Travis County Commissioners Court
September 12, 2006
Item 5
Number 5 is to and take appropriate action on proposed fy '07 budget rules. Why don't we highlight the changes, see if we are ready for action today, or see if with we need another week of study.
>> you should have received a memo on September 5th highlighting some of those changes. I can probably go through some of those, also received a few late minute changes yesterday and this morning that we would like to -- to incorporate and I will just give you a brief overview, then we might want to bring it back next week. Going through some of these changes however that are in that September 5th memo, a lot of them are very minor, however important to have in the budget rules. The first one is -- cheaks it to require the use of electronic budget adjustment system. As you know we implemented that system this year, we are making sure that the budget rules reflect that. An account also for the peace officer pay scale employees 0712. Associate judges on 713, line items. Also expanded the operating line items allowable to be used for automatic transfers to backfill for vacant positions to include the contracted services line items. I think there was a change we might be looking at over the next week on that one. Approve the court order services line item to allow departments more flexibility within the court ordered services line items. Eliminate benefits except --
>> repeat that, please.
>> that's the third bullet down, improve the language for transfers from court services, that should be corrected to court ordered services line items. To allow departments more flexibility to transfer within court ordered services line items.
>> that's criminal and civil. Court.
>> right. Rather than Commissioners court. Eliminate benefits except for hospitalization ... Court approval to move from or into. Then clarify the definition of an amendment budget adjustment, requires Commissioners court approval to include any transfer from allocated deserve through departmental -- operating account. Really just language. There's a minor change to clarify language in the travel rules and correctly list the health insurance funds as employee health benefit fund. I should note also that we will be over the next week if we -- agreeable to you, sending out any revisions that we see today, include also the new retirement rate discussed during markup, which is .1071, on page 30 for your information. The -- the changes that we have received from the auditor's offense, some are very minor, but some might require some additional discussion with p.b.o. And the auditor's offense. Couple of them are on arc tragic rebate disbursements, making sure that that's clear that -- that the auditor has the authority to -- to pay out those disreimbursements as required by law. A few other minor changes, including I should highlight that language would read international travel that includes [indiscernible] a vehicle, either in a foreign country or rented for travel into a foreign country are required to select vehicle rental insurance offered by the rental agency. Insurance could should include damage to the rental vehicle, to a third party vehicle and bodily injury. So we will be happy to include that and then work through some of these other minor changes, highlight those changes for you again next week and seek action at that time. Unless there is any other -- departmental input.
>> judge, we had a few things --
>> do we have to use that language.
>> we had a few things, one a district clerk's trip to vancouver, british columbia, where they started in seattle, wounds up in canada, I think we've had a couple of other trips that were montreal authorized by Commissioners court, but necessitated because of where the airports are located to rent cars. But there are differing rules related to rental things across the border that your own private insurance doesn't cover over there.
>> I believe risk management is also recommending that language.
>> we have had a couple of canada trips.
>> I think all it really does it just really clean it up, judge.
>> make sure that we are covered.
>> by your look that you are puzzled by it a little bit.
>> that was the recommendation by the risk manager.
>> I think that it makes all of the sense just to -- to clean it up, this --
>> apparently there's a lot of liability on vehicles and that when you take them out. As I said that was the recommendation that the risk manager made and pass odd to our offense, we agree with that. Office.
>> if the court did not wish vehicles to travel out of the united states, it would have an opportunity to --
>> one member of the court did not wish for county employees. I understand that.
>> I started my sentence if the court wished to restrict any out of country travel, then -- then it would have an opportunity to do so. But given a trip out of the country with a vehicle, then that would protect the county's liability.
>> we already have --
>> if we need it, we need. No problem.
>> judge I would have thought we had a rule in place that said in terms of travel outside of the donate then tall united you had to get permission, even the lower 48. If it were ohio or alaska you also had to seek permission ahead of time.
>> that's correct. If the court gave it's approval for some county employee to travel out of country, then it would be an automatic requirement for them to have this extra insurance in the events of something untoward happened out of this country. That would include not just canada. But other countries that are nearby.
>> star flight also went to germany.
>> you certainly don't want to drive out of the country if you are in hawaii. [laughter] you are not going to get very far.
>> but there is a requirement for -- for court approval in advance of out of country travel.
>> yes. That's correct. Now, we have received -- there's a couple of changes that we just received language yesterday and we feel from the auditor's office and we feel like we need to talk about that with the auditor's office because it could have some implications that -- that -- we are asking to delay a final approval until we've had a chance to review a couple of suggestions.
>> what we will do is review those suggestions today and tomorrow and hopefully get out another legislative style copy to you. Wednesday or Thursday. And then get final approval next Tuesday, assuming there's no other departmental changes that come forward.
>> but if you see any problems with the suggested changes thus far, then now would be a good time to --
>> please.
>> raise them so that next week you can incorporate them and approve the final 2007 budget rules.
>> am I correct if you traveled out of the country on county business, it's a sort of extraordinary circumstance. Star flight we woant over basically to look at the helicopters prior to purchase because the amount -- because the price of the helicopters was such that due diligence required to us do that. You don't have them flown to this country, look at them, reject them I guess pay to have them sent back over there.
>> the auditor is most familiar with all out of country travel.
>> yes, judge. What we've had a problem with is people go on a trip near a border and then proceed to drive over there or take something after they have already encumbered because we ought to be seeing ahead an end condemn ambulance where you are going, what it's going to cost. There are other issues with out of country travel. If a person is injured, when they are on county business, there are workers' comp issues. There may be health insurance issues. So it has always been sort of the feeling of the court and we have enforced that, that you would only go under extraordinary circumstances because although the actual travel costs themselves may not exceed what you would do someplace else in this country, there are risks for the county which could involve extraordinary expenditures. So that's kind of how we have looked at it.
>> yeah. Okay.
>> I will out myself. I had a trip two years ago to vancouver, british columbia. As the representative on downtown Austin alliance. There's a conference through international downtown association in the spring and fall which generally I try to work in and one and only one time in 12 years it actually went to vancouver, british columbia. No cars. They -- they took us from the airport.
>> that was county business?
>> absolutely. I will be going to the international downtown association in about three more weeks, but this time it's in portland.
>> I should note, also, that the requirement to go to the court for approval has some chilling effect on individual travel. For example, the government financial officers association had a national conference in canada. Within the planning and budget office we discussed whether or not we should go to one or more persons should go to that national conference, which is sometimes in phoenix, sometimes chicago and this time it was in canada. We decided not to ask. I believe -- for a variety of reasons. Having to do with -- out of country travel. I do believe that that does happen in various circumstances where folks just don't want to incur the discussion of traveling outside of the united states.
>> we have to ask what's the value to the county.
>> exactly.
>> when the county judges met in paris, france I didn't go, I asked them to send my five post cards they did and it was -- it was amazing they liked being there.
>> so you became the same way. It has a chilling effect. Behaved the same way.
>> we will have this item back on next week for a for aserious discussion and prompt action.
>> seriously on that subject matter, judge.
>> I understand.
>> in some places, I know when we are not on naco, they decided to move their conference to hawaii one time, the discussion that happened on that it didn't involve our court was that for counties where their Commissioners and judges always went to naco conferences whether it was washington d.c., des moines, iowa, that for those they didn't have a problem in terms of saying but that's just where the rotation is. What raised red flags were people who had never gone to a naco conference in their lives but all of a sudden hawaii sounded great. That appropriately caused issues and some people were shamed into not going. And some people didn't care they went to highway hawaii anyway. So I mean there's also --
>> value to the county.
>> there you go. What's the cost.
>> judge, if we -- we enforce your rules on travel. If we think there may be a question, we always give the departments the right to come to the Commissioners court, put it on the agenda and discussion it openly.
>> in advance.
>> in advance. If they don't do it in advance, then that's a problem, but they always can do that in advance and flush out any issues that they have with the court. Many choose not to do that.
>> has this not happened in the past, what you are saying?
>> some incidents, more things are submitted for travel reimbursement than you would believe what people would use their judgment on. We are turning down many things. Because of exactly the issue that the county judge said. What is the value to the county? You know, going on -- going on pleasure trips, you can do that as long as you pay for it yourself. But I mean that cannot be paid with county money. Alcohol is not paid for in county money. You can't entertain people on county money. For all of those things, we have very -- very rigid guidelines. More rigid than most governments.
>> you cannot have a good time on county money.
>> you are expected to suffer and learn. You can but it's on your dime [laughter] [multiple voices]
>> so not true.
>> I think the question was added.
>> I can hardly wait until next week.
>> thank you, susan.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 10:11 AM