Beginning with fiscal year 2008, the County must, in its annual financial report, disclose information about both current and future costs of other post-employment benefits. This is a reporting requirement of the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) under GASB pronouncement 45.

 

To provide the necessary information for reporting, the County must have an actuarial calculation of its other post employment benefits (OPEB). Currently the County provides continuation of health care coverage for its retirees as the only OPEB, and funds the current year cost on a pay-as-you-go basis.  The County has hired Mercer HR Consulting to prepare the required actuarial calculation that is necessary  to provide the disclosure information. While GASB 45 does not require funding of the future liabilities, the rating agencies have expressed an interest in a governmental unit's plan to accommodate that future liability. Mercer will also provide the County with options regarding funding methods.

 

We expect that the information from Mercer will be available by the end of October. We also plan to present the results and choices to the Board at its strategic planning conference, with follow-up discussions to be scheduled the budget process for the 2007 budget.

 

Board members with questions should contact Finance Director Harry Weatherly for details.

 

 

As you may recall, the Report on Domestic Violence recommends that Mecklenburg County consolidate a few smaller services under one "umbrella" department. The main purpose for this consolidation is to leverage existing resources to enhance services provided to women, veterans and their families, and people who are homeless.

 

On October 1, the County will implement this recommendation by consolidating services of the Women's Commission, Veterans Services Office, Homeless Support Services, and those funded by the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant into a single department called Community Support Services. The services that comprise this new department will retain their separate identities as divisions of the department, with the division managers reporting to one department director. Over the next few weeks, we will be recruiting a full-time director for Community Support Services, filling a reclassified vacancy that resulted when former Women's Commission Director Pat Grigg retired.

 

Associated with this reorganization, many components of Fighting Back also will be re-aligned within the Area Mental Authority (AMH) rather than within the Health Department. The core mission of Fighting Back is substance abuse prevention, which is consistent with the programs and services provided by AMH. With the exception of REACH 2010, the HIV/AIDS Consumer Advocate Program, and the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant, all other Fighting Back services will transition into Area Mental Health beginning October 1. REACH 2010 and the HIV/AIDS Consumer Advocate Program will remain services of the Health Department. No services are being eliminated as part of this consolidation and restructuring.

 

We will keep the Board informed as we reach various milestones in this transition.

 

This week, we met with a senior consultant from Waters-Oldani Executive Recruitment, an executive search firm. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the firm's process to recruit the vacant park and recreation department director position. This firm also will conduct the recruitment process for the finance department director position, in anticipation of Harry Weatherly's retirement later this year.

 

In May 2005, The Waters Consulting Group, Inc. acquired The Oldani Group, Inc. to form a new division called Waters-Oldani Executive Recruitment. This union forms one of the largest and most experienced executive search firms in the nation specializing in public sector recruitment. The firm has more than 65 years of combined experience in management and executive search consulting with corporate and public sector clients. Given this firm's experience, we are confident this Walters-Oldani will provide the County with an aggressive and well-managed recruitment process.
 
We will update the Board on both recruitment process details as warranted.

 

Over the past several months County staff from the Water and Land Resources division of LUESA has addressed floodplain management issues and related concerns expressed by residents. Specifically, staff has reviewed the community floodplain maps for the area along the Briar Creek in the Chantilly area. Due to an error in the hydrolic computer model used to generate floodplain maps, there was a discrepancy in the projected flood heights. Correcting this error should lower the Community Base Flood Elevation by approximately five feet.

 

Staff met with neighborhood residents and landowners to explain the impact of lowering the flood heights and address their concerns. Additionally, County staff continues to work on floodplain revisions in conjunction with efforts by the City of Charlotte.
 
There will be a meeting of the City Council's Environment Committee on September 5 at 2 p.m. to discuss floodplain revisions. Board members who would like more specific information about the Briar Creek Chantilly neighborhood situation or the revisions to the existing floodplain regulations should call Dave Canaan at (704) 336-2831.