October 14, 2005

Kansas Association of Counties

Governing Board Meeting Minutes

October 14, 2005

KAC Conference Room, 300 SW 8th

Topeka, Kansas

 

 

 

President Gene Merry called the meeting to order at 10:40 am.

 

Board members present were as follows:; Eileen Filbert, Jefferson County Health Department Administrator; Shannon Francis, Seward County Commissioner; Steve Garten, Barber County Commissioner; John Miller, Norton County Commissioner; Gene Merry, Coffey County Commissioner; Ted Ensley, Shawnee County Commissioner; Mary Messamore, Sherman County Emergency Services Director; Gary Post, Lyon County Appraiser; Nick Saldan, Deputy Johnson County Counselor. Florence Whitebread, Geary County Commissioner; Tom Winters, Sedgwick County Commissioner; Dennis Peterson, Riley County Weed Director.

 

President Gene Merry presented Mary Messamore, Sherman County Emergency Management and Communications Director, with a gift and thanked her for her service to the board. Mary is leaving Sherman County to assume responsibility for the 911 Center in Hutchinson later in October. Mary has been a committed board member and will be missed. She indicated that her replacement to represent the Kansas Emergency Management Association (KEMA) has not yet been selected.  

 

Randall announced that he had received a phone call from Mike Graf, Ellis County Public Works Director and President, Kansas County Highway Association, indicating that Alvin Perez, Republic County Highway Administrator, had resigned from the KAC Board, effective immediately. Mike indicated that a successor would be appointed soon, hopefully before the November board meeting.

  

Agenda Approval

 

Florence Whitebread moved, seconded by Mary Messamore, to approve the agenda as presented.

Motion carried.

 

September 16, 2005 Minutes Approval

 

The September 16, 2005 board meeting minutes were reviewed. Mary Messamore moved, seconded by Steve Garten, to approve the September 12, 2005 minutes. Motion carried.  

 

Approval of Bills and Payrolls

 

Commissioner John Miller presented the bills and payrolls dated October 14, 2005. John Miller moved, seconded by Tom Winters, to approve the bills and payrolls dated October 14, 2005. Motion carried.

 

Monthly Financial Report for August, 2005

 

Randall Allen explained that the monthly financial report for August, 2005 was not yet available. He said that the report sent to the KAC office by CBIZ was prepared on an accrual basis rather than a cash basis, as was customary for the board to review. As such, he requested that CBIZ prepare a new report on the customary basis. It has not yet been received. Board discussion ensued about the timing of the receipt of monthly financial reports from CBIZ. Discussion focused on whether or not it was time to disseminate a Request for Proposals (RFP) asking persons and/or firms to submit proposals for doing the Association’s payroll, general ledger, and fixed assets accounting work, as has been done by CBIZ for many years. The Executive Director indicated that he would bring a Request for Proposals (RFP) to the board for its review and approval at the November 20, 2005 board meeting.

 

 

 

Status Report for 30th Annual KAC Conference

 

Randall reviewed the preliminary program of the conference, including the Governing Board dinner on Saturday evening, November 19. Bill Hansell, NACo President will be able to join us for dinner. Randall then reviewed the roster of registrations to date. 280 persons have registered, and 66 for the pre-conference workshop. Randall explained the qualifications for the GIS grant from NACo/ESRI.

 

There was discussion about the Service Awards program, i.e. how does one qualify or not qualify to receive a service award? Randall indicated that the criteria included in the form printed in the County Comment was unchanged from prior years. Florence Whitebread moved, seconded by Mary Messamore to review the Service Awards program following the 30th Annual Conference, so that changes if any can be incorporated into the planning for the 31st annual conference in 2006. Motion carried.

    

Presentation and Discussion concerning 1st Preliminary Draft of the 2006 KAC Operating Budget

 

Randall reviewed the 1st preliminary draft of the 2006 KAC operating budget. The 2006 budget will be considered again and adopted at the November 20, 2005 board meeting. Randall indicated places where decisions (some under the control of the KAC Board, and some not) could significantly impact the 2006 budget. He said that because we have worked under two 2005 operating budgets, the most recent of which was adopted in June, 2005, the projected 2005 revenues and expenditures shown in the 1st draft of the 2006 budget are largely the same as the amounts shown this past June. Assumptions underlying the draft 2006 budget are as follows:

 

Revenues:

 

Account 3100-100: Membership Dues (Counties): Assumes that 98 counties will join the Association in 2006, compared to 96 in 2005.  

 

Accounts 3200/3300-100: Affiliate and Associate Dues: Assumes no changes. Affiliates other than the county commissioners will continue to pay $2,000 annually while the county commissioners will continue to pay $5,000 annually. Associate members will continue to pay $800 annually.  

    

Account 3720-400: Deferred Compensation Endorsement Income: Assumes the status quo in terms of number of participating counties in the 457/401 match programs of Nationwide Retirement Solutions. If Johnson County pulls its funds from the NACo/KAC/NRS program, this will have to be adjusted (reduced) by approximately $15,000.

 

Annual Conference Revenues for both 2005 and 2006:

 

3410-200 Registration Fees                 $107,400

                50 Pre-Conference workshop registrants @ $80             $     4,000

                525 Conference registrants @ $195                                   $ 102,375

                5 non-member registrants @ $205                                     $     1,025

3420-200 Special Event Tickets                          $   2,550

                Banquet, Gala, and Luncheon Tickets

3430-200 Guest Program Fees                             $   7,125

                75 Registrants @ $95                                                                           $     7,125

3440-200 Exhibition Fees                     $   27,750

                50 booths @ $550                                                                                $   27,500

                1 booth @ $250 discounted                                                                        250

3450-200 Advertising                                                                           $     2,200

3460-200 Sponsorships                                       $   35,000 in 2005 and $30,000 in 2006

               

Kansas County Government Institute (KCGI) Workshop Fees (3500-300):

The 1st draft 2006 budget assumes that our three certification programs will continue to be offered in 2006. This includes the Excellence in Customer Service program.

 

Leadership Academy registration:                    127 @ $99/each = $ 12,573

Customer Service program registration:           100 @ $99/each = $   9,900

Effective Supervisory Skills registration:       288 @ $99/each = $ 28,512

Advanced Road Scholar program regist:         54 @ $99/each = $   5,346

 

Total- KCGI workshop fees                                                                                      $ 56,331

 

E-911 Administrative Fees (Program 900):

 

Increases in revenue from the E-911 receipts are assumed to grow at the rate of 0.53% per month, based off the average change in PSAP “pay out” from March to July 2005 (including earlier values projecting a loss due to Cingular’s cessation of data remittance). We project that we will be getting Cingular back into the fold in 2006 (probably before then, but that remains to be seen), so overall these could be fairly conservative numbers.  Otherwise, we should be close to the projections; some months we get we see more cell #s than others, and why that is isn’t clear, but it is averaging out at a less than 1% growth rate now.

 

Expenditures:

 

Employee Salaries and Wages: For all positions except the Executive Director, a 5.0% adjustment in salaries and wages (and appropriate benefit accounts) is reflected in the 2006 budgets. Association employees have not had increases in their salaries and wages since at least January, 2004.

Retirement: Retirement contributions to KPERS will increase from 3.41% of salaries and wages in 2005 to 3.81% in 2006.

 

Unemployment Compensation: Currently, we pay 6.2% of the first $8,000 of salaries and wages per employee for unemployment compensation. Our experience rating used to compute 2006 contributions will not be issued by the Kansas Department of Labor until December, 2005. With the unemployment compensation paid out in 2004 and 2005, our rate could increase in 2006. As such, we assumed a 7.0% contribution rate in 2006.

 

Health and Dental Insurance: We recently received our renewal quotation from United Healthcare, our insurance carrier. It reflects an approximate 5% increase. This is a very good renewal quotation and Randall recommends that we continue with United Healthcare for employee health insurance. He also recommends that the KAC switch our employee dental insurance from Delta Dental Plan of Kansas to United Healthcare effective November, 2005. Delta’s renewal quotation was reasonable, but the United Healthcare dental coverage quotation is even better. The coverage is identical. The board’s decision to move our coverage from Principal Financial Group to United Healthcare about a year ago was a good one.

 

Sharing Approaches that Work Forums and the Kansas Collaborative: Since 1) the budgets for the Kansas Collaborative, including the Breakthrough Teams and the Sharing Approaches that Work forums, are intended to be self-supporting; and 2) the costs for these programs for 2006 are not yet known, Randall is not showing either projected revenues or projected expenditures for 2006. As budgets are developed, they can be approved by the Board. This will not affect member dues either positively or negatively. (2005 expenses for the Sharing Approaches that Work forums were underwritten by grants).

 

Request by the KEMSA for affiliate status within the KAC.

 

Randall briefed the board on the issue. The board discussed the benefits and costs for both the KAC and KEMSA. Dscussion ensued. Shannon Francis moved, seconded by Mary Messamore, to recommend affiliate status for the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association (KEMSA) to the full membership. Motion prevailed. Gary Post moved, seconded by Dennis Peterson that a bylaws change as presented by the Executive Director be submitted to the general membership at the Annual Conference to reflect the addition of the KEMSA to the KAC Governing Board. Motion passed.

 

 

 

 

Professional Services Agreement with Austin Peters Group, Inc. for 2006 Compensation Study.

Mary Messamore moved, seconded by Florence Whitebread, to accept the proposal of Austin Peters Group for the 2006 compensation study in an amount not to exceed $3,930., and authorize the Executive Director to sign the agreement. Motion carried.  

 

Resolution No. 05-01, concerning a policy for the Depreciation of Fixed Assets.

 

Randall presented the policy establishing a threshold of $500 on the capitalization of fixed assets, as it relates to a comment in the management letter from auditors received in conjunction with audit of the December 31, 2004 financial statements. Shannon Francis moved, seconded by Eileen Filbert, to approve Resolution No. 05-01, establishing the policy. Motion carried.

 

The board recessed briefly for lunch.

 

President’s Report

 

President Merry told the board that he had delivered a message of greetings to the assembly of the League of Kansas Municipalities at its annual conference in Wichita. He told the group that the KAC was enjoying its new office space on the 3rd floor of the League Building. Gene enjoyed having dinner with Lenny Dawson and others at the conference.

 

Gene further informed the board about a statewide alert on the winter heating issue, indicating that there is a big concern over natural gas prices this coming winter. He said that next Thursday, October 20, he would be participating in a Kansas Energy Council meeting in the Eisenhower Center of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant. The meeting topic will be energy conservation.

Legislative Report

 

Judy apprised the Board of ongoing negotiations regarding who will appraise the gas gathering companies in Kansas for property tax purposes and how they will be valued. At this point in time the decision is for the State to appraise the companies at Market Value….33%. Randall informed the board about testimony he had given to the Joint Committee on Economic Development on the subject of eminent domain and its use in economic development projects.

 

Executive Director’s Report

 

Randall indicated that the audit of the wireless e-911 funds is ongoing, and that it is probable that an audit report will be ready for presentation at the November 20, 2005 board meeting. Dennis Kriesel presented a report on the status of wireless e-911 funds through July 31, 2005. Cingular Wireless continues to not send in appropriate documentation of the remitting cell phone numbers, which then makes distribution of their funds impossible. This will be addressed at the upcoming State Wireless E-911 Advisory Board, which is meeting on October 25 and 26, 2005.  

 

Randall updated the board on the status of the Kansas Collaborative. He said that he had met with Joe Harkins, special advisor to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, the day before and that he expected a final sign-off by the Governor on the Collaborative within the next week. He indicated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would be developed among the parties, including the State, through the Governor’s office, the KAC, Team Tech, and hopefully the League of Kansas Municipalities. Randall indicated that he hoped for Governor Sebelius to attend the President’s Unity Breakfast on the Tuesday of the annual conference to formally launch the Kansas Collaborative.

 

Randall further indicated that KWORCC had agreed to participate as a sponsor ($2,500) in the feasibility study of offering a health insurance program to counties, as discussed at the September, 2005 meeting of the KAC Board. The KAC has pledged $5,000 to the study and KCAMP has pledged $2,500.

 

Randall indicated that a renewal quotation for the employee health insurance program had been received from United Healthcare, through the Bukaty Agency in Overland Park. The renewal is in an amount of an approximate 5% increase. No board action is necessary to continue with United Healthcare under a renewal. He indicated that Bukaty had offered two alternatives for employee dental insurance, including staying with Delta Dental Plan and moving coverage to a United Healthcare dental plan, structured identically to what we now have. Quotations are as follows:

 

Insurance Carrier:                                             Delta Dental                                         United Healthcare

 

Type I                                                                    100%                                                      100%

Type II                                                                 80%                                                        80%

Type III                                                                50%                                                        50%

Calendar Max                                                        $1,000                                                     $1,000

Deductible                                                             $50 indiv/$150 fam                               $50 indiv/$150 fam

 

Employee                                                               $ 35.77                                                   $ 28.16

Employee and Spouse                                         $ 68.84                                                   $ 59.71

Employee and Child                                                                                                             $ 56.32

Family                                                                    $115.47                                                   $ 90.77

 

Total Medical Premium                                       $327.39                                                   $259.73

                                                                                current renewal

 

Mary Messamore moved, seconded by Gary Post, to authorize changing the employee dental insurance coverage from Delta Dental Plan of Kansas to United Healthcare, effective November 1, 2005. Motion carried. The savings will amount to $67.66 monthly, or $811.92 annually.

 

Randall informed the board about the KDHE’s offer to send a consultant to small arid landfills in western Kansas for operational reviews, not connected to the compliance process. He said that the annual compliance inspection would be suspended for 12 months for landfills participating in the operational review program. Randall informed the board that the Kansas County Officials Association (KCOA) had requested permission of the Kansas Court of Appeals to file an amicus brief in the case involving the transfer of functions from the county clerk to other county offices in Franklin County. He also informed the board that, as a result of the Breakthrough team on prescription drugs, Colorado Counties, Inc. (peer to the KAC in Colorado) had invited him to speak on a panel at their annual conference in Colorado Springs in late November. Due to a prior commitment, he cannot participate. Instead, Shawnee County Corrections Director Betsy Gillespie and Kathleen Harnish-Doucet of Team Tech will make the presentation in behalf of the KAC.

    

Affiliate/Associate Information Exchange

 

Board members exchanged information about recent activities within various KAC affiliate groups.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 2:40 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                _______________________.

                                                                                                                                Judy Moler, General Counsel

 

 

 

Approved: _______________________________

                   Florence Whitebread, Board Secretary