUST SEE ANY AND ALL OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO GET THESE ASSESSMENTS DONE. UM, SO YOU KNOW, ONE THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO BACK TO THE BOND RATING AGENCY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, BOTH ASSESSMENTS DONE THAT SHOW, YOU KNOW, THAT EXTRA LEVEL OF EFFICIENCY, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THEM. BUT ALSO IT GIVES EVERYBODY A VERY, VERY CLEAR, YOU KNOW, ROADMAP ON WHERE, YOU KNOW, BOTH ORGANIZATIONS YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, TACKLE, UM, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZED, UM, YOU KNOW, ISSUES. I HAVE A QUESTION. THANK YOU. UM, SO DOING THIS TURNAROUND AUDIT, UM, DOES THAT HELP WITH OUR BOND RATE TO SHOW THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT ALL THESE AVENUES WITH THE SCHOOL AND HAVING SOMEBODY COME IN AND LOOK AT EVERYTHING? IT SHOULD. I BELIEVE I CAN DOUBLE CHECK WITH, UH, JIMMY TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD INFLUENCE AS FAR AS THE BOND RATING GO. I DID FORWARD HIM THE PRESENTATION WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE BOND, UM, RATING AGENCIES THAT I HAVE DEFINITELY WITH. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION. DO WE HAVE A, UM, I, I LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE IF I COULD FIND IT. DO YOU HAVE A MOU FOR THE SCHOOLS AND UM, CITY COUNCIL FOR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING? I THOUGHT THERE WAS ONE THAT WAS ALREADY YES, BUT WE WOULD'VE TO DOUBLE CHECK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. A COPY. YEAH. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE FOR THE, THE ROLLOVER FUNDS? NO, IT'S JUST THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS AND, UH, PERCENTAGES. YOU KNOW, THE CITY. I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT EXISTS. UM, I DID TRY TO LOOK ONLINE. THERE WAS ONE I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS ON COUNCIL. I JUST CAN'T FIND IT FOR SOME REASON ONLINE. AND, AND NOT TO INTERRUPT, BUT, UM, MS. BENNETT, WOULD THAT BE TO JUST A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO MEAN IN TERMS OF MINIMUM, MINIMUM PERCENTAGES OF SUPPORT, THAT SORT OF THING? WELL, THE SUPPORT ALSO WOULD LIKE, UM, NOT ONLY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT, WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOOLS TO THE CITY THERE? IT WAS THERE, UM, WE DID HAVE A MEMORANDUM UNDERSTANDING. I KNOW WE DID AND I REMEMBER SEEING IT, BUT I JUST CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON IT ON, IF THAT'S OKAY. I DON'T, I CAN CHECK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. YEAH. THANK YOU. IS THAT STANDARD OPERATING POLICY IN MOST COMMUNITIES HAVE AN MOU? IS THAT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT NECESSARILY I I, I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE IF IT EXISTS, LIKE THE, THE ONLY, IT VARIES. THE ONLY ONE THAT I'M AWARE OF IS FOR 20 YEARS THERE WAS A AN MOU FOR THE ADDITIONAL SURPLUS THAT IT WOULD BE RETURNED. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THAT EXPIRED AND THEN WE, THAT'S WHERE WE WERE. MM-HMM . OH, SO THERE WAS AN MOU FOR THAT BUS FUND? MM-HMM. CORRECT. OKAY. FOR 20 YEARS. OKAY. OR 24 YEARS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE BUS FUNDING, BUT I WAS JUST ASKING FOR LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING LIKE BUDGETARY, UM, WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM THE SCHOOLS TO THE CITY, YOU KNOW, THE TRANSPARENCY PORTION OF IT SO THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, JUST, AND THAT'S LIKE A REALLY GOOD, UM, FRAMEWORK AND FOUNDATION FOR US. THEN WE CAN LOOK AT IT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING COMPLIANT AND, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THANK YOU MADAM. CFO. UM, SO I THINK, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME THAT THAT MEETING THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT TO REALLY LOOK AT THINGS LINE BY LINE IS PROBABLY NECESSARY. I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAYBE I CAN ASSIST YOU GUYS WITH IN REGARDS TO, UM, STREAMLINED IN THE BUDGET AND FINDING OPPORTUNITIES, NOT REALLY NECESSARILY TO CUT COSTS, BUT TO FIND SOME SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES SOMEWHERE. BUT I JUST 'CAUSE THIS, THIS IS NOT REALLY ALLOWING ME TO HELP, YOU KNOW, IN THE CAPACITY I CAN POSSIBLY HELP WITH. SO BEING ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND GO, WE GO THROUGH THAT I THINK COULD BE POSSIBLE THAT I COULD OFFICE OF ASSISTANT TO HELP, UM, FIND ADDITIONAL ONE OR SOMETHING. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME ANYBODY'S EVER ASKED US THAT, THAT WE, WE, WE'LL TAKE IT. . I DON'T, I I I JUST HAVE A QUESTION WITH RESPECT TO THE, THE 15 MILLION, [00:45:02] THE, THE SCHOOL, UH, HV HVAC IS COVERED. THOSE FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. ALRIGHT. LESS THAN LESS THAN THAT, BUT YES, AS I RECALL, YOU GOT 3 MILLION, YOU HAD A GAP OF 7 MILLION MM-HMM . YES SIR. THAT'S RIGHT. YOU DECIDED TO FOR A TOTAL PROJECT OF 11 MILLION. THAT'S WHY WE WENT TO 15 MILLION. CORRECT. AND THERE IS SOME, SOME, UH, SOME LEFTOVER THAT YOU'RE USING FOR OTHER THINGS. YES. YES. OKAY. JUST WANNA MAKE, AND WE'VE SHARED THOSE PRIORITIES YEAH. WITH THE MAYOR. YEAH. YEAH. THEY SENT ME, 'CAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A, UM, A POSTER BOARD DONE UP IN TIME FOR, UH, CONGRESSWOMAN MCCLELLAN'S, UM, CHECK PRESENTATION. BUT UM, AS WANDA TOLD ME, I MISSED THE DEADLINE ON THAT ONE. UM, AND THAT ONE WAS ON MY, THAT WAS ON MY END. UM, BUT I CAN, YOU KNOW, SEND THAT LIST OUT TO EVERYBODY ON COUNCIL AND YOU GUYS AS WELL. YEAH, WE NEED TO BE ON THAT. WOULD YOU ALL LIKE US TO WORK WITH STACY AND THEN MAYBE SCHEDULE MEETINGS REALLY SOON SINCE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME? BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO PUBLIC HEARING FOR YOUR BU UNTIL JUNE. OKAY. OKAY. WE HAVE TIME. SO WOULD TWO WEEKS, WOULD THAT BE YEAH, YOU, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING LIKE ANOTHER KIND OF JOINT MEETING MM-HMM . WHERE WE, WHERE WE CAN GIVE YOU MORE DEPTH MM-HMM . AND UM, THAT WOULD BE THE WAY TO GO. YEAH. AND I HAVE MY CALENDAR ON IN FRONT OF ME. LET'S SEE. IT'S GOT THE 12TH. DOES THE 27TH OR 28TH WORK FOR YOU GUYS? 27TH WE HAVE A RETIREMENT CELEBRATION, SO THAT DOES NOT WORK. OKAY. 28TH COULD WORK JUST FOR ME. I'M ONLY SAYING FOR MYSELF, BUT NO, NO, 28TH DOESN'T WORK. OKAY. OKAY. UM, UH, I MEAN IF, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS ABLE TO DO IT EARLIER. UM, ARE YOU GUYS ABLE TO DO THE 21ST OR THE 20TH, THE 21ST? I KNOW THAT'S, THAT'S JUST A LITTLE OVER A WEEK. UM, JUST, JUST GIMME A SECOND. I'M LOOKING, YOU HAVE A MEETING ON THE 26TH? MM-HMM . YES. OKAY. I, I CAN MOVE SOMETHING AROUND IF EVERYBODY ELSE CAN DO THE 20, CAN YOU ALL DO THE 21ST? I CAN MM-HMM . WE'LL JUST, WE'LL MAKE THAT WORK AT FIVE 30. WHAT TIME? FIVE 30? YEAH, WE CAN DO FIVE 30 IF THAT'S, IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU GUYS? MM-HMM . THAT'S, AND IF, IF YOU HAVE THAT AVAILABLE PRIOR TO THE MEETING, THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. SO WE CAN LOOK AT I'M OKAY WITH THE 21ST BEFORE WE DO. OKAY. THANK YOU. MR. HARRIS. STACY, DO YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE SOME TIME TO GET WITH US? OKAY. WE'LL FIGURE THAT OUT LATER. OKAY. NO, JUST FROM A PRODUCTIVITY STANDPOINT, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF, IF MR. ROGERS, YOURSELF AND STACY AND JANELLE, IF YOU ALL COULD MM-HMM . HAVE A POWWOW BEFORE MM-HMM . MM-HMM . AND, AND TAKE A LOOK AT SOME DETAILS. MM-HMM . AND JUST MM-HMM . OKAY. AND THAT BE FIVE O'CLOCK 30 HERE OR? YEAH, WE, I MEAN WE CAN DO IT HERE. WE CAN DO IT OVER AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER. UM, HERE IS FINE. OKAY. THIS WORKS WELL. I'M SORRY, YOU SAID WE'RE DOING HERE? YEAH, WE CAN JUST DO IT HERE. OKAY. I WOULD PREFER TO HEAR, YOU SAID YOU PREFER TO HEAR MR. HARRIS ? YES, SIR. . OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? [3. Board Member Comments] [00:50:01] BOARD MEMBERS, ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, ANYTHING? I HAVE ONE. OKAY. MAKES NO COMMENT. I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT. I JUST WANT TO WISH A HAPPY RELATED MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. HARRIS. MR. HARRIS. UM, RIGHT. I I MEAN THIS MAY SOUND KIND OF NAIVE, I DON'T KNOW, BUT IF, IF OUR, IF OUR ENROLLMENTS ARE GOING DOWN, YOU KNOW, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE EXPENDITURES ARE STEADY GOING UP. I GUESS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK IF YOU'VE GOT LESS STUDENTS THEN YOU REQUIRE LESS STAFF, LESS OF EVERYTHING. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WORKS. YEAH, WELL WE, WE EVALUATE THAT EVERY YEAR AND WE SQUEEZE EVERYWHERE WE CAN. IT'S JUST 20 KIDS, LET'S JUST SAY 20 KIDS LEAVING THE DISTRICT FOR WHATEVER REASON THAT DOESN'T FALL LIKE UNDER THE ONE TEACHER, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SOMETIMES IT'S ONE IN FOURTH GRADE, SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE. SO THERE ARE, EACH YEAR WE SQUEEZE TEACHING POSITIONS WHERE THE GRADE LEVEL OR THE SUBJECT AREA WE COULD DO WITH LESS. THAT'S WHERE WE FIND THE CUTS AND STAY IS, IS, BUT, AND WE CAN SHOW YOU THAT TOO. OKAY. UM, UH, BUT IT'S, THERE'S, THERE'S LOGIC TO THAT. IT'S JUST NOT ALWAYS, EVERY, EVERY 25 KIDS DOESN'T MAKE ONE TEACHER BECAUSE THEY'RE SPREAD OUT AMONGST, YOU KNOW. NO, I MEAN IN ANY, I MEAN ANY OF THE INFORMATION YOU GO THROUGH, IF YOU CAN SHARE SOME OF IT WITH US SO THAT WE COME MORE INFORMED SO THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT Y'ALL COME UP WITH, UM, SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT IT AHEAD OF TIME AND UM, AND AGAIN, TO UNDERSTAND THE DETAIL OF WHAT IS FORMING THESE SUMMARY, SUMMARY, UM, NUMBERS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU, UM, SO MUCH. THANK YOU. UM, I GUESS WE'LL GO AHEAD AND WE'LL CLOSE US OUT ON OUR SIDE. UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I SECOND. ALRIGHT, SO MOVED. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. OKAY. AND AGAIN, BOARD MEMBERS THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. YOU'RE UPDATED ON THE NEXT, UM, AVAILABLE DATE AND THE CLERK WILL SEND THAT OUT TO EVERYONE. SO AGAIN, THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.