COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MINUTES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2017 The Board of County Commissioners met today in their weekly Commissioners Meeting. Present at today s meeting were: Dennis P. Stuckey, Chairman Joshua G. Parsons, Vice Chairman Craig E. Lehman BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS E. William Peters CHIEF CLERK Lisa Johnson ASSISTANT CHIEF CLERK Christina Hausner, Esquire COUNTY SOLICITOR Also present were: Rhonda Adams, Supervisor COURT REPORTERS Ben Arnold, Chief Park Ranger Anne Cooper, Register of Wills Charles Douts, Director FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Beth Gable, Budget Analyst BUDGET SERVICES Ryan Gajecki, Park Ranger Lawrence George, Executive Director BEHAVIORAL HEALTH/DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES Brian Hurter, Controller Matt Knepper, Director AGRICULTURAL PRESERVE BOARD Mark Lauriello, County Engineer RETTEW Matt Luciani, Auditing Supervisor CONTROLLER S OFFICE Lisa Miller, Director COURT REPORTERS Mike Sload, Deputy Director BUDGET SERVICES Maggie Weidinger, Director INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND BUDGET SERVICES Paul Weiss, Administrator Randall Wenger, Chief Registrar ELECTIONS AND VOTER REGISTRATION Commissioner Stuckey called the meeting to order at 9:18 a.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner Stuckey announced to postpone approval of the September 20, 2017 Commissioners Meeting Minutes, October 25, 2017 Commissioners Meeting Minutes, November 1, 2017 Commissioners Meeting Minutes and November 15, 2017 Commissioners Meeting Minutes. Commissioner Stuckey re-announced that a Special County Commissioners Meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. at the Lancaster County Government Center, 150 North Queen Street Annex, first floor conference room, Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the
-2- purpose of discussing the proposed 2018 County budget. Public participation is invited. Presentation of Letter of Commendation to Park Ranger Ryan Gajecki in Recognition of his Assistance to Avert a Suicide Incident Ryan Gajecki, Park Ranger, Department of Parks and Recreation Ben Arnold, Chief Park Ranger, Department of Parks and Recreation Paul Weiss, Administrator, Department of Parks and Recreation Mr. Weiss stated that the letter of commendation covered it very well. He said this really is a testament to the ranger division and to the County Crisis Intervention Team program. The program really equips our rangers well to handle situations like this and they do it with professionalism and respect. Mr. Weiss thanked the Commissioners because they empower these guys to do the job that they do every day and he really appreciated that. Mr. Arnold stated that they are all very proud of Mr. Gajecki. He did what he does best and that is communicate with people and show great bravery. The Board thanked Mr. Gajecki for his courage to defuse the situation and have a positive outcome. They stated that he did something very significant and they were proud of him. On motion of Commissioner Parsons, seconded by Commissioner Lehman, it was agreed for the County of Lancaster, acting on behalf of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, to enter into an agreement with Reporters Associated, c/o Court Reporters, under which Reporters Associated will provide computerized reporting services to the Court, including the computerized transcription of those items directed by the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County, for a fee not to exceed $68,400.00 for the period January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Any amounts paid by the County of Lancaster pursuant to this Agreement shall be in addition to the salaries and statutory transcription fees paid to Reporters Associated pursuant to their employment by the County of Lancaster and the Court of Common Pleas in that capacity. Ms. Miller stated that this fund was established in the eighties and it was to reimburse the Court Reporters for equipment and supplies that they have to purchase on their own. Commissioner Parsons said that he appreciated the great job that the Court Reporters do and having spent many years in the courtroom, he knows how challenging it is. He stated that he had some concerns about what he would call the hybrid nature of our relationship with the Court Reporters. He explained that we treat them as employees but we also have them buy their own equipment which we have this fund for. He understands the historical reasons for that but feels that we as a County need to figure out whether we are going to treat every department the same and have IT handle their needs like we do for every other County department or are we going to continue to have basically a separate and distinct program. Commissioner Parsons feels that we are potentially opening ourselves up to some issues by having a separate distinct program for the Court Reporters. He understands that we haven t gotten that worked out with the courts yet so he is willing to support the agreement for this year because he doesn t believe that there is an alternative. In the interim he thinks that we need to figure out what other counties are doing and whether this is consistent in working together with the Court Reporters and the courts because he thinks that this is a historic way of doing business that needs more examination. Commissioner Parsons stated that he is probably not going to continue to support this in the future. Commissioner Lehman thanked the Court Reporters for their work and what they do for the County. He noticed that there was a decrease and he asked what the reason for the decrease was. Ms. Miller replied that they were in the process of trying to make one of their open positions a more administrative position as well as being a digital monitor position. Commissioner Lehman asked if the transition to the administrative role meant that there is less demand and they won t need the equipment that this fund pays for. Ms. Adams replied that the equipment is already purchased and they just need someone in that role. She stated that they will be coming before them at a Salary Board meeting in the future. She said that it will be transitioning one Court Reporter to a digital monitor. Commissioner Lehman clarified that this is a new piece of equipment that the County purchased that this individual is going to be using so, what is the decrease here. Ms. Miller replied that the individual does not need to buy his/her own equipment. Ms. Adams said that the individual is not really a Court Reporter in the sense that the other Court Reporters are. Commissioner Lehman clarified if the individual was working in a more traditional role then they would be getting the same equipment or similar equipment as the other Court Reporters are getting from this fund. Ms. Miller and Ms. Adams agreed. Commissioner Stuckey thanked the Court Reporters for their work and for being at the meeting. Commissioner Stuckey stated that he appreciated Commissioner Parsons having a different viewpoint on this and for asking questions. He agreed as Commissioner Parsons indicated we will support the agreement this year but we need to understand what we are doing in the future if we keep this as it is. He said that they will be looking into this in the next year. Mr. Lauriello and Mr. Douts requested an annual rate increase for professional engineering services. Upon discussion, the Board agreed not to take action on the agreement today and recommended that Mr. Lauriello reach out to Purchasing for advice to see what the process should be going forward and report back to them at a future meeting.
-3- On motion of Commissioner Lehman, seconded by Commissioner Parsons, it was agreed for the County of Lancaster, acting on behalf of the Register of Wills, to approve the following: Software Support and Maintenance Agreement With: Paperless Solutions, Inc. Bensalem, Pennsylvania To provide software support and maintenance for Register of Wills Marriage License, Probate and Orphans Court computer programs. Amount/Term: Not to exceed $14,000.00 for the period December 1, 2017 through November 30, 2018. On motion of Commissioner Parsons, seconded by Commissioner Lehman, it was agreed for the County of Lancaster to enter into Contracts of Sale of Agricultural Conservation Easements with the following property owners: Name/Township Type of Easement County Share State Share Township Share Steven W. Strickland Perpetual $0.00 $215,800.00 $0.00 Conoy Township The Commissioners certify that the Steven W. Strickland farm, consisting of a total 56 acres, 54.95 of which is proposed for preservation, is located in the Agricultural Security Area (ASA) of Conoy Township. On motion of Commissioner Lehman, seconded by Commissioner Parsons, it was agreed for the County of Lancaster, acting on behalf of Behavioral Health/Developmental Services (BH/DS), to approve the following: Amended Agreement No. 1 With: Amount/Term: Community Services Group Mountville, Pennsylvania An individual is moving to a licensed three person setting that provides a higher level of staffing. Increase the amount of the existing contract by $71,839.40, for a total contract amount not to exceed $560,696.33 for Fiscal Year 2017-2018. On motion of Commissioner Parsons, seconded by Commissioner Lehman, it was agreed for the County of Lancaster, acting on behalf of the Election and Voter Registration Office, to approve the following: Addendum Agreement to Renew Term of Lease With: Formin Properties, LLC Ephrata, Pennsylvania To adjust leased space from 8,082 square feet to 9,778 square feet at 1397 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for voting machine warehouse storage space and staging of voting equipment and for local election officials to make their election night returns as follows: Rent/Term: February 1, 2018 January 31, 2019: Annual Base Rent - $4.00 x 9,778 square feet $3,259.00/month; $39,108.00/year February 1, 2019 January 31, 2020: Annual Base Rent - $4.08 ($4.00 + 2%) x 9,778 square feet $3,325.00/month $39,900.00/year February 1, 2020 January 31, 2021: Annual Base Rent - $4.16 ($4.08 + 2%) x 9,778 square feet $3,390.00/month; $40,680.00/year The estimated annual Common Area Maintenance expenses shall be $1.50 x 9,778 square feet, or $1,222.00/month; $14,667.00/year.
-4- On motion of Commissioner Lehman, seconded by Commissioner Parsons, it was agreed for the County of Lancaster to designate and authorize Dennis P. Stuckey, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, to claim unclaimed property belonging to the County of Lancaster, on behalf of the County, with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasury Department, Bureau of Unclaimed Property, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and to sign the Unclaimed Property Authorization Claim Form Request. RESOLUTION NO. 96 OF 2017 On motion of Commissioner Parsons, seconded by Commissioner Lehman; the proposed 2018 budget is placed on record for public inspection until the final adoption date of Wednesday, December 13, 2017, setting forth the following information which includes Liquid Fuels funds and Human Service Development funds: OPERATING BUDGET GENERAL OTHER FUND FUNDS TOTAL REVENUE County Tax Receipts--2018 Real Estate (2.911 Mills) $ 117,476,526 $ 117,476,526 Real Estate Natural Growth 525,071 525,071 Delinquent Taxes 2,235,000 2,235,000 Total County Tax Receipts--2018 $ 120,236,597 $ 120,236,597 State & Federal Grants--2018 5,033,810 82,891,230 87,925,040 Fees & Fines--2018 34,436,362 5,938,069 40,374,431 Interest Earnings--2018 200,000 22,535 222,535 County Match-2018 13,475,075 13,475,075 TOTAL 2018 RECEIPTS $ 159,906,769 $ 102,326,909 $ 262,233,678 Fund Balance Available 12/31/17 $ 26,082,776 $ 4,671,836 $ 30,754,612 Reserve for Encumbrances 4,990,519 1,760,310 6,750,829 Total Receipts & Fund Balance $ 190,980,064 $ 108,759,055 $ 299,739,119 EXPENDITURES Total 2018 Operating Expenditures Payroll & Fringe Benefits $ 82,830,407 $ 36,103,021 $ 118,933,428 Other Operating Expenditures 31,283,240 64,105,788 95,389,028 Capital 1,223,966 4,864,300 6,088,266 Debt Service 25,543,540 25,543,540 Radio Project Lease & Interest 2,226,973 2,226,973 County Match 13,475,075 13,475,075 Affiliated Agency/Capital Project Grants 2,865,695 2,865,695 TOTAL 2018 OPERATING EXPENDITURES $ 159,448,896 $ 105,073,109 $ 264,522,005 2017 Commitments Expended in 2018 $ 4,990,519 $ 1,760,310 $ 6,750,829 Fund Balance Remaining 12/31/18 26,540,649 1,925,636 28,466,285 Total 2018 Operating Expenditures And Fund Balance Remaining 12/31/18 $ 190,980,064 $ 108,759,055 $ 299,739,119 TAX RATE ON ASSESSED VALUE OF REAL ESTATE = 2.911 MILLS TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUE = $41,790,150,700 TAX INCREASE OVER 2017 = 0% Mr. Sload stated that he was representing Budget Services and presented the Lancaster County Budget for 2018. He thanked the Board of Commissioners, elected officials, department heads and their fiscal financial people who worked with them on achieving this budget. He personally thanked Ms. Gable for her tireless effort in this year s budget process and noted that this was her first budget. He also thanked Mr. Luciani, Ms. Dittenhafer and her PeopleSoft team, the Controllers office, Mr. Mavrides and his Property Assessment team for working hard to get the assessment completed accurately and on time and provide us with the new millage rate of 2.911 mills. Mr. Sload said that the new millage rate makes the budget
-5- revenue neutral with regards to taxes and the new assessed property values. He said that this is the sixth year in a row that the County has a structurally balanced budget. Mr. Sload stated that the balanced 2018 budget provides the necessary resources to County departments and agencies to allow them to perform their duties and provide the needed services and programs for County residents. He stated that the budget does all of this with no tax increase for the citizens of Lancaster County. The Commissioners thanked Budget Services and all of the departments for the work that they had done on the budget and for working with them. Commissioner Parsons commented that he is pleased with the budget and happy that this budget continues to pay down our debt and also address our capital needs. Commissioner Parsons stated that he is also happy about the fact that our new millage rate will be the third lowest out of sixty-seven counties. Commissioner Lehman stated that he thought it was important to recognize the work that Budget Services and all of the other departments did to have a structurally balanced budget put before them for the sixth year in a row. He said that their work had a real impact on the County s finances. On motion of Commissioner Lehman, seconded by Commissioner Parsons, the meeting adjourned at 10:11 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather E. McDevitt, Executive Assistant Commissioners Office