The King George County Board of Supervisors began their Special Meeting at 5:36pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Public Comment opened with Jim Lynch attempting to use the microphone at the podium only to find that it did not broadcast his voice. Staff attempted to resolve the issue before finally directing Mr. Lynch to the nearby dais where he used a different microphone. Lynch said he read the resolution that the Board would be voting on later and appreciated having the extra time to read it. He said he had been present when large groups of employees have been moved to one base or another and he felt that every time you lose people, you lose a part of the technical base.
Yvonne Richard experienced technical issues as well, although she was attempting to comment virtually through the County's GoToMeeting application [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]. As she was unable to comment aloud, staff read her comments aloud. She was in favor of the proposed budget and was thankful for all of the improvements that are being made in King George as a result of the increased taxes.
Another resident came forward to the podium to speak but Richard Granger spoke and clarified that this was just for general comments and that comments on the budget would be allowed later during the Public Hearing.
John Jenkins, Jeff Bueche, Cathy Binder, and Richard Granger had no reports.
Ruby Brabo only had two brief items to report on. First, she said that she learned a lot using the webcam and hoped to use her experience tonight to help better educate citizens on how the process worked. Second, she noted that King George won an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for the use of a virtual meeting application. Brabo said that King George was again encouraged to compete in this year's award process for their implementation of a Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. She said NACo seemed very interested in how well it worked.
It should be noted that Brabo was attending the meeting virtually and had been previously granted permission to do so. She could be easily seen and heard during the meeting, however there was some obvious lag in the connection.
The Public Hearing on the proposed Budget for the coming Fiscal Year 2018-2019 then began. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, gave a brief overview of the proposed budget. He highlighted that the budget is slightly more than a five percent increase over last year's budget. He said that no tax increase was needed but they will not be able to equalize the tax rate. Young said that two new School Resource Officers (SROs), mandated costs, and additional staff were just a few of the changes for the coming year.
Public Comment then opened and Jim Lynch again returned to the microphone at the dais. He said over half of the budget goes to support the schools and, as "an old-timey track athlete," he appreciated the support the Board gave to the schools, including the track upgrades. He then quoted an author referring to education and it's importance in democracy.
Next to speak was another resident, Mrs. Monk. She said she opposed the budget increase. Though she realized we're doing more for schools but felt consideration should be given to homeowners as their salaries are not increasing. She mentioned that the landfill did not pay down the debt as intended and that the Oakland Park Waste Water Treatment Plant had issues and that it would be nice to "lay off" the increases for now if we could.
Mrs. Richard, still experiencing technical issues with speaking aloud, reiterated her earlier comments through County staff again.
Jeff Bueche said he needed to address some of the misinformation that had been reported online and once again stated what has been clear from the beginning; the current and proposed tax rate is 70 cents per $100 of assessed value. Bueche said it was not seven percent, as that would equate to seven dollars. He also said it wasn't a tax increase, it was simply maintaining what was approved last year. Although he did understand that it will mean more money coming out of a household budget.
Brabo, Cathy Binder, and Granger all had no further comments.
Next on the Agenda was an Action Item regarding the Resolution that was proposed at the last meeting regarding move of the Chemical Biological Radiological Defense (CBRD) Division to Indian Head, Maryland. What then proceeded was one of the more interesting facets of the intricacies of Board policies and procedures. Richard Granger began by reading a prepared statement citing that although he felt he could participate in the discussions fairly, he wanted to abstain. He said due to any real or perceived conflict of interest, he would not comment or vote on the issue and in addition, would leave the dais and the Board Room entirely. He said he was doing this because he was an employee of the Naval Surface Warfare Center - Dahlgren Division (NSWC-DD) and asked the Board's Secretary to record his absence.
Jeff Bueche and Cathy Binder then read the same prepared statement except Bueche gave his reason as being an active duty member of the Coast Guard and Binder gave her reason as her husband's employment with NSWC-DD.
Binder, Bueche, and Granger then left the room at 6:01pm.
Dr. Young said that the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had previously advised him that Ruby Brabo would be able to take the lead from here. Brabo said the Resolution had been amended since it was last released and then read the amended paragraph. She made a motion to approve it, John Jenkins, the sole remaining Supervisor physically present in the room, seconded the motion. Brabo made the only comment, stating that the vote was allowed in this manner per state code. The Resolution was then approved.
At 6:03pm, Binder, Bueche, and Granger returned to the Board Room. There being no report from the County Administrator and no Closed Session, the meeting adjourned at 6:04pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Absent:
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on May 31 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Public Comment opened with Jim Lynch attempting to use the microphone at the podium only to find that it did not broadcast his voice. Staff attempted to resolve the issue before finally directing Mr. Lynch to the nearby dais where he used a different microphone. Lynch said he read the resolution that the Board would be voting on later and appreciated having the extra time to read it. He said he had been present when large groups of employees have been moved to one base or another and he felt that every time you lose people, you lose a part of the technical base.
Yvonne Richard experienced technical issues as well, although she was attempting to comment virtually through the County's GoToMeeting application [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]. As she was unable to comment aloud, staff read her comments aloud. She was in favor of the proposed budget and was thankful for all of the improvements that are being made in King George as a result of the increased taxes.
Another resident came forward to the podium to speak but Richard Granger spoke and clarified that this was just for general comments and that comments on the budget would be allowed later during the Public Hearing.
John Jenkins, Jeff Bueche, Cathy Binder, and Richard Granger had no reports.
Ruby Brabo only had two brief items to report on. First, she said that she learned a lot using the webcam and hoped to use her experience tonight to help better educate citizens on how the process worked. Second, she noted that King George won an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for the use of a virtual meeting application. Brabo said that King George was again encouraged to compete in this year's award process for their implementation of a Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. She said NACo seemed very interested in how well it worked.
It should be noted that Brabo was attending the meeting virtually and had been previously granted permission to do so. She could be easily seen and heard during the meeting, however there was some obvious lag in the connection.
The Public Hearing on the proposed Budget for the coming Fiscal Year 2018-2019 then began. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, gave a brief overview of the proposed budget. He highlighted that the budget is slightly more than a five percent increase over last year's budget. He said that no tax increase was needed but they will not be able to equalize the tax rate. Young said that two new School Resource Officers (SROs), mandated costs, and additional staff were just a few of the changes for the coming year.
Public Comment then opened and Jim Lynch again returned to the microphone at the dais. He said over half of the budget goes to support the schools and, as "an old-timey track athlete," he appreciated the support the Board gave to the schools, including the track upgrades. He then quoted an author referring to education and it's importance in democracy.
Next to speak was another resident, Mrs. Monk. She said she opposed the budget increase. Though she realized we're doing more for schools but felt consideration should be given to homeowners as their salaries are not increasing. She mentioned that the landfill did not pay down the debt as intended and that the Oakland Park Waste Water Treatment Plant had issues and that it would be nice to "lay off" the increases for now if we could.
Mrs. Richard, still experiencing technical issues with speaking aloud, reiterated her earlier comments through County staff again.
Jeff Bueche said he needed to address some of the misinformation that had been reported online and once again stated what has been clear from the beginning; the current and proposed tax rate is 70 cents per $100 of assessed value. Bueche said it was not seven percent, as that would equate to seven dollars. He also said it wasn't a tax increase, it was simply maintaining what was approved last year. Although he did understand that it will mean more money coming out of a household budget.
Brabo, Cathy Binder, and Granger all had no further comments.
Next on the Agenda was an Action Item regarding the Resolution that was proposed at the last meeting regarding move of the Chemical Biological Radiological Defense (CBRD) Division to Indian Head, Maryland. What then proceeded was one of the more interesting facets of the intricacies of Board policies and procedures. Richard Granger began by reading a prepared statement citing that although he felt he could participate in the discussions fairly, he wanted to abstain. He said due to any real or perceived conflict of interest, he would not comment or vote on the issue and in addition, would leave the dais and the Board Room entirely. He said he was doing this because he was an employee of the Naval Surface Warfare Center - Dahlgren Division (NSWC-DD) and asked the Board's Secretary to record his absence.
Jeff Bueche and Cathy Binder then read the same prepared statement except Bueche gave his reason as being an active duty member of the Coast Guard and Binder gave her reason as her husband's employment with NSWC-DD.
Binder, Bueche, and Granger then left the room at 6:01pm.
Dr. Young said that the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had previously advised him that Ruby Brabo would be able to take the lead from here. Brabo said the Resolution had been amended since it was last released and then read the amended paragraph. She made a motion to approve it, John Jenkins, the sole remaining Supervisor physically present in the room, seconded the motion. Brabo made the only comment, stating that the vote was allowed in this manner per state code. The Resolution was then approved.
At 6:03pm, Binder, Bueche, and Granger returned to the Board Room. There being no report from the County Administrator and no Closed Session, the meeting adjourned at 6:04pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Absent:
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on May 31 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
Somewhat mystified by the abstentions. It's not inconceivable that we could have a future board in which all five members would have to recuse themselves under these precedents. Something to think about.
ReplyDeleteThe quote was from "The Common Good" by Robert Reich.
ReplyDelete