Sullivan County tax bite jumps 2.85 percent

By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
FY 2019 budget up $625,555;

public stays clear of hearing

CLAREMONT — The proposed fiscal year 2019 Sullivan County budget calls for expenditures of $32,644,844, up $625,555 or 1.95 percent over the 2018 budget.

The amount of the increase to be raised by property taxes for the City of Claremont and the 14 other county towns is $383,676 or 2.85 percent.

The total amount to be raised by local taxes in FY19 is $13,857,929 compared to $13,474,253 in FY18.

Those were the numbers shared by Sullivan County Commission chairman Jeff Barrette at a public hearing on the budget at Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center in Claremont Tuesday night.

The John Goodrich Business and Community Room wasn’t exactly overloaded with spectators. In addition to eight of Sullivan County’s 13 State Representatives, County Manager Derek Ferland, three County Commissioners and several department heads, only three members of the public were present.

When he concluded his budget presentation, Barrette responded to two questions from Rep. Lee Oxenham of Plainfield and Rep. Sue Gottling of Sunapee. The meeting lasted only 55 minutes.

The Executive Finance Committee, chaired by Gottling, will now meet at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 19 and Thursday, June 21 to review the budget before the entire delegation meets in Newport to act on it June 26.

Other Finance Committee members are Rep. Jim Grenier, Lempster; Rep. Virginia Irwin, Newport; Rep. Tom Laware, Charlestown, and Rep. Raymond Gagnon, Claremont.

At the conclusion of his presentation, Barrette said that over the past 10 years, county property taxes have increased a total of 6.98 percent. During the same period, inflation increased 12.1 percent.

Since 2010 Sullivan County has carried a fund balance that ranged from a low of $2,677,016 in 2010 to a high of $6,888,761 in 2014. The fund balance in fiscal year 2017 was $5,857,094.

Barrett said an adequate fund balance helps stabilize the tax rate over time; fund one-time capital expenditures; hedge against volatility in Sullivan County Health Care revenue, and reduces need to borrow in anticipation of tax revenue (tax anticipation notes).

A healthy fund balance signals reduced risk to potential lenders, resulting in lower interest rates on long-term borrowing.

Barrette said for budget purposes Sullivan County Health Care residents occupied 133 of 156 beds. FY2019 revenue is based on projected resident mix of 10 Medicare A (up from 9 in FY19); 19 private pay (up from 18 (in FY 18), and 107 Medicaid (down from 109 in FY18). There were 136 total beds budgeted (FY2018 average is 134 as of May).

In the Department of Corrections there are 168 beds and the average daily population is 80. The County Corrections Center average beds occupied is 30 (TRILS, Flex, Work Release) with 50 in the jail.

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department is budgeted at 10,000 miles per month (patrol, inmate transport, civil service).

Sullivan County by the numbers includes County Attorney, Felonies First implemented on Oct., 1, 2017; Registry of Deeds, 6,600 document transactions; Facilities and Operations, 240,000 square feet of facilities; Natural Resources, 2,170 acres of public land; Human Resources, 311 total full-time equivalent employees; 210 full time, 59 per diem, 42 part-time; two labor unions and $7.34 million total payroll, $11.77 million with healthcare/retirement.

Goal 1 budget highlights call for investment in our people, includes education and training, $94,311, $22,000 for nursing (continuing education, tuition assistance) and $15,000 for county-wide tuition assistance program; wellness program, $29,760, wellness team governs program incentives and implementation and recognition program, $20,125 including holiday gift cards, services awards/banquet, retirements, flowers (bereavement) and picnic and smoothie days.

The big budget item is $1,000,000 for the Stearns/Sanders Renovation start-up.

Goal No. 2, Strategic use of resources includes eliminating structural deficit and reliance on Fund Balance; $1.3 million tax subsidy by managing expenses 4 percent under budget, $600,000 for capital investments.

And, Department of Corrections personnel costs budgeted at 95 percent of requirement to cover “lapsed rate” from turnover will save approximately $150,000 to $200,000; new revenue streams, $50 from Thermal REC credits from biomass (grow to $80,000-plus in FY20 and $25,000 for TRAILS partnership with other counties, and $35,000 for facility condition/infrastructure assessments and certified four-staff members in lean “Green Belt” training to facilitate continuous process improvements to save money.

Capital projects in the budget include DOC cell lock replacement, $90,000; DOC design OBS/Med Unit renovation, $30,000; DOC steam pipe retrofit for dryers, $30,000; Sheriff’s office expansion/renovation, $70,000; Woodhull carpet replacement, $30,000; Woodhull heat pump replacement, $30,000; Unity campus asbestos survey, $35,000; Unity campus steam trap survey, $25,000 and Stearns elevator controls replacement, $39,000, a total of $379,000.

County grants budgeted for 2019 include Turning Points Network, $65,000; Southwestern Community Services, $50,000; TLC Family Resource Center, $35,000; Claremont Soup Kitchen, $25,000; Fall Mountain Food Shelf, $10,000; Lake Sunapee Area Mediation, $10,000; West Central Behavioral Health, $10,000.