I am not taking a position on any of the issues, except to strongly suggest that item 1.(d) pertaining to the budget, in the face of more than 50% of local sales tax evaporating due to economic development refund requests and lack of state assistance to mitigate the problem. With respect to positions taken to eliminate certain jobs, I neither understand the reason for the job cut, nor the qualifications anyone currently holding the position has as a justifiable reason. The decision to cut jobs, benefits or services is a painful one that all citizens should be involved in. It is your tax dollars that do the city's work and you have every right to express your opinion and provide input.
I would strongly suggest that those who support the either the items below, or the serious discussion of serious cuts to the existing budget now as well as new budget year planning coming up in August, you need to make your point known before the budget preparations sessions, and preferably before the primary election. Failure to act responsibly in voicing your opinions will leave you little room to complain if a project, economic or otherwise results in increased fees or taxes to accommodate those who choose to speak.
Michael C. Rowland
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"SIDNEY CITIZENS' PLAN TO COMMUNITY PROSPERITY AND DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE FROM STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS".
1. Stop the bleeding - NOW!:
a. Limit economic development dollars spent to the economic development dollars collected and received. The state is keeping this money, so, until we get it, don't spend it from the general fund. TRANSPARENCY! Stop hiding the actual costs of our local economic development efforts!!!!!
b. Stop all new projects and capital expenditures without the express vote of approval from the city council- NOW!
c. Lower spending authority from $20,000, to $5,000 - NOW!
d. Rescind the current budget and hold an emergency budget session to address the budget shortfall in the current budget - NOW!. Don't wait until next year! Every department, it is either taxes or fees we're paying!
e. Stop all budget expenditures for Boot Hill, Camp Outlook, Recreation management fees, etc. - NOW! These types of expenditures are not necessary for the operation of the city and can be accomplished by volunteer labor and private donations, just like VanVleet and Filsinger have been doing all of their lives for our city.
2. Identify and eliminate the inefficient organization of our city government.
a. Eliminate duplication of management levels and effort
i. Eliminate Public Services Director position - NOW! Allow and require, the department heads to do their job. They are capable and willing.
ii. Eliminate the GIS position - NOW! This job would be better placed in the inspections department with current personnel.
iii. Eliminate the tech shop - NOW! It is costly and inefficient Most departments have personnel that can work on their own equipment Ask a department head how much an oil change costs at the tech
shop, compare that to downtown.
iv. Eliminate electric departmenfs crew chief position, isn't this the supervisor's job?
v. Separate the City Manager and Economic Development jobs - NOW! We know this is a conflict of interest and a conflict of duties. Prove us wrong without the "he's such a great guy", give us the facts.
vi. Move economic development and the associated funding out of the city's general fund and move all efforts to the Chamber of Commerce office (owned and maintained by the city) - NOWL Consolidate the city and county economic development funding, along with the safes tax designated for economic development into a separate fund, managed by the Chamber, with monthly reports to the city council.
vii. Reduce city manager's salary and benefits to an amount commensurate with those of other communities this size with a 5100,000 total compensation package cap - NOW! We can only
afford so much compensation - the current city manager has priced himself out of a job at over $125,000.
viii. Consider early retirement package for longer-term, highly compensated employees, such as the City ClerkfTreasurer and hire someone that will recognize and identify any material misstatement or omission of fact in our city financial statements - NOW!
3. Look at employee costs:
a. Permanently eliminate longevity pay - this is merely a hidden pay raise benefitting long term employees - NOW!
b. Freeze all new hires - NOW!
c. Eliminate annual bonuses - NOW!
d. Freeze and eliminate all automatic wage increases - NOW! Instead, institute a systematic employee evaluation system with an annual cost of living adjustment when the economy and budgets support wage increases.
e. Temporarily reduce the 401(k) pension match - NOW!
f. Freeze all non-required travel and training - NOW!
g. Consider 2-day furloughs each month for every employee - 1 day per pay period without pay, no vacation or sick leave used for those days - NOW!
h. Change non-safety related work. hours to 41o-hour days per week to save on operating costs in every non-safety department - NOW!
i. Require department heads to leave city vehicles at work. and commute to & from work. with personal vehicles -NOW!
4. Identify and dispose of assets, equipment and tools that are no longer used - NOW!
5. Purchase our own street crack sealing machine and have it operated by employees of all departments when they have idle time - this needs to be an ongoing process NOW!
6. Evaluate the potential cost savings of having a city construction crew in lieu of hiring out the smaller projects - they could run the street sealing process when not working on city jobs - NOW! We already own the equipment!
These are not new ideas. Budgets at all levels of government are in crisis. Our city management must act now to minimize the damage that has already been done. There isn't likely a business in our community that hasn't been forced to address economic issues. Their survival depends on their decisions. Our community's future depends on common sense decisions, NOW! This needs to be an agenda item at the next council meeting on the 27th of April. We hear all about our volunteers and support groups, we need these groups NOW, more than ever! The city cannot support all of the luxuries to which we've become accustomed.
====End of Excerpt====
Mike, here is some information that your readers might find helpful in regards to the question about the economic development money.
ReplyDeleteSidney’s total sales tax burden is 1.5 cents.
In 1980, the voters passed a one-cent sales tax with the intention of providing property tax relief.
In 1988, the voters approved an additional half-cent sales tax for the Community & Economic Development Plan. To more clearly define the use of the funds, the voters - in 1997 and then again in 2007 - approved setting aside half of this half cents to the Job Creation Plan. (These votes approved a 10-year plan each time, so the current plan is through 2017.)
While these funds were created using a half cent and quarter cent as a base, the funds must be clearly defined by the city using a dollar amount. The Job Creation fund totals $300,000 a year and the Community & Economic Development Fund is set at $350,000.
For the Job Creation fund, $50,000 per year is allocated for improvements to the north side by the Northside Neighborhood Development Association and city council. The residents of that area are surveyed and asked to participate in town hall meetings to decide how the funds will be spent. Another $50,000 of this fund is allocated per year for downtown revitalization projects and is managed by the Sidney Historic Preservation Board. This board is a certified local government and is regulated by state law.
These processes have always been held in a public forum, and the public is encouraged to attend any and all meetings.
The remainder ($200,000) is allowed for providing financial assistance to qualifying businesses or to fund tourism-related activities.
There is a 14-page document available from the economic development office that clearly explains what type of program or project qualifies, what type of financial assistance is available, how applications are processed, and how the administrators of the plan are required to update city council on the status of ongoing projects.
It also outlines how funds can be invested when there aren’t any qualified applicants, and clearly states that after any continuous five full-budget years it is shown that less than 50 percent of the funds are spent or committed to programs or projects, the measure will be placed on the next regular election ballot to see if the voters continue to support the plan.
Of the $350,00 in the Community & Economic Development Fund, the following allocations are given:
$120,000 to the Community Center/Recreational Services
$55,000 to Economic Development
$66,576 for ambulance services
$15,000 to the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce
$10,000 for the fireworks display
$4,000 to Memorial Gardens
$79,424 to subsidize the swimming pool operation.
Any questions? I'll be happy to do more research. Drop me an e-mail at tamaranelsen@gmail.com
OMG! $79,424 bucks a year for the swimming pool!!!!! That works out to $26,474.66 per month!
ReplyDeleteREALLY? No wonder the little pool at the trailer court shut down. Per year? Is that the water bill? Labor? Boy am I out of touch!
I would love to know how the Community Center uses their $120,000.00 per year. Would that be public information?
Kelroy, I think your math is off on the pool. It works out to about 6800 per month.
ReplyDeleteAs for the community center, it is run by a private board. The mayor is supposed to be able to see the books on that component, but I don't think it has ever been publicly released. It should be and several candidates for city council have said that it should be completely open if they are taking tax payer money.
The problem with the funding from my perspective is that we don't know what we get for what we spend. There isn't anything in the contract for services that prevents the community center from taking the money and using it anywhere in the organization. We have no idea what the real value of the services being rendered is and that leaves open the chance that the funds are not efficiently spent.
The city should look at the budget for the community center and radically alter the agreement, and look to pare it down to paying for just those services that the city cannot take care of and demand a public accounting for all monies received from the city.
The pool is only open 3 months out of the year.
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ with you, they are only open for 3 months a year.
ReplyDelete