To draw your attention to the Finance Committee meeting of
October 28, 2013, I’ll start at the end of the report with some council members
expressing concern about the budget preparation for 2014.
Other issues: Police
Department overtime is a long standing issue. It seems the question is hire or keep staff on
OT.
Accrued benefits - larger than anticipated in part due to
retirement and several retired then rehired individuals, commonly referred to
as double dippers. (Defined as someone who draws two incomes from the government
- usually by combining a salary and a pension.)
Health insurance costs are an escalating issue.
The Department 114 Law is YTD over budget by $19,834, as is Dept.322 Composting, by $6,800 in
salaries.
The biggest issue remains the Bradley/Naigle Road
Intersection Project. A shortfall of $108, 000 due to the facts that
the Director of Public Services did not know there was a 7% match for the
grant. This should have been closed out by the end of 2012, then after July 1,
2013 (payments start 6 months after completion). This project along with the tennis courts
should have been tracked from inception.
The new City Hall tennis courts now have deep standing water
puddles. Another lawsuit?
Wouldn’t or shouldn’t the paperwork for the above mentioned
grant have passed through several hands for reading, understanding, processing
and approval then follow up? How could
everyone have missed that?
There is a comment made by the Finance Director regarding
“the absence of a Service Director” as it applies to the 2014 Budget
process. This is a pivotal position as
this person supervises the service department, parks and recreation
maintenance, and is the interface between the city and the SAFEBUILT
organization. This person has the
biggest equipment and personnel budget in the city. (Leaf, snow plowing,
sewers, maintaining the parks, building maintenance, street patching, painting,
etc).
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