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HomeMy WebLinkAbout990504 May 4, 1999 Hagerstown, Maryland The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 8:30 a.m. by President Gregory I. Snook with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz, and Commissioners Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by Commissioner Snook, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - APRIL 27, 1999 Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to approve the minutes of April 27, 1999, as submitted. Unanimously approved. JOINT SIGNING - AMENDMENTS TO CONSOLIDATED GENERAL SERVICES AGREEMENT Robert Bruchey, Mayor of the City of Hagerstown, was present to execute Amendments #2 and #3 to the Consolidated General Service Agreement between the City and the County to allow the transfer of flow in the Sharpsburg Pike service area to the County, contingent upon securing funding to construct the needed infrastructure. Commissioner Snook recognized Councilman William Breichner and Commissioner John Schnebly for their efforts in bringing this joint project to fruition. PROCLAMATION - ARSON AWARENESS WEEK Commissioner Snook presented a proclamation to John Hersh, President of the International Association of Arson Investigators, designating the week of May 3-8, 1999 as Arson Awareness Week in Washington County. He encouraged all citizens to show their appreciation for the efforts and sacrifices made by the public servants who protect our families and property from loss. Mr. Hersh thanked the Commissioners for the proclamation and for the support provided to the fire service by the County. PROCLAMATION - B.P.O.E. NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK Commissioner Swartz presented a proclamation to C. Walter Miller and Joseph Shaw, representatives of the Elks Club, designating the week of May 4-8, 1999, as B.P.O.E. National Youth Week in Washington County to honor  Americas Junior Citizens for their accomplishments and to recognize their services to community, state, and nation. Mr. Miller noted that the Elks honor 16 area high school teenagers selected by their schools with  Teenager of the Year certificates from the Commissioners. He thanked the Commissioners for their participation in this endeavor. PROCLAMATION - GOODWILL INDUSTRIES WEEK Gregory R. Evans, Manager of Marketing & Communications at Goodwill Industries accepted a proclamation from Commissioner Schnebly which designates the week of May 2-8, 1999, as Goodwill Industries Week in Washington County. Commissioner Schnebly commended Goodwill for its service to disabled and disadvantaged citizens by helping them to become independent, employed, and productive members of the community. Mr. Evans thanked the Commissioners for the proclamation and for recognizing the work done by Goodwill Industries.  COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Iseminger reported on the Planning Commission meeting. He stated that the Extension Service is holding a camp for kindergarten students this week at the Agricultural Education Center to teach children about agriculture. Commissioner Schnebly reported on the meeting of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries. Commissioner Swartz stated that he attended the Health Summit. He also commented on the budget hearing held last Tuesday. Commissioner Snook reminded the Commissioners that the appreciation banquet for members of boards and commissions will be held on May 5th. He stated  that he attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting and asked for the Chambers assistance on the University of Maryland project. Commissioner Snook reported on the ribbon-cutting at the opening of the new AC&T convenience store on Sharpsburg Pike. He stated that there will be a joint meeting held on May 11 in Clear Spring to discuss submitting an application to the Snyder Foundation for funding to construct a library in the Town. MAY 4, 1999 PAGE TWO FISCAL YEAR 2000 BUDGET DELIBERATIONS Debra Bastian, Director of Finance, met with the Commissioners to discuss the Fiscal Year 2000 budget and the testimony given at the public hearing on April 27, 1999. Commissioner Iseminger asked that the $32,000 cut from the  Transportation Departments budget be restored. He also expressed a desire to provide additional funding for the school health nurse program and for the Board of Education. Commissioner Iseminger made a suggestion on ways to fund these items. Commissioner Wivell indicated that there are some non- monetary steps which can be taken to assist the Board of Education. He read passages from a study done by the Maryland Legislative Exchange Council which found that there is no statistical correlation between per-pupil funding and student performance and suggested certain non-monetary items that need to be addressed. Commissioner Wivell suggested that the Commissioners fund the Board of Education on a per-category basis, and he submitted a recommendation for proposed adjustments. Commissioner Swartz stated that he would like to include additional funding for the Washington County Free Library, the Commission on Aging, and the Board of Education if it can be accomplished without raising taxes. Commissioner Schnebly agreed to the recommendation to provide additional funding for the Library. He stated that the additional eight percent the County is providing to the Board of Education is adequate for this year. He indicated that there are several curriculum issues which he would like to address with the Board. Commissioner Schnebly said that the Commissioners will have more time to  discuss these issues with the Board of Education before next years budget deliberations. Commissioner Snook stated that the County cannot continue to make up the money the State is not providing. He suggested that the line item for revenues for recordation taxes be increased to pay for the increased funding for Transportation, the Library, the Commission on Aging, and contract bus drivers. He recommended that the Y2K and interactive television projects submitted by the Board of Education which are one-time costs be funded through the FY 1999 budget surplus. The Commissioners interrupted their budget discussion at this time in order to hold the public hearing scheduled at 10:00 a.m. PUBLIC HEARING - PROPOSED RATE INCREASE - PRETREATMENT FACILITY CHARGES The Commissioners held a public hearing at 10:00 a.m. to consider the modification of pretreatment facility charges as recommended by the Water and Sewer Department. Greg Murray, Director of the Water & Sewer Department, reviewed the proposed rate increases which would, if adopted, become effective July 1, 1999. He stated that the proposed rates will generate an additional $25,000 in revenue. At this time, the hearing was opened for public comment. There was no one at the meeting who wished to comment. Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Swartz, to adopt the resolution to modify the pretreatment facility charges as recommended by the Water & Sewer Department. Unanimously approved. (A copy of the adopted resolution incorporating the rate structure is attached.)  CITIZENS PARTICIPATION Paul Muldowney expressed his concerns about the award of the enterprise financial management system to PeopleSoft and asked the Commissioners to reconsider the award. He also asked to see the plan for marketing the pretreatment facility. John Hamburg read his letter to the Commissioners regarding his observations on the budget hearing held last week. He stated that he the opinions expressed at the hearing do not represent the views of a fair cross-section of County residents. He also made suggestions on ways to improve the hearing process.  Roger Worthington voiced his concerns regarding the Planning Commissions recommendation to approve the rezoning request of H.B. Mellott Estate to expand its quarry operation. He stated that there is a risk to the stream and fish hatchery in the Beaver Creek area. Mrs. Wilk asked the Commissioners not to increase property taxes. CONTINUATION - BUDGET DELIBERATIONS The Commissioners continued their discussions on the proposed FY 2000 budget at this time. After discussion, the Commissioners agreed to send a letter to the Board of Education requesting that they maintain the budgeted amount for contract bus drivers. Ms. Bastian provided a summary of changes made earlier in the session to increase funding for the following agencies through an increased projection of recordation taxes: Transportation MAY 4, 1999 PAGE THREE Department - $32,000; Washington County Free Library - $30,000; and Commission on Aging - $29,000, for a total of $91,000. She also transferred  the Board of Educations interactive television and Y2K projects to one-time costs in the total amount of $520,000 to be funded from the FY 1999 surplus. Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to reconsider the reclassification of the position of Deputy Director for Human Resources. The Commissioners discussed this issue and suggested that Commissioner Swartz meet with the Human Resources Director to obtain further information. At this time, Commissioner Swartz withdrew the motion from the table and Commissioner Wivell agreed to this action.  Commissioner Wivell reiterated the need to develop a growth fund for the Water & Sewer Department. He recommended using part of surplus to establish this fund. The Commissioners agreed to review this issue in more detail during a workshop session in the near future. Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Iseminger, to approve the Fiscal Year 2000 budget, as amended, in the following amounts: General Fund budget -$114,231,148; Highway Fund - $6,172,100; Solid Waste Fund - $3,566,400; Transportation - $1,386,751; Airport - $930,820; Golf Course - $1,216,680; Water & Sewer General Services - $2,964,663; Water Fund - $1,093,080; Sewer Fund - $8,162,660; Pretreatment Fund - $850,000; and Capital Improvements Program - $26,760,927, for a total budget of $167,335,229; to retain the current property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2000 of $2.31 per $100 of assessed valuation; and to continue the 2.2% service charge associated with semiannual property tax payments. The Commissioners agreed to send a letter to the members of the Board of Education requesting that they maintain the budgeted amount for contract bus drivers. Unanimously approved. DISCUSSION OF BID AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE FINANCIAL SYSTEM Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Swartz, to rescind the award of the contract for the enterprise financial mangement system license and implementation services to PeopleSoft USA and Carrera Consulting Group, Inc.  respectively, pending todays discussion of this issue. The motion did not  carry with Commissioners Wivell and Swartz voting AYE and Commissioners  Iseminger, Schnebly and Snook voting NO. Debra Bastian, Director of Finance; Kim Edlund; Assistant Director of Finance; Karen Luther, Purchasing Agent; Alan Davis, Director of Human Resources; and Ronald Whitt, Director of Computer Information Services (CIS), met with the Commissioners to discuss the bid award to PeopleSoft and Carrera Consulting Group for the licensing and implementation of an enterprise financial management system. Michael Madden, a consultant with the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), particpated by speaker phone. Also in attendance were representatives of PeopleSoft/Carrera and SAP/IMG, the finalists for the contract. Ms. Luther apologized for the presentation made to the Commissioners by the staff and for not supplying the Commissioners with enough information on the other proposals. She noted that this system is not an upgrade but a totally new system. Ms. Luther then explained the differences between the request for proposal (RFP) process and the bid process. Ron Whitt provided information regarding the suggestion to piggyback with the Board of Education (BOE). Mr. Whitt reviewed the system used by the BOE and concluded that there are certain functions that the County requires  which the BOEs system could not perform. He then reviewed each of the  functional requirements and stated that the Boards system would only meet 51% of the specifications in the RFP. Mr. Whitt reviewed a comparison of SAP and PeopleSoft in the licensing category. He explained the discrepancy in the licensing costs submitted by each firm. Mr. Whitt stated that the price submitted by SAP did not include maintenance costs for the first year. When these are included as they were in the PeopleSoft proposal, the SAP figure is $712,000 compared to  PeopleSofts figure of $697,400. Mr. Madden emphasized the need to have  confidence in the implementers experience. He stated that both firms were roughly equal in the software offered but that Carrera Consulting has more experience and has implemented in the public sector before. He stated that Carrera has implemented the software for 51 public sector sites and IMG is currently in the process of completing its first one. Mr. Madden expressed concerns that IMG, the implementer partnering with SAP, would not be able to MAY 4, 1999 PAGE FOUR implement and train personnel in the small window of time within which the County must activate the system. Ms. Luther stated that they received a letter from IMG which stated their concerns about being able to meet the  Countys implementation date of December 31, 1999. Mr. Whitt also compared the maintenance fees proposed. Ms. Luther provided a summary on implementation and staffing. She indicated that PeopleSoft is proposing 4,549 more hours of training than SAP. Ms. Luther stated that the County will only pay for the hours of training actually used. Kim Edlund submitted a revised spreadsheet for training and implementation and answered questions on the time scheduled for training. Mr. Madden stated that the two companies have different approaches to training. He indicated that the major factor in choosing PeopleSoft and Carrera was the confidence in their ability to implement the software in the specified time allotted. The Commissioners thanked the staff for the presentation and agreed that they should have gone through this exercise before awarding the contract. After discussion, it was the consensus of the Commissioners to reaffirm their previous decision to award the contract for the enterprise financial management system to PeopleSoft USA, Inc. and Carrera Consulting Group. RECESS - LUNCH The Commissioners recessed at 12:20 p.m. for lunch. AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session was called to order at 1:12 p.m. by President Gregory I. Snook, with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz, and Commissioners Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT - CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Iseminger, to renew the contract with Professional Consulting Services, Inc. for construction inspection services for a one-year period with the requested increase of 10% for hourly rates. Unanimously approved. BID AWARD - RELOCATION OF COLE ROAD AND EXTENSION OF MASSEY BOULEVARD Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, to award the contract for the relocation of Cole Road and the extension of Massey Boulevard to C. William Hetzer, Inc. which submitted the low responsive, responsible bid of $2,272,370. Motion carried with Commissioners Iseminger,  Swartz, Wivell, and Snook voting AYE and Commissioner Schnebly  ABSTAINING. RECESS - TOUR OF WAREHAM BUILDING The Commissioners recessed at 1:28 p.m. in order to tour the Wareham Building located at 138-140 West Washington Street. The Commissioners are considering the purchase of the building to provide additional office space. A public hearing has been scheduled for June 8, 1999. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to convene in closed session at 2:17 p.m. to discuss personnel issues, to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice, and to consider proposals for businesses or industrial organizations to locate, expand, or remain in the State, in accordance with Section 10-508 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Unanimously approved. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to reconvene in open session at 3:47 p.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners discussed one (1) personnel issue, consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice on one(1) matter, and discussed three(3) matters involving regarding proposals for businesses or industrial organizations to locate, expand, or remain in the State. Present during closed session were Commissioners Gregory I. Snook, Paul L. Swartz, Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. Also present at times were Rodney Shoop, County Administrator; Richard Douglas, County Attorney; Joni Bittner, County Clerk; Paul Prodonovich, Director of Permits & Inspections; James LaFleur, Executive Director of the PenMar Development Corporation (PMDC); William Reuter, Chairman of the PMDC Board MAY 4, 1999 PAGE FIVE of Directors; and Terry Randall, PMDC Strategic Planning Committee. UPDATE ON PENMAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION James LaFleur, Executive Director of PenMar Development Corporation (PMDC), and William Reuter, Chairman of PMDC, met with the Commissioners to provide an update on the redevelopment activities at PenMar. Mr. Reuter informed the Commissioners that there is a community briefing scheduled tonight at Lakeside Corporate Center. Mr. LaFleur stated that the Army has not yet transferred ownership of the base property to PMDC. He indicated that PMDC now leases the property from the Army. Mr. LaFleur also provided information on the development of a museum to display historical information on Fort Ritchie. He informed the Commissioners that they are at 100% occupancy for leasing of the residential units. Commissioner Snook thanked the PMDC for the update and for their involvement with the project. APPOINTMENTS - PENMAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, to appoint Regis  Binder and John A. Jack Latimer III to the PenMar Development Corporation (PMDC) Board of Directors for three-year terms ending on June 30, 2001, to fill the unexpired terms of Terry Randall and Nancy Campbell, respectively. Motion carried with Commissioners Iseminger, Swartz, Schnebly and Snook  voting AYE and Commissioner Wivell ABSTAINING. LOCAL MANAGEMENT BOARD CONTRACT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the Board of Education and the Local Management Board (LMB) for the following contracts and to authorize the County Administrator to execute the contracts on behalf of the Board: Youth Suicide Prevention - $4,479; Disruptive Youth - $20,000; School Community Centers - $17,253; Child Teen Pregnancy - $3,460; and Child Abuse Prevention - $2,404. Unanimously approved. TIME EXTENSION - GODS AND GENERALS Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to approve an extension of the line of credit at Farmers & Merchants Bank for the movie Gods and Generals until May 31, 1999. Unanimously approved. LIMOUSINE SERVICE - AIRPORT Richard Douglas, County Attorney, informed the Commissioners that a limousine service has requested permission to operate as provider for the Hagerstown Regional Airport. Due to the temporary shortage of professional  staff in trhe County Attorneys office, the Airport Management asked the Board to allow her to consult with attorney William Wantz. The Commissioners authorized her to seek legal services in this manner, so long  as any fees billed for this matter are paid from the Airport budget. AUTHORIZATION TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE  The Commissioners granted the County Attorneys request to allow staff to contact William Wantz for legal advice on questions which may arise during his absence next week, contingent upon the approval of the County Administrator. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Iseminger, to adjourn at 4:09 p.m. Unanimously approved County Administrator County Attorney , Clerk