City commissioners told city staff on Wednesday that they wanted a closer look at the general fund budget to decide what should be done to balance it for 2009. While commissioners look at what projects and expenditures they think are necessary, City Manager Matt Zimmerman will be reviewing operational expenses.
The second draft of the 2009 general fund budget, presented at Wednesday’s biweekly study session, came with proposed revenue enhancements and cuts from Zimmerman that would turn a projected $3,867,411 deficit into a surplus of $16,519. Zimmerman is recommending that no final decision be made until after Aug. 5, when a countywide sales tax appears on the ballot and when the city’s fourth public budget hearing is scheduled.
Commissioners decided to examine aspects of the budget individually to determine their priorities.
“And it might simply be a matter of validating that Matt’s right on target,” Mayor Bob Agler said. “That’s exactly what we gotta do.”
Zimmerman’s proposed reductions totaled more than $3.7 million, the biggest chunk of which was the elimination of nearly all of the 2009 capital improvement plan. Only four items of the ’09 CIP would be funded: the replacing of upper-balcony seats in William Lindsay White Arena and the purchases of two police squad cars, a carbon monoxide monitor for the fire department and a high-speed printer if the city’s current 1980s printer breaks down. Eliminating all other CIP projects would save more than $3.3 million in ’09.
Other recommended reductions from the budget included the elimination of a proposed city planner position, the reduction of one vacant police officer position, the elimination of the city’s contribution to the Emporia Municipal Band, and the elimination of the city’s taxi subsidy.
Recommended revenue enhancements included an increase in cable TV franchise fees from 3 percent to 5 percent, a 10 percent increase in golf course rates and a 20 percent increase in liquor license fees. The enhancements would bring in $129,250 of additional revenue, adding to $3,883,930 saved by the reductions to create the $16,519 surplus.
Commissioners seemed most concerned about the potential elimination of capital projects deemed vital to the city’s infrastructure, such as the city’s slurry seal program. Commissioner Jeff Longbine asked Zimmerman to review operational expenses to see if there were any potential cuts that could be made there instead. Longbine said after the meeting that he wanted assurance that staff had scrutinized those expenses and taken all “excess, or fat or fluff, or unauthorized expenses” out of the budget to make sure the city is operating as efficiently as it can.
“I’m very concerned that we’ve reached the point where we can no longer put off capital programs, such as street repair, street maintenance, hazardous sidewalks, storm water detention, those type of things,” Longbine said. “Because those are all projects that, sooner or later, have to be done. And the longer you wait, the more deterioration you have, and cost escalates.”
If the countywide sales tax passes on Aug. 5, it would provide the city an estimated $2.6 million more in revenue, which commissioners have indicated would be used to fund the CIP.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, commissionersreviewed a new draft of the CIP with projects and expenditures ranked by priority across all departments. In previous drafts, CIP projects were only ranked by priority within departments.
During the discussion, Zimmerman revealed to city commissioners that staff and the fire department had just learned of an opportunity to purchase a 1997 fire truck formerly used by the Leawood Fire Department for what Fire Chief Jack Taylor called “a nominal cost.”
The potential truck purchase came up because the repair of a pump on one of the current trucks is listed as the No. 2 priority on the CIP. That repair would cost an estimate $250,000, while a new vehicle to replace the 1982 truck would cost $450,000.
Taylor told commissioners the chance to purchase the truck was “a wonderful opportunity for the city.” The vehicle’s sale price is $89,000; an estimated $13,000 in refurbishments would be needed, bringing the total cost up to $102,000.
“So at an $89,000 sale price for the used apparatus, you’re spending less than 25 percent of the total new cost, and getting at least 50 percent of its life span,” Taylor said.
Commissioners directed Zimmerman to arrange for approval of the purchase of the truck.
The commissioners also:
• Listened to updated projections on the impact of the Tyson Fresh Meats layoffs on the city using data collected through the second quarter of the year. The general fund is now projected to lose $855,952 for fiscal year 2008.
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
why is it that longbine and agler always get upset when some of the sprucing up around emporia gets put off??
the last time i saw the slurry seal projects, it was only benefiting the west side of the city and ignoring the rest of us. most of the sidewalks i've seen replaced lately have been perfectly good sidewalks....just a little old maybe and some have some cracks in them. if you want to see some bad ones, go south of the tracks or east of commercial.
now, if you want to eliminate "fat" or "fluff"....it seems to me that all of the city comissioners are currently employed at very well paying jobs...how much would the city save if we canned their salaries for say, two years while the city recovers??
July 24, 2008 at 3:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
It's very easy to forget that there is a human dimension to the budget process: citizens and those who work for the government. It would serve the commissioners well to consider the faces of the community as they decide what to do. I wonder how many of them have actually went through all the various city departments, spoken to employees, ridden with trash collectors, slept with firefighters and tried to wedge themselves into the front seat of one of those Impalas that they insist the city buy locally despite the fact there are cheaper state bids out there?
The reality is that unless they hear from the voting public...they have no reason to rethink their positions. They are elected to represent us. If we fail to contact them, then shame on us. It would do all of them well to remember they are also dependent on the garbage haulers, those who work in the sewer treatment plant, they drink the water, drive on the roads, rely on the police and firefighters for security and protections and probably play a little golf on the golf course. Do their kids swim at Jones Aqauatic Center? Do they make use of the parks and the Civic Auditorium?
Before they cast the stones at those who are tasked with the day to day operations of the city, I challenge them to go walk a mile in their shoes. This would include spending a meal with a family on the south side of town.
So they will cut back in public works, the police department and limit paramedics at the fire department to patch roads to keep the airport open and the golf course nice and green. Hard to play golf when you get mugged at every hole. Roads won't be much use unless they are safe. New homes won't be much fun unless there are folks pumping the water or sewer, picking up the garbage or putting out the fires.
Where is no one monitoring what the school district and the other taxing entities are doing? I never hear anyone complaining about operations at the schools, library or other taxing entities around here? Why focus only on the city. For those of you who get tax statements, look where the big percentage of your property taxes go. It is not the city.
I saw a woman come out of a local restaurant yesterday with a carryout order. It was obvious that she and her two kids were living in the car. She divided up the single meal between the three of them and sat in that car in the parking lot of that restaurant in 90 plus degree heat and ate the meal. Maybe they would like to spend a meal with the family in their "home."
Government is supposed to meet the needs of the entire community. Stop cutting critical services. If you want to cut to maintain your pet projects in the capital improvement plan, do as Commissioner Johnson suggested and close the golf course, the airport and the aquatic center. That will give you the budget you want without raising taxes and cutting critical services.
July 24, 2008 at 9:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Justthefacts, did you stop to help that woman living with her family in her car? You stayed long enough to gather that they were sharing one meal. Did you offer her some money? Offer to take her to the Salvation Army? Offer to put some gas in her car? Offer to take her to the SRS office? Offer her the use of your cell phone in case she needed to call someone?
You seem like such a logical person, and I've almost always agreed with what you say on this forum, but I must take you to task on this one, especially if all you did was use that woman for an example. Perhaps there is more to it and you're not sharing. If so, I apologize. If not, shame on you.
July 25, 2008 at 8:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
create, seems as though she has enough money and sense to buy carry out, i'd be reasonably sure that she has enough sense to figure out that there are organizations out there to help her.
that being said create, every time you see the "can man" downtown, or the new shopping cart woman, do you stop and give them 10 dollars? how about the old lady driving the wrong way on the interstate?? do you get her stopped and turn her around to make sure she doesn't hurt somebody?
yes i'm being a little sarcastic, but give me and justthefacts a break. most people in that situation are fairly put off by people just walking up and saying "can i help you out a little?". most people in that situation don't want your help or they'd be asking for it.....trust me i've tried and gotten told to mind my own business...
as for the part about pet projects....
i STILL want the gazette to run a series on where exactly our tax dollars are going. i'm sure that there are plenty out there who read the last thing about where the slurry seal is going, or was going....country club heights. their roads are fine....but i guess their asphalt has turned lighter shade of black than they are used to, so we have to re-color it for them. how many times do we have to re-do industrial road before we find an engineer who says..."gee, in the next 20 years of development, we might need left turn and right turn lanes", so we only have to re-do it once instead of the 6 or 7 times they've done it in the last 10 years. how many pedestrian bridges do we have to build? how many roundabouts do we need to fund??
I'M SICK OF IT!!! SOMEBODY QUESTION THE COMMISSION NOW!!!
July 25, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scripta (anonymous) says...
I'm not sure that sleeping with the firefighters will cause anything but scandal.
July 25, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
oh, and i forgot one last thing...
STOP WITH THE SCHOOLS ALREADY!
we keep ditching perfectly good schools, letting them sit unused while we build multi-million dollar buildings that are only half used. The last time i was in riverside and timmerman, there were a bunch of unused classroom spaces. i was told that with the exodus of kids from the tyson layoffs, there may be even more vacant classrooms next year. i went back and looked at where my property taxes go...most go for the school updates, since we just had to have two new elementary schools and we had to spruce up the high school.
yes i have school aged kids, but enough is enough. maybe somebody should question the spending habits of the school board too?
July 25, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
dh,
Ok, she was buying carry out. If she's living in her car, how is she supposed to cook?
I've offered help to dozens of people in my life, some around here, and have never been told to mind my own business. I'm sure that's why I suggested it. Had I, like you, been told to mind my own business a time or two, I'd have not suggested it. No, I haven't offered the "can man" downtown any money; he seems to be helping himself and I don't see any children. I didn't know we have a shopping cart lady. I'll look more carefully next time I'm downtown and I'll keep a ten dollar bill handy. I'll let you know whether she told me to mind my own business.
My mother taught me to never ask if you can help. Just help. And don't make a big deal of it.
July 25, 2008 at 1:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )