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More cuts proposed in Madeira Beach
Elimination of community police officer is among the considerations
By WAYNE AYERS
Article published on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 |
MADEIRA BEACH – Having decided to leave the city’s millage rate unchanged, the Board of Commissioners met in an evening workshop session July 15 to look at the budget in detail and discuss any proposed changes.
The city is in good financial shape and able to absorb an estimated 10 percent drop in revenue without raising the tax rate, City Manager W.D. Higginbotham Jr. said. Most property owners should see a reduction in their tax bills due to declining property values.
Though Higginbotham said the proposed budget is 9 percent less than the current budget, the commission members and a handful of residents who attended the meeting pushed for additional cuts.
“Where do you want to cut?” Commissioner Nancy Oakley asked city staff members. “I haven’t seen one thing that has been cut out of this budget; 90 percent of it has stayed the same or gone up.”
Oakley said the six-person city maintenance crew is kept busy during the summer growing season but is under utilized during the rest of the year. She recommended contracting some of the work out to private firms.
“Staff should be looking at these things,” she said.
That approach was questioned by Commissioner Steve Kochick.
He said Madeira Beach is a beachfront community and the condition of the city is very important.
“You don’t hire a temporary guy that knows nothing about the city,” he said. “If you just want to cut people, but there’s still the same amount of work, then I have a problem with that. Why should somebody do twice the work, and you’re not going to give them twice the pay.”
Oakley responded, “Every single town in the county – all of them – are cutting people.”
Commissioner Sarah Nichols questioned the amount of money allocated for travel and training expenses, which went up 77 percent to $7,000. That sum was budgeted as a contingency to pay for possible in-house training seminars, finance director Monica Mitchell said. She said the normal amount spent for travel and training costs is closer to $4,000. Mitchell offered to reduce the budget to that figure if directed by the commission.
A $1.6 million capital outlay for the marina raised concerns with both Nichols and Oakley.
“That’s a giant number that isn’t covered by revenue,” Nichols said. She said the city is digging into reserves to cover marina improvements.
“The marina loses money every year,” Oakley added.
Kochick countered that the marina operation is bringing revenue into the city to offset taxes.
Community Development Director Paula Cohen said that the volume of sales continues to increase, and that marina improvements will turn the facility into a revenue-generator. She mentioned the planned high-and-dry boat storage operation, which she said is expected to be a “cash cow” – a steady, dependable source of income.
Resident Robin Moore asked Higginbotham if the marina made money.
“Some years yes, some years no,” was the reply. Higginbotham said anticipated enhancements to the marina are being funded on the assumption the facility’s operations would more than pay for themselves when they are completed.
The city sanitation fund came under scrutiny from Oakley. Charging that fund with $277,000 in city administrative costs is unfair, as the sanitation department does not receive administrative services from the city, she said.
“We are going to have to charge more for garbage pick-up to make up that expense charge,” she said, noting that a 10 percent increase in fees is planned. Mitchell replied that the administrative funds are allocated using a formula developed years ago that probably needs revision.
Mitchell defended the city departments’ budgets, saying each department head is asked, “What do you need to operate?” Don’t ask for what you don’t need is the prevailing philosophy, she said. “It’s fiscally conservative belt-tightening, and happens every year.”
Eliminating the community police officer could save the city about $80,000, Mayor Pat Shontz said. A grant that has since run out was originally used to pay for the officer, she said. That expense is now picked up by the city.
“I’m not sure we need (the community police officer) when we have two police officers on duty 24/7,” Shontz offered.
Almost half of the city’s budget is devoted to public safety costs – fire/EMS and law enforcement.
Elimination of the officer was favorably received by other commission members, and Higginbotham said he would look at the contractual arrangements with the sheriff’s office.
The city manager responded to the call for cuts by saying he believed an additional $100,000 could be taken out of the budget. He pointed out that the community police officer elimination alone would save $82,000.
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Article published on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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