* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING 
          [00:00:01]
AND WELCOME TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, UH, WORK SESSION APRIL 23RD, 2024. 
          AND I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A FEW MINUTES LATE GETTING THIS STARTED. 
          AND FIRST ON 
          [B. Presentation - Virginia Department of Transportation Secondary 6-Year Plan]
THE AGENDA IS VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECONDARY SECURE PLAN. 
          GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          YEAH, GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          OOH, THAT'S LOUD. 
          IS THAT TOO LOUD? UM, YEAH. 
          SO TONIGHT I'M JUST GONNA, UM, AND I THINK EACH OF YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE A COPY. 
          UM, THERE'S ONE SINGLE SHEET AND THEN TWO STAPLED SHEETS. 
          AND I'M JUST GONNA TALK ABOUT WHAT THE SECONDARY SIX YEAR PLAN IS. 
          UM, THE SECONDARY SIX YEAR PLAN, IT ALLOCATES CONSTRUCTION FUNDS TO BE USED FOR CONSTRUCTION OR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ON SECONDARY ROADWAYS WITHIN THE COUNTY FOR THE NEXT SIX FISCAL YEARS. 
          AND OUR SECONDARY ROADWAYS ARE, ARE ROADS THAT HAVE ROUTE NUMBERS THAT ARE 600 OR HIGHER. 
          UM, AND SO, UM, THE FIRST SHEET, THE SINGLE SHEET IS WHAT THE ESTIMATED ALLOCATIONS ARE FOR THE NEXT, UM, SIX FISCAL YEARS, WHICH IS FY 2025 THROUGH FY 2030. 
          UM, AND YOU CAN SEE ON THERE, THERE'S CURRENTLY TWO FUNDING SOURCES THAT, THAT MAKE UP THAT THOSE, UH, THAT FUNDING PROGRAM. 
          UH, THE FIRST ONE IS TELE FEE, WHICH IS TELECOMMUNICATION FEES. 
          AND THESE ARE FEES THAT ARE PAID BY THE, UH, TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES TO OCCUPY VDOT RIGHT OF WAY. 
          AND THERE'S A FORMULA ON HOW THEY, THEY CALCULATE THAT AMOUNT. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER, UH, FUNDING SOURCE IS DISTRICT GRANT UNPAVED ROADS. 
          AND THESE, THIS FUND IS BASED ON A RATIO OF THE UNPAVED ROADS THAT ARE WITHIN THE COUNTY COMPARED TO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNPAID ROADS IN THE COMMONWEALTH. 
          AND THEY USE A FORMULA. 
          AND THIS FUND WAS CREATED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS FOR PAVING SECONDARY UNPAID ROADWAYS. 
          SO THAT FUNDING SOURCE CAN ONLY BE USED TO PAVE UNPAVED ROADS, WHEREAS TFE, YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY. 
          UM, THESE CONSTRUCTION FUNDS ARE, ARE USED BY VDOT TOWARDS PROJECTS THAT ARE CHOSEN BETWEEN VDOT AND THE COUNTY. 
          UM, THE, THE STATE LAW CREATES A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN VDOT AND THE COUNTY TO ESTABLISH THE PROJECT PRIORITY LIST IN THE COUNTY. 
          AND, UM, THE, THESE FUNDS ARE NOT CONSIDERED COUNTY REVENUE, UM, AS THE COUNTY MERELY DIRECTS THE SPENDING AND DOES NOT RECEIVE THE FUNDING, AND THE FUNDS CANNOT BE USED ON NON SECONDARY ROADWAYS. 
          SO YOU COULDN'T USE IT FOR 55 OR THREE 40 OR 66 OR ANY OF THOSE ON THE SECONDARY ROADS. 
          SO THAT, UM, AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE TOTALS EQUATE TO. 
          SO AN FY 25, WHICH WILL BEGIN JULY 1ST, UM, THE COUNTY WILL HAVE AVAILABLE $351,542. 
          AND THEN AS YOU MOVE OUT IN THE YEARS, THOSE, AND IT'S, IT'S LISTED AS ESTIMATED ALLOCATIONS BECAUSE IT CAN CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR, UM, BASED ON THE FORMULA. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE, THE SECOND SHEETS, UM, ARE, ARE THE TWO THAT ARE STAPLED TOGETHER. 
          UM, THIS IS, THESE ARE THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GONNA USE TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON. 
          AND SO THE, UH, THIS PLAN IS, UM, BASED UPON THE ESTIMATED FUNDS AVAILABLE TO THE COUNTY FOR EXPENDITURES. 
          AND, UM, AS PART OF THE REQUIREMENT WE HAVE TO, YOU LIST THE PROJECT AND THE ESTIMATED COST AND YOU LIST IT IN THERE AND THEN BUDGET IT OUT OVER THE YEARS. 
          SO, UM, LET'S SEE, WHAT OTHER NOTES DID I HAVE? UM, YEAH, AND SO IT'S, IT'S REQUIRED BY, BY CODE THAT THE SECONDARY SIX YEAR PLAN IS UPDATED ANNUALLY BEFORE THE START OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH IS JULY 1ST. 
          AND THEN THE FINAL ADOPTION OF THIS REQUIRES A PUBLIC HEARING AND, UM, A BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RESOLUTION. 
          AND I THINK THAT PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR, UM, MAY 21ST TO TALK ABOUT THIS. 
          BUT, UM, IF YOU WANT, WE CAN GO THROUGH WHAT'S BEEN LAID OUT. 
          AND LIKE I SAID, THIS IS ALL BASED ON THE RANKINGS OF THE, THE ROADWAYS THAT THE COUNTY'S TAKEN, UM, A LOOK AT. 
          AND SO THE, THE ONE THAT'S COMING UP THIS SUMMER, THE FIRST ONE LIST IS WILLIAM VINCENT ROAD. 
          UM, AND, UM, OR I'M SORRY I SAID THAT WRONG. 
          THAT ONE WILL NOT BE THIS SUMMER. 
          IT'LL ACTUALLY PROBABLY BE FINISHED NEXT SUMMER. 
          UM, THERE IS SOME EXISTING MONEY ON IT, THAT'S WHAT THE PREVIOUS IS. 
          AND THEN JULY 1ST WE'RE GETTING ADDITIONAL FUNDS. 
          SO ONCE WE, SINCE WE HAVE A LITTLE SEED MONEY THERE, WE CAN BE ABLE TO START THAT PROBABLY THIS FALL INTO WINTER BY LIKE, UM, WHEN THE TIME OF YEAR RESTRICTIONS ARE THERE FOR LIKE 
          [00:05:01]
REMOVING TREES AND TRIMMING TREES, UM, WE CAN GO OUT THERE AND DO THAT. 
          WE CAN GET PIPE ORDERED, INSTALL SOME PIPES SO WE CAN START WORKING TOWARDS IT SO THAT ONCE THE, THE FINAL MONEY'S AVAILABLE ON JULY 1ST, WE CAN WRAP IT UP PRETTY QUICK ON THAT ONE. 
          UM, SO THAT, THAT'S A SCHEDULE ON THAT ONE. 
          THE NEXT ONE'S, UH, RICHARDSON ROAD, AND THAT ONE WOULD BE ESTIMATED TO START THE SUMMER 2026. 
          UM, NOT, AND WHEN I SAY SUMMER, I MEAN CALENDAR YEAR, NOT FISCAL YEAR , SO I KNOW THAT CAN GET CONFUSING. 
          AND THEN MESIC IS THE NEXT ONE THAT WAS RANKED. 
          AND SO WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE FUNDING THESE WITH THE DISTRICT GRANT UN PAVED MONEY, UM, ON PAGE TWO. 
          THEN IT GOES TO POINT ROAD, WHICH IS, UH, SCHEDULED TO BE CONSTRUCTED THIS SUMMER CALENDAR YEAR 2029. 
          AND THEN, UH, WE HAVE JENNINGS LANE. 
          THAT WOULD ALSO BE DONE IN 2029 CALENDAR YEAR. 
          UM, AND THEN THE, THE LAST, SO THESE ARE ESTABLISHED PROJECTS THAT VDO S CREATED, UM, UPC CODES ON. 
          UM, THE LAST COLUMN THERE, OR OR ROW IS COUNTYWIDE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, AND THAT'S WHERE WE PUT THE TFE MONEY. 
          UM, SO RIGHT NOW PREVIOUS MEANS THERE'S, THERE'S $57,000 IN THERE THAT'S CURRENTLY IN THERE THAT IS AVAILABLE TODAY. 
          AND THEN FY 25 YOU GET AN ADDITIONAL 102,000 1 96 AND THAT, AND THOSE ARE THE, AND THEN THAT'S THE SAME AMOUNT AS ESTIMATED, BASICALLY, UM, THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, UM, WE DID, I'LL JUMP BACK UP, BUT ON JENNINGS LANE, YOU COULD SEE WE DID PUT A LITTLE TFE ON THAT JUST TO COMPLETE THAT ONE IN FY 29. 
          NOW THIS TFE MONEY, YOU CAN USE THAT IN A COUPLE WAYS. 
          UH, IF YOU, IF YOU HAD A SPECIFIC PROJECT THAT WASN'T A RURAL RUSTIC THAT'S ON A SECONDARY THAT YOU WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF, THAT MONEY COULD BE UTILIZED FOR THAT. 
          IT CAN ALSO BE UTILIZED IF YOU HAD A RURAL RUSTIC ROAD THAT HAD AN OVERRUN AND, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE OF INFLATION OR WHATEVER, OR SOME UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCE, WE CAN TAP INTO THAT MONEY TO MAKE THAT PROJECT WHOLE AND KEEP IT ON TRACK WHERE YOU ALSO CAN IN THE OUTER YEARS AS THAT STARTS TO BUILD, YOU CAN ADVANCE SOME OF YOUR OTHER PROJECTS FORWARD BY SUPPLEMENTING IN THE PHE. 
          UM, THE LAST BIT ON THAT SHEET TOO IS, UM, THESE ARE THE UNFUNDED ROADS THAT, THAT, UM, COUNTY STAFF HAS RANKED. 
          UM, AND SO WE GOT SPEED LANE MITCHELL ROAD THEATER ROAD, AND THEN STILL THERE'S 4.5 MILES OF PANHANDLE, UM, THAT CAN BE DONE. 
          SO THAT TELEPHONE MONEY COULD EVEN BE USED TO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW PANHANDLE IS ONE OF THE HIGHER RANKED ROADS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF IT, IT HAS TO BE BROKEN DOWN. 
          SO THERE'S LIMITATION, UM, ON HOW MUCH MONEY CAN BE SPENT ON A PROJECT. 
          AND IT CURRENTLY, IT'S 700,000. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT LIKE PANHANDLE TO COMPLETE THE, THE WHOLE FOUR AND A HALF MILES, IT'S $2.1 MILLION. 
          WE'D HAVE TO BREAK THAT OUT IN $700,000 OR LESS BASES TO DO THAT. 
          AND SO TEL FEE MONEY COULD DO THAT. 
          LIKE IF YOU WANNA, WHEN YOU GET OUT TO LIKE F FFY 27 OR FY 28, YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU COULD KNOCK OUT A MILE OR SO OF, OF THAT ROAD THEN IS THAT MONEY BUILT. 
          SO, AND THAT'S, THAT'S HOW WE'VE LAID OUT THE PLAN. 
          LIKE I SAID, WE DID THIS IN COORDINATION WITH THE COUNTY STAFF AND UM, HOPEFULLY THAT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND THE, WHAT, WHAT THE SECONDARY SIX YEAR PLAN IS AND WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR IT. 
          I HAVE A, A QUESTION. 
          I'M SURE THE, I'M NOT REAL SURE HOW THE, IS THE TELE FEE MONEY IN THE FIRST FOUR, I SEE A FEW DOLLARS BEING SPENT IN FY 29, BUT IT'S ACCUMULATING IN 25, 26, 27, 28 IS, IS, AND YOU, DID YOU SAY THAT THAT COULD BE LIKE, PUSHED OVER TO ACCELERATE OTHER PROJECTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IT CAN. 
          SO IS THAT A DISCRETION? THERE'S MORE, THERE'S MORE FLEXIBILITY ON THAT. 
          SO WE PUT IT, WE PUT IT IN THIS, WHAT'S WE PUT IT IN A CATEGORY CALLED COUNTYWIDE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT, IT'S KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE POT OF MONEY THAT CAN GROW AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD USE IT FOR WHATEVER. 
          SO IF SOMETHING COMES UP, YEAH, SO LIKE IF YOU WANTED TO DO SOMEWHERE THAT NEEDED A, A TURN LANE OR SOMETHING ON A SECONDARY, YOU COULD BUILD A TURN LANE OR IF YOU HAD A SITE DISTANCE PROBLEM OR MAYBE, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD GO IN AND CUT UP, CUT DOWN A BANK OKAY. 
          OR, OR DO DO SOMETHING, OR YOU COULD ADVANCE, YOU COULD MAKE ONE OF THE PROJECTS WHOLE MAYBE A YEAR SOONER AND ADVANCE SOME OF THAT COUNTYWIDE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TELL A FEW MONEY TO ADVANCE THE PROJECT. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          AND THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH A WHOLE VDOT PROCESS AND, AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. 
          OKAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          ALRIGHT, THANKS. 
          YEP. 
          WELL, UH, I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT, WHY, UH, YOU KNOW, ON THE, UH, ON THE LAST, UM, THE LAST ONE, THE COUNTYWIDE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, YOU'VE GOT THE, UH, THE 
          [00:10:01]
102,000 196. 
          WHERE DOES THAT FIGURE COME FROM? UM, SO ON THE, ON THE FIRST SHEET, SO THIS, THIS IS THE, UM, THE FUNDING THAT THE COUNTY IS ESTI IS PROPOSED. 
          SO THE FY 25 IS WHAT YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA RECEIVE JULY 1ST. 
          OKAY. 
          THE, THE REST ARE JUST ESTIMATED PROJECTIONS. 
          NOW IT COULD FY 25 COULD CHANGE MAYBE BY A COUPLE DOLLARS BY THE TIME WE GET THE ATTENTION JULY 1ST. 
          BUT YOU CAN SEE IN THAT, SO IN FY 25 WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH IS 102,000 196 OF TFE MONEY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND THEN $249,346 OF DISTRICT GRANT UNPAVED FOR A TOTAL AVAILABLE FUNDS FOR THE SECONDARY SIX YEAR PROGRAM. 
          AND FY 25 OF 351,000, UH, 542. 
          SPEAKING OF THE DISTRICT GRANT, UM, I SAW IN FY 25, IT'S LIKE ROUGHLY 2 49, 2 50 UHHUH. 
          AND THEN AFTER THAT IT DROPS TO 2 21, UH, FOR SEVERAL YEARS. 
          I'M WONDERING WHAT'S THE DROP ABOUT? I, I DON'T KNOW. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHY IT DROPS. 
          LIKE I SAID, BASED ON THE DESCRIPTION, THERE'S A, A FORMULA, BUT THE FORMULA IS LIKE HOW MANY ROADS YOU HAVE PAVED VERSUS, SO I GUESS MAYBE IT'S TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA PAVE SOME OF YOUR ROADS, SO THEREFORE YOU HAVE LESS, THE MORE ROADS YOU PAVE, THE LESS MONEY YOU GET. 
          DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? MM-HMM. 
          , THE MORE ROADS YOU HAVE, THE MORE MONEY YOU GET. 
          SO, UM, CLARK COUNTY GETS VERY LITTLE. 
          NANDO COUNTY AND FREDERICK GET A LOT, YOU GUYS ARE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE JUST BECAUSE WHERE YOU FALL WITH THE AMOUNT OF UNPAVED ROADS YOU HAVE. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL IT ALSO IS BASED ON PROJECTED REVENUES. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          SO IF THE REVENUE POT GROWS, THEN MORE MONEY GOES INTO THE POT TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE FORMULA THAT MATT'S TALKING ABOUT. 
          UH, SO YOU MIGHT SAY IT, IT, IT ARISES AND FALLS WITH THE ECONOMY. 
          YOU'VE GOT A GOOD ECONOMY, A LOT OF PEOPLE TRAVELING, YOU KNOW, YOU GET A LOT OF TAXES, A LOT OF GAS, SO FORTH. 
          THE WAY IT'S CURRENTLY FIGURED, THEN THAT AMOUNT GOES UP. 
          SO NEXT YEAR YOU MAY SEE THAT AMOUNT RISE. 
          CONVERSELY WE GET A BAD ECONOMY AND YOU'LL SEE THAT AMOUNT FALL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S ALL I HAD. 
          IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS OKAY. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. 
          SO IF, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY FOR WILLIAM VINCENT, YOU'RE GONNA START SOMETIME BETWEEN JULY TO FALL DOING SOME PIPE WORK OR TAKING TREES OUT IF THEY NEED TO BE TAKEN OUT? YEAH. 
          WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO ESTABLISH IN THESE IS PUT A, AND I'M CALLING IT SEED MONEY, BUT PUT, YOU GENERALLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH IN ONE FISCAL YEAR TO COMPLETE IT. 
          SO WE TRY TO PUT A GOOD CHUNK IN THERE WHERE WE CAN GET IT OPEN TO CHARGES AND THEN WE CAN START SPENDING THAT MONEY, UM, TO, TO ADVANCE IT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO A LOT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE WORK UP FRONT. 
          WE CAN DO THE TREE TRIMMING, THE ORDERING THE PIPE, MAYBE DOING THE DIG. 
          WE DID JUST DID ONE IN SHENANDOAH COUNTY. 
          THEY FINISHED MONDAY AND IT WAS, UM, WE, IT WAS STARTED IN THE, IN THE FALL, BUT UM, WE WENT IN AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TIME OF YEAR RESTRICTIONS ON TREE REMOVALS FOR CERTAIN SPECIES. 
          SO WE, WE GOTTA DO THAT IN A CERTAIN TIME. 
          SO IT ALLOWS US TO KIND OF DO SOME OF THAT ADVANCED LEG WORK, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO IN THE WINTER. 
          UM, WE CAN DO THE PIPE IN THE WINTER, WE CAN DO, YOU KNOW, LINE SOME DITCHES, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          AND THEN WHEN SPRING COMES, WE CAN DO THE FINAL STONE AND PAVEMENT ONCE THE TEMPERATURES WARM UP. 
          OKAY. 
          SO ON, ON THIS ONE, I, I HAVE TO CLARIFY, I THINK ED AND I WERE TALKING, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN, YOU CAN'T, YOU GOTTA HAVE ALL THE MONEY TO SPEND ALL THE MONEY. 
          SO, BUT WE CAN START IT SO IT, AT LEAST WE CAN ADVANCE IT. 
          UM, THAT, THAT'S THE PLAN, ADVANCE IT NOW SO THAT WE'RE NOT WAITING UNTIL JULY TO GET STARTED. 
          WE'RE ALMOST DONE WHEN JULY HITS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I JUST WANTED, SINCE THAT'S IN MY DISTRICT, I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM THE HEADS UP AND THAT'S A, A CUT THROUGH FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IF TRAFFIC GETS REROUTED A LOT OF TIMES IT'LL GET REROUTED THROUGH THERE OR, UM, PEOPLE GOING THROUGH TO GO TO THE TRANSFER STATION. 
          SO I JUST LIKE TO GIVE 'EM A HEADS UP THAT, YOU KNOW. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THEY'LL SEE IMPROVEMENT ON IT. 
          LIKE I SAID, JUST GOING IN TRIMMING THE TREES, MAYBE DOING, LINING THE DITCHES, PUTTING IN CULVERTS, THEY'LL, THEY'LL START TO SEE SOME IMPROVEMENTS. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T WANNA OVER PROMISE, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN THE WINTER. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, TO WE, THAT'S THE PLAN RIGHT NOW TO START THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND QUESTION, UM, HAVE THE STANDARDS CHANGED AS FAR AS SURFACE TREATMENTS? 'CAUSE I NOTICED OUT ON, UM, THE END OF PANHANDLE ROAD, THAT PORTION WAS ASPHALT VERSUS YEAH, THAT WAS TAR AND CHIP. 
          THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE THAT WE'VE DONE. 
          I, I KNOW WE LEARNED THAT SOME OF THE OTHER RESIDENCIES WERE DOING THAT, SO WE ACTUALLY MADE THE DECISION ON THAT ONE TO HARD SURFACE IT JUST FOR THE, THE TRAFFIC AMOUNT. 
          UM, IT DOES COST ABOUT A EXTRA 110,000 PER MILE TO DO THAT. 
          BUT THAT IS 
          [00:15:01]
AN OPTION. 
          I MEAN, IF YOU THINK, HEY, THIS ROAD WOULD BENEFIT FROM HOT MIX PLANT, YOU KNOW, PLANT MIX ASPHALT VERSUS SURFACE TREATMENT, UM, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK IN THAT, BUT IT DOES COME AT A HIGHER COST. 
          OKAY. 
          I JUST WONDERED 'CAUSE I, I KNEW THAT WASN'T WHAT I WAS USED TO SEEING AS A NORMAL SET. 
          YEAH. 
          THAT'S THE FIRST ONE THAT I, I DON'T, DO YOU KNOW IF WE'VE EVER DONE ONE BEFORE, ED? NO. 
          UN UNDER THE REGULATIONS FOR RURAL RUSTIC. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ASK ASPHALT. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WE DID THAT ONE OUT THERE BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF HEAVY TRUCKS TRAVELING UP AND DOWN JUST TO SEE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE WAS GOING TO BE IN TERMS OF, UH, DURABILITY. 
          OKAY. 
          IF WE'RE GOING TO ASPHALT, WE ALMOST HAVE TO DO A COMPLETE ROAD REBUILD SO THAT WE HAVE A SURFACE UNDERNEATH THERE TO WITHSTAND IT. 
          RURAL RUSTY CONCEPT WAS DESIGNED AND APPROVED BY THE LEGISLATION SOLELY TO PROVIDE PEOPLE ON, ON UH, NON HARD SURFACE ROADS WITH A HARD SURFACE TO DRIVE ON. 
          OKAY. 
          IT'S NEVER INTENDED THAT TO STAND UP UNDER DAILY HEAVY TRUCKS OR MORE THAN 1500 CARS PER DAY. 
          NO, THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING 'CAUSE I THOUGHT THAT NO, NOT USED TO SEEING THAT. 
          AND I WONDERED WHAT THE RATIONALE WAS. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW THE, THE, UM, HOUSE LOAD IS NOT SIGNIFICANT THERE. 
          SO I JUST WAS WONDERING IF THE SPECS HAD CHANGED. 
          THE RATIONALE IS, IS MORE OF A, UH, A TEST FOR US. 
          OKAY. 
          WE HAD, WE HAD THE MONEY TO DO THAT SHORT PIECE. 
          UH, AND, BUT IF WE WERE GOING TO DO A, A LENGTHY ROAD, LIKE I SAID, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO IN AND REDO THE WHOLE BASE OF THE ROAD TO BE SHORT. 
          COULD SUPPORT. 
          YEAH. 
          ONE OTHER THING I THOUGHT ABOUT IS JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, SO CURRENTLY WE KIND OF LOOKED AT WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR AND DOING PROJECTS AND OUR, OUR, OUR COST AND WE'RE ABOUT $375,000 A MILE TO SURFACE TREE. 
          SO, AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THAT SINGLE SHEET OF THE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GETTING LIKE 3 51. 
          SO YOU'RE, YOU, YOU'RE PROBABLY ABOUT THREE QUARTERS, EIGHT TENTHS OF MILES. 
          WHAT TODAY YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU GET EACH YEAR. 
          NO, NO. 
          I KNEW IT WAS MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT I JUST, LIKE I SAID, I DIDN'T KNOW IF THE SPECS HAD CHANGED AND, AND SINCE LAST YEAR IT'S GOTTEN EVEN WORSE. 
          MANY OF OUR MAJOR PROJECTS ARE EXPERIENCING HUGE INCREASES IN THE ASPHALT AND, AND THEY'RE HAVING TO SHUFFLE A LOT OF MONEY RIGHT NOW TO COVER THAT. 
          SO, UH, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT'S GOING TO, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY SHAKE AT THAT'S A STATEWIDE ISSUE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          WELL THANK YOU. 
          I JUST WAS CURIOUS AS TO THAT, SO I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          ANY OTHER, YES. 
          ONE OTHER THING I COULD SAY TOO. 
          I KNOW LIKE LAST YEAR WHEN WE DID THE PLAN, WE DECIDED TO DO BOTH KENDRICK FORD AND PANHANDLE. 
          SO I THINK THAT MOVED ONE UP WHERE YOU DIDN'T, THAT CREATED KIND OF A GAP FOR THIS SUMMER NOT HAVING A PROJECT. 
          BUT UM, LIKE I SAY, IF YOU CAN ALWAYS, YOU CAN ALWAYS ADVANCE SOME, BUT THEN IT MAY, MAY LEAVE YOU A GAP MAYBE THE NEXT YEAR. 
          POTENTIALLY. 
          THE, UH, ONE OTHER THING I WOULD POINT OUT THAT, THAT IN BREAKING THE PROJECTS DOWN WHERE WE CAN GET PART OF THE MONEY TO GET STARTED IN THE FALL, WE'RE RESTRICTED FROM CUTTING ANY TREES BETWEEN NOVEMBER THE FIRST AND APRIL. 
          OKAY. 
          BECAUSE OF THE BAT RESTRICTIONS. 
          SO ANYTHING OVER ANYTHING BIGGER THAN FOUR INCHES. 
          YEAH. 
          ANYTHING BIGGER THAN FOUR INCHES WE CAN'T CUT DOWN. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THIS FALLS IN, BY DOING IT THIS WAY, IT FALLS IN LINE AS MATT SAID, WE CAN DO THINGS THAT AREN'T TERRIBLY CRITICAL TO OUR ROAD BY PLACING PIPES AND WORKING, UH, DRAINAGE AREAS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          AND THEN WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO TAKE DOWN THE TREES WE NEED TO TAKE TO, TO GET THE CLEARANCE THAT WE NEED. 
          I KNOW, UM, WE, AND VINCENT COMING, UM, NORTH TO SOUTH ON THAT, THE NORTH END, THAT THING IS, IT'S IN GOOD SHAPE AS FAR AS WIDTH. 
          AND YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THERE'S GONNA BE MUCH TREES OF ANY TO BE DEALT WITH THERE, BUT WHEN YOU GET TO THE BROWNTOWN ROAD PART, IT NARROWS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. 
          ARE YOU GONNA TRY TO WIDEN THAT OR JUST PAVE IN PLACE LIKE NORMAL? LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PANHANDLE NOW? NO, WE, WE MENTIONED VINCENT. 
          YEAH. 
          WE, WHENEVER WE DO A RURAL RUSTIC, WE STRIVE FOR 18 FEET OF DRIVING SURFACE. 
          OKAY. 
          SOMETIMES, UH, FOR VARIOUS REASONS, A STONE, HISTORICAL STONE FENCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE, YOU KNOW, WE SQUEEZE IT IN. 
          BUT EVERYWHERE ELSE WE STRIVE TO GET IT. 
          NOW WE CAN'T, UNDER THE RURAL RUSTIC PROGRAM, WE HAVE TO STAY WITHIN OUR 30 FEET A RIGHT OF WAY. 
          SOMETIMES THE CUTS, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING THROUGH A CUT SECTION, THE BANK IS SO HIGH WE CAN'T GET A DECENT SLOPE. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT HAVE TO NARROW IT YEAH. 
          EVERYWHERE THAT WE CAN, WE TRY TO GET, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A FOOT. 
          YEAH. 
          IT'S JUST A SORT SHORT SECTION IN IT, MR. BARRY. 
          BUT IT'S, IT NARROWS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY 
          [00:20:01]
FROM THE REST OF THE ROAD. 
          I'D SAY THAT SECTION IS PROBABLY GONNA BE SIMILAR TO GO MANOR LOOP WHEN YOU GOT UP TO THE ROCK PILES. 
          I MEAN, WITHOUT KNOWING THE RIGHT OF WAY, BUT IT'S VERY NARROW RIGHT THERE IN SOME BIG TREES. 
          WE, WE'LL GET ALL THAT WE CAN . 
          YEAH. 
          I I I DIDN'T KNOW IF MAYBE YOU'D ALREADY TALKED TO ANY OF THE LANDOWNERS ABOUT GETTING A LITTLE WIDER THERE. 
          NO, WE CAN'T. 
          NO. 
          CAN'T GO. 
          WE CAN'T GO THE RIGHT OF WAY. 
          'CAUSE THEN IT GOES FROM MORE RUSTIC TO PROJECT. 
          WELL, I, YEAH, AND I KNOW YOU DON'T LIKE TO BUY RIGHT AWAY, BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE GIVE IT, EVEN IF IT'S DONATED, IT CHANGES THE SCOPE OF, OF WHAT THE PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S CONSIDERED A PROJECT VERSUS RULE RULE RUSTING THAT, THAT'S WHY WE DON'T GO OUTSIDE THE, THE, THE, UH, 35TH. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          MR. BERRY, PUBLIC WORKS TRANSFER STATION RATES. 
          MADAM CHAIRMAN. 
          MATT, JUST SAY ONE MORE THING. 
          SURE. 
          I, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT TOMORROW IS THE, THE CTB AND THE SECRETARY AND EVERYBODY WILL BE AT THE FIRST SIX YEAR PLAN HEARING THAT'S BEEN HELD ON THIS END OF THE, UH, OUR DISTRICT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SOME CONCERNS, IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO COME TALK ABOUT. 
          I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER THING, UM, WHICH I WAS, ARE YOU GOING TO BE HERE FOR OUR NEXT UM, YES. 
          THE JULY, UM, MAY 7TH MEETING. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          WE CAN GET YOU TO UPDATE US ABOUT, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING AS FAR AS PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT THE PROPOSED THINGS WITH THE STARS AND OH, OKAY. 
          YES. 
          AT THAT ONE, IE EITHER MYSELF OR, OR, OR ADAM CAN ADAM, THAT'D BE GREAT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT, MR. BERRY. 
          [C. Discussion - Public Work Transfer Station Rates - Mike Berry, Public Works Director]
UM, PUBLIC WORKS TRANSFER STATION RATES. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          AND I HAVE, UH, JUST A BRIEF PRESENTATION AND, AND I HAVE OLD OAK FIVE ON HERE, BUT I ALSO HAVE A BRIEF UPDATE FOR OLD OAK FOUR AS WELL. 
          UM, AND WE'LL START WITH THE TRANSFER STATION RATES. 
          UM, AND, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE BEGAN AND I EVERYBODY HAS A COPY AS WELL. 
          I, I'M ASSUMING, UM, I I DIDN'T LEAVE ALL THE SLIDES THAT WE REVIEWED LAST, I LEFT THIS, THIS FIRST ONE BECAUSE WHEN WE STARTED IN OCTOBER 23, UM, THE MOST COMPLETE INFORMATION I HAD WAS FROM FISCAL YEAR 22. 
          WE HAD A LOT OF BUDGET CHANGE CONSOLIDATIONS OF SEVERAL DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS. 
          AND I WANTED YOU TO SEE THAT WE WERE DOING EVERYTHING WE COULD TO, TO, TO STAY ON COURSE WITH THE CURRENT TIP OF WHAT WE HAD. 
          UM, THE DISPOSAL COST THROUGH THAT FISCAL YEAR WAS AT 68 44 WE'RE CHARGING $69 A TON. 
          SO WE'RE NOT REALLY MAKING A FORTUNE OUT THERE. 
          AND, AND THAT WAS PRIOR TO, UH, ANY CHANGES THAT WE SAW IN RECENT YEARS. 
          BUT AS YOU LOOK AT YOUR BUDGETS NOW, WANT EVERYBODY TO BE FAMILIAR THAT THOSE THAT USED TO BE THREE BUDGETS AND THEY WERE CONSOLIDATED TO ONE. 
          SO I CAN STILL BREAK THAT INFORMATION DOWN, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THOSE CHANGES. 
          'CAUSE THAT SHOWS SOME OF THE, THE CLIMB. 
          UM, OUR, OUR LANDFILL TONS HAS BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT, UM, IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. 
          WE HAVEN'T SEEN MAJOR GROWTH WE DID FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT WE, WE'VE, WE'VE CLIMBED, WE'RE, WE'RE AVERAGING RIGHT AROUND THAT 37,000 TON RANGE IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. 
          OUR CURRENT TIPPING FEE, AGAIN IS 69 60 $9 PER TON. 
          UM, AND, AND IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AND, AND WE'VE DISCUSSED SOME OF THE POTENTIAL CHANGES, UM, BUT, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE ACTUAL COSTS AND, AND, AND, AND WE TALKED IN, IN OUR LAST SESSION ABOUT, UM, OUR, OUR CONTRACTOR COST, UM, POTENTIALLY GOING UP TO BATTLE CREEK AND THEN ALSO OUR, OUR AVERAGE HAUL COST. 
          AND, AND THOSE ARE, UH, COSTS THAT WE HAVE TO PAY CONTRACTORS. 
          THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY OF OUR COST AND THOSE CONTRACTOR COSTS. 
          WE'RE CURRENTLY PAYING 57 75 PER TON. 
          UM, AND, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR A, A CHANGE AT BATTLE CREEK. 
          WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE RFP, UM, WHICH CAME BACK TODAY. 
          THIS GIANT BOOK HERE. 
          I'VE ONLY GOT TO BRIEF IT A LITTLE BIT. 
          UM, THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THAT WE'LL SEE, UM, IN, IN THOSE, THOSE RATES. 
          AND, AND AS I CAME TO YOU THE FIRST TIME I TRIED TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT, HEY, INFLATIONARY RATE'S ABOUT 3% THERE HAS BEEN JUST BRIEFING THROUGH THE COST. 
          I DO SEE THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, IS A LITTLE BIT OF A TRUCKING INCREASE. 
          AND THAT'S ON THE OTHER OTHER SIDE OF OUR FEES. 
          UM, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE REPUBLIC, WE 
          [00:25:01]
HAVE A SUB OF LUCKY DOG. 
          WE PAY, UM, A A FEE PER HALL DOWN TO THE LANDFILL. 
          AND, AND IF I'M GOING TOO FAST, PLEASE SLOW ME DOWN. 
          GRAB ME ANYTIME. 
          I'M, I'M JUST KIND OF BRINGING IT BACK TO YOUR ATTENTION. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO IS, AND, AND I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT RATES AND THE POTENTIAL INCREASES FOR A WHILE. 
          UM, I BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE PUBLIC WORKS BUDGETS, ESPECIALLY WITH WASTE, THAT WE, WE, WE HAVE REVENUE, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL CLIENTS AND, AND WE NEED TO, UH, AND LOOK AT WAYS OF, OF KEEPING UP WITH THE COST THAT WE SEE AND, AND WAYS THAT WE CAN AND INCREASE OUR REVENUE. 
          AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS TODAY. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE, AND I, AND I GAVE YOU SOME OPTIONS AT OUR LAST MEETING, BUT I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE A, A A INCREASE TO $79 PER TON AND, AND, AND ASSUMING, UM, A $60 PER TON LANDFILL RATE. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, THAT'S STILL UNDER REVIEW, UM, WITH OUR LEGAL TEAM AND DISCUSSION. 
          BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUPLE OPTIONS THERE. 
          IS THERE, AND THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AS WE LOOK THROUGH THIS BOOK, BUT, UM, THAT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, ON THE, ON THE HIGHER END, UM, FROM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PAYING 34 75 NOW, BUT THERE'S CHANGES, WE'VE DISCUSSED THOSE ALSO, THIS HAUL RATE GOING UP. 
          UM, I, I DID PUT A BRIEF, YOU KNOW, JUST A GUESS UNTIL TODAY AND, AND IT'S GOING TO GO UP ON, AND I, AND I MEAN JUST OFF THE, JUST REALLY ROUGH, I'M THINKING A MINIMUM OF $30,000 ON THE HAUL, UM, FOR THE YEAR. 
          UM, AND THAT'S VERY ROUGH, VERY NEW. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT. 
          AND IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE TWO NUMBERS TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE WOULD SEND EVERYTHING AT 60, $60 A TON AND PAY $24 PER TON TO HAUL, THAT'S $84 A TON RIGHT THERE. 
          SO, UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME THINGS A A LITTLE CHEAPER AND WE CAN FIND SOME OTHER WAYS, UM, TO INCREASE OUR REVENUE. 
          AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. 
          UM, THE $10 INCREASE WAS THE FIRST THING THAT I PROPOSED. 
          AND, AND WHAT THAT DOES FOR US IS THAT WOULD BRING IN AN ESTIMATED $185,000, UM, INTO THE BUDGET. 
          AND AGAIN, IF YOU DO THE MATH, I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT 50% PLUS OF OUR WASTE IS RESIDENTIAL IN NATURE, NOT COMMERCIAL CLIENTS. 
          SO I'M ESTIMATING THAT 185, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL. 
          AND, AND, AND PLEASE AGAIN, EVERYBODY, ARE YOU GOOD WITH ME SO FAR? UM, THE NEXT, THE NEXT THING I, WE TALKED ABOUT TIPPING FEES BEFORE YOU GUYS ASKED ME, AND I KINDA LEFT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THAT BACKGROUND DATA. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO REVIEW ALL THAT AGAIN, BUT, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL, THE AVERAGES HAVE WENT UP, UM, AND CONTINUE TO GO UP AND, AND YOU KNOW, THE DATA, YOU KNOW, IT'S USUALLY A YEAR OR SO BEHIND, BUT, UM, WE'VE, I MENTIONED IN OUR LAST SECTION OR OUR LAST MEETING, IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE, THAT NORTHEAST SECTION, AND THESE ARE LANDFILLS AND, AND EVERYBODY HAS TO REMEMBER THAT WE'RE A TRANSFER STATION, SO A LANDFILL IS GETTING EVERYBODY THE TRASH IS COMING TO 'EM AND GETTING DUMPED. 
          WE'RE GETTING THE TRASH BROUGHT TO US, DUMPED ON THE FLOOR, AND THEN WE'RE LOADED UP AND HAULING AGAIN. 
          OKAY. 
          CAN I TAKE YOU BACK A MINUTE? YES, SIR. 
          LET'S BACK UP. 
          JUST BACK UP TO THE, THE SIX, THE PAGE WAS 69 A TON AND THE PAGE WAS 79 A TON. 
          RIGHT? OKAY. 
          SO WE'RE CHARGING 69. 
          OUR CONTRACTOR COSTS ARE 57 75 IN THE RECENT PAST. 
          YEP. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IF WE FLIP IT OVER TO 79 79 YES, SIR. 
          ARE, ARE OUR CONTRACTOR COSTS PER ANTICIPATED TO GO TO 84? YES, SIR. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IF WE RAISE 10, WE'RE STILL GONNA BE LOSING FIVE? YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE RIGHT THAT, SO YEP, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT, AT AT HISTORICALLY WE'VE HAD 69 AND JUST CALL IT 58. 
          SO WE'VE BEEN PLUS PLUS 11. 
          WELL, BUT THAT DOESN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT YOUR PERSON. 
          NO. 
          INTERNAL COSTS. 
          YEAH. 
          INTERNAL COSTS. 
          YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE BACK TO THE 79 A TON. 
          IF WE, IF WE RAISE THE 79 A TON AND OUR BATTLE CREEK, THAT'S PRINCIPLE, THAT'S MAINLY WHAT'S GOING UP IS THE BATTLE CREEK FEES. 
          RIGHT? UH, THEN WE'RE GONNA, IF WE RAISE THE 79, WE'RE GONNA GO TO A DEFICIT OF FIVE PERTON WITH CONTRACTOR COSTS AND WE'RE STILL GONNA HAVE OUR COUNTY COSTS. 
          YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          YEP. 
          SO, YEAH. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, SO, SO THE, I GUESS QUICK QUESTION IS WHY, WHY 79? WELL, I, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITY HERE FOR REVENUE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND OTHER THAN THE 180 5, I DO THINK THERE'S STILL SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR NEGOTIATION. 
          AND I, I'M TRYING TO BE HOPEFUL NEGOTIATION WITH WHO? WITH, WITH, UH, WITH, UH, THE LANDFILL. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND, AND I'M LEAVING THAT UP TO THE LEGAL TEAM, AND THAT'S IN HIS HANDS RIGHT NOW. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS OKAY. 
          AND PLAN FOR THE POTENTIAL SCENARIO. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT COULD COME. 
          UM, BUT WE DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REVENUE. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS NORTHEAST, THE 2 20 22, WHICH IS THE MOST, UM, YOU KNOW, 
          [00:30:01]
UP TO DATE LANDFILL TIPPING FEE, UM, IT SHOWS IT WAS 85 41 AT LANDFILL. 
          SO I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY, YOU KNOW, IN THAT NORTHEAST AND WE'RE PROBABLY, I GUESS, REALLY THE MOST SOUTHERN OF THE NORTHEAST IN THIS WASTE CONSIDERATION. 
          YEAH. 
          BUT THAT, I THINK THAT BEING A TRANSFER STATION THAT KIND OF THROWS THAT WEIGHT BALANCE TO WE'RE RIGHT IN THAT BALLPARK. 
          I MEAN, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          IT DOES. 
          SO, SO THE NEXT, THE NEXT PORTION AND, AND, AND WE DO HAVE ONE, ONE NEIGHBOR WHO HAS, UH, KIND OF CHANGED A LITTLE BIT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND THAT'S FALL HERE. 
          THEY ACT, THEY HAVE AN ACTIVE LANDFILL FOR CDD, THEY'RE KIND OF GETTING OUTTA THAT BUSINESS NOW TOO. 
          UM, THEY WERE TRYING TO SEND THEIR CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS TO THE LANDFILL, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO GET OUTTA THAT BUSINESS. 
          AND, AND THEY'VE DECIDED TO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A TRANSFER STATION, SO THEY'RE PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER AND THEY'RE SHIPPING IT TO RICHMOND. 
          NOW, THE, THE ONE THING THAT THEY HAVE, UH, ON US IS THEY'RE ANOTHER HOUR DOWN THE ROAD. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SHIPPING TO, AND, AND IF YOU GO, ANYBODY LOOKS THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT, YOU'LL SEE WE HAVE A BACKUP LANDFILL AND IT'S DOWN IN RICHMOND. 
          BUT THAT'S, THAT'S A WHOLE LOT OF, THAT'S A WHOLE LOT OF DOLLARS TO GO THERE. 
          IT'S GONNA ROUGHLY BE DOUBLE THE COST. 
          YES, SIR. 
          MR. MEYER, MIKE, COULD YOU GO BACK TO THE PRIOR SLIDE FOR JUST A MOMENT, PLEASE? YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE, WE'VE GOT WEIGHTED AND UNWEIGHTED RATES FOR THE NORTHEAST, RIGHT? UM, 85 AND 75. 
          YEAH. 
          OUR CURRENT RATE OF 69, IS THAT MORE COMPARABLE TO THE 85 OR IS IT MORE COMPARABLE TO THE CHEVY FIVE? IT'S MORE COMPARABLE, UH, TO THE 85 SPECIFICALLY TO US AND THE WASTE THAT WE RECEIVE. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT? UM, AND THEN, SO THE OTHER, THE OTHER REVENUE SOURCE THAT I THINK THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I GUESS TWO YEARS AGO WE BEGAN TO CHARGE ALL OF OUR, UH, COMMERCIAL HAULERS. 
          WE, WE, WE BEGAN TO SEE AN INCREASE, AND I'VE MENTIONED THIS IN SOME OF OUR WORK SESSIONS. 
          SOME OF OUR NEWER MEMBERS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN HERE, BUT WE'VE HAD, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR DEMOGRAPHIC HAS CHANGED. 
          THERE'S PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE COUNTY NOW THAT LIVE, I MEAN, I GOT PEOPLE THAT LIVE BESIDE ME THAT HAVE ROLLOUT CANS OUT, YOU KNOW, IN BROWNTOWN AND THOSE FOLKS, THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL TRUCKS AND THEY DRIVE UP, PICK UP YOUR TRASH, AND WHEN THEY COME IN, UM, WE CHARGE THEM THE GATE TIPPING FEE. 
          UM, AND, AND, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL OF THOSE CLIENTS, UM, THAT COME IN THAT, THAT WORK IN THE COUNTY. 
          NOW, THEY DON'T BRING IN AS MUCH TONNAGE AT THIS TIME AS THE, AS THE TOWN. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, AS, AS YOUR COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW AND CHANGE AND, AND YOU BECOME MORE, YOU KNOW, UH, SUBURB THAN RURAL, I, I THINK THAT YOU'LL HAVE MORE, YOU KNOW, AREAS THAT YOU'LL SEE THAT WANT, WANT TO HAVE THOSE SERVICES. 
          UM, TOWN FRONT RURAL CURRENTLY DOESN'T PAY ANY, ANY TIPPING FEES ON THEIR RESIDENTIAL WASTE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE COLLECT $0, THE AVERAGE TONS IS 6,000 TONS PER YEAR. 
          I MEAN, IF YOU WOULD CHARGE THEM THE SAME GATE TIPPING FEE AS OTHER, OTHER BUSINESSES AND CLIENTS, THAT WOULD BE $474,000 REVENUE. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT I RECOMMEND IS YOU CHARGE THE TOWN AND YOU INCREASE THE, THE TIPPING FEE AND, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT $659,000. 
          AND I CAN TELL YOU IN THE PUBLIC WORKS BUDGETS, I, I'VE ALREADY CRIED TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BECAUSE MY CUTS ARE, ARE TOO DEEP. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, AND I'VE ASKED HIM, DO YOU WANT ME TO SIT DOWN OR DO I GOT A TIME LIMIT FOR THE YEAR? BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH. 
          SO I THINK MY BEST OPTION IS TO LOOK FOR REVENUE, AND WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE CHARGING. 
          I MEAN, THE, THESE ARE ARE THE TOP REVENUE SOURCES. 
          THERE ARE SOME OTHER FEES THAT WE HAVE. 
          THEY WON'T BE GIGANTIC. 
          BUT I THINK IF, YOU KNOW, IF THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER FEE INCREASE, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LOOK AT THE WHOLE GAMUT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, HEY, YOU KNOW, TIRES, YOU KNOW, WE, WE MIGHT BE CHEAPER THAN THE SHOP DOWN THE STREET, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S MORE OF A CONVENIENCE THING. 
          I I REALLY, WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE A LOT OF MONEY ON THEM, BUT WE COULD GO UP IN THE FEE. 
          I KNOW THAT IN, I'M PART OF THE REGIONAL COMMISSION AND, AND, AND THE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE WASTE PRO PROGRAM. 
          AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, YOU KNOW, THIS GRANT, WE'RE GONNA GET A NEW, UH, TIRE PROCESSOR AND, YOU KNOW, THE FEES COULD GO DOWN IF WE DO MORE TIRES, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, FREDERICK COUNTY HAS INCREASED THEIR RATES IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT AS WELL. 
          IT'S, BUT IT'S NOT AS BIG A VALUE. 
          BUT THOSE LITTLE THINGS, WE CAN, WE CAN REVIEW THOSE TOO. 
          UH, BUT I THINK THAT THESE, WE SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER, UM, LOOKING AT THESE REVENUE OPTIONS. 
          DO COMPANIES STILL, UM, WANT THE TIRES TO, UM, MAKE LIKE TRACKS AROUND THE, UH, ATHLETIC FIELDS AND STUFF? DO THEY STILL DO USE THAT? WELL, WE, I, NO, REALLY AROUND HERE. 
          [00:35:01]
I MEAN, SOME OF THE LANDFILLS, CHATO COUNTY, FREDERICK COUNTY USED TO USE SOME OF THE MATERIAL. 
          IT WAS ALLOWED IN THEIR LANDFILLS FOR LIKE CHIMNEY AND, AND, AND THEY FOUND THAT THEY'VE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH THAT. 
          NOW, IF YOU, IF YOU FIND SOMEONE AND, AND, AND THEY'RE PROCESSED PROPERLY, BUT YOU KNOW, WHERE IS THE PLANT AND HOW FAR DO YOU HAVE TO TRUCK IT, ARE THEY WILLING TO COME GET IT? UM, SO THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW I'VE HAD PEOPLE SAY, WELL, CAN WE MAKE OIL OUT OF OUR PLASTIC? WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PLASTIC. 
          IT WOULD TAKE A WHOLE LOT OF PLASTIC TO MAKE OIL. 
          THE INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD NEED TO BE GREAT. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, COULD WE DO IT? MAYBE. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA BE ON THAT USER END. 
          AND, UM, THERE'S NO HIGH DEMAND FOR OUR TIRES AT THIS POINT. 
          UM, IT'S, I'M THANKFUL THAT WE STILL HAVE AN OUTLET AND I, I THINK THEY'RE LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS. 
          I KNOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE POTENTIAL TO GO BACK AND, AND GET A MACHINE THAT CAN DO SOME LARGER TIRES. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET A BIGGER MACHINE THAT COULD OPEN IT UP WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BRING SOME MORE MONEY INTO THE COMMISSION, INTO THE TIRE PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT THEY WOULD FIND SOMETHING, BUT I DON'T KNOW AT THIS TIME THAT OKAY, I DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY WERE STILL SHREDDING THEM AND DOING YEAH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CHIPPING THEM NOW. 
          I MEAN, AND YOU GET INTO SEGREGATING THE METALS, ET CETERA, AND YOU, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, I'M NOT GONNA EVEN PRETEND TO BE AN EXPERT INTO THAT. 
          NO, I FIGURED THEY JUST CAME AND GOT 'EM. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS, BUT THANK YOU. 
          SO ANYHOW, UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THERE? REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES, QUESTIONS, IF I MAY ADD, MA'AM? JUST, UH, CHECKING THE PROPOSED BUDGET WITH THE REDUCTIONS WE'VE BEEN MAKING IN HIS BUDGET THERE HAS TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF $4,023,656. 
          AND THE REVENUE WITHOUT THIS IS $1,570,000. 
          THIS WOULD, THIS WOULD TAKE US UP TO WHERE THE COUNTY WAS ONLY SUBSIDIZING HALF THE COST OF THE LANDFILL AND THE TRANSIT FEES THERE. 
          UH, IT IS A BIG, UH, COST BIG INCREASE THAT'S COMING, UH, AT THE LANDFILL. 
          AND WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO ADDRESS IT. 
          YEAH. 
          TRASH IS, IS AN EXPENSIVE THING TO DEAL WITH, AND I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE JUST HOW EXPENSIVE. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND AS I MENTIONED, I, I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S SOME CHANGE THERE. 
          I SEE A FEW REDUCTIONS, BUT I, I STILL ANTICIPATE SOME SMALL INCREASES WITH, YOU KNOW, THE RFP THAT WE RECEIVED. 
          AND, UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT SOME IMPROVEMENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE COOLEY SITE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE HAD SOME ISSUES THERE AND, UM, WE WANNA LOOK AT A NEW SITE, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME. 
          I STILL HOPE TO EXPAND WHAT WE HAVE AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE MAKE VDOT HAPPY WITH DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE SMALLER SCALE, UM, IN THE NEAR FUTURE. 
          SO THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND WE GROW, WE, WE HAVE TO BE READY TO REINVEST. 
          I MEAN, THE TRANSFER STATION'S BEEN THERE SINCE THE LANDFILL CLOSED AND WE'VE MADE SOME IMPROVEMENTS, BUT AS THE COUNTY GROWS, WE GOTTA BE READY TO GROW WITH IT. 
          SO THE, I I DID SOME BACK OF THE ENVELOPE, UH, FIGURE IN THERE, AND IT, AND I, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THE, UH, FOR THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL, THE RESIDENTS, THEIR UH, THEIR FEES WILL PROBABLY GO UP, WHAT ABOUT 10, $15 A MONTH TO, TO COVER THAT? UH, $475,000 INCREASE. 
          ISN'T THAT A YEAR? THAT'S AN ANNUAL FEE THERE? YEAH. 
          WELL, NO, THAT'S, THAT'S PER MONTH. 
          YEAH, THAT'S AN ANNUAL FEE IN IT. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU'RE SAYING THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS FOR THAT, IT'S GONNA BE OVER. 
          WELL, HE'S CALCULATING. 
          DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT ONE THAT'S WAY OUT OF LEFT FIELD. 
          UM, HAVE WE EVER LOOKED AT JUST COMPLETELY, UH, DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEAL WITH THIS, SUCH AS INCINERATION OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES? WELL, WE, UH, UH, PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE YEARS. 
          AND ME BEING WITH THE COUNTY, UM, IT WAS IN HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA, THEY STARTED AN INCINERATOR. 
          AND AT THAT TIME THEY SENT ME A LETTER AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD BE GLAD TO TAKE OUR WASTE FOR, I THINK IT 
          [00:40:01]
WAS $69 A TON AT THAT TIME. 
          UM, AND THAT WOULD BE, UM, BUT THAT WOULD BE TWICE AS FAR TO HAUL AS THAT WE'RE GOING NOW. 
          SO WE WOULD'VE ACTUALLY PAID, UM, ABOUT FOUR TIMES AS MUCH. 
          'CAUSE WE WOULD'VE PAID DOUBLE THE HAUL RATE AND DOUBLE THE TIPPING FEE. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT HAVE, HAVE YOU OR ANYONE EVER LOOKED AT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING OUR OWN INCINERATOR AND SO NO HAULING COST AT ALL, AND BURN BURN, WE ASSUMING THEY'RE, YEAH. 
          ASSUMING THERE ARE WAYS TO MITIGATE, YOU KNOW, POLLUTANTS AND AND SO FORTH, RIGHT? NOT FOR THE COUNTY. 
          NO, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE, I THINK THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE SOMETHING YOU WOULD REALLY HAVE TO BE WANTING TO GET IN THE WASTE BUSINESS. 
          I DON'T, AND YOU WOULD PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE INDUSTRY TO, TO USE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOUR FUEL, UM, AND THE SITUATION IN HARRISONBURG, IT CLOSED DOWN. 
          UM, THERE IS ONE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA. 
          UM, AND YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I ACTUALLY ASKED ABOUT THAT IN THIS RFP PROCESS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND WHAT I'VE GATHERED IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS IS NOT YOU. 
          THEY CAN'T GUARANTEE US, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TYPICALLY ROLLING FIVE TRUCKS PER BUSINESS DAY AND THEY COULDN'T GUARANTEE US FIVE TRUCKS A DAY. 
          AND THE COST IS, AGAIN, IT'S TYPICALLY IT'S A LITTLE HIGHER. 
          SO I MEAN, YOU COULD EXPLORE IT. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WOULD WANT TO GET INTO IT AS A COUNTY. 
          OKAY. 
          DO WE KNOW WHY HARRISONBURG SHUT DOWN? IT, IT, IT WASN'T A, A, A REALLY, A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FROM MY UNDERSTANDING. 
          IT, I MEAN, THEY WEREN'T GAINING ANY CLIENTS BECAUSE OF THE COST. 
          AND, UM, IT, IT JUST ENDED UP SHUTTING IT DOWN BECAUSE I THINK, I THINK IT'S, MAYBE JMU OWNS IT NOW. 
          I, I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT AT THIS POINT, BUT IT JUST, IT DID NOT PAN OUT FOR THEM. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S THE CLOSEST ONE IN A RURAL, MORE RURAL AREA THAT I'M AWARE OF. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN MY ONLY OTHER QUESTION, YOU HAD A SLIDE COMPARING OTHER NEARBY LOCALITIES. 
          YES. 
          UM, I DIDN'T SEE LOUDOUN ON THERE, BUT I SAW IT PREVIOUSLY. 
          THEY WERE LIKE THE HIGHEST AROUND AT 71 PREVIOUSLY. 
          UM, ARE THEY YEAH. 
          ARE THOUSAND? YEAH. 
          I I THINK THEY WERE 71, BUT I'M WONDERING IF, YOU KNOW, IF THEY YEAH, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          AND IT WAS PAY, YOU PAID, YOU WERE GONNA PAY FOR YOUR TRASH. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          AND YEAH, SO I MEAN, YOU, YOU HAVE, IF YOU GO, I MEAN, TO GET HIGHER RATES, USUALLY IF YOU, I MEAN, I'VE DUG DEEP BEFORE. 
          I DIDN'T REALLY GO EXPANDING INTO THE SHORE, BUT YOU GET DOWN IN THE SHORE AREAS AND THEY TYPICALLY GET HIGHER, YOU'LL, YOU'LL FIND SOME IN THE A HUNDRED DOLLARS PLUS RANGE IF YOU GO DOWN THAT WAY OF THE BAY AREAS. 
          DR. 
          DALEY, WHAT DID, WHAT, WHAT DID YOU COME UP WITH? WE GET YOU A BETTER NUMBER, SIR. 
          I GET SOMETHING IN TERMS OF EIGHT, $8 RATHER THAN 10. 
          I WAS USING, UH, UH, A NUMBER OF ABOUT, UH, WHAT, AND THIS MAY BE TOO HIGH, 4,000 RESIDENTS, 4,000, UH, BETWEEN TWO AND 4,000 FOR TOWN. 
          YEAH. 
          FOR TOWN. 
          FOUR THOU FOUR TO FOUR TO 5,000 STRUCTURES. 
          YEAH. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S 15,000 RESIDENTS. 
          YEAH. 
          IN THE TOWNS ARE. 
          AND, AND I FIGURED THAT, UH, YOU, YOU'VE GOT YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT, THAT SOUNDS, THAT'S, UH, SO ANY IT TO, TO ME IT WOULD BE ANYWHERE FROM EIGHT TO $20 A MONTH, SOMEWHERE IN THERE AND YOU CAN GET A, A BETTER FIGURE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S THE WHAT I BRACKET IT AT. 
          AND THEY'RE RAISING IT SET INDEPENDENTLY IN ANY EVENT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO COME OUT, THEY WANT TO BALANCE THE ACCOUNT. 
          THEY DON'T WANT THE TAXPAYER SUBSIDIZING IT. 
          SO THEY, THEY'RE HAVING HEARINGS TO, TO RAISE THE RATE IN ANY, YOU'RE STILL GOING TO GET AN INCREASE THERE WHETHER THE COUNTY DOES ANYTHING OR NOT, SIR. 
          YEP. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? I ONLY HAVE ONE COMMENT. 
          I THINK THAT WE NEED TO PURSUE HOW WE CAN BRING IN REVENUE BECAUSE LIKE THE NUMBERS THAT DR. 
          DALEY JUST QUOTED ARE, ARE REAL NUMBERS. 
          SO IT'S, WE, I THINK WE NEED TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS GOING FORWARD. 
          THAT'S ALL I HAVE. 
          OKAY. 
          NO OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS. 
          WE'LL GO TO 
          [D. Presentation - Old Oak Lane, Phase V Update]
OLD OAK FOUR UPDATE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OLD OAK, FOUR BACK ON HERE. 
          OOPS. 
          BACK UP. 
          UM, JUST TO, I JUST WANTED TO GET, I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS, BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU A IDEA OF WHERE WE ARE ON, ARE 
          [00:45:01]
ON THE BUDGET, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING VDOT HAS THEIR DASHBOARD AND THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, GET UPSET WITH US WHEN WE GET IN THE RED CATEGORY. 
          SO WE'RE TRYING TO STAY OFF THE NAUGHTY LIST. 
          BUT, UM, THIS IS JUST, I MEAN MY, YOU KNOW, JUST LITTLE THROW TOGETHER HERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR APPROVED BUDGET, UM, IS A MILLION, $600,000. 
          AND, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE JUST UNDER, AND, AND THIS WAS LAST WEEK. 
          I MEAN, WE PROBABLY HAVE A FEW DOLLARS, BUT WE WERE JUST UNDER 800,000. 
          SO, UM, RIGHT NOW I'M, I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH OUR BUDGET, UM, AND, AND WHERE WE ARE. 
          AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MONEY AND DOLLARS AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A PROJECT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A LONG TIME AND WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF ISSUES. 
          SO I WANTED YOU TO SEE THAT. 
          HEY, WE'RE WE, WE DID PRETTY GOOD, UM, WITH, WITH THE, WITH OUR BUDGET ESTIMATES AND, AND, AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ON, ON TRACK TO, TO STAY WITHIN OUR BUDGET AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I MEAN, IN SAYING THAT, I WANT TO THANK MICHAEL TOO 'CAUSE HE'S BEEN, UM, THE MAIN MAN, UM, GOING THROUGH THIS AND DEALING WITH ALL THE RECORDS AND, AND DEALING WITH, UH, MOST OF THOSE NEEDS WITH VDOT. 
          UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL ON DOWN TO STONE TICKETS AND NUMBERS ON THEM, ET CETERA. 
          HOW THIS, HOW THE PROJECT GOES FORTH. 
          I MENTIONED VDOT RIGHT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE NOT IN, IN, IN A DELAY, UM, PER SE, BUT, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED, AND I'LL MENTION 'EM A LITTLE BIT, UM, WITH THAT WE HAVE, WITH THE FITMENT, YOU KNOW, WE DO ANTICIPATE, UH, A DELAY AND, AND UNTIL WE, UNTIL WE GET OUR, YOU KNOW, EXACT DATE OF PRODUCTION, I, I, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A EXACT DATE, UM, THAT WE'LL COMPLETE. 
          OUR COMPLETED DATE STILL IN OUR VDOT SYSTEM IS JUNE 1ST. 
          I, I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT WE'RE NOT GONNA HIT THAT. 
          UM, I'M HOPING WE CAN PUSH OUT A COUPLE MONTHS, BUT, UM, ONCE WE, ONCE WE HEAR FROM THE MANUFACTURER, YOU KNOW, I, I'LL HAVE TO GIVE VDOT A UPDATE AND SAY, AND THEN I'LL, YOU KNOW, LET YOU KNOW, HEY, HERE'S OUR UPDATE. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT AUGUST, OR WE'RE LOOKING AT SEPTEMBER. 
          UM, AND, AND I, I JUST DON'T KNOW THAT YET. 
          UM, SO, BUT I WANTED YOU TO KNOW, 'CAUSE I I THINK THE DOLLARS AND CENTS ARE IMPORTANT. 
          UM, AND, AND, AND WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS NEED A A BRIEF ON THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD AN APPROVED PLAN WHERE WE HAD THE FITMENT ISSUE, UM, WITH THE DEFECTS IN THE DELIVER BOX CULVERT IN THE, THE SECTION 53 OH OH. 
          YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND WE CAME UP WITH OUR ENGINEERS AND, AND, AND THEY CAME UP WITH A, UH, A FIX AND, AND VDOT ACCEPTED THAT FIX. 
          AND WE ARE, UM, CURRENTLY, WELL, I'D SAY WHAT, 90% COMPLETE, 95% COMPLETE, UM, ON THAT SECTION OF BOX CULVERTS. 
          UM, AND YOU KNOW, AND, AND I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I WE'RE, I GUESS BACKFILLING TODAY. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE FIX, I MEAN, IT DID REQUIRE US TO, YOU KNOW, DIVERT, WE HAD TO DIVERT THE STREAM LONGER. 
          YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA TURN THE WATER LOOSE UNTIL WE KNOW VDOT SAYS WE'RE GOOD. 
          BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT IT, THEN THEY'RE NOT GONNA GIVE US THE MONIES AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA TAKE OVER THE ROAD. 
          SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO IT. 
          RIGHT. 
          DID ANY ANYBODY WANT MORE DETAIL THERE? ARE YOU GOOD WITH, WITH, WITH, UH, THE JOINTS? UM, SIR, LEMME BACK UP JUST REAL QUICKLY ON THE PAGE YOU HAD BEFORE THIS BUDGET PAGE IS THE 2 49 IN THE EXPENDITURES TO DATE THE, OH, THE 2 49, THAT IS, THAT WAS FOR THAT, THAT BOX, IT WAS CONTRACTED FOR THE FIRST ONE. 
          THAT IS, THAT IS IN THE 7 96. 
          SO WE HAVE NOT TRANSFERRED THE CASH, BUT THAT 2 4 9 THAT YOU SEE HERE FROM EASTERN IS IN THE 7, 9 6 NOW IS THE 1 73 THAT WE HAVE SPENT ON CORRECTIONS. 
          SO IS THAT IN THE 7, 9, 6? SO THAT, WELL, LET ME, LET ME BACK UP. 
          SO THE 1 73 IS IN THE EXPENDITURE TO DATE, AND THE 2 49 IS THE ACTUAL INVOICE. 
          SO WE HAVEN'T PAID YET. 
          SO IN THE EXPENDITURES, RIGHT, SO WE HAVE THE 1 73, WHICH WILL COME OFF OF THE 2 49 UHHUH  AND THAT, SO THAT IS IN THERE CURRENTLY. 
          SO THIS ONE, I MEAN, SO IS THE 2 49 IN THE EXPENDITURES? IT'S NOT IN THIS, NO. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT THE 1 73, THE 1 73 IS, YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT WAS MY MISTAKE. 
          AND HE'S, UM, AT THE CORRECTION ACT, LET'S SEE, YEAH, RIGHT HERE. 
          SO HE'S AT CORRECTIVE ACTION COST. 
          SO THE, THE INVOICE THAT WE HAVE NOT PAID, UH, WAS, IS $249,000 AND WE HAVE EXPENDED 200 OR 1 73. 
          AND 
          [00:50:01]
AGAIN, WE'RE 95% COMPLETE. 
          UM, THE, UH, PRODUCT THAT WE'RE USING, UM, IN THE KEVLAR, IT REQUIRES A 28 DAY CURE. 
          UM, VDOT DID GIVE US AN EXEMPTION, ONE, THE, THE, THE OUTSIDE WITH THE BACK FILLING OF THE BOXES, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT THAT 28 DAYS BEFORE THAT WE, WE GO OVER THAT TOP. 
          UM, AND I CAN GIVE YOU MORE DETAIL IF NEEDED. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THOSE COSTS WE'RE TRACKING THOSE WARREN COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UM, YOU KNOW, IS AWARE OF THE CONCERNS AND AWARE OF THE COST. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THOSE COSTS AND WE DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA END UP HAVING TO PAY ANYTHING HONESTLY, UM, FOR WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED, UM, DUE TO THE, THE STREAM DIVERSION, THE PUMP RENTAL EXPENSES, ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING COSTS, ADDITIONAL VDOT REVIEW COSTS, ADDITIONAL CONTRACTOR TIME, ADDITIONAL CRANE TIME. 
          SO WE'RE TRACKING ALL THOSE THINGS AND THEN OUR ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS HANDLING THAT. 
          UM, BUT WE ANTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, UM, TO BE AT OR NEAR THAT VALUE. 
          SO THEN BA BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO IS YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA, YOU'RE GOING TO TO PAY THEM, BUT YOU'RE GONNA BACK CHARGE THEM. 
          YES. 
          WHICH WILL PRETTY MUCH WIPE OUT THE PAYMENT. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S IT IN ELEMENTARY FASHION, BUT I'M GONNA LET JASON HAM HANDLE THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LET HIM PUT HIS STAMP ON IT, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED. 
          MAKE SENSE TO EVERYONE? YEP. 
          UM, WE DID GET OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION THAT THEY FILED EASTERN VAULT FILED CHAPTER SEVEN. 
          UM, AND, UM, SO MOVING FORWARD FROM THAT, UM, WE HAVE TWO SECTIONS LEFT, THE NEXT TWO STATIONS TO BE INSTALLED. 
          UM, YOU, YOU HAD A, A UPDATE, I GUESS IN YOUR, UH, BUDGET OR YOUR, UH, CONSENT AGENDA LAST WEEK ON THE, UM, UH, THE, UH, PURCHASE ORDER FOR CPMP, FOR THE FINAL TWO, UH, BOX CULVERTS. 
          AND THAT'S 12 SECTIONS OR PIECES. 
          AND, AND THE DIFFERENCE IS, UM, THERE WAS A $15,475 SAVINGS OVER THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE COST. 
          SO WE'RE ACTUALLY, UM, ON THE ACTUAL MATERIALS, THE CULVERTS THEMSELVES WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA COME IN A LITTLE BIT CHEAPER. 
          SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. 
          UM, HAPPY ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, CPMP DRAWINGS, UM, HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO VDOT. 
          UM, AND MICHAEL ACTUALLY GOT SOME COMMUNICATIONS IN BETWEEN RUNNING AND OUTTA THE OFFICE AND COMING BACK TO THE MEETING. 
          UM, SO, UM, THEY HAVE REVIEWED, YOU KNOW, NEW COMPANY, THEY WANTED TO REVIEW THEIR DRAWINGS, SO, YOU KNOW, HEY, HERE THEY ARE, V.COM AND IT BACK TO THEM. 
          UM, SO WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE AT ABOUT GO TIME NOW. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, THEY'RE, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ANYTHING PRODUCED UNTIL V DOT'S REVIEWED, SO THAT SLOWS US DOWN A HAIR, UM, IF WE DELAY. 
          UM, SO THEY HAVE STATED, AND WE HAD A REALLY GOOD MEETING WITH THEM AND, AND THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO WORK US IN THE LINEUP AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. 
          UM, THEY DID ACTUALLY ACQUIRE ONE OF EASTERN VAULTS, UM, I GUESS AT LEAST ONE, MAYBE A COUPLE, UM, THREE TOTAL, THREE TOTAL, UM, ONE IN WINCHESTER. 
          UM, THEY, BUT THEY HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THEY'VE INDICATED THEY'RE PROBABLY MANUFACTURED THESE IN MARTINSBURG, UM, AND BRING THEM DOWN, SO A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME. 
          UM, BUT THEY HAVE PURCHASED WINCHESTER AS WELL, SO I DON'T REALLY CARE AS LONG AS THEY'RE CHEAPER AND THEY GET HERE AND, AND WE CAN GET 'EM IN THE GROUND AND GET THE PROJECT DONE, BUT, BUT THANK YOU. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR, UH, ALL YOUR HELP AND I HOPE THAT THAT GIVES YOU A BRIEF UPDATE THERE. 
          ANY QUESTIONS ON FOUR AND WHERE WE ARE? UM, NO. 
          ANY QUESTIONS? I GUESS THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHEN THEY SAY THEY'LL TRY TO GET YOU IN THE LINEUP QUICKLY. 
          YEP. 
          DID DID THEY HAVE, DID, DID THEY GIVE YOU ANYTHING MORE SPECIFIC THAN THAT? I MEAN, WELL, YOU JUST MENTIONED THE DATE. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, YOU JUST MENTIONED AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S MEETING WITH THEM, I MEAN, I, I CAN'T SAY THAT THEY'LL GET US IN NEXT WEEK IF OUR PLANS ARE APPROVED TOMORROW, BUT BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE EVEN APPROVED PLAN, SO THEY CAN'T REALLY PUT YOU ON A SCHEDULE. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, WE HAVE, WE, WE HAVE A PLAN FROM THEM. 
          IT'S BEEN, I SENT V.COM, CAME BACK AND, AND WE'VE BASICALLY WITH TODAY THEY'RE STEEL WAS ORDERED, SO, SO THEY'VE ORDERED THE STEEL, SO THAT MEANS WE ARE READY TO OH, THEY'RE GETTING YOU IN THEIR, IN THEIR SCHEDULE THEN. 
          SO, SO, AND WHEN I SAY, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, LIKE RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT A BIG PROJECT IN WINCHESTER AND WARRENTON AND YOU KNOW, ALL THESE AREAS AROUND US. 
          OKAY. 
          OURS IS NOT A REAL HUGE PROJECT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THEY WANT OUR BUSINESS. 
          SO HEY, WE'RE, WE'LL TRY TO GET YOU IN THERE GUYS AND GET THIS DONE BECAUSE WE REALIZE YOU'RE ON A CLOCK AND WE'VE EXPLAINED THAT WITH VDOT AND WE, WE WANNA DO THE BEST WE CAN TO STAY ON OUR SCHEDULE. 
          THEY INDICATED FIVE WEEKS FROM THE TIME THE STEEL WAS ORDERED TILL THE RETURN. 
          THAT'S PRETTY SPECIFIC THEN. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND THEY WON'T, WE CAN'T HOLD THAT. 
          BUT THAT WAS DURING MEETING DISCUSSION WITH THEIR TIMEFRAME OUT THE MARTINSBURG FACILITY. 
          OKAY. 
          [00:55:01]
SO WHAT, WHAT IS THE, THE PLAN WITH THE ROAD IN THE MEANTIME? IS IT SHUT DOWN UNTIL WHENEVER THIS IS DONE? OR IS THEY ABLE TO USE PART OF IT? RIGHT NOW YOU CANNOT USE THE ROAD. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, IF WE GET, ONCE WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE TIMEFRAME IS, IF WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA MISS OUR DEADLINE AND IT'S GONNA BE TWO MONTHS, THEN YOU KNOW, I MAY RECOMMEND THAT WE GO AHEAD AND IF WE HAVE EVERYTHING SAFE, WE'RE NOT GONNA DIG A HOLE IN THE GROUND, BUT WE NEED TO GET THE TRANSITIONS RIGHT. 
          UM, WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME INTERSECTION CHANGE. 
          WE NEED TO MAKE IT THE APPROACH. 
          IF WE CAN GET EVERYTHING SAFE AND, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S GONNA BE TWO MONTHS OR THREE MONTHS, THEN I THINK WE WOULD OPEN THE ROAD FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S, HEY, YOU KNOW, TOMORROW THEY SAY FIVE WEEKS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE 'EM THERE. 
          AND OUR CONTRACTORS' READY AND WE'RE GONNA BE ON OUR SCHEDULE, THEN I DON'T THINK I WOULD OPEN THE ROAD. 
          I THINK I WOULD JUST WAIT TO FINISH THE PROJECT AND MOVE FORWARD. 
          BUT I THINK WE'LL MAKE THE CALL WHEN WE KNOW MORE SPECIFIC WHERE WE ARE AND WE'RE ABLE TO GET THAT OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE DOWN THERE AS POSSIBLE. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, THE ROAD IS CLO I MEAN, IF WE OPEN IT UP, THEN WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS DURING THIS PERIOD, WE ANTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK INTO CONSTRUCTION ON THIS DATE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, I MEAN, I THINK IF WE WERE JUST GONNA OPEN UP FOR A WEEK, IT WOULD CREATE MORE. 
          WELL, EITHER WAY. 
          EVEN IF IT'S GONNA, YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, JUST AS LONG AS THEY KNOW RIGHT. 
          WE'RE JUST NOT SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING. 
          SO THAT RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON I WANTED TO KINDA GET THROW THIS UPDATE IN HERE TODAY, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAD A CALL FROM SOMEONE OUT THERE IN THE FARMS, POSF YESTERDAY, AND, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE YOU AT? YOU KNOW? YEAH. 
          SO, NOTHING TO HIDE. 
          WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN. 
          AND, AND I THINK WE'RE MOVING ALONG AND, AND DOING PRETTY GOOD. 
          UM, AND STAYING ON BUDGET. 
          SO, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, ANY MORE QUESTIONS? I JUST HAVE A COMMON THANKS FOR THE UPDATE, REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NO, SO LAST, UM, IS THE OLD OAK FIVE UPDATE. 
          AND, AND THAT, AND WE REALLY BRIEFLY, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED THIS IN ONE OF OUR, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSIONS, BUT, UM, EVERYBODY I THINK IN YOUR PACKAGE HAS A LETTER FROM RACING ENGINEERING. 
          UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY A POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS TO THE COUNTY AS WELL. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IN, I'M, I'VE MENTIONED OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THAT, YOU KNOW, VDOT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROCESS HAS CHANGED. 
          UM, PLANS HAVE CHANGED AND, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE MOVED THROUGH THIS PROJECT AND GOT TO, OKAY, NOW LET'S, LET'S START PUTTING THIS ON PAPER AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. 
          THIS PROJECT. 
          UM, THE CONSTRAINTS THAT WERE FOUND DURING THE, THE ENGINEERING DESIGN OF THIS PROJECT ARE SUBSTANTIAL. 
          UM, I DID TRY TO GET MORE FUNDING FROM VDOT. 
          I WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL IN THIS REALM. 
          WE WERE SUCCESSFUL WITH O OAK FOUR, BUT, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED ME TO READ IT WORD FOR WORD, BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A HUGE, IT'S A HUGE COST. 
          UM, THE BIG THING IS, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE LIMITED BY, YOU KNOW, THE CONSTRUCTION, THE WALL CONSTRUCTION THAT WE NEEDED. 
          IF, IF WE HAD TO BUILD A RETAINING WALL, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 150 TO 200 SQUARE FEET FOR WALL CONSTRUCTION, AND THAT ITSELF WOULD BE A MILLION AND A HALF TO $2 MILLION ON TOP OF THE PROJECT. 
          SO THE LETTER FROM RACY THAT MR. BARRY HAS IS ON YOUR SLIDES. 
          MM-HMM. 
           BEGINNING OVERVIEW, FOLLOWING BY DESIGN CONSTRAINTS, AND THEN UPDATED BUDGET INFORMATION AND RACY RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THOSE ARE THE FOUR SECTIONS OF THE LETTER. 
          I THINK YOU GAVE 'EM A LETTER TO. 
          DIDN'T THAT OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, THEY DON'T HAVE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT WALL, UH, I MEAN, AND, AND IF YOU, AND THEN, AND JUST IF YOU GO TO THE RECOMMENDATION, UM, YOU KNOW, KNOW THE RACY RECOMMENDATION IS, YOU KNOW, HEY, THE, THE ADDED COST OF THIS PROJECT, A MILLION $105,000 IS WHAT OUR INITIAL, WHEN WE STARTED THIS THING, I GUESS IN 2018, THAT WAS THE BEAT OUT APPROVED BUDGET. 
          SO THE WALLET ITSELF WOULD COST MORE THAN THE, THE PROJECT, UM, THAT, THAT'S CURRENTLY APPROVED. 
          AND I DON'T SEE, I, I DON'T SEE, I MEAN, I RAISED, I MEAN, I WAS LOOKING AT INFLATION AND WHAT I SAW AND, AND WHEN I WAS APPLYING FOR MONEY, AND I WAS LOOKING AT MORE CLOSE TO A 2 MILLION PLUS DOLLARS PROJECT WITHOUT BUILDING A WALL. 
          SO AT MINIMUM, 
          [01:00:01]
YOU'RE LOOKING AT $3 MILLION FOR A HALF MILE ROAD THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE YOU TO BUY MORE RIGHT OF WAY AND BUILD A GIANT WALL. 
          AND I, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S REASONABLE. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, THE ENGINEERS, UM, THEY RECOMMEND UTILIZING A RURAL RUSTIC STYLE ROAD, UM, AND DOING IT INTERNALLY IN THE FARMS. AND, AND I, I AGREE WITH THAT. 
          I, I, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD USE THAT FUNDING TO DO IT INTERNALLY. 
          UM, THERE IS SOME, UM, DRAINAGE, UM, CONCERNS THERE THAT WE HAD ADDRESSED. 
          I WOULD STILL, YOU KNOW, I, THE, THE ENGINEER IS STILL GOOD TO HAVE, UM, THAT INFORMATION. 
          I THINK WE CAN DO SOMETHING INTERNALLY, UM, IMPROVE THAT LOCATION AND, AND WE CAN SAVE SOME MONEY FOR THE COUNTY. 
          AND THE, THE ONLY DOWNFALL TO THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT HALF MILE ROW VDOT WOULD MAINTAIN FOREVER IF YOU TURNED IT OVER TO VDOT. 
          BUT I MEAN, WITH, YOU KNOW, $3 MILLION, YOU CAN DO A WHOLE LOT OF MAINTENANCE. 
          UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO DO SOME IMPROVEMENTS THERE, BUT WE USE OUR, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, AND I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME NOW, I THINK I HAVE ABOUT $200,000 CURRENTLY IN ROAD IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BUDGET. 
          UM, AND WE HAVE DEDICATED FUNDING SET ASIDE. 
          I, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS INTERNALLY AND, UM, AND, AND GO AHEAD AND, YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS, WE'VE ALREADY SPOKE, THE VDOT ALREADY REVIEWED, YOU KNOW, THE INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THIS A VDOT ROAD, IT'S GOING TO BE EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          SO DO, DO YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES OF WHERE THESE CONSTRAINTS ARE? I CAN, I CAN GET YOU SOME. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY IN THE SLIDESHOW RIGHT NOW. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, I MEAN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE A RIDE, WE CAN TAKE A RIDE DOWN THERE THIS WEEK AND I CAN SHOW YOU. 
          RIGHT. 
          I, I'D LIKE TO DO THAT BECAUSE I'M KIND OF, I, I'M JUST, I'M TRYING TO PICTURE THIS, WHERE THEY'RE COMING ALONG AND THEY'RE SAYING, WELL, THE, THESE CONSTRAINTS ARE GONNA PUT THIS WAY OUTTA BUDGET. 
          HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON WESTERN LANE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I, I'M SURE THAT I'VE BEEN OVER THERE BEFORE. 
          IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A RIDE, I MEAN, I'LL BE GLAD TO PUT YOU IN THE COUNTY TAHOE AND WE CAN BOUNCE UP THROUGH THERE. 
          BECAUSE I'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THROUGH THOSE AREAS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I, AND I JUST CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING THAT, UH, THAT COMES TO MIND. 
          RIGHT. 
          I'M, YEAH, I'M NOT DOUBTING WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. 
          I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, WELL, WHERE WOULD THIS BE? SO THE GRADE, THE ROAD CURRENTLY SETS, LIKE IF THIS DESK IS, THE ROAD ADDS IN THE CREEK AND ON THIS SIDE IT GOES TO THE CEILING, IT'S YEP. 
          UNDER THE ROAD. 
          SO YOU, YOU HAVE, YOU CAN'T GO INTO THE CREEK WITH YOUR ROAD BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MEET, WELL, A LOT OF OUR, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THIS ESTIMATE, UM, WE HAD ABOUT A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, PROJECTED. 
          UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S CHANGES, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR CREDITS THAT YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE AND, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND REVIEW AND WETLANDS DELINEATION, AND YET LOOKING AT A MINIMUM HALF MILLION DOLLARS, YOU KNOW. 
          SO ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME OF THE GAME CHANGES WHEN YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DOING IT INTERNAL, IT'S NOT A, A VDOT PROJECT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET INTO THE STATE AND FEDERAL DOLLARS, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE ATTACHED. 
          YEAH. 
          I, I LIKE TO SEE THAT. 
          I CAN, I CAN, YOU KNOW, JUST MENTALLY, UH, UH, PICTURE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING BECAUSE I'VE, I'VE BEEN ON SOME OF THOSE ROADS WHERE YOU TURN THE CORNER AND YOU'RE ALMOST SITTING IN THE CREEK AND YOU'RE LOOKING UP AT, UH, AT A BANK THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE YOU. 
          WELL, THIS ONE'S HIGHER THAN THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE TREE ROOTS. 
          YEAH. 
          YOU CAN SEE SOME HOUSES SITTING UP THERE, UM, ON TOP, BUT THEY'RE A LOT HIGHER THAN 10 OR 15 FEET. 
          OKAY. 
          SO FOR THE, UH, FOR THE 200,000 OR SO THAT YOU SAID YOU ALREADY HAD IN FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS YEAH. 
          WOULD THAT MORE OR LESS COVER THE HALF A MILE FOR LIKE A RUSTIC STYLE TAR AND CHIP TYPE? I THINK, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD COVER IT TOTAL, NO, SIR. 
          BECAUSE WE WOULD WANT TO, I MEAN, YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR CONTRACTOR IN THERE. 
          I WOULD SAY YOU WOULD WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GRADE IT RIGHT. 
          BASE IT RIGHT. 
          GET THE STONE IN THERE. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I WOULD, I WOULD LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PROBABLY GONNA COVER YOUR, PROBABLY YOUR ASPHALT. 
          UM, YOU'LL PROBABLY, WE HAVE STONE BUDGET AS WELL. 
          I WOULD HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND, YOU KNOW, AND BREAK THE BUDGET DOWN. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, AND YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT 200 WOULD PROBABLY COVER A LOT OF THE PROJECT. 
          IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE ENGINEER'S RECOMMENDATION ON THE PIPE. 
          BUT IF WE COULD PUT PIPE BACK IN, LIKE KIND, IT WOULD BE A LOT CHEAPER THAN ANOTHER BOX CULVERT. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO TRANSFER OR DO A BALANCED TRANSFER BOARD. 
          I WOULD, I NEED, UH, TO MOVE, YOU KNOW, 150 GRAND OR WHATEVER IT WOULD BE TO COMPLETE THIS HALF MILE SECTION OF ROAD. 
          UM, AND YOU WOULD BE WELL UNDER THE THREE PLUS MILLION DOLLARS. 
          SO JUST TO, TO ADD TO THAT 
          [01:05:01]
FOR A SECOND, THE, THE FUNDING IS IN THE SHENANDOAH FARMS ACCOUNT. 
          THE 1 1 0 5 IN HERE WAS TO BE 50% VDOT, APPROXIMATELY HALF A MILLION, A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          AND IT WAS TO BE 25% SHENANDOAH FARMS, 25% COUNTY GENERAL FUND. 
          IF YOU ADD 2 MILLION TO THE PROJECT AND DO A $3 MILLION PROJECT, THAT 2 MILLION COMES FROM, SHE DO FARMS. 'CAUSE V DOT'S NOT PUTTING ANY MORE MONEY IN THERE AT THIS TIME. 
          IF YOU DO THE RURAL RUSTIC, THEN WE CANCEL THE VDOT PROJECT. 
          VDOT HAS, THEY SAVE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THIS PROJECT. 
          THE COUNTY SAVES THE 250,000 AND THE 250,000 THAT IS IN THE FARM'S BUDGET, PLUS THE 200,000 THAT MR. BARRY HAS AVAILABLE IN HIS CURRENT BUDGET ARE BOTH AVAILABLE FOR THE PROJECT, WHICH WILL, AS HE WAS, IT'LL BE CLOSE WITH 200, WITH FOUR 50. 
          HE'S GONNA HAVE LOTS OF FUNDING THAT REMAINING. 
          OKAY. 
          THANKS. 
          THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THE PROCESS IS EASY. 
          THE PROCESS IS SIMPLY, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY DOESN'T WANNA DO IT. 
          THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR DRAFTS A LETTER OFFICIALLY TELLS VDOT. 
          I MEAN, THEY, THEY'VE SEEN THE LETTER, BUT YOU OFFICIALLY DRAFT A LETTER AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THIS. 
          IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. 
          DOES THE BOARD NEED TO APPROVE IT? WELL, THAT'S YOUR CALL. 
          UM, WE CAN PUT IT ON AN AGENDA IF YOU WANT TO OFFICIALLY APPROVE IT, UM, HOWEVER YOU WANNA DO IT, WE'LL REMIND YOU OF THIS AND MAYBE JUST ASK THE QUESTION AGAINST NEXT TUESDAY. 
          THAT'LL GIVE YOU A WEEK SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN DRIVE OUT THERE AND GO UP THE CLIFF AND SO FORTH. 
          AND LOOK, AND IF ANYBODY THEN WANTS, THEN WE'LL WAIT UNTIL MAY TO HAVE A FORMAL BOARD ACTION WITHOUT THAT AFTER NEXT WEEK. 
          AND WE WILL JUST GO AHEAD AND DO IT. 
          SO I'VE DRIVEN SOME OF THOSE AT NIGHT AND I, AND, AND, AND I JUST REMEMBER COMING DOWN THE, THE HILL THERE. 
          AND, UH, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE, THE, THAT THE LIGHTS ARE SHINING AND, AND STUFF, YOU ALMOST LOSE A VIS VISIBILITY OF THE ROAD AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BINGO, THERE'S A CREEK AND YOU GO, OH MY GOODNESS. 
          YOU KNOW, I RIGHT. 
          FEEL LIKE YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA GO RIGHT IN THE CREEK AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU, YOU JUST GO SLOW THROUGH THERE. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK THIS ONE WAS BUILT IN A CREEK BED. 
          YEAH. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          YEP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD JOB. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND NEXT 
          [E. Discussion - 2024-2025 UnitedHealthcare Insurance Renewal - Jane Meadows, Deputy County Administrator , Kayla Darr, Human Resources Manager]
ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION OF THE 20 24, 20 25 UNITED HEALTHCARE INSURANCE RENEWAL. 
          UM, MS. MEADOWS AND MS. DAR SOCIAL SERVICES ASKED US TO TAKE A REALLY LONG TIME, BUT NO, I'M KIDDING. 
          SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIT OF A HISTORY LESSON ABOUT OUR BENEFITS AS WELL. 
          UM, SO YOU SHOULD HAVE TWO PAGES. 
          THE FIRST PAGE LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THEN THE SECOND PAGE LIKE THIS. 
          SO THE HISTORY LESSON IS PAGE NUMBER ONE. 
          UM, SO WE USED TO BE A PART OF THE LOCAL CHOICE, WHICH IS BASICALLY A POOL OF DIFFERENT LOCALITIES THAT HAVE, UM, A BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD PLAN. 
          SO IN 2021, WHILE WE WERE UNDER, UM, THE LOCAL CHOICE, WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED A DISCOUNT IN OUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS OF 2%. 
          SO THE COUNTY ABSORBED THAT DISCOUNT AND NONE OF IT WENT TO THE EMPLOYEE'S CONTRIBUTION. 
          SO THEN THE FOLLOWING YEAR WHEN WE GOT OUR PREMIUMS, CAN YOU RUN THAT BY ME AGAIN? DO WHAT? SO IN 2021 OR FISCAL YEAR 21, UM, THE INSURANCE PREMIUMS WENT DOWN. 
          UM, AND SO IT WENT DOWN 2%. 
          SO THE COUNTY ABSORBED THAT DECREASE, SO THEY KEPT IT, IT DIDN'T GET PASSED ON TO THE EMPLOYEE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THEIR RATES STAYED THE SAME. 
          [01:10:01]
UM, IN 2022 WHEN WE RECEIVED THE PREMIUM INCREASE, AND I MAY BE OFF ON THE NUMBER, CHERYL, YOU MAY REMEMBER THIS, I BELIEVE THEY CAME BACK WITH A 20% INCREASE FOR THE COUNTY. 
          AND AT THAT POINT WE WERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH VALLEY HEALTH AND BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD WORKING OUT AN AGREEMENT. 
          SO WE WENT OUT TO BID AND AT THAT POINT, UNITED CAME BACK AND IT WAS A 16% DECREASE FROM WHERE WE WERE CURRENTLY AT WITH OUR INSURANCE PLANS. 
          SO, SO THEN YOU, YOU WENT FROM 2% AND THEN ANOTHER 16%? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO AT THAT POINT, WE WENT AHEAD AND SWITCHED FROM THE LOCAL CHOICE TO UNITED HEALTHCARE FOR FY 22. 
          SO IN FY 23 WHEN WE HAD THE INCREASE, THE COUNTY ABSORBED THE INCREASE BECAUSE WE'RE BASICALLY EATING THROUGH THE SAVINGS THAT WE HAD SAVED. 
          AND THEN LA HOW, HOW MUCH OF AN INCREASE IT WAS A LITTLE OVER 11% INCREASE. 
          AND THEN LAST YEAR IT WAS A SEVEN POINT, I WANNA SAY 6% INCREASE. 
          SO WHAT THAT DID WAS WE USED THE REMAINING FOUR POINT, I THINK IT WAS 4.3%, UM, FROM THE SAVINGS, ATE THROUGH THAT AND THEN PAID THE REST. 
          SO WE DIDN'T PASS ON THAT COST TO OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          SO FOR FY 25, THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE ARE ASKING FOR THE BOARD TO BASICALLY ABSORB THE COST. 
          SO WHEN WE GOT THE INITIAL QUOTE FOR FY 25, I BELIEVE I MENTIONED THAT IT WAS A 14.8% INCREASE. 
          WE WENT BACK AND FORTH, UM, WITH UNITED SEVERAL TIMES, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET IT DOWN TO A 7.71% INCREASE. 
          AND THEY'RE ALSO GIVING US A $40,000 HOLIDAY, BASICALLY A REBATE ON OUR JULY PREMIUM. 
          SO IT'S GOING TO BE A $269,000 INCREASE FROM THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO FY 25. 
          THE HARD PART IS TIMING. 
          SO OUR INSURANCE PLANS RUN JULY 1ST TO JUNE 30TH, THEREFORE OPEN ENROLLMENT IS IN MAY. 
          SO BEFORE YOU APPROVE A BUDGET, YOU'RE HAVING TO BASICALLY MAKE A CALL REGARDING THE FUNDING FOR OUR INSURANCE, UM, CONTRIBUTION. 
          HOW MANY POLICY HOLDERS DO YOU HAVE? WE HAVE 283 INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS. 
          UM, NOT INCLUDING, SO IF A FAMILY PLAN WOULD HAVE ADDITIONAL ONES, BUT 283 EMPLOYEES OR RETIREES. 
          AND WE ALSO, UM, PROVIDE INSURANCE PLAN THROUGH OUR PLAN TO, UM, THE LIBRARY AND ALSO SKYLAND REGIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMY. 
          SO THEY FUND IT ON THEIR SIDE. 
          WE BASICALLY PASS THE COST THROUGH TO THEM. 
          AND SO, AND AND YOU SAID IT WAS A $369,000 INCREASE? 269,269,000. 
          AND YOU SAID IT WAS HOW MANY? 268. 
          283. 
          283. 
          OKAY. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, SO ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY FIERCELY TO SEE WHERE THEY CAN BASICALLY SAVE MONEY IN THEIR BUDGETS. 
          UM, WE ARE ALL REALLY TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO IN ORDER TO BASICALLY PREVENT HAVING TO PASS ANY OF THE COSTS ON TO OUR EMPLOYEES IS IMPORTANT TO US. 
          UM, WE DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE REMAIN COMPETITIVE. 
          I KNOW THAT A LOT OF TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DIFFERENT BUDGET HEARINGS, YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT SALARY, UM, BENEFITS AS PART OF TOTAL COMPENSATION. 
          IF YOU RECEIVE A SALARY INCREASE, BUT THEN YOUR BENEFITS GO UP, YOU START TO FEEL LIKE YOU'RE TAKING HOME THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR EMPLOYEES SEE THAT WE ARE VALUING THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES BY ABSORBING THAT COST. 
          UM, ANY QUESTIONS ON KIND OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE INSURANCE INCREASE? TALK ABOUT THE CHART. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO WE LOOK AT THIS CHART THAT YOU'VE GOT HERE. 
          YOU SEE IN THE FIRST COLUMN, THE 1000 UP AT THE TOP MM-HMM. 
          THAT'S 1000 FOR THE YEAR. 
          A THOUSAND DOLLARS DEDUCTIBLE FOR THE YEAR. 
          YES. 
          AND THE OTHER ONE HAS TWO 50. 
          THAT'S TWO 50, CORRECT. 
          SO IN THE BLUE, YOU'RE IN THE BLUE SECTION. 
          CLEAR UP THE TOP, HE SAID PIECE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, YEAH, YOU WANNA WALK THROUGH, SO MM-HMM. 
          YOU CAN SEE THIS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND YOU SEE THE COUNTY PREMIUM, YOU CAN SEE EACH YEAR WHAT THE COUNTY SHARE OF THE PREMIUM HAS BEEN. 
          THEN YOU SEE THE EMPLOYEE PREMIUM. 
          YOU CAN SEE EACH YEAR WHAT THE EMPLOYEE PREMIUM HAS BEEN BY THE DIFFERENT CATEGORY, EITHER FAMILY, EMPLOYEE AND SPOUSE, OR EMPLOYEE AND CHILD, OR JUST THE INDIVIDUAL. 
          AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE SAME THEN TOTAL IS OVER THERE ON THE RIGHT, THESE ANNUALS OR MONTHLY? MONTHLY. 
          [01:15:01]
AND I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT WITH THE LOCAL CHOICE, IT WAS A BUNDLED PLAN. 
          SO MEDICAL, DENTAL, AND VISION WE'RE ALL TOGETHER WITH UNITED HEALTHCARE. 
          THEY'RE NOT THEREFORE THE UNITED HEALTHCARE COSTS. 
          THESE ARE STRICTLY MEDICAL. 
          UM, FOR DENTAL AND VISION. 
          THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS FUNDED BY OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          SO THEY ARE PAYING IN ADDITION TO THESE RATES. 
          DID, DID WE LOOK AT WHAT, UM, GOING BACK TO, UM, THE GROUP? MM-HMM. 
           THE LOCAL CHOICE. 
          LOCAL CHOICE. 
          SO FOR FY 26, WE WILL BE GOING OUT TO BID. 
          UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD AN INCREASED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PROBABLY IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. 
          UM, WHO WITHIN THE LOCAL CHOICE, BASICALLY YOU COULD HAVE COVERAGE FOR EVERYTHING. 
          THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY BASICALLY SAID NO TO. 
          WITH OUR CURRENT COVERAGE, UM, IT'S CALLED A BARIATRIC RIDER. 
          SO ANYTHING THAT'S RELATED TO WEIGHT LOSS, WHETHER IT'S A MEDICATION OR SURGERY OR ANY PROCEDURE IS NOT COVERED, UM, IN ORDER TO ADD THAT RIDER, IT WOULD BE A 10% INCREASE TO THE TOTAL COST OF THE PLAN. 
          UM, SO WE HAVE OPTED NOT TO INCREASE THAT AN ADDITIONAL 10%. 
          UM, WITH THE INCREASE IN MEDICATIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR WEIGHT LOSS, MORE AND MORE PHYSICIANS ARE PRESCRIBING THEM SIMPLY BECAUSE IF THEY CAN HELP TO PREVENT SOMEONE FROM BECOMING PRE-DIABETIC OR HAVING ANY SORT OF CARDIAC ISSUES, THEY'D RATHER DEAL WITH IT EARLY ON. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, HOWEVER, SINCE IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER OUR PLAN, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS. 
          UM, AND IT'S REALLY SPIKED PROBABLY IN THE LAST SIX TO NINE MONTHS AS MORE OF THE, UM, MEDICATIONS HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE FDA. 
          SO WE DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GO OUT TO BID IN ORDER TO DO A TRUE COMPARISON FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          AND ALSO WE WILL HAVE BEEN WITH, UM, UNITED HEALTHCARE FOR FOUR YEARS. 
          SO THE EXPERIENCE RATING IS THERE AND WE'RE ACTUALLY TRENDING AT A 10.9% INCREASE. 
          SO WHAT THEY DISCOUNTED TO GIVE US THIS YEAR IS BASICALLY, UH, ACTING GOOD FAITH THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO STICK WITH THEM. 
          THEY STARTED AT 14 EIGHT, AND THEN THEY MM-HMM. 
           EVENTUALLY GOT DOWN TO SEVEN MM-HMM. 
          . 
          YES. 
          WELL, I KNOW WHEN WE FIRST WENT TO THIS, I HAD QUITE A FEW, UH, EMPLOYEES COME AND SAY MY PIECE, YOU KNOW, PRIMARY CARES NOT PARTICIPATING OR TESTS THEY NEEDED TO HAVE DONE. 
          RIGHT. 
          THE FACILITY DOING THE TESTS WEREN'T PARTICIPATING. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , WHICH WAS A CONCERN TO ME. 
          RIGHT, BECAUSE THAT, THAT INCREASES YOUR OUT OF POCKET. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, WELL, AND IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE. 
          SO IF NEXT YEAR WHEN WE DO GO OUT TO BID, WE WERE TO CHANGE, SO THE PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE RAN INTO IS FOR PRE-AUTHORIZATIONS. 
          UM, SO ANYTIME YOU SWITCH PLANS, YOU START OVER. 
          SO EVEN IF WE GO STRAIGHT BACK TO, UM, THE LOCAL CHOICE, EVERYBODY WILL HAVE TO GET THOSE PRE-AUTHORIZATIONS AGAIN. 
          UM, I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT IF THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE IS ON TOP OF IT AND WILLING TO PUT IN THE LEGWORK, IT'S GREAT. 
          IF THEY'RE NOT, THEY'LL TELL THE EMPLOYEE, SORRY, UM, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY. 
          WE'RE NOT GOING TO. 
          SO A LOT OF LIKE CONVERSATIONS, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, JUST TELL THEM THAT THEY NEED AN AUTHORIZATION FOR IT. 
          AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS WHAT IT WAS. 
          SO THEY WERE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THAT. 
          BUT IT IS A CHALLENGE. 
          UM, AND YEAH, I, INSURANCE IS NEVER EASY. 
          NO. 
          YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE. 
          YES. 
          AND WHETHER THEY SAY IT NEEDS PRE-AUTHORIZATION CALL, BECAUSE ONCE BURNED IT'S . 
          IT'S EXPENSIVE. 
          YEAH. 
          YES, INDEED. 
          SO THE SECOND PAGE THAT YOU ALL HAVE IS A SIDE, SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON FOR ALL OF OUR OTHER LOCALITY OR ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORING LOCALITIES. 
          I DO WANNA POINT OUT ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, I HAVE THE TYPE OF PLAN. 
          SO WE ARE IN HEALTHCARE. 
          UM, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THAT FREDERICK COUNTY AND FOLKIER ARE BOTH IN ANTHEM AND THEN, AND ANTHEM IS A BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD PROGRAM. 
          SO ED AND I WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT WHY WOULD THEY GO TO A FULLY INSURED PLAN RATHER THAN, UM, BEING PART OF THE LOCAL CHOICE BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE LOCALITY, IT'S PROBABLY CHEAPER FOR THEM TO DO A FULLY INSURED PLAN RATHER THAN BEING PART OF A POOL. 
          THE POOL REALLY BENEFITS SMALLER LOCALITIES WHO NEED A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE RISK. 
          UM, SO SHENANDOAH COUNTY, THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN AETNA, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF SWITCHING BACK TO THE LOCAL CHOICE. 
          UM, BECAUSE WHEN THEY WENT OUT TO BED THIS YEAR, THEY REALIZED THAT THEIR RATES WILL ACTUALLY GO DOWN WHEN THEY'RE WITH THE LOCAL CHOICE. 
          AND THEN ALL OF THE OTHER NEIGHBORING LOCALITIES ARE CURRENTLY WITH THE LOCAL CHOICE AND THEY HAVE A VARIETY OF PLANS. 
          SO I DO HAVE THE SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON BASED OFF OF EACH PLAN. 
          AND THEN, UM, THE TIER WITHIN THE PLAN AND THE BREAKDOWN 
          [01:20:01]
OF HOW MUCH IS CONTRIBUTED BY THE LOCALITY AND HOW MUCH IS, UM, BY THE EMPLOYEE. 
          AND I DO WANNA REEMPHASIZE THAT THE WARREN COUNTY RATES DO NOT INCLUDE DENTAL AND VISION. 
          ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ASK? I HAVE A COUPLE OF THEM. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , UH, SO FIRST OF ALL, LOOKING AT THE FIRST SPREADSHEET MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO STARTING IN FISCAL YEAR 22, THE, UM, COUNTY EMPLOYEES. 
          NOW THIS DOES THIS ALSO INCLUDE THE LIBRARY EMPLOYEES AND THE EMPLOYEES FROM RSW. 
          THEY ARE ABLE TO SET THEIR OWN RATES. 
          WE SIMPLY BILL THEM FOR THE MONTHLY COST. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE, UM, SO THEY'RE NOT PART OF, PART OF THIS PROGRAM? NO. 
          OKAY. 
          BASICALLY THEY'RE ABLE TO PULL INTO OUR NUMBERS. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT THE RATES ARE THEIR OWN. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IN THE PAST 1, 2, 3 YEARS, THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES INSURANCE PREMIUM HAVE NOT INCREASED? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE WERE, THE COUNTY IS ABSORBING THE INCREASES OF THESE, AND I SHOULDN'T SAY THE COUNTY, THE GENERAL FUND. 
          SO WE IS BUDGETED FOR THIS. 
          WE ACTUALLY WERE EATING THROUGH THE SAVINGS THAT WE REALIZED FROM SWITCHING PLANS. 
          SO WHEN WEI WHEN WE USE UP ALL OF THE SAVINGS, THEN THEY GO BACK TO BE INCREASING THEIR PREMIUMS. IT, IT'S TRULY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IS THERE A POLICY, DO WE HAVE WRITTEN ANYWHERE SAYING WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE? NO. 
          NOT EVEN IN THE NEW EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK? NO, BECAUSE FINANCES CAN MAKE THINGS CHANGE VERY FREQUENTLY. 
          SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT EVERY YEAR THE BOARD WOULD HAVE TO VOTE ON HOW WE ADOPT THE BENEFITS PAYMENT. 
          SO. 
          OKAY. 
          DR. 
          DALEY, YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING? JUST DO THE RECORD JUST A SECOND. 
          SO WE ARE AT THAT POINT WE, THE SAVINGS WE FINISHED THIS YEAR WHERE WE'RE AT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE RATES TOTAL PREMIUM FOR FAMILY IN 21, IT WAS $1,839. 
          AND IT HAS BEEN BELOW THAT. 
          IT WENT DOWN TO 16 AND THEN UP TO 1819. 
          AND THEN THIS YEAR IT'S 1961. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT EACH OF THE CATEGORIES, JUST COMPARING 2124, WE ARE AT THAT POINT WHERE WE HAVE EATEN OUR MM-HMM. 
           WE'RE AT THAT POINT. 
          SO IF WE'RE AT THAT POINT, I'M LOOKING AT FISCAL YEAR 25 AND THE EMPLOYEE PREMIUMS HAVE AN INCREASED, THAT'S MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO KEEP THE PREMIUMS THE SAME. 
          YES. 
          TO CONTINUE. 
          EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE USED DE ALL OUR SAVINGS YES. 
          FROM PRIOR YEARS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY. 
          CORRECT. 
          DO OTHER COUNTIES HAVE THE SAME SIMILAR PROGRAM? EVERY COUNTY DOES THE SAME BASIC PROCESS. 
          UM, SO AS WE WENT THROUGH TO GET THE RATES, UM, WE WERE ALSO ASKING, WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR 25? UM, SO SOME OF THEM ARE LIKE, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS, OTHERS ARE LIKE, WE'RE KEEPING EVERYTHING FLAT. 
          UM, AND THEN ONES WHO ARE CHANGING THEIR RATES ARE OF COURSE GONNA CHANGE IF THEY'RE SWITCHING PROGRAMS. SO IF I'M LOOKING AT THE DOLLAR, I'M LOOKING AT THE MM-HMM. 
           THE COVER SHEET HERE. 
          SO THE ESTIMATED INCREASE IN THE ANNUAL COST IS $282,799. 
          SO THAT'S THE TOTAL COST THAT THE GENERAL FUND WILL BE ABSORBING. 
          THE ADDITIONAL COST FROM FY 24 TO 25 WILL BE JUST UNDER 269,269,000. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THEN IT DOES SAY, I SAW SOME LANGUAGE HERE THAT, OH, HERE WE GO. 
          IT SAYS THAT THE EXACT COSTS WILL VARY DUE TO THE EXACT NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO THAT NUMBER THAT YOU JUST QUOTED ME, IS THAT THE HIGH END OR IS THAT A LOW END OR IS THAT A MEDIUM? IT'S BASED OFF OF OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT. 
          UM, WE, EVERY TIME WE HAVE OPEN ENROLLMENT BASED OFF OF RATES, PEOPLE COMPARE THEIR RATES TO THEIR SPOUSE'S RATES. 
          IT'S CONSIDERED, UH, OPEN ENROLLMENT. 
          SO THEY'RE ABLE TO SWITCH PLANS. 
          UM, SO IF OUR RATES GO UP, WE'LL SWITCH TO THEIR SPOUSES DEPENDING ON HOW IT IS. 
          UM, WHERE WE CAN RUN INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SLOPE WITH THAT IS IF WE LOSE PEOPLE OFF OF OUR PLAN, WE CAN THEN HAVE OUR RATINGS GO UP. 
          BECAUSE THE BAD THING IS OUR FAMILY PLANS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE, AND YET THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY BRING YOUR AGE AVERAGE DOWN, WHICH IS WHAT CONTROLS YOUR COST. 
          SO IT'S A BALANCE, A FINE LINE TO BALANCE. 
          UM, YOUR RATES WILL GO UP AS YOUR AGES GO UP 
          [01:25:01]
'CAUSE YOU HAVE MORE HIGH BASICALLY EXPENSES WITH CANCERS. 
          HEART ATTACKS CAN, CAN, OH, CAN CAN, UH, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS PROGRAM. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO, SO SINCE FISCAL YEAR 22, THE PREMI EMPLOYEE PREMIUMS HAVE NOT INCREASED BECAUSE WE'VE ABSORBED MM-HMM. 
           OVERAGES. 
          RIGHT. 
          I UNDERSTAND ALL OF THAT. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          AND NOW WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW GOING INTO FISCAL YEAR 25 THAT WE HAVE ABSORBED THE, UM, THE, THE COVER, UH, THE OVERAGES THAT WE DIDN'T PASS BACK TO THE EMPLOYEE. 
          CORRECT. 
          UM, SO WE'RE STILL, THEY'RE STILL CONTINUING TO GET COST OF LIVING RAISES THOUGH, RIGHT? THROUGH THESE YEARS THAT WE'VE, THEY HAVE RECEIVED THAT THEY'VE HAD A FLAT PREMIUM MM-HMM. 
          , IS THAT CORRECT? YES. 
          SO HAVE WE EVER DID THE NUMBERS OF, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THE COST OF LIVING IS VERSUS WHAT THE INCREASE WOULD'VE BEEN IF IT CAME OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND TO PAY FOR IT? DO YOU MEAN ARE, I GUESS, LET ME REPHRASE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, SO ARE YOU SAYING IF WE DO A 5% INCREASE OF COST OF LIVING, SHOULD WE DO THE SAME THING TO THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE? WELL, NO. 
          JUST TO DO. 
          NO. 
          IF, IF THE COST OF LIVING WENT UP. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , IF THE RAISE, LET'S JUST THROW A NUMBER OUT. 
          MM-HMM. 
           5%. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          HAVE WE EVER DONE THE MATH TO SEE WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN THE INCREASE OF THE EMPLOYEE PREMIUM IF WE HAD NOT FROZEN IT FROM THE PRIOR YEAR? WE HAVE NOT BECAUSE WE ARE STILL BELOW INFLATION. 
          SO WE HAVE NOT KEPT UP WITH INFLATION. 
          SO WE HAVE NOT PASSED IT FORWARD. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , I CAN TELL YOU HISTORICALLY FOR MY INSURANCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN UNDER MY HUSBAND, UNDER THE STATE. 
          MM-HMM. 
           AND WHATEVER COLA HE GOT OFFSET THE INSURANCE ONE, IF YOU GOT 5% COLA, THE INSURANCE WENT UP AT LEAST THAT YOU, HE NEVER SAW AN INCREASE IN PAY. 
          MM-HMM. 
           BECAUSE OF THE INSURANCE ATE IT UP. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HOPING TO AVOID. 
          SO, SO IF YOU'RE, IF A LOT OF THIS IS BASED ON THE POOL MM-HMM. 
          , IS THERE ANY WAY TO TO TO WORK WITH SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTIES LOCALITIES AND SEE IF YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, UH, SAY LIKE GET, GET WITH PAGE COUNTY OR  COUNTY AND SAY, HEY, CAN WE, CAN WE GROUP TOGETHER THIS WAY BECAUSE THAT WAY Y'ALL CAN, SO THEY'RE IN THE POOL AND WE JUMPED OUT OF THE POOL BECAUSE THE POOL WAS LIKE, HEY, YOU ARE COSTING US TOO MUCH MONEY, SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY A LOT MORE. 
          SO WE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE DON'T WANNA PLAY IN YOUR POOL. 
          WE'RE GONNA GO OVER HERE. 
          AND NOW WE'RE LIKE, OKAY, ARE WE ABLE TO GET BACK IN THE POOL AND WE'RE NOT SURE HOW MUCH IT'LL COST FOR US TO GET BACK IN THE POOL. 
          IT COULD BE CHEAPER TO STAY OUT OR BASED ON, AND THE HARD PART IS THEY LOOK AT OUR EXPERIENCE RATING. 
          WE HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF HIGH DOLLAR, UM, CLAIMS FOR OUR COUNTY. 
          UM, JUST BECAUSE OF, WE HAVE A VERY AGING WORKFORCE. 
          WE HAVE LAW ENFORCEMENT, WE HAVE FIRE AND RESCUE, UM, WHICH CREATES HIGH RISK FOR CARDIAC AND CANCER. 
          UM, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE NOT EXACTLY AN ATTRACTIVE EMPLOYER, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO LOWERING CLAIMS. SO FOR 26, OUR PLAN IS TO BASICALLY SEE WHAT WE CAN DO REGARDING GETTING BACK IN THAT BOWL. 
          OKAY. 
          DR. 
          DALEY, YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING? SO WHEN WE LOOKED BACK HERE AT 21 AND WE HAD THE INCREASES COMING FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, UH, WHEN WE WENT ENDED UP BIDDING AND GOING WITH UNITED, WE ATTEMPTED WITH, UH, THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL AND SEVERAL OTHER LOCALITIES TO FORM OUR OWN POOL. 
          WHAT I BELIEVE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT MR. BUTLER. 
          AND, UH, THE PROBLEM WITH IT WHEN WE GET DOWN TO IT WAS THAT THE RATES WERE GOING TO BE, UH, HIGHER THAN WHAT THEY WERE IF WE BIDED OURSELVES. 
          OKAY. 
          AND SO WE FELT THAT WE GOT A BETTER PRICE AND NO ONE LOCALLY JOINED THE POOL. 
          THEY ARE STILL, UM, TRYING TO CREATE A POOL IN VIRGINIA AND MAKE THOSE OFFERS EACH YEAR. 
          BUT THEY HAVE NOT, UH, NOBODY WANTS TO JUMP IN UNTIL THEY KNOW WHO ELSE IS GONNA JUMP AND NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO PROMISE TO JUMP. 
          AND THEY NEED A LARGE ENOUGH BASE IN THE POOL TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THEIR RATES. 
          OTHERWISE, IF, IF I JUMP IN THE POOL AND I'M ONLY ONE, THEN I'M GONNA BE PAYING VERY HIGH RATES. 
          AND WE LOOKED AT 
          [01:30:01]
IT ALSO INCLUDE THE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM LOOKED AT THIS WITH US AND THERE WERE A SERIES, BUT THE RATES DID NOT, UH, MATCH WHAT WE COULD DO OURSELVES. 
          OKAY. 
          IT'S A SHAME WE CAN'T JUMP IN THE POOL WITH THE VIRGINIA, UM, STATE. 
          THEY'RE SELF-INSURED. 
          THEY JUST PAY ANTHEM TO ADMINISTRATE. 
          THAT WOULD MAKE A HUGE POOL IF THEY TOOK ALL LOCALITIES AS WELL. 
          SO WHAT, THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THEY CREATED WITH THE LOCAL CHOICE. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, UM, THERE A TON OF LOCALITIES WHERE ONE OF A VERY SMALL GROUP THAT HAVE GONE ELSEWHERE. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING. 
          'CAUSE AGAIN, I'M READING FROM THE COVER SHEET. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO THE ESTIMATED INCREASE, IT SAYS HERE 280 2K, BUT YOU'RE SAYING NO, IT'S NOT RIGHT. 
          IT'S ABOUT 263 K BECAUSE WHAT I GAVE YOU WAS PRIOR TO ADDING IN THE $40,000 REBATE. 
          OKAY. 
          OF OH, THAT INCLUDES THE REBATE? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM'S ON THEIR OWN INSURANCE. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO THEY ARE ACTUALLY BACK WITH THE LOCAL CHOICE, I DO BELIEVE. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          BECAUSE THEY WENT AWAY AND THEN I BELIEVE THEY WENT BACK LAST YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I WAS GONNA SAY MAYBE WE CAN PULL WITH THEM, BUT THEY DON'T WANT US BECAUSE WE MADE THEIR HIGH RISK, WE SEND THEIR RATES UP, EVEN THOUGH, SO THERE'S A, A AGE GENDER SCALE THAT DRIVES. 
          SO WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF FEMALES OF CHILD REARING AGE, IT MAKES YOUR RATES GO UP BECAUSE OF THE RISK INVOLVED. 
          BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE OVER A CERTAIN AGE, IT ALSO MAKES THAT LOOK MINOR. 
          SO WE HAVE CROSSED THAT BORDER. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT, UH, TO ADD TO THE SCHOOL BOARD, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT I BELIEVE THE SCHOOL BOARD WANTS TO IMPLEMENT THE SAME PLAN FOR NEXT FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 AS WELL, WHERE THEY'RE GONNA BE PAYING SOME OF THE PREMIUM FOR THEIR STAFF. 
          THEIRS IS DIFFERENT THROUGH THE LOCAL, LOCAL CHOICE BECAUSE, SO THE RATES I PROVIDED DO NOT INCLUDE WHAT OUR EMPLOYEES PAY FOR DENTAL AND VISION. 
          SO OUR EMPLOYEES, DEPENDING ON THEIR ENROLLMENT, ARE PAYING FROM AN ADDITIONAL FIVE TO PROBABLY CLOSE TO 70 IF THEY'RE ENROLLED IN BOTH UNDER THE FAMILY DOLLARS FOR THOSE MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO THOSE RATES ACTUALLY INCREASE THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT THEY ALSO ARE PROPOSING THAT THEY ALSO WANT TO ABSORB THAT INCREASE AS WELL. 
          AND THEY, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE, UH, I DON'T THINK THEY'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST. 
          I NOT THOUSAND. 
          I THINK THEY'VE GOT IT AT 300,000. 
          ABOUT 300 K. 
          YEAH, I DO RECALL THAT NUMBER AS WELL. 
          SO, SO THAT'S THE MOST 500 K COUPLE QUESTIONS, OR MAYBE THEY'RE MM-HMM. 
          , THEY'RE JUST COMMENTS. 
          UM, ON A $60,000 BASE SALARY, A 5% RAISE WOULD BE $3,000. 
          THAT'S ABOUT TWO, THAT'S $250 A MONTH. 
          AND THE NUMBERS YOU GAVE, UH, THE, THE INCREASED COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE WOULD BE ABOUT 80, $80 A MONTH. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, SO IF THEY HAD TO BEAR THAT, THEN THEY, YOU KNOW, THE RAISE WOULD BE EFFECTIVELY LESS AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE POINTING OUT. 
          RIGHT? RIGHT. 
          UM, HAVE WE, HAVE WE CONSIDERED MAYBE SHARING IT, SPLITTING IT? ONE OF THE THINGS I, I'M, I WANNA BE A LITTLE SENSITIVE TO IS, UH, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC SECTOR AND PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , I MEAN, THE COUNTY BENEFITS ARE GREAT. 
          IT'S, IT'S A REASON TO HAVE, UM, NOT ANYMORE. 
          YOU DON'T? NO. 
          WELL, UM, IT, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PENSIONS, PENSIONS ARE GONE. 
          EMPLOYEES, WHEN THEY COME HERE, THEY'RE PAYING IN JUST LIKE A REGULAR 401K. 
          UM, THE BENEFITS OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES FROM 10 YEARS AGO MM-HMM. 
           ACTUALLY PROBABLY 15 YEARS AGO VERSUS TODAY ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. 
          UM, THE BENEFITS ARE NOT NEARLY AS ATTRACTIVE AS THEY USED TO BE. 
          HENCE THE REASON WE HAVE THE TURNOVER, IT USED TO BE ONCE YOU GOT A GOVERNMENT JOB, YOU STUCK WITH IT. 
          THAT'S CHANGED 'CAUSE OF THE BENEFITS. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WELL YOU STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS RIGHT THERE. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, YEAH, I MEAN, UH, THE, THE IDEA OF, OF BASICALLY MOST PEOPLE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND I, AND I'M ONE OF 'EM, ABSORBING THOSE COSTS YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR MAKES US SENSITIVE TO 'EM. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, IF, IF, IF PEOPLE AREN'T ABSORBING, IF THEY'RE NOT, IF THAT'S NOT HITTING THEM, ARE THEY SENSITIVE TO IT? DOES IT, DOES IT IMPACT ANYTHING IN TERMS OF IT IS. 
          SO OUR STAFF, IF YOU, WHAT SOMEONE DOES HERE, IF YOU THEN LOOK AT THE SAME SALARY IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THEY ARE NOT COMPARABLE. 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GONNA RUN INTO THE ISSUES. 
          'CAUSE THEY'RE LIKE, I WANNA GIVE BACK TO MY COMMUNITY, BUT I STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR MY FAMILY. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S WHERE, WHEN WE DO THINGS LIKE PASSING ON THE BENEFITS, THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, IF I'M HAVING TO ABSORB THE COST, EVEN THOUGH I'M GETTING PAID LESS THAN I WOULD BE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WHY WOULD I CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT? MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND IT'S A CONVERSATION 
          [01:35:01]
THAT A LOT OF OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE, ESPECIALLY THE ONES IN THE FAMILY PLANS OR THE ONES WITH THEIR CHILDREN ON THEIR PLAN. 
          'CAUSE THEY'RE LIKE, THIS IS GETTING TO BE VERY HARD TO AFFORD. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, AND IT'S, I ALSO WORKED IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR 20 YEARS AND I'M LIKE, OH, THIS IS GREAT. 
          AND THEN I ALSO LOOK AT WHAT I ACTUALLY PAID OUT OF POCKET AND I'M LIKE, OH, HMM. 
          IT'S GREAT. 
          YEAH. 
          YOU, YOU'RE IN PRIVATE SECTOR IN FAIRLY LARGE COMPANIES, RIGHT? YES. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I WAS A PRIVATE SECTOR AS SELF-EMPLOYED. 
          MM-HMM. 
           I SAW, I, I PAID LIKE, YOU KNOW. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, IT JUST, EVERY PENNY . 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, AND I, AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE SENSITIVE TO, YOU KNOW, AND THAT, AND I THINK THE REASON WE FEEL THE NEED TO FIGHT FOR IT IS BECAUSE WE WANT TO SHOW OUR EMPLOYEES THAT THEY'RE VALUED. 
          AND RIGHT NOW THEY DO NOT FEEL VALUED. 
          UM, I THINK THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE UNDERAPPRECIATED WHEN THEY LOOK AT INFLATION AND THEY KNOW, I MEAN, THEY'RE TAXPAYERS TOO. 
          THEY REALIZE, HEY, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY MORE. 
          WE ALL DO. 
          UM, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT THEY WANNA FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING COMPENSATED FOR WHAT THEY DO. 
          UM, INSTEAD OF GOING, OKAY, I CAN DRIVE TO FREDERICK COUNTY AND GET PAID SIGNIFICANTLY MORE. 
          SO THE BENEFITS REALLY DON'T MATTER. 
          I THINK THOUGH, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, THAT I, THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT THERE. 
          A LOT OF OUR STAFF IS WORKING 35 HOURS WHERE 40 HOURS IS A STANDARD WORK WEEK. 
          SO THAT FIVE HOURS A, A WEEK, AND I KNOW PEOPLE, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM ARE WORKING MORE THAN 40 HOURS AND I, I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          I'M NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, BUT THEIR, THEIR, UM, HOURS ARE 35 HOURS. 
          SO I'VE ACTUALLY DID THE HOMEWORK THAT YOU ASKED ME TO DO. 
          YEAH. 
          AND ONCE WE'RE DONE WITH THE BUDGET AND HAVE PLENTY OF TIME, I'M HAPPY TO GO OVER IT. 
          YEAH. 
          IT IS THE, BASICALLY THE COST BENEFIT. 
          WE'RE SAVING MONEY BY LEAVING IT AT 35 HOURS. 
          UM, BECAUSE THE HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO DO WORK 40 HOURS BASED OFF OF THE DYNAMICS OF THEIR JOB, WE'D HAVE TO INVEST ANOTHER $1.3 MILLION IN ORDER TO PAY OTHER PEOPLE TO WORK THOSE 40 HOURS. 
          UM, WHEREAS RIGHT NOW WE'RE PAYING, I THINK IT'S ROUGHLY $350,000 FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING BETWEEN 35 AND 40 HOURS. 
          UM, AND, BUT FOR SOME DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL STAFF, THERE YOU GO. 
          THAT FIVE HOURS IS THE EXTRA PERSON. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT, AND THAT'S WHERE I'M GONNA TAG OVER TO DR. 
          JAMESON'S. 
          UM, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO BE MORE EFFICIENT THAT DON'T INVOLVE LABOR. 
          UM, SO THAT'S PROBABLY THE AVENUE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING SOME TECHNOLOGY, UM, IN ORDER TO FREE THINGS UP AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          SO TECHNOLOGY IS NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER, OKAY. 
          NO, BUT THERE'S, I MEAN, IT'S A TOOL. 
          THAT'S ALL IT IS. 
          IT'S A TOOL TO THE PROCESS. 
          BUT, UM, SO HOW, WHAT HAS THE COUNTY THOUGHT ABOUT GIVING THESE PEOPLE WHO WORK VERY HARD ERASE? ISN'T THAT A WAY TO INCENTIVIZE THEM TO STAY WHEN THEY FIND OUT THAT THEIR SALARY IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE OTHER COUNTIES? SO IN OUR BUDGET, WE HAVE COLAS BUILT IN BASED OFF OF THE STATES, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A MERIT POOL THAT IS STILL IN THE BOX. 
          SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IN ORDER TO INCENTIVIZE OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          HOWEVER, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN BEEN APPROVED AS LONG AS ALONG WITH PAYING THEIR INSURANCE BENEFIT. 
          SO IF YOU ADD ALL THAT UP, I WONDER WHAT THAT NUMBER WOULD BE. 
          AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PAY FOR PERFORMANCE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S EVEN BEING IMPLEMENTED RIGHT NOW. 
          SO WITH PAY FOR PERFORMANCE, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE POOL FUNDED, WHICH IT'S ON THE TABLE. 
          WHETHER OR NOT IT GETS THROUGH TRULY IS WELL, AND THE OTHER THING I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IS THAT GAP YEAR BETWEEN, UM, RETIREMENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, ESPECIALLY LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          AND, UH, I THINK THE FIREFIGHTERS COME UNDER THAT TWO, BUT I KNOW LAW ENFORCEMENT DOES. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , THEY CAN RETIRE AT 50. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND YOU'VE GOT THE GAP YEAR YEARS. 
          UM, AND I KNOW AT ONE TIME WE CARRIED AND WE HAVE SOME GRANDFATHERED THERE. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT. 
          THE FEASIBILITY THERE OF RETENTION. 
          THERE'S HARDLY ANY PLACE THAT ARE COVERING GAP YEARS ANYMORE. 
          RIGHT. 
          YOU'LL SEE IT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY AND THEY'LL DO SOME DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT WE'RE HERE. 
          AND SOMETHING ELSE, UH, YOU KNOW, DR. 
          UH, JAMESON HAD MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, A A 5% INCREASE FOR EMPLOYEES MAKING 
          [01:40:01]
60,000, AND THAT'D BE AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT $250 A MONTH. 
          BUT IN REALITY IT'S ONLY ABOUT, UH, 187. 
          RIGHT. 
          BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FEDERAL, THE STATE, THE SOCIAL, AND THE UH, UH, THE MEDICARE TAXES. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND SO ONCE, ONCE YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL THOSE, WELL, THE, THE TAKE HOME PAY BEFORE YOU TAKE OUT THE BENEFITS IS $187. 
          RIGHT. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO ONE LAST QUESTION, UHHUH . 
          SO WE, SO WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY. 
          SO EVERY FISCAL YEAR, THEN THE COUNTY'S GONNA COME TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REQUESTING IF THEY, UH, FOR AN APPROVAL TO HAVE THE COUNTY OR THE GENERAL LEDGER TO ABSORB THE, NOT NECESSARILY. 
          IT WILL VARY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO HOW'S, I MEAN, SO IN THE PAST IT HAS TRULY LOOKED AT BASICALLY ECONOMICS. 
          SO WHAT IS COST OF LIVING? HOW ARE THINGS FLUCTUATING? WHAT IS INFLATION? IF YOU LOOK BACK THROUGH, I THINK I WENT BACK TO 2012, SO IT VARIES AS TO AT WHAT POINT THE COUNTY PASSES IT FORWARD, UM, TO THE EMPLOYEE AND AT WHAT POINT IT ABSORBS IT. 
          UM, IT HAS VARIED BASED OFF OF FUNDING. 
          RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE TWO, TWO THINGS THAT YOU'LL LOOK AT IN MAY. 
          THE FIRST MEETING IN MAY, YOU WILL HAVE A PROPOSAL OF EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER RATES FOR HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOOK AT, TO BE, BECAUSE THE BOARD APPROVES THE RATES EVERY YEAR. 
          AND THAT'S ONE ISSUE. 
          AND YOU CAN DECIDE TO ADOPT WHAT IS HERE. 
          YOU CAN DECIDE YOU WANT TO CHARGE A LITTLE BIT LIKE 5% TO THE EMPLOYEES, AND THE COUNTY ABSORBS THE REMAINDER. 
          UM, YOU CAN DECIDE THAT YOU WANT TO SHIFT IT EQUALLY. 
          YOU CAN. 
          SO YOU CAN DECIDE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO FOR THIS YEAR. 
          AND THEN SECOND QUESTION IS WHAT THE POLICY IS. 
          AND YOU CAN OVER THE NEXT YEAR CREATE A POLICY TO SAY HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS EACH YEAR. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , SO YOU GOT TWO SEPARATE THINGS THERE. 
          UH, ONE OF YOU ASKED THE QUESTION EARLIER, HOW DO RAISES IS COMPARE, EXCUSE ME, APPROXIMATELY THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THE RAISES HAVE BEEN ABOUT 15%. 
          TOTAL INFLATION HAS BEEN ABOUT 20% TOTAL. 
          WELL, I JUST KEEP THINKING HOW WE'RE TRYING TO TIGHTEN OUR BELTS. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          AND WE'RE RAISING TAXES. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HEAR, WE TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET IN THE BOX, WE TALK ABOUT THE LOCKBOX. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'RE RAISING TAXES, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THIS IS ONLY FOR FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          WE'RE NOT EVEN TALKING TO WHAT'S GONNA, WHAT'S GONNA BE HITTING US IN THE, IN 26, YOU KNOW? SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE ALL MY QUESTIONING IS REALLY COMING FROM IS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE MONEY AND, AND, AND THEN I LOOK AT THE SCHOOL BOARD'S GONNA BE COMING AND THEY'RE GONNA WANT ABOUT ANOTHER $300,000 ON TOP OF FOR THE SAME TYPE OF PROGRAM. 
          SO I UNDERSTAND THE SENSITIVITY OF THIS AS WELL. 
          SO THOSE ARE, I JUST WANTED TO PUT OUT THERE AS WHERE MY, MY THOUGHTS ARE GOING MR. STANMORE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND SORRY, I CUT YOU OFF. 
          I THOUGHT YOU WERE DONE. 
          UM, SEVERAL THINGS I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. 
          FIRST OF ALL, FOR THE WORK YOU DID NEGOTIATING, UH, UHC DOWN FROM PLUS 14% TO PLUS 7%. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. 
          AND THE 40,000 PREMIUM HOLIDAY AS WELL. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, AND I CAN TELL YOU'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS. 
          DEFINITELY. 
          'CAUSE YOU REPRESENT MM-HMM. 
           ALL YOUR, YOUR YES. 
          COLLEAGUES, UM, UH, IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. 
          MINE, MINE HAS GONE UP. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          BUT I JUST WENT AND LOOKED AND FIGURED OUT WHAT MY PREMIUM IS. 
          UM, AND FOR ME, I THINK IT WAS ABOUT, UH, SIX 90 A MONTH FOR WITH FAMILY. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          IT'S HIGHER THAN THE COUNTY, BUT, BUT IT'S NOT THAT DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM. 
          UM, I'M UNLIKE UHC SILVER, WHICH IS MEDIUM DEDUCTIBLE, NOT, NOT A GOLD PLATED PLAN, RIGHT? YEAH. 
          UM, BUT, UM, AT MY COMPANY, THEY'RE, THE, THE, UH, THE EMPLOYEES DO BEAR SHARE OF THE INCREASE. 
          AND, 
          [01:45:01]
UM, THAT SAID, THE COMPANY WORKS REALLY HARD TO LIMIT THAT INCREASE. 
          AND THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB, UM, SWITCHING OPTIONS EVERY YEAR. 
          MM-HMM. 
           TO KEEP OUR PRICES FROM GOING UP TOO MUCH. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND OUR PRICES HAVE BEEN GOING UP LOWER THAN THE, YOU HAVE THE, YOU HAVE THE GENERAL RATE OF INFLATION, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE HEALTHCARE RATE OF INFLATION. 
          YES. 
          AND THE HEALTHCARE RATE OF INFLATION IS 10% FOR THIS YEAR. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S WORSE. 
          SO IF YOU'RE ONLY UP 7%, YOU'RE DOING REALLY WELL. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT UH, ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF RISK SHARING THERE. 
          I THINK BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY CAN INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO MAKE WISE CHOICES, UM, WHEN THEY ARE SEEKING CARE. 
          UH, ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU DON'T WANT TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE FROM SEEKING CARE. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT, UM, IF THEY CAN, IF THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT IN A, I'M PART OF A TEAM AND WE NEED TO MINIMIZE OUR COSTS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THERE IS A MINDSET OF THAT OR NOT, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, ONE OF THE ACTUAL CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, REGARDING WHERE WE'VE SPENT, UM, FUNDING FOR THE PHYSICALS MM-HMM. 
          , BECAUSE THOSE ARE SEPARATE FROM THIS AND THE COST BENEFIT. 
          SO THE TWO RECENT CANCER DIAGNOSIS THAT WE'VE HAD, MM-HMM. 
           THE COST TO OUR INSURANCE COMPANY BECAUSE THEY'RE ON OUR HEALTH INSURANCE. 
          SO IT GOES TO OUR INSURANCE COMPANY IS A, A LITTLE OVER $190,000. 
          WHEREAS IF THEY HAD NOT GONE THROUGH THE PHYSICALS, THEY'RE ANTICIPATING THAT BY THE TIME SYMPTOMS WERE SHOWN, IT WOULD BE OVER THE HALF MILLION DOLLAR MARK. 
          SO WE'RE ACTUALLY SAVING MONEY FOR OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. 
          SO THEY'RE VERY INTRIGUED AS TO WHAT WE'RE DOING IN ORDER TO LOWER LONG-TERM HIGH DOLLAR CLAIMS. MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, SO SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS THAT WE ARE SPENDING MONEY IS ACTUALLY SAVING US MONEY IN THE LONG RUN. 
          HOWEVER, REALIZING THAT SAVINGS WILL BE 15 TO 20 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. 
          YEAH. 
          NOT THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, BUT I, I THINK THE SCREENINGS ARE GOOD. 
          I'VE BEEN READING A LOT OF ANECDOTAL THINGS ABOUT CANCER RATES GOING UP AND MM-HMM. 
           AND HEART ATTACKS TOO. 
          AND IT'S, UM, YEAH. 
          SO SIGNIFICANT. 
          UM, WHAT I WAS WONDERING, JUST FOR, TO THROW OUT AN IDEA WOULD BE, UH, INSTEAD OF LOOKING JUST AT LIKE THE PREMIUMS AND HOW MUCH THE EMPLOYEES ARE PAYING IS TO CALCULATE THAT AS A PERCENTAGE. 
          UM, AND MAYBE WE CAN TALK ABOUT, UH, I MEAN WITH, WITH, UM, OPEN ENROLLMENT COMING UP IN MAY MM-HMM. 
          , WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO NO. 
          TO MAKE A LOT OF CHANGES RIGHT NOW. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          BUT WHAT WE COULD DO IS, IS KIND OF FIGURE OUT THOSE PERCENTAGES AND, AND THEN SEE IF WE WANT TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POLICY OF LOCKING IN THOSE PERCENTAGES. 
          SO MAYBE THEY'RE HELD HARMLESS THIS YEAR, BUT IN THE FUTURE WE HAVE SOME RISK SHARING. 
          UM, ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE EVEN, UM, THIS IS GONNA BE, THIS IS GONNA BE DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE, EVEN LOWER THE PERCENTAGES A LITTLE BIT THIS YEAR, BUT THEN LOCK THEM IN SO THEY GET A BIT, A BIT OF A, A BUMP THIS YEAR TO MAKE IT MORE PALATABLE THAT WE'RE HAVING A POLICY CHANGE, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM. 
          , UM, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY MONEY ANYWHERE TO DO THAT , BUT THEN I ALSO SEE , THE BUDGET IN THE BOX . 
          YEAH. 
          BUT I ALSO SEE INDIVIDUAL WITH HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, UM, THE, THE, UH, THE COUNTY PAYS A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO IF YOU LOCK IN A HUNDRED PERCENT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THEN THE COUNTY'S GETTING EAT ON THAT. 
          BUT THAT'S, AND THAT IS A LOT OF EMPLOYEES. 
          THAT'S THE BIGGEST POOL HERE WITH 104, UM, ENROLLEES. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UH, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, INDIVIDUAL HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SINGLE. 
          YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE A SECOND WAGE EARNER IN THE HOUSEHOLD. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          AND YOU ARE, UM, AND YOU'RE ON HIGH DEDUCTIBLES, SO YOU'RE, YOU ALREADY TRYING TO MINIMIZE YOUR COSTS, YOU KNOW? RIGHT. 
          UM, ANYWAY, IT, IT IS A DISCUSSION. 
          WE PROBABLY NEED LIKE A WORKING GROUP OR SOMETHING ON THIS. 
          AGREE. 
          UM, YEAH. 
          WELL, WE ARE DEFINITELY NOT MAKING A DECISION TONIGHT THAT IT'S A LOT TO THINK ON. 
          AND, AND I, I, IT BOTHERS ME TO HEAR THAT THE, UM, THE STAFF DOESN'T FEEL APPRECIATED. 
          I, I, YOU KNOW, SO, AND I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE CARE OF SOMEONE'S FAMILY, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IF THEY FEEL LIKE THEIR EMPLOYER IS NOT PLANNING FOR THAT YOU FEEL UNAPPRECIATED. 
          UM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN AT HOME OR A SPOUSE. 
          UM, SO WHEN WE BILL FOR BENEFITS, THEY'RE BILLED A MONTH IN ADVANCE. 
          SO WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO ENROLLS IN THE FAMILY PLAN, SO WE HAVE TO DOUBLE UP THEIR DEDUCTIONS. 
          SO WE HAVE TO, IT'S A PAYCHECK, IT'S ALMOST THEIR ENTIRE PAYCHECK. 
          WE A FULL MONTH JUST TO GET THEM ONTO OUR INSURANCE PLAN. 
          SO THEN THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, DO I NEED TO HAVE MY SPOUSE ON IT? DO I NEED TO HAVE MY KIDS ON IT? THAT'S NOT A DECISION THAT WE WANNA PUT THEM IN THE NO. 
          THE POSITION OF HAVING TO MAKE, AND YET WE DO EVERY TIME WE HIRE SOMEONE NEW OR EVERY TIME WE GO THROUGH OPEN ENROLLMENT. 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, AND, AND I, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION HERE, AND I, I DON'T WANT IT TO SEEM LIKE, AT LEAST FOR ME, THAT I DON'T 
          [01:50:01]
APPRECIATE THEM AND THAT I DON'T, YOU KNOW, BUT WE'RE DEALING, WE'RE DEALING WITH SOMEBODY ELSE'S MONEY AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BALANCE THAT IS, IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GIVE WHAT WE WANNA GIVE THE STAFF, THEN WE GOTTA TAKE MORE FROM SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT HAVE INSURANCE AT ALL AND CAN'T AFFORD IT, YOU KNOW, AS A TAXPAYER. 
          SO, WELL, AND I KIND OF WANTED TOUCH ON THAT. 
          WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN A CERTAIN, AND MAYBE JOHN CAN TALK ABOUT IT, IF YOU'RE IN A CERTAIN SALARY BRACKET OR UNDER A CERTAIN THING, YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR MEDICAID. 
          OUR EMPLOYEES MAKE, I THINK THEY DID A BASICALLY CALCULATION TO SEE HOW MANY OF OUR EMPLOYEES QUALIFIED FOR BENEFITS AND THEY MISS IT BY, IT WAS LIKE $600 THAT THEY MAKE TOO MUCH TO QUALIFY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          AND I'M LIKE, THAT SCARES ME. 
          BECAUSE IF WE HAVE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE ALMOST QUALIFYING FOR SOCIAL SERVICES BENEFITS, AND WE KNOW IF YOU ARE THAT YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO AFFORD A FAMILY PLAN. 
          AND SO WHAT ARE, LIKE, WHAT'S HAPPENING? SO OUR EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE DOING OKAY. 
          NO, I, I WENT TO A SEMINAR WHEN I WAS, UM, AT FAMILY PRACTICE AS A NURSE, AND MY HUSBAND HAD A FULL-TIME JOB WITH VDOT, AND I'M SITTING THERE AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH EVERYTHING. 
          AND I LOOKED OVER AT THE OTHER NURSE FROM FAMILY PRACTICE THAT WAS THERE WITH ME, AND I'M LIKE, OH MY GOD, WE QUALIFY AND WE BOTH HAVE FULL-TIME JOBS. 
          SO, YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I'VE, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. 
          MM-HMM. 
           AND I, YOU KNOW, I WISH THAT WE COULD, UM, I WISH THERE WERE MONEY TREES. 
          HONEST TO GOD, I WISH , ALTHOUGH ONE THING I DO THINK IS THIS JUST MAKES IT ALL THE MORE CLEAR TO ME THAT WE NEED TO FIND OTHER PLACES IN THE BUDGET WHERE WE CAN CUT STILL FURTHER YET. 
          BECAUSE I THINK IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE FIRST. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          I MEAN, PEOPLE HAVE TO BE BEFORE ANY ANYTHING, YOU KNOW? UM, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW? RIGHT. 
          SO, MM-HMM. 
          . 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THANK YOU, MS. KAYLA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU GOT OFF WITHOUT HAVING TO SAY MUCH TONIGHT. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          NEXT IS ORIENTATION 
          [F. Discussion - Orientation for the Department of Social Services - Jon Martz, Director of Social Services]
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, MR. MARKS . 
          AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. 
          MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. 
          UH, I THINK YOU HAVE A COPY OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA GO OVER, BUT I'M NOT SURE I BROUGHT EXTRAS JUST IN CASE. 
          YES. 
          THAT'S IT. 
          UH, WE WANTED TO TAKE A BRIEF OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT 2023 AND SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, HERE IN WARREN COUNTY TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE OFFICE WAS ABLE TO DO FOR THE CITIZENS OF WARREN COUNTY. 
          UH, WE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FOSTER CARE CASES. 
          WE HAD 50 CHILDREN TOTAL IN FOSTER CARE DURING THE YEAR OF 2023. 
          AND THAT IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT WE HAD IN 2022. 
          UH, WE HAD ABOUT 19 OR 20. 
          IN 2022. 
          UH, THERE WAS A SUDDEN JUMP IN FOSTER CARE, AND THERE ARE A MILLION REASONS WHY, EXCUSE ME. 
          ON THE GOOD SIDE THOUGH, WE HAD FIVE CHILDREN WHO AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE TURNED 18, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO JOIN THE FOSTERING FUTURES PROGRAM, WHICH IS A FAIRLY NEW PROGRAM FROM THE STATE DESIGNED TO HELP FOSTER KIDS WHO TURN 18. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF KIDS WHEN THEY TURN 18, STILL LIVE AT HOME, UH, STILL LIVING WITH THEIR FAMILY. 
          UH, THESE FOSTER CARE KIDS, THOUGH WERE DONE AT 18. 
          UH, NO MORE SUPPORT, NO MORE SERVICES. 
          UM, I KNOW I WASN'T READY TO  TO BE RESPONSIBLE AT 18. 
          UH, SO WE HAD FIVE CHILDREN WHO WERE IN THE, THE FOSTER CARE, UH, FOSTERING FUTURES PROGRAM. 
          AND OF THOSE FIVE, I KNOW THAT AT LEAST ONE, UM, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. 
          MM-HMM. 
           AND WENT ON TO COLLEGE. 
          UH, I KNOW A COUPLE OF OTHERS, UH, WENT INTO THE EMPLOYMENT FIELD AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. 
          UH, WE HAVE ONE FOSTER CARE, UH, FOSTERING FUTURES CHILD, WHO ACTUALLY WE JUST FOUND OUT IS THE FIRST I BELIEVE IN THE STATE TO QUALIFY FOR A BRAND NEW PROGRAM. 
          SHE HAS BEEN EMPLOYED THE ENTIRE TIME IN THE PROGRAM AND WORKING WITH HER PLACEMENT. 
          SO THEY ARE MATCHING HER DEPOSITS IN HER BANK ACCOUNT AND THEY WILL HELP HER PURCHASE A HOME. 
          WOW. 
          UH, FIRST ONE IN THE STATE, UH, 
          [01:55:01]
WAS A WARREN COUNTY FOSTERING FUTURES CHILD. 
          UH, SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED FOR HER. 
          SHE'S WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD. 
          GOOD FOR HER. 
          UH, SOME OF THE BEST NEEDS WE HAD IN 2023, WE HAD FOUR ADOPTIONS FINALIZED, UH, FOUR CHILDREN WHO FOUND THEIR FOREVER HOME. 
          UM, APRIL STAFF WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD TO GET THAT. 
          APRIL HAS A POSTER ON HER WALL. 
          UH, EVERY TIME A CHILD GETS ADOPTED, SHE HAS THEIR PICTURE ON, ON THAT WITH PERMISSION FROM THEIR PARENTS WITH PERMISSION . 
          THAT'S RIGHT. 
          AND WE HAD TWO KINSHIP PLACEMENTS AS WELL IN 2023. 
          UM, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THIS YEAR ACTUALLY PASSED, UH, KINSHIP LEGISLATION TRYING TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE FAMILY PLACEMENTS INSTEAD OF FOSTER CARE PLACEMENTS. 
          UM, WHEN KIDS COME INTO CARE, UH, THAT IS, WE FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT KIDS DO BETTER IN THEIR FAMILIES. 
          UH, WE DON'T WANT TO UPROOT THEM FROM EVERYTHING THEY KNOW, THEIR SCHOOL, THEIR FRIENDS. 
          UH, AND THE MORE KINSHIP PLACEMENTS THAT WE CAN FIND AND PLACE THESE CHILDREN WITH THEM, THE BETTER OFF THE CHILDREN ARE GONNA BE. 
          AND THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF PROBABILITY OF GOING HOME, WHICH IS ALWAYS THE GOAL WHEN A CHILD COMES INTO FOSTER CARE, WE WANT TO REUNITE THE CHILD WITH THEIR PARENTS. 
          SO WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT  YEAH. 
          AN AUNT OR AN UNCLE OR SOMEBODY LIKE THAT. 
          GRANDPARENT. 
          DO YOU WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT KINSHIP? SURE. 
          SO KINSHIP CAN BE THAT, IT CAN BE A BLOOD RELATION. 
          IT CAN ALSO BE CONSIDERED WHAT WE CALL FICTIVE KIN. 
          UM, I WAS IN MY EARLY TWENTIES BEFORE I REALIZED MY AUNTIE MAUREEN WAS NOT ACTUALLY MY BLOOD AUNT. 
          UM, SHE WAS MY MOTHER'S BEST FRIEND. 
          SO KINSHIP IN VIRGINIA CAN EXPAND TO, WELL, WE CALL NATURAL SUPPORTS. 
          SO IT'S, UM, GIVING FAMILIES OPPORTUNITIES THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO, THEY COULDN'T MAYBE TAKE ON ANOTHER CHILD LIKE THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD MOUTH OF THEIR OWN TO FEED. 
          THEY JUST COULDN'T DO IT. 
          IT, UM, ENDS UP BEING CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN. 
          PLEASE DON'T ASK ME FOR NUMBERS 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE THEM IN FRONT OF ME. 
          BUT IT IS A BIG, IT'S NOT JUST A VIRGINIA MOVEMENT, IT'S A NATIONAL MOVEMENT. 
          IT'S, IT JUST HAS A LOT BETTER OUTCOMES FOR KIDS. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          FOR CPS, WE RECEIVE 733 REFERRALS IN 2023, WHERE A REFERRAL IS A PHONE CALL OR A REPORT OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT. 
          OF THOSE 294 MET THE DEFINITION OR THE CRITERIA, UH, BEING VALID AND ACCEPTED FOR EITHER A FAMILY ASSESSMENT OR AN INVESTIGATION. 
          UH, WE COMPLETED 224 FAMILY ASSESSMENTS, 90 INVESTIGATIONS, AND OUR PREVENTION PROGRAM SERVED 108 CHILDREN LAST YEAR. 
          THAT'S A FAIRLY NEW PROGRAM AS WELL. 
          WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST AGENCIES TO KIND OF IMPLEMENT IT WHEN IT CAME ALONG. 
          AND THAT IS WHERE, LET'S SAY WE GET A CALL ON A FAMILY AND IT DOESN'T MEET CRITERIA. 
          ALRIGHT? IT DOESN'T MEET THE DEFINITION OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT, BUT IT'S CONCERNING, UH, THIS FAMILY MAY NEED SUPPORT. 
          WHAT THIS PROGRAM LETS US DO IS REACH OUT TO THEM, SEND 'EM A LETTER, SAY, HEY, DO YOU NEED SOME SUPPORTS? WOULD YOU LIKE US TO COME OUT AND TALK TO YOU? MAYBE WE CAN CONNECT YOU WITH SOME COMMUNITY SERVICES. 
          UH, AND IN 2023, WE'RE ABLE TO SERVE 108 CHILDREN THROUGH THAT PROGRAM. 
          UH, OUR ADULT SERVICES WERE BUSY AS WELL. 
          UH, WE HAVE 109 GUARDIANSHIP CASES THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING. 
          UH, WE HAD, UH, 21 ADULT SERVICES CASES AND 308 CALLS OR REPORTS FOR SUSPECTED ELDER ABUSE OR NEGLECT. 
          UH, 167 OF THOSE WERE VALID AND LED TO AN INVESTIGATION. 
          OUR ELIGIBILITY PROGRAM, WE PROCESS 1,527 SNAP APPLICATIONS. 
          SNAP IS, UH, SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
          USED TO BE CALLED FOOD STAMPS. 
          NOW WE CALL IT SNAP. 
          SO IS THAT, IS THAT IN ADDITION TO WHAT WAS ALREADY, OR, OR IS THAT THESE ARE APPLICATIONS, SO THEY'RE IN ADDITION TO THE CASES WE ALREADY HAD OPEN. 
          AND HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE, ARE THERE? UH, I BELIEVE WE HAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE IT HERE, BUT ABOUT 5,000 OPEN CASES RIGHT NOW. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          1,304 MEDICAID APPLICATIONS, UH, MEDICAID RENEWALS. 
          DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAME ALONG AND SAID, IF YOU'VE GOT MEDICAID, YOU ARE NOT GONNA LOSE YOUR MEDICAID DURING THE PANDEMIC. 
          AND YOU, ONCE THE PANDEMIC WAS OVER, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK. 
          UH, THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD HAVE YOUR MEDICAID TURNED OFF IS IF YOU MOVE DOWN TO THE STATE. 
          IF YOU ASKED US TO TURN OFF YOUR MEDICAID OR IF YOU PASSED AWAY. 
          NOW THAT THE P PANDEMIC ENDED, WE HAD OVER 10,000 WARREN COUNTY RESIDENTS RECEIVING MEDICAID. 
          EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM HAS TO BE NOW REVIEWED TO DETERMINE ARE THEY STILL ELIGIBLE. 
          AND WE HAD 12 MONTHS TO DO THAT. 
          I WAS JUST CHECKING THE NUMBERS BACK HERE BEFORE I CAME UP. 
          AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH, 86% 
          [02:00:01]
OF THE RENEWALS ARE COMPLETE FOR WARREN COUNTY. 
          UH, WE HAVE A MONTH AND A HALF TO COMPLETE THE OTHER 14%. 
          SO WE ARE ON TARGET, UH, TO COMPLETE THEM TIMELY. 
          BUT IN 2023, WE DID RENEWALS FOR 7,386 WARREN COUNTY RESIDENTS. 
          WE HAD 138 CHILDCARE APPLICATIONS AND 482 APPLICATIONS FOR ENERGY ASSISTANCE, COOLING ASSISTANCE IN THE SUMMER, FUEL ASSISTANCE IN THE WINTER. 
          HOW DO YOU HEAT YOUR HOME? WE FIELDED 45,000 PHONE CALLS, AND WE HAD 14,276 VISITS TO OUR LOBBY. 
          UH, DURING, UH, 2023, UH, WE DISPERSED ABOUT 1300 EBT CARDS IN THOSE YEAR SNAP CARDS, UH, THE TOTAL UNDUPLICATED COUNT OF WARREN COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO RECEIVED SERVICES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES IN 2023 IS 16,247. 
          THERE ARE ABOUT 41,000 PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE COUNTY. 
          SO THAT'S ABOUT 38, 30 9% OF THE COUNTY CAME TO OUR OFFICE IN 2023 FOR SERVICES. 
          BUT THAT'S NOT ALL WE DO. 
          WE HAVE MORE, UM, MICHELLE . 
          MICHELLE SMELTZER, WHO'S HIDING IN THE BACK, TRYING NOT TO BE NOTICED, UH, IS OUR COMMUNITY LIAISON. 
          AND SHE HEADS UP THE, UH, MINISTERIAL FUND, UH, ASSOCI. 
          WELL, SHE HEAD UP THE ASSOCIATION, BUT SHE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUNDING. 
          UH, A LOT OF THE LOCAL CHURCHES, UH, WOULD GET CONSTANT REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE. 
          CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY LIGHT BILL? CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY RENT? AND SO WHAT THE MYSTERIAL ASSOCIATION DECIDED TO DO WAS PULL THEIR FUNDS AND PLACE SOCIAL SERVICES IN CHARGE OF IT. 
          SO NOW WHEN THEY GET A PHONE CALL, THEY REFER THEM TO US AND I REFER THEM TO MICHELLE. 
          UH, SO IN 2023, UM, THANKS TO THE MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION, ABOUT $27,000 OF ASSISTANCE WAS GIVEN OUT, NO COST TO THE COUNTY. 
          THOSE WERE ALL DONATIONS THAT CAME FROM THE CHURCHES. 
          EVERY SINGLE PENNY. 
          UH, WE DISTRIBUTED FOOD TO 727 INDIVIDUALS. 
          NON DUPLICATED NUMBER THERE. 
          UH, WE DO HAVE A SMALL FOOD PANTRY THAT WE DO FOOD DRIVES FOR. 
          AND IF SOMEBODY COMES TO OUR OFFICE AND THEY SAY, I DON'T HAVE, I CAN'T FEED MY KIDS DINNER TONIGHT, WHERE YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE WITH AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF FOOD, YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE WITH A SNAP APPLICATION. 
          UH, YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE WITH A LIST OF LOCAL FOOD BANKS AS WELL, BUT WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO EAT. 
          HOUSING ASSISTANCE REQUESTS. 
          464 PEOPLE CAME TO US AND SAID THEY EITHER DIDN'T HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE, THEY WERE ABOUT TO BE EVICTED, OR THEY WEREN'T GONNA BE ABLE TO PAY THEIR RENT IN THE COMING MONTHS. 
          A FEW YEARS AGO, THE BOARD DECIDED TO GRANT A JOB DEVELOPER POSITION TO OUR OFFICE. 
          WE'RE THE ONLY AGENCY IN THIS REGION THAT HAS A DEDICATED JOB DEVELOPER. 
          AND OUR JOB DEVELOPER, UH, SUSAN ALGER IS OUR CURRENT JOB DEVELOPER. 
          SO IF ANYBODY'S LOOKING FOR A JOB, UH, PLEASE COME CONTACT SUSAN AT OUR OFFICE. 
          SHE'S THERE, UM, I THINK MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AND SHE WILL GET YOU HOOKED UP. 
          UH, WE'VE WORKED WITH 238 CLIENTS IN THAT PROGRAM SO FAR, AND CONTACTED 108 LOCAL BUSINESSES. 
          THE IDEA WAS SIMPLE. 
          YOU COULDN'T GO ANYWHERE IN WARREN COUNTY WITHOUT SEEING A HELP WANTED SIGN, AND YET OUR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS OVER 10% AT THE TIME. 
          IT MADE NO LOGICAL SENSE. 
          SO THIS POSITION IS DEDICATED TO CONNECTING THE UNEMPLOYED, THE UNDEREMPLOYED, OR ANYBODY WHO WANTS A JOB WITH EMPLOYERS TO GET THEM WORKING. 
          AND, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A CLIENT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ON TF, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ON SNAP. 
          UM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO RECEIVE ANY OTHER SERVICES FROM US TO ACCESS THIS. 
          YOU CAN JUST BE SOMEBODY WHO WANTS A BETTER JOB. 
          WE'LL HELP YOU WRITE A RESUME. 
          WE'LL REFER YOU SOMEWHERE WHERE YOU CAN GET SOME INTERVIEW CLOSE. 
          WE CAN DO MOCK INTERVIEWS. 
          WE CAN CONNECT YOU WITH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. 
          WE CAN CONNECT YOU WITH, WITH DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE OUT THERE THAT PEOPLE JUST MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT. 
          UH, I CAN ALSO TELL YOU IN 2023, UM, THE GOVERNOR PUT OUT A CHALLENGE. 
          IT'S CALLED THE VISOR CHALLENGE. 
          AND IT IS, UM, TO ADDRESS THE INCIDENCES OF VETERAN SUICIDE. 
          UH, OUR AGENCY TOOK THE CHALLENGE TO BECOME 100% CERTIFIED WHERE YOU COULD FALL, YOU GO THROUGH A TRAINING ON HOW TO ADDRESS, IF YOU'RE TALKING WITH A VETERAN AND YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR WELLBEING, WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO SAY, WHERE TO REFER PEOPLE. 
          UH, WHILE WE'RE NOT 100% CERTIFIED, WE'RE OVER 50% AND WE HAVE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF ANY SOCIAL SERVICE OFFICE IN VIRGINIA. 
          AND THAT'S MAINLY THANKS TO JANELLE CLARK, WHO IS OUR, UH, VETERAN LIAISON. 
          SHE'S BEEN LEADING THE CHARGE FOR US THERE. 
          UH, THAT'S US IN A NUTSHELL, UH, FOR THE PAST YEAR. 
          UH, AS, 
          [02:05:01]
AS ALWAYS, I, I CAN NEVER ADEQUATELY EXPRESS THE ADMIRATION I HAVE FOR OUR STAFF, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP EVERY SINGLE DAY WHO DO THE HARD WORK. 
          I, I TELL THEM ALL THE TIME, IF, IF CHRISTIE AND I DON'T SHOW UP ONE DAY AS BUSINESS AS USUAL, BUT IF THEY DON'T SHOW UP ONE DAY, WE'VE GOT A HECK OF A PROBLEM OUT THERE. 
          THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE DOING THE HARD WORK. 
          THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE PROCESSING THE CASES, GOING OUT ON THE CPS CALLS, FINDING PLACEMENTS FOR THE FOSTER CHILDREN, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSING THE, THE ISSUES OF OUR SENIORS, NOTHING BUT ADMIRATION FOR THE WORK THEY DO. 
          I'M SO PROUD TO BE A PART OF THEIR ORGANIZATION AND TO BE THEIR LEADER. 
          UM, IT IS HUMBLING AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO, AND I KNOW YOU APPRECIATE IT AS WELL. 
          UM, THEY WORK REALLY HARD BECAUSE THEY LOVE WARREN COUNTY AND THEY, THEY WANT TO HELP THEIR COMMUNITY IMPROVE. 
          HAVING SAID THAT, UH, WE HAVE ONE MORE REQUEST FOR YOU TONIGHT. 
          I'M NOT GONNA ASK FOR MONEY AT ALL. 
          NO MONEY AT ALL. 
          . 
          UM, IT'S GONNA BE FREE TO YOU, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, 
          [G. Proclamation - Child Abuse Prevention Month]
APRIL WHITE, WHO IS OUR FAMILY SERVICES MANAGER, AND SHE IS THE NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE VIRGINIA ALLIANCE FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTITIONERS THAT IS PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT ORGANIZATION FOR EVERY SINGLE SERVICES WORKER IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. 
          SHE WAS ELECTED LAST FEBRUARY. 
          SHE WILL TAKE OFFICE IN JULY, AND SHE REPRESENTS EVERY CPS WORKER, EVERY A PS WORKER, EVERY FOSTER CARE WORKER OUT THERE. 
          UM, AND WE ARE SO PROUD OF HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS. 
          SO PLEASE WELCOME APRIL, WHO'S GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE MONTH OF APRIL. 
          I WAS GONNA SAY APRIL IS YOUR MONTH. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. 
          GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. 
          JOHN MADE ME LIMIT MY WORDS ON THE SLIDE, BUT HE DIDN'T TELL ME HOW MUCH I COULD TALK. 
          SO THAT WAS HIS MISTAKE. 
          UM, SO APRIL'S CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH, UM, IN THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, THEY STARTED TO HAVE A REAL, A REAL AWARENESS OF CHILDREN. 
          AND THE SPECIAL ROLE THAT THEY PLAYED IN SOCIETY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNEW THIS, BUT WE HAD THE A-S-P-C-A BEFORE WE HAD CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES IN THIS COUNTRY. 
          CHILDREN WERE CONSIDERED THE BUSINESS OF THE FAMILY AND THAT YOU DID NOT GET INVOLVED. 
          SO WE HAD LEGISLATION ABOUT HOW WE TREAT ANIMALS BEFORE WE DID CHILDREN. 
          AND SO, EXCUSE ME, IN THE EARLIEST 20TH CENTURY WHEN WE HAD THE CHILD LABOR LAWS, WHEN THEY STARTED MOVING, UM, PROFESSIONALISM INTO THE SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR, THERE BECAME AN INCREASING AWARENESS. 
          BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL 1974 THAT THE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT WAS PASSED BY CONGRESS ABOUT THE NEED TO ENSURE SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN, TO MAKE IT LEGISLATION, TO MAKE IT EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH KIDS. 
          SO IN 1983, THEY MADE A FURTHER COMMITMENT TO IDENTIFYING AND IMPLEMENTING THOSE SOLUTIONS TO CHILD ABUSE, TO RAISING AWARENESS BY PROCLAIMING APRIL NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PRO PREVENTION MONTH. 
          AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO REMEMBERED THE 1980S, IT USED TO BE A LOT ABOUT AWARENESS, LIKE RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE, LIKE REALLY BRINGING WHAT HAPPENED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY EYE. 
          UM, SINCE THEN, WE'VE KIND OF MOVED AWAY FROM CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AWARENESS ACTIVITIES TO FOCUSING ON ACTUAL PREVENTION. 
          IN 2004, THE OFFICE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT SHIFTED THAT FOCUS. 
          THEY ARE INCORPORATING THESE FAMILY STRENGTHENING MESSAGES, UM, PROMOTING PARENTING, PROMOTING COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND RESOURCES. 
          AND I SPEAK FOR ALL OF THE STAFF, ALL MY COLLEAGUES WHEN I SAY THAT WE ARE PROUD AND PRIVILEGED TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES TO KEEP THE KIDS SAFE, TO SUPPORT FAMILIES THAT TO STAY TOGETHER AND TO ASSIST THOSE FAMILIES TO RAISE CHILDREN, YOUTH TO BE HAPPY, SECURE, AND STABLE CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND WE THANK YOUR, UM, CONTRIBUTIONS TO MAKING THAT HAPPEN. 
          CHRISTINE? YES. 
          OR JOHN, WELL, CONGRATULATIONS. 
          WE DO HAVE ONE REQUEST IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          YOU HAVE A, UH, A PROCLAMATION, UH, DECLARING THAT WARREN COUNTY DOES INDEED RECOGNIZE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH. 
          AND WE WOULD BE HUMBLED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF PASSING THAT. 
          I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE ON OUR NEXT VOTING. 
          I BELIEVE IT IS WHAT MR. HENDERSON AND I TALKED ABOUT BE UNDER NEXT MEETING. 
          MA'AM. 
          UH, YOU DO HAVE A COPY THERE. 
          IF YOU ARE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT YOU COULD ALL INDIVIDUALLY SIGN, YOU DON'T TAKE FORMAL ACTION UNTIL THE SEVENTH IF YOU WANTED TO SIGN IT 
          [02:10:01]
AND GIVE IT TO THEM. 
          UH, NO. 
          HE GAVE IT TO ME. 
          I WE DON'T HAVE THAT. 
          YOU DIDN'T GIVE HIM A COPY, SIR. 
          I HAVE IT, WHICH I CAN LET THEM ALL SEE. 
          WE WILL SIGN ON THE BACK. 
          YEAH, BECAUSE YOU WANT 'EM ALL SIGN IN THE SAME ONE. 
          YES, SIR. 
          YES. 
          SO WE DO HAVE IT. 
          GREAT. 
          ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US WHILE YOU HAVE US HERE? I HAVE ONE QUESTION. 
          SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE OF WHAT DSS PROVIDES IN THE CSA SERVICES WHEN IT COMES TO FOSTER CARE AND, YOU KNOW, REFERRALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? SO, CSA, I KNOW DR. 
          DALEY TALKED TO YOU ALL ABOUT THAT, UH, AT THE LAST MEETING. 
          AND SO I WON'T GO IN THE HISTORY OF IT. 
          YEAH, NO, I JUST WANNA KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT FOSTER CARE KIDS HAVE, ARE MANDATED KIDS TO BE SERVED. 
          SO WHEN A CHILD COMES INTO FOSTER CARE, WE, OF COURSE WE APPLY FOR MEDICAID FIRST THING. 
          SO ANY SERVICES THAT THEY GET AND JUMPING WHEN I GET SOMETHING WRONG, OKAY. 
          I KNOW . 
          SO ANY SERVICES THAT THEY GET, WE TRY TO LOOK FOR MEDICAID PROVIDERS TO PAY FOR IT SO THAT THERE'S NO COST TO LOCALITY. 
          THEY USE THEIR INSURANCE MM-HMM. 
           JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE DID. 
          BUT INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THE PLACEMENT AND WHERE THE CHILD'S LIVING, WHETHER IT BE IN A LOCAL HOME, A THERAPEUTIC FOSTER HOME, A GROUP HOME, OR AN INPATIENT TREATMENT CENTER. 
          AND SO THOSE COSTS GO TO CSA TO FAP AND CPMT FOR APPROVAL. 
          SO IT'S THE COST OF THE PLACEMENT AND SUPERVISION. 
           AND I'VE MISSED SOMETHING, SO YES, PLEASE. 
          SO CSA IS THE CHILDREN'S SERVICES ACT, RIGHT? THAT COMES FROM THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES. 
          THERE'S TWO MAIN FUNDING STREAMS FOR SERVICES TO FOSTER CHILDREN. 
          ONE IS THROUGH TITLE IV, THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT. 
          I MEAN, THE OTHER ONE IS CSA. 
          UM, AND THEY ARE BOTH FEDERAL POOLS OF MONEY. 
          UM, SO GENERALLY SPEAKING, EVERY CHILD WHEN THEY COME INTO CARE HAS TO BE LIKE THEIR SERVICES HAVE TO BE PAID BY SOMETHING. 
          SO EVERY CHILD IS DEEMED A CSA CHILD BECAUSE, LIKE WHAT JOHN SAID, THEY, THAT'S A MANDATED SERVICE THAT THE STATES HAVE TO, UM, PAY FOR. 
          HOWEVER, A CHILD CAN BE CONSIDERED FOUR E ELIGIBLE DUE TO A LONG EXHAUSTING LIST OF CRITERIA THAT I WILL NOT BORE YOU WITH RIGHT NOW. 
          SO IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN FOUR E WILL PAY FOR IT. 
          CSA IS THEN THE STOP GAP FOR ANYTHING THAT ANOTHER FUNDING SERVICE WILL NOT USE. 
          BUT CSA, THEY, THEY DO PAY FOR SOME THINGS FOR FOSTER KIDS. 
          MOST OF OUR KIDS ARE FOUR E ELIGIBLE JUST DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES, UM, IN WHICH THEY CAME TO US. 
          SO ABOUT HALF, YEAH, I'D SAY HALF. 
          UM, BUT CSA ALSO WOULD BE, UM, USED FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL, LIKE, UH, PRIVATE DAY PLACEMENTS FOR KIDS, KIDS THAT GO TO THE CSB KIDS THAT ARE IN, UM, DJJ OR, OR HAVE, UH, COURT SERVICES UNITS, UM, INVOLVEMENT. 
          UM, SOME OF THE SCHOOLS, SOME OF THE CSB. 
          IT IS A DIFFERENT UMBRELLA. 
          IT'S A, A POOL OF MONEY THAT IS A STOP GAP FOR WHAT THE OTHER THINGS DON'T PAY FOR. 
          AND THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES ARE THE ONES THAT RUN THE CSA FOUR E IS A DIVISION OF THE FEDS THAT WORK WITH DSS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I HOPE THAT WAS ILLUMINATING . 
          IT STARTED GETTING A LITTLE COMPLI. 
          I FOLLOWED YOU . 
          NOW YOU KNOW WHY I HIRED HER . 
          SO, UH, ANY ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT THEY COULD ANSWER? YEAH, THE, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE RECENT BUDGET, WE WERE TAKING A LOOK AT IT AND THERE WAS A MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE. 
          MM-HMM, . 
          AND CAN YOU GO OVER THAT AGAIN? 'CAUSE MY WIFE HAS ASKED ME ABOUT THAT. 
          I WAS GETTING ALL TONGUE TIED  ABOUT THE, THE INCREASE FOR CSA. 
          WELL, THE, THE, YOU, YOU'D SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF, OF CHILDREN. 
          CAN YOU GO OVER THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN? SURE. 
          UH, FEBRUARY OF 2023, AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, WE HAD 18 CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE. 
          AND BY THE END OF THE YEAR WE HAD 50. 
          AND THROUGH A MULTITUDE OF REASONS, UM, A A LOT OF 'EM, WE TOOK VERY FEW CHILDREN. 
          I THINK WE ACTUALLY ASSUMED CUSTODY OF TWO OR THREE. 
          YEAH. 
          THE MAJORITY WERE COURT ORDERED INTO, UH, FOSTER CARE. 
          UH, AND SOME OF THEM CAME THROUGH DJJ, SOME OF THEM, UH, CAME THROUGH, UM, JUST THE COURT SYSTEM. 
          SOME OF 'EM CAME IN ON CHINS, UH, PETITIONS, CHILD IN NEED OF SERVICES, UH, WHICH IS A WHOLE NOTHER CONVOLUTED MESS THAT SHE CAN EXPLAIN VERY WELL. 
          SO CAN CHRISTIE. 
          SO THE, SO THE, THE REASON WHY, WHY MY WIFE WAS INTERESTED, AND I'VE I'VE MENTIONED THIS TO YOU BEFORE, WAS BECAUSE SHE WORKED FOR THE 
          [02:15:01]
JOBS PROGRAM IN KENTUCKY. 
          AND SO WHENEVER I MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT DSS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, SHE ALWAYS HEARS PERK UP AND SHE WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT. 
          SHOULD SHE COME BY THE OFFICE? WE'D LOVE TO PICK HER BRAIN. 
          YEP. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, I'LL, I WANT DO CUSTOMER SOCIAL SERVICES, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT, WE DO NEED A ONE, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HAPPY CREEK. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE YOU GO. 
          OPENING IN HAPPY CREEK. 
          I'LL MENTION THAT TO HER. 
          SHE JUST CAME OFF, UH, A A SEPARATE BOARD AND I'M SURE THAT SHE'LL BE, UH, ELATED WHEN I GO IN AND SAY, HEY, WHY DON'T YOU DO THIS? SO GUESS WHAT I BROUGHT HOME? YEAH. 
          WE, WE VOLUNTEERED YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, BUT WE DO NEED SOMEBODY FOR YOU, THIS DISTRICT. 
          SO SHE'D BE VERY WELCOMED. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ALL OF THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT MATERIAL. 
          SURE. 
          TO MAKE EVERYBODY AWARE OF IT. 
          IT'S GOOD. 
          GOOD TO KNOW. 
          GOOD TO HAVE NUMBERS. 
          YEAH. 
          I ALSO WANT TO JUST, UH, THE ADOPTION NUMBERS, I, THAT'S HEARTWARMING FOR ME. 
          I'M AN ADOPTIVE FATHER, AND SO I KNOW WHAT IT CAN DO FOR A CHILD TO PUT THEM IN THE RIGHT FAMILY. 
          SO MY, MY ELDEST SON IS ADOPTED AND HE'S, UH, GETTING HIS COLLEGE DEGREE, UH, IN A COUPLE WEEKS AND, UH, CONGRATULATIONS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ON YOUR POSI, I GUESS CONGRATULATIONS. 
          CONDOLENCES ALL . 
          I'LL TAKE BOTH OF THOSE. 
          IT WAS, CONGRATULATIONS. 
          THE CLOSER WE GET TO IT, THE MORE I'M LIKE, WHAT IF I SIGNED UP EVERYBODY? WELL, THIS IS ANOTHER CLASSIC CASE OF BEING VOLUNTEERED. 
          SO, WELL WE, AND I, I, I WON'T SPEAK FOR THE BOARD, BUT I DO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO. 
          UM, IT'S A HARD JOB. 
          UH, AS I SAID, I TO SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, IN MY CAREER, I RAN INTO IT FREQUENTLY, BUT DIDN'T HAVE THAT LONGEVITY. 
          YOU DO. 
          AND I KNOW HOW IT BROKE MY HEART TO HAVE TO SEE THE THINGS CHILDREN HAVE TO, THEY CAN'T JUST BE KIDS, A LOT OF THEM. 
          SO IT'S, UM, I'M GLAD THERE'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU THERE TO, TO HELP PROTECT THEM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          APRIL IS EIGHT, NINE YEARS IN NOW. 
          I'M EIGHT. 
          I'M NINE YEARS IN WARREN. 
          I'M MORE YEARS THAN I CARE TO COUNT IN THE FIELD STUFF. 
          YEAH. 
          CHRISTIE'S A NINE YEARS IN JULY. 
          CHRISTIE'S ABOUT NINE YEARS AS WELL. 
          MICKEY, WHO'S HIDING IN THE BACK, IS OVER 30 YEARS. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, AND MICHELLE IS AT ABOUT EIGHT AS WELL. 
          I THINK NINE. 
          NINE NINE NINE'S THE MAGIC NUMBER. 
          YES. 
          UM, BUT WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          UH, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND AS ALWAYS, UH, WE ARE THERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          IF YOU COME ACROSS ANYTHING, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO US AND WE'LL RESPOND ASAP. 
          THANK YOU, JOHN. 
          THANK YOU EVERYBODY. 
          SAFE TRIP HOME. 
          WELL, THAT CONCLUDES THE AGENDA. 
          IT'S NOT BAD NIGHT'S. 
          UM, EDUCATION HERE TONIGHT. 
          WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY THAT'S COME TO, UH, ENLIGHTEN US. 
          IT'S A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. 
          AND IS UM, THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. 
          SO MOVED. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          THANK YOU ALL. 
          SAFE TRIP.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.