Legitimate County “Needs” vs. “Wants” for 2020
At September’s Budget Committee meeting, Chair JP John Pickett (D, Dist. 11) listed what he called fiscal needs for Faulkner County in 2020. However, acknowledging our county’s tight finances, some items seem to be more of a wish list rather than legitimate needs (as we reported after that meeting).
Meanwhile, some newer JPs show a willingness to hold the line on new taxes, and are asking detailed questions about the County’s current fiscal practices.
We applaud those efforts going into the 2020 budget cycle, and have analyzed the list of needs with goals of budget efficiency and transparency in mind.
Analysis
Pickett referred to a handout he prepared showing six financial issues, along with capital requirements and continuing O&M (operation and maintenance) costs:
♦ 911 service fees,
♦ animal control,
♦ a Library expansion,
♦ replacing the Courthouse,
♦ a cost of living raise for county employees, and
♦ the Jail.
Our analysis reveals problems with the County needs info as presented. Certainly many factual questions need answers before a prudent Quorum Court could take an informed vote on some of these budget items.
We documented each item below in italics; our questions/analysis follows.
911 Fees
The County experiences increasing expenses associated with providing 911 services.
See the attached spreadsheet – 911 CHARGES FOR COUNTY, CITY, AND UCA.
Mandatory upgrade in two – three years
Capital Requirements: $400,000
Continuing O&M: $32,146
The handout fails to inform that the City of Conway pays 53% while Faulkner County pays 47% of the fees.
This omission (with no other information available at this time) indicates that capital requirements are either $188,000 (if $400,000 is the complete cost of the upgrade) or $400,000 (if the total cost of the upgrade is $851,064). The difference between the two is $212,000 — a pretty large amount of budget money, and details are murky.
The handout also shows what seems to be an arbitrary cost for continuing operation and maintenance (O&M) of $32,146 because, again, no explanation is provided.
JPs deserve to know much more about 911 costs — which include both regular equipment upgrades and software upgrades as well as ongoing equipment costs — as Faulkner County struggles to pay for this increasingly expensive county service. (More on this issue later.)
Animal Control
A comprehensive County-wide animal control program requires:
Capital Requirements $1,000,000
Continuing O&M: $1,000,000
How can the Quorum Court budget for a comprehensive county-wide animal control program when there is no enabling legislation?
At the September meeting, Pickett said animal control facilities in Greenbrier and Vilonia would minimize “windshield time.” We understand the logic, but all discussions to date have centered on a facility located in Conway.
Adding two more facilities is a drastic expansion of current plans (and, to our knowledge, with no input from anyone other than Pickett). Pickett’s “wish” for additional facilities greatly inflates the already high cost of implementing animal control in the County.
We are sure that the Court as a whole supports an animal control program. However, with no ordinance authorizing the program, we do not know what will be authorized (if anything) and so it is impossible to accurately estimate an accurate cost for this project now.
Library Expansion
The existing library on Tyler Street contains 32,000 square feet. The space dedicated for library holdings and patron’s use is at capacity. The current cost of expanding the library is $250 per square foot. A 50% increase in square footage results in:
Capital Requirements: $4,000,000
Continuing O&M: NONE
The handout states that space for library holdings (“books and other documents”) and patron’s use (a patron being a library “supporter, defender, or advocate”) is at capacity.
Here, again, we’ve had no enabling legislation, so discussing a project of this size at this time is at best premature.
Even so, the library spends their dedicated revenue as their Board wishes because it’s a pass-through. Even though the Quorum Court has to “approve,” we’ve been told many times the money is the Library’s and Quorum Court approval is only a formality.
What is the actual cost to Faulkner County for this proposed library expansion? Who decided that our Library has to provide enough public meeting spaces to fulfill all requests?
Where are the plans? Is site preparation included in the $250-per-square-foot estimate on the handout? If not, how much will site prep cost? How was the $250-square-foot estimate calculated?
The handout indicates no additional O&M expense if a Library expansion is completed. In our experience, larger roofs require more maintenance, larger buildings need more HVAC, and it takes more paint and other supplies to maintain a larger facility.
Additionally, if the current level of service is maintained, more computers, furniture, and fixtures will be needed. JPs need this information before any informed decision could be made.
As is the case with all the items in the handout, it is easy to find people who will support these specific projects. A Library expansion would favor Conway residents even though the whole County would pay for it.
Is there enough support to justify the expense? Has anyone determined whether the citizens of Faulkner County support the necessary tax increase this project entails?
We don’t know and the handout doesn’t provide that information.
Courthouse
The Court House requires constant and seemingly increasing maintenance. At some point in the future it will have to be replaced with a multiuse structure
Capital Requirements: $1,000,000
Continuing O&M: N/A
We don’t question the condition the Courthouse is in, given the problems the structure has. The four-story building has one floor occupied and a second floor half-full of offices, with the remainder of the building being used for meeting space.
That seems to be a wasted space that would benefit the County more if it was replaced with a campus meeting/education facility (then, added meeting space at the library would not be needed).
What we question is the need to replace the Courthouse with anything. We understand and greatly appreciate the connection with history the presence of our old Courthouse provides.
However, replacing the Court House means the old, historic building is no longer there. What is the value to say “Our old Courthouse used to be there before we tore it down?”
The idea is, if the County is not willing to preserve the historic site, a bronze sign will suffice.
What is the will of Faulkner County citizens? Does our County wish to incur the expense of renovating/restoring the old Courthouse? Does the County have a need for a “multiuse structure”?
Discussing the replacement of the Courthouse at the Quorum Court level seems quite premature before these questions and concerns are addressed.
Cost of Living Adjustment
The 2019 budget included a 4% across the board salary increase. A periodic cost of living adjustment is necessary for our employees to avoid a loss in the purchasing power resulting from inflation
Capital Requirements: $165,995
Continuing O&M: NONE
Pickett proposed a 4% County salary increase last year during budget negotiations, and the Quorum Court approved it two weeks later when the 2019 budget was approved. At that time, Pickett argued for periodic, small salary increases, just like he says today.
However, as JP Steve Goode (R, Dist. 3) pointed out last year, “… we have some responsibilities…. I’m going to ask that you really look at that … raise…. Wait till March, April, May when we know what the carryover is. We have needs in the County that we are not meeting currently.”
We are a year later and the County’s unmet actual needs are still unmet. The example that comes first to mind is that our County is under a legal mandate to address overcrowding at our Jail; the County must address this by November, 2019 or the State of Arkansas could shut down our facility.
When did Faulkner County discuss and agree on priorities, goals, and strategies for handling our unmet needs?
Pickett’s handout also does not mention that some county employees are paid out of dedicated (or specialized) funds — for example, the Criminal Justice Sales Tax fund. These employees don’t get paid from County General, so departments like the Sheriff’s Department must pay for across-the-board county employee salary increases from their dedicated budgets. It seems likely those departments would need more money to cover ongoing increases.
What is the total cost to the entire Faulkner County budget for a yearly across-the-board salary increase for employees?
Jail
There are two proposals under consideration. One is a permanent expansion of 238 beds at an estimated cost of $23,000,000. The second is an expansion using temporary facilities for 48 beds at an estimated cost of $3,100,000.
See the attached for an expanded analysis of the 48 bed expansion.
Capital Requirements: $3,100,000
Continuing O&M: N/A
No one has seriously discussed the 238-bed expansion, perhaps because the 48-bed expansion can be completed in about a year and we have no published occupancy timeframe for the larger project.
If the two options are similarly equipped, are the safety and control features the same for both? We ask because handout shows the cost per prisoner for the 48-bed facility is $64,583 and the per-prisoner cost for the 238-bed facility is $9,664 — a significant difference.
We understand the State of Arkansas will shut down our Jail if we don’t have a plan to address our overcrowding problem. Wouldn’t a project plan for building either option be “a plan”?
Additionally, even if the 48-bed facility is built, Unit 1 already requires expensive maintenance and upgrades if the County intends to continue to use Unit 1 as a detention facility. What is the expected cost to renovate/upgrade Unit 1? When added to the cost of the 48-bed expansion, what is that total cost?
Has Faulkner County discussed and agreed upon a proposed long-range timeframe and goals for the Jail?
We understand something must be done to prevent a Jail shut-down, and soon. We just don’t understand the long-term effect either option will have on Faulkner County’s budget.
Once again, Faulkner County is undergoing budget negotiations and accurate costing estimates seem hard to reach. Our JPs need factual and accurate information, plus some long-range planning, to assist them in making informed, educated choices as they deal with these far-reaching budget decisions.
