Travis County Commssioners Court
December 9, 2003
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Item 6
6 to is consider and take appropriate action on budget amendments and transfers. And there was a question of steve williams basically -- basically how do you plan to generate the savings to cover the cost of this proposed action.
>> good after noon.
>> good afternoon, stephen.
>> essentially what we are doing, during our budget presentation one of the strategies I told you that we were going to use was to try to get a better ratio between the services, the value of the services that we deliver in our community centers and the investment and our staffing. And what I had done was to freeze two positions and I -- in our family support services group. And the -- in the meantime, we got notification from the state that our healthy families program would no longer be funded. So, therefore, what we did, and you are fully aware of this, is to transfer the two positions that are -- that are our family support services and to our service children services under the healthy families program to avoid laying off those healthy families employed. There are moneys, operational dollars that were in the office of children's services that were going to be transferred to family support services in exchange for those positions. Instead of all of that money being transferred directly in the family support services, what we are proposing is that a major portion of that money be used to fund our green circle employees and that the remainder of the dollars, which is about $9,000, be transferred to direct service line items and family support services. And what this is essentially doing is -- is following through your direction to internally fund green circle employees with ongoing general fund dollars.
>> normally when we see funding for green circle employees we see savings in personnel line items. This is elimination of a certain program.
>> no. It's not elimination of a certain program. It's -- we actually down sized in one of our programs, but used the moneys from that to -- avoid downsizing in our healthy families programs. And we use moneys from -- excuse me, office of children's services to -- to in fact fund the green circle employees and because the money is never available, we are -- we are greater than what we needed for green circle employees, we are transferring the remained minder of that into really our family support services, which is our [indiscernible] center's direct service line items.
>> what's ppo's issue here?
>> p.b.o. Notes that the court has established a $500,000 reserve for health and human services issues. Primarily to fund any overages in the rmap program. Also based on forecasts done so far this fiscal year, it appears that -- that the department has hhs may not make its budgeted salary savings. Although the -- although the court has asked departments to internally fund any green circled employees, any -- any salary increases for green circled employees, at the same time we want to remind the court that they may want to preserve this $45,000 for future issues that may arise if the department does not meet -- is not able to keep within its adopted budget. If -- if there are overages in rmap, for example.
>> I understand p.b.o.'s concern. Because of -- because of our increasing demand over the last few years. But again what this in fact does, if -- is to pit our human services activities against our -- our health -- the support of our health care activities. And in this case, what we are doing is utilizing money from the human services side to fund the salaries of -- of the green circle employees and we are talking about $35,000.
>> uh-huh.
>> steven, is that -- is that money, the -- was -- is that matching funds basically, the $25,000 that's being talked about, but also this $35,000 more to address your green circle employees would be coming from this Travis County matching fund, [indiscernible]
>> yes. The moneys are already --
>> it's already there.
>> in the general fund.
>> of course, looking at the big picture of all of the state grants, the of $125,000, they have basically been discontinued.
>> yes.
>> since that's the case, as we look at the imrant process here in the county, we normally, not normally, but there are times when we have to have in-kind participation of -- in those as far as grants -- to secure and get those grants, but also sometimes we have to have -- to have matching funds topless draw down those grant dollars. So -- so in this particular case, the moneys basically had already been set aside to -- to -- the Travis County matching funds, in your line item, in your budget, to do just that, to match the -- the $125,000 from the state grant; is that correct?
>> well, in this caseñr we -- we had several months of advance notice that that program was going to be discontinued.
>> right.
>> and so we took steps to ensure that the program continued and that -- that primary strategy was to -- to freeze vacant positions so that we can ensure that that -- that the program continued and we would not have to la off any employees.
>> okay. I guess my question, though, we already have the moneys already available to satisfy that.
>> yes.
>> it's already in your --
>> yes.
>> as far as matching funds, is that correct.
>> these are existing funds in the target budget of hhs, $45,000 that they have determined because of the expiration of this grant are now available on an ongoing basis.
>> what's the projected shortfall and salary savings?
>> let's see. The department has a budgeted salary savings let me find that -- the budgeted salary savings this year is $344,000. Projected out very early here in the -- in the fiscal year it -- it is about $200,000. So we are -- we are a little -- we are short of meeting that goal, if we project out from the activity, from the vacancy rate that we have so far this year.
>> what's your thinking on that, stephen?
>> in terms of meeting salary savings or --
>> between now and the end of the fiscal year.
>> end of the fiscal year.
>> I am -- salary savings, in my opinion, is hard to predict unless you take an active step to hold positions vacant enough to achieve them. I could delay hiring of certain positions, stagger to hire if you want me to take some assertive steps in order to meet my salary savings goal.
>> would it make sense to leave the $9,000 that he doesn't need to cover green circle employees available to cover --
>> yes, yes. If -- I believe you wanted to transfer it to basic needs.
>> yeah. We are transferring it into direct service line items, which we might fall short on. So I -- I would prefer doing that and then taking an active step to --
>> I prefer not doing it.
>> okay.
>> I guess my -- on budgeted salary savings, that means we basically projected salary savings and spent the money.
>> we projected it at a -- you know, at a certain rate and it's reduced from last year. Last year it was $440,000. This year it's 344,000.
>> but don't we turn around and spend that?
>> we --
>> I think the answer is yes --
>> [inaudible - no mic] that money is used elsewhere.
>> what the auditors will do toward the end of the year, it's a negative line item, they will transfer money from other salary line items into it to cover the cost is how it works.
>> it's really a guess at a vacancy rate and -- in the departments.
>> we understand. But it's an important part of the budget process. Move that we authorize the use of $35,593 to cover green circle employees from health and human services.
>> second.
>> seconded by Commissioner Davis. Any more discussion? This motion does not cover the difference between this and the 45,000.
>> 45,000, right.
>> we are leaving it there.
>> yes.
>> the court has discretion, I guess, at the appropriate time in the future to decide how to use it if this passes.
>> any more discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Show Commissioner Sonleitner and daughterty absent for the entire afternoon.
>> did you already approve a 1.
>> not yet, did you want to talk us out of it.
>> no. Just wants to make sure that something gets done with it. [laughter]
>> what's p.b.o.'s position on a 1.
>> p.b.o. Confers, [indiscernible]
>> that's why I move approval.
>> second.
>> any more discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 10, 2003 6:44 AM