Travis County Commissioners Court
September 9, 2008
Item 4
4. Consider and take appropriate action on fiscal year 2009 budget rules.
>> good morning. Jessica from planning and budget. There is a handout going on right now to the Commissioners that we will discuss in just a few moments. Just to be clear on the budget rules were sent out I believe last week, but because of markup we would like to discuss and let you know what the proposed changes are today. However, we would ask that any action be delayed until next week. Just to be able to gather all comments. We also have a comment that -- that was just passed out that we will be discussing shortly. Also wanted to let you know in fy 10 forks the upcoming budget rules, for fy 10 we are going to be working considerably with the county auditor's office as well as any other county departments that would like to participate to revamp the budget rules and make them a little bit more -- more user friendly if you will. We will be coming that way your next cycle, we would like to get that before you sooner next cycle because we do anticipate substantial changes at that time. However, for fy '09 we really are looking at mostly minor changes. I will go through those real quick, answer any questions and then go through the handout that was just presented to you. The fy '09 proposed changes include additional flexibility of moving budget between court ordered services which are line item 63 xx. To other operating line items, unless p.b.o. Believes that the Commissioners court should review them. However, we have -- we have left a restriction in place specifically for the court attorney's fees because of the substantial amount of resources that have bin vested in those line -- been invested in those line items in recent years, we have discussed this with the department. A restriction on automatic transfers to other fund line items, 90 xx line items, except for county contributions to grants. In other words, we will no longer, departments we really don't allow it anyways, we would take it to court right now, we are making it specifically clear in the budget rules that if you would like to transfer from, I will pick one, transfer to a special fund that would need to go to Commissioners court because obviously those funds have been specifically dedicated by the Commissioners court to go to the other fund. As an example. Three, clarifying language added to the rules to underscore the department's responsibility for making personnel decisions. And this includes pops and non-pops promotions, like I said, there is already in place, we are making it clear because we've had questions in the past from some of the departments. Fourth bullet is the addition that projects submitted to the Travis County I should say here I'm going to add a suggestion that we got from records manager which is -- which is tcrsc, also known as the print shop, at any rate, the change will be there that there -- anything submitted to them be printed as two sided unless one sided is specifically nighted and requested and justified. So it's just an effort, I believe Commissioner eckhardt is on board on that one.
>>
>> [indiscernible] though and single sided and double sided situations, how would a person go about that to -- if they need to maybe have single sided.
>> they would just request it. It's really just a default.
>> request.
>> that's right. If you need single sided that can be requested and justified and that -- that request will be I'm sure honored. It's really just that the default will be that everything submitted back is double sided unless otherwise noted.
>> okay. Thank you.
>> did you run that recommendation by the print shop?
>> I believe --
>> let's do so.
>> I will make sure that they have seen it.
>> good point, judge. The next one is some changes in the travel section that are included to improve the organization of that section and clarify some of the requirements that the auditor's office has for reimbursement. One is a requirement of an employee i.d. Number for reimbursement requests. And two is the modification to advance payments made by the employee with a personal credit card and then also the requirement to submit mileage reimbursement requests on authorized forms within 30 days, as opposed to 90 days as it currently stands.
>> [one moment please for change in captioners] receipts which is currently $50. In other words, if you come back from a conference and you have receipts that add up to $50 or more you would be reimbursed $50. If you do not have receipts you are asking for the per diem, the standard would be 39 as opposed to 34. The next one is I want to make sure is clear as well. Changes this the grant section that allow p.b.o. To act on behalf of an authorized official for administrative functions in the online system under certain circumstances such as budget adjustments. When 1, the official is a member of the Commissioners court. 2, the grant has already been approved by Commissioners court. And 3, the change is not significantly change the scope from what the Commissioners court has previously approved. This change is meant to allow for minor administrative changes to proceed in a timely manner and really it has come about from changes from certain granting agencies. Recently we had one from c.j.d. Which they went to a new online system and I think this is through the governor's office where juvenile has the authority to, quote, push the button. However that is correct authority needed to be -- they needed to request that authority from the judge's office. And so this would allow the judge's office to allow p.b.o. To push the button, quote, unquote. It wouldn't, however, change the scope significantly. It really changes if they had gone through the budget adjustment system would be contract automatics. For example, from travel and training to equipment or vice versa. But not overall change of scope. And then next would be a clarification that if an invoice exceeds the amount budgeted in a line item by less than $10, the county auditor is authorized to transfer funds automatically to cover the amount from the first operating expense line item within the department with sufficient funds. Currently I believe those are coming from allocated reserves. And really what this change means is that if it's under $10, it really should come from the department's operating budget. Finally, there is a suggestion that was submitted to our office that we tried to interpret and present an improvement which is on the grant summary sheet which was just handed out. And I do need to also send this out to departments and I'd like to send it out to the grant department as well as the auditor's office. It's suggestion pore improved performance information. If you look at page 24 that was handed out, and I believe -- yeah, have you that. The highlighted part is the change. So right now it reads all grants should have performance measures. We have already included in the proposal to -- for the new budget rules to say including relevant out come measures. That was a suggested change f.y. '09. Any output should include a narrative description of the program. If you flip over to page 25 which is your grant summary sheet you will see highlighted for each measure we have there description of out come impact. What this is meant to do is encourage departments, one, to give appropriate outcome measures, but two, if they provide output measures which are number of widgets produced to describe for us at least what impact that has, what outcome that has on their performance measures and on the outcome of the program.
>> so should these read the same?
>> yes, it's for each measure is really what that is for. For each output measure.
>> so as we're measuring performance, how many widgets are made, we would also be asking departments to say -- and when this extra number of widgets are made we expect the outcome and widget accessibility to increase by blah.
>> right. What the improvement is of the -- or the impact as of how they made those extra widgets, if you will.
>> jessica.
>> yes, sir.
>> my concern to you in the department is this. After today's discussion of this item, when will that go before the folks that will be impacted, other county officials. In a timely margin this can come back to the court for us to take action.
>> we did send this out to all elected appointed officials, financial staff in an e-mail format last week when it was submitted to the court for posting purposes this week. So I believe that was on -- I believe it's on the second or third of last week, Tuesday or Wednesday. And I've only received so far one comment from I believe it was records management staff on adding that word print shop and also a request on the law library services that are mentioned on page 37 for centrally budgeted services, we want to add general fund, which is a very minor, we can all include any changes in an updated memo for next week. We would need any changes this week, however, to be able to turn that around and provide the court a summary of any recommendations that we have on those suggested changes. And I will send out another notice today saying this was brought before court and that any changes that they have or suggestions should be received to our office this week.
>> okay. All right. Thank you.
>> I need to review them. I just haven't had a chance. But if you are waiting a week, I'll be sure to be able to do that. My concern is we're the ones that have to enforce it on the back end. One thing to be thinking about -- jose just got a call this morning, as the airline restrictions are getting tighter and tighter, you know, if you get another bag you have to pay this or that, we'll have to have suggestions, but I mean how much control do you want over that. Do you want us to just say if you have to pay for extra bags you do, if you have to pay for over 50 pounds you do. Or do you want some constraint in there. But all of these are issues as the airline industry becomes tighter and tighter. Also, people are having to pay for their tickets far in advance. And that's just something we need to deal with in the environment. And it is very difficult for us to monitor, you know, if the person used it, if for some reason they didn't and so one of the things that needs to be very explicit is that the department has to take responsibility for the management of that trip. In other words, if we buy a ticket for department x three or four months in advance, and it's kind of getting to that point or you pay a huge amount, that it is really too labor intensive for our department to have to track down each of these and make sure the guy got on the plane and if they didn't why not. So the department really needs to take responsibility for that. Because when you make advanced reservations things come up, personal emergencies, something work related. But if a person just doesn't want to go anymore, the county's policy is they pay for the ticket.
>> well, I guess in that regard, there is what appears to be a different formula, a different criteria by airlines especially when it comes to baggage.
>> and it changes.
>> how can you really set a certain amount aside to take care of that. That's an issue that we need to uncover.
>> how concerned you are about a dollar amount or rules or if it's just if you need an extra bag, you pay for it.
>> the policies are different with different airlines.
>> yeah. And it is. And I mean I just went on a trip and when I went it was different than when I came back one week. They are changing so quickly. And the $39 I think it's worth mentioning, that's what i.r.s. Allows you to do without receipts, without having to put out 1099s and w-2s for and that becomes a very costly process. And so I think, you know, it's pair to say you can't travel on $39 a day, but that is where that number came from.
>> and just to clarify, there is -- there was some suggested language from the auditor's office that we have included on the responsibility.
>> yes.
>> but however it's on the -- on the luggage issue, I don't believe we have addressed that. We'll continue to work with the auditor's office to ensure those changes are presented next week.
>> and we just heard that, jessica, about five minutes ago.
>> how often are the luggage rules that the airlines implicated in business travel? I don't imagine someone to be taking 50 pounds --
>> I think they are impacted if it's a long trip. If you are going to a conference that's a week long, it could be an issue. If it's for three days, it surely should not be. The other thing is when you --
>> a lot of clothes.
>> well, and what you have coming back. The last one I went to was tons of material from the conference. Big notebooks and stuff and it never occurred to me how heavy those are. But now you are paying attention. Part of little do we let people use their best judgment or do we have a rule that encompasses in an environment that is changing almost weekly. But give that some thought.
>> it's just not additional baggage. U.s. Air last week when I flew it charged $15 for the first suitcase. And they are changing very rapidly, those -- you know, when I booked it, I don't think that there are was the case. By the time you get to check in, they, you know, slide it. So I think we need to be flexible on that.
>> anything else? One word that I would like to change in the -- primary rule. It would be page 9 if it were numbered. It is numbered, page 9. We say if additional funding is desired. I would just like to change "dire" to "needed. " my good government hat says that's a much better word. We'll have this before us next week for action, right?
>> correct.
>> if we have changes to recommend, I don't know that I would necessarily incorporate them into the draft, but I think the whole court needs to know about them before Tuesday.
>> yes.
>> so we can think about them before Tuesday maybe.
>> can I make one more comment, judge? I forgot about it there for a minute. It is obvious that just from a staffing and administrative, we're going to have to have some sort of assessment when we approve a grant as to what the workload is on that grant. We do not have time to do anything meaningful so I don't think it ought to be in a budget year but I think we need to work on that this year. It shouldn't be another brewer democratic form someone has to fill out but I think from our department we have got to be able to have an idea what that workload is and some grants are very easy to maintain and some are very, very complex. So my people -- I've asked them to come up with something and we don't have anything yet that would be good, but through the year if we could, you know, start looking at that and -- you know.
>> good idea. I think we ought to do it. We'll have 4 back on next week.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, September 9, 2008 1:37 AM