Operating Budget – The Gory Details (A Start)

Well, I’m typing this up 4 days later, so its gotten a little fuzzy, but here’s what I remember/have notes on.

The evening started off . . . rocky. Since the first amendment was mine, I took the liberty to take a few items out of order. I think this was the order I did them in.

AMENDMENT 33 – PARKING UTILITY MULTI-SPACE METERS
I first placed amendment 33 on file. It was the companion to a capital budget item that was also placed on file. I didn’t want to keep staff there all night, for nothing.

Agency/Service: Parking Utility
Page(s): 128, Supplement pages 116, 147
Sponsor(s): Alds. Konkel, Rummel

Remove funding for multi-space metering until cheaper rates for credit card charges have been achieved.

Capital Assets – Revenue Equipment $ ( 70,000)
Credit Card Fees ( 50,000)
Telephone Cellular Expense ( 14,000)
Maintenance Contracts ( 26,000)
Electricity ( 3,000)
Reserves Generated 163,000
Total $ – Levy Impact: $ –

AMENDMENT 15 – FIRE STATION 12
True to my word, I placed this on file, and we voted unanimously. I simply wanted the fire chief to explain why we needed this fire station. I understand that other alders were convinced I was up to something and wasn’t to be trusted. But that simply wasn’t the case, I wanted the public to hear why the WSJ was wrong – and it had nothing to do with thinking that the periphery development was bad – as Alder Skidmore seemed to want to believe. Apparently, I really ruined his speech – as well as, the chief’s. The next time I tell the papers I am doing something and why, you can trust that I will follow through as I said.

Agency/Service: Fire / Fire Prevention
Page(s): 34
Sponsor(s): Alds. Konkel, Rummel

Delete funding for Station No. 12. This includes 9 firefighters, 5 Lieutenants and 4 Apparatus Engineers to staff the station, as well as purchased services and supplies.

Permanent Salaries $ ( 872,921)
Fringe Benefits ( 375,356)
Purchased Services ( 50,084)
Supplies ( 16,525)
Total $ (1,314,886) Levy Impact: $ (1,314,886)

Oh, the reasons to do this were poor response times in that area, the people were already hired and would have to be laid off, they just had the ground breaking and the station was being built, the fire engines were already ordered and on the way, the equipment was here, etc. etc. etc. i.e. too late! Did I mention it was unanimous? The WSJ editorial was w-a-y off base here.

AMENDMENT 39 – PUTTING THE CDA REDEVELOPMENT MANAGER IN THE CDA BUDGET
I thought the conspiracy theories on the Fire Station were bizarre – it gets worse, no thanks to the mayor. Even though I had talked to the City Attorney 4 times in 3 days, about issues he wanted to bring up about conflicts of interests in other he “was uncertain” what was intended. Apparently he couldn’t ask in email or on the phone when I talked to him. Instead, the Mayor’s office felt it necessary to torture staff by telling them that they would:

a) have to reapply for their job
b) no longer be city employees; and
c) no longer be eligible for city benefits.

I have no clue where this was all coming from for sure, but it was just plain cruel. We have all kinds of city employees working for the CDA Housing Operations unit. This was intended to do the same thing. But, knowing that they were being so mean to the staff, I moved this up on the agenda to put the poor staff out of their misery.

Agency/Service: Economic Development Division
CDA Redevelopment
Page(s): 143, 151
Sponsor(s): Alds. Konkel, Bruer

Transfer the CDA Redevelopment Manager and Community Development Program Manager positions and corresponding funding from the Economic Development Division budget to the CDA Redevelopment budget.

Permanent Salaries (EDD) $ ( 130,985)
Fringe Benefits (EDD) ( 49,512)
Permanent Salaries (CDAR) 130,985
Fringe Benefits (CDAR) 49,512
Total $ – Levy Impact: $ –

Seriously, this was intended to have the CDA Redevelopment Manager and the CDA Secretary actually work for the CDA, just like the Housing Operations Unit employees. It just made sense. But, Alder Bruer moved to place on file, and defended my good intentions. However, it was placed on file on a voice vote.

Having dispensed with those items, we went back to number 1. I moved adoption of amendment 1 & 6 as they were related to each other.

AMENDMENT 1 & 6 – GRANTS FOR PROPERTY TAXES FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROVIDERS

Amendment 1 – Agency/Service: Assessed Value
General Fund Revenues / Other Local Taxes / Prior Year Taxes
Page(s): 4, 13
Sponsor(s): Alds. Konkel, Rummel

Increase assessed value by $514,000 to reflect a recent circuit court decision that rescinded the partial property tax exemption of one property located at 1910 Post Road, owned by WHPC-MMM, LLC, and recognize the related payment of $20,225 from this property owner for the 2006 and 2007 tax rolls when this property was omitted.

The addition of this assessed value to the 2008 tax roll will reduce the mill rate applied to all other property within the City, resulting in the redistribution of approximately $3,600 of City taxes from other properties to this newly added parcel and a $.03 reduction in taxes on the average home.

Prior Year Taxes (Increase) $ ( 20,225)
Total $ (20,225) Levy Impact: $ (20,225)

Amendment 6 – Agency/Service: Miscellaneous Appropriations / Other Direct Appropriations / Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Page(s): 10, 19
Sponsor(s): Alds. Konkel, Rummel

Provide funding to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund equal to $20,225 of prior year taxes plus the estimated $3,600 of current year City taxes that are anticipated to be collected from WHPC-MMM, LLC as a result of the recent court decision removing the partial tax exemption which had been in place for their property located at 1910 Post Road.

Affordable Housing Trust Fund – Sources:
Transfer from General Fund $ 23,825
Increased AHTF Balance $ 23,825
Miscellaneous Appropriations:
Affordable Housing Trust Fund $ 23,825
Total $ 23,825 Levy Impact: $ 23,825

These amendments take the taxes that will be collected as a result of a state decision and a court case and puts those funds into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and then we will be amending the affordable housing trust fund to allow those funds to be spent for grants for property taxes for low-income housing. Until, hopefully, the state corrects this problem. To my amazement, this passed unanimously on a voice vote. Apparently the Mayor got the word out that this was a good solution to the problems he couldn’t figure out how to solve.

AMENDMENT 2 – DISSOLVING THE CAPITAL REVOLVING FUND

I’ll try to get this done soon . . . I should have some time Monday and Wednesday evening to work on it.

x