Blanco County Judge Guthrie opened the Budget Workshop Meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013. The workshop was held in the Commissioners Courtroom of the Blanco County Courthouse in Johnson City, Texas. Blanco County Judge Bill Guthrie said that the following items would be discussed: hearing budget requests/appeals from any elected officials, department heads, judicial departments, and other organizations and/or agencies that receive funds from Blanco County.
The first item for discussion was funding for the Community Action Senior Citizens Program. Judge Guthrie told the Court that at the request of this group there is no continuing need for funding for this program. The scope includes a few special holiday programs.
Helen Snell of the Combined Community Action Senior Citizens Meals made a presentation to the Commissioners Court regarding meals for seniors. Snell said, “Meals are served three days a week to approximately 60 people and we cannot deny anyone. There have been some cuts to our program and so we are requesting more funds from the County for next year.”
Alan Dean, president of the Board of Trustees of the Johnson City Library addressed the Commissioners on behalf of the Johnson City Library. Dean said the library is requesting funding at the same level as last year. According to Dean, “Our library makes a difference, transforms lives, brings joy to children, provides a meeting place, computer facilities, a location for focus groups, and offers a vision for the community. Participation is up by 11% this year.” The librarian also thanked the Commissioners Court for its support, saying, “We want to do even better next year with your financial support and promotion.”
The Court also heard a presentation from the Blanco Library. Nancy Kline thanked the Commissioners, saying their support makes a difference. She introduced head librarian Crystal Spybuck. According to Kline, Spybuck has been at the library for four years and brought significant improvements to the program. Crystal Spybuck said, “[In the last year] we have increased our patrons by over 400, increased our Internet access, and our interface with Blanco County. We also held a fundraiser in Blanco County, our Wild Women Weekend. The money from this fundraiser was used for additional improvements for our library. With your support we plan to make more improvements to our library, and we thank you for your funding and your support.”
Judge Guthrie reported that the Texas Wildlife Management Foundation was asking for no increases in funding over the previous year. According to Judge Guthrie, “There were just praises.” Likewise, Judge Guthrie reported that the Historical Commission was requesting no increases, but, “That this group is becoming more active and making new changes.”
C.A. Cowsert of the Pedernales Soil & Water Conservation District addressed the Court. Cowsert said his group was not requesting an increase in funding over last year. According to Cowsert, the group works in combination with the US Department of Agriculture. The group believes the biggest concern is water resources. This group gathers information, conducts brush management, cross fencing, and water development planning. Pedernales Soil & Water Conservation develops conservation plans to establish contracts with LCRA. Cowsert ended his presentation with, “We thank you for your service.”
The Capital Area Rural Transfer (CARTS) believes there is an increased need for funds for the upcoming year and a new driver is needed. Judge Guthrie reported that the Blanco Countywide Trash-off is not requesting an increase in funding.
Sue Thornton, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), thanked the Commissioners Court for its support. According to Thornton, “This group recruits and trains advocates for children who are removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect…we don’t want these children to fall through the cracks, we advocate with them until they are adopted and hopefully able to lead happy, productive lives.” This year CASA is asking for additional money from last year. According to Thornton, “Advocates require significant training and our advocates save the county money. Our advocates donate a great deal of volunteer time to the children they serve and are able to give personal and pointed time because they only have one or two children in their care. The caseload is expected to increase for FY 2014.”
Judge Guthrie commented, “We fully support the work you do. However, we are 13% of the population of the district but we are paying at least 50% of the donations for the organization. Burnet [County] is much larger than we are…if you can get more money from Burnet County then come back to see us. I do not believe we should carry Burnet, Llano, and San Saba on our backs.” Thornton agreed, “We must work together to improve services, and thanks for your support.”
Bonnie Russell thanked the Court for its support on behalf of the Blanco County Child Protective Family Advocacy Board. Rhonda Hostetler spoke to the Court as Executive Director for the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center. Hostetler said this group is asking for the same amount of funding as last year and that the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center “…is the first line of defense for children. The group conducts interviews, therapy for families, and works with CPS and law enforcement.” Hostetler said the group has served children for 20 years, and Judge Guthrie thanked her on behalf of the children who are served.
Brad Taylor of K-Star told the Court his group is asking for the same amount of funds as last year. The Texas Star Program has been operating for 11 years. K-Star implements preventative programs with area schools, including principals, staff, parents, and students. The goal is to save young people from entering juvenile probation. According to Taylor, “The program addresses extreme situations young people face. These situations may include reconciling with death, child abuse, as well as setting good goals. Texas Star operates a shelter in Kerrville at no charge to patrons. The shelter is a temporary one.
Connie Steele, Program Director of Island Lake Crisis gave a presentation to the Court. Island Lake Crisis asked for the same amount of funding as last year. Steele thanked the Commissioners for their support, and said that the 21 employees of the center (11 of which are full-time) are “busy.” According to Steele, the Center conducts several programs. These include: counsel and case management, maintaining an emergency shelter, and manning phones. Steele said 35 days is the average stay at the emergency shelter and a large number of children are served by the center.
Susan Hamm was introduced as a volunteer for the local Food Pantry. The Food Pantry serves northern Blanco County. Hamm said local donors give about $600 per month to buy food from the Austin food bank. The Good Samaritans Center in southern Blanco County also provides food for elderly in conjunction with Meals on Wheels, “But this is only three days a week.” Hamm asked for additional money to add to the program. The same amount of money would also be matched for the Good Samaritans because the efforts of the two groups are reciprocal.
Hamm said that the people of Blanco County give very generously. However, she is concerned because the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is in danger of termination or losing substantial funding. Even the current program sees shortages for children during the summer months when school services are curtailed. George Barnette provided additional clarification for the Court. According to Barnette, “The Ag Bill could see shortages of up to $90,000 for our county if the SNAP program is not fixed.”
Judge Guthrie reminded the Court that Blanco County already allocates $150,000 to indigents and utility cost assistance. He illustrated his point by saying, “Remember, when you start a program it grows, and it is hard to stop.” A discussion by the Commissioners followed, and Commissioner Chris Liesmann suggested appropriating money to the Local Food Pantry and the Good Samaritans in equal amounts.
D’Anne Welch spoke to the Court regarding the availability of a list of groups who are recipients of County funds. She asked if it would be possible to obtain such a list, because she believes that she and other property owners are subsidizing the agricultural and wildlife exemptions of others, and that, “This is not capitalism.”
County Departments also made requests during the Budget Workshop, and all amounts are proposals only at this time. The Operations Budget remains the same as last year, as does the budget for the County Clerk’s Office. The budget for Elections Administration was reduced from FY 2013. The reason given is 2014 is not a Presidential election year. The Operating Budget for the District Clerk’s Office is up slightly because a new scanner is needed. The Tax Assessor Collector Operating Budget is set at the same amount as FY 2013.
Jennifer Holland, administrative assistant for the Sheriff’s Department spoke to the Commissioners Court. Holland is currently assuming the duties of both administrative assistant and dispatcher because of personnel shortages. Holland asked how this would be addressed. Blanco County Auditor Cindy Lent suggested that the job description may need to be changed. Holland said, “I will not let either position down.”
In other personnel/budgetary matters Holland told the Court she has several dispatchers who will be eligible for vacation pay by January 1st. The proposed budget amounts do not appear to be enough to cover employee pay for holidays, sick pay, comp time, and emergencies. Holland emphasized that the dispatchers have a lot to deal with, and, “Morale is important. We cannot jeopardize ourselves, or put ourselves in a liability lawsuit because we are not staffed properly…we’ve been lucky so far.” As the budget officer for Blanco County, Judge Guthrie advised Holland, “Please keep me informed so that we can work together to solve these problems.”
Dispatcher Jennifer Shumake also addressed the Commissioners regarding personnel/budgetary matters. Shumake said her office needs a full-time and a part-time position for next year for the staff to be “warranty effective.” Someone asked about hiring two part-time employees instead of a full-timer and a part-time employee. Judge Guthrie reminded everyone that because of the expense of training employees it would be more costly to train two-part time employees.
As the budget workshop ended Judge Guthrie reminded all department heads, “I need to know all planned expenses so that we can work together.” The 10:00 a.m. workshop meeting ended at approximately 12:40 p.m. The Commissioners recessed with additional planning to resume at 1:30 p.m.
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